Badab War. Astral Claws Tyrants Legion Update... Legion Auxillaries

Ive mentioned in earlier posts my quandary over what models to use for my legion auxilla squad, GW's Cadians and catachans were out as ive allready painted a horde of each, plus scale is a slight issue, Id mulled over several options, from a box of 28mm ww2 minis converted up with gw bits and pieces to spatans games FSA infantry.
However cost (as always) was a bit of an issue, so when I managed to pick up sixteen plastic rogue trader imperial guardsmen on eBay for less than a fiver posted, I felt pretty pleased. I already have a old metal commander body for the squads Prefect, so for the minimum unit size of 20 I only need to pick up another three dudes.

Also on the plus side, they keep things 'OE' albeit with a nice old school flavour that I thinks somehow appropriate for the background of the legion auxiliary units. As a bonus theyre also pretty diminutive compared to a plastic Cadian guardsmen. So the Astral claws tower over them in a manner befitting their genetically modified demi-god status.

On the downside, they appeared to have been painted with those (humbrol?) Airfix kit paints that come in a little metal tin, and I wasnt sure how my usual 'dettol bath' stripping method would work.



A long soak and a hell of alot of scrubbing later, this was what the they looked like, and I was forced to accept that some of the multiple layers of paint just wasnt coming off!



Here are my two test models, they were made with the two that were In the worst condition after stripping, so hopefully the follwing eighteen wont look this bad paintjob wise! I went for a very basic, almost two colour paintscheme, light grey uniform and dark grey armour with lenses in green and any decoration in blue or gold. The heavy stubber gunner is on a 40mm base I had left over, I also need to buy some more black cat bases for this squad to match the space marines.

WIP Inq28 Ordo Hereticus Henchman.

Just a quick post, I didnt have much enthusiasm for finishing the remaining members of the cadian security detachment,so I thought id do a bit of work on another mini specifically for my inq28mm warband.



Based on a frateris militiaman, im determined to learn how to use greenstuff for conversions and im going to try and sculpt a new hand and add some detail to what is a pretty blank canvas as far as a GW mini goes.

Ive also started to give him a beard to go with his shaggy mane of hair.

Im not really sure where im going with him yet as far as an overall archetype goes. Apart from waving some sort of warrant and brandishing a stubber. Any suggestuon for what sort of character I should try and make are very welcome!

Ordo Hereticus - Warrior Acolytes.

The first three of five warrior acolytes for my ordo hereticus inquisitor. Part of a Cadian special duties detachment. In the 40k background, cadian troops are often seconded to inquisitors due to their steadfast nature and excellent (by imperial guard standards) training. Young, ambitious junior officers will often resign their platoon commissions to volunteer for special duties detachments, the risks are many, but for those who survive, service can be a fast track to promotion. It is almost a prerequisite for joining Cadian joint Intelligence to have served on at least one special duties tour.



First a basic laspistol and chainsword acolyte. He has a forgeworld head, plastic tank commander legs and a backpack from the catachan command set.



Next up is this sour faced dude, equipped with a modified bolter. He has a forgeworld head and a necromunda van saar heavy stubber backpack (a rack of magazines)



Thirdly is the squads vox/auspex operator, unlike the others, which are 40k cannon fodder, this trooper will be part of my Inq28 warband, so I spent a bit more time painting him and gave him a base to match my inquisitor. He is based on a forgeworld torso and catachan legs, with a head from the catachan command set and a pack cobbled together from a voxcaster and chimera bits.

Badab war - Astral Claws Tyrants Legion - Space Marine Cohort.

Finally complete is the first troops choice for my tyrants legion. A fifteen strong legion Cohort well armed with a missile launcher, heavy bolter, meltagun and combi melta.
Its a solid, jack of all trades unit that can throw out a fair amount of anti infantry firepower and have a chance against more heavily armoured foes.
Even a small unit of elite close combat troops might think twice before charging the overwatch fire of fifteen marines. The cohort forms the core and provides the backbone for the demi-legion. At 270 points its also a fair chunk of the total force.

Most of the individual models have been seen in my earlier posts so I'll leave it at the group shot above and a couple of snaps of the final five squad members I finished.



First three 'veteran' astral claws who haven't yet reached the point of daubing all their aquilia's crimson in a prelude to becoming red corsairs, the two on the right are a pair of push fit marines (black reach?) I picked up on-sprue for three quid as cheap reinforcements from ebay.



Lastly a pair of more recent 'badab war babies' including the cohort's meltagunner. After I had taken the photo's I had a quick look and realised not only had I forgotten to paint the magazine chamber of his meltagun; I had painted the eye lense blue, rather than the green of all the others. Feeling slightly annoyed at myself I had to go and correct it, so thats why the last photos in crap artificial light ( it hides my very average painting a bit though!)

Anyone who has read my earlier posts about this army being themed on a boarding assault force might be wondering what the brick wall and rubble bases are about.

So ive done a bit of a background u-turn! Now were gonna have a vicious last-ditch city defence force

Buiding a army based on the boarding assault mission means no vehicles, excepting walkers, of which there are none in the Tyrants legion army list (unless you take huron who unlocks an elites slot from the Space Marines codex - ie: a dreadnought)

That meant id end up with just a horde of infantry, and every army needs some sort of larger model or centerpiece.
Imperial armour's background describing the spitefull last stands of the capricious Astral claws amid the ruins of their pocket empire drew alot of parallels with the late period of ww2 in europe and the fall of berlin.

Huron's legion has a philosophy of 'big guns' and faced with the massed land raiders and predators of his loyalist foe, the desperate use of artillery and assault guns as makeshift tank destroyers.
Much in the same way as the germans were forced to rely more and more on assault guns like the stug and direct fire artillery as their panzer divisions were lost to attrition.

Now im thinking ill end up adding a basilisk or maybe a thunderer as a centerpiece for the army. Im still working out a 'final' list, now revised up to an end goal of 1000pts (these things always seem to spiral up!)