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I know it has been done before, but I am starting a small Imperial Guard army with a Star Wars theme. The standard guardsmen and heavy weapons teams will be modeled as snowtroopers. I included a picture of the test model, and so far I like how it came out. I haven't fully painted it, but there is not a whole lot to do besides white. This is also the first time I've used Greenstuff, and was wondering if anyone had tips for making a cloak. (the current "skirt" coming off the waist doesn't look so good from the back). Also, should I try to dirty up the model with some tan? The snowtroopers are not as clean as the deathstar-stationed stormtroopers. I'd like to hear some tips and opinions. Thanks!

I like it, although I think Space Marine scouts would be a better base for more stormtrooper-ish armour.

The kami (skirt): roll out a thin layer of putty between two sheets of baking paper. Peel one layer of paper off, cut your skirt to shape, and then press the skirt into place paper side out. You can then peel the paper off and add any ripples and folds with a sculpting tool.


I think they would also look more Snowtrooper-ish with more of a carbine-style weapon instead of the long rifle. Easily done by cutting off the barrel where it joins the stock, cutting through the lasrifle just in front of the magazine, and reattaching the barrel to now shortened weapon.

Jolly good job on the helmets, though.

The helmets look awesome! I second the idea for shorter guns though, just doesn't seem all that snowtroopery. Some more color would definitely help things. I'd lean towards a cool gray myself, but either could work. As below. I just think the one on the right looks a bit better.

Thanks all for the help. I got better at the capes, and finished 4 guardsmen. I was actually thinking about the shorter rifles, probably just by cutting off the barrel, since the E-11 used by stormtroopers has the barrel in the main body of the gun. (and I'm quite lazy)

I'm still working on the test model's paintjob, and if I wanted tan, I can apply a brown wash to the cloth areas I had painted, and it looks quite good. Its still really dirty looking, perhaps too much, so I will try Space Wolf Grey since its a light blue-grey color.

I'll post a picture of the squad, and start working on Imperial Officers to lead squads or platoons. I'm also planning to use Darth Vader as Ironhand straken, Boba Fett as Marbo, and a few other star wars characters. Should be a fun army!

Nice work.

The test model is easily identifiable for what it is supposed to be.

I hope people don't turn this thread into another nit-pick session as they usually do with this sort of thing...

I don't really know what you mean by a nitpick session, I'm quite new here. So far I really appreciate the comments received, its helped a lot.

Helmet seems good, coat not so much.

I already know the coat isn't great. Read the OP, and see that I'm asking how to make it better.

I am doing the exact same thing with my IG army!

I base coated the models with gray and simply dry brushed white on. The grey adds a bit more depth to the models than the simple white.

I love your helmet! I used the pig iron helmets, just need to add that little neck cover.
I have the same problem with the skirt. i have tried the GS route and it looks pretty good. Just takes up a lot of GS to do 40 or so men

I also took a page out of the sand trooper book and painted the one sholder pad orange with a black boarder where I will add unit symbols to make each squad unique.

I have a vendetta I am getting ready to paint to match the theme. Are you doing the same? Any tips for painting that, don't want to steal your thread though.

Great start on the models.

I love the helmet, and although the coat needs work, they will turn out better with practice. I use Green Stuff for all my sculpting; it just takes patience and practice.

As others have said, the guns need to be converted if you really want a true Star Wars look; however, if you don't feel like converting one hundred guns or so, and are happy with an IG/Star Wars hybrid look, you can leave them alone.

It really depends on what you are doing for vehicles IMHO. If you are still using IG tanks/Vends then the weapons on guys won't matter as much, becuase you will have a lot of IG look to the army. If, however, your only vehicles with be Sentinals, converted to look like AT-STs, then I would go hog wild on converting the guns on your guys, as well.

skycapt44 wrote:I am doing the exact same thing with my IG army!

I base coated the models with gray and simply dry brushed white on. The grey adds a bit more depth to the models than the simple white.

I love your helmet! I used the pig iron helmets, just need to add that little neck cover.
I have the same problem with the skirt. i have tried the GS route and it looks pretty good. Just takes up a lot of GS to do 40 or so men

I also took a page out of the sand trooper book and painted the one sholder pad orange with a black boarder where I will add unit symbols to make each squad unique.

I have a vendetta I am getting ready to paint to match the theme. Are you doing the same? Any tips for painting that, don't want to steal your thread though.

great! I knew the idea was a good one! I've got about 7 men done, and Darth Vader from Knight Models. I'm probably going to convert a Vendetta into an Imperial Shuttle (add a top wing, maybe reverse the wings, use landspeeder for the cockpit maybe, or just the standard cockpit)

I was planning on doing the sandtrooper orange pauldrons too, though I may use a special shoulder pad to make it bigger. Perhaps a marine one.

