210th Army IG Blog, All Female Alarian 740th & Valhallan 5th

[borkies]

Hey all,

This is a shared blog with my s/o detailing our guard armies, together they form the 210th Imperial guard Army with various other models and troopers in our collection.

I'm a relatively new player and I play a custom regiment, the all female Alarian 740th Mountaineers "Markov's Marauders". This is a unit from my custom planet, Alar, a frozen mining world that recently fell to chaos. My troops are fully converted from a number of sources, namely OOP Elysians and a few other sources. I'll sign the end of my Posts with a -R

My s/o has played since second edition and he's going to post about his Valhallan regiment, the 5th Valhallan "Black Guards". He'll be rebuilding and expanding on his first army from back in the day, so most of his models with be metal GW with some 3rd party. He'll sign the end of his posts with a -T

I'll start off with a few pictures of my recently finished Mountaineers to start the blog off.



Company Commander- Lieutenant Sonia Bolton




1st Squad, 2nd Platoon led by NCO Sergeant Kamarov


Cpl. LaHain and 2 other troopers


Troopers Lanete and Nitzkowski ready for Close Combat


Trooper Nitzkowski racking the slide

[emptyhat]

Mountaineers is a pretty cool theme for a regiment and I like the colour scheme. Practical mountain camouflage with a splash of colour. How will you be handling vehicles?

[borkies]

emptyhat : Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the camo and theme, I strive to have the gear naturally inform on the model's character. As for Vehicles I'll be fielding some Leman Russes along with several indirect artillery/scout vehicles to hold with the mountaineers theme. Furthermore the vehicles will have improvised armor/weapons to show the reduced resources of a regiment who lost their Homeworld and the pragmatic solutions of a unit in the wilderness -R



Here is the other Army tied to this log, the 5th Valhallan "Black Guards" Regiment, posts will mainly be focusing on modernizing and building out an army of the 1st Imperial guard models I collected.



I've had these troops since I was 5 when my dad bought me a squad box plus lieutenant blister of the newly released Valhallan Imperial guard. That hand flamer toting space soviet lieutenant became the first trooper I every fully painted, though I repainted him at age 12, in the classic 2nd edition green/white camo with my other troopers. Ever since I’ve collected any Valhalllans I can, which by now is over 80 troopers plus heavy weapons, special weapons and Officers.



As part of my army posts I'll be focusing my converting skills on expanding the limited officers/special weapons (plasmaguns/modern flamers/demo charges)/special troops (conscripts/veterans/ratlings)/regimental advisors and more to make a fully modern 8th edition Valhallan army. For painting I'll be following a theme of WW2 soviet brown/khaki uniforms with black collars/shoulder boards [signifying them as Black Guard troopers] on a steppe grass mixed possibly with light snow basing.



This army was inspired in part by Yeti's Valhallan blog on this forum, the way he made conversions that fit the winter/soviet theme gave me a ton of ideas for content

To start off, here is my Valhallan Platoon from back in the day, terrible early 2000s paint jobs and all





Old army, these boys will be re-based and painted to form the core of the new army



My lieutenant, as a call back I'll leave this model un-converted, just repainted to the new army theme as a sort of continuation



My attempt at snipers after watching "Enemy at the Gates", their scopes and extended barrels were damaged over the years



New troops ready for paint



Special weapons from various sources



This is the new color scheme, though I do need to pick some highlights and basing style still.





Again both R and I [T] will be posting updates to our armies keep this thread updated frequently



Thank you all for the interest, hope you enjoy the projects -T

[cheminhaler]

Excellent work on the mountaineers, R and good luck with stripping all the Valhallans T. Old metal models are really classy.

[nutty]

I thought I commented on this thread yesterday, but I must've forgotten to hit 'create post'.

Either way; welcome to the IGMB! The custom guardsmen look great, it's a nice mix of parts and the colours work well. The valhallans look great in their new paintjob.

I'm looking forward to the next updates.

[judcottrell]

Those take me back!

Those old metal sculpts really have stood the test of time.

Like the mountain Regiment idea, they look great in the snow too!

