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So, given the new popularity of Astra Militarum lists and the wide range of regiments available to us, you've got to wonder: how are we expected to build an army? The only kits still available are Cadian. I'm currently working on building a Catachan list using the models I have and in looking around on the web, it appears that there aren't enough models in circulation for anybody to build a 120+ model list from scratch. Ebay, Amazon, and the Games Workshop webstore have none in stock, and my local game shops have none either. If you bought up every single Catachan, Tallarn, Vostroyan, Vallhalan, Mordian, and Steel Legion model for sale on Ebay, Amazon, and through Games Workshop, you would have enough models to build perhaps one less-than-ideal army for each regiment. There just aren't enough models out there for anybody to play these armies as WYSIWYG. That being said, what is the solution? Will everyone field Cadians in various color schemes? Are people just going to give up on GW products and buy Chinese recasts? It's a real shame they aren't meeting demand with these products given how easy it ought to be to supply.

I highly recommend Victoria Miniatures for all your extra Imperial Guard needs. They really pick up the slack where GW dropped the ball on AM.

https://victoriaminiatures.com/

InquisitorKnickers wrote:
I highly recommend Victoria Miniatures for all your extra Imperial Guard needs. They really pick up the slack where GW dropped the ball on AM.

https://victoriaminiatures.com/

I do like the look of the models. However you need to consider if you want to game in GW stores, as they are not fans of advertising alternative companies' products.

Also, you can just use Cadian models with any regiment rules you like. It's not a problem for almost all players. As long as you are not trying to mix several regiments all with Cadian, objections will be minor.

Yeah, it almost seems like the smart business decision for GW would've been to release more generic guard kits with upgrade sprues that let you customize. I don't know how feasible that is, but it would make them a ton of money. Right now the biggest issue with starting a guard army is the financial cost. It's already a model heavy army. Throw in the fact that you might need to chase down 3rd party parts or do a lot of conversion work and it suddenly becomes an unappealing thought for many people. IMO that's why marines are so popular. It's so easy to take them in any direction that you want and the initial investment doesn't have to be as large.

You know, I could see some new Guard kits coming out soon. They have done it before, the 5th Edition codex had lots of old miniatures that were replaced. The Russes and the Command Squads spring to mind.

What are the Victoria models made out of for them to want $50 for 10? Resin? They look grate( at least on my phone) just a bit of sticker shock.

They are resin. I honestly prefer the metal Mordians to the Victoria ones, but they ARE nicely done and vastly easier to convert for all the missing weapons than the monopiece GW ones. I can't really comment on many of the others, but I might pick up a handful of parts for starfinder/shadowrun conversion purposes.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Huh. Also, just noticed that the not-Mordians are 10 bucks cheaper than all the others. Man, at $50/squad, I'd probably just start DKoK.


Also, also, Mordian Iron Guard (when they have them in stock) are $35 from GW. I think that's 9 lasgun guys and a sgt with laspistol/power sword. Probably the cheapest way to go is that route for raw bodies.

 Egyptian Space Zombie wrote:
Yeah, it almost seems like the smart business decision for GW would've been to release more generic guard kits with upgrade sprues that let you customize. I don't know how feasible that is, but it would make them a ton of money. Right now the biggest issue with starting a guard army is the financial cost. It's already a model heavy army. Throw in the fact that you might need to chase down 3rd party parts or do a lot of conversion work and it suddenly becomes an unappealing thought for many people. IMO that's why marines are so popular. It's so easy to take them in any direction that you want and the initial investment doesn't have to be as large.

I just don't get why they didn't do an upgrade set, I'm certain it would have sold bucket loads, unless they'd rather wait and hit us with new kits at a later date

You spelt guard wrong.

The Victoria models are made of resin. They're good quality and have fine detail. They aren't quite to GW scale though (at least the 'Catachan' kneeling legs aren't). The waist is significantly smaller on the Victoria parts as compared to the Catachan parts. I can't speak for other conversion parts. Mad Robot makes nice conversion parts as well. I don't know how they compare scale wise.

If you're looking for Catachans, try any area stores that are longtime GW stockists. I started a Catachan army right when 8th hit. I built it from 90's era battle forces from game stores with new-old-stock. I know of one store in my area with a mountain of Catachan heavy & special weapons blisters (among other guard blisters) still priced as they were on release. The other thing is to make sure and sign up for GW's email notifications. I've received multiple emails notifying me Catachans were back in stock on GW's website. But be ready to buy because they don't last long.

If you don't have a GW store you play at the best bet is to go 3rd party. This can be dedicated companies like Victoria Lamb or Mad Robot or you can convert other kits to your purpose. For example I've been making Valhallans from Warlord's Winter Soviet box.

IG requires a lot of creativity to make a full army, even with Cadians. There's a lot of things that require a bit of kitbashing or conversion even in the most well supported ranges.