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I made my own Colenol Straken model called Sergeant Yourk and gave him a power fist because I didn't want to spend $15 or so on him. After a while I got told that wasn't legal starting a flame war, so I ask you guys. Can you give a character some new gear and where would be appropiatte to use the model?

In friendly games you can often just check with your opponent if you're 'counts as' model is fine. More often than not, it will be fine. In a competitive setting, it probably won't fly because a Power Fist doesn't quite represent Straken. Using the bionic arm from the Company Command box and a plasma pistol arm with a shotgun glued to the back would easily be a perfect WYSIWYG for any setting.

So just count the bionic arm as a power fist and it may work? Thanks BlackSail.

oh, psssh, a power fist is fine. Say that it's not a power fist, but a bionic arm. Done and done.

So long as you're actually playing the special character by his rules (and not trying to give him extra equipment or anything), then you're fine. That other guy can just go suck a lemon.

Just to compare, I now use the guy on the left as my Straken when I've fielded him.



He has an iron hand... get it?

I think it depends on your opponent and the conversion. Personally I think the important part is to recoqnize that it is a special character and that you make him stand out. I'm not a big fan of conversions such as Ailaros Straken (no offense please) because when looking at the table it's hard to recognize that it's anything special with him (although the iron p-fist helps a bit). I would probably just assume it's a company commander with a power fist and bolt pistol. Problems start to arise when it's hard to distinguish the special character from other figures in your army. Imagine Ailaros running a second HQ with a another Company Commander .. suddenly it's not so easy to remember which one is Straken. Other than that well made counts as models are really nice and personalizes the army.

And not to sound too picky, I play against pretty much everything may it be models not completely assembled or even empty bases to represent myscetic spores.. but some people are more picky.

Whatever it is, as long as you make it clear to your opponent what' what at the start of the game, everything is above board. In the long term, conversions should display all the weaponry of the model in question AND/OR be really well done conversions with a lot of character, that stand out.

In my experience, if you have some model that looks unique and awesome (In straken's case, looks like an officer hard enough to punch tanks and cool enough to make men around him better at fighting!) and make it clear what it is, no-one is going to moan about the model not having a shotgun or the right sort of bionic arm. If you're doing more of a bash something together to use, people may get a bit irritated at what is perceived as a lack of effort/unwillingness to shell out for the 'real' model.

If your equipment is pretty clearly modeled on, nobody will mind much. Ailaros, as cool as that conversion you have is, I don't quite "buy" him as Straken. In a friendly game I wouldn't complain as long as you told me what he was, but he isn't armed with Straken's wargear, nor does he stand out as much as some of the more ostentatious officers. Don't take that the wrong way though - he is cool, and I love your work.

With some other characters, like Pask and Marbo, you can get away with a lot more I feel. Nobody expects you to get the $11 Pask model from GW, and you'd be a fool not to take advantage of the kitbashing opportunity for Marbo.

Brother SRM wrote:If your equipment is pretty clearly modeled on, nobody will mind much. Ailaros, as cool as that conversion you have is, I don't quite "buy" him as Straken. In a friendly game I wouldn't complain as long as you told me what he was, but he isn't armed with Straken's wargear, nor does he stand out as much as some of the more ostentatious officers. Don't take that the wrong way though - he is cool, and I love your work.

With some other characters, like Pask and Marbo, you can get away with a lot more I feel. Nobody expects you to get the $11 Pask model from GW, and you'd be a fool not to take advantage of the kitbashing opportunity for Marbo.

My Marbo is a chopped Plasma pistol, a squatting Catachan heavy weapons trooper, grenades, and some foliage that came off the heavy weapon's sprue. It's pretty obvious who it is.

Mine's Duke Nukem.

Well my Marbo is an Eversor assassin. He has a remarkably similar weapon loadout, fancy ripper pistol, sword and to top it all off an exploding head to throw at the enemy.

I also like the idea of using Shiv as Al'Rahem. He has the plasma pistol and special dagger (mono-filament I believe?). He also has that sneaky look to him.

Storm trooper sarge makes a decent Bastonne, not like I need a Bastonne model but still...

Any tank commander can be used as Pask really.

Ailaros wrote:He has an iron hand... get it?

But no shotgun.

OP, as long as you have the right gear then you're fine. Bionic bits and a shotgun.

I chopped up a couple las-guns to make a shotgun, I may take the PW off the company command squad arm and give it to Yourk (Straken), and I just used him last night in a game and he took out an entire tactical squad by himself.
I'll post a picture of him a little bit later.