Community Project: Diversity in the Guard

[ZAChos]

*Incoming transmission*
*Recipitant: Departmento Munitorum Cmdr Gravit*
*Sender: Magos Catalogus Hurn*
*Subject: Diversity Concerns*

*Message starts*

To whom it may concern.
I am currently worried about the current trend of guard regiments in adopting the cadian uniform. In my estimation over 60% of regiments operating in any given warzone do so in cadian pattern battledress. While the cagian fatigues have been proven to be effective and cheap, problems are occurring with the organisation of the regiments. While on parade, many regiments become confused and it has been known for an entire company to remain with the wrong regiment for several weeks of campaining with no-one realising they should be somewhere else.

It is my humble opinion that effort should be made to diversify the uniforms worn by the regiments in order to stop this sort of thing happening, and also making march pasts and victory parades more interesting for promotional and inspirational picts and vid displays.

Yours sincerely

Magos Hurn


*message ends*


__________

Well, this is my project, but its got a difference. I want this to be a community thing, so you guys can add your own stuff to this thread. The idea is, for this to be the ultimate resource for creating a new Imperial guard regiment. It will include background, sculpting, painting and lots more.

So what are the qualifications to be in on this project? I'm not setting any quality controls. You don't need to be a master sculptor or an eavy metal painter. All I ask is that the only models you post are converted. And not just head swaps etc. This is about making armies that are not off the shelf. An example would be Anvils 23rd Temuchin drop troops, or the Hoffs admech troopers. While these models do use stock parts, there is a big difference between the final models and any guard regiment currently released by GW.

In addition, tank conversions are welcomed and encouraged, again, as long as there is a significant divergence from "codex" patterns.

If you aren't sure whether your models qualify then please contact me via PM.

In addition to showcasing your models, this will also be a work in progress thread for my own regiment, who will appear in picture form before the day is out.

Finally (As if this intro post wasn't long enough already) there will be numerous tutorials, and interesting links in the thread that I will link to in the first post as they appear.

That is all,

Zac.

[malika]

This is a very interesting idea! We could expand it by also dealing with the organisation of a regiment and dealing with support and logistics also.

And oh yeah...check out your PM

[my_name_is_tudor]

Hmm, this is a very nice idea indeed, hopefully I will be taking part with a couple of models somewhere down the line.

It'd be nice if a focus was placed on simple conversions, so that a new player could read this thread, and have a simple, and hopefully cost effective way of getting a non-standard IG army.

I am not sure if its wise to rule out headswaps and the like, there's a lot to be said for simple conversions like that.

[Anvils Hammer]

I would like to add my thoughts on this.

1. Its an absolutly fantastic idea, and Ill definatly be doing my bit to contribute what I can.

I think there should be an emphesis on anything that isnt Cadian, basically this thread should be about any of the old metal regiments, as well as any converted regiments, Ill certainly be putting up the odd photo of my Temuchin as I get the units finnished.
It should be about all sorts of conversions, from very simple to more complex, infantry and tanks.

The fluff nuts amongst us should also contribute background ideas, info about reigmental organisation, squad numbering etc.

The thread could also incorporate the odd extra rules/ docterines to go with the modeling side of things.

[Tom - Heretic]

Something based on the old metals would be favourite, since they're readily available and there is already a variety of different poses.

I could, in theory, Paint some things. Let me know what you come up with we'll go from there. Assuming the thread doesn't die, horribly.

[Unique1]

this is a great idea, infact i'd be willing to contribut with the 86th Leninvik Armoured. In their City Siege camoflauge.

[Anvils Hammer]

excellent to see many people wanting to contribute, the guard players are out there!

Ill be doing a few infantry squads of Sethra 1st up in time for carnage, with a bit more modeling work and a new paint job, so Ill get them up some time this week.
They will be agood way to show simplish plastic guard conversions.

Tom wanting to paint some stuff up can only be a good thing!

Heres a usefull Pic I found in my photobucket, its my Sethra 2nd squad.


conversions-
mixture of cadian and catachan parts, a very easy method of differntiating.
short pattern lascarbines- like the catachan one, but with the barrle cut down to be a short as possible, again, a fairly easy conversion but looks different.
gas masks added- using greenstuff, the little nubs from the lasguns and hexagonal tubing, this ones slightly more complex, and now forgeworld does rebreater heads, its largly unessecary, but meh..
also, Ive used an elsyian grenade launcher from the elsyian weapons pack, I strongly reccomend this as a way of getting fairly cheap (for forge wordl) beautifle special weapons to make your regiment a little different.

more from me soon.

[Morden279]

I'd also like to add my support to this project, and I've sent ZAChos a PM as I'm unsure whether my BEF themed Guard (they are based on Cadian models) would be viable. If they are, expect pictures shortly.

