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Hi guys,

After reading a large chunk of 40k fiction recently, including "Mechanicum" of the Horus Heresy series, i've decided to try and create an Adeptus Mechanicum army. I'd probably go for IG as a basis for the army, converting models as I go to twist it's flavour. Of course, none of these conversions would affect gameplay, and would be disallowed in formal tournaments, but this is just a fun side project for myself.

So the main idea is to have minimum infantry, and as many mechanised units as possible, keeping a strong machine cult theme throughout. Here's the basic list of things I want to model:

Armoured Sentinels [Scout Sentinels with tank panels]
Skitarii [SM Scouts]
Anti-Grav Command Dais [No Idea]
Rough Rider Bikes - With lances [SM Scout Bikes]
[Parts in brackets are my initial idea for base models]

I'll also to using a couple of Vendettas and of course a Leman Russ or three. Since these are already quite accessible and customisable, I won't really discuss them.
So basically i'm pretty new to converting - outside of a couple of Inquisitor campaigns and the odd model here and there - so i'd love any input or ideas from you guys as to where I could start with these conversions. (Base models, bitz of interest, etc).

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

Skitarii might be more like cybernetic guardsmen rather than SM scouts.

I only picked Scouts because it does refer to Skitarii as being "gene-bulked" which I thought could be represented better on the slightly buffer scout models.
But what would you use to cyberneticise guardsmen?

I have two suggestions for you. First is the dakka galleries, they are searchable by keyword and I promise you are going to find a few very inspirational mechanicus armies there.

The second suggestion is strings, as in guitarrstrings or violinstrings. If you don't play yourself, find a friend who does and get their spent strings. It's awesome to make 40k-looking mechanical stuff with.

Good luck and remember to post pictures as you go along.

I love using guitar strings for all sorts of tubes, hoses, antennae, or cables.

you cant go wrong with a titan FW makes one, so im told, i have a problem spending more than $65 on one model...if you plan on ever using this in apoc, get a bunch of techmarines and techpriests, might not have much strategic value, but would be very fluffy

forget sm scouts.

http://www.shop.microartstudio.com/iron-brotherhood-http01-p-384.html


iron brotherhood ftw.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oooh, a spider tank http://www.shop.microartstudio.com/iron-brotherhood-stalker-tank-p-414.html

Damn those are pretty sweet! I have seen a lot of Adeptus Mechanicus armies and if i ever wanted to start one quick i would go with those models.

I have been debating the same thing. I like the Iron BRotherhood models but are there any other companies who produce suitable models?

Except....they are like 5 bucks a mini....for grunts....that you will need a ton of.

I agree that is steep but to be fair,by the time you are done converting it could be higher than $5 a model.

nothing stopping you from using iron brotherhood and other conversions. Iron brotherhood is the only go to model which I know of but like people say, dakka has lots of adeptus mechanicus armies so hopefully they'll come out of the woodwork.

http://www.tempusfugitives.co.uk/pdf/40k/Codex%20Cult%20Mechanicus.pdf

http://www.ramshacklegames.co.uk/index.html

http://www.quantumgothic.co.uk/

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/329866.page

Check out Aqua's post about a spider, very mechanicusy.

Thanks for all the great replies! I'll definately check out the Iron Brotherhood, and grab some guitar strings! I was wondering how to made those ribbed cables... brilliant idea

If you're up for a bit of conversion work, you can always make the guardsmen into servitors. I wouldnt put it pass the AdMech to blur the line between Skitarii and Servitor.

You could always use the servators themselves..

Should be easy to source Tech-gaurd parts from SM and Necron boxes. Are you doing modern or pre-heresy Mechanicus?

Actual Servitors are pretty expensive model-wise. Plus they almost exclusively carry heavy weapons. modding a few guardsmen with guitar wire, armor plates and a lasgun glued in place of one arm is easier.

Hello,
The other problem with the servitors, is they look brain dead, as they are old models. I agree with the above, make your own, or maybe use elyisans, as they tend to have a more futuristic look.

-Carl

There are ALOT of really nice bionic heads in the loyalist space marine boxes. If you are handy with a scalpel and plastic clips you can trim down just about anything to use on a Terminator sized model. Throw in a set of files and plastic makes conversions soooooo easy.

