EMPEROR vs HORUS DIORAMA

This diorama depicts the events in a romanticized way since Horus never confronted the Emperor in his throne room. I felt that the throne of the Emperor would make a better back drop and be more easily recognized than Horus' bunker. I chose to draw upon the history as benefited the diorama and not what actually occurred. It is certain that had not the Emperor acted when he did Horus and his legions would have had just such a confrontation before the throne of Terra. For the actual account of the events follow this history link.

The base for the diorama and for the playing pieces was made from countertop arberite. I sampled many kinds until I decided on the black marble. This surface is damn hard and difficult at best to work with. While I am happy with the final product it is not something I would wish to work with again.

Each model was converted to some degree or another. Some, like the Adeptus Custodes, were head swaps while most were a collection of various bitz. I did try to maintain the wargear for the Emperor and Horus represented in the artwork. In the diorama I wanted the Emperor to still be the force of calm in the storm the Horus had brought. This is why his power claw and sword are in a neutral position. Horus on the other hand is poised for battle. He aggressively points at the emperor accusing him of misdeeds against humanity.
I went with a dark gold for the emperor and his guards in an attempt to make them look darkly gothic and yet maintain their sense of goodness. I counter this strongly with the dark scheme used for Horus and his guards. For me it was all about trying to achieve the right balance in the diorama of light and dark. Hard in a sense because I did not have the final product in hand. In the end I am happy with the contrast of the models and the sense of depth and realism that the floor adds.

These pictures show the play variants of the Emperor and his guards. They are generally posed to be more aggressive since I felt that this would look better on a gaming table.

These are the play variants of Horus and his guards. They are still posed to be very aggressive but in this group Horus is not pointing as he is in the diorama.