Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Here's my new project, hopefully the start of an imperial guard army. I've used pig iron gasmask heads, and replaced the cadian lasguns with autoguns from the forgeworld renegade weapons set. (because lasers that work like rifles don't make any sense, and because the autoguns look cool). The only difficult bits about this were unwarping the resin rifles, and getting the forearms and hands to fit right - I wanted to keep the bulky, uniform cadian shoulders, so I have to slice cadian arms and FW renegade arms in half and splice them together on every model!

Sorry about the picture quality, I've more or less conquered the macro function on my camera, but light seems weird. Once the weekend arrives I can try and take some pics in natural light, that might work better.

Whole Squad: (With and without flash, both of which seem a bit wonky)




Sergeant: I've given him an axehead from a fantasy chaos marauder horseman (skull filed off) on a trimmed IG HWT missile, the idea being it will look like a modern, all-metal weapon. Can't tell if it'll really look good until it's painted.





Plasma gunner: the FW kit comes with a plasma gun and melta gun, how convenient! I like that this version is made to be held like a rifle, and is a bit slimmer than the plastic version from the command box. Backpack is a trimmed voxcaster, I hope to get some wire back in the UK and feed it from the side of the pack to the underside of the weapon. Kudos to my mate (Klueless on this site) for the idea.





Here's a rifleman who turned out well: One autogun had a broken-off stock, so I glued the remains on upside-down and had the model firing it one-handed. Looks a bit like some mobile model of the usual rifle. I really like the bandaged arm bit from the cadian command box - instantly transforms any soldier into a badass, on account of he's still fighting one-handed.



Heavy weapons: I got the idea of making heavy weapons in line squads look more mobile, with HWS teams looking like they were set up in a fixed position. So, squad autocannons have a shortened barrel, tripod cut down to a bipod, and no gunshield. Comparison below.



I think it looks alright, but I need to base them to make the difference clear. I'm in Rwanda currently (check out the flag) and getting models back to the UK will be a bit tricky, so I kept materials to a minimum - no paints or basing materials. I do wish I had some greenstuff though. Most of the riflemen end up with gaps around the wrists or shoulders, and I need to fix those before painting.




Thanks for looking, and if there's any more interest I'll post up further pictures. I've got 1 squad and one HWS done, 1 squad underway, and 2 squads, a command squad and a SWS still to do. (I got 2 battalion boxes - if I really crack on I might get 2 sentinels and a marbo conversion finished)

Nice looking minis. According to a Gaunt's Ghosts book I've just read, there's very little in it as far as las vs autogun goes, just that las are easier for ammo over a campaign.

Will these blokes be dedicated to a god or undivided?

Thoughts on colour scheme and a background fluff?

Nice conversions! I do like the one arm autogun guy.

While you may have learned where the 'macro' function is and what it does, you now need to learn about white balance and whether your camera can do it automatically, or whether you can set it manually. This should be in the instructions somewhere.
The yellow cast is an indicator that the white balance is on the wrong setting.
The flash on that camera isn't designed for closer than a couple of feet - you've got some hotspot overexposure on the 'faces' that means the flash is too close.

Either dial the flash power down OR use more light from another source.
If the flash is a built in, then you have to use option 2 there.

(I use a DSLR with detachable flashgun that I can adjust the power output on. Other people aren't so equipped).

It also looks like you've handheld the shots. Get a tripod, or rest the camera on the table, as there's some camera shake evident in the 'yellow' shots.
Sorry if it sounded harsh. Good picture taking skills help a lot.

A nice start on the conversions, though. Keep it up.

Looks awesome dude! Did you use any of the mac 10 lookin stub pistols?

Chromedog, thanks for the camera advice. I think the solution is more light, and I will bear that in mind if I take more pictures.

Crablezworth, thanks, so far I've put those cool pistols on one other sergeant and one HWT guy (the idea being he's in charge of the HWS. Most sergeants and officers will have those, I just had an idea for a specific pose w/this first sergeant.

Meangreenstompa: I never said these guys were renegades, did I? Hell, if they were I'd have done a pretty poor job, since they've all got little eagles on their chests! I'm definitely going to paint and base these in a dark urban scheme. Most likely black armour plates and grey fatigues, metal guns with black wash, brown kit. I do really want to try highlighted red goggles and blue plasma/powerweapons. Background - I'm not really someone who names his characters and gives every army a regimental history. I want them to look like gnarly shock infantry though. Maybe they're from some barbaric imperial world, recruited, had discipline savagely beaten into them, and been told to go off and die for the emperor.

thanks for all the replies!