Rogue Trader Era Imperial Guard Project – Imperial Guard Tactical Squad

Finally got this squad of 10 finished.  There is now a little touch up work to be done on them due to an accident involving a pesky feline exactly at the moment I had completed some varnishing but for now I feel I need to paint a different model.  Painting 10 at once has once more proved to be a chore.  It is fine for mass produced similar models that have a quick paint job but when you actually make some effort to paint them well I find 10 models to be excruciating.  I need to have a quick turnaround on figure’s paint job process to get the mental reward for acomplishment.  I have far too many half finished projects as it is so it is rewarding to get a full 10 model squad done.  Next I will reward myself by working on the Lieutenant model for this force – who will be the leader/character for my IG grunts.  Obviously he will need his command squad with medic, flag guy, radio guy, grenade launcher toting guy………

…anyway here some quick photos which will have to suffice until I make some nicer ones!

Rogue Trader Era Imperial Guard Project – Imperial Guardsman

Got some good work done on this fellow so that I can finially say that he is one of my finished models, horray!  I am actually very pleased with how he came out as it is pretty much what was in my minds eye at the start of this project.  Note I have added black over the silver armour plates as it looks much more like the source material this way.

Rogue Trader Era Imperial Guardsman

I intend to have a fair bit of variation in uniforms between “squads” in any event as it helps to distinguish them on the tabletop and looks visually interesting compared say to 120 identically painted Cadians.  The tri-colour badge with a “1” character on it means he is from the 3rd platoon 1st squad.  I would envision this chap as being a regular guardsman of the line and so he has 5 kill markings on his lasgun being a veteran of several skirmishes.  His metalic armour, originally painted a matt black (and possibly painted in different colours in an ad-hoc manner for the terrain) has chipped near the edges from the wear and tear of campaigning in the 41st millenium.  He bears a blue stripe on his helmet as he is from a tactical company.  Additionally on his back he bears a squad badge (an ace) with some personalisation (which helps me to distinguish him from his squad buddies).  What is difficult to see from the picture is the squad number on his left shoulder plate and a check pattern (more gang stlye personalisation) on his right shoulder plate.

Rogue Trader Era Imperial Guardsman back detail showing squad badge

When I get around to doing “Whiteshields” (basically young newly trained Guardsmen) they will have much cleaner battlegear and bear a plain white badge with a white stripe on the helm.  Conversely when I do some grizzled veterans they will have much more personalisation with markings and non standard issue battlegear.  In this manner it will be easy to distinguish the experience level of models in the army for any potential opponent (as well as looking awesome).

Rogue Trader Era Imperial Guard Project WIP

I don’t have much love for the way the Imperial Guard were developed with regard to the Cadian uniform.  The “look a bit like they were 2000AD” inspired Guard are more for my taste.  I don’t mind the other regiments at all such as Tallarns or Mordians and so on I just feel that the Cadians should have been very much like the following John Blanche picture and not the kind of contempoary soldiers inspired design they went for.  But whatever, I am lucky enough to have loads of the old models to work with in monte figero for this project.

🙂

Inspiration for this project is really stuff like….

And…..

Also….

Bit more work done on the Imperial Guard skirmish level force this weekend.  Painted up the Ogryn test piece I made ages ago using Ork Nob arms, the HeroQuest ogre model and some plasticard.  If I do another one of these guys I will go for more green stuff to build up the armour to match in closer to the guardsmen, perhaps even sculpt goggles and a helmet.  The feet would be made into plasteel capped boots.  I like the idea of the ogryns having a bigger version of the force uniform which is something positive which the current version of the Ogryn models have going for them.

The Guardsmen are getting there…slowly.  Trick is in figuring out how to paint them quickly and keep the feel of the more completed test models.

WIP Squad

Close Up.  Flat colours with floor wax based magic wash of black ink/devlan mud.  One level of highlights on the skin parts though.  These guys will be painted with a single highlight over a magic wash to get them done quickly.  I can always go back over them later for fine highlights.