Horus Heresy – Solar Auxilia Medusa and Basilisk

While we're waiting for the release of the Malcador Variants of Infernus and Valdor in Horus Heresy scale, we fill the gap with the Basilik / Medusa kit for the Solar Auxilia today - in a double feature. Because not only do we cover this one in Horus Heresy scale of 32mm, we do also have you covered for Legions Imperialis today in this review of the Medusa and Basilisk Battery.

During the civil war of the Horus Heresy, the Leman Russ was the work horse of the Imperial warmachine and used as a chassis to build various variants and derivations, for different purposes, like the self-propelled-gun variants, we talk about today. The chimera chassis, which was developed later would take over some of the variants, therefore the Basilisk in 40k looks different than 30k. And with the Solar Auxilia Leman Russ plastic kit we have the chance to see these as new full plastic sets and not resin or hybrid set.

Games Workshop repurposes some of the sprues to cover these variants, we see this today with the Medusa and Basilisk, where the track sections and parts of the hull are re-used, and we will see this with the Malcador later this week. But let us open up the box and see, what is inside.

The Solar Auxilia Basilisk/Medusa has a RRP of 55 EUR and includes four sprues (two large and two medium sized ones), an instruction leaflet and a decal sheet. The boxed set has the Eagle and Eye of Horus on the tabs of the packaging.

The four sprues are well designed, with a good use of the sprue. There is the track sprue from the regular Solar Auxilia Leman Russ kit, which provides both sides and parts of the lower hull.

Then there is the Solar Auxilia vehicle upgrade sprue, which covers all the additional and optional parts, like the bulldozer blade, pintle mounted weapons and such.

And two new sprues for the guns themself, the artillery crew and cabin.

The new sprues for the Basilisk/Medusa are both called F and the numbers go across both sprues, but not split by range X to Y in sprue one and the remaining numbers Y to Z in sprue two, but mixed all over the place. This creates unneeded confusion and slows the build down. The vehicle decal sprue covers a few cohorts of the Solar Auxilia, but less than the new aviation sprue.

We build the Medusa/Basilisk a bit from the inside out. Keep in mind, we have a lot of moving parts. So pay attentation and read the instructions carefully! It is worth it.

As the artillery tank is slightly wider than the regular Leman Russ, the bottom plate has extensions on the side.

And I was already wondering about the grooves on the ground while building the Leman Russ kit, now we know why they are there. The interior parts of the Medusa/Basilisk connect to them and create the crew compartment. It is stunning to see, how many details this already provides. Fit is not an issue, the angles work great and create a very stabil sub-build.

Now the front of the middle section is added. And even as this is a bit of an unusual angle, the connection works and is stable.

Some of the details we build earlier are now used. For example the exhausts and further parts to close the middle section are added. So far we didn't have any moving parts. Yet, depending on accessability you want to have during painting, you might want to add the exhausts at the end.

So far everything is generic and for both variants, but now we have to choose to either build the Basilisk or Medusa, thus going for one of the barrels and the according shells, as these are added to the interior as well. I completed the side wall, but didn't glue it in fix, and just slid it into place, to not only have better access for painting but have the option to keep the model open and as we still need to put the gun in the middle.

The barrel is a moving part, even has a breech, that you could build an open way to show that it is being loaded. The entire gun can be moved up and down, as it is mounted to both sides of the inner wall. In this step we add the door to the back, which can be either open or closed, to provide (visual) access to the inside.

The last part is now to add the upper plate, which again provides a roof that can be folded open towards both sides. I only put that one in place, as the entire section is not glued, but locked together.

And as that is the middle section, the only thing to do for the main build is to add the tracks / sides. Once again, I didn't glue them, just put them together. So you might see a gap here and there, that won't be there in the final assembly.

The Medusa/Basilisk has a few options, that it might take from the upgrade sprue, for example the dozer blade and pintle mounted weaponry. It is optional and you can use those or go for different variants, in case you want more individuality for your cohort or militia.

Beside the crewmen from the upgrade sprue, this kit has two artillery crew men in sprue F, these are operating the gun as you can see. And it is really great to see them interact with the panels and screens. Therefore I kept the doors and gates open.

This is the final build of the Medusa, along with a comparison with the little brother from the Legions Imperialis range. As you can see the Legions Imperialis kit is 25% of the big build, or the Horus Heresy range is 400% of the epic scale.

As mentioned above, I didn't glue this model but kept it in section, that would allow me a better access for painting as you can see. This is my split.

Conclusion

I had a lot of fun building this kit. And it felt so much more than a model kit than a gaming model. That being said, while it was entertaining to build one, I can imagine it might be a bit exhausting to build a battery of three for Horus Heresy (but mostly, you'd build them close in that case). The detailed interior is a great addition to this set and you even have options for them, with different heads and weapons. You can partially kitbash them with bits from the vehicle upgrade sprue (or beyond that from the Solar Auxilia Infantry). But as Games Workshop, or better said Forge World, still has some other regiments or militia, so you could replace them with for example with the Death Korps of Krieg Artillery Crew or the Renegade Militia Artillery Crew.

The price is reasonable at 55 EUR for this much model, especially if you do not only use it as a gaming piece but use it for display purposes. In other cases, you would have to buy an interior upgrade kit etc. which would drive up the price easily and here it is simply part of the box. But still provides so much potential, as you could convert it with old Forge World resin parts as mentioned above or use one of the new plastic regiments from the Astra Militarum.

With this much satisfaction, I am really looking forward to what we will see with the Malcador variants.

Warhammer 40,000 and The Horus Heresy are brands by Games Workshop.

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer.