409th Nocturnium Regiment of Volunteers - A PLOG

[mustardParty]

So,

 

Hello brothers.  Like a lot of you on B&C, I've been primarily PA focused for most of my time in the hobby.  Started back in 2nd Ed. with Blood Angels and I've stuck with them ever since.

 

But I've always had a bit of a bugaboo up my butt for a sweet IG army.  Back in the day I was just a lad with an allowance - hoardy armies like the one I envisioned in my head were just a fantasy then.  Now I'm a man-boy, with a full-sized grown up job and everything.  I've finally decided to tackle the beast.

 

True to my nature, I'm making this harder than it has to be.  You see, It wasn't just any Guard force I wanted to put together - No I want to create a force heavily themed around the infantry of the American Civil War, specifically Union infantry.  That era has been a pastime of mine for a long time, and I've wanted a Civil War themed Guard army almost as long as I've wanted a Guard army.  

 

So I've been doing my research, and, well it's kind of hard!  The Civil War seems to be particularly under-represented in the 28mm heroic hobby community.  The eras that directly precede and follow have lots of stuff out there by contrast.

 

However, all is not lost.  I have found some particularly good parts from various 3rd parties, and I think they will go a long way towards the final effect.  So far I've looked at:

 

Victoria Mini's:

http://victoriaminiatures.highwire.com/

 

The arms on this site are PERFECT, and I have a test batch ordered and on the way.  I need to settile on the Victorian or Dress arms, and will likely employ a mix:

 

Victorian

http://product-images.highwire.com/3220081/victorian-rifle-arms.jpg

 

Dress:

http://product-images.highwire.com/2284844/rifle-b.jpg

 

 

They have dress arms with shoulder boards, but that was not a common feature, at least not for enlisted men's uniforms.  They do have shoulder boards that you can buy separately and apply, and I'll go that route if I needs me more bling.

 

 

Along with the arms, I'm looking at the Victorian or Dress toros:

 

Dress:

http://product-images.highwire.com/2371014/dress-torsos-1.jpg

 

Victorian:

http://product-images.highwire.com/2751627/victorian2.jpg

 

 

Neither are an exact match for the sack coats or frock coats of the day, but when painted up, I think they will come pretty close to the mark to achieve the effect. 

 

 

Other torsos I'm looking at are over at Curious Constructs:

http://www.curiousconstructs.co.uk/

 

Their Dress torso looks great, and I think that will probably win, since it has those snappy buttons that should look great painted up with brass over deep blue (and they're cheaper than Vic's):

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE03C-500x500.JPG

 

 

I am considering the Victorian Legs from Victoria Mini's as well, but I think I will hold off on the first go, perhaps only a small order for the officer types.  I want to try and use my Cadian plastic legs I have on hand.  I have about 50 or so from an ebay scoop I did a while ago, but never could get myself to get them painted up.  This would be an excellent application for them.  I know they have pockets - I could file them off - that seems labor intensive and I think the effect can be achieved without the trouble.  

 

 

I think what really makes the effect click are the non-Cadian arms, and good heads.  There are TONS of great head swaps out there, but not many that match the Civil War era.  Heads add so much character to the mini, thankfully, was able to find at least SOME:

 

West Wind had some heads from their Berlin or Bust line (off eBay), 'US Heads in Forage Caps'.  I should have known this would be the wrong kind of forage cap though:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/Photo%20Mar%2020%2C%205%2044%2009%20PM.jpg

 

Unfortunately, I don't think I can use these.  For one the scale is a little too small.  The detail is so-so, but the cap is the wrong fabric.  It was impossible to tell online, could not find any great pics.  In the flesh, I don't think it will cut mustard.  Check it out on a test model:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/DSC_0002.JPG

 

 

Looks like a child's head on the heroic scale body.  Maybe could be used as a drummer boy, maybe.

 

The second test batch of heads I found look MUCH more suited to the task:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/Photo%20Mar%2020%2C%205%2041%2002%20PM.jpg

 

The Confederate heads from Kromlech (got em from eBay) look GREAT, show crisp detail look like they'll paint up wonderfully.  The kepi looks just right, and the period facial hair is really fantastic - this one looks like Colonel Chamberlain of the 20th Maine:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/DSC_0005.JPG

 

These are the 'Confederate Heads' from Kromlech - I wish they made 'Union/Federal Heads'  because maybe they would have something more appropriate than this guy:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/DSC_0011.JPG

 

He looks great, but I'm not super clear on if Union officers ever wore their Hardee hats like that.  Union officers wore Hardee hats, but typically they were turned up on the side instead of in front.

