Crusader Squad: Piety
I had worked with the Dark Angel veteran box before. The contents were dynamic and varied, enough to make a squad of 10 with no fear of repetition, especially when combined with the Black Templar bits. It was such a natural fit that I found myself forgetting which bits originally came from which army. The red of the robes served as a strong contrast to the tan of the armor, establishing a visual theme which united the members of each squad.
The neophytes had helmets from the warriors of chaos regiment box, but to really cement their look with the rest of the squad, I gave them all black hoods. This was achieved by taking a square plane of green stuff and pressing it down and around the helmets, letting it sit and harden before being painted black.
Crusader Squad: Bravery
This squad became a catch-all for the models in my army that didn't have a specific look or use. Among the models used in this squad were Chaplain Cassius, Azrael, Mark I and Mark II veterans, a space marine chaplain, and several sword brethren from the templar metal box set.
This only sounds like overkill because it is.
When I was buying models for this army, I wanted every last marine to be unique. If there was a sculpt out there that GW had made in the last 15 years that could become a Templar, it was so.
This squad also has one of my favorite models in the army. I couldn't help but assemble my power fist marine with his pistol sideways, going for the kill shot.
Crusader Squad: Wisdom
As I was planning to use the metal sword brethren to form a crusade squad, the masters of the chapter box helped to fill out the ranks. This was the first time I had encountered GW's new policy of modeling heads separate from bodies on metal blisters. I hope they continue this practice as long as they make metal models. On a side note: the masters of the chapter are significantly smaller than a standard space marine, which affects what helmets they can have without looking disproportioned. Definitely something to keep in mind if you are thinking of using them in your army.
I do favor helmets on all my marines, and made the effort to put one on almost everyone. In my opinion, if you're going to war in the 41st millenium, the least you can do is protect your head. People are waging war on a planetary scale, there's bullets flying everywhere, lasers around every corner, there's a monster over there that doesn't nothing but eat people whole, and for the love of everything holy there's people running around who can light you on fire with their minds. Therefore, if you're interesting in continuing to be alive, it's time to put on your helmet.
Crusader Squad: Nobility
Also known as squad knight, this crusade squad is visually defined by their tabards. I chose GW Enchanted Blue to give them a regal appearance, complimenting the Ice Blue that the rest of the power armor is highlighted with. I added both classic Emperor's champion models to the ranks, as I was planning on converting my own. I also added shields complete with Heraldry on each member's backpack.
The shields used by the warriors of chaos from warhammer fantasy were absolutely perfect for the space marines. I shaved 4 of the 8 stars off the chaos icon and turned the symbol into a holy one. This took considerably longer than I anticipated to build due to the use of fine jewelers chain, but the end result was worth the investment.
And that does it for the 15 man crusader squads! Next time we'll be looking at the shooty boyz, as well as the first round of assault marines.
For the Emperor!