I like the brown colour scheme on the Valhallans, very WW2.

[borkies]

cheminhaler Thank you, and T said the "stripping struggle is real"

nutty I'm glad the mix of parts and gear looks realistic, its good to know it isn't over the top. The brown really ties into the Soviet theme, T has a batch of troopers mid-paint

judcottrell Yeah, T was mentioning the inherent character of the old Valhallan sculpts and you're right the models still look great next to modern GW models. I'm glad you like my conversions, I strive to make each guardswoman feel like a real combatant in mid action. 

Thank you all so much for the support on my converted Mountain guardswomen, I spend hours on each squad member and it means so much to see you appreciate the effort.

We spent a good amount of time over the Holiday weekend building out on the projects, we'll be posting a few picture updates later today -R

[borkies]

Weekend update: I've been working on some heavy assault troopers to add to my special weapons squads. I wanted to give them a heavier, bulkier look than my normal troopers.










Here are some Valhallan Heavy weapons that T cleaned over the weekend.

Let us know what you think -R

[cheminhaler]

Excellent scratch built trooper there, R.

Dettol should work quite quickly for stripping the Valhallans. Douwe Egberts coffee jars are great for putting the minis in overnight; with a pop off glass lid for the jar keeps the chemical smell contained.

[judcottrell]

Those assault troops are looking great! Much bulkier than the rest of the infantrymen.

[borkies]

Thanks for all the support guys! I've got a few updates on my 740th Mountain Raiders, mostly on the supporting elements of my force.

First and foremost, my Tempest pattern Leman Russ:


So this past week I've been working on a tank conversion I'm calling the "Tempest" pattern Leman Russ. It's inspired by a few conversions I remember seeing somewhere on Warseer; the design is better suited for the mountainous combat zones of the 740th. The range and firepower of the Vanquisher battle cannon gives the tank an edge in armored combat, an edge it desperately needs as relatively few Tempest pattern Russes exist due to its niche optimization for mountain combat. Because of this, it takes months, even years for replacement tanks to arrive at the front, so Alarian commanders tend to employ heavy armor sparingly in favor of lighter tank destroyers (which I'll post in a later update).


I wanted my mountain troopers to have a tank that matched their theater of war--a tank with a higher ground clearance, torsion bar suspension, and motorized winch in the rear (which allows it to scale the more difficult slopes).


I'll probably end up making a platoon or two of these along with some magnetized armored skirts.


In addition, I painted up my test mortar team, and I'm pretty happy with the look.



Infantry conversion guide/showcase coming sometime this week. -R

[nutty]

that's an interesting looking tank, I'm sure the completed product will end up looking great.

I like the amount of gear that team has with them; it looks a bit more lived in. Those anvil legs are great, I've got a couple to do up my artillery detachment (if I ever get around to it that is) and the ones sitting on crates are my favourite by far.

[judcottrell]

Great basing and conversion work!
I'm getting cold just looking at them!!

[borkies]

So I've made some progress on my Valhallans and I thought it might be good to give an overview of this Valhallan project as an general direction.

The main task to make a modern Imperial guard Army using predominately 2nd edition Valhallans are the numerous required conversions. As despite the Valhallans being the 1st Imperial guard model range created, the models range/background lore on them is somewhat lacking. As such I'll be drawing themes from the WW2 Soviet Union for any missing units or gaps in how things are structured/appear, given the established models are lifted from the winter of 1942 I feel this is fair. I’ll also be fleshing out the regimental history of the 5th Valhallan “Black Guards” Regiment, given the unique history of Valhallan’s struggle this regiment is one of the oldest continuously serving regiments in Segmentum Ultima.

In order to modernize this Army, I need to address the following modeling needs-

Plasma gunners- Valhallans never got released minis for them, though recasters have been selling the model recently. I have a conversion Idea with the Grenade launcher model as a base. I might pick up a recast of the unreleased one at some point.

