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I've been out of 40K for a few years, taking care of my son full-time. Now that he's old enough to go to day care a few days a week, I find myself with some free time and the urge to get back into the modeling and painting. So, I thought I'd post some pics: old stuff, and sometimes some new stuff to compare it to. I'd be interested in any feedback!

First up, a couple Chimera conversions, one old and one new. These were literally the last thing I worked on two years ago, and the first thing I did three weeks ago. The old one, thankfully, no longer exists to haunt my display, although the door does live on as one of the side doors on the new armored car.

That's a really sweet conversion! The lines and the detail flow so smoothly it really all comes together quite well. However the second one looks like crap.

Next, an assortment of guardsmen and Inquisitorial retinue, almost all old and waiting for a repainting.


This is the most flattering shot of these sentinels, which is saying a lot. The brown camo is smeared on to an extent that makes me cringe.



A few guardsmen with flamers. Note, almost all of my guardsmen are Kasrkin. I just love the models.



A standard squad.



A sniper (used as a Ratling) and two hardened vets (with breaching gear).



Inquisitor and retinue. The psyker (with a Middenheim head and axe in hand) is the only new model of the bunch, having been made a couple weeks ago to portray a feral world psyker in my Dark Heresy RPG campaign.

Love the Kasrkins. If I were to do a Guard army I would use the Grenadiers and Carapace Doctrines if for no other reason than as an excuse to use all Kasrkin figs.

At CrazyB's request, a quick rundown of the parts needed for the armored car. The whole thing is inspired by the Tahnellian Airborne of Owen Rees, who had a similar AC in a White Dwarf battle report several years back, as well as the Treadheads article on GW's website.

It's basically just a Chimera body, with plasticard sides, rear and some filler pieces. I ordered a Predator turret and turret collar, otherwise most everything was found in two Chimera sets (the second set is really just needed for trackguards and another door). I used some sprues cut to act as beams inside the AC to hold up the roof, added a few plasticard pieces on the roof (the turret collar is not wide enough on its own). Pretty easy, really. Oh, and the comm gear on the turret is a gun from an old toy AT-AT.

That was a great WD. I'm glad to see the ideas spreading around. Wheels have their place in the distant future!

So, I've been working on a half-track to act as a Chimera, since I'm not fond of the Chimera model. This is based on a Land Speeder conversion from a fairly recent WD issue, as well as the minitank article from GW's website. Unfortunately, I'm not real enthusiastic about how it's turning out, and may just scrap it altogether.







I've also got a test model for my infantry updates. My army was originally conceived as a drop troop army, and thanks to a nifty tax refund, Elysian grav chutes are now in my price range. I want to keep part of the Kasrkin backpack, though, since it has the energy packs for the hellguns. This one is just a test, the rest would be bulked out a bit on the sides to hide the metal lump on the back of the Kasrkin.

I want to like the half-track, I really do. But something's off? I think the tracks may be too far back. Hard to tell from the pics but maybe move them up 1/2"? Great idea, great concept, and I think it can still work!

ZamboniKnight wrote:I want to like the half-track, I really do. But something's off? I think the tracks may be too far back. Hard to tell from the pics but maybe move them up 1/2"? Great idea, great concept, and I think it can still work!

Yeah, but if I move them forward, there's no room left in the back for troops, and it's really obvious because it's open-topped. I tested it out with full-size tracks, rather than shortened ones, but the whole thing looked way too long, about half again the length of a regular Chimera. Maybe full size tracks AND move them forward, cover up the engine door...

One nice touch that isn't really visible in these pictures is the textured plasticard in the back. It's non-skid metal grating, which should look great when painted up. I also want to add a few rifle racks to the sides of the troop enclosure.

Looks like enough here for an army profile!

Put something under the Land Speeder to decrease some of it's ground clearance. I'm choosing to blame that big gap there as the put off if my eyes.

Work continues, albeit at a glacially slow pace thanks to the impending arrival of son #2. I've shelved the half-track and have moved on to the PBI.



Just some of the many grav chutes I've had to prep. I see why backpack mods are considered some of the most tedious in modeling.

I then realized that the effort to cut down Kasrkin backpacks would drive me insane and cost hundreds of dollars in Dremel tools. So I decided to give sculpting a go.





Not perfect, but it was done in a fraction of the time filing, cutting and grinding would have taken. Once primed and basecoated, they don't look half bad.

I have some female Cadians on the way, and plan to sprinkle them through my army. Along with a hardened vet squad, another Chimera armored car and a second Basilisk, that will round out the army.