No one expects me to ever finish the... ( ][ Warband P-Log)

[Beaky Brigade]

Well I'm a little slow at making minis. Not through lack of free time, but because I obsess over getting stuff just so with the mould lines and construction, and finding just the right new bits rather than settling for what I have already in my extensive bitzbox. I've decided I enjoy the journey as much as finishing them so I'm just going to go with it.

Anyway here is my Ordo Xenos Inquisition Warband. I actually started a thread for this in the project logs section, but I feel it's unfair to keep posting WIP and ramblings there when people want to see shiny painted minis. OK it's probably unfair to post it here too! This is about two months work BTW. It was originally a kill team, but grew into a Henchman Warband formation after C:IA came out.

The basic nugget of fluff is my Inquisitor started his career involved with the Ordo Machinum (those who watch the Adeptus Mechanicus), but abruptly changed tack and started to lean more towards an Ordo Xenos allegiance. Was it a simple career change? Or was there a darker reason for turning his gaze from the priests of Mars? Either way, he's certainly kept some of his wargear and contacts obtained during that time.

There are two main approaches to the Inquisition (in my mind), use official models and proxies from other ranges and have Inqusitor Bob and his men. or go full blanchitsu and convert every thing to an insane level, surrounding Inquisitor Fatalus with twisted and dark individuals. I tried to find a balance between the two, picking models I liked, that also had a reasonable fluff explanation.

WIP Ordo Xenos Inquisitor with a conversion beamer and power sword, flanked by his crusaders.

I have not thought up his name yet, maybe when he's finished. No fluff until painted will stop me wasting time writing that. I used the Forge World Astral Claws Master of the Forge as the basis for the model. He's a pretty static simple model so the only real change is the arms and shoulder pads. I thought it was a simple way to get a conversion beamer, but it actually caused me some other problems. He could not well use a left handed sword because it would become a dagger every time he fired the death ray! And of course the right handed variety are relatively rare.

In the end I settled for a suitable and actually fluffy Deathwatch blade. Then I realised the Inquisitor can only take two weapons, and while the backpack is a great 'hands free' solution, it actually leaves him with an idle hand, which chaos makes work for. To prevent this I gave him an auspex after deciding pointing and grenades did not suit the pose.

The crusader on the left is an Enforcer from Necromunda. After much soul searching (and him going through several roles in the Warband) I decided a sword just did not work, so he's got a power maul which counts as a sword. It's actually a thunder hammer with the head removed, which I thought was a lazy conversion idea the first time I saw it, but when you see how well it scales and what power mauls look like, it makes sense. His shield is from the masters of the chapter set.

The right hand crusader is actually more of an afterthought. Several other conversion ideas were not panning out, and I was desperate not to buy another mini or MORE bits, or use any of the 'official' inquisition models. I raided my bitz box and it actually worked out pretty well. He has an empire wizard sword and ruststalker arm, with some Imperial Guard bitz, and an old assault squad shield.

I like how they form a flank guard for the Inquisitor. It was not intentional when I started out, but just the shields I had.

Deathcult assassins x 4

2 'de-xenofied' Dark Eldar models, who are 100% human don't worry. Removing the spikes and clearing up the damage from that took a while. One demoted Culexus assassin (not actual fluff) with a rapier instead of the pistol (pointing at the camera so you can't see it), and literally wiry hair. Infiltrator/Rustalker with a single more human arm.

Acolytes!

From left to right 1 [REDACTED] model, acting as an 'advisor' (Mystic) to the Inquisitor for his current assignment. I've cleared posting her here with a mod just for completeness sake. I won't be talking about her too much. She has a laspistol for plausible deniability (It can't have been [REDACTED] who killed them, those are las wounds!) and WYSIWYG, and maybe a tribute to the Rogue Trader days. Most of the models will be on the larger bases eventually, the smaller ones are just place holders.

Next up, another Mystic, with a radio and minor Psychic powers he's got all spectrum's covered! Eventually I'd like to make some Elysians so it makes sense to have two mystics and help my deep strike land. He's a FW cadian and cadian command mix. 1 Bolter Mystic made from spare 'De-Xenofied' parts. It was a real pain to remove the heretical weapon and convincingly attach the boltgun to the stock, but It was worth it. Not 100% sold on using it yet though, it may change.

1 'Tech Warrior' Made from various space marine parts and the Datasmith from the admech robots. Some classic metals and a 'power armour acolyte'. I was briefly considering equipping a lot more of them with power armour, but I realised you just get underpowered space marines then. So mixing may not be competitive but it's cool, and represents how rare the armour is. Unfortunately you can't take a medic, so the Hospitaler will have to treat everyone AFTER the battle.

More detail on the power armour acolyte and the 'Tech Warrior'. This guy just likes his customised armour and has nothing to do with any sneaky traitor legion operatives. You get a better idea of what I'm doing with the bases. Tiles in various states of ruin. They were going to be black and white originally, but after a sanity check I don't think so.

