if you haven´t gone victoria minis already...then do it... but honestly...while mordians are cool...a deep inner voice should tell you it´s pith helmets you crave...
I'm Irish, we have no fond memories of the British Empire. I'd love some Hussier heads but Vics only has Picklehems and the peaked caps will tie them to the rest of the regiment
No worries, just explaining my irrational bias against certain helmets for my toy soldiers
I got a mess of Praetorians on clearance years ago and promptly lopped off their heads and replaced them.
A buddy of mine painted them as Barbados police, I wish I'd thought of that.
I know that we are not our avatars....but I never pictured you as Irish .
Given the date, in no particular order.
1. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
2. Top of the morning to Ye!
3 Stay away from my sheep .
From a bloke who supposedly has a little Irish in him too.
I know that we are not our avatars....but I never pictured you as Irish .
Given the date, in no particular order.
1. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
2. Top of the morning to Ye!
3 Stay away from my sheep .
From a bloke who supposedly has a little Irish in him too.
My name is Legion for we are many...
I have to go to 1/4ths to list my heritiage, my kids 1/8s, but close enough for St Patricks Day.
Automatically Appended Next Post: So long as I'm thinking aloud, and since my Fire Truck is almost done.
Plus
Plus
Should give me the Ambulance and Paramedic team I need to finish off the first responder look.
But looking at the Delaque they all have gas masks on their coats so the crow mask would be silly, well sillier than even normal 40k.
So now I'm thinking turn 5 Delaque into a counts as Krieg Quartermaster (a grim dark medic) and 5 more into another Scion Squad. And a Taurox as their ambulence.
But that is down the road, much to do and paint first
hmmm... these anvil heads are not doing it for me...hmmm...i own two plague docs from another company...can´t recall atm...
but what about some space marine corvus armor heads...or in short beaky heads? could they work or would they be too big in scale?
I'm scrapping the Plague Doctor idea, I'd have to cut off the gas masks for them to fit and while it MIGHT work it probably won't and these are some really nice models.
Not sure if we discussed it here, or if I was passing the tip along to someone on another blog (the vagaries of age).
When I was doing Napoleonics, and had metric crap-tons of horses to do, a method I was taught that produced a fairly fast, easy and decent looking result was:
1) Thoroughly basecoat the horses white (dark grey if you want white horses, instead of various shades of brown)
2) Cover them completely with oil-based brown paint of a shade you want to consider your 'top' layer (burnt umber, umber, burnt sienna, others)
3) Let sit for a few minutes
4) Gently/lightly wipe off the excess paint- almost a very light buffing motion, with a clean soft cloth (t-shirt material works admirably). Rub more where you want lighter color, less where you want darker.
All the creases and low areas will automatically be darker. If you end up with the barrel of the horse too light, just dab some paint back on and wipe some off again. All that is left is to detail the faces as much (or little) as you want, paint the hooves and the saddle furniture and add the odd blaze, star or roaning as you want. I've actually been able to achieve a decent Appaloosa leopard pattern look on a white and grey horse by doing a general wipe over the hindquarters and then using a Q-tip to 'rub' in small spots where I wanted the white undercoating to show through.
I could knock out a regiment of horses in an evening and still have time to paint something else (20-30 horses).
There are probably other methods that are easier, faster, cleaner and that don't involve oil-based paint, though.
So, like all right thinking Guard players I am constantly annoyed at how the heavy weapons box give you 15 guns, but only enough crew for 3, and enough stands for 6. So I started a little project I call "Everything But the Oink" to use all of it.
Also 15 (!!) years ago or so I picked up some bits to make servitors for a planned adeptus mech army.
And 15 years later I finally got around to using them.
Yay me.
Chaos Marauders+Land Raider Gunners+spare heavy weapons (and 3 of the Grenade Guantlets from the Ogryn set because they were too perfect)+skitarii bits =
Penal Legion heavy weapon servitors!
Lobotomized cyborg criminals given a chance to serve the Emperor's Law through crowd suppression and other essential duties. Count as normal HWTs but so much fun to do.
The 2 little dudes are the technomats who keep some free will and direct the teams. And make up for the fact I ran out of Marine torsos
I'm sure the physics supports a six-deck, flat top aircraft carrier in space. As Ash tells us in the movie Army of Darkness: "Your primitive mind can't comprehend the forces involved here. Chemistry is full of compounds and elements 'n stuff like that."
The existence of such a craft implies it's reality, not so?
What I love most about it is the Helicopter pad at the end of the take off strip . One would think you wouldn’t try to take off vertically directly in front of where jets are trying to launch themselves . I remember Shasho, doing up one of these a while back .
So that ork shopping list wasn't a total non sequitur.
Shroud Mages ships from Uncharted Seas (now OOP) with bits and green stuff to make up bottom hulls. And some escorts that I just laid flat because, well they're escorts and who cares.
Man I HATE the Van Saar Kit. A basic rifleman should NOT need 11 pieces (before you get into shoulder pads, grenades etc) and if they do need 11 parts, can't there be some posing options?
But still, the results are gorgeous.
Van Saars with Vanguard heads and bit of GS.
Future Tempestor Prime and Commissar/preacher/Crusader/Something
Ah reposing Van Saar is easier than you might think.. my Guard army is based on them and especially the female and Boxstepper get a bit boring after the second squad.
Legs are easy enough to cut and repose with a little bit green stuff, any bad sculpting (like my sculpting) can be hidden with grenades and pouches etc.
And if you still want to use the Delaque.. keep in mind that they are insanely tall (I have no Primaris here, but nearly a head taller than Death Guard .. but of course probably thinner than a Death Guard leg)
The next planned addition is a Trojan (chimera conversion) which will serve as the tow truck, because every precinct needs tow trucks.
Then maybe the ambulance with Delaque medics, the size does not matter because they will count as a DKK Quartermaster and medical servitors. The Ambulance will either be another chimera or the toxic waste hellhound.
Then, FINALLY a baneblade. Because what else do you call when there's a full scale insurrection?
The next planned addition is a Trojan (chimera conversion) which will serve as the tow truck, because every precinct needs tow trucks.
Then maybe the ambulance with Delaque medics, the size does not matter because they will count as a DKK Quartermaster and medical servitors. The Ambulance will either be another chimera or the toxic waste hellhound.
Then, FINALLY a baneblade. Because what else do you call when there's a full scale insurrection?
And painting. SO MUCH painting.
You can see a bit of my WIP army here:
Rothean Spectres (I urgently have to update the blog with new images, maybe this evening or tomorrow, have to attend the annual Easter Family Fight first . )
And I always love to see converted theme armies.. much better than another Cadian or Ultramarines Force. Means I love your stuff! I would go for the Ridgerunners, mainly because I feel it fits better into the Theme.
Every precinct needs a wrecker, a tow truck to drag away illegally parked vehicles, clear rubble from city streets and provide aid to Baneblade-senpai.
The cyber arm is a bit big, but then again 40k is all about too big.
And a squad car.
The GSC ridgerunner is a nice dunebuggy, not sure if it's worth $45 but it is nice. Probably count as a Tauros.
In all seriousness, there is something about the way the land speeder conversion came out that reminds me of the old deodorant stick speeder from the bad old days.... I really like this kit, but now I'm wondering if a kitbash/scratch conversion isn't in the offing. The vehicle does also look good on wheels, though- with no hint of deodorant stick!
