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Inspired by a discussion regarding the Space Wolves in other parts of the forum where I gave the opinion that the SW, both in 40k and 30k, are really only Viking-ish when it comes to their internal nomenclature and some of their names. Both regarding their looks and warfare are they much more fantasy barbarians and totem-warriors than anything Viking-ish. So I was wondering if you wanted to do a viking-ish SW (or other chapter) force, where could you get bits?And I mean here by viking-ish inspired by the real stuff from the Viking Age not pop-cultural viking stuff that don't have historical basis*. That means that Kromlech's Sons of Thor bits or THE CUSTOM BIT's "Vikings" don't count since they are fantasy barbarians- and/or totem-warrior-ish much more than viking. * I would say that stuff inspiered by the Vendel Period and Kievan Rus' is also of interest.

So, I'm a bit of a fan of Rough Riders. I'm an Australian that grew up in a rural area with horses, and those aussies with an interest in our military history are rightly proud of long tradition of mounted infantry regiments in the Australian army. From the slouch-hatted bushmen that served in the Boer War to the infamous charge of the Light Horse at Beersheba, there's an imagery to horseman in war that captures the imagination. My 2nd Ed Imperial Guard army had a single squad of Attilan Rough Riders. My 3rd Ed Imperial Guard army had a Squadron of Attilans supported by a squad of Tallarn Rough Riders. I missed 4th through 7th editions and when I came back to the hobby in 8th I found that my beloved horseman had all but disappeared, with the exception of an Index entry. No new miniatures, no access to the old miniatures and then when the new Codex dropped - nothing at all. Granted, there are the Death Riders of Krieg, which are awesome miniatures with some badass rules to back them up. However, they're Forgeworld, they're expensive as all get up, the mounts are a bit of a diversion from actual horses and I just wanted something closer to my original Rough Riders. So enters the world of third-party miniatures. Originally I had thought to work up tabletop version of the Australian Light Horse but the new line of Dress Uniform troops from Anvil Industries caught my eye. Before long I had a theme in mind - Napoleonic in terms of era, a combination of French Cuirassiers, British Dragoons and perhaps a touch of the Prussian Hussars all helped on by watching too much Charge of the Light Brigade, Sharpe's Rifles and The Duellists. To quote Tennyson: Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Rode the six hundred. In the end, the French Cuirassiers theme won out: For those that want a touch of Krieg: For those that like a little more starch in their britches: The good news is that the bits used in the kitbash are compatible. The arms and legs from Mad Robot Miniatures blend seamlessly with the torsos and heads from Anvil. Furthermore, the riding legs fit to the horses from Perry Miniatures with just a slight material removal from the back of the saddle - I basically shaved about 1mm from the bedroll at the back of the saddle in order to seat the rider properly. The one sticking point - those used to heroically-scaled miniatures might find the horses slightly too small in scale. I collect historical miniatures, so it looks close to right to me, but I can understand the viewpoint of those that disagree. As a point of note, the shafts for the Hunting Lances are just brass rod (supplied by MadRobot with the tips) and can be trimmed to length - which I haven't done yet. Also - I'll be mounting them on 40mm round bases as it 'feels' like the right size base. When I put them together properly (once i've decided on torsos) i'll add holstered laspistols and chainswords to the saddles to tie them closer to the 40K aesthetic. Now for the list of bits featured and links: MadRobot Miniatures. Imperial style lance arms: https://madrobotmini...products_id=314 Imperial style riding legs: https://madrobotmini...products_id=315 Hunting lances: https://madrobotmini...products_id=316 Anvil Industries. Calvary Helmets: http://anvilindustry...cavalry-helmets Stahlhelm with Gasmask: http://anvilindustry...ahlhelm-gasmask Cuirass Torso: http://anvilindustry...m/cuirass-torso Hussar Torso: http://anvilindustry...rm/hussar-torso Perry Miniatures British Light Cavalry horses: https://www.perry-mi...roducts_id=3297 Note that VictoriaMiniatures also does a Rough Rider conversion kit: https://victoriamini...rsion-kit-resin which looks pretty good. I love the stuff from Aunty Vicky, but MadRobot won for me based on the cuff details on the arms. The true beauty of this setup is the modular nature of assembly - in theory you could use any of the Anvil head/torso bits with the MadRobot limbs (Steve also does riding legs with fatigues and bare lance arms) to cover a host of different rider types from different regiments/worlds. The injury to your wallet: So to break down the costs for a squad of ten Rough Riders, something that is always a worry when kitbashing 3rd party bits: Mad Robot Rider Lance Arms (Imperial) x2 (10 pairs in total) = $10 (USD) Mad Robot Rider Legs (Imperial) x2 (10 in total) = $16 (USD) Mad Robot Rider Hunting Lances x 2 (10 in total) = $12 (USD) Perry Miniatures British Light Calvary Horses x 4 (12 in total) = £14.00 (GBP) Anvil Industry Torsos (Cuirass or Hussar) x 2 (12 in total) = £7.00 (GBP) Anvil Industry Heads (Calvary) x 2 (14 in total) = £6.00 (GBP) Total price (approx exchange rates) $76 (USD) or £55 (GBP) Not cheap, not overly expensive. Compared to Forgeworld's DKoK Death Riders at 10 for $192 (USD) or the Mad Robot complete Rider Squad at 10 for $130 (USD) Well that's it, hopefully it is of some help to those of you looking to take the plunge but were worried about intercompatibility of the bits. Good luck and good hunting! -Ran