Biohazard Heads
Manufacturer: Maxmini
Scale: Heroic 28mm
Material: Resin
Price: $7.91 for ten heads
Get It Here: Maxmini
The first Chaos Space Marine that I found interesting, the Death Guard are one of the most intriguing Warhammer 40k factions. Starting life as stalwart, hearty drop troops, the post-Horus Heresy Death Guard are bloated with pestilence and implacable. Both pre and post-Horus Heresy Death Guard have distinctive pale armor with green markings, which really stands out amongst the more common blacks and reds of a 40k tabletop. Chaos worshippers or no, there is something almost noble about the way the Death Guard hold their ground and refuse to budge.
I wanted to convert and paint a Death Guard army a decade ago, but was stymied by a lack of bitz. The biggest determinant was the lack of suitable headgear. The 40k canon states that Death Guard wear rebreathers to inhale their own corruption and soak in the putrescence. Unfortunately, aside from the metal Death Guard Veterans, there were no rebreather heads available. I was forced to shelve the project and move on. If only the Maxmini Biohazard heads had been available.
Sold in packs of ten, the Biohazard heads are remarkable. While the bog standard Space Marine head has a rebreather, even the helmetless head from the Tactical Squad sprue has an osmotic gill, Death Guard demand a more obvious and less efficient looking piece of gear. The Biohazard heads fill that gap excellently. They come in five flavors, each resembling either a piece of SCUBA equipment or a Hazmat suit’s helm. Four of the heads have rebreathing elements over the mouth and large goggles for eyes. The fourth head has a classic diving helmet look, which will remind most of a Big Daddy from Bioshock. The almost steampunk aesthetic of the Biohazard heads is very endearing.
The heads come in a simple blister. Each head is very clean, with no visible mold lines and the only flash being a bit of sprue junk at the neck end. A quick flick of the X-Acto knife takes care of that and the heads are ready for use. The resin is very light, but does not feel cheap or brittle. The detail is crisp and I didn’t find any air bubbles on the set of ten heads I opened. Conversion wise, the heads fit right on a Space Marine torso and they look fine on a Terminator torso, as well. They do not work with an Imperial Guard body, being a bit too large.
Painting the Biohazard heads is a snap. A flat light grey or off-white creates a Death Guard effect easily. The eyepieces are a good place to test your skill at painting gems, especially the two with googly eyes and the diving helmet head. For those going in a different aesthetic direction, the design of the Biohazard heads have large open spaces and small, clean details.
While it is obvious that these heads are great for Death Guard conversions, Chaos or not, there are other uses. The Marines Malevolent are not the most popular or common chapter, but they focus on urban combat and have a bad reputation, which would make the sinister look of these heads fit perfectly. The Steel Snakes live under an ocean of acid, so putting them under these helmets is definitely within character. For those creating their own chapters, the Biohazard helmets can equally evoke aquatic, biological warfare, or steampunk themes.
At just shy of $7.91 for ten heads, the Maxmini Biohazard heads are a pretty good deal. Adding $.80 to the price of every Space Marine in an army is a negligible cost for adding this much character and personality to your army. If you are building or expanding a Death Guard army, the Biohazard heads are a no-brainer.
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