 

Victoria seems like she might have an answer:

http://product-images.highwire.com/2751621/anzac.jpg

 

They lack the period features, but at least the brim is tilted in the right place.  I have a set of these in the test order too, we'll see how they look.

 

Another set of head I found was over at Puppets War:

puppetswar.com

 

Civil War Heads:

http://puppetswar.com/img/p/29-371-thickbox.jpg

 

 

These look pretty great, I'm eagerly waiting for them in the mail still - downside is they have to come all the way from Poland.

 

 

I didn't see too much else out there that seemed to hit the mark.  But, I think the Kromlech heads or a mix of the 

 

Puppets War and Kromlech head will talke care of my needs.  With only a simple head swap and some paint, the effect is starting too look pretty decent on my test model:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/DSC_0015.JPG

 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3509926/40K/WIP/Nocturnium/test%20model/DSC_0016.JPG

 

 

That's pretty convincing for just a head swap.  The rest are Cadian parts.  The torso is nice, but it's just one a few command squad torsos I have in my bin, it won't do for a real solution.

 

 

----Other Considerations----

 

I have not forgotten about some of the other components that go into a Civil War looking army.  I plan to secure some gun carriages to mount heavy weapons on.  I have a test carriage on the way from Curious Constructs:

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE13C-500x500.JPG

 

Spencer mini's also produces a gun carriage (http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/): 

http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/CR2-1-.jpg

 

 

 

Spencer's is cheaper, but might come out smaller.

 

And of course, Rough Riders:

http://product-images.highwire.com/2285166/rider2.jpg

 

Victoria Minis has an excellent conversion pack for creating beautiful Rough Riders that would fit in very nicely painted up as Union cavalry.  One thing I'm not super clear on is where I should get the mounts from.  I don't have any experience with WFB, so I know they have horseies and stuff, but I have no idea which would be most suited to this project.  Does anyone have input on this one?

 

 

Thanks guys for looking, any feedback, pointers, tips, wisdom, etc is definitely welcome!

[mustardParty]

To go along with the modeling, here's the background for my unit, such as it is right now.

 

 

------WARNING FLUFF CONTENT------

Nocturnium society is a complicated web of social hierarchies set against the intrigues of a government propped up and controlled by important members of the Imperial Cult.  

 

 

Nocturnium is far flung planet, rich in its own culture and traditions.  The people of Nocturnium settled it long ago when mankind colonized the stars.  There they thrived for a time, then dwindled and regressed during the Age of Strife, eventually to become a planet beset by rival monarchies.

 

 

Before Nocturnium was re-integrated into the Imperium of Man, ultimate control for the planet was vied over by a number of monarch nation-states.  Eventually one nation-state was able to defeat all its rivals and became the ruling monarchy, before it too was overthrown by its down trodden populace.  In it's place a democracy was set up, but within of couple centuries, this new nation was plunged deep into civil war.

 

This war would go on for a millennia, but through it all, the planet itself was never subjected to the ravages of rad-bombs or viral warfare, due primarily to the very strict adherence to perceptions of honor that were central to the very fabric of Nocturnium culture.  In Nocturnium culture, there were rules for how you engaged in conflict with your opponent, and breaking with these codes of conduct came at very great cost to your personal and familial reputation, which on Nocturium, was almost as good as cold hard currency.  Everything revolved around personal and national pride.  In many ways, the long history of conflict on Nocturnium has its roots in cultural honor, honor that suffers no injury without answer.  Thus, while the planet was spared, its history is bloody.  

 

This is the state that Nocturnium was in when the Imperium found it, sometime around M38.  A rogue trader expeditionary fleet came across a curious planet, rich in resources seemingly ready for exploitation, but disappointingly choked with an indigenous population.  Various avenues of subduing the population were considered and rejected.  Direct confrontation would risk damage to the planet, and victory not guaranteed - it was predicted that at the revelation of an outside adversary, both combatants would drop their quarrels to fight a common foe.  The commodore did not want to call for help, so some other industrious general or rival rouge trader might seek to usurp in the claim and the bounty.