The Chimera is pretty standard except for the plastic rod autocannon.
This will be a Banewolf/Ambulance, so yes I'm going ahead with the grimdark paramedics. I suppose it's a bit late to ask but are Banewolfs any good?
And the Ridgerunner got TL las cannons. So most of the weapons are superfulous, the Taurus can't have a missile launcher or heavy stubbers, but I left them on, I love the idea of an overgunned Batmobile squad car.
Well I finally found the Rajendra at a... reasonable price. Not the $10 it was before Lent, much less the Y300 it should cost... but reasonable. And the guy on ebay had the screen name "Save my marriage from my hobbies" so there's that.
Looking at the box and the contents, I think this is an original kit, not a reissue, which could put it from around 1980. Thought briefly about not opening but hey, that's why got it right.
Mmmm, small that fresh, fresh Showa air. Smells like a big bubble.
The little pack plastic cement, long since turned to dust.
Looks like it will be quick build, maybe tomorrow.
Grimdark Paramedics to go with the Grimdark ambulance. Counts as DKK Quatermaster, a character medic and 4 servitors.
Did the Blood Bowl to Arbites conversion too, I can see the appeal but the amount of work it takes to make them look good just isn't worth it. Will stick with Van Saar.
Those look great. I love the combination of a "practical" space cruiser design with Ravenwing bits and Dropfleet missile pods. One can really tell when the Comissariat started breathing down the starship design bureau's neck.
On HLJ, I ordered 1/700 scale ordnance kits for light and heavy vessels, and they are full of useful BFG turrets waiting to happen. Whichever one has the torpedo launchers is perfect, because they look like little triple lascannons the size of Chaos lance turrets.
DFC's bits are the best, of course, but the naval bits are cheap and easier to find if you're running low on bits.
Cut the details off the tops, flip them over, glue the details back on and add some engines--instant sub sector task force. In other franchises, that submarine puts you about a third of the way towards a Mars Defense Perimeter drone.
Tip of the hat to Bob the Inquisitor, those 1/700 navy sets are ACE! Upside down lifeboats with wings as cargo shuttles.
And turrets for the Mass Conveyor.
Dystopian Wars subs (Covenant of Antartica IIRC) glued together to be Ork Brute Ramships.
And got the 3D printed Space Fleet style battleship from the library. Cleaning it has been a @#$%, very frustrating. Have to see if that can be averted with the next print.
Thanks! 3rd time's the charm huh? I think using consistent hulls up top and then going nuts below the waterline worked. They're mullet ships, business up front, party in the back.
Hadn't looked in on this blog for a while - wow that is a lot of cops! Love the "fire truck" - definitely gives me some ideas, and Delaque medics is a great concept.
Kudos for Horse Arbites.
Are you going to do a Mobile Precinct Fortress?
I suspect the Banewolf mostly sucks unless you had a serious deepstriking marine problem an edition or two ago. Then it was well worth it.
Ork fleet is looking good, could maybe use some drybrushing for a more weathered look.
Update on the mandarake shipment, the ship I wanted is sold out (I can get it on ebay for literally 10x as much) but they refunded my 300 Yen. I think I'll go buy a coffee. A small coffee.
But yeah, kudos for the great service, mistakes happen, what's important is how people react.
Is the massive and excessive number of air intakes.
On a space ship.
OK I can assume they're magnetic scoops to pull in stray hydrogen atoms for the ship's fusion power. That's a fine science fiction reason, and rule of cool.
The ork fleet looks really great. I have to say, everything you post is impressive, but I always enjoy your blog the most when you are working on space ships.
Decided to pay $20 for the ship Mandarake was out of...
It was worth it.
And won another Space Fleet auction. Look at them all pristine in their blisters, trapped with precious fresh air from the previous millennia. Almost makes me want to leave them be.
Almost.
What do you mean we're out of primer?!
Ah well, nothing to do but paint what I already have.
Mostly Space Fleet
With Lord Borak's mass conveyor and a 3D battleship from Thingverse.
And some models from an old 70s film bringing up the rear.
Good stuff as always mate, really like that mass conveyor especially though those arrowhead shaped ones at the front of the last pic are also very nice. What are they?
The small arrowheads are Thunderbolts from Space Fleet (but actually they're even older than that, GW repurposed them from an older line called "Space Ships").
I count them as Dauntlesses, though they are really too small for the role, but I love the look of them.
Look I'm really not going to have much time this year, so I'll just get some OOP Arbites and do a small force, maybe just a kill team that count as SM scouts. Something for my spare time y'know.
Soon...
Tonight's project, turning one of my centaur conversions into a Salamander Command Vehicle to help out Shadow Sword-Senpai.
This is of course the frustrating part of a project. That 80% mark, where now if I do inking, highlights and decals (which I have to custom print) it'll be a lot better.
This is complicated by the fact I really only have 2 more weeks till these have to be packed up for my move.
This is of course the frustrating part of a project. That 80% mark, where now if I do inking, highlights and decals (which I have to custom print) it'll be a lot better.
This is complicated by the fact I really only have 2 more weeks till these have to be packed up for my move.
So...
Deep breath...
Let's try and get this army done!
Wait, I have infantry too?
Looking nice so far. I look forward to the completed army.
Infantry week rolls on with my Blood Bowl to Enforcers unit. Guns from House Delaque thank you very much.
Fun conversion but they don't match anything, and it was hard to find a use for the receiver and thrower models so I don't think I'll repeat it, esp since real Enforcers are out next month.
Imperial Guard got some bits box raid guys.
And Infantry Week is bleeding over into Fortification week!
Dear Emperor - soooo much painting and cool conversions. I like the Orlock vets particularly - they have a kind of nice old school look for some reason - I think it is the shoulders. And I desperately want a cop on a horse too - that unit of them this thrilling to see!
Really impressive output. What you did during your Infantry (and cavalry?) Week would take me 6 - 9 months. My favorite is the guy on the horse with the sledge hammer! Really fun conversion and good pose.
Thanks! I've been working on it on and off since Christmas but making a big push these last 20-3 weeks with the family out of town and then we move so it all gets packed away.
Looks like I won't make it to 100%, probably no time for transfers, ink and other details but it'll still be impressive.
The Sledge Hammer comes from the Empire General kit, lots of cool bits in there.
Well the movers come next week so this is where I say DONE. For now. Which really means forever since I have 'done for now' stuff in boxes that haven't been opened in COUGH-COUGH years.
ANYWAY!
So yes, about a year ago I said something to the effect of 'I'll pick up a few OOP arbites and maybe make a kill team with them."
Things got out of hand...
Slightly...
So let this be a draft army profile about the various forces and factions in Precinct 518.
Fluff in spoilers.
Spoiler:
Situated on the coast of the southern continent of Nova Yeboracum, the city of Puerto Dolor is the 'gateway to the south'. A port of call for sea vessels, airships and transatmosphere shuttles to move cargo from the mountains and jungles of the south to the hungry hive cities of the north.
Most security is handled by the Baron, who answers to his cousin the planetary governor but still a small Imperial presence is need to police the orbital traffic, ensure the trade of certain materials vital to the greater Imperium, secure the Imperial Quarter and ensure the Baron is upholding Imperial Law. Total personnel in Precinct 518 is just over 1000 people (plus servitors and vat-grown menials) of whom around 250 are Imperial Officials, recruited and trained off-world while the rest are recruited locally.
