Lasguns and Fuzzy Hats: The Praetorian Grenadier Guards

[Wolfblade670]

Well, thanks to a chap at my local games haunt and the exceptional work of Col. Gravis I've been bit by the Praetorian bug (Well the fact I watched Zulu again the other day might have had something to do with it ). Unfourtunaley I don't have the considerable funds needed to assemble a geuine Praet army. Therefore I found a solution: to convert one. However I'm not good enough to sculpt pith helmets and new tunics over Cadians like most Praetorian players. But I can do fuzzy blobs.

That said I decided to model a 40k rendition of the immortal Grenadier Guards Regiment (you've seen the guys in the big bearskin hats standing outside Buckingham Palace? That's them.) I'll be deploying them using the Grenadiers doctrine (no brainer) and they'll form the basis of my Praetorian army until I can amass enough old school Praetorian infantry models.

Fluff wise I figure that just as the Queen has several elite Household Regiments assinged for ceremonial and protection purposes, so to does the Lord Govenor of Praetoria. But like the Grenadiers of old (and today if you check) these chaps will be a combat force.

Doctrines:

Grenadiers
Close Order Drill
Iron Discipline
Carapace Armor
Die Hards

Coversion is pretty simple. Since the army is made up of stromtroopers plastic cadians are fine (with the armor and all, remember standard Praetorians don't actually wear armor) All I really need to do is sculpt bearskins over the Cadian helmets.

I already have half a squad done and I'll try to get some pics up as soon as I can get my digital camera working.

[Kron]

Another Praetorian blog, hurray! (Even though it will add fuel to the fire of me wanting them myself!)

I like your idea, I don't have the funds either. What colour scheme are you going to do? Standard red fatigues, blue pants etc? What about the armour?

Looking forward to some pics! I've just finished up for the hols myself so I might just go watch Zulu...

PS Is it going to be all infantry or a mix with tanks?

[Wolfblade670]

Uniforms will be a red tunic with black trousers, cuffs, and collar, with gold piping on the tunic. The trousers will have a red stripe running down each leg (I may actually GS these, as the freehand isn't too pretty). The bearskins of course, will be black. The armor will be gold. I'm trying to replicate the actual uniform of the Grenadiers circa 1870s as closely as possible.

On the chance I can't get any of the Praetorian heavy weapons teams I'll convert the weapons from scratch, and the crews will be Cadian bodies with bare Catachan heads on which I'll sculpt "pillbox" style fatigue caps. The HW crews will be painted as artillerymen with blue tunic and trousers with red trim. The armor will be silver.

If I get around to it I may even do a unit of RR based off the 17th Lancers, or maybe the Blues and Royals.

As for tanks, the Grenadiers always prided themselves as Britain's senior regiment of foot (that and tanks are bloody expensive), so I don't think I'll do tanks.

[cyprus01]

maybe you should use heavy weapons instead of iron discipline and then you have infantry
for troops, rough riders for fast attack and heavy weapon platoon for heavy support.

[Wolfblade670]

I'd thought about that, but I felt Iron Discipline was nessacery for the character of the army (and one of my gaming buddies has these things called speed freak orks). I can proabaly get most of my heavy support needs from the support squads I can take along with the HQ.

[cyprus01]

ok then i hope the might of the imperium crushes the xeno grin skins!

[dijit80]

This sounds interesting, I've also done some bearskins, but for my Highland Regiment themed force, if you're interested you can see some pictures here:
http://warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118424 Bearskins are dead easy, though I'd suggest not doing them over the top of cadian helmets, without shaving a lot of the helmet away first, otherwise they'll look too big. But I look forwards to seeing what you've produced.