My original intention for starting this blog is to document the process of recreating the Rogue Trader era Mordian 7th Regiment as detailed in the Warhammer 40k Compendium (see the original list
here). However, there are some things to consider:
As the current iteration of the Guard army list bears little resemblance to those in the Rogue Trader era armies (and even less so in the upcoming codex from what I understand), some liberties will need to be taken to recreate the Mordian 7th Regiment of old. Things like Beastmen attack squads and jump pack equipped guard squads are the thing of the past, but with a little jiggery-pokery I hope to create a suitable homage.
On the other hand, I am a firm believer in the 'Rule of Cool' and so there will likely be certain models that just do not have a suitable analogue in the new codex - the beastmen attack squads are a perfect example. From what I understand, it's no longer possible to arm guardsmen with two hand weapons, and in such cases I plan on building the models anyway and agree on a suitable house rule with my opponents. Since all my games are of the 'for the fun of it' persuasion, this rarely causes any issues.
There are a number of models below that still require painting, but I'm quite pleased that at this time a vast majority of the army is complete, leaving me relatively free to purchase, build and paint a number of new upcoming releases without feeling too guilty about scads of unpainted models being neglected for 'new stuff'...
The HQ Squads:
Commander Evin Eldro and his attendant Commissar Fidel Arden originally were independent characters who rode Imperial Jetbikes. On down the line I plan to scratchbuild a pair of jetbikes, though mostly for fun than any particular in-game effect. I plan on utilizing the new Cadian command squads to build a new Commander and HQ squad. Currently, Commander Eldro and his command squad utilize the Creed fig and are accompanied by a medic, Vox operator and two guardsmen with Melta Guns. Depending on the new rules, I may replace one of the Melta Gunners with a Company Standard Bearer. The current iteration of the HQ Squad includes a Wyvern Pattern Command Chimera based on the excellent work done by
Admiral Drax.
Commissar Fidel Arden (center) is joined by four subordinate Commissars to provide further backbone to the various Guard squads in the army.
The First Platoon - Tactical:
Platoon HQ
1st Squad
2nd Squad
3rd Squad
4th Squad
Armored Fist Chimeras
This set of miniatures has been in my possession since the original release of the new Cadians (now several years old). The squads have swapped the Lascannons of the original army list for Autocannons, though I intend to build enough Lascannons to swap out into the squads as the situation dictates. The Command Squad is currently being carried into battle in another Wyvern Pattern Command Chimera, and I have two other Chimeras to allow two of the squads to be taken as Armored Fist Squads.
The Second Platoon - Assault:
Veteran Assault Troopers
Veteran Chimera
The original Second Squad consisted of an HQ squad and 3 Squads of guardsmen armed with twin laspistols and equipped with Jump Packs. Obviously, neither of those equipment options are choices in the new codex, so my intent is to instead include three squads of Hardened Veterans mounted in Valkyrie transports to provide them with the deep strike/rapid assault capability the Second Platoon is intended to have. At the moment I have only a single hardened veteran squad built, though it appears that I'll need to re-arm them to fit the new codex restrictions. The Veterans are currently mounted in a Chimera when they do not infiltrate or deep strike.
I use a reverse paint scheme on the veteran figs - The basic troopers in the army all have red fatigues and grey flak armor, whereas the veterans have grey fatigues and red armor. I carry this paint scheme through the army, you'll note that the veteran sergeants in the Tac squads and various command squad models are denoted by this paint scheme as well. It allows me to easily identify on the field which models have the upgraded stat line.
The Third Platoon - Ogryns:
The Third Platoon consists of one of my favorite units; Thargadd's Thumpers. Widely discounted in many a tactica, I've always had good luck with Thargadd and the boys - they constantly act as a rock solid hand to hand unit designed with holding actions in mind. With their three wounds apiece, they've stood up to some of the most fierce opponents on the 40k battlefield, laughing as they pummel their adversaries into paste with the butts of their Ripper Guns.
