So What’s Next?

Now that I have got a 400 point combat patrol army ready to go, I think I should probably start thinking about how I intend to build up a larger force.

So for starters I need to get a proper 2nd ‘troops’ unit sorted out …and for that I have a few options.

The first option would be to build up 2nd infantry platoon (consisting of at least another 25 men). I currently own enough (unmade) models to build one 10-man squad, and I could use the lascannon I’ve already got painted (from the 1st platoon command squad – replacing that with a mortar team) as the heavy weapon, and have a plasma gun special weapon guardsman (from a pack of 2 cadian special weapons troops I purchased earlier in the week). However this option means I need to purchase a lot more infantry models to fill out the rest of the platoon.

The second option would be to include an armoured fist squad. I could do something similar as above to create the squad out of models I already own (i.e. use the lascannon & plasma combination of weapons) – but then I need to purchase a chimera tank to complete the unit.

The third option would be to buy some proper metal ‘stormtrooper’ miniatures and use the ‘grenadier’ doctrine that would allow me to select them as a ‘troops’ choice. However, according to a number of internet rumours, there are supposed to be some plastic stormtrooper models being released soon (well… sometime this year anyway) and I think that I would like to hold off buying any of the current metal range until I have got a look at the newer (and cheaper) plastic stormtroopers.

The fourth option would be to build a conscripts platoon. These platoons consist of at least 20 men (so I’ll still have to buy some more models) – but I was hoping to eventually build one of these platoons from old plastic imperial guardsmen (just to give them a different look) as I still have a bunch of these lying around unassembled and unpainted (though not enough to make a full platoon – hence why I am keeping a close eye on eBay for a few more).

So… at the moment I’m leaning toward the first or second option, and probably favouring the ‘armoured fist’ solution - as that means I get to try my hand at painting a tank model. In either case I can start assembling and painting the infantry figures already in my possession.

Combat Patrol

If I’m reading various message boards etc. right (and I apologize if I’m getting a few things wrong – as I still don’t own the current rulebook, and only have the codex), there is something called a ‘combat patrol’ game that allows you to field a relatively low number of models without having to adhere too strictly to the force organisation chart.

From what I can gather, these types of game are typically 400 points, and the only real compulsory models you must field are one ‘troops’ choice.

So with that in mind, I have put together a basic army list with the miniatures I have painted thus far:

- command platoon - 96 points -
Command squad with junior officer (bolt pistol) & mortar
Sentinel support squadron (1 sentinel with multi-laser)

- elites - 65 points -
5 man hardened veteran squad with plasma gun & meltagun

- infantry platoon - 225 points -
Command squad with junior officer (bolt pistol) & lascannon
1st infantry squad with heavy bolter & flamer
2nd infantry squad with autocannon & grenade launcher

TOTAL 386 points (35 troops & 1 walker)

As you can see, I’ve still got a few points to spend (maybe on doctrines, or upgrades, or whatever), and it might not be optimised for competitive play …but I at least can play now – assuming I can find a friendly opponent.

And yeah, I know I really need to get a copy of the rulebook – but with all the rumours pointing to a summer release of 5th edition, it seems rather pointless wasting my money on a book that will soon be outdated (especially since money is a little tight right now, and could be better spent on more models).

First Vehicle

I recently got a sentinel walker on eBay for £6.50 (+99p P&P), and so I thought I’d take a break from painting infantry figures and try a similar painting technique on a vehicle.

The model itself was unassembled and still on the sprue, but was missing the original box, the instructions, and one of the alternate heads for the pilot – so, all in all, I think I got a pretty good deal (as the model usually retails for £12).

Anyway, I quickly realised that it would be near impossible to paint the inside of the cockpit once it was all assembled, and so I applied the base coat of paint while the model was in a few separate pieces.

Once these were finished and the model glued together (and touched up in a few places) I then applied the woodstain washes to the vehicle as I did with the infantry figures. Once dry I did notice that it left some of the large flat panels quite dirty looking (which kinda looked OK) but I decided to tidy these up a little bit and also add a simple highlight here and there.

And here’s the end result:

Once again, it’s not great - but I quite like the way it turned out.

Filling Out The Ranks

Here’s a quick pic of what I’ve painted and assembled so far:

It’s a little hard to make out any details on that photograph so here’s a diagram that details each of the units:

As I mentioned in the previous post, I could probably use the hardened veterans squad as stand-ins for stormtrooper models and use the ‘grenadiers’ doctrine to make them my second compulsory troop choice.

The rumour is that the next batch of plastic guardsmen will indeed be stormtrooper models, and so I’m holding off buying any of the (expensive) metal ones, and am instead hoping that this rumour is true.

Hardened Veterans Conversions

So now I’ve actually got an infantry platoon finished, I’ve been busy converting a few more miniatures to create a hardened veterans unit. As before I’ve used cadian bodies and legs, catachan arms, cadian heavy weapon sprue backpacks, and a mix of cadian and catachan heads. The special weapons are from a space marine weapon sprue.