[Brush your teeth]

this is an excelent idea (especially give thet the plastic cadians and catachans are some of the few guard i own)
ill be sure to get up pics of my new mordian preatorian combination army as well as my valhallans. i also have a platoon of metal catachans that i will get up one i get round to paining them.

also on the conversion side of things i will get a pic of something by brother did which looks quite cool.
i look forward to seeing people troops.

[ZAChos]

Glad to see so many people already interested in this thread. I'm thinking about the suggestions, and will possibly change the rules to accomodate.

________

Part one of building a regiment: The Concept stage

First of all, whenever you start on a project you need to find out what you want to do, and gather all your ideas together, so they won't crop up halfway through the project and make you want to redo all the models you've already finished. A good way of getting ideas is by looking through GW publications, and also looking on the good old internet. coolminiornot is a good place for inspiration, as is this humble forum. Historical sourcebooks can also give good inspiration, as well as giving little tit-bits for dinnertable conversation.

So now you are inspired and want to make your army right here, right now. Hold off running down to your local shop and instead dig out some paper and some form of writing/drawing equipment. This part is the concept art phase, where you start mapping out exactly what you want to do, model wise, before you actually start chopping up expensive models. In this stage you'll also be thinking about exactly how you are going to do each conversion, so you don't waste plastic on test mini's.

So now you've got your paper start drawing. Put your inspiration in front of you and draw until you get a look you're happy with. If you don't feel up to drawing yourself get a friend who does draw to help you. Detailed, annotated concept sketches will help you to get a consistant look and feel to the army, as well as allowing you to try all the ideas you have after hours of looking at internet forums. These sketches are just guides however. While they should be detailed, if you don't feel able to add all the detail you want, just write at the side what you plan to do for that part.

This picture is a combination of just two of the 15 or so a4 sheets I drew, just to get an idea of what I wanted the final miniature to look like.

Once the basic design is sorted out, I did a few sketches of the finished designs, one of which is shown below, and the others I will show as the thread goes on, and we get to the various troop types they depict.

Next step, is the test model.

[Wildoxmoan]

How about something like this?

http://groups.msn.com/TheImperialGua...to&PhotoID=740

[Anvils Hammer]

ZAChos, nice sketches, this is going to be a very nice regiment, one suggestion- scopes on all the las guns, it just fits.

Wildox, thats exactly what we are looking for, nice one, got any regimental background/traits, who are these guys?

[malika]

Oh look at the artwork for some of the Imperial Guard regiments from the Anargo Sector:

Dorvastor IG:

http://wiki.anargo-sector.net/index....dorvastor3.jpg

Nagoma IG:
http://wiki.anargo-sector.net/index....agnatguard.jpg

Invictonian IG:



Serratus Heavy Infantry:


Note this artwork has not been made by me but by the artists of the ASP.

[firestorm40k]

My idea (& I'd never do it 'cause of the cost of getting the Sprues involved):

- Torsoes from the Tank accessory sprue
- Catachan legs, arms, heads
- GS sculpting of Berets, and rolled up shirt on sleeves

Hope you can picture it - like I say, I can't make any cause I don't have the Tank Sprue (and at 2 per sprue, it'd be a fair whack to get enough to do an entire army) - but I hope you get the idea!

[Gae'Mot]

I got an idea about a colonial militia. Mixing the look of miners with guardsmen.
Probably using most of the catachan sprue, adding accessoires like goggles, welding torches, improvised weapons. Armour combined with orange overalls.
And offcourse a dirty look.

Maybe I'll try and make a few of them in the weekend.

[Blackadder]

My idea (& I'd never do it 'cause of the cost of getting the Sprues involved):

- Torsoes from the Tank accessory sprue
- Catachan legs, arms, heads
- GS sculpting of Berets, and rolled up shirt on sleeves

Hope you can picture it - like I say, I can't make any cause I don't have the Tank Sprue (and at 2 per sprue, it'd be a fair whack to get enough to do an entire army) - but I hope you get the idea!

You could better try metal Mordians with green stuff on the arms and heads.

[firestorm40k]

That might be better - slightly cheaper than buying 20-odd IG Tank accessory sprues!

[Dawn of the Dogs]

would my nid hunters and hellhound make the cut ya reckon?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2/RIMG0092.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2/RIMG0462.jpg

[Anvils Hammer]

thats eaxtly what the threads looking for dawn of dogs, very nice work!
get them painted, and name the regiment!

heres some more "art" work, a trooper of the Temuchin 23rd, done by me, still WIP


pleanty more can be found in THIS Thread,

Ill update the finnished pic after carnage, and hopefully update my finnished Sethra 1st after carnage as well!

[ZAChos]

Indeed, those tyranid hunters are exactly the kind of thing we want in this thread. Step by step tutorials are also a good thing to add, if you have the time for them.