Flamers- The older flamers are the only models that aged poorly in my eyes, I’ll leave a few hand flamers for nostalgia, but most will be converted, the full flamers need to be modernized to have Cadian pattern nozzles

Sergeants- The Valhallans only have 2 Sergeant models, I’ll need to add model variety plus the bolter option while keeping the Valhallan Sergeant theme (sashes). I’ll start exploring these conversions in depth after the 1st goal

Heavy Weapons- With a limited number of crew models, I need to keep the heavy weapon teams interesting and match R’s thematic built up basing, she really sets a bar

Officer Conversions- outside of Chenkov and the LT. there is a lack of Soviet style officers, I do have plans to address this with 2nd edition models and field the full range of IG officer weapon options

Commander of the 5th Valhallan Regiment- I have a conversion Idea in the works, waiting on parts

Updated Chenkov- The current model is too stiff, I’m going to see if there is a conversion to add more dynamic character

Command Squad- every IG army needs an iconic command squad, I have some ideas for a medic/master Vox/standard bearer and Platoon SGT

Converted Lord Commissar- I need a winterized Lord Commissar, something suitably soviet mixed with 40k themes

Converted Astropath/primaris psykers- Soviet psykers, need I say more?

Conscripts- Wouldn’t be Valhallans without Conscripts and “Send in the next Wave” is the first thing people think when you mentioned Valhallans. I need a recognizable unit that isn’t just a pile of the same Valhallan lasgunners seen everywhere else. Fortunately, there is an extremely Soviet solution to this problem, test models to follow in 2nd Project goal…

Veteran Troopers- These will be one of the 3rd party units, I can’t find a way of portraying these in the model range as the weapon options are too limited in metal, I have an idea for these

Ratling snipers- WW2 Soviet style snipers, likely another 3rd party unit, I have an idea for these

Special Weapon Squads- Valhallan Sappers

Valhallan/winterized Tempestus Scions- TBD

Converted Master of Ordinance- TBD

Tank Commanders/ Winterized Vehicle crew- TBD

Valhallan specialist Vehicles- I have some ideas for converted Soviet style tanks to pad out the motor pool

1st Valhallan Project Goal- Create a reinforced Battalion of Valhallan Infantry.

Currently I have all the models on order/ on hand for these units, so it’s a matter of building/basing and painting at this point. The Infantry loadout will allow me to use my favorite squad layout and build a viable army for small games. For this goal I’ll show some minor conversion work on 2 officers, my ideas for Heavy weapon basing and show off my attempt on the plasma gunner conversion format.

1st Company Commanders (HQ)
2nd Company Commander (HQ)
1st Ministorum Priest (Elite)
1st Infantry Squad Plasmagun/ Autocannon (Troops)
2nd Infantry Squad Plasmagun/ Autocannon (Troops)
3rd Infantry Squad Plasmagun/ Autocannon (Troops)
1st Lascannon Squad (Heavy Support)
1st Mortar Squad (Heavy Support)

Total current models with status-
18 Lasgunners (in painting)
3 Sergeants (need to be cleaned and primed)
3 Plasma Gunners (need to be converted)
3 Autocannons with 6 crew (in Painting)
3 Lascannons with 6 Crew (Primed)
3 Mortars with 6 Crew (primed)
1 Priest (on order)
2 Company Commanders (one damaged Lt. and one 2nd edition character, both in conversion Wip)
First Goal Total- 45 models, 9 heavy weapons


First Batch of Lasgunners, 9 more in process

Plasma Gunners, need to finish the 2nd hand

I should have the 2nd batch of lasguns done by the weekend, with the Sgts following behind- T

[nutty]

those plasma conversions look great!

If you don't mind using 3rd party stuff there is a company called 'reptillan overlords' that does space spetznaz, and Artel (Wartel, artelW, whatever they are called) does Valhallans and some Valhallanish characters that could work as a base for conversions. Victoria Lamb also does Valhallans, but they are closer to Forgeworld/DKoK in scale.

[borkies]

nutty Yeah, R showed me those reptilian overlords, I'm thinking of getting a sample of them for scale. I do have a model from W Artel that will play a role as one of the conversions, after some modifying to make them a bit more 40k.

