The 40k Universe is a Horrible Place or the Belisimite Dogs

The 40k future where there is only war to sustain humanity is a bleak and vile anti utopia, an idea germinated from the black future visions of the 1970s when it seemed that the world would shortly end in a nuclear holocaust. Yet when getting down to construct an army for the board killer lists abound with space marines, or chaos space marines or mechanised IG battle forces. The dark elements of the 40k Universe are sanitized out of the picture with the squeaky clean elite units of the Imperium. Yet billions of unknown souls toil hopelessly living in polluted hive cities to serve vast planet spanning industrial factories. The IG is essentially an infantry army using hordes of poorly equipped and trained guardsmen thrown into battle unprepared in the face of unpredictable threats as the elite forces of the imperium are stretched to respond to recognized attacks.

Hence one of my battle forces is the IG Belismite Dogs. Work started on this with the previous IG codex. I am slow I know . But today I feel it is getting close to shaping up. Here is a first picture of the grimy fluff.

There are 3 troop choices, and 2 elite choices, one HQ

Battle Sisters Rhino Progress with Magnets

Magnets and more magnets. With this second Rhino, 2 sets of magnets have been used. Firstly the floor magnets to hold the imperial dozer blade in place, making dozer blade switchable with the first rhino here. A second array of magnets gives it the ability to hold the Sisters Rhino Ram as supplied. The ram itself is a little bit too small for magnets so this time 4 steel staples have been superglued into a groove scored in the ram. Gives a little bit of flexibility in advance of the expected the Witch Hunters Codex in 2011. See pics below. Apologies for the blurriness of the last image. I had nothing to rest the camera on.

Penal Legion More Progress and some causality

The second penal legion squad is progressing towards completion. I like the idea of the penal legion squads adding some randomness to the force they are attached to. In a competitive gaming environment where players select a power list to ensure a win by blowing or munching the enemy away typically the only factor that determines the winner is the chance of dice rolls. When this happens you can be certain that the winner is simply the luckiest player not the best general. Power list games often result in a draw. That's the law of averages. Adding a variable element to your force allows a player to rise to the occasion and show some generalship. What made Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Hannibal and Alexander the Great stand out was their ability to turn adverse circumstance to their advantage repeatedly and win despite conventional wisdom that they should lose.
Adding the handicap of not knowing exactly how your force will perform allows the player to demonstrate generalship. Winning through power listing shows the soul of an accountant. 

Here are the 2 squads :

Inquisitor and Retinue Styles

Styles for Inquisitors. There are two basic styles. The shooty Inquisitor and retinue - 2 sages are a prerequisite or the combat munchies Inquisitor and retinue. The last challenge is fitting it all into a reasonable points debit. Here are my 2 attempts. firstly the shooty Inquisitor and retinue and then the combat munchies.

Question - how many points in each squad?

Easy Shotgun Conversions for Imperial Guard Veterans 40k

One long term project is the completion of a squad of veterans armed with shotguns. There are a few conversion guides around on the internet but they all seemed fussy. Here is another way to do it.


Ingredients are one catachian flamer barrel for the shot gun barrel. One lasrifle cut down to provide the body and one crossbow from the warhammer militia box. An extra hand is also helpful. The pictures should be self explanatory.

Basic ingredients

Nascent shotgun in center with extra hand at top

The models chosen for the veterans are naturally veterans themselves. They are original games workshop imperial guard, Bob Olley sculpts. It seemed appropriate to use older minis for the veterans.

Sisters of Battle Rhino progresses slowly

Some more work on the gunner. Anyone who has built an Immolator knows that the gunner sister is just a front shell to be glued to the seat back. To sit in an open turret ring requires a back to be fashioned. It could be scuplted from green stuff I suppose. My solution was to add a cope using the hanging skull drape supplied with the kit and fill the gaps with green stuff. Reasonably effective I thought. Here it is and the tmin linked bolter. Hands form an IG heavy bolter team. Turret ring modified to support a mount for the bolter. Here are some pics, low quality as the lighting is poor at the moment.

Penal Legion Progress

Time is not on my side. Progress has been incredibly slow, partly due to multiple projects and also down to life. House moving and work, fighting with windows on my PC etc has eroded time for painting and modelling. Anyway some progress has been made.

Question, what type of comand squad is applicable and game legal if all troops choices are filled with penal legion squads?

Sisters of Battle Rhino #2

Too many projects and not enough time. Anyway a little progress with the second rhino for the Sisters. The stormbolter gunner has been essentially created from the original immolator gunner. The torso, head and arms come from the original immolator kit. The hands and attachment to the storm bolter are from an IG bolter gunner while the mounting comes from the central control box on the immolator. A bit of green stuff and glue should finish it all off.

From above to the almost completed turret gunners on the right.

The other projects on the workbench are some Ogryns from ebay. The second squad of penal legion and another squad of the Belisimar chem dogs.