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.

So the new chaos book is awsome and all but I am looking at an army that is getting to big to be in most normal apoc games. So I am going to *try* to put chaos down for some time. My question is this however, are the old metal IG (Moridian, Steel Legion, Valhalla, Vostroyan) easyto make and paint? I have some death korps and steel legion mix force I got from a bud for a trade. (Black Reach marines for IG)
These metal models are pinned and painted but I was thinking about getting some action from the old IG. So after all this my point is simple. Are the steel legion easy to model? Same for the Moridian. What abput painting? Please tell me how they both are to paint and a recipe for painting them would REALLY HELP!
Also steel legion would be mech, Moridian would be gunline blob.

Easy to make?

With few exceptions, they are pretty much one piece models.
There are few special weapons for them (outside of the old cadian and Catachan ones) - Vostroyans are newer ( 4th ed for CoD?, the others date back to 2nd ed) and only a few heavy weapon options (I had mortars and autocannons for my cadians and catachans).

I am also currently building a IG army themed around a arid deathworld using krieg(mostly as officers) , steel legion( as vets with camo "coats" ) and im buying alternate helmet/gasmask heads so i can use cadians as my bulk platoons, im also buying 3 forgeworld Armageddon medusa's and will magnetize so they can also be colossus and also a Armageddon basalisk

But as stated previously at least for steel legion there is little to no assembly, and depending if your going original scheme or not there not bad to paint

sinistermind wrote:
I am also currently building a IG army themed around a arid deathworld using krieg(mostly as officers) , steel legion( as vets with camo "coats" ) and im buying alternate helmet/gasmask heads so i can use cadians as my bulk platoons, im also buying 3 forgeworld Armageddon medusa's and will magnetize so they can also be colossus and also a Armageddon basalisk

But as stated previously at least for steel legion there is little to no assembly, and depending if your going original scheme or not there not bad to paint

I ment like painting. Plus the mortars and such are nice to have. Uhhhh melta weapons? What do

It's pretty much the same with painting with plastic minis. Just prime and paint. Metal models do require more varnish though

So any recipes to paint these metal models?

The metal imperial guard models are really quite nice with some cool, characterful poses. Generally the 2nd ed ranges (old Cadians, old Catachans, Tallarn, Valhallan, Mordian and Praetorian) have all 5 heavy weapons options and 3 out of 4 special weapon options each (the missing weapon varies with each regiment), as well as a few officers, sergeants and 7-8 lasgun trooper poses.

Steel legion came a bit later- for heavy weapons they only have the lascannon, missile launcher and heavy bolter, and they don't have a flamer or meltagun. They do have few more sergeant poses though.

Vostryons are comparitavely quite new and have quite a lot of models, but they still lack an autocannon and a few specials. But that command squad is lush....

There's also a few oddball models specific to each regiment... For example, Valhallans have a comms guy and Chenkov, Tallarns have some casualties, Rough Riders and Alrahem.

Single piece metal models are pretty difficult to convert, but not impossible. The biggest mistake is to hack at them with clippers- instead use a modelling saw.

Painting wise, just file off the mould lines and undercoat them with GW (or otherwise) spray primer just like any other models! Metal models can chip easy so you might want to apply varnish (e.g. purity seal, if you're brave) after. Since you can strip them in seconds by dipping them in acetone (metal doesn't melt like plastic!) you can experiment with colour schemes easily.

Arclaw has it spot on

I love the metals, as Arclaw said, they all have real characterful poses that are sometimes lost on the newer minis.

As far as conversions go, they generally aren't too hard. Each range has a couple minis that have guns that are fairly easy to cut away (sticking away from their body) to convert into whatever missing special weapon you require.

For Mordians I believe they don't have a plasma gun mini, but I've seen conversions for them that look great. Just google it and I'm sure you can find it.
Same goes for heavy weapons, the Heavy Bolter and Autocannon metals have the gunner sitting down. I don't think Mordians have an autocannon, but it would be easy enough to take the heavy bolter gunner and stick him behind either an old Tallarn/Cadian/Etc autocannon or even make a chair for him behind one of the newer plastics. Really the only difference between the metal and plastic guns are A) the new ones are on tripods instead of wheels and B) the gun shielding is different.

Personally I think Mordians are the way to go. When I first started my current IG it came down to Tallarn and Mordian, I chose Tallarn because of they also have Rough Riders. I decided not to go mech because I wanted to see as many of those beautiful metal minis on the tabletop as I could

PS - I just realized Arclaw is the guy whose Tallarn are the inspiration for my force! Thanks mate!

