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I think many of us can agree that the uniforms and militaristic appearance of Nazi Germany were very aesthetically appealing. I want to pursue a regiment that utilizes aesthetics based on Germany's Wehrmacht and/or SS Divisions during WWII, with the absence of Nazi imagery, of course. If possible, I'd like to really capture the totalitarian, martial feel of the Imperium and I think Germany's aesthetics work best.

For the uniforms, I can look up camo patterns easily enough. Precise GW or Vajello colors would be helpful. Mostly, I'm looking for advice on how I can model my miniatures and especially vehicles to get a German look. FW is a last-resort option, as I'd rather not spend the extra money, and the Death Korps are WWI anyway, so they're exactly not what I'm looking for. I want to keep the tech and vehicles looking like Imperial constructs, but I'd like some variation. For example, you'll be able to tell a Leman Russ from a Chimera, but they'll be a tad different from all the other Leman Russ tanks, Chimeras, etc.

I'd also like some suggestions regarding imagery. I'm going to refrain from using direct Nazi insignia; I think that goes without saying. But I want to evoke the same martial feel through Imperial and original symbolism. If you take a look at the Swastika and the SS runes, they stand out - they're very bold, angular and grab your attention. I want to do the same, without political affiliation.

Thanks for the replies! I've looked at the Steel Legion before; they have Fallschirmjäger-like helmets, however I'm not a fan of the metal models and would rather make my own regiment. I'm considering using Cadians as a base, as it retains the Imperial Guard feel, but swapping the heads for German helmets and using WWII tech here and there. It'll still be Imperial, but with German aesthetic. I'll be using a color scheme similar to this:


The Imperial Eagle will be the main attention-grabbing iconography; I'm toying with the idea of making it look more German. Otherwise, I'll try and work with the Imperium's usual skull-fetish. As well, I'd like to try and devise a common icon for the regiment, perhaps using some sort of bolt or rune pattern alluding to, but not directly supporting or being those used by the SS.

I like your ideas for tanks, Engine. Do they have packages of material you can use to coat hulls and represent Zimmerit, or do you have to DIY? I've also never worked with plasticard before, which it seems would be most viable for the stand-off armor.

Eh, not as interesting, for me at least. I'm going to concentrate heavily on the Imperial (Roman) Eagle and throw in many references to the Roman Empire in my banners and insignia. Not to dabble in Nazi ideology, but Nazi Germany saw itself as a continuation of the (Holy) Roman Empire. 40k's Imperium borrows Roman themes, combining them with a totalitarian, sci-fi regime, which I feel is a perfect setting to explore with the careful borrowing of 3rd Reich-era German aesthetic.

Some examples of contemporary Roman Eagle motifs:
http://www.findamug.com/designimg.php?id=17303702&size=350
http://www.solarbooks.org/solar%20images/roman%20eagle.jpg
http://www.fromoldbooks.org/OldEngland/pages/0085-Roman-Eagle/0085-Roman-Eagle-q75-480x320.jpg
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/the_imperial_eagle_by_adigitalsm1ley-d36jw84Nosigil.png - and of course Germany's take on the Eagle

So, lots of eagle motifs with the lightning bolt/arrow designs seen on some Roman standards and shields are going to be used.

I'm going to shy away form the gas mask/greatcoat cliche. I'm planning on using German-style helmeted heads without masks. I've got a rough idea of the camo I want to use. I like the look of the bottom-right or the center most.



Halftrack Chimeras would be neat, but I've never done much customization with GW's vehicles before. I may just kitbash Chimera hulls with the treads of similar-scale halftrack models.

Pak guns as autocannons would be a great idea. I think I'll just take the standard Russ and Chimera chassis and put German turrets, guns and extras on them. I want the German influences in my army, but I still want it to look like it belongs in 40k's Imperium.

Basically, I want my infantry to look something like this, but retaining the flak armor and basic look of the plastic Cadians:
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/Ardennen1944mitPeiperundSkorzeny13.jpg
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/Ardennen1944mitPeiperundSkorzeny11.jpg
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/Ardennen1944mitPeiperundSkorzeny12.jpg

Much of the recognition will be based on the camo scheme and German helmets in place of Cadian ones. Not sure if I want to do a lot of tinkering with the lasguns; I just might paint the stock like wood so it represents the StG 44. Heavy bolters or at least stubbers might get replaced by the MG42.

EDIT: Found this picture - the scheme is pretty spot-on to my liking.

Thank you for the replies! Henners, those figs look great, thanks for the link. I can see some great conversions with those bits!
However, I've got a slight change of plans; the army is going to be a company of the Blood Pact instead of the Guard. However, as the Blood Pact wear the same German helmets, I'm going to keep this theme. The Pact have specialized Death Brigades, which are tasked with particular missions and I can use that to justify the camo, rather than the standard red Pact fatigues. I already know what heads I'll be using: http://www.maxmini.eu/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_23&products_id=54

My friend will be doing the Sons of Sek, so I figure the Blood Pact will be fitting rivals. Not much will be changed, asides from Imperial insignia replaced by Khornate motifs. Cadians will still be my base. A bit of fluff: Rather than tear down the whole Imperium, the commander of the Ghourra 5th Death Brigade would rather replace the worship of the Emperor to that of Chaos, forming a new Khornate Imperium. So I could potentially use a German eagle with the Khorne rune. I think this route would be a bit easier to explore, and a bit more flavorful.

I still really want to use German-looking tanks, or rather self-propelled artillery. I'm a fan of the Medusa, and with a Nashorn gun/compartment, it'd look pretty neat. What scale of models should I look for to be compatible with 40k's vehicles? I don't see myself using any super-heavies at the moment; just self-propelled artillery and/or Russes.