The Imperial Guard: Are the Lacking Right Now?

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**master of ordinance**

aka_mythos wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:

What's funny is it seems like everyone forgets this blurb from the Doctrines Codex.

Cadia has always been a fortress world, charged with guarding the entrance to the Eye of Terror. Its population are all destined for a military life; the birth rate and recruitment rate are synonymous. Cadian Regiments are highly disciplined, make excellent shots and use elite shock troops to lead their attacks. Such is the reputation of the Cadian Shock Troops that many other regiments mimic their appearance, although their doctrines may differ.

Even with that being the case, I don't see GW giving IG doctrine like rules without distinct miniatures to push with the rules. GW uses Raven Guard to push scouts and assault squads, White Scars push bike squads... etc SM have a bunch of different stuff that can be used in a troop role. IG don't. So the variation in play style that IG deserve doesn't necessarily have models to sell with it. Even now between IG veterans, Infantry Platoons, conscripts, and previously penal legions... GW expects us to use the exact same kit for all of them... similarly with the regiment command squad and platoon command squad... the heavy weapon team and heavy weapon squads. GW has made it easy to do more regiments by having as many redundant kit unit combinations, but without distinct units and models to elevate through regimental rules GW just won't give IG any.

I think the best hope for ever getting Doctrines back is if GW decided to either redo the Cadian models in such a way that they could more easily sell add-on to represent different regiments or if GW actually made distinct kits for Veterans and Conscripts where those models could serve double duty as distinct regiment... such as conscripts having bits that might allow them to portray a light infantry regiment and veterans the ability to portray grenadiers/heavy infantry... whether they're styled cadian or not they're distinct. Then GW will have models that they feel it can promote by producing the army wide rules.

What, you mean if GW would stop fanjerking to their Space Marine porn and actually give the Imperial Guard players something that we have been after now for over half a decade? I wish, but sadly we are unlikely to see any new IG kits beyond yet another ugly as feth overpriced transport or the 'downsyndrome baby ogres' Ogryn/Bullgryn kit that is, yet again, overpriced in both points and pounds.

**G00fySmiley**

master of ordinance wrote:
Selym wrote:
Dangerously unprotected, but Abaddon still fails to get through, ofc.

Because a single Mart Sue stands there and holds them all at bay.

still pretty impressive for a guy without any arms!

But to the earlier stuff about different models and factions... take a page out of the ork book we have speed freaks, goffs, snake bites etc. just model them and paint them differently, sometimes it means buying separate bits or green stuffing and plasticcard things to make them more like what they should be. Eldar have to do it with just paint jobs to see Iyendan or san jai (spelling both wrong I am sure) among other factions. all xeno races are treated the same and we have to deal with it. a lot of chaos and chaos space marines are th same way. how do I make my Demon prince os slaneesh look different from my nurgle one (hint it involves silicone) as for rules though GW has been doing a good job of responding on their facebook page so hit em up with an idea for specific regiment rules (would not hold my breath on models though)

**vostroyan second born**

Griddlelol wrote:
The sad thing is, most of the other regiments look awful. The concept art and especially the ancient miniatures.

Cadians look OK, and it's not like everyone who buys them paints them Cadian colours. My models were painted with grey armour and camo fatigues.

speak for yourself ... imho cadians look awful and vostroyans are the best because i like the anachronistic style!

**Vaktathi**

The Cadian kits are passable....onky if you replace the heads. The heads are absurd and they all have expressions on their faces that look like theyre having major issues with constipation, not to mention weirdly big heads.

With respirator or 3rd party heads, they arent ao bad. That said, the old Steel Legion and Vostroyans I think look better.

**master of ordinance**

Vaktathi wrote:
The Cadian kits are passable....onky if you replace the heads. The heads are absurd and they all have expressions on their faces that look like theyre having major issues with constipation, not to mention weirdly big heads.

With respirator or 3rd party heads, they arent ao bad. That said, the old Steel Legion and Vostroyans I think look better.

Don not get me started :(

**Selym**

master of ordinance wrote:
Vaktathi wrote:
The Cadian kits are passable....onky if you replace the heads. The heads are absurd and they all have expressions on their faces that look like theyre having major issues with constipation, not to mention weirdly big heads.

With respirator or 3rd party heads, they arent ao bad. That said, the old Steel Legion and Vostroyans I think look better.