Ghiest1 wrote:Hello,
The other problem with the servitors, is they look brain dead, as they are old models. I agree with the above, make your own, or maybe use elyisans, as they tend to have a more futuristic look.

-Carl

they dont look brain dead because they are old models, they look brain dead because they are brain dead...they are missing half of their brain...

A long time ago in a white dwarf far far away, there was a camapgin called the larius rift or something like that (it was back in the days of 4th edition). Of a admech themed IG army vs Nids.

If memory serves me correctly there was plently of inspiration for conversions, Like vox casters monted on the face of some Skitarii. Also there was some conversions for ogryns as giant battle servitors or something I think, too bad I "misplaced" my white dwarf mags downstairs somewhere.

The guy used servitors as the heavy bolter in some heavy weapons teams. The army was big on bionic limbs and lots of hoods an vox mounts as mouths so they could chant thr scared machine language.

Depending on budget, these woud work fantasticly, its hard to believe they werent made with Mechanium in mind

I haven't really decided which era to go with yet. I think pre-Heresy has more latitude for creativity (fluff-wise) with the added bonus that most players won't have read the books, so you can pretty much do what you want. Besides, nothing stopping me from blending the styles, plenty of hoods, servo arms, bionics etc. I really need to source some hooded vox/rebreather heads, cause GSing minimum 20 heads will be torture for me. I'm not adverse to using servitors for the heavy weapon emplacements, it's even stated in the books that they utilise servitors for controlling Titan weapon systems. One major thing that I am dead set on is having my CCS represented by a Magos with a bodyguard of Praetorians. Since they are described as semi-servitor, drug-enhanced superhumans, I think I can integrate some cool ideas into them and remain true to the fluff.

I was thinking, rules-wise, maybe I could use a SM army as the basis for it. I need to brush up on the allied contingent rules, but i'm fairly certain I can take a SM HQ and troops, then have allied IG vehicles, etc. This would give me the capacity to make the Praetorians as good in combat as they are in the fiction. Having a small elite unit that the Techmarine can join, perhaps even having them represent Terminators. Just really want to brainstorm this all out before I dive into buying models. Thanks so much for the input guys, been browsing sites and visiting hobby shops near me that sell 2nd hand models, plenty of older stuff in there, including servitors and Inquisitorial retinue pieces. So pumped for this project!

Av wrote: I really need to source some hooded vox/rebreather heads, cause GSing minimum 20 heads will be torture for me.

Check around for Dark Angel bitz and sprue's on Ebay.

Unfortuantly SM and IG armies can only be offically played as 1 army in apocalypse.
Only the Inquisition can have either allied SM or inducted IG not both

But GW in it's infinate wisdom is phasing out the allies rule according to rumor so all shall be revealed with the upcoming grey Knight codex.

Your best bet would be either a full SM count as AdMech army, full IG count as Admech or if you only play games with friends see if they will let you use a mixture of both codexs. Your final option IMO is to wait till C: GK comes out and see how GW has changed it, maybe a admech themed grey knight force, it would be really different to other AdMech armies.

Hope this helps

Ahhh, it appears I forgot to post the link, sorry, here it is:
http://www.shop.microartstudio.com/iron-brotherhood-http01-p-383.html?cPath=36_43

ignore me.

Commissar Agro wrote:Your best bet would be either a full SM count as AdMech army, full IG count as Admech or if you only play games with friends see if they will let you use a mixture of both codexs. Your final option IMO is to wait till C: GK comes out and see how GW has changed it, maybe a admech themed grey knight force, it would be really different to other AdMech armies.

Hope this helps

Yeah, I wanted to keep the army "legal" so i'll have to choose either SM or IG and try to keep the AdMech conversions close to the equivalent unit, so they're still recognisable. Still, have a whole army in dull metal and deep reds is going to be cool no matter what list I use. Not too keen on the idea of AdMech GKs, mostly cause fluff wise it just wouldn't happen, and pre-Heresy GK didn't exist...

agroszkiewicz wrote:Check around for Dark Angel bitz and sprue's on Ebay.

Pro tip. Cheers!