I’ve also only given them 2 special weapons at the moment, so that I can also use these as proxies for stormtroopers (using the grenadier doctrine) - so that they can be used as another ‘troops’ choice if need be.

The reason for this (for anyone like myself just coming back to the game or for someone unfamiliar with how you field an army) is because in standard missions you are required to take 2 troops choice units and 1 HQ choice unit. Normally hardened veterans and stormtroopers are classed as ‘elite’ choices (and thus optional units) – but you can also select up to five ‘doctrines’ to customise your army and give it an individual feel. One of these doctrines allows you to use a number of stormtrooper units as a ‘troops’ selection.

1st Platoon Finished

I’ve finished the command squad that goes with the 2 infantry squads …so now I’ve finally got one platoon (and therefore one ‘troops’ choice) finished.

So here’s a quick rundown of the army so far.

Command squad - 66 points
Junior officer (with bolt pistol upgrade)
2 guardsmen with lasguns
1 lascannon team

Infantry Squad 1 – 76 points
Sergeant with laspistol & close combat weapon
6 guardsmen with lasguns
1 guardsman with flamer
1 heavy bolter team

Infantry Squad 2 – 83 points
Sergeant with laspistol & close combat weapon
6 guardsmen with lasguns
1 guardsman with grenade launcher
1 autocannon team

Total – 225 points

…so still a long way to go yet!

Yet More Plastic

The aforementioned 20 shock troops arrived today (£11.60 + £2.20 P&P) and I’ve also purchased a single catachan sprue of 5 figures (£4.99 free P&P).

The catachan sprue was intended for a few basic conversions, but along with the space marine weapons sprue I received the other day, I think I might be able to make a hardened veterans squad.

So here is my first attempt at a veteran trooper:

I’ve used cadian shock troops body & legs, cadian heavy weapons backpacks, catachan arms & head, and a space marine plasma gun. All in all I’m quite happy with it.

2nd Infantry Squad Finished

As you will see in the picture below, I’ve now finished my 2nd squad:

All I need to do now is paint up a command squad and that will be my first platoon finished.

I’ve also taken another picture of the 1st squad I finished (as I’ve been playing around with a different camera – though I don’t think it has made much difference):

If you look carefully at the pictures I have tried to distinguish between the two squads by having the first one with bayonets attached, and the second one without.

More Plastic

A couple more things arrived in the post today… first off is a space marine weapons sprue:

I won it for £2.70 (plus £1 P&P) on eBay and it contains a bunch of stuff that I might be able to use in a few simple conversions. These include a flamer, a meltagun, a plasma gun, a bolt pistol, and a pistol in a holster.

I also got a couple of large (60mm) round bases to make up a few more heavy weapon squads:

So far I’ve assembled a heavy bolter team, an autocannon team, and a lascannon team on the 3 bases supplied – however I’ve only used one kneeling figure on each of them (and used a regular standing guardsman in place of the other).

This has left me with 3 kneeling figures and enough pieces to build a mortar support squad (3 mortar teams - each with one kneeling figure and one standing figure) and maybe even an anti-tank support squad (3 missile launcher teams – with standing figures) if I can get 2 more large bases.

And I’ve also got another 20 cadian shock troops on the way!

The Codex

My codex arrived today...

...and like I hinted at previously, I decided to bid on a used copy on eBay. It only cost £5 and is pretty good condition.

My first impression of the book is that it looks pretty nice, with artwork that matches the style that I remember. About one quarter of the book is filled with photographs of miniatures, but I’ll reserve judgment on that until I have actually read the book, and then I should have a better idea if I think some of those pages would have been better used to tell me more about the guard rather than being an ‘imperial guard miniatures catalogue’ – though I have to admit the figures and tanks sure do look nice.

So now I can finally start playing around with some army lists, and basically just reacquaint myself with the guard.

1st Infantry Squad Finished

I’ve been busy painting and ‘dipping’ a lot of plastic figures over the weekend, and as such I’ve got my first squad finished:

I’ve given them a heavy bolter and a flamer for now, which will hopefully make them an effective anti-infantry unit.

The Dipping Process

As I’ve already said, I’m using a technique similar to ‘dipping’ to add shading to the rank and file miniatures – thus allowing me to paint the figures a whole lot quicker than if I was painstaking highlighting/shading the miniature layer by layer.

So to start with here is a photograph of a miniature with a simple base coat applied to all the right areas:

I’ve tried to keep the colours to a minimum to allow the miniatures to be painted quickly, and used a mix of GamesWorkshop and Ral Partha paints (I can list the exact colours if anyone is interested).

Next I simply cover the miniature from head to toe (using a large brush rather than actually dipping) with the woodstain – though the stain itself is watered down (1 part water to 2 parts woodstain). Then I take the miniature and shake off the excess woodstain-mix into a nearby box and then put the miniature to one side to dry.