 

Instead of overt force, the commodore made overtures to one side of the conflict, deciding ultimately, by the flip of a coin.  With this new ally, the balance of power shifted irrecoverably, and Nocturnium was finally united again, but this time, in the name of the Emperor of Mankind, who became a power symbol on Nocturnium.  The culture on Nocturnium was particularly suited to the Emperor's word, and over the next thousand years, the Imperial Cult would become totally enmeshed into the politics of the post-civil war era.

 

Personal honor was still a huge motivator, but it became secondary to the honor due to the Emperor, who was seen as the deliverer of the people from their endless conflict, the perpetual twilight of Nocturium, for which the planet was so named long ago.  It had another name once, but no one remembers it, and all the records from that time are lost.

 

Everyday life on 'modern' Nocturium varies greatly depending on your social standing.  When all the monarchies of their past were overthrown, the nobility were all executed or deposed.  In its place, and invisible class structure was erected around the capitalistic government that rose from the ashes of the old monarchies.  There were no more noble or ruling classes, but instead, tycoons of industry and commerce arose, and had much collusion with the government, such was their influence.  

 

Society elites hold great power in Nocturnium, and exercise it through political maneuverings and social plots.  These elites have high level positions in industry or government, which are nearly interchangeable.  This is because the governent of Nocturnium is run by numerous and ever increasing committees.  These committees are alway chaired by a member of the Nocturium Senate, and overseen by a counterpart in the Imperial church, but seats on these committees can be appointed to any member of high standing in Nocturnium society where the committee chairperson deems their input to be of special value, due to the nature of the committee's charter.  The scope of these charters vary greatly, and the church maintains veto power over the Senate when a new committee charters are drawn up.  Thus, non-elected officials have great say over the policy set by the government at all levels.  For the common man of Nocturnium there is a saying, "There are more committees than causes."  Committee chairmanship of an important and influential committee is a position that commands tremendous amounts of power on Nocturnium.

 

Wealth is important to standing, but the overt pursuit of material wealth is seen as vulgar.  On Nocturnium, the most fetching compliment one can receive is feigned disinterest.  Instead, the pusuit of all matters of honor are seen as the bedrock of Nocturium culture - it is widely held that victory without honor is worse than defeat.

 

The Nocturnium people have a proud culture of martial discipline and adhearance to duty.  The fighting units draw upon the history of the States where the original predecessor units were raised, and often adopt unique alterations to the standard Nocturium battle dress to honor the storied history of these units.  These units have their history in the times before the Imperium, and Guard regiments that are raised will adopt the colors and uniforms of these historic units in honor of them.

 

New Guard regiments are raised ad hoc, by well-to-do society members, who use their own funds and influence to encourage others to join the unit they are raising.  They will go on to typically become the officers of the men they recruit and sees the the training of his men, and so there will be a tight bond between all those recruits raised under the banner of particular society members.  When enough officers and men have been recruited in this manner they will be gathered together in a regimental unit formation, but often maintain their uniforms unique to their region or in honor of their local heroes.  In this way, it is possible that a single regiment will feature many different uniform styles, and the colors of multiple historic units in the honor guards.

 

It is generally considered an honor to serve as a member of the Imperial Guard on Nocturnium.  The Nocturium people regard it a kind of righteous mandate, and they see themselves as guardians of the Emperor's will and word.  To the Nocturium, a chance to fight the enemies of the Emperor is seen as just and right, and it is every inductee's hope that if they are lucky, they can bring the Emperor's light to a new world the way it came to theirs long ago.

 

It can also be very profitable.  For the lucky that survive their tours, and are able to find their way home, they are held as heroes.  These veterans command tremendous respect and can go on to have great influence in Nocturnium society.  In fact it is one of the few paths open to the common man for advancement in to the higher society stratas.  Thus, though the Departmento Munitorum has maintained a steady tithe for new Guard regiments, Nocturnium has never had trouble meeting its recruitment goals.  As such, service in the Guard has always been voluntary, and Nocturnium units wear this distinction proudly.

 

Long isolation from the Imperium has left Nocturnium to develop its own set of combat doctrines which reflect the culture and technology level.  Nocturnium fighters prefer standup fights and pitched battles, and are well suited to seige warfare as needed, having much experience in its history in conducting drawn out sieges during its unceasing civil wars.  However, it is alway the preference for Nocturnium commanders to seek the decisive victory in the open field of battle.

