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I’ve been considering a new project and I’ve always wanted to make that Guard army from the 3rd edition codex. How easy would it be to make the weapon options fit? I am probably going to make it a mechanised army so not many heavy weapons squads. I was concerned over the number of pistol armed models against rifles.

Also, has there been any talk of a Guard release? Probably not an issue for the infantry even if they did new Catachan models; a new Russ or Chinera kit really has me anxious about buying a tank army.

Thr obvious issue is lack of lasguns.
Iiirc the Escher kit only comes with 6 lasguns for the 10 models, although if you include the autogun that's 8 models.
Include a sergeant with melee weapons or the combi-bolter and a special weapon and that's enough small arms though.

Special weapons would an issue, as none of what the kit has is appropriate to the Guard's options. You can convert though, and the chem-thrower can be used as a flamer out of the box.

Probably my biggest concern would actually be posing. The Escher have very dynamic poses, which looks fine on a gang of ~a dozen models with mostly unique loadouts. But it would look very obviously repetitive very quickly if you've got multiple squads all maxing out the 3 lasgun sculpts.
It's not so much if an issue when every model is in a neutral pose which is why normal kits work.

To address your second point, OP - no, nothing specific about a Guard release is floating around at present.

The two limited release characters we've seen over the last year or so imply that someone is working on Catachans to some degree, but whether that's just sculptor training or an actual range refresh is up in the air.

Here's how I'm doing it, though not just Escher, all gangs...

I'm going to order generic human models with lasguns (cadians for example, but maybe not, I've got an idea to use dark eldar which bodies amongst other things). I've then ordered the bits for escher heads, and the occasional arms (I got a pretty amazing necromunda bits job lot on eBay). Whilst the job lot on eBay was fairly lucky in some ways and not predictable, they are on there fairly often.

The only partial concern I'd have for your idea in particular is running out of unique heads in the end, it's easier with other guard as they can look fairly the same with helmets etc, it's the hair that is the issue with escher, each style will be repeated so much, hence why I'm going to a gang militia style force with multiple different gangs.

EDIT: In terms of head diversity, there are the other escher kits, and don't forget forge world which has it's own heads and weapon kits which can address the issues above.

The honestly, if you go down the route of only using the gang models as a base, buy some third party lasguns and arms if needed. There's also some other alternate heads that could be used in the GW and forge world line if you are willing to be creative, Dark eldar wyches as already mentioned, alternate oarlock heads with respirators from forge world (more short hair cut style but the face being covered means no man faces, also sisters of battle repentia as both bodies and heads...

Rather than just limit yourself to escher, expand the scope of the idea, escher are fairly distopian, have a cyber punk kind of vibe, what kits from the whole model range fit that aesthetic.

You would need a lot of resin. To get the 80+ models needed, counting some of them coming out damaged, it would cost a lot and take up a lot of time to do. Less then buying gang boxs for eshers, but still it would be a lot.

Escher or Orlocks could be perfect count as for AM I think. Each box comes with 8 out 10 models that can be equipped with a rifle that is either a lasgun or something very close to it. 6 lasguns and 2 autoguns for Escher, 4 autoguns and 4 or 6 shotguns (which are almost identical to autoguns) for Orlock. Both kits also come with pistols and blades for the leader. You'd just need a few bitz to convert the guys with special weapons.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 kirotheavenger wrote:

Probably my biggest concern would actually be posing. The Escher have very dynamic poses, which looks fine on a gang of ~a dozen models with mostly unique loadouts. But it would look very obviously repetitive very quickly if you've got multiple squads all maxing out the 3 lasgun sculpts.
It's not so much if an issue when every model is in a neutral pose which is why normal kits work.

Yeah, but consider that AM only has 10 man squads. Each squad should be ok for the sake of avoiding exact duplicates. With the entire army in mind well, also current AM dudes are pretty repetitive models, way more than Escher ladies, so it shouldn't really be an issue.

Some lasguns sculpts can be easily converted in order to reposition the arms and weapon.

 endlesswaltz123 wrote:
Here's how I'm doing it, though not just Escher, all gangs...

I'm going to order generic human models with lasguns

This only works for male regiments. Female heads on Cadians just doesn't work, the proportions are so drastically different the end result ends up looking creepy/uncanny valley. Maybe Dark Eldar bodies would work (though there are a lot of male ones there too) but why bother, there are already Necromundan Escher regiments that look pretty similar to gang models, just paint armored bits military color and you're done:

I've had some good luck kitbashing Escher and VanSaar gangs for kill teams.

@OP:
Too expensive.

 Irbis wrote:

 endlesswaltz123 wrote:
Here's how I'm doing it, though not just Escher, all gangs...