What are these pig iron helmets? and can I see a few of your troopers? I'll post my squad when they're done. Good luck!

Alerian wrote:

It really depends on what you are doing for vehicles IMHO. If you are still using IG tanks/Vends then the weapons on guys won't matter as much, becuase you will have a lot of IG look to the army. If, however, your only vehicles with be Sentinals, converted to look like AT-STs, then I would go hog wild on converting the guns on your guys, as well.

I'm planning on doing the AT-ST Sentinels, but also make the vehicles look like star wars. I'm not going to have a leman russ in the army, unless its an AT-AT. The Hyrda is easily a quad laser cannon turret, rough riders as speeder bikes, AT-ST Sentinels, and an Imperial Shuttle Vendetta.

I'm also doing a lot of special characters

Guardsman Marbo will make a great Boba Fett
Grand Admiral Thrawn as master of the fleet
Astropath can be the emperor
Tarkin will be either a commander or platoon commander
Pask can be General Veers

and Darth Vader as Ironhand Straken

This is just a rough outline of my army, I've only done a few troopers and vader so far, because if the troops don't work I didn't want to get too far into the project. I'm going to a wargames flea market on Saturday, and will hopefully pick up enough models to get a small army going.

so sick!

Yeah dude, looks great. Will stay tuned on how to paint guardsmen to a snow theme well...

Since there has been some much nice activity here, I'm going to take a few pics of the squad. Be right back

Here are a few more shots of Vader with the squad. They only have a very basic coloration so far, but I can paint nicely after I settle on a scheme. If you want to see a good paint job of mine, check out my wraithlord pic. The next two pictures are of an unpainted trooper and a painted trooper from the back. These capes are really simple, I just didn't want to mess it up too badly. I'm practicing the curves and folds.

Lovin the capes. Really big fan of this army. Vader is sick, looking forward to seeing the rest...especially if you go the extra mile and create a massive AT-AT or even some probe droids!

Excellent! I'm not sure what to use for Probe Droids, but I thought of that. I can do some Tau drone parts, and use them as objective markers or something.

Lookin good, and the colors turned out pretty well too.

humm.... actually a huge fan of this army so far...

...makes me wonder though just what Jeff Vader (ah, haha, ahaha, hahaha, bonus points if you get the reference) would count as best

eh, no bonus points for me. But I'm currently thinking of Straken. The awesome str 6, MC attacks sound like a lightsaber to me. I'm open for suggestions, however.

Very nice but the only thing i would do is try using some gw or forgeworld peices plus alot of green stuff to make your own 40k vader i think it would look better than vader with 40k snowtroopers other than that looking foward to seing some stormtroopers

youtube: Eddie Izzard and Deathstar

This looks really neat. . . . .

How did you do the cape?

poda_t wrote:youtube: Eddie Izzard and Deathstar

Ah yes! I have seen that, just not in a while. Good stuff

Warmastersolon wrote:This looks really neat. . . . .

How did you do the cape?

Thanks, and some of the eariler posts gave good tips on how to do it. Basically, I took greenstuff and flattened it, cutting it to a rectangle, made some folds (so far I haven't done much) and paste it to the back. My capes aren't the best, so you're best bet is to search for some good tutorials.

If you snip the front barrel of the lasgun off they look a bit better as stormtrooper blasters IMHO.

Love the work, the Lamba shuttle as a vendetta will be perfect, as will your armored sentinals as AT-ST walkers.

The Emperor can also be the Primaris Psyker, what with his multitude of s6 force lightning shots.

DevianID wrote:If you snip the front barrel of the lasgun off they look a bit better as stormtrooper blasters IMHO.

Love the work, the Lamba shuttle as a vendetta will be perfect, as will your armored sentinals as AT-ST walkers.

The Emperor can also be the Primaris Psyker, what with his multitude of s6 force lightning shots.

I tried the barrel cutting, and it looked a bit strange, but perhaps more starwars. Definitely the vehicles, and I'm still deciding on the Emperor's character. I just don't know what I want for the second HQ. Vader is one for sure, but I'd also like the army to be somewhat playable.

I love that vader and am a big fan of this army. Although those capes kind of look like skirts from behind...

imark789 wrote:I love that vader and am a big fan of this army. Although those capes kind of look like skirts from behind...

they're sort of supposed to. Everyone made that joke about the clones when they started using them. From the front, it really completes the stormtrooper look.

Yeah they do look very good from the front. And using the clones...?

Ey just so ya know, there is a SICk stromtrooper army on ebay right now