Aquilla Strongpoint and Bunkers
Spoiler:
The Precinct occupies its own section of the Imperial Quarter, which also includes Administratum offices such as the Ministry of Taxation, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of the Census as well as countless other obscure arms of the largest bureaucracy the galaxy has ever seen.
Outside its walls Puerto Dolor festers much as any other Imperial City. Millions carry on their business as best they can, their days punctuated by bombings, riots, protests and random acts of violence as various gangs, factions and cults compete. For the most part these are beneath the Arbites concern, unless they become threats to the Imperium's interests.
Thousands of petitioners line up at the gates of the Imperial Quarter to apply for warrants, request information, pray at the Central Cathedral or pay taxes and fees. All of them are screened by the Arbites before entering, a process that typically takes 2-5 days.
The central Courthouse and its many satellite buildings loom over rest of the Quarter, their stark brutalism contrasting with the ornate styles more common in Imperial architecture. Rumors claim there is a vast network of dungeons below the Courthouse but no one has ever had the courage or ability to confirm this. Servitor-controlled heavy bolters regularly track pedestrians walking too close to the outer walls.
Unknown to virtually anyone outside the Chief Justice and his circle of Senior Justices the Courthouse also has a small arsenal of missiles capable of devastating an entire sector of the city should they typical rumbles of Puerto Dolor ever get out of hand.
Heavy Weapon Teams
Spoiler:
Queues of petitioners are watched over by heavy weapon servitor teams. Rumors claims they are created from the ranks of condemned prisoners but no one has the courage to ask.
Conscripts
Spoiler:
For most citizens law enforcement is a local and personal affair. Daily security, searches and interventions are conducted by local guards, fellow clansmen or the Baron's forces.
Barely trained and armed with crude slug throwers they are generally sufficent for most tasks.
Imperial Guard/Gendarmerie
Spoiler:
Even for those encountering Imperial Authority it generally comes in the form of the Gendarmerie (pron: Jen-Di-Armory). Local troops equipped with lasguns and flak armor they perform many of the security, surveillance, and investigative tasks too numerous and menial for an Imperial Judge. Gendarmerie may work for months or years on an investigation before the Judges are called in to make a ruling and execute (sometimes literally) a punishment.
Their role, training and equipment closely align with the planet's Imperial Guard Garrison, the main difference is that the Gendarmerie is more concerned with the world's populace while the Imperial Guard stands ready to deal with off-world threats and rebellions.
Com/Rel Squads
(Count as DKK Engineers and Grendiers)
Spoiler:
However from time to time 'Community Relations Squads' sally forth to inspect random (or carefully chosen) communities searching for any violations of Imperial Law. Empowered to make on-the-spot judgements and issue appropriate punishments these teams work quickly and hit hard. A hab block will be cordoned off and every hab unit, storage cell and utility tunnel torn apart searching for contraband, heretical material or Xenos taint. These Community Relations Exercises help to instill the proper amount of respect and terror among the general population and sometimes even uncover useful leads for further investigation.
Sit/Res
Bullgryns and Death Riders
Spoiler:
In contrast Situation Response teams move out to suppress any situation that is deemed worthy of Imperial Response. Nearly 2/3 of these involve queue riots outside the Imperial Quarter gates.
Scions
Spoiler:
When investigation uncovers a specific lawbreaker in need of Imperial attention Tar/Res (Targeted Response) teams are dispatched by air to quickly and mercilessly deal with the lawbreaker and any who stand with him.
Motorpool
Spoiler:
All of these activities are of course supported by a large and diverse motorpool whose resources range from lightly armored patrol vehicles to hulking armored behemoths. While some may question the Precinct's need for a Shadowsword, the Chief Justice maintains it is an essential element in demonstrating that no one is beyond the power of the Emperor's Justice.
Specialists
Trojan/Banewolf/Hellhound
Spoiler:
The precinct has several special units including Tech Priests, Medical Units and Fire Brigades all of which can, in extremis, arm themselves for battle.
Tech Priest Boron "Bonesaw" Sau not only oversees the Servitor forces but has also shown a special talent in interrogation and waste disposal.
Surgeon Colonel Coup's small medical unit investigates plague outbreaks and other health issues. His sterilization unit uses highly toxic chemicals to destroy any infected organic matter.
The Precinct's F-451 Unit under Inspector Bradbury has the important job of destroying heretical materials in flame. The small 'Fireman' unit is kept busy arranging disposal events around the city or responding to emergency calls. Their F-451 Tank is a remarkably flexible chemical dispenser that can be modified to fire burning promethium, riot foam and even dihydrogen monoxide.
Priests
Spoiler:
Judge Legats are ordained members of the Ecclesiarchy empowered to identify and root out heretical materials. They are often seen accompanying the F-451 unit in its regular rounds or encouraging Sit/Res teams as they correct misguided members of the flock.
Primaris Psykers
Spoiler:
Psy Judges are an invaluable, if untrusted, part of the Precinct. Vital in detecting and combating the threat of Thought Crime, Psy Judges are nonetheless kept under close observation by the Senior Justices.
Assassins
Spoiler:
While the Arbites prefers loud and public actions to deter lawbreaking the Chief Justice recognizes the occasional need for silence. Judge Noir's marksmanship skills have eliminated many embarrassments who, if arrested by traditional means would have eroded trust in Imperial Authority rather than buttress it. Detective Blanc's skills at infiltration continue to uncover nests of lawlessness for the Precinct to then burn out. While Judge Rouge's martial skills have enabled him to single-handedly eliminate entire gangs of criminals.
High Command
Spoiler:
The entire unweildly apparatus is under the command of Chief Justice Qanun, Deputy Chief Justice Shurta and a cabal of Senior Justices such as Count AzYarick and Judge Colonel Aaron Hand. The Chief Justice rarely takes the field himself since his 300th birth anniversary but his recent rejuv treatment and custom-built armor mean that he cannot be discounted.
And there we are. For me the most fun in making an army is the creativity, fitting models into new roles, and building an organization and structure in my head to fit it all together. If I were to do it all again I might skip the OOP Arbites entirely and only use Necromunda models. Or vice versa. The mix of Old and New Hammer is a bit jarring. And of course I had no idea there would be plastic enforcers until I'd already finished buying!
Sadly I never go around to having a game with them while I was in the US, largely because I never learned 8th edition and honestly don't want to... But honestly no regrets there, it was a choice.
Painting... painting still aspires to be mediocre, largely because I love quantity over quality and size over everthing. Highlights and inks are still required at the very least.
I love the creativity and passion that went into this army. Like you said, sometimes you just have to pick between doing your best painting and having a tiny force that will likely never get finished at all, and doing some good-enough table top standard that enables a full army to get finished. I think it turned out well. Bravo for such a massive endeavor.
Now you have to hide your tears as you shout at your army. "Get out of here! *grief swallow* Go on! Nobody wants you here! *sobbing*. Get out of here!"
If you're making Necron ships, this is the perfect time of year. There are coffin-shaped boxes at the dollar store, and crescent-moon shaped craft pieces at Michaels. Hmmm. Maybe I should start some Necron stuff..