I'm going to order generic human models with lasguns

This only works for male regiments. Female heads on Cadians just doesn't work, the proportions are so drastically different the end result ends up looking creepy/uncanny valley. Maybe Dark Eldar bodies would work (though there are a lot of male ones there too) but why bother, there are already Necromundan Escher regiments that look pretty similar to gang models, just paint armored bits military color and you're done:

Spoiler:

It depends what he uses.

Victoria miniatures comes to mind. Some excellent female not-cadian models for example.

 Totalwar1402 wrote:
I’ve been considering a new project and I’ve always wanted to make that Guard army from the 3rd edition codex. How easy would it be to make the weapon options fit? I am probably going to make it a mechanised army so not many heavy weapons squads. I was concerned over the number of pistol armed models against rifles.

Also, has there been any talk of a Guard release? Probably not an issue for the infantry even if they did new Catachan models; a new Russ or Chinera kit really has me anxious about buying a tank army.

Esher would be very easy. Just the cost would be a bit higher ($). plently of rifles.

As someone who has converted the living heck out of eschers, it's gonna depend on how much you want to adhere to strict WYSIWYG.

As other posters have said, you've got 6 lasguns in the box, and 2 autoguns (every option you have 2 of, actually, because it's a necromunda gang so there's 2 sprues in there). You've also got, obviously, a flamer, and all the sergeant melee weaponry you'd want, including a bolter - no chainsword, but if you're not going strict strict wysiwyg, a combi needler+bolter with an escher knife is perfectly reasonable IMO as a bolter+chainsword basic sergeant lady. The bolter is quite easy to free from its in-built 'lapel thingy' so you're not necessarily locked into always having every squad member wearing the same coat, which is also nice.

Now me, I would absolutely just state to my opponents "any model built with two pistols or a shotgun is also a model with a lasgun" - it's a gang army, whadda ya want they're going to have some weird equipment.

From there, you've got to convert everything you want to do.

The basic plastic escher is obviously in a very dynamic pose, so it's tough to do heavy weaponry the traditional way. For my huge and extensive necromunda gang, I have made meltas out of the shotgun arm, plasmas out of guardsmen plasmas, a heavy stubber out of a spare chem-thrower (clip it off right at the barrel and it's a very flexible little bit to make heavy weaponry out of, I added the stubber barrel and a hanging line of bullets in place of the usual canister)

If you had me make a 'deadly ladies' escher guard army, I'd make sure to include:

-Catachan tactics
-Pious Vorne as a Ministorum Priest
-Get the Goliath Forgeborn with the gun that's almost a heavy bolter, make it a heavy bolter to turn her into Sgt Harker
-Convert a sick ass powerfist and shotgun escher as Straken
-Wyld Runners as Ratling Snipers
-Death Maidens as allied Eversor Assassin

 Strg Alt wrote:
@OP:
Too expensive.

Better do not enter the question of investment into plastic toy warriors.
I guess its not the main issue for the OP.

Deadnight wrote:
Victoria miniatures comes to mind. Some excellent female not-cadian models for example.

But these are female bodies to begin with. I agree, Victoria has nice ones (and GW did a good work with their new traitor guard and BSF heretics) but on most other bodies, it just looks weird. Maybe a cadian could barely work because they have wide hips and armored chest (though it won't look as nice as female cadian, see Lt Mira from Space Marine) but on most other male bodies, it just looks weird, IMO...

the_scotsman wrote:
Now me, I would absolutely just state to my opponents "any model built with two pistols or a shotgun is also a model with a lasgun" - it's a gang army, whadda ya want they're going to have some weird equipment.

Actually, I took a look at a sprue and you don't even need to bother with count as - box has a lot of laspistols, if you cut off barrel and magazine from Escher rifles and glue replacement you cut from laspistol, you get a lasgun, 5 minutes of work and it ceases to be an issue.

 Irbis wrote:

Deadnight wrote:
Victoria miniatures comes to mind. Some excellent female not-cadian models for example.

But these are female bodies to begin with. I agree, Victoria has nice ones (and GW did a good work with their new traitor guard and BSF heretics) but on most other bodies, it just looks weird. Maybe a cadian could barely work because they have wide hips and armored chest (though it won't look as nice as female cadian, see Lt Mira from Space Marine) but on most other male bodies, it just looks weird, IMO...

the_scotsman wrote:
Now me, I would absolutely just state to my opponents "any model built with two pistols or a shotgun is also a model with a lasgun" - it's a gang army, whadda ya want they're going to have some weird equipment.

Actually, I took a look at a sprue and you don't even need to bother with count as - box has a lot of laspistols, if you cut off barrel and magazine from Escher rifles and glue replacement you cut from laspistol, you get a lasgun, 5 minutes of work and it ceases to be an issue.

True, that does get you 8 lasguns in the box easily. That wouldn't be such an easy swap with the shotgun, but, if you commit to having one special per squad then it's not an issue really, becuase you're there after just converting the two autoguns.