I've been looking at the Victoria miniatures for use, normally I'm against them as the boots don't match the Valhallan style boots. Fortunately I have found a way to get standard Valhallan boots on them that should make VM models usable.


On a related Valhallan post, I've gotten the paint stripping started

And this fellow came in the mail, that hair+weapon and face just screams "crazy Russian preacher"

[cheminhaler]

Really good work, both of you.

The scratch built troopers are getting crazy.

If memory serves there was a later release batch of Valhallans that filled most of the gaps in the range but I can't remember if there was a plasma gunner. Used to collect Mordians more back when I was young but remember that they did a second heavy weapon trooper for the Mordians with an injured head & bandages instead of the postman's hat they normally had, as part of the later release.

[borkies]

Hey all, made some more assault troopers. Planning on fielding them as a plasma command squad.





I also converted/painted up an Interrogator, made from a few spare bits I had lying around.



-R

[nutty]

Those are some good looking plasmagunners

[borkies]

cheminhaler You're right, the 2nd edition Imperial guard lines were designed in 3 phases, sadly no line got all 4 special weapons except debatably the Catachans with the female Grenade launcher:

Phase 1 1994- Squad box(1 special weapon, 4 lasgunners, a Sgt, 1 heavy weapon), Lieutenant, 2 more heavy weapons, 
Phase 2 1995/1996- they added 4 more lasgunners, a sgt and 2 more special weapons (grenade launchers/melta guns for valhallans) 
Phase 3 1998- Added 2 more Heavy weapons 

Here is a photo of the lasgunner, the bottom 4 are the 1994 sculpts, the top 4 are the rarer 1995 sculpts with the top right being the most uncommon in my experience. If you start collecting Valhallans you'll find that the 2 sculpts in the bottom left make up close to a 3rd of all the models you'll get.


I've made some progress on my plans, with 7 more lasgunners completed, leaving just 2 more to finish out the first 3 squads. I've found that painting them in groups of the same sculpt makes the job far quicker as the change in wargear between sculpts is easier to manage.


I've also finished the 1st company commander, it was an LT with a damaged sword. I changed the sword hand with a tempestus pointing hand, swapped the flamer nozzle for a laspistol barrel and added a saber from the Horus Heresy marine box. I like the look of the black Sashes, I think I'll keep that going foward for SGT/officers.



I'll be updating with the Autocannons and SGT next time. -T

[nutty]

cool stuff; did the commander misplace a glove somehwere? His trigger is going to get a lot colder than his pointing finger

[borkies]

Thank you Nutty

Yeah the non-gloved hand was due to the laspistol and the sash the hand rests on being black, I was split on making the whole area black or keeping the hand flash colored. I'm thinking of making the gloves gloss back (leather looking) which might help out. On second thought I'll repaint it to make it standout less and appear like a guy who forgot something at the barracks

[judcottrell]

These are coming on nicely!

Loving the Company Commander.

Can I suggest you use a lighter shade of beige on the wrappings/bedrolls on the Infantry?
I think it’ll draw the eye a little more.

Just ignore me if you don’t agree!

Good work.

[emptyhat]

Sept 25, 2019 2:51:11 GMT -5 nutty said:

cool stuff; did the commander misplace a glove somehwere? His trigger is going to get a lot colder than his pointing finger

Gotta be a glove over a synthetic hand, Luke Skywalker style.

[borkies]

judcottrell Thanks for the feedback and I agree with your assessment. I am looking to add a dry brush highlight to bedrolls, maybe a light beige or grey to make them more distinct while covering any areas the wash pooled.

emptyhat That was essentially the theme I wanted with the glove, this Valhallan Lieutenant has a wounded/disfigured hand covered by an armored glove, heavily taken from Luke as you sited. -T 


For the last few days I've been working on painting up a few more standard troopers for my second infantry squad. Probably going to build and paint up a lacannon team for these troopers.



Particularly happy with how the shotgun turned out, I like to give my marksmen some extra flavor with a close range secondary weapon.


Also had a lot of fun with the grenade tossing pose on this trooper!




I promise I'll get that WIP/guide up later this week, I've been pretty busy with work the past few days. -R