40K Pre-Heresy Nightlords RTB-01 models

Warhammer 40k 1st Edition Cover.

 Around 2005-ish, I was able to get a hold of 8 full squads of plastic RTB-01 Marines (IE from the late 1980s) and decided to make a company of old Crimson Fist Marines from this cover pic.  Of course, when the Horus Heresy novels started coming out, I had to repaint them as Nightlords.   Here are the pics, with some tourney pics at the end.  This army I enjoyed so much, and only recently sold it (2015) which ended my 20 year affair with GW models.   Good thing I still paint Perry Brothers Napoleonics using rules from Ex-GW Staff (Black Powder)    Some things never change, right?!

I guess now these would be called Contemptor Dreadnoughts.  These are 1980s era dreadnoughts with the faces sawed off, Terminator Helmets put in, and extensive conversion work for the shoulder and head armour plating.

The other Contemptor, with Missile/Lascannon configuration

'Mike Reed' Pattern Drop pod.  Back then, no kit, so I asked him to make me one from GW parts and plasticard, as he was the master-converter.  Then I had to make 2 more myself, reverse-engineering them!

Night Lords.  Vampire faces, old school "torpedo" missile launchers!

Close up of Rhino.

Close up of Veteran Squad with Meltas (originally Needlers) In background, the old 'Chairlift"style Land-Speeders

Leader of this squad was a Chaplain with Combi-Assault Cannon.  I made it more reasonable, a Combi-Melta!

Devastators with Lascannons.  Hand made Purity seals.

'Newest' model in the army, from 1992, SW Runepriest, I have converted with an actual Conversion Beamer model (taken from the old Dreads in the first pic)

Whole army, Dreads with their Pods.

Predator, I used old Tarantula barrels for the Autocannons.

Now some action pics, don;t have anything except these pictures from Black Knight Games in Hamilton.

Painted models always roll better dice!

Moral Victory: My Librarian reaches the sacred books "What is this heresy.... Dewey Decimal!?!?!"