Kit bashing questions

[Cambrian]

I'm looking to put together a ~1850pt DoA style army (magnetized so i can switch the equipment and run a mech list when i get the preds and rhino's).

 

The question I have is: would I be able to effectively make librarians, priests, chaplains, honor guards and veteran squads by kit bashing assault squads, sanguinary, and death company kits? I would likely still do some greenstuff work (which I'm already comfortable with) and grab some extra bits not included in those kits. But would this be a practical way of making an all plastic force? Would it be cost effective? What sorts of things should I look out for when doing this?

 

For some more specific questions:

Is the death company too specific with their bits?

What about the sanguinary guard?

What sorts of bits would I be lacking that I might still want?

 

I know that's a lot of questions but i appreciate any help that's offered.

[SamaNagol]

Yes it is how I built My entire collection

[Cpt. Salvatore]

It is perfectly viable. I am doing it as we speak (just finished painting some jump packs and opened BaC actually:) ). About your qouestion:

 

Death company is truly too specific with their bits but I came up with what I would call a clever solution. Based on our codex, squad of some number in a company uses white cross on blue and the next one on black background as a squad marking. So I have the DC bits used on the Squad wich carries that number. But still, DC box has a lot of bitz that ARE useful as hell for building said army and what's more, if you really wish, most of that DC iconography could be removed with some effort.

 

Sanguinary guard is a great set for veterans, honour guards, sang. priests and HQ's of all sorts, enough said.

 

What extra bits? Shields and lightning claws. Used very much and none put in. Also meltaguns are missing. And some grails/chalices and apotheracy bits for the sanguinary priests. And I would also suggest some helmet variants for the DC box I find pretty dull in terms of helmets. The ones with the halo (wich are 2 in every box of 5 if I am not mistaken) are far too "veteran" for common RAS.

[SamaNagol]

You should try use one box of dc or sg for every 3 units of normal marines.

 

Veterans would obviously have more

[Kurb]

Step 1: Buy Assault Box/DC Box/Sang Guard Box

Step 2: Assemble

Step 3:?????

Step 4 Profit

[RebG]

It's perfectly viable to combine all 3 for all the different units mentioned with very little effort. My force is all plastic bar the termie chaplain, but he's cool enough to make the sacrifice for!

 

As mentioned above some parts of the DC box are quite specific (ie crosses and skulls on the sculpt). The parts with crosses I just used for my actual DC, though they're only shallow and would be pretty easy to fill if you have even a fairly basic level ability with green stuff etc. The Sang Gaurd box is, again as mentioned, excellent for any vets, hon gaurd, characters and so on. My VV are legs and torso from that set with weapons and helmets from the DC and RAS kits. Their jump packs with the wings left off distinguish them well from the other units.

 

I actually went back through all my old RAS and (lovingly) snapped off various arms and other parts to swap in parts from

the DC. this meant 5 or 6 of each 10 man squad has something BA specific, even if just a different chain sword or such it makes a good impact

 

On a slightly different note, vehicle wise the Baal kit comes with a couple of extra icons so buy one or two of those first when you decide it's mech time and you'll have a few bits for the new rhinos to tie them in too. Enjoy the kit bashing!

[matchbox]

I'm doing the same with my FT army. When using the dc parts i use them as an homage per say. For example a sergeant with a DC shoulder pad could be wearing it in memory of a close friend who fell to the Black Rage.

[Cambrian]

Ok, great stuff to know. Thanks for this!

[Chairman_woo]

Yup like others have suggested kitbashing Death co. and Sanguard works a charm. I dont have a problem with the death co "X's" myself, I just paint them black or gold and assume that the "wounds of the primarch" symbology applies to non death co. too

 

They arent finished but heres some examples from my blog to illustrate.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/Vanguard%20Vets/009.jpg?t=1284640520

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/Vanguard%20Vets/013.jpg?t=1284640520

 

 

Its also not too hard to kitbash charachters In this case we have a libby, Dante and a sangpreist.

 

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/HQ/015.jpg?t=1284640703

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/HQ/019.jpg?t=1284640703

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/HQ/008.jpg?t=1284640703

 

Hope that helps, the original link is here if you want to see more WooBLog

[Brother Chris]

That hooded librarian's almost exactly the same as the one I'm working on at the moment! And I thought I'd been soooo creative...

 

Just thought I'd mention that both DC and SG sets have a good selection of bare heads with longish BA hair rather than UM skin-heads which can make our sergeants distinctive from other chapters even if none of their equipment changes.

 

My kit-bash rule of thumb has been to add an element from the new BA sets for each level of progression. so the Assault squads have none or one (usually a CC weapon), Devs get one or two (standing legs, chapter shoulder plate e.g) tacticals get three (pair of arms and bolder, back pack, shoulder pads) and so on until untits like the DC and SG are entirely made of bits from the new sets.

 

I haven't had a chance to add any new vehicles but it looks like the Baal Pred has enough bits to customise quite a few other rhino chassis vehicles.

 

My take is that a lot of the BA marines have the red saltire etched into their armour. It only become very clear to others when the rest of the armour is coloured black when they join the death company. Historically there are plenty of real armours where the etched design is the same colour as the rest of the plate. You don't need to paint it differently or fill it with green stuff.

[RebG]

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac172/chairman_woo/Blood%20angels%204th/HQ/019.jpg?t=1284640703

 

Nice Dante Chairman Woo. Loving the 'Mace Encarmine'. Also like the subtle conversion of the death mask, would be good to see when finished!

[skawolf]

I just ignor the part in the blood angels book about how their squad marking are different from codex markings.... So therefore I use the death company items and the "x's" on them are no issue as an x indicates an assault squad in codex markings. I just count the skulls or blood drops in front of the X as personal heraldry markings. I figure that Blood angels are artistic (which I actually love that bit of fluff.... and damn you if you don't :P ) and would have more personalised armor anyway.

 

Edit:

 

BTW, that plastic Dante is frickin awesome! I really need to pick up a few Sang guard boxes and see what I could do with the bitz.