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So yeah, title says it all. Do you have any way to build or convert models in a way that lets you save money, e.g. by making use of leftover bits or replacing rare or expensive parts with readily available ones?
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Marine flamers and Imperial Guard melta guns
I play both biker-heavy White Scars and infantry-heavy Imperial Guard, and for a while have been frustrated by how hard to come by Marine flamers and Imperial Guard melta guns were. You *could* get them, but it cost you a lot, and I *needed* a lot (biker armies have lots of special weapons slots).
So instead I took some of my Cadian flamers (you should have many spares if you commonly buy infantry), bought a bunch of Marine melta guns (available in packs of 5), and made a swap between their respective muzzles to make meltas that could fit in Cadian hands and flamers that could fit in Marine hands.
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More heavy weapon teams for less money
I wish I had figured this one out earlier. Imperial Guard heavy weapon squads are not kind on your bank account, but there's a way to get more bang (or more pew pew pew) for your buck. You have a choice of five weapons, three of which use the tripod mount (heavy bolter, autocannon and lascannon) and two of which use the bipod mount (mortar and missile launcher), so if you choose to build, say, a lascannon, you can *also* build a mortar (provided you have extra bases). Two guys come with each weapon, and both are kneeling. Yet the only ones that *need* to be kneeling are the ones firing any tripod-mounted weapon or a bipod-mounted missile launcher. The others might just as well be standing, meaning they are interchangeable with regular guardsmen (who are cheaper in money).
So what you do is:
1. Buy a box of 3 weapon teams (40 USD), giving you 3 lascannons, 3 mortars and 6 kneeling guardsmen. Also buy 3 additional 60 mm bases (5 USD).
2. Buy a box of 10 guardsmen (29 USD). You now have 16 guardsmen total (both kneeling or standing) and have spent 74 USD before taxes.
3. Build 3 lascannons using the tripods. Assign them 3 kneeling guardsmen, since you need kneeling models to fire the weapons. For the other 3 models (the spotters with the binoculars), you can use standing models from the 10-man box.
4. Build 3 mortars using the bipods. All 6 models manning them can be standing models from the 10-man box.
What you have: Six whole weapon teams (three of lascannons, autocannons or heavy bolters, or any combination thereof, and three of mortars).
What you spent: 74 USD before taxes.
What you saved: 6 USD, vs. what you would have spent on two weapon squad boxes. Ok, this doesn't seem like much, but bear with me here...
What you have left: Four models. Up to three of them can be kneeling models.
Use those remaining four models as "free" infantrymen, or...
Did you know that the missile launcher did not actually require a bipod? That's right, a soldier (kneeling or standing) can carry it on his shoulder!
Just buy some more 60mm bases, and with those four leftover guardsmen, you can build *two* missile launcher teams on top of what you already have.
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