This huge Warhammer 40k Space Marine cosplay is the work of Em Johnson, an illustrator and 2D concept artist from the UK game sector, who creates cosplay as LimeStone Forge. The Imperial Fists Praetor, aka FIGHTIIN’ FISTIN’ JOHNSON’, won the Warhammer Fest 2023 Cosplay Showcase on Saturday.
Johnson has created a detailed, Horus Heresy era panoply of Space Marine power armour – it looks like artificer Mk VII power armour, a mark that saw first usage among loyalists during the siege of Terra. Fittingly, a massive stilt-walking Horus Lupercal was among the foes she vanquished to win the cosplay showcase.
With the black helmet and black plastron FIGHTIN’ FISTIN’ JOHNSON’ is a member of the Templar Brethren, the first company of the Imperial Fists legion. Led by the mighty Sigismund, this brotherhood would go on to form the Black Templars chapter after the Heresy.
Johnson has built a substantial armoury too, including a trusty bolter, a thunder hammer, and a massive solarite gauntlet. This unique class of artificer power fist was wielded only by the Imperial Fists and Adeptus Custodes. Such sacred artefacts are not available to the Imperial Fists Warhammer 40k faction, but were once relatively common among the sons of Rogal Dorn during the Horus Heresy.
You can see more photos of Johnson’s cosplay in action earlier this year at Warhammer World on Instagram. Johnson’s professional portfolio shows their work as a concept artist for game studios, as well as their personal artwork – they really love monsters. They’ve even made an incredible illustration of The Beast, the monstrous Ork warlord that annihilated the Imperial Fists chapter and nearly destroyed the entire Imperium of Man in the 32nd Millenium.
