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I've been wanting to start a 40k vanity project for a while now, and since I'm getting out of the commission business, I'm going to have the time to work on it! I really, really want to start a Traitor Guard force with some CSM/Daemons thrown in for flavor. The one sticking point is this: what should I do for count-as Cadians? I was thinking I'd convert the standard Cadian troopers, but after looking at them, I've realized that there's not a whole lot of room for conversion, aside from possibly sculpting some new heads and throwing on some Chaos stars.

Would anyone care to share some ideas with me?

Thanks!

~Tim?

Dreamforge troopers have a more chaos vibe to them with those masks. The Proportions aren't the same as guard models though. I personally favor doing something with a mix of Canadians, cadachans, and some daemons of chaos bits from whfb.

A good paint job also goes a long way, just saying.

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Chaos/CHAOS_RENEGADES/RENEGADE_MILITIA_CONVERSION_SET.html

^Just buy this

 Quarterdime wrote:
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Chaos/CHAOS_RENEGADES/RENEGADE_MILITIA_CONVERSION_SET.html

^Just buy this

At $20 per 10-man conversion kit, I think I'm just better off sculpting my own parts...

~Tim?

Lots of good bits in the Chaos Marauders kits?

How chaosey?
Regimented, professionals=different color and removal of imperial eagles, replaced with their warlords symbol/chaos star. Maybe a couple of war trophies (hands,hand, etc.) on the sgts./officers. Gas maskes? Something like the plague masks from the black plague years. shined boots, one thing on every model pvt to the Lord that is the same be it a mark or a emblem/star

For the more rabble, different weapons in the squads (mix of las and auto) more trophies on both the troops and the leadership, visible tattoos, scarring, piercing, some mutations, more dirt/dull colors, eagles scratched out off equipment.

I'd say shave off all the aquillae then damage up the armor quite a bit & gs hodgepodge armor plates, rope, cord, straps holding it on. Also gs beat up metal looking knee, shin guards. Further get some SW scouts heads & use plenty of them.

Oh & combing a box of cadians, catachans & empire free company (or whatever the hell they're called now) will net you some excellent ramshackle looking troopers. Plus it should give you a sufficient amount of men & parts to build a full infantry platoon with command squad & a command hq.

Thanks for the tips! After some consideration, I've decided to grab a couple units of Cadians + some extra heads and get to work converting and greenstuffing! I'm going to try to design some custom helmets with GS. If they turn out well I'll cast duplicates so I can have consistency.

Thanks again!

~Tim?

There was some excellent artwork of traitor guard with cadian style equipment released around the Eye of Terror campaign I think. They basically had battered equipment with the imperial iconography removed or defaced, and replaced with chaos iconography. Scarification was common, as were trophies.

Here's an example:
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/File:Traitor_Guardsmen.jpg

Tis easy, as long as you remove all aquila's and give each a distinctive tone. Make sure you make them less static and similarly posed. Also if you can still get them mixing in the slightly more burly Catachans bits really help.

I based mine on the Sons of Sek from the Gaunts Ghosts books which you can see below.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/568560.page

also, pig iron products has some sick heads for conversions

You could always go the simple route. Use an x-acto and scratch up the armor. Give your guardsmen scars or make them look malformed. If you have the skills, green stuff them up a bit. But other than that, I agree with guardpiper, painting goes a long way.

Make their uniforms nasty and dirty for Nurgle guard, bloody for Khorne guard, give them mystic looking runes for Tzeentch guard and make them sticky for Slaanesh guard.

I know it sounds overly simple (and it is) but beards. Out of regulation long hair (on bare headed models). When you look at a regimented disciplined unit and see THAT, well, sergeants would NEVER let that happen. Then again, if subtle isnt your thing then tenticles never go out of style.

Depends a lot on your army fluff. They're presumably still recognisable as having once been Cadians or you wouldn't be converting Cadians, but other issues include - are they:
- bizarrely mutated, or still apparently human?
- partly re-equipped with chaos weapons/uniforms, or still carefully equipping themselves with IG stuff (either by looting it or maybe they still have vast stores of their old IG stuff)?
- now followers of a particular chaos power (e.g. Nurgle might have a particular look) or just generally chaotic?
- mind-wiped slaves who don't even realise (except the officers) that they're now following chaos?