If you're making Necron ships, this is the perfect time of year. There are coffin-shaped boxes at the dollar store, and crescent-moon shaped craft pieces at Michaels. Hmmm. Maybe I should start some Necron stuff..
Yeah well the problem with nicking off to Michaels is the whole 14 hour flight...
Luckily pyramids are pretty easy to get here
Automatically Appended Next Post: So after some starts and stops I got started on the Enforcers and Resistance Fleet.
Finding a good primer is going to a problem here, went to 3 hardware stores to find gray paint, which of course turned out to be silver... and came out of dust. And of course I was too eager to get started and didn't test first. Primer of course is one of these things that can't be mailed or carried in luggage.
Great models though. Lots of great details (sadly obscured by the extra thick primer ) and they look like they'd take arm swaps better than some other Necromunda figures. Can't wait for my bitz orders so I can really go to town.
Well its origins are obvious but it does fit in well with the Space Fleet ships that make up the backbone of the fleet, I'd bet money the Super Star Destroyer was a major influence on their design in the first place.
It took almost all of the Strategic Angel Reserve but as a wise man once said, "Angels in the bits box are safe, but that is not why we buy angels".
As usual for Bandai a fantastic kit. The top, bottom, cityscape and rear are all separate parts so lots of room for alterations with SSD #2 and #3.
Add some eagles (a mile long each, meticulously sculpted to mirror the ones found on the common Chimera) and maybe some stupid large guns on the hull and the basic model is done. A light evening's work.
Automatically Appended Next Post: In other news, HOLY $%^&, download the file for $10 and crank them out, instant Arbites!
Still digesting our shipment, but got most stuff into shelves and closets and finally got back my bits, my plasticard and my tools.
Ah.
Nice and easy Chimera, nothing too special except maybe the plastic tube autocannon.
Arbites Survelience Van, (Salamander Command Tank), all bits from inventory. Just needs some washes and should be good to go. I acutally completely forgot about my plan to make half in civilian colors until it was almost done. Ah well.
And finally a 5 minute job I'm happy with. Toy truck sawed in half, armored container, plastic rod. Nice objective or terrain.
"And where are those reinforcements from Necromunda?!" The Supreme Chief Justice ejaculated loudly.
"In high orbit now, just waiting on a troop shuttle to take them down." Replied the Deputy Supreme Chief Justice.
"And what is taking so long?"
"Well sir, we actually don't have a troop shuttle-"
"Well get one!"
"It will take months to get one from the Forge World and-"
"Just get it done!"
Not half bad if I say so myself. Not sure about the wings, as is they sweep lower than the hull so either it would have to rest on its wings or get some tall landing gear. I could mount them at a lesser angle but then they have a weaker join...
So the shuttle is on hold, I don't like how the Storm Raven wings look on it and I may have found a substitute. We'll see when they get here. In a month
Another idea percolating is that the Arbites should have a penal legion (who will count as Krieg infantry).
My first thought was Catachans. Paint them grey and orange like prisoners and Bob's your uncle.
Plus I have a dozen or more Rambos in my bits boxes AND 20 more in a shrink wrapped box.
(Don't ask. Mistakes were made.)
Then I built my test model.
And I'd honestly forgotten how dire they are. Not just the overall aesthetic, and the anatomy but they don't fit well, the options for posing and building are very limited and some of the bodies and legs are almost unusable. The running legs and bare chests in particular are bad.
So the prospect of painting 30 as a crap unit just didn't appeal.
So plan B.
I've used Flagellents before as Imperial militia dudes (why not just use that unit which is done and painted and looks pretty mad already? because of... reasons!) and they are great models. The Skittari head is properly creepy and the fluff is they're lobotomized servitor/clerks pushed into battle (Install Combat.bat, and run!).
The problem is while I have 10 in my bits boxes (have I mentioned how great it is to have my bits boxes again? It's great), that's all I've got. I can buy more of course, but they're mail order only and $35. Ah well. Christmas is coming right?
Don't suppose there's any chance of Empire making a return to shelves (and internet discounters)?
Briancj wrote: Yeah, I really loathe the Catachan model, which is too bad because they have some GREAT arm options no other GW unit has gotten.
Look into Genestealer Cult figs?
--B.
Yeah what I really like is that the guns are independent of the arms so weapons swaps are easy. I once tired doing an army of SWAT Catachans with MP5s and it could have worked... could've would've...
Ah maybe I will do a squad I mean I have the bitz.
As for the flagellents, they're just too perfect, they already have chains and collars and rags so it's an easy converison.
I appreciate that you purposely kept it as boxy as possible, in an era where GW keeps producing boxy Imperial planes with stubby wings Dig the finished product, nice windshield sheen.
"Supreme Chief Justice Sol O'Mann, we have too many prisoners!"
"Supreme Chief Justice Sol O'Mann, we have too few officers!"
"Hmm, now if only there were some way to fix both of your problems at once..."
Prisoners of the Arbites may be condemned to any number of fates ranging from Death to Death by Torture, to Death Unto the Third Generation to Death by Torture Unto the Third Generation.
However crippling manpower shortages have forced creative judges to see out other options such as Penal Legions.
This group of prisoners has been recruited from a prison camp deep in the interior and equipped with Nerph-Pattern 'çlipped' lasguns, marked with their distinctive orange color. The weapons cannot operate until their overseer unlocks them. (Though as many overseers have learned nothing stops the knives from working).
While this team, mainly convicted of fraud and embezzlement, have been extensively augmented to serve as investigators and information analysts. In extreme circumstances they can be uploaded with rudimentary combat programs and fielded in battle.
Each team is headed by an Overseer-Sergeant chosen from the ranks of the Gendarmerie or the Investigators.
Both teams are under the command of Brevet Judge-Warden Brock Manbreaker (born Brett Minitouse, name legally changed by Deed Poll) he was promoted from the Gendarmerie after a riot on the prison asteroid Takron-Galtos left his predecessor dead. Though not a trained judge his skills as punishment and control have allowed him to continue in his 'acting' role for over seventy years. He maintains his impressive physique through a regime of diet, exercise, cybernetic and biological enhancement and regular gladiatorial combat games against convicted prisoners. He has never been defeated in Mortal Combat. Which stands to reason cause, y'know, then he'd be dead.
Meanwhile in the hanger, the Mk2 Prison Shuttle takes shape.
The Mark 2 prison shuttle uses an escape pod from the objectives set, mainly because I had one handy. The Storm Raven turret looks better, but maybe this will grow on me after I paint it.
The TL autocannons were moved to a wing, to decrease the chance of breaking and make them look more Jerry-rigged and less like something built into it. Overall happy.
How happy?
After 3 years I finally opened the half-finished DakkaJets I got in a trade in proceed to build a 'pre-looted' one.
Great, great kits. Lots of options and honestly not all that Orky. Yeah a few more rivets and air intakes than I'd expect from an Imperial plane but for a lower-tech PDF type jet just fine.
I guess this will be the Autumn of Fliers for me.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Some inspiration for later
Automatically Appended Next Post: Assemble Avenger!
The Sky Shark is an STC pattern for a 3 engine aircraft that can be easily adapted for a multitude of purposes such as reconnaissance, anti-vermin toxin delivery, weather forcasting, courier duties and of course combat.