 

Not being particularly endowed with heavy industry of its own, Nocturnium formations do not typically feature many of organic transports or infantry fighting vehicles.  Instead, most regiments are made of rifle companies, heavy infantry formations with integrated fire support detachments from artillery companies, which are supported by elements of armor companies of the same regiment.

 

The Nocturnium have an old story:

 

There was an old veteran, come home from many campaigns in far off corners of the galaxy.  As he lay dying of his old age, his son asked him if he should join the Guard too.  The old man became lucid, sat up and looked his son in the eyes and said, "We have always said here on Nocturnium, 'All we have is our honor.' After seeing what I have seen, I know now, truly and completely, all we have in this universe, is our honor."

[hendrik]

the empire pistoleers kit contains rather nice horses.. i'm quite curious how you'll tackle this project. it'll be a tank-less regiment? if so might i suggest getting the imperial armour volume one book. even thought it focusses primarily on tanks it also contains a lot of imperial guard allowed artillery emplacements, supplying your force with some bigger guns

[Kierdale]

Haven't read your background yet but this looks like a very interesting project!

[Howland Greywolfe]

Indeed this is interesting. I would love to see this develoupe.

[ferrers]

As a fan of Victoria minis can't wait to see how this develops!

 

I'm personally doing a drookian fenguard army using her bits.

[Honda]

When I first saw this thread, I just blew it off. Then I saw "Civil War", and thought "seriously?"

 

Now that I have gone through the entire thread and seen what you are attempting to accomplish, I really think this will work. The conversions/kit bashes will be more time consuming, but definitely look the part. Also, there are lots of Civil War regiments that can add some color and flourish to your army so that you don't drown in a sea of blue.

 

The additional modeling opportunities are going to be fantastic if you consider that you can use Civil War era barricades as your Aegis Defense Line, couples with a gatling gun on a wooden carriage. There is a tremendous amount of depth in this project that you can explore.

 

Regarding tanks, if it were me, I'd think about using the WFB Empire Steam Tank as it's probably close enough with it's Middle Ages design to look somewhat close enough to fit in. Other Imperial artillery can be modeled with counts as versions of CW artillery. There was a tremendous variety of artillery guns and mortars that could fit in as Medusas and Collossi.

 

And while my brain is leaking creative juice, I'll just put this out there for you to think about. Not trying to commit you to anything because this is your army, but somehow, some way you just have to consider fitting in the USS Monitor. I have no idea what it would represent, I just know it would be epic.

 

Please feel free to go tell me to mind my own business ;)

 

I shall definitely be keeping an eye on this project. It has a 55 gallon barrel of Awesome sauce tied to it.

 

Bravo!

[Kierdale]

 

And while my brain is leaking creative juice, I'll just put this out there for you to think about. Not trying to commit you to anything because this is your army, but somehow, some way you just have to consider fitting in the USS Monitor. I have no idea what it would represent, I just know it would be epic.

A landed spaceship that counts as a Bastion?

[RADU LYKAN]

i havent seen these side by side with a 40k miniature but maybe some of the stuff will be usable for you?

http://shop.spartangames.co.uk/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1905

looking forward to some nice counts as conversions

[mustardParty]

Guys,

 

Thanks for all the great feedback so far!  

 

 

 

 

i havent seen these side by side with a 40k miniature but maybe some of the stuff will be usable for you?

http://shop.spartang...ts.asp?Cat=1905

looking forward to some nice counts as conversions

 

 

I actually took a look at those, and initially thought I was in luck, but the scale is all wrong.  They are just too big:

http://pinsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Dytopian_Legion_Comp.jpg

 

 

You can see that Dystopian Prussian is like a head taller than a space marine.  I imagine at some point using my Nocturnium Guard along with my Blood Angeles for funsies, wouldn't really do to have Guardsmen taller than super soldiers, at least not for my personal tastes.

 

However.  Some of their armor looks downright appropriate.

 

 

 

Regarding tanks...

 

I have actually given some thought to tanks.  I have a gaggle of Leman Russ Battle Tanks of assorted varieties from my previous attempt to jump-start a Guard army.  I wouldn't really want to use them without at least some conversion work on them to give them more of an 'iron-clad' feel.  From a purely fluffy standpoint it's not outrageous that Nocturnium while not possessing it's own heavy industry for the production of main battle tanks, wouldn't be able to procure battle tanks for its regiments through requisition channels in the Munitorum or via commerce and trade via the lucrative trading partnerships it maintains.