The Fourth Platoon - Beastmen:I currently am at an impasse as to how to represent the beastmen attack squads in the new codex. Originally a human Command squad and two 10-man packs of beastmen armed with hand weapons, it would be simple enough to build a couple squads out of WHFB beastmen, though I'm holding off until I have the new codex in hand to see what my options for proxy modeling may be.
The Fifth Platoon - Rough Riders:
While I am a big fan of cavalry in general, I wanted to do something a little different for my Rough Riders. In my continuation of the army fluff, the Mordian 7th Regiment lost their horses in a daring Snakebite Ork Raid (the poor beasts were into the Ork cook pots before a rescue could be mounted). Subsequently, the Rough Rider platoon has taken to riding Hornet scout bikes. In game they act exactly as Rough Riders, and are simply proxy models. I will be building a further 10 rough riders on bikes to round out the platoon.
The Sixth Platoon - Penitents:
In the original list the sixth platoon was comprised of 10 penitents. In my current army, the penitents are represented by Colonel Schaeffer's Last Chancers. The new codex apparently does away with this flavorful entry in exchange for an 'actual' penitent squad. It appears to be a simple 10 man squad armed with lasguns, so I will likely make do with a basic squad in prison orange, and keep this unit for special engagements only.
Ratling Marksmen Squad:I was never a fan of the old Ratling Snipers, and as such never bought any. However the new models intrigue me and Dunno's Dead Eyes will be retaking the field (as soon as they're released of course).
Adeptus Mechanicus Detachment:Here the army list deviates a bit more drastically from the original army list. One of the things that draws me inexorably back to the guard can be summed up in one word: TANKS. As such the Adeptus Mechanicus Detachment has expanded to include a number of vehicle choices:
Sentinels - The new codex apparently includes a number of new Sentinel variants as well as a bevy of new rules. I will likely include several more sentinels in the future.
The Scylla light tank is a fun little conversion made from a Chimera kit, and counts as a Sentinel with an armored crew compartment and armed with a lascannon.
The ubiquitous Leman Russ Main Battle Tank is a must-have in any self-respecting Guard army.
One of my favorite units, the Medusa Siege Gun emplacement has inflicted horrible casualties to the enemies of the Emperor.
A fun resin-cast model, this "King Russ" variant counts as a Leman Russ Executioner - the Plasma Destructor comes from the old Epic Imperator Titan. I have three more of these chassis in the wings awaiting the release of the new codex before I decide how I want to assemble them.
Yet another proxy model, this is a stand in for the Forge World Minotaur. Armed with two Earthshaker artillery cannons, the main chassis is my attempt to 'de-orkify' the battlewagon into its 'original' Imperial half-track version.
Continuing on up the scale of destructive power, I couldn't pass up on adding one of the excellent Macharius Super Heavy Tanks to my army.
Second only to the Gorgon as the largest transport super-heavy tank before entering the Praetorian class vehicles, the Stormlord was a must-have purchase as soon as I saw it. Extra sponsons of course, for twice the heavy flamer and lascannon fun!
I also plan to buy one of the excellent Forge World Thudd Guns, and I've been trawling ebay for an old Rapier platform.
The Imperial Navy:
Lastly, an Imperial Navy Thunderbolt adds some much-needed air superiority to the army.
Closing Thoughts:The army is nearly completely painted. While I wait out the next few weeks for the upcoming guard releases I plan on finishing the paint jobs on the odd miniature here and there that remains unpainted as well as finishing off the numerous vehicles that I've only managed to get the base paint schemes on. There is a significant amount of new units that will be added to the army starting in May, including:
- Rebuilding the command squads to take advantage of the new box set's bits.
- Adding 2-3 Valkyrie transports and 1-2 more Hardened Veteran Squads to ride in them.
- 3 more Sentinels with various new heavy weapon options (Heavy plasma cannons ahoy).
- 5 new Ratling Snipers
- 1 new Primaris Psyker and a psyker battle squad
- 1 new Commissar Lord to better represent Fidel Arden.
Up Next: Painting goals...
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