If you love painting Warhammer, this aura farming Space Marine model is a must-have

I know Space Marines are all about protecting the Imperium and weeding out heresy in Warhammer 40K's grimdark future, but Suboden Khan? He can't fool me. This guy is a straight-up aura farmer.

There's really no need for the model to go so hard. Games Workshop sent me Suboden Khan ahead of launch as part of the new White Scars Combat Patrol, and he's in danger of leaving other Warhammer 40K heroes in the dust (quite literally, thanks to his snazzy hover-bike). Having put the First Captain together over the past week, I must admit: he's probably the coolest mini the Space Marines have had in a while, with the exception of Aethon Shaan from the Warhammer Summer Preview 2025. Considering how many high-profile characters have dropped recently, including refreshed Ultramarines heroes, that's saying a lot.

It stands to reason, I suppose. Suboden is First Captain of the White Scars, which means he's the faction's second-in-command. And because the Great Khan, his Chapter's leader, is on a health-related sabbatical due to the small setback of being blown to bits, he basically runs the joint. His boss puts in the occasional appearance, yes, but he's so busted up that Suboden has been left to deal with most things.

As such, the latter is armed with the gnarliest weapons and wargear this group of Mongol Empire-themed Space Marines can muster. He has the Chapter's eons-old glaive, Stormtooth. He also rides into battle on an anti-grav bike called 'Thunder,' because he apparently wasn't cool enough already.

This is all reflected in a model that is, for lack of a better word, badass.

I can see it being a favorite of painters and those who enjoy collecting cool miniatures alike, even if they aren't White Scars stans. I fully expect him to be a regular in dioramas or the Golden Demon painting competition going forward, too – and I think Games Workshop knows this as well, because this is not a beginner-friendly model. Suboden Khan is trickier to build and paint than your average character. Even though constructing him wasn't as much of a headache as I worried it might be, care will still need to be taken even when clipping bits off the sprue because there are a few fragile elements.

You absolutely should paint it in stages before assembling the model as well. This model would be a nightmare to paint if it was fully constructed, because there are so many hard-to-reach areas that'll be covered up by the First Captain himself or other accessories (such as the rather fetching brace of heads hanging on the side of the bike). That cloak is going to be a particular nuisance, for example, regal though it is.

Still, the effort is more than worthwhile. This is a dynamic and vibrant model that made me rethink my initial plan to turn the rest of the Combat Patrol box into my go-to Chapter – Dark Angels. He's awesome enough that I'd quite like to get him onto the field rather than sitting around on my shelf, and a self-contained force like this is a great way of dipping a toe into a faction without needing to commit. Would I want an entire White Scars army? No. A small Combat Patrol, though? Yeah, that I can do.

It also has a very unique signature compared to other Combat Patrols, mechanically speaking; it's one of the few with a tank, or high-speed vehicles. The only other box sets on offer right now with armor are the Death Guard, Genestealers, and Tau (if you don't count the Necron's massive walker, anyway). That gives the White Scar warriors a very unique feel on the tabletop, especially when compared to other Space Marine Combat Patrols that are much more infantry-heavy.

In other words? Suboden Khan has aura farmed hard enough to make me want to switch factions. Damn and blast.

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