The Dreadknight: Venerable Grand Cruiser - Battlefleet Gothic Part 5

The final ship on the Battlefleet Gothic Astartes Chapter Fleet painting queue was this incredible custom-designed, 3D printed Grand Cruiser.

(3D printed custom-designed files).

Lore

The Dreadknight was an imperial Grand Cruiser which came into possession of the first of those Astartes who would much later become the Falcon Guard, and has been bequeathed to that Chapter as a Venerable Grand Cruiser. This is all said to have occurred during the Heresy, in fact.

The Dreadknight (which may not have been the ship's original name) seems to miraculously survive countless battles over the millennia, always somehow returning to the hands of the Falcon Guard. The ship forms the core of the Rearguard Division of the Chapter Fleet, under the command of Fleet Master Tribulon Viy.

In-Game

I am currently using this ship as an Avenger Class Grand Cruiser because I cannot ignore the 20(!) firepower broadsides, but I have the weapons refit options to change it to a different class if I find this rather blunt instrument is not working or is not fun enough. The ship has fought in one battle so far, and while it didn't really have much opportunity to get stuck in in its intended role as a line breaker, I'll give it another chance. There are some very interesting alternative classes of Grand Cruiser, including carriers, lance ships and long-range variants that could add flexibility to my fleet. However, the Dreadknight will remain, for now, an all-big-gun battleship toting close-range energy carronades.

At the same time, I also painted the last of two old, unwanted 40K Space Marine figures picked up for $1 (one dollar) at a Canberra games show years and years ago. I might as well put him here, in the colours of the 8th Cohort (8th Company):

(Citadel Miniatures).