 

But, Spartan Games looks they they are going to be putting out some SMEXY armored contraptions.  I've been eyeballing this bad boy as a counts-as Chimera:

http://www.fantasyladen.de/spartan/DLFS24.jpg

 

I think it has JUST the look for an army like I'm putting together - it isn't absurdly steam punk, nor does it seem out of place, belonging more to some other era of combat.  And the scale for these jobbies should be about right, maybe a little on the bigger side which I don't really mind, as long as it looks striking on the table.  

 

The APC's are out, and I think their bigger armor is coming out later this year:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iVs0IShOQJ0/UC4TOB0zwpI/AAAAAAAAN94/dN1tGt-ZVXs/s1600/dl-fs-render.jpg

 

I love the look this thing!  I don't know what exactly it is most suited to being, but it looks gorgeous.  Do want.

 

 

 

 Also, there are lots of Civil War regiments that can add some color and flourish to your army so that you don't drown in a sea of blue.

 

Yes, I plan on having lots of historical uniform patterns represented and that should look real snazzy.

 

You have your generic regulation volunteer pattern:

http://broeder10.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/340461.jpg

 

I plan on a 10-man unit of vets that look like the famous Iron Brigade Black Hats:

http://i.gettysburgdaily.com/imgs/IronBrigade101610/IronBrigade10161005.jpg

 

The NY Fire Zouaves would make excellent light infantry:

http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/images/5thbelts.jpg

 

Berdan's 1st and 2nd US Sharpshooters would be excellent counts-as Ratlings:

http://www.berdansharpshooters.com/dg1.jpg

 

 

 

There are dozens of other units with variations to exploit, there are lots and lots of possibilities   One such possibility that I'm kind of at a loss for on how to achieve the effect are other federal Zouave units:

http://cosmicamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/french-zouaves.jpg

 

There's nothing quite like that out there, at least not in the 28mm heroic spectrum.  I don't see a way to achieve the effect without lots of greenstuff for the pantaloons and coats, which is frankly out the reach of my skills right now.

 

I've looked at some historical ranges like Perry Minis and Victrix.  They have some solid historical lines, but they are out of scale with 28mm heroic stuff, I just don't think I'll be able to get it to work.  At first glace they look awesome:

http://www.architectsofwar.com/images/products/detail/Zouavesattacking.jpg

These are Perry Mini's Federal Zouaves.

 

They're plastic, show some decent detail, they're multi-part minis, what's not to love.  Oh and there's 42 to a box - ZANG!

 

Here you can see a comparison shot between some GW models and a Perry Minis Napoleonic:

http://i42.tinypic.com/30nhmj4.jpg

 

 

Tiny, even compared to the Eldar.  If someone has some experience with Perry Minis, I'm all ears, but otherwise I don't think they'll work.

 

This one I'm just going to have to think about more.

 

 

...gatling gun on a wooden carriage...

 

Curious Constructs makes just such a contraption and it looks like a beauty:

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE10B-500x500.JPG

 

My only hangup is what this ought to count as?  Auto Cannon?  I suppose that works as long as I'm consistant, I dont want counts-as that are confusing to my opponent.  Too bad the Guard can't take Assault Cannons.

 

 

 

consider fitting in the USS Monitor

 

 

Thanks for this!  I hadn't thought about any of the Navy stuff yet, very very interesting!

 

 

 

 

the empire pistoleers kit contains rather nice horses

 

 

Thanks!  I really wasn't sure where to start with mounts, this is very helpful!

 

 

 

Anyhow, waiting on my test batch of arms and head from Victoria, can wait to slap together another test mini.  Stay tuned for more updates.

[Honda]

Actually, this is going to be easy, just do it all. :D

 

I really like both vehicles and I would go ahead with the tank as it could sub as a LR and later on you might find that you can put some sort of mortar in it and make it a Medusa/Collosus.

 

Regarding the Perry minatures, I think there's a way to make them work. True they might be a tad small, but some of the shortness can be alleviated by elevating the figure with some modeling putty to place it on a mound so that it's slightly higher. I do the same thing with some of my regular guys/characters so that they stand out just a tad. That might work, because 42 in a box is hard to turn down.

