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My objective is simple: smash the remains of these two kits together until a renegade infantry platoon comes out. I haven't worked on a 40k project in almost two years, but today I woke up and decided I should spend the entire day making guardsmen. I'm going to get them based and painted this weekend, or die trying.




Resources are very limited. I have no extra parts so must plan every single guardsman. In the right corner, Chaos Space Marine overlords converse with the lieutenant. I must be out of practice, because it took the better part of 4 hours to get to this point. Granted there was much faffing about, but it wasn't entirely my fault...





The platoon was finally ready for a parade another 7 or 8 hours later. As I write this, my hands are still caked in glue and tears. Games Workshop can make a single-piece crossbow that fits like a charm, even though the slightest warp could ruin the fit, yet the two-piece blunderbusses are the ones that are impossible to assemble. Those bastards took half an hour of constant attention each. Despite the technological dissidence, I think they look good next to their superhuman counter-parts. I'm especially proud of the heavy weapons teams, which act as dioramas tying the guard and free company elements together. I'll leave you these images, and hopefully come back tomorrow with some paint.

Ah, you're still here? Well, at least I am, at any rate. Good news: I got them all primed and ready to go.


Better than that, I've got a test model done.


Right, so it's not a whole platoon, but the night isn't over yet and I was too excited to wait. Though the model itself is only table top quality, it is a joy to feel the old techniques coming back. I also realized I haven't explained why crossbows can stand in for lasguns. My idea is that the Chaos Marines don't have time to build a base of operations, what with the running from the law business; instead, they conscript locals, rebels, and traitors. These poor sods are yokels in over their heads, using whatever they had with them. I figure the real Imperial Guard often isn't much better off, so a farmer with his trusty musket is as well off as a white shield with a lasgun.

Let me know what you think, or if there's anything I should add.

Looking pretty good, especially the chaos marines. I would be glad to play against your army!

I think the best ones are the guys with bits from both sets, a lot of your guys just look like empire militia.
That said, with a unifying paintscheme they could look pretty cool. =)

If by 'unifying paint scheme' you mean 'fifty shades of brown', you're in luck!

All the Imperial equipment will conform to a Dark Angels-esque green, but I'll see if I can work that into the rabble.

I'm afraid I'm going to call it for this weekend. Even if I didn't have midterms next week, 25 miniatures is a tall order for me. There will definitely be more next weekend, though perhaps not this platoon.

I tried to work in a unifying dark green, though that picture is so dark you might not be able to tell. My house is bereft of lighting for this sort of thing, you understand. I feel like the theme is becoming more coherent, however that might be the bases or just my rose tinted glasses. Let me know if you're feeling it.

I know the feeling of not having enough time for sprint goals! It's alright though, what you've done looks pretty awesome for itself. I've never actually seen guardsmen use swords like that, so that's pretty cool!
And I share your opinion in that it's becoming quite unified too!

Shades of brown with green is great as a unifying theme, and from what I can see, they look pretty good so far.
Keep it up

For those of you wondering, Wednesday is my Friday, so this is actually a weekend post. I've all but used up my allotment of white people for this squad; now I've got to try some new skin techniques. It's funny, he really strikes me as Indian, though I was shooting for African. Perhaps it's just the model. The fellow on the right isn't new, he just didn't get any light in the last picture and I've grown quite fond of his beard. I want to use more bronze and copper metals, but my Dwarf Bronze is terrible. Anyone have any other recipes, or should I run out to the shop and get a new bottle?

This weekend I plan to round out the squad and build the last 165 points of this force, so let's look forward to that.

Honestly he just looks like a super tanned pirate than indian or african. Perhaps I just have to look at it for a while..

Sad news, friends. My dear cat became very ill and we had to put him down on Monday. He is greatly missed, but the world still turns. I didn't feel much like painting, so I worked on the Demolisher. While I was working, a thought occurred to me; by some strange coincidence, my cat shares the name of my favorite tank(-destroyer): Firefly.

I'm debating putting some ladder/handlebars on the tank, and I've still got to figure out where to put his name. Perhaps I'll put more duffel bags on it. At the same time, I like it being fairly clean. What do you guys think?






PS. The whole thing is modular. The turret turns and is detachable from the hull and itself, and the hull-mount is interchangeable. Rather than magnets, I used Legos.

Just going to drop a couple of pictures. Upon closer inspection, I dislike the pistolier's the skin, so that will need to be cleaned up. Otherwise I think the squad is definitely becoming a unit rather than a collection of models. Just need to get to work on the Heavy Weapons Team, and that'll do it for this weekend. Next weekend I think will be the command squad and psyker.

Looking good hound. I have lost my hobby mojo for months now but know it will return one day.

Grats on getting momentum going, your guys look great.

I've missed you guys so much. I've spent the last three weeks worried sick because my professor lost a fifth of my assignments and wouldn't give me credit. I went to the school but there wasn't much they could do, even though I had proof the assignments were completed on time. The whole debacle puts my transfer in danger. Fortunately, however, I have back-up plans.

Anyway, point is: I'll have plenty of time to paint now. I finally finished the heavy weapon team, so that's one full squad done. Plus, my shipment of Chaos Cultists arrived from Ebay. I'll do a little bit of conversion, swapping out some of the auto-pistols for flint-locks, and then they'll serve as a Penal Legion squad. They'll be my second troops choice and fill the detachment out to 500 points, making this a viable army.

Dude it's the digital age, how can they deny your assignments were completed on time?

Redundancy my friend. Email AND old school paper. Paper for them, digital if you need super imposition.

Her position was that she hadn't received my assignments so they were late, regardless of when they were completed. She said the same of another assignment, which we found graded in her office. The trouble is the college can't force her to do anything. If I pushed too hard she told me that she would use the syllabus RAW and would give me no credit; she was willing to concede a little less than half the points if I told the her boss the issue was resolved. I don't know if I made the right choice, but I figured, if I did well enough on the final (and she wasn't vengeful), I could eek out a C for transfer credit. Better to risk being half-fethed to make transfer than know I'm completely fethed for a year.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are the simple weapon swaps for the Cultist squad. Just some small cuts, a little green stuff here and there. The rest of the squad will retain their autoguns, and one guy will have an auto-pistol.