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I know there's no kit for them, and I do know FW has some nice upgrades to make IG figures look more like veterans. But, I was hoping to get my veterans put together to play this weekend. Is there anything special that can be done to make Veterans stand out from regular rank and file or command squads?

Thanks

SG

You can give them special markings such as the skulls that are on the transfer sheet, or paint a stripe on their shoulder pad or helmet in a particular colour. Or you can simply add a lot of wear and tear to their uniforms and have a few bare heads here and there. Plenty of ways to make them stand out if you put your mind to it - there's no right or wrong answer outside of potentially lore unfriendly things.

Hope this helps

G.A

There's no particular way to make them stand out officially. Unofficially you want these guys to look epic. They are the best your regiment has to offer. Swap heads and weapons with other kits, paint them differently, or maybe even use other models for them (Victoria miniatures has some gorgeous models that would fit the bill)

Hmm... well the easiest way I can think of is going for a more weathered look compared to your regular trooper, stubble, tally marks on weapons, scratched up armour etc. You could also give them a bit more gear, extra mag pouches and the like (something like the chest rigs on the new deathwatch veterans kit).

Basically, make small modifications to the uniform until they look a lot more grizzled than the rank and file. Perhaps camouflage patterns on their fatigues could work as well if you haven't got camo on your regulars.

Hope that helps

I use different heads for my vets, They all have berets. There are many companies that sell 28mm heads that add difference to your units.

Alternately you could give them backpacks, color their weapons or helmets differently, color or give the shoulder pads in a unique manner, give them a 'blood stripe" down the legs, etc.

Give them all giant caps with feathers in them

Real-world elite units don't usually look that different from 'ordinary' units - typically they don't _want_ to look too different, as that could mean becoming a priority target for enemy fire. As suggested above, extra ammo pouches etc can give a more 'experienced soldier' look, and hat swaps are also an easy modelling option (coloured berets are common for real-world elite units, although not typically in combat situations). A different shade of shoulder pad (or knee pad, if they have them) is also popular and easy (and cheap).

But so long as you and your opponent can tell the units apart, nothing else really matters.

I'd think the easiest way is a different uniform and different helmets/heads (lots of 3rd party options here).

Make them look like they've been knocking about for a while; model healed injuries, minor equipment damage, et cetera.

Consider adding kill markings to veterans' weapons (especially if they actually accomplish things in game; if your lascannon gets a titan kill you absolutely have to record that in the paint scheme)!

Also consider the veterans upgrade you give them. Cammo netting, extra bagging, and s on.

You could add special markings/colours/ icons on helmets or pads.

I'd use third party heads. I love the Pig Iron heads on standard Cadian bodies

Cadian torso and heads from another miniature publisher

Depends on how groovy you want them. Scions come with the Beret heads, not hard to convert those onto Cadians/Catachans..

Or if you want to explore the options, a few good producers would be Mad Robot, Pig Iron and Anvil Industries.

Personally I buy a command. squad for every two 10 man veterans squads and use the parts from that.

Sightly different cammo scheme might work easy

Same colours roughly bit ernough to stand out.

As many others have noted, you have a lot of options, and which to choose will depend on your budget, fluff, and interests. Assuming you're using basic cadians:
- third party heads. berets, gas masks, even slightly different helmets, all give them a distinct look
-different squad markings/designations
-different uniform colors/patterns
-increased gear/kit
-increased weathering.

These can be combined. A subtle way to show veteran status is probably with increased weathering. Making uniforms look faded with an additional dry brush, adding mud/dirt to fatigues, or chipping up armor all make the models stand out as more experienced.

Thanks for all the great info, everyone!

SG

If you have a bunch of extra vox casters hanging around you can cut them down and add ammo pouches and knives to turn them into backpacks. You can also do this with space marine power packs if you have them.

Fast and easy : one shoulder in a bright color.

Personally I make mine by mixing in some heads and arms from the cadian and catachan command squads. And adding some backpacks (catachan sprues and heavy weapon sprues have a ton). It makes them look ready to undertake a long campaign and be ready for any combat situation.

In the codex it says that they're basically just Guardsmen, but they're experienced. I wouldn't make them totally different models, but they would have some better (see, scavenged) gear. Maybe some varied backpacks (as in different from your regular squads, these guys don't give a flying feth bout regulation rucksacks, let's see gear hanging off wherever there's room) Berets or bare heads are good but like i said, Veteran isn't actually a rank per se, they're just a bit more badass than the noobies. Maybe some stuff like stripes or patches. Look at stuff like Starcraft and Aliens, lot's of cheeky stuff written on armor to give it character. Subtle modifications to standard gear (non regulation bayonet atached to a lasgun, a makeshift bayonet attached to a grenade launcher, sights removed from things, carbines, silenced slug weapons, what have you. The main thin gto keep consistant is that they're not commandos, just rank and file that know what they're doing.

Like many other suggestions here I would go for a head swap for at least half the unit.

It's a relatively easy conversion that will make sure other players can easily identify with them as something different from the regular trooper.
Also from my own experience in the army it would seem to be a "normal" thing for veterans to know when to put on the right gear as compared to a rookie squad (conscripts) would would be jumping for cover and scrambling for helmets at the slightest sound.

Other than this I would go for expanded gear. Adding ammo pouches, pistol and knife holsters, easily accessible grenades and other practical gear would serve to give the impression of troops and a unit that is used to the field of battle and knows what gear they want and where to keep it.

A different option would be to perhaps do more "heavy" conversion of the models, different arm poses, weapons shouldered, kneeling etc.

Just my opinion.

OJJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNSnKyrwfv0 this guy has done a really good job on his vets.

My veterans have cable-fed lasguns with red-dot collimators, powered by backpack battery (basicly hellgun) + carapace armour made of green stuff.

Everyone is bit different in terms of equipment (grenades, poaches) and characteristics. Some have bionic body parts, some have various weapon attachments, being it an AnPeq, bipod, x-ray scanner, tactical map or ballistic computer. (a form of HuD)

Yes, they look more like commandos then more experienced guardsmen, but thats going with fluff of my army.