 

I'm really looking forward to some of your mock ups. The "Awesome-o-meter" just went up a notch to 11.

 

Cheers,

[Kierdale]

I agree with Honda that your basing for those Napoleonic minis could hide any lack in height. And that is a hard deal to turn down...42...

 

You certainly seem to have plenty of ideas! No lack of inspiration.

[hendrik]

i own a set of the 15th century burgundian models from perry and i must say the scale is just way different. standard guardmen will look huge, and a lit of weapons won't really be compatible (think meltaguns, plasmaguns etc, they'll just look too big.)

If you can work around that, they make some lovely miniatures, perhaps even more detailed then GW! the main problem is that if you start using these models you'll need to continue the line throughout the entire army, in order not to make any other models look like gaints

[Col.Gravis]

Guys,

 

Thanks for all the great feedback so far!  

 

 

 

...gatling gun on a wooden carriage...

 

Curious Constructs makes just such a contraption and it looks like a beauty:

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE10B-500x500.JPG

 

My only hangup is what this ought to count as?  Auto Cannon?  I suppose that works as long as I'm consistant, I dont want counts-as that are confusing to my opponent.  Too bad the Guard can't take Assault Cannons.

 

Hiya mustardparty,

 

The Gatling Gun kit I released originated from the conversions I did a while back for my Praetorian IG army, I use them as Heavy Bolters myself, 'Gatling Bolters'.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/DSCF6085_zps3a52b1c2.jpg

 

As I think you'll find the carriage will also sit other heavy weapons nicely though, say Autocannons themselves, or even Lascannon, that said though a slightly shameless plug, you might be interested in these which I'm hoping to launch a kickstarter for very shortly.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/atlaserfinal_zps45330afb.jpg

[Malicious Manticore]

I love everything about this project, especially the backstory and the overall look you're going for! If I had the money I would be dropping it on doing this very thing, thanks to your wonderful inspiration! I am looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, and seeing some finished infantry! 

[mustardParty]

 

Guys,

 

Thanks for all the great feedback so far!  

 

 

 

...gatling gun on a wooden carriage...

 

Curious Constructs makes just such a contraption and it looks like a beauty:

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE10B-500x500.JPG

 

My only hangup is what this ought to count as?  Auto Cannon?  I suppose that works as long as I'm consistant, I dont want counts-as that are confusing to my opponent.  Too bad the Guard can't take Assault Cannons.

 

Hiya mustardparty,

 

The Gatling Gun kit I released originated from the conversions I did a while back for my Praetorian IG army, I use them as Heavy Bolters myself, 'Gatling Bolters'.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/DSCF6085_zps3a52b1c2.jpg

 

As I think you'll find the carriage will also sit other heavy weapons nicely though, say Autocannons themselves, or even Lascannon, that said though a slightly shameless plug, you might be interested in these which I'm hoping to launch a kickstarter for very shortly.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/atlaserfinal_zps45330afb.jpg

 

 

Col. Gravis, 

 

My, that lascannon is a beaut-ee!  Definitely keep us all informed on when that kickstart drops, I have a feeling I may need to upgrade some heavy weapons....

 

 

I've been trying to reconcile Civil War Era command structure with the way it supposedly works in the universe of  40K.  Civil War formations tended to rely on the brigade as the smallest independent unit of maneuver.  A brigade is multiple regiments organized under a single command.  In 40K, the regiment seems to be the largest administrative structure, with higher command echelons above this, to coordinate the astronomical logistics involved in keeping an institution like the Guard running.

 

I don't want to walk away from the established fluff, but I DO want to represent several different Union-style 'regiments' in one tabletop force.  My own fluff sssort-of attempts to account for this - Nocturnium units are raised locally, and adopt the local traditions and uniforms, then lots of these get rolled up into one Guard regiment.

 

I guess I'm not sure how large I should set my 'Guard' regiment, in comparison to the historical troop formations.  I could do something like this:

 

 

1 Nocturnium Guard Regiment of Infantry ~ 9000-10,000 Effectives

 

1 Nocturnium Planetary Division of Volunteer Infantry ~ 1 Guard Regiment

 

 

That would let me do something like:

 

Company Command Squad = Planetary Brigade Commander and his Staff

 

Platoon Command Squad = Planetary Regiment Commander and his Staff

 

Combined Blob Squads = Regimental Infantry

 

Commissars (squad upgrade)  = Sergeant Major, First Sergeant (the Sergeant Major might work best in the PCS, can the PCS take a commissar.