The whole gang, including a 'retired' Commissar (priest) and Tech Priest Enginseer and some cyber Jokaero and a WIP astropath. I'm glad I did not buy a Land Raider Crusader as they won't fit inside any more!

I think I've reached a good size for the Warband now, but only time will tell! Maxing out the squad members you can take does not seem very fun. They'll have an escort of 2 Rhinos and a Chimera, which they'll disembark just off the table edge, and fight on foot supported by the vehicles. Funnily enough, actual APC tactics!

Hopefully glue will replace blu tac, and paint, dust. We'll see. Any comments welcome!

Edited January 29, 2017 by Beaky Brigade

[WarriorFish]

Lots of good kit bashing going on here, using models from other armies to match roles and armaments is a good way to bulk forces out as well as give them some more backstory :) Seems a waste of a Callidus to stand in as a DCA though! Wyches could do with something to make them look more Imperial. Bases are going to look good too, plenty of opportunity to give them variety :tu:

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

Good stuff, lots of creative conversions and it has the feel of an Ordo Xenos inquisitor who's allowed himself to be a bit influenced by the opponents he faces. I can't wait to see some paint on these.

[Beaky Brigade]

True to the thread title, a bit delayed! My excuse is moving flat, and not being able to finish projects.

Re the new rules changes, my Inquisitor can't take a conversion beamer for now, so instead of waiting for a full Imperial Agents codex to come out I will just use the index rules, storm bolter and inferno pistol. It looks like he could plausibly have power armour or terminator armour so hopefully he will be future resistant.

Luckily the rest of my Inquisition stuff is packed away so I can't work on anything else until he's done... Cough Cough...

Edited July 15, 2017 by Beaky Brigade

[WarriorFish]

The rules changes have hit a few models sadly, but Inquisition is king of counts as so we can always work around somehow :P

[Charlo]

Really cool stuff. I like the idea of the Wych Death Cults, may have to steal that one.

[Arkeo Nox]

Great kitbashing ! 

 

The main body is from a techmarine but I can't say which one... can you help me there @Beaky Brigade ?

[Beaky Brigade]

Great kitbashing ! 

 

The main body is from a techmarine but I can't say which one... can you help me there @Beaky Brigade ?

 

Thanks! It's FW's Valthex of the Astral Claws.  Not that I can remember that name of the top of my head! TBH his model is more notable than the character

[Beaky Brigade]

Well, it's been a while...

I lost interest in my models for a time, but converting a Chaos Renegades blood bowl team using only bitz I already had inspired me to finish some of my other projects. Finances are a little more stretched than they used to be, but luckily I already have a lot of minis and bitz! The discipline of not buying more bitz but making do with what I have instead is actually very useful.

The other big change is deciding I probably won't game with my Inquisition figures. After dipping my toes in getting involved with local gaming clubs, it just feels like the rich narrative experience is not the norm for 40k gaming, and my interest operates on a different cycle to the rules release cycle, meaning I've got more out of date books than games played. An example for me is the (very nice) person at the LGC explaining which units in a particular army were the most powerful, and it felt like he was speaking on a different wavelength to me.

Since then I've found a Blood Bowl league to have the right balance of playing and narrative, for every match is a story, and the players develop over time during the league. The crazy world of Blood Bowl is also appealing to me, but off topic for here.

The good side of this is I don't have to limit myself to a 'legal' or 'counts as' legal force, I can do what I like.

The first thing I did after reviewing the force is a few 'cuts', which in the Inquisition probably involves fire. The results are that the force has dropped from over a dozen, to a warband of 7 based on my favourites from the original group (The number is coincidental, but pleasant). This will hopefully help me finish them as well! Some of the cuts may return when these 7 are DONE.

A few were in bits being cleaned up when I took this, but from left to right: 'Acrobatic' Acolyte, Culexus Assassin, Inquisitor and Coms Acolyte

Coms Acolyte, fiddling with the helmet mounted radio volume controls that seem to exist only in video games, comics and miniatures.

I'm quite pleased with the simple use of Cadian parts and the control panel that comes with the sector mechanicus base set.

Instead of blu-tac I'm using this new construction material hitherto unknown to me called 'GLUE'. (at least holding him together).

Using the powers of the warp, we time travel to a previous day, when some of the rest of the 7 are still blu-tacked

I love this assassin, but inexplicably decided to ruin his hand for a conversion last year. I regret this immensely, but had no suitable hand to repair it with, and having quite high standards of symmetry and being banned from buying more bitz I had to come up with something.

I call this fix 'Allas poor Drago, I knew him!'

I'll probably have him staring at it. I like the little story it tells, has he been sent to silence a unit of Grey Knights that knew too much? Or is it a little totem, discovered while hunting an even deadlier psyker? Perhaps he simply has to follow the trail of death. One thing I will do is have the helmet turned more to the '4th wall', so it's more obvious what it is.

Well, that's all for now. We'll see if there are more updates!

Edited March 25, 2018 by Beaky Brigade