Like the venerable Rhino and Chimera templates it is a flexible and adaptable frame, over engineered and easy to build or maintain on any world with C20 or C21 industry. Robust and filled with redundancy a Sky Shark will often land safely after taking a half dozen hits from ground fire. A skilled Enginseer can patch one up and have it back in the air within hours. Over the years any two Sky Sharks may well have significant differences due to field repairs that are little more than quickly riveted patches.
It is particularly beloved by Imperial planners for the simple reason that it is not and cannot be adapted to void flight. Thus Imperial governors, local lords, even private concerns can be allowed to build airfleets to protect their domains while Imperial authorities are assured they cannot project power beyond them. In any long term engagement the Sky Sharks' dependence on airfields for refueling and rearming will leave them at the mercy of a foe who commands orbital superiority.
A Sky Shark-H is a common heavy fighter variant with four autocannons, a pair of tank busting lascannons and racks of bombs and rockets, making it a match for the Imperial Thunderbolt in weapons if not in flight capability.
The Sky Shark-R is a two-seater with improved communication and auspex equipment while still boasting the same armament.
While the Condor, or Sky Shark-A sacrifices speed and maneuverability for an armoed nose, heavy bolter cannon, payload of bombs and a defensive turret.
Sky Sharks remain a mainstay of PDF and even Imperial Guard garissons but efforts have been made to phase them out due to extensive looking by Orkish raiders.
I love the fluff. The models look great, too. I’m more tempted than ever to pick up the Aeronautica Imperialis box so I can have Thunderbolts and Sky Sharks.
So my big Black Friday purchase was a dozen or so Heroforge downloads to be printed later. It's more of an experiment to see if I can create a whole army out of a few downloads.
I did Arbites because I'm stupid
And some civilians if I ever want a mess of them.
Their selection of outfits and weapons is good but not great and the poses for an army (vs a single hero) also need work. But overall happy with what I could accomplish, certainly easier than learning Blender.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Do they let you select torsos and then make a set of a dozen arms as a separate item?
Short answer no.
Longer answer, based on my one foray into 3D printing you could design a model with the arms out and then clip those arms before you print (or print and clip them the old fashioned way) and then use the million spare arms you should have in your bitz box.
hero forge is a massive fun site... brought my kids to them and now they make new designs every hour^^... what 3D printer do you have and what costs did it involve all around?
Viktor von Domm wrote: hero forge is a massive fun site... brought my kids to them and now they make new designs every hour^^... what 3D printer do you have and what costs did it involve all around?
My main worry now is supports, is it possible to slice these so that they can print or will I have a mountain of supports to trim, in which case I will finally understand why no one else is doing instant cut and paste armies.
And so the Autumn of Fliers closes and we enter into...
THE WINTER OF FLIERS!
Got 2 more Dakkajets to finish out this flying circus.
This puppy will be a Lightning
And the King Condor another Avenger. Somehow I lost the front part of the canopy and had to jerry rig something hence the green stuff in the cockpit. And I just noticed I gave it autocannons instead of lascannons so have to fix that. But overall happy.
"I was a tailgunner on a Lightning, Son, also known as 'bait'."
Progress looking very good so far!
Funny you should mention that, I wanted the command plane to be a 3 seater but the tail gun is meant for grots, totally impossible for a human gunner. So I was thinking...
Sky Captain 'Ace' Anders stepped from the shuttle to the dusty airbase. His new home. Promotion had its merits but its drawbacks as well, in this case a transfer and reassignment to a battered squadron of ground attack planes charged with pounding the enemy lines day in and day out. Thankless, dangerous work for a flier. No glory, no recognition, more like driving a bus, only with the ever present chance of painful death. Morale was low, and it showed in their performance. Anders was there to clean it up. A show of confidence? Or was he being dumped with the garbage? Anders wasn't sure yet.
"Sir! Sir! Over here!" An eager young cadet called to him from a nearby quonset hut, apparently unwilling to dirty his uniform in the dust of the shuttle's backwash. A misplaced set of priorities he'd have to work on mending.
"Glad to have you here sir! Sky Master Reven's been holding the fort since the last captain... you know, but it's great to have a real captain again. What can I take you to first sir, your quarters, the officer's club, the-"
"The hanger, my plane."
The hanger was a maze of parts, derelict planes and unfathomable machines but with precious little work being done. Anders made another note in his mental list.
"Here it is sir, newly refurbished and ready to fly!"
Anders rounded a pile of bullet-ridden metal to see it.
A heavily patched three-seater 'King Condor' attack plane. It still smelled of fresh paint and was the only clean thing in the building, at least this unit had some priorities.
Anders walked around it. The six-barrel cannon was well-worn and engines dated from the last century. A sign of proven performance, or worn out equipment. He'd have to try it in the air to see. The canopy was mismatched and he could see the fresh patches around the cockpit.
"This was the old captain's plane!" The cadet proclaimed. "It has a lot of special modifications."
Behind the pilot there was a seat for a vox/auspex/bombardier, someone to feed information while the captain flew the plane. Another new factor to get used to. And behind that, Anders looked up the rear turret. "I assume this is just for show." He tapped it with his rider's crop.
"Sir? No sir, fully functional, placed for optimum defensive coverage."
"It's right above the engine, it would run over 200 degrees in there even with shielding. And it's the size of a canid hut. Who exactly is supposed to man this gun?"
"Well sir... the thing is... maybe the Sky Master should explain."
The eagerness had disappeared.
"Why don't you explain. Now."
"Well sir, you see sir, the old captain sir, she brought the bird home, she had almost as many holes in her as the plane did but she brought it home. The medicae, sir, they couldn't believe she was still alive, they couldn't so anything."
"If there is a point, please make it."
"Well sir, you see sir, she was always close to the Engineseer, and I guess for a cog boy he was always keen on her too and she was the most experienced pilot and gunner in the squad and..."
"The point cadet."
"And... well... her gun-servitor was dead, so the Engineseer and the medicae, they um..."
"Are you saying that turret has Sky Captain Gale in it?"
Static crackled from a speaker outside the turret... ++Even in [crackle] I still serve++
Sky Captain Anders stepped back in horror.
So I kind of see it as a buddy comedy, with the veteran captain giving unwanted advice to the new guy. Sort of Dam Busters meets My Mother the Car.
"You're coming in too low, the bomb won't skip, it'll sink like a stone!"
"Mother, this is exactly the way we practiced it in Scotland- trust the physicists...."
"Humpphh- physicists- what do they know? In my day, we calculated the drop point by feel, not some mumbo-jumbo from the classroom. Keep the nose up, you're getting too much drag on the control surfaces!
"If you don't quiet down RIGHT NOW I'm turning this bomber right around and we're going home!"
So I ordered some security walls for the Fortress Precinct but realized I don't have any guard towers! What is the good of security walls without some guy standing in a guard tower with a searchlight and rifle waiting to have his throat slit by some passing commando?
Experimenting with Troublemaker Games terrain sets, it sort of works. The jar lit up top is a place holder, unless of course I decide I like it.
Me likee; if you use a slightly larger diameter jar lid, you can cut a hatchway through it at the top of the ladder molded onto the side of the tower walls.
And agreed: A precinct house is useless without the odd NPC to get gakked as part of the 'breaking and entering' process!