 

Squad Sergeants = Lieutenants and Sergeants

 

Still no place for a proper Captain, but maybe I'm just being pedantic.

 

 

So, in essence, '40K platoons' are my fluff regiments, organized into a single brigade '40K companies'.  My force would represent a Nocturnium Brigade toward the end of their campaigning, where their formations have suffered much attrition.  50 chaps to a regiment, maybe that seems small, but it won't be small to paint....

 

Dunno.  Not set one way or another, could use some community creativity.

[Kierdale]

You can take a commissar in a PCS though I wouldn't recommend it: a failed Ld test and he'll shoot your order-giver :(

[RolandTHTG]

Something to remember if mixing the two ranges, they are made to two slightly different standards

A good comparison someone else did:

http://macharianthunderguard.blogspot.com/2012/10/victoria-miniatures-vs-curious.html

[RADU LYKAN]

dont know if you have read the new white dwarf yet but it tells of the new book fire caste, it features the arkan 19th imperial guard regiment "who are strongly styled after the confederate army of the american civil war"

might be worth a look for you?

[Brother Lorien]

 

Guys,

 

Thanks for all the great feedback so far!  

 

 

 

...gatling gun on a wooden carriage...

 

Curious Constructs makes just such a contraption and it looks like a beauty:

http://curiousconstructs.theslowcentury.com/ocart/image/cache/data/CCProducts/CCCE10B-500x500.JPG

 

My only hangup is what this ought to count as?  Auto Cannon?  I suppose that works as long as I'm consistant, I dont want counts-as that are confusing to my opponent.  Too bad the Guard can't take Assault Cannons.

 

Hiya mustardparty,

 

The Gatling Gun kit I released originated from the conversions I did a while back for my Praetorian IG army, I use them as Heavy Bolters myself, 'Gatling Bolters'.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/DSCF6085_zps3a52b1c2.jpg

 

As I think you'll find the carriage will also sit other heavy weapons nicely though, say Autocannons themselves, or even Lascannon, that said though a slightly shameless plug, you might be interested in these which I'm hoping to launch a kickstarter for very shortly.

 

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x160/gravisblog/Forum%20Pictures/atlaserfinal_zps45330afb.jpg

 

That lascannon look pretty nice Col.Gravis.

 

Any possibility of having another type of gun shield?

 

Something like this http://mikemodelling.blogspot.com/2012/12/ww2-british-airborne-6pdr-at-gun.html ?

 

Keep us up to date on the progress, maybe through a seperate thread in the forum?

Mind you though (small warning): if you do that , keep it informational , and not commercial, as trading / advertising is not allowed on the BnC

[mustardParty]

Many fun things have arrived today

Puppets War heads finally came in:

They look OK. The detail on the Kromlech heads is more crisp in general, very clean. The Puppets War head details don't seem nearly as sharp, and you can see from the pics there's some gap-filling love to be done. But they are pretty good, and they have some nifty details on the caps that the Kromlech ones don't. They will certainly work.

The Victoria Mini parts came in yesterday too, very exciting:

Arms:

Torsos:

And some heads:

Overall, very pleased with the parts, you definitely pay for the quality, and the quality shows. Generally, everything is very detailed and crisp, and the dress torsos come with lots of lovely extra pouches for flavorz.

And, also in: Curious Constructs, courtesy of our own Col. Gravis!

I'm super pleased with the test parts! The dress torsos look great, and I don't find myself concerned with potential scale conflicts now that I've had a chance to handle these myself.

Oh, and the carriage is really lovely:

Yes, I think these will do nicely - I haven't decided to commit to the gatling guns yet or use the GW heavy weapons I have for now. Either way the effect is convincing.

Something to remember if mixing the two ranges, they are made to two slightly different standards

A good comparison someone else did:

http://macharianthunderguard.blogspot.com/2012/10/victoria-miniatures-vs-curious.html

I've actually read that article, very insightful. I THINK that everything should be OK. Here's a comparison between Col. Gravis' dress torso and Vic's:

Here's a comparison shot of a Vic torso next to a GW one:

I think, barring some very subtle differences, they ought to all feel compatible and cohesive on the tabletop.

