Tactical Squad Antiquis

Tactical Squad Antiquis of the 4th Company

Size: Ten Man Squad
Leader: Veteran Sgt.
Wargear: power armour, bolt pistols, frag / krak grenades, bolters
Special Equipment: flamer, and Veteran Sgt. gear (see below)
Naming Convention: Squad Antiquis is old, both in fluff terms and 'real' life. When I originally put this squad together, they were the last of the 'Beakies' from my bits box. These weren't troops I got off of eBay either, they were from the original Rogue Trader box that I personally purchased about twenty years ago, making them easily the longest painting project I've ever done, haha. It also makes them a little more satisfying than usual to see completed because of this. Yeah, they show their age, but that very age is what makes them so unique. I named them Squad Antiquis because of this.


Veteran Sergeant Methuselah.

Brother Methuselah wears traditional MkVI power armor and is armed with a MkI plasma pistol, frag and krak grenades, and a Heresy-pattern power fist. He also carries a meltabomb. His squad has served the Dark Angels chapter for millenia, and unlike other squads, they aren't dedicated to a single company, but move from company to company as he sees fit. Methuselah is given much latitude with these assignments and it is presumed his squad's movements coincide with direction on high from the Inner Circle itself. Recently, an Imperial world has been rediscovered, and at the request of Master Tracto himself, Squad Antiquis is to be stationed with the esteemed 4th Company during the upcoming Trucidos campaign.


The right shoulder pads of Squad Antiquis are pre-Heresy, making them relics in their own right. They maintain the original chapter color of black, and display chapter markings that also date to the time of the chapter's founding.


Side by side with a newer model for reference, you can see how dated the chapter symbol really is. I don't know where I got these from, but I have enough of these 1989 transfers to do another squad or two. The newer symbol is certainly more polished, but there's something to be said about the old one. You might still spot some old Beakies out there on the table, but I'm sure these decals are a rare sight indeed. Side by side you can also see how much smaller the original troops are to their newer counterparts.


I had to modify a couple of the troopers, I just didn't have enough classic bolter arms to finish out the squad, so I replaced two of them with newer arms, shoulder pads, and bolters. By doing this I was able to paint the bolter casings red to match the rest of the overall look of the army. In the center is a vintage trooper with a classic flamer. The new ones look so much better, but again, for nostalgia sake, I like this older one just because it's original.


It was a stretch to find all original pieces to kit out a full MkVI squad, so I had to use a variety of backpacks. Here are three generations of packs; the newest type in the center, the one on the right is the second generation MkVII packs, and of course the original on the left. Also on the left you can see the squad leader markings on the leg of the second in command of the squad, this also came off the old transfer sheet. If and when the squad is split up into combat squads, he would be the de-facto squad leader.