Well with this the Winter of Fliers has now made counts as models for all but one of the normal (non-super heavy) Imperial Fliers.
The Centennial Hawk is a heavily modified Aquilla Lander originally used as a smuggler's ship. Its agility and speed were perfectly suited for evading or outrunning Navy patrols. Today it serves as Inquisitor Kuroda's personal transport, the skills of the original smuggler were honored when he was successfully entombed as its servitor-pilot. His abhuman companion was granted the Emperor's Mercy.
Camkierhi wrote: So much fantastic work, so much inspiration, taken me bloody ages to go through and ogle.
Love all of it. Don't suppose you have a pic of an Aquila lander thingy kicking about. Just interested. Your concept looks very 40k. ie flying brick.
Thanks!
The Aquila Lander is/was (currently OOP) a great design, but it was FW and Resin so I never got it. One of the boxed sets came with a crashed one for terrain. I read they just took the resin model, dropped it, and cast up the shattered bits
Like a Lancaster Bomber with 2 burning engines and a dead copilot the Winter of Fliers continues to spiral towards its inevitable fiery conclusion!
I now have counts-as versions of all but two of the IG fliers.
Well that will be fixed soon.
Say hello to... War Rocket Imperialis!
The bits are pretty easy to spot, basically it's the Zone Mortalis furnace thing with some Ork Dakkajet bits. But, insha Allah, it will result in a nice super heavy with kind of a retro Flash Gordon look. It'll count as a Marauder Destroyer.
I went through a few plans for it so I now have to wait for some bits orders to finish it.
In the meantime some progress on the doggies.
And the motorcycle cops
And I got my Watcorp Designs security walls.
They're a bit low but will do the job of being that first line of defense.
Like a shot-up Apache desperately auto-rotating in the hopes of a soft landing the Winter of Fliers spirals towards its inevitable doom!
So once the War Rocket gets back on track there will only be one IG flier I've not built a proxy for.
Well that changes tonight!
Meet the Valture!
I'd initially hoped I could save the entire hull part to make more Arvius Lighters but there just wasn't a good way to attach the wings to the booms so I omited the floor and ceiling of the crew compartment and makes a squeezed hull. The jets will go over the wings and the TWIN PUNISHER CANNONS under them.
BRRRRRRRRT!
Lots more to do but not bad for an evening's work.
Of course then I have to do the OTHER ONE.
But overall very happy since I'd doing something no one else has done, something never meant to be done, and it's actually working!
The gatlings are from a Japanese line called Armored Core (box 008 if you're wondering), I picked up a few boxes more than 10 years ago and it seems time to use them.
They seem OOP, going for $40 on ebay now. Ah well.
The Vulkyries are almost done. I kind of wish they looked a bit more different from Valks, after I build them I found the perfect bit to use for the turbine. Ah well.
(crooked picture )
For the bases I used Proxie Minis' brick walls and then littered the ground with my protest pamphlets as if they'd just broken up a major demonstration calling for peace or justice or some other heresy.
The bikers (GSC Jackals count as Rough Riders or Death Riders) are getting there too. Same basing philosophy.
And another Arvus Lighter. I should probably have found out if they're any good before I made 3 of them. Soon to be four.
How is it I'm working from home yet have less time and energy for modelling?
Anyway, some things WIP but for tonight...
Broke open a box of Cadians for some Cadian command squad kitbashes. 10+ years later it's still not a great kit (seriously 2 flags?) but it is a fun one. I love the whimsy of some of the bits like the command whippy stick and the message hand.
So a Commissar (Empire coat), a psyker (sniper cloak and flagellent bits), Jr officer, priest (the wonderful flaggellent kit again) and ordinance officer (Adeptus Mech head).
But these desperate times may require even more desperate measures.
I don't think this sealed box is actually from 1999, it could be from 2004, or even 2010, but I think like fine wine, the time has come to tap this barrel. My Arbites are getting a second Penal Legion platoon!
Alright, got Red Sonja teed up on Amazon, kids are asleep, let's do this!
Ah bitz boxes...
20 more Catachan penal troops plus the squad I did earlier for a total of 30. With extras I can do an assault command squad, heavy flamer, 2 metal and flag.
It's not such a bad kit overall. I mean the 'Whole Army of Rambo' thing is a terrible direction and they desperately need hat, helmet and sleeve options, but the pieces fit together well, the arms line up, I LOVE that they can hold any gun and don't have hands molded to the gun. The running legs are a bit derpy but maybe a squad of 10 runners will look more coherent.
I feel you, I have so much less time now than before having to work from home due to the pandemic. In the two months or so I've been doing it, I don't think I ever got to put in something as short of a full work day. It's fun seeing how many minis you're putting together. Even though you are not a fan of the command squad kit, I like you did with it.
I have a lot of Catachan nostalgia - they really got me into converting when I got a box of them from an e-bay seller who basically sent me empty kroot sprues and then felt bad. That pistol arm though... ...possibly the worst thing GW has ever done.
Brilliant stuff since I came through last - you're ready to create your own massive 40K full scale dogfighting game! I'm going for scale up X wing myself.
The jets look good, and the Centenial hawk is brilliant. I really like that mounted officer, especially the helmet choice. The flyer base with the posters is sweet, as are the watcorp stuff. I'll have to check them out.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, the idea of a prison squad of accountants made my day.
kestral wrote: I have a lot of Catachan nostalgia - they really got me into converting when I got a box of them from an e-bay seller who basically sent me empty kroot sprues and then felt bad. That pistol arm though... ...possibly the worst thing GW has ever done.
Brilliant stuff since I came through last - you're ready to create your own massive 40K full scale dogfighting game! I'm going for scale up X wing myself.
The jets look good, and the Centenial hawk is brilliant. I really like that mounted officer, especially the helmet choice. The flyer base with the posters is sweet, as are the watcorp stuff. I'll have to check them out.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, the idea of a prison squad of accountants made my day.
Catachans paired well with the Empire Militia which still is my pick for GW's greatest kit. My first 40k army (after some stray RT marines) was zombie catachans so I still feel like every bit and bob is an old friend. Hello again derpy running legs, how are you?
The accountants came from a vision of endless rows of scribes reading every email and text (or whatever grimdark pseudo Latin name we give them) in the city, examining minute bits of evidence, and filing endless scraps of information. The long shaft of the spear that ends with the Judges kicking down a door and firing shotguns.
I do love kitbashing. Now if GW could just do all their humans with compatible joints and scale
Big, big shout out to Black Dagger Games on Ebay, I placed a bitz order with them in January that never arrived. They replaced it and now, 2-3 months later can finally finish War Rocket Imperialis!
I was very impressed at getting a replacement rather than a refund since I was looking for several Storm Raven Engines among other things, not exactly the most common bit.
They've also provided the Valkire hulls for my shuttle force.
Lent is almost over so I can in theory order models again.
Of course this comes as global civilization comes to a grinding halt.
I still have stuff I ordered from before Lent that hasn't arrived.
And it ain't like I'm out of stuff to build and paint.
But still, in the spirit of hope I'm thinking some Goliaths to turn into IG (seen some great converversions on Dakka) or maybe 2 Baneblades. Or maybe more Resistance Fleets so I can kick off the Summer of Spaceships.