So, real life has been pretty eventful, and that means reduced hobby time, so I haven't gotten the chance to slap any paint on the new parts yet, but I have had a chance to at least slap some minis together, and I think the results are positive. I have been worried that the GW Cadian legs aren't going to cut it scale or style-wise, but it's less awkward than I feared:

GW Legs, Victoria 'dress' arms and torso, puppets war head.

Same one as above compared with a mini using GW legs, Victoria 'victorian' arms and torso, and a puppets war head.

And here, we can compare the all GW test mini against a couple with the new parts, and a Blood Angel for scale:

The good news is I think all the parts 'work.' And there is no bad news! Except for maybe that it ain't free.

Hopefully tonight I'll have a chance to throw a few more together and get a coat of paint or two on them for some real action! Stay tune all.

[Kierdale]

Looking good! Very good!

[Col.Gravis]

Brother Lorien, have taken your advise, I hope the thread is suitable? I'll happilly edit it if any changes are needed though. Regarding the gun shield, it's certainly possible, though I'm not sure we'd be able to do it immeadiately, first stop is to get the crew and weapons options all done.

 

mustardparty, the test models are really looking the part, despite the various sources they all seem to fit together seemlessly, and more importantly perhaps cohearantly, you should easily be able to get the variety of different regiments.

 

Nice to see the carriage with a Lascannon as well! Though you may gather, the kickstarter I mentioned has now launched, you you've got another option as well now potentially ;) 

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/649754189/28mm-steampunk-inspired-heavy-weapons-and-carriage

[mustardParty]

Good day to all!

 

So, things progress SLOWLY, but progress.  I think starting a project like this when I'm going to try to get married in October was a subconscious attempt to maintain some of my sanity through this utterly insane process.  "Oh hey, you want to rent tables?  That will be 200 dollars.  What's that, it's a wedding, that will be 4000 dollars, thanks!"

 

Anyhow, I've had a chance to piece some of the boys together and I like the results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the arms need the aid of a little gap filling green stuff as they just won't sit flush with the torso - not a big deal.  I've been wondering what to do for equipage, specifically packs.  I have a nice pile of back packs from Cadian heavy weapon teams, and if you flip them over and shave off some parts, they actually make really decent backpacks with bed rolls.

 

Something I'd like feedback from the community on - some special weapons have the shoulder guard molded too integrally to the sculpt for shaving.  Refer to the flamer toting mini.  Now I actually think he came out rather cool, and am contemplating leaving him as is, and patterning all 'specialists' after this fashion - right shoulder with shoulder guard, left shoulder shaved down.  I don't know - that iconic shoulder guard is so instantly recognizable, to me whenever I see conversions and I spot that shoulder guard it just screams out CADIAN in big bright letters in my mind.  But, I do think it looks kind of cool on the flamer...  Maybe because no one else has shoulder guards, its provides a contrast.

 

 

Here's something else I'd love the community to consider - what to do with Commissars?  Now, with the blob guard scheme I have going, Commissars are going to be an integral piece.  I have a good handful of Commi minis on hand and I'm unsure how to approach them.  

 

In GW fluff, Commis are unambiguously apart from whatever normal recruiting and traditions an Imperial Guard regiment might have.  I'm not sure if I should keep it like it is, and paint them up as normal Commis attached to a Nocturnium regiment - or if I should attempt some kind of counts-as.  I was thinking of maybe painting them up in Noturnium pattern and having them count as incredibly hard-nosed regimental sergeant majors, or first sergeants - as a very proud and martial people, this could work from their own fluff.  But - at least ONE Commi is typically attached to EVERY IG regiment that is inducted into the Guard, correct?

 

One other, hybrid way to approach it might be to paint them up in Nocturnium pattern, but leave their caps back - these would be Commissar-Sergeants - Sergeants from Nocturnium inducted into some kind of Commissariat program where they are indoctrinated by Schola instructors and then sent back to their units?

 

What do you guys think??

 

Lucky, my better half is away for the next two days, so I should actually have a good window these next two evenings to lay some paint down and really start getting a good feel for the look of these guys.  More to come!

[Kierdale]

They look great!

I think the guardsmen with the flamers look fine with the shoulder pads still on. A nice bit of smooth armour plate for insignia to go on, too. That or a warning to squadmates not to stand too close ;)

 

The backpacks look great and I love the sergeant's pose.