New Conversions and Army Pic

Hello everyone!! It has been a super long time since I posted.  The Army has sat for a while and I haven't had a game in nearly two years.  But like every good hobby, 40K has come back full circle and I am wanting to work on my Praetorians again.  Just to get the juices flowing I started with a few conversions.

The first is my final decision for Plasma Gunner which I never posted after I reached out for opinions.  Unfortunately there are no WIP pics but you should be able to figure it out from the primed model.  It's base is a flamer model.  I trimmed the nozzel and just above the left hand, keeping the grip.  Then I trimmed a plasma pistol and it slotted in place very nicely.

Plasma Gunner converted from Flamer.  It is a really good fit and should look nice painted up.

Rear view.  These are part of my Veteran Squads and have backpacks from Victoria Lamb.

Next are my snipers.  This was a super easy conversion.  I just snipped the barrel off the gun in front of the left hand and just below the sight.  I snipped a ten-penny nail to a lenght I thought was aesthetically pleasing and just glued it on.  It is a little fragile but I am hoping after painting and varnishing it will hold pretty well.

I like that the head of the nail gives it a muzzle. 

These will be painted in the same green with red trim as my Ratling Snipers

The last conversions are some Regimental Standard Bearers.  The traditional standard bearer is good and he will be carry the Emperor's Colors, but his pose is too static and I didn't want a bunch of them in my army.  I used the following figures because they were more dynamic.  For the model on the right I clipped the right hands of the old standard bearer and the new model and just glued it on.  For the one on the left I just trimmed the top and bottom off the banner and glued it to the fist of the model.  These will be my "Company Standard" Bearers.

Company Standard Bearers

The enemy will never see them from this angle!

And last but not least is a photo of my new army.  They say go big or go home.  This is a 2000 point all infantry army.  As you can see only about 1/3 of it is painted.  It is a little bit of a daunting task, but I think it will look awesome when complete.  Feel free to give comments and suggestions.  Here's to new blogs.... Cheers.

Some of the Emperor's Finest Footsloggers!!

Plasma Conversion

I know this blog does not get as much traffic as in previous years but I am hoping for a little help.
I am working on new Plasmagun conversions as I don't have any more meltagun models.  Here are 3 potential poses.  They are just test models and I will fill some of the gaps with green stuff, etc.  I am wondering what your opinions are.  I am personally partial to the pose on the left.  However, the pose on the right looks more like the pose of the meltagun model. Let me know what you think so I can start cranking them out.

COL Straken Conversion

Here is a conversion I did for my COL Straken.  It was actually very simple.  It utilized the Praetorian Lieutenant, a space marine plasma pistol, and the old Straken model.  Here are the original models before any work was done.

 Next I cut the arm off of the Lieutenant right at the epaulet. I also removed the bolt pistol which surprisingly left the holster details.  I trimmed the hand from the plasma pistol and glued it on.  It was a good fit.

Finally, I cut the Straken model's shotgun arm just below the elbow.  I actually started above the elbow but found that it was too much.  I slowly started removing metal until I found the right fit.  Here is a front and back view of the final model.

I think it is a convincing substitute and can't wait to get it painted up.

Updated Paint Progress

As promised, here is my latest painting status. Not too much progress but I got a lot of squads primed.

I also converted up a COL Straken and a SGT Harker.  I will post some pics of them once I upload the photos.

Medic Color Scheme

I will be using this model as the primary medic in my Command Squad:

I will use other Mordians if I have multiple Command Squads.

The only good visual of Medical Corps uniforms is this:

Mostly dark blue with red trim. I don't want these being confused with my Artillery Units so I don't want them to have just red trim.

Here are my proposed color schemes:

I am kind of partial to the black cuffs and trim but I don't know if it will really show on the model. Let me know what you think,

Designating Conscripts

I know that the community is not as active as it was a few years ago, but I am looking for some advice/input.  I am looking for a way to distinguish my Conscripts from my Infantry Units.  It has been easy for me because I use distinct poses for each squad.  My opponents may not find it as easy and I want there to be no question in their minds.

My initial thought is to add these to their helmets:

The thought here is that in Colonial Africa, the seasoned fighters would remove their helmet crest and stain the helmets.  New recruits would still have the crest on.

That brings me to my other choice which is to leave the helmets white.  With my painting procedure, that is difficult but maybe an additional overbrush of white after my wash would work.

Maybe a combination of both is the answer.  Let me know what you think.

Also, I have few Mordian models which will act as my command team medics.  I am working on a color scheme for them.  Once I get a few ideas down I will show them to you for input.

1st Games in 8th Edition

I played my first two games in 8th Edition.  They were a blast but I gut my butt handed to me.  Here is the list I took:

Company Commander- Plasma Pistol, Powersword
Company Commander- Plasma Pistol, Powersword
Tank Commander- Punsisher Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Bolters
Infantry Squad- Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
Infantry Squad- Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
Infantry Squad- Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
Infantry Squad- Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
Infantry Squad- Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
40 Conscripts
10 Ratlings
Commissar- Plasma Pistol
Command Squad- Regimental Standard, Medipack, Plasmagunx2
Leman Russ- Battle Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Bolter
Leman Russ- Battle Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Bolter
Demolisher- Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Bolter
Demolisher- Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon, Heavy Bolter
Hellhound- Inferno Cannon, Heavy Flamer
Hellhound- Inferno Cannon, Heavy Flamer
2 Scout Sentinels- Heavy Flamers

It seemed like a good well rounded, all comers list.  I was wrong.  Not having played 8th before saw me make some tactical errors.  For instance having 3 units engaged by one Hell Drake.  First off, I wasn't aware that you only had to be an inch away to be considered engaged.  Little things like that have big consequences on the game.  I will learn and get better.  My list will also change as I get more models painted.  for now, here are a few pictures of one of the games.

Battle Line formed and Sentinels scouting ahead

Chaos in my face!!!

Left Flank about to fold.

I hope you enjoy.