Sanitation Engineers are essential to combating the outbreak of N-Rot 41 in the Slum Sectors. Armed with Person Protection Wargear and High Temperature Disinfection Units they prowl the streets to eliminate any potential source of infection.
Note the lead engineer who had the honor of carrying the squads supply of Toilet Paper.
I also took some shots of the security walls and towers for the Fortress Precinct.
Looks like the need some blue and brass to better match the rest of the fortifications but overall the effect works.
Until these pics I didn't realize how extensive your police establishment was- fantastic! And gotta admire the sense of humur for the Sanitation Enforcers- complete with Senior Carrier of a Roll of Official Form 1.
Meer_Cat wrote: Until these pics I didn't realize how extensive your police establishment was- fantastic! And gotta admire the sense of humur for the Sanitation Enforcers- complete with Senior Carrier of a Roll of Official Form 1.
Another WIP, trying to clear the decks for the war rocket.
The Dogfish is a small shuttle fitted for boarding actions and assaults. While the full sized the Shark Attack Boat can carry 100 or more troops the Dogfish is used to insert specialized teams of 10-12. With no internal life support and only a servitor pilot, its use is highly dangerous but the prospect of spoils ensures many volunteers for the boarding parties.
Despite its official designation as the Dogfish its role in boarding actions has earned it the name... Baby Shark (do-do-di-do-do)
(Valkyrie hull turned backwards, with a furnace bit as the engine, counts as an Arvus Lighter)
Combat Harrier Imperial Patrols are an essential part of any Precinct's rapid reaction force. Armed with TASER lances and flamers their arrival is often enough to disperse protestors and food riots.
With the War Rocket painting finally started I'm giving more thought to the base. I'm thinking the base has to be really heavy to hold it so maybe stuff some of my Reaper containers with rocks and use that?
Upon reflection I decided there was just no way the standard base would hold the War Rocket. Thankfully a trip to the market today got me a microwave grilling platter that's about a foot across and heavy too.
Add in some rock-filled containers and a die cast truck and that thing ain't falling over.
Some better pics of the Dog Fish and the Imperial Navy Boarding Party it carries. 6 Scions and 6 Crusaders. And I can always cut them to 5 man squads and include a Priest and Psyker for a very silly surprise.
Spoiler:
Farag winced as he watched the Macro Cannon rounds pass just a few dozen meters from his ship. "Ship" that was a laugh. A Dogfish Assault Boat was just a box with an engine, unpressurized and unshielded his void armor was the only thing between him and hard vacuum. There wasn't even a proper pilot, just a servitor in a box somewhere in the upper hull.
Looking out the open front hatch he saw the Macro Cannon rounds, each one larger than his ship, impact the pirate ship's void shields, the first few simply vanished as the shield absorbed them but then the shield crackled and overloaded. The flash was almost blinding, even through his reflective visor. Several rounds soared through unimpeded and struck the pirate hull. Thousands of tons of armor and hull plating (and machinery and men) were vaporized in an instant.
Faraq's assault boat and its sisters rushed into the still red-hot scar. Leaning from the front hatch he instructed the servitor-pilot until he found a somewhat intact deck. The corpses of pirate crew drifted by. The ship pulled up and his team leapt onto the deck plates. The arti-grav was off but their magnetic soles kept them anchored. They advanced a hundred meters until the found a sealed blast door leading deeper into the ship. The squad's twin meltaguns easily opened it, decompressing another compartment and killing the Emperor only knew how many more crew. The compartment was a storage hold, he set Janiz and Kanz to work tagging the crates. His team were entitled to them as booty.
Then the first shot rang out, striking Kanz' helmet and reducing the number of claimants to the booty by one. Apparently some of the pirates had made it into their void armor. Now Faraq's team would have to earn their prize money.
Also started a second 'Thunder Viper', basically a homemade fighter produced on the sly by work gangs below decks. They build them, race them, and sometimes even take them into battle.
The first had an unfortunate issue with a new can of primer, my fault for not testing it first. But I can chalk it up to battle damage? Maybe?
I feel you with the primer, maybe do a light drybrush in some kind of rust color to incorporate it? Otherwise lovely conversions, really 50's Sci-Fi vibe on those thunder vipers.
I know many have you been worried about how the War Rocket base will work on a normal, crowded tabletop where there usually isn't space to maneuver a 12" wide base, especially one weighed down by 2 crates of rocks.
This also bugged me for 30, almost 40 seconds.
So allow me to present the Et Bellus Parva, or Chibi Pattern War Rocket.
Usually deployed as targeting drone or decoy the Et Bellus Parva is smaller and more maneuverable then the main War Rocket.
Thunder vipers look cool. Hull damage was likely caused by unauthorised test flights during unexpected translation to warp and getting caught in expanding void shields.
Chibi rocket is a nice small addition to the fleet.
New guys looking good. 3 arbites heavies and 2 scum-bags?
With Unity you will never be alone
With Unity you are loved
With Unity you will honour thy father and he will honour you
With Unity you will be embraced with four arms
Come together
Right now
Unity
Unity is a charitable faith-based organization dedicated to bringing together all of the Father's Children into one body with one heart.
Unity reaches out to our most vulnerable and marginalized brothers and sisters to bring them into our embrace.
It has been recognized by leading citizens, including members of the governor's own family, as the leading light for the future.
Those are some sweet shacks Unity has to live in. Where are they from?
Automatically Appended Next Post: Sad about that primer accident - but maybe it is some sort of hypercorrosion interaction with the ionized protoatmosphere of Calgarite 7? the precinct looks magnificent. Do you have a link to where ever the pamphlets those bike arbites are driving over came from?
Thanks! That backdrop is just some of Troublemaker Game's 6mm terrain walls, which I find work well at 28mm too.
The pamphlets are mine, generic protest icons over some generic text.
And all of them
About half are Peace, Democracy type stuff, the other half being Anarchy, Destroy, Burn etc. I figure stuff got a bit out of hand among the protestors.
More here if anyone's looking for wall are for their terrain:
Automatically Appended Next Post: Hrm. Need to do some posters for Unity, a place where all our Brothers and Sisters can serve the Father. Unity. It is right for you.
By the Four Armed Emperor I hate this kit! It commits all the sins of current GW kits and more. This chest only goes with that back which only goes with these legs which must then take those arms. And it's filled with options that don't actually make a difference!
Will I arm my cultists with shotguns or autoguns? Does it even matter?
Should the boss have a power pick, power hammer or power mace? Hmm let me think carefully since the pick is 8% more effective against Primaris but the hammer is 5% more effective against terminators...
And of course there's 20 guns but only 10 left arms for them so there's no chance you might reuse those shotguns somewhere else...
I know this how they have made plastic kits since the Cadians came in 2000 or so but still... Annoying.
The first 10 builds were a bit of a slog but OK. Then I had a bunch of spare torsos and legs from another project and tried to fit them and... Hours of playing match 'em. And those were GSC bits, never mind when I tried to add some Empire legs to finish the squad!
But I did make a cool bitz box Kellermorph with twin shotguns and a third on his back, so there's that.
And my Primus will be not~Cobra Commander so that should be cool.
But GW can and has made good cheap and cheerful kits for their infantry. They could have made the bodies one piece, the could have put the left hands on their left arms like with Catachans and marines to make lining up easier and allow me to use the weapons elsewhere.