What do you mean by recipes?

Mordians do have an autocannon, but lack a plasma gun as mentioned above.

The metal cadians don't have mortars, and if memory serves, lack grenade launchers as well.

Pancritic wrote:
Mordians do have an autocannon, but lack a plasma gun as mentioned above.

The metal cadians don't have mortars, and if memory serves, lack grenade launchers as well.

Nah they've got mortars, my store still has a blister or two of them that I've considered buying, only to realize that I never use mortars

Everybody and there dog owns Vostroyan (That I wanted to start) so I went steel legion. I went out and blew 120 dollars and now have a force that's not broken and taking up space. Turns out I have to use a lot of glue since they don't fit the entire slotted base. I got the regimental advisers (Dawn of War at our club trolololo!!!) and will be setting up a parking lot.
I also decided to make a parking lot terrain piece just to joke bout the tanks im going to field. Might start some Luftwaffe err.....vendetta squads up soon!

If the tab doesn't fit the slot properly, try putting a kink into it (if it joins two legs) or bending the outer bits if it's one leg attached to it) with your fingers.

It tends to fit into the slot that way, and you use less glue to hold it in place.

 chromedog wrote:
If the tab doesn't fit the slot properly, try putting a kink into it (if it joins two legs) or bending the outer bits if it's one leg attached to it) with your fingers.

It tends to fit into the slot that way, and you use less glue to hold it in place.

Yeah they are smaller than the slot. I have been using liquid greenstuff to fix it.

I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about metal guardsmen. They are much more expensive, to begin with (and you're going to need a bunch), and don't have all the options (and are going to be much more difficult to convert), and you can't just go to the store and get them, so you're going to have to wait over a long period of time as more become available on ebay.

At least the old models are pretty bland and low on detail, so they're going to be easier to paint, but I don't think it's going to be worth all the frustration.

Either go third party, or go with plastics.

I think we'll have to disagree on the "bland and low on detail" part. I, and I'm sure many others, feel the older metals have a lot more detail/character than the newer Cadian plastics.
Of course, personal preference and all that, but I think a lot of people feel that way about the older models, especially the older Imperial Guard.

I buy up the metal ones when I see them (as in physically-in-the-same-place) and they generally cost me less than the equivalent number of "newer" plastics.

OK, they probably will have a crap paintjob (brake fluid is cheap), but that's part of the fun of "rescuing" them.

In the case of the metal vehicles, they often come with the weapon combination that I am actually looking for, as well (which, due to the current meta has gone out of fashion).

I've picked up METAL Eldar War Walkers with twin Scatter-lasers for $15 each (new plastic was at least double that price and didn't allow that config out of the box), units of guardsmen (10, including a special and heavy team) for $20.

Character? Perhaps. Detailed? Not a chance.

Vostroyans are pretty spiff, but the old metal models have much less detail. Little or no armor, few, if any add-ons like grenades and extra ammo. Mordians have really low-detail clothing, etc. Plus, given that they're metal, your 100+ guardsmen are going to be in a total of roughly 3 poses.

All for being more expensive, and more difficult to get.

Meanwhile, plastics give you a lot easier time of converting (so, even more detail and character per model), and are posable (likewise). And are cheaper. And you can get them from anywhere.

Plastics are just better.

I've considered getting some of the metals just so I have something "different" to spice up my Guard list, but have largely sided against it.

Why? They're bloody inconvenient, and are lacking in detail or customization. They're only strong point is they're unique. Well, save for the Steel Legion, since FW basically decided they wanted to make their own version of that aesthetic, but I digress.

The Cadian plastics aren't ideal, but they aren't hard to tweak. They also have the virtue of weighing virtually nothing, they don't chip, any damage is easy to repair, they're modular and it's really easy to kitbash them. There's half a dozen tutorials on this site alone for making regular Guard weapons into special weapons, so you can arm them with whatever you please out of the base box if you're willing to settle for something which isn't GW "approved."

My only real complaint is that, to be frank, the Cadians have godawful faces. If they were to make a modern sculpt of Mordians, Steel Legion or Valhallans, even only as basic guardsmen, I'd grab them in a heartbeat as something different that I could kitbash into all sorts of new things. Give me a plastic stormtrooper kit too and I'd be set for all my little plastic men needs. I could finally make armoured guardsmen with relative ease.

Not sure why the Guard isn't pictured with, you know, actual armour very often, one of my bigger gripes about the model range.