Don not get me started :(

These.

**Sledgehammer**

master of ordinance wrote:
Vaktathi wrote:
The Cadian kits are passable....onky if you replace the heads. The heads are absurd and they all have expressions on their faces that look like theyre having major issues with constipation, not to mention weirdly big heads.

With respirator or 3rd party heads, they arent ao bad. That said, the old Steel Legion and Vostroyans I think look better.

Don not get me started :(

I actually really like the cadian kits beside the helmets. These are much better

**Vaktathi**

Selym wrote:
master of ordinance wrote:
Vaktathi wrote:
The Cadian kits are passable....onky if you replace the heads. The heads are absurd and they all have expressions on their faces that look like theyre having major issues with constipation, not to mention weirdly big heads.

With respirator or 3rd party heads, they arent ao bad. That said, the old Steel Legion and Vostroyans I think look better.

Don not get me started :(

These.

Ha, those were my submission to the liberty and union league that Wargames Factory ran...8 or 9 years ago

Ive got like 8 boxes that Ive never had time to assemble and paint...

**master of ordinance**

Both of them look good, though I do prefer the 3rd party ones.
They have that look - both Sci Fi and retro at the same time.

**War Kitten**

I've been thinking about buying some of Victoria Miniature's Arcadian Line, they look similar enough to Cadians that they won't raise too many eyebrows, and imo they just look a lot better.

**Blacksails**

War Kitten wrote:
I've been thinking about buying some of Victoria Miniature's Arcadian Line, they look similar enough to Cadians that they won't raise too many eyebrows, and imo they just look a lot better.

And I can vouch for the quality of the resin. Some of the crispest and cleanest casts I've had the pleasure of working with. I've got a bunch of Tannenberg sitting around (mostly unassembled...one of these days...) and they are fantastic.

**aka_mythos**

War Kitten wrote:
I've been thinking about buying some of Victoria Miniature's Arcadian Line, they look similar enough to Cadians that they won't raise too many eyebrows, and imo they just look a lot better.

They are everything the GW's Cadians should be.

**master of ordinance**

War Kitten wrote:
I've been thinking about buying some of Victoria Miniature's Arcadian Line, they look similar enough to Cadians that they won't raise too many eyebrows, and imo they just look a lot better.

Expensive but worth it.

**drunken0elf**

Cadian figs are old and passed time rathr well.

But the thing is, the metal ones (vostroyan, steel legion, etc) are older, better looking, realistic and have better poses and more detail. that's the real issue imho. The old arse kits are just plane better.

but on OP's subject, IG are average. They do well vs older codex (jeez, i wonder why) but can still hold the line if bunkered up and not playing a cheezy space marine or eldar list.

**Griddlelol**

Both of those converted guard look fantastic. I wish I had the modelling skills to do that, but I always fall flat when it comes to conversions.

**generalchaos34**

Griddlelol wrote:
Both of those converted guard look fantastic. I wish I had the modelling skills to do that, but I always fall flat when it comes to conversions.

The greatcoat guys in the first set of pictures are actually out of the box Wargames Factory Shock Troopers, no conversion necessary for that look, ive used them extensively to expand my Steel Legion but I swapped the arms for standard cadian arms, which require no special conversions, they just glue right on! (check my gallery for examples). Unfortunately the company is no longer around and while they used to be dirt dirt cheap they are getting harder and harder to get a hold of (they also make a great torso to mount all those spare skitarii ranger heads/arms from your Vanguard squads, I doubled my troops from all the boxes I picked up!)

I agree that the cadians need to be redone, I dont actually hate their style, although their heads are quite big. I would like to have a greater variety of poses and add in some alternate options, like being able to make Vet squads or infantry squads out of the box. Kind of like how they fixed up firewarriors to make that new box a real nice, versatile kit.

**MarsNZ**

Pretty easy to make Conscripts/Veterans out of standard GW bits. I stocked up on Cadian Defence Force boxes when I built my guard army. The backpacks from the HWS plus the extra 'grizzled' heads that come with tanks/command squads make for pretty rugged looking heavy veterans. Regular bro's just get the webbing belt, conscripts get nothing.

I agree the kit looks a little dated but being a CSM player as well I'm used to playing armies that GW has long discarded in favour of differentiating between winged blood-drops and winged swords on shoulderpads.