The Chaos Cultists that make up most of the army are so much better for dog infantry. 2 pieces, can't mix up what goes where, but with a bit of cutting and such still possible to convert. I'd love it if GW put all 20 back in production.
Analysts continue to argue the utility of Penal Legions in a precinct's menu of military options. Most contend that issuing weapons to the violent and lawless (even locked weapons such as Nurph Pattern lasgun) can only lead to disaster. Nonetheless Acting Senior Judge (Brevet) Brock Manbreaker contends that if the Emperor has given men a talent for violence they should have the chance to use it in their own redemption.
Penal Legions are only to be deployed in extreme circumstances but in these dark times extreme circumstances have become the norm...
Working on some logos and posters for Unity, a completely lawful charitable organization that brings together the lost ones and unites them with the Father.
Originally it was supposed to be concentric circles but when the black one ended up off center I realized it made for a stylized U or a grasping claw.
No mistakes, only happy accidents.
I found a font with some odd spacing between letters but now I think it looks more sloppy than disturbing.
Leaning towards number 6. Unity should simple and cloying, not stylized or gothic.
There's an added line to walk if you're trying to keep this 40k and not more generic / near-future sci-fi ... but here are a couple simple fonts that might jive. I think I like small caps if these fonts will do them, just previewing them here, all lower and all upper:
Wow who knew typography would be such a gripping subject?
Boss Salvage wrote: *cough* I'm bored and waiting for work to end ... (in black because your icon is on black and I couldn't really convert it to a transparent .png)
Weird it was a transparent gif, I guess Dakka changed it to a jpg.
Thanks for the input, version 2 below. Switching from the parchment I used for Imperial propaganda to something sweeter, just worried the pink and purple will blend too much when I shrink to 5% size for terrain.
It is said that long ago The Father suffered grievous wounds protecting his children from their enemies. But he lived on thanks to the power of his throne and when he is needed most he will rise again to lead us to victory!
If it's not obvious it's 20 monopose chaos cultists converted to carry GSC shotguns. Both are gorgeous models but they were never ever meant to play well together. The shotguns are great, lots of different types from obvious hunting weapons to paramilitary riot guns with shells on the bandolier. Even the hands holding them have various levels of mutation. But ug, so much glue, so much green stuff, I really hate how GW is all like "look how many extra bits you get!" while making sure the bits are damn near impossible to use on different kits...
Still paint will hide a lot and among a mob of 100+ cultists they won't stand out too much.
Penal colonies and iso-cube hives still need guards and using expensive and highly-trained judges would be a waste of the Emperor's resources. One solution has been to chemically enhance and thought-wash prisoners into performing that job for the judges. The resulting 'Bulls' both maintain order and serve as a last line of defense for the Fortress Precinct.
Very happy with how the Cadian heads fit on the Goliaths, props to the folks who did the Catachan conversions that convinced me this would work. The laughably oversized revolvers also work well with the theme.
They'll count as Catachan vets, 3 meltas, a heavy flamer, and sarge with a plasma pistol and power first. And 5 shotguns. Put them in a prison shuttle and someone's going to know they've been hit.
Long before the judges can act criminals must be found. Random raids and policing actions are a waste of both Arbites and planetary resources. Months of tedious investigation and analysis make up the long path, with many dead ends, before a Chimera smashes through a wall and shotcannons deal out justice. This job falls to investigators, planetary locals recruited from the security forces and bounty hunters they are often fitted with cognitive enhancements and the best surveillance tools. Though trained to the standard of the gendarmeries, they are far too valuable to squander on the battlefield.
Another unit that came from musing on how the Arbites might actually work. Obviously they can't raid every warehouse every day, they need someone to pick the likely targets and follow up on what they learn. Brettonian archers with Empire heads, my goal was to try and make a squad where almost no one was pointing a weapon.
Ironically they'll count as a dead cheap IG squad with a grenade launcher as the sole upgrade.
Trained to the standard of the Imperial Guard, the Gendarmeries have their own command structure and specialists for when they must take the field.
Seeing what I can do with the Cadian command squad. Cheap officer, Commissar Lord, Ordinance Officer and Priest.
Really happy with how the psyker came out.
With all these guys finally done I can finally start tackling the 60 more Unity Cultists sitting on the table. Hopefully before the next order of them arrives...
Members of one of Unity's Anti-Chaos (or AntiKa) patrols gather for their nightly rounds.
A second 'shotgun' squad but really double pistols since I'm out of shotguns. More repeated figures than I would like, I might do some more arm swaps with them.
I'm running low on Chaos cultists now, maybe I should order another 50 or so just in case...
In these troubled times it's good to know that the Children of Unity are walking the streets keeping them clean of troublemakers and unwanted sorts. It is just one of the many services Unity provides.
Do you feel alone? Isolated? In danger?
Perhaps it is time to embrace Unity. When you embrace Unity, Unity embraces you.
With four arms.
Would you like to know more? Meetings are starting in your area.
So the first 70 members of Unity are ready to fight for the Father.
And 40 more are teed up for painting. 20 shotguners, and 20 double pistols who'll count as shotgunners.
I'm rather happy with how they came out working from a half dozen bodies.
Many came from the gasmask wearing crow. As a pistol/CC dude he's the easiest to convert and also still in production.
The hobo is the other pistol/CC dude in production and made for several hobos with shotguns.
I really like this dude. He's got no shirt, tumors growing on his back, a chaos star branded on his shoulder, an electrode sticking out of his ear, chain mail chaffing his crotch and zero F's left to give.
Trench coat/gas mask dude (for double mysterious power!) gets to be flag bearer/special weapons dude.
Bandana guy gets some shotguns too. Looking at him he's not just wearing a bandana, but also someone else's face for extra PPE.
Four-eyes didn't come out quite as well with the two pistols, but works. Plus he's actually in production so I have a ton of him.
And of course the officers.
Darn I wish all these guys were in production, I'd buy a 100 more tomorrow. But I have BSF dudes on order so Unity will grow.
I want to like the Cultists of the Abyss, I really do. They're a bit more stylized than the Chaos Cultists and more spiky but they have both men and women and really good poses. They have special and heavy weapons too.
One dude is actually aiming his weapon! Aiming! On a GW figure! That's even rarer than womenfolk!
But...
OK look at these models. Look at how they're cut up. None of the arms just attach on the shoulder, no they have parts of the shoulders and chests as part of the arm. One figure has her right arm, back, the rear of her head and her topknot as a single part.
And of course it's a kit of seven for squads of ten...
I appreciate that the odd cuts can help do flowing things like robes, but no force in the universe will convince me that dude's left foot had to be a separate bit. Or that his left arm had to include a bite of the shoulder preventing a simple arm swaps.
Basically if you want to make any changes you have to assemble the figure then saw it up. So these are neither easy-build figures for a board game nor flexible multipose models.
You also get a Firebrand leader who for some odd reason has a seem down his center. at least he can take arm swaps though, marine and goliath arms fit OK.
The end result is pretty good. But getting there...
I have 14 more on order but I don't think I'll be getting more.
but honestly...while mordians are cool...a deep inner voice should tell you it´s pith helmets you crave...
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Stay away from my sheep 
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That's Y300 I doubt I'll get back. But 2 Rajendras and this monster insect thing.