Once dry, I do the same again with a 1 part water / 1 part woodstain mix.

When that is dry, the base is drybrushed and the edge tidied up, and then the whole figure is given a coat of matt varnish (as the woodstain leaves the miniature rather glossy).

And here is the result:

Admittedly miniatures painted this way aren’t going to win any competitions, but it sure speeds up the painting process and gets them done to a reasonable tabletop standard with minimal fuss.

eBay Savings

My first purchases (not surprisingly) for my imperial guard army have been a bunch of plastic cadian figures. I will admit that I’m on quite a tight budget, so I have purchased a few from eBay that were 100% complete and still on the sprues, but were missing the original box/packaging.

So for £28.60 (including all postage and packing charges) I have got 20 cadian shock troops and 3 heavy weapon squads. The same figures from GW would have been £38 if I purchased them from the high-street store, or £42 if I ordered them online and had them delivered to my door.

So all in all, quite a saving.

I did however feel a little bad for not supporting the local store, and so when I was in town I paid them a visit and purchased a pack of two officers (equipped with bolt-pistols and chainswords) for £7.

So in total, the current cost of this project has been £35.60 – which (if I’m reading various internet sites and forums right) has got me enough figures to put together a small platoon.

Colour Scheme

Seeing as how I’m probably going to have a lot of infantry miniatures to paint I have decided that ‘dipping’ them is the way to go.

I read about the technique a while back and I’ve already tried it on a few fantasy RPG miniatures with varying success, and it basically involves painting just the base colours on a miniature and then ‘dipping’ it (head first) into a tin of woodstain or similar. Then all you do is shake off the excess into a box and let the woodstain shade/stain the miniature in a similar way to an ink wash/glaze.

I think there is a company selling a specific dipping stain, but I’ve instead opted for a somewhat cheaper option. The stuff I’m going to be using is a cheap tin of ‘medium oak’ water based woodstain that cost me a whole £2.79 (I think).

However, I found that using it ‘as is’ doesn’t always work very well and so I have been watering it down a little (and applying it liberally with a brush rather than actually ‘dipping’), and been getting reasonable results.

Anyway, I did a couple of different colour schemes on a few of the old plastics I have (mainly ones already badly assembled or ones I have no heads for etc.) – just to see what colours would work OK when I ‘dip’ them, and this is the colour scheme I have settled on.

Admittedly the paint job itself doesn’t look great, but once there’s a few of these guys on the table they should look OK

Which Army?

In all honesty, the only armies that appeal to me at this time (as they did back in the day) are the forces of the Imperium.

At first (after playing the Dawn of War computer game) I was tempted with Space marines (I even painted up a couple of 'Blood Ravens' from some old miniatures that I had lying around in the attic) but in the end I opted for the Imperial Guard.

The main reason for this is that I really like the look of the latest batch of plastic miniatures (the Cadian's), and the fact that they are just basic humans - not genetically modified supermen, not some world consuming monster race ...just a guy with a gun (and a pretty lame gun at that).

As such I've drawn (in photoshop) a little company badge (that appears at the top of the blog) for the 4th company of the 101st regiment ...though I haven't come up with a name of the homeworld yet.

I've also been thinking of what I should do with regard to rulebooks and such. The trouble is, I got burned a little with Dungeons & Dragons (basically I invested in a lot of 3rd edition D&D not long before they put out 3.5 edition) and as such I'm thinking of trying to get hold of a cheap second hand codex via ebay (and maybe the rulebook too) until the rumoured 5th edition books come out later this year.

I was also rummaging around in the attic and dug out a bunch of the old plastic and metal guardsmen that I never got round to painting...

...my original idea was to practice a few colour schemes on them before getting to work on any new miniatures - but I'm now thinking that they might be usable for conscripts or something similar.

That is assuming using older GW figures is game-legal.

About This Blog

I have recently decided to try and get back into wargaming... with GamesWorkshop's Warhammer 40,000 being the game I am going to try. I therefore thought it might be a nice idea to keep track of how I'm collecting and painting a small army of miniatures, and also just document some of my thoughts as a newcomer to the current incarnation of the game.

I will admit that I have played WH40K in the past... though that was a long time ago - back when I was still at school and using the 'rogue trader' hardback rulebook (I painted a small space marine force and started on an imperial guard army). That was the 1st edition of the game, and if the rumours I'm reading on the internet are true, 5th edition will be out this year. Yep... that makes me feel a little old.

I also only ever played a few games back then, but seeing as how the guy in the local GamesWorkshop store said I could pretty much forget the 'Rogue Trader' stuff anyway (as the rules have changed a lot over the years apparently) I'll be approaching this from the perspective of someone who has recently come back to the hobby - someone who is not much more than a total newbie.