Badab War. Tyrants Legion test miniature. Astral Claws Retaliator.

Imperial armour 9 is probably my favorite of the series. I really liked the political aspect to the story, with themes of tangled loyalties and a murky sense of right and wrong. A series of skirmishes motivated by pride and political brinkmanship that turned into a full blown civil war with the intervention of the puritanical fire hawks chapter of space marines who already had a grudge against the astral claws that gave their part in the campaign an ignoble ulterior motive.......My current plan is to try and paint several 500-750 point mini forces based on the themes of space combat and boarding assault. (As well as finish my three imperial guard armies, two inquisitors and reunites, Chaos Space Marines and traitor guard allies-I have a butterfly mind when it comes to projects!) Smaller forces will give me a better chance of getting two forces finished from both the loyalist and secessionist sides. First up will be the Tyrants legion. Thoughts for the others are Lamentors for the secessionist (lots of inferno pistols and flamers) and Minotaurs (Terminators and a dreadnaught) and perhaps Raptors (scouts - old space hulk style, and maybe sternguard) for the loyalists.

Here is my test model for the Astral Claws in the Tyrants legion. Retaliators are basically assault squads that have combat shields instead of jump packs, as they specialise in boarding assaults and ship combat. This chap is the squads weapon specialist armed with a melta, all the better for blasting bulkhead doors and the like into slag. This was just a tactical marine straight out the box with the addition of an old warhammer fantasy empire shield (anyone remember the old single pose plastic halibarders?) I wasn't sure if it would look ok but I think a couple of purity seals and some small arms damage 40K's it up quite nicely. the bases are resin from black cat i think, i wanted to do something different than the usual ash wastes but not something like ship decking or gantries so that they would look out of place in a normal tabletop situation. It was my first time using resin bases and I was quite pleased with them.

Company Command Squad, A Company, 17th Hive Chosin indentured Militia.

Command squad in its entirety...

Captain & Vox operator...

Meltagunners...and lower image are the regimental advisors-two bodyguards.

Although Commissar Antaris is the guiding hand behind A' Company. Command nominally falls to Captain Bakarr.
A giant of a man with a brooding temperment, he had been given command of the Company because of his reputation in civilian life.

Bakarr had been the leader of 767, one of the largest 'contracted security guilds' (basically the largest most organised gangs) in house Antrim, organising protection teams on the great tanker land-trains and mine holdings and plotting attacks on the houses rivals.

Ruthless and never afraid to lead from the front, Bakarr was lightly wounded several times but had a reputation for escaping death in the face of impossible odds.

His vox operator is Corporal Schieo another 767 veteran of the inter-house trade wars, schieo's loyalty was to Bakarr first and foremost; having been brought up from a feral sub-level juvenile by the tough and brutal family that was the 767 outfit.

Captain Bakarr also has two troopers that serve as his most trusted aides and bodyguards. The first is Jorpal Thjornsson, a former smeltery worker in the Sire Estiff Mustafa contructorium, Journal found his calling in life in the hell of close quarters combat. As a squad sergeant he was a devil, both with a chainsword and the enemy and with any member of the 17th who crossed him with his fists. Mentally unsuitable for command Bakarr made him his personal bodyguard.

The second aide is the infamous 'Mutt' Maro, universally known across half the lower hive as mutt the bounty killer, almost a legend amongst the underclass of hive Chosin, mutt had carved out his career on the bounty of the southern continent's biggest outlaws, mutants and desperados, said to be able to shoot the tail off a running felid; or crush a man's skeleton with the strength of his bionic arm...

Trooper Bretz is mutts current main preoccupation in the command squad, a vile psychopathic murdering rapist only given a stay of execution because of his formidable fighting talents, even fitted with an explosive collar, Mutt still doesn't trust him with a meltagun.

Vekal and Rouse are the other two meltagunners, both combat veterans with very different backgrounds. Rouse as the boss of a sump side hijacking gang. Vekal as one of house Antrim's personal retainers

Company command squad - 50pts basic. x3 meltaguns +30pts. x2 bodyguards +30pts. Officer w/ bolter and Powerfist +17pts. Vox caster +5pts. Total - 132 points

The officer is the old metal catachan captain.
The vox caster is a 2nd generation 'fanatic' orlock mini with a Cadian comm link. ( I thought this more chunky than the catachan vox and therefore more suited to being the company's master vox)

The first bodyguard is the original alternative metal Catachan sergeant, which I think is a great (Perry?) Miniature you don't see that often. Mutt the bounty killer is a necromunda bounty hunter.

The meltagunners are an orlock leader. Metal catachans, and the reprobate is 'animal' from the last chances....as a unit from mixed sources I think they work together pretty well and apart from my amateurish painting... bring across the rag tag nature of a hive militia.

Infantry Squad One, 12th Kieler Armoured Pioneers.

Squad one in the infantry platoon, kitted out for fire support with a missile launcher, grenade launcher and vox caster - 75pts. They all have forgeworld resin backpacks, a few have respirator heads. The sergeant's chainsword is from the 2nd edition orlock leader weapon sprue and his laspistol hand is forgeworld. I was quite pleased with how the heavy weapons team turned out as you only ever seem to see them in static poses. The gunners right arm is from the old Leman Russ plastic tank commander. The loaders right arm is forgeworld, I cut the bipod down into a folded postion so he could be posed running with it. I also added a bloody boot and shrapnel peppered helmet as detail to the base