Switch Theme:

Imperial Guard, telling squads apart?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in us
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General






A garden grove on Citadel Station

Hi all,

My 2000p imperial guard army has well over 100 models. For Imperial guard, when you don't have shoulder pads, how do you tell your squads apart? Helmet markings? Stripes?
The models in the army are a bunch of Steel Legion and old school Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, example (not mine):


ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau
+From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





There was a guy in my gaming group who used to color coordinate his platoons and squads by painting the rim of the bases variations of hues. So 1st platoon had squads of dark/medium/light blue rims, 2nd platoon reds, 3rd green, etc.
   
Made in gb
Battleship Captain





Bristol (UK)

My go-to is painting the rim of the base.

In fact, I do this in addition to any other markings that may be on the model. Even if you know that the stripe on the left shoulder denotes squad, your opponent might not, and they're even less likely to be able to see that from the other end of the table!

"I'm shooting at the blue squad" is just a lot easier than the "that one, no, that one! left, yeah those. Oh that's two squads?" dance.

If you find the multi-colour rims harms the homogenity of the bases, you could instead paint a series of dots around the base (say a dot or line at every quarter), or just paint the lower half of the rim, or whatever.
   
Made in gb
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws





Cloud City, Bespin

Don't the steel legion have those SS style arm patches that could be a different colour?

Not sure on the storm troopers, haven't seen those models for a long time ( best scupt )

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Straight out if the pot, bang it on. What else is there to know?
 DV8 wrote:
Blood Angels Furioso Dreadnought should also be double-fisted.
 
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

Helmet stripes would be effective and thematic. For the Steel Legion, perhaps a coloured edge on their tunics? Just a thin stripe would do.
   
Made in no
Longtime Dakkanaut






Lines on the baselip in a bright colour, front and rear.

One line for 1st squad, two lines for 2nd squad, and so on. special weps or sergants can be painted in a different colour line.(aka white on grunts, yellow on special wep, red on sergant)

darkswordminiatures.com
gamersgrass.com
Collects: Wild West Exodus, SW Armada/Legion. Adeptus Titanicus, Dust1947. 
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






My R&H units have different Gas-Hood colours for each unit but when I played normal Guard I painted the right shoulder pad a different colour for each squad.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/28 12:51:20


 
   
Made in au
Anti-Armour Swiss Guard






Newcastle, OZ

Helmet detailing on mine.

While I didn't have any of the original pretorian GW redcoat guard models, I did have a stack of their Mordians. I just replaced their heads (all of them) with pith helmeted heads and did a pile of gs cross straps for them.

I just used a different colour on their hat bands for Platoons.
Squads got a small number on the back of their bases

I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.

That is not dead which can eternal lie ...

... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





Movement trays with different colors are also a possibility.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

All of mine have pennies glued underneath for weight, with the a color painted there for each squad.

Only have an issue when I take out two Guardsmen for a Heavy Weapon team, but that is pretty easy to know which squad it is with.

My two cents,

CB

   
Made in us
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General






A garden grove on Citadel Station

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I didn't really want to do a "paint the base rims" or "paint something under the base" method just because I like my black rims so much, and I want to know what squad is what from above instead of from below.

It kinda sounds like stripes or some sort of unit patch is the way to go. The steel legion do have their little steel legion thunderbolt and circle on one shoulder, but damn is it small!

ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau
+From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
 
   
Made in us
Ship's Officer





Dallas, TX

 ph34r wrote:
Thanks for all the ideas guys. I didn't really want to do a "paint the base rims" or "paint something under the base" method just because I like my black rims so much, and I want to know what squad is what from above instead of from below.

It kinda sounds like stripes or some sort of unit patch is the way to go. The steel legion do have their little steel legion thunderbolt and circle on one shoulder, but damn is it small!


In that case, without the surface area like Cadians to do decal work, I suggest different helmet/pants color like alternate sports team uniforms, keep the outer coats the same for unity.
   
Made in gb
Battleship Captain





Bristol (UK)

Why not just a dot of paint on the rims?
   
Made in gb
Dakka Veteran



South East London

For the Steel Legion you could paint the glass in their goggles different colours?

Red goggle glass, blue, green, black etc?

"Dig in and wait for Winter" 
   
Made in gb
Mekboy Hammerin' Somethin'





United Kingdom

I always did helmet markings back when I ran Guard.

I just wrote the squad number on the left side of the helmet in Roman numerals with one of those micro pens.
   
Made in us
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General






A garden grove on Citadel Station

 Afrodactyl wrote:
I always did helmet markings back when I ran Guard.

I just wrote the squad number on the left side of the helmet in Roman numerals with one of those micro pens.
I'm thinking about this as an option too. I have some micron pens so it should be feasible.

Right now, I've done some rough tests with colored stripes:


ph34r's Forgeworld Phobos blog, current WIP: Iron Warriors and Skaven Tau
+From Iron Cometh Strength+ +From Strength Cometh Will+ +From Will Cometh Faith+ +From Faith Cometh Honor+ +From Honor Cometh Iron+
The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence?
When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence.
 
   
 
Forum Index » Painting & Modeling
Go to: