phase 1 - tanks alot!

Well after spenting the last week drawing up plans for my tanks, I sat down the night before last and half made one out of a cornflakes packet. This has taught me a few things:
1 - its a very good idea to do it as you notice all your mistakes beforehand...I hope
2 - celotape is hopeless at holding the bits together
3 - my plans need to be altered significantly
4- 2mm makes a BIG difference!

phase 1 - more completed...

Well I've been busy, the 'greens' (its great to be able to use technical words like that) are almost finished, I've got a few heads to do, a couple more arms (especially claymore waving ones), and after seeing the photos I think I want to redo some of the cuffs - they look rather puffy on some of them. I've also altered the lasguns as suggested by Col. Gravis, and moved the lasgun cartridge up the gun and removed part of the firing mechanism to make it fit - they look much better. Well here's some pictures of what I've done so far, please bear in mind they're only bluetacked together...

Riflemen Macleod and Stewart practice their marksmanship under the eye of Sergeant Gordon:















Here we have special weapons troopers MacColla, MacCann, and Kennedy:

So far I've completed 6 sets of lasgun arms, 2 laspistol arms, 3 special weapon arms (plasma, melta, and flamer), an arm throwing a grenade, an arm pointing, 3 left arms to hold the lasguns, 6 bodies (3 with left arms scuplted on), 5 legs, 3 heads finished, 2 heads almost finished, 3 heads just started.

steam tanks

Stumbled again on various steam tanks on a link from 'Yours in a white wine sauce'. Truely inspirational for idea.
http://www.ironcladminiatures.co.uk/21721.html
Heres 2 of their tanks. Plans are moving with my designs. I'm currently sketching something, its heavily based on the Mark1-5 type tanks from WWI, plus a turret. Hopefully I'll have something to show soon.

Mark 1 Tanks...

Well while searching for pictures and information about the MK1 tanks of World War 1, I stumbled across this video, pretty good for a general idea asto what they look like:



I'm pretty sure the first clip shows a group of soldiers in kilts! There's also another clip were they charge out of the trenches were they're definately in kilts - doesn't get much better.

I also found this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb3ciF_Gzrk&NR=1

Unfortunately embeding it has been disabled... but it has loads of really good footage and not least a great soundtrack! (watch it and you'll understand)

Phase 1 - the first half finished model

Well here's the first half finished model. He's only bluetacked together at the moment so you can see how they're hopefully going to look when they're all done. This guy has the only las-musket thats fully finished, by adding a lasgun muzzle and cartridge. I think rank upon rank of these guys will look pretty cool. In tall black busbys, red jackets, patterned kilts and white gaiters and belts.

Phase 1 - Arms and Torsos

These are the arms and weapons I'll be using. They come from the Empire Handgunners. I originally thought of using Hasslefree weapons as lasguns (see the last pic) but have dropped the idea for looking far too high tech. These muskets (They'll be converted to look more lasgun like in a bit) look far more the part with napoleonic styled troops.

Heres some torsos, they're not finished yet, I just thought I'd show some progress with them, again from empire handgunners, they had to be separated from their legs, so the waists took a far bit of a beating and lost detail, etc. So I've filled in the gaps replaced some of the detail, modelled new belts on most of them (I did say they weren't all done yet?). The one in the top right is the most complete. I've bulked out the arms to fit the few Cadian arms I've thought of using - mainly from the heavy weapon teams

Heres some of the lasguns I mentioned that I've scrapped as lokking too high tech... I'm sure I'll use them some where. Thinking about how I'm going to build my tanks now. I'm thinking MK1 type tanks, as they seem to fit the style better than standard chimeras and Russes... lets see...

Army Selection.

Well I figured I needed to know what units I wanted in my army before I could really start building them. So I've taken some time to try and figure (bad pun) it out. As I mentioned earlier I didn't want a static based army, I've tried that before and it was just too boring to play. So after reading this article:
http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.php?showtopic=101214
I decided I tried to play the guard in a 'water' type force. Guard typically plays in an earth style, being resilient and focusing and long ranged firepower. I want a flexible force that can respond to the opponent and utilise their weaknesses. After much discussion on the 40konline forum on the merits of such a force and what it could look like I've come to this list:
Doctrines: Close Order Discipline , Iron Discipline,
HQ
Junior Officer w. Power Weapon & Iron Discipline
2 veterans w. standard & medic
2 guardsmen w. plasma gun
92pts
Troops
Junior Officer w. Iron Discipline
veteran medic
3 guardsmen w. plasma gun
Chimera w. Multi Laser, Heavy Bolter, extra armour, smoke
171pts
2 x Guard Squads w. Plasma Gun and Missile Laucher (85pts)
170pts
Armoured Fist
w. Plasma Gun
Chimera w. Multi Laser, Heavy Bolter, extra armour
160pt
Fast Attack
2x Sentinel w. Lascannon(55pts)
110pts
Heavy Support
Basilisk (indirect fire)
125pts
Demolisher w. 3Heavy Bolters, extra armour
170pts
Total:998pts
Thanks to the legendary Ailaros and PaxImperator for help with this list.
As you can see theres quite few tanks here, which allows a deal of mobility, and heavy weaponry particularly against infrantry both heavy and light. The list is alittle light on anti-tank. The tanks will form a mobile wall, which the troops can move up behind into rapidfire range whlst the basilisk bombards from a distance and hopes to 'unseat' more static forces. Alternatively they can also play defensively and be static, and switch roles part when through, hopefully with equal success, but tactics always work on paper, its when they become real that you find out whether they're good or not, but for that I'll need some models...

Phase 1

Well here's the first pieces. Though I think I'll only be using the legs and maybe heads; as I've come with a better idea for the bodies and weapons. I'll be using some 'Imperial Handgunners' from the warhammer range. I've now got the box, so I'll show my progress with them soon. I've also got some heads from 'Hasslefree Miniatures', which I think I'll use instead of the ones here. On to how I did them:

Legs

I first took some Cadian legs, shaved off all the detail from the legs upto the hips. Then I carved away a good part of the tunic around the hips. When that was done, i then added the kilt, tripping to the newshaped tunic, and gaiters to the boots using 'greenstuff'. Quite quick jobs really.

Heads

I first stuck them to sprues so I could hold them, and added a 'greenstuff' bandana, then followed roughly the guide to making Vostroyan hats found here: http://uk.games-workshop.com/imperialguard/vostroyan-regimental-assets/3/ Though not taking the hat all the way down and leaving some of the bandana showing, then added a highelf feather (got lots of them lying in my bits box) to finish it off.

Bodies

I'll be scrapping these... done by scrapping oof the deatil to a Cadian torso, then added the 'cloth' tunic and sash in greenstuff and buttons from plasticard rod.

Arms

I'll be scrapping these too... done by taking off the Cadian shoulderpads offf the arms then smoothing over the shoulder in greenstuff.

Pistols

These come from my bits box (Kroot and Free Company I think), simply added a laspistol end and cartridge to make it look more laspistol-ly.

Drum

Taken from a Chaos Marauder, similiar to the other arms.

The Project Begins

This project came about after reading the Sharpe novels and wanting to start building a new and fully converted army at the same time. At first I'd thought of doing a 40k Imperial Guard army based around the 95th Rifles, but then I thought that would more as not lead me to a static style force which is not what I wanted. So then I read about the Highland Regiments and the Connaught Rangers who were used about Wellington as his assault troops. I kinda liked the idea of the 'Fighting Ladies' and so the 74th Scotia Highland Imperial Guard Regiment was born.

I've started by gathering a series of photos to help guide my plans, my favourite is shown left, this will be the picture that I'm going to be using most as a basis.

I'm still not sure which Doctrines from the IG codex I'm be using. Most probably Iron Discipline (because it seems so fitting to these troops), Drop Troops (rationalised as jumping out of Termites and Moles rather than gravchuting - kilts and dropping from the air aren't a great idea), with dropt troops comes Close Order Discipline as almost nesscary, with Special Weapons Squads and Veterans coming in last to represent the tenacity and ferocity of these troops. On to the modeling.