Tuesday 10 November 2020

Delayed Reinforcements

Everyone else can stand down, the Guard are here!

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000 

(some of them)

Much as I like the Imperial Guard, there has been a shocking lack of output for the Emperor's Finest.

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000

This either goes back to 2018, where I painted an infantry squad as a proof-of-concept (the concept being that it takes me forever to restart a project) or this April, where I quickly needed an eighth army for the Skypehammer campaign and feverishly painted some more (whilst suffering an actual fever, which may explain my reluctance to revisit them).

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000

Also, I may have gotten carried away with the customisation of the troops, and added all sorts of different heads and weapons to distinguish them. 

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000

While it's nice that my squads look varied (my vision of this army is that it's very irregular), next time I should channel the Guard mindset and just crank out some faceless grunts to make up the numbers.

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000

That said, it was fun to kitbash together these guys, especially when you're not bothered by the uniform code. Such as this guy who appears to have been given all the grenades.

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000
I hope he brought enough pins.
At least the special weapon operators have a good rationale for extra customisation (since they're usually last to be removed) and so I could use a couple more of my Statuesque Miniature heads (and a Scion plasma gun, which seems in better condition than its Guard equivalent).

Astra Militarum plasma gunner for Warhammer 40,000. Statuesque Miniatures head
I've been trying out some 'muzzle burn' effects on anything that will take it - it's simple combination of Seraphim Sepia, Druchii Violet and Drakenhof Nightshade washes, and works quite well.

Astra Militarum plasma gunner for Warhammer 40,000
Finally, the trust Grenade Launcher. This seems a decent default option for a squad, if you don't want to waste points on anything more lethal.

Astra Militarum grenadier for Warhammer 40,000. Statuesque Miniatures head
Another model ripe for customisation are the heavy weapons teams, which are practically a diorama in their own right. As well as a few sandbags, I even treated these guys to some barbed wire. 

It goes without saying that I'm mixing in some regular infantry models in there to get more mileage from the heavy weapons sprues.

Astra Militarum heavy weapons squad for Warhammer 40,000
And for a platoon commander, this was the model requested by Monkey to represent Commander Q. Eernheart III - hence the generous addition of a bolt pistol to his personal armoury.

I'll have to rename him, since I wouldn't dream of hijacking such a heroic narrative, and I have several more candidates for command.

Astra Militarum commander for Warhammer 40,000

For additional infantrymen, I looked to the Blackstone Fortress set. I said these guys were irregular...

Blackstone Fortress traitor guardsman for Warhammer 40,000
They may have a few more spikes than usual, but it's a perfect match for the Cadian uniform, and the seven Traitor Guardsmen models are packed with character. 

Blackstone Fortress traitor guardsman for Warhammer 40,000
Frankly, it was this or Cultists, so I may have actually improved their odds of survival.

Blackstone Fortress traitor guardsman for Warhammer 40,000

The paint recipe for all these Guardsman was deliberately quick and simple, so I could rush them out (that didn't work out so well):
  • Prime everything Halford's Grey
  • Helmets & Armour: Castellan Green
  • Weapons and Kit: Death World Forest
  • Boots: Skavenblight Dinge
  • Gunmetal: Leadbelcher
  • Wash everything with Nuln Oil
  • Drybrush aquila: Celestra Grey
And then add skin tone, brass buckles & handles, leather straps & handles as required.

One fly in the ointment was, when painting this batch, I neglected to shake the bottle of Nuln Oil. So instead of the nice, muted colours of the original batch, these fatigues came out all shiny. I brought it down with Lahmian Medium and a spray of Testor's Dullcote (this is more trouble than my 'quick and easy' method warranted) - but important note: shake that wash.

Astra Militarum infantry squad for Warhammer 40,000

So it's just a drop in the ocean, but given I wasn't expecting to paint any Guard this year, having a patrol's worth is some kind of progress.

5 comments:

  1. Funny - all those spikes give cultists a worse save despite their similar dress. Shows the importance of good parade drill finery.

    Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've said it before (maybe even today) but I love your guard conversions! Great work Stylus!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't forget you couldn't really use Commander Q. Eernheart III as he called in an orbital nuke on his own head to purge the traitors. Emperor bless his soul.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yea really nice painting and stuff!

    ReplyDelete