More Sisters of Battle

Just posing to mark their acceptance into the troops choice list. Besides that I posted a while ago regarding stripping paint from steel legion minis. Yes they are in the schedule and are progressing, the camera has just not found them yet. Back to stripping, I decided to try to paint strip some plastic cadians quickly painted some time ago to a very basic table top standard for a campaign. Lo and behold tesco dettol equivalent strips plastic minis as well and without softening the plastic but only if they were base coated with GW white primer. For reasons I don't recall now some were primed with black GW primer. With the latter the topcoats of paint were removed but the black primer became a sticky smear over the plastic. I have left the 3 black primed minis in some more dettol to see what might happen with a longer soak.

Penal Legion Squad - Almost Done

Here they are in action :

I am quite pleased they way these minis have turned out so far as they were created from the bits box. The heads were catachian or warhammer militia, the torsos cadian, catachian or warhammer militia and the legs were mainly cadian with 3 conversions. The poses are supposed to be characterful. The eyes have been deliberately left white to show the desperation and berserker madness of these troopers forced through the explosive collars to redeem themselves by their own inescapable mortality on the battle field.

The minis still need a bit of hard edging on the shoulder pads and some insignia there. To accompany the identity tattos on their foreheads I thought that in Hells Own, Penal Legion 666 the official description of their crimes might be inscribed on one of their shoulder pads to accompany them to their battle field redemption.

Penal Legion

It does not look like much but here is a bit of what I managed this afternoon. More to come.

Penal Legion Progress

For me the penal legion troopers should wear parts of standard IG uniform. No one in their right mind would want to spend money on a bespoke uniform for the scum sentenced to the Penal Legions. If the squads continued to wear the uniform they were wearing when they were arrested, this could create a multicoloured rainbow legion, which to the military mind might not suggest punishment or proper discipline.

The IG would be unlikely to design and supply a bespoke uniform for these short lived troopers, yet the military would want uniformity of appearance if possible. The troopers would be unlikely too survive long enough for for than 1 or 2 to in any squad to be in rags.

In some legions as part of military discipline the Legion Quartermaster could have siezed  the uniforms from all prisoners as they arrived have them dyed a dark grey to hide the grime and dirt and then redistribute them in the wrong sizes to the newly arrive troopers. This is what I have attempted to achieve with this squad.

The Custodian has a different uniform to distingish him from the criminals. It would be unlikely but not impossible in some circumstances for the custodian to be a criminal of the same magnitude as the troopers as he will have access to the explosive collar controls.

There is still a bit to go before the paint job is finished.

Penitent Engine

Started a while ago. Paint scheme only recently decided on. Basically metallics washed with the new Games Workshop washes. Expect slow progress.

Off Topic Ratlings

Both Ogryns and Ratlings are two of the updated Imperial mini releases where I think GamesWorkshop have not done themselves any favours. I still prefer the old mid 1990s style. I discovered I had some surplus ratlings, here they are prior to going on ebay. 

Even a squad of only 3 ratlings in cover has caused distortion of an enemy's plans out of proportion to their points cost, a measly 30 and despite their relative fragility with low leadership and toughness only 3 and a 5+ save.

Battle Sisters Rhino and Squad Done or is it!

Here it is finally done or can you spot the omission? Look carefully and you will see that the upper bodywork on the rhino is still not fixed to the chassis. The two parts stick pretty well together without glue but the sem lines are just a little bit bigger without glue.

To get the rhino with the ecclesiarchial superstructure you need the immolator kit from games work shop and assemble without the turret. I preferred the flat hatch at the front of the model and the observation bubble at the rear but where they go and even if they are used is upto the modeller.

The dozer blade is held by magnets and so is easy to mount or remove depending on the role of the rhino. The purity seals are green stuff with little strips of photographic paper.