Veteran Squad 1 - Sgt Saman

I've 2 squads of Melta-Vets equipped with Shotguns and a Demolition Charge. Very handy in a Chimera, these guys have tallied up some impressive kills.

The Shotgun conversion is shown on the Veteran Squad 2 post. I tried to have the Sergeants and their Chainswords match the style of the existing Catachan metal models so have done a little modelling on them. The Comm-Link model holding his gun beside him and resting his hand on his Close Combat weapon I think worked really well. You may have noticed I replace the Comm-Link aerials with metal from paperclips: this is to prevent breakage.

Veteran Squad 2 - Sgt Adrian

I've 2 squads of Melta-Vets equipped with Shotguns and a Demolition Charge. Very handy in a Chimera, these guys have tallied up some impressive kills.

The Shotguns used a simple conversion I found somewhere on the Internet: carefully chop off the ends of Imperial Guard Flamers being careful to keep 1 tube, spin around, glue to a filed down Lasgun and remove the ammo clip. It works great on plastic or metal models. The Demolitions Charge model didn't have a bandana: unacceptable in this regiment, so greenstuff was required...

I tried to have the Sergeants and their Chainswords match the style of the existing Catachan metal models. Somewhere I'm working on Lascannon crews so I can swap them for 2 of the Meltagunners, making a regular Infantry Squad.

Ogryn Squad - Bone 'ead Duncan

I'm not sure why I prefer the older Ogryn models to the newer ones. Perhaps these ones look more scruffy, or less Cadian. They're not cheap, and I had to get 6 to fill a Chimera. By chance Ebay got me 5 with Close Combat blades drawn, appropriate for their role, and one with arm held high leading the charge. Clearly he'd be the Bone 'ead.

Some of the regular models had bionic eyes, something that only a Bone 'ead would have, so I removed these and greenstuffed back normal eyes. The Bone 'ead has a Comm-Link wired into his enhanced skull. I used a Cadian Comm-Link as this has a speaker for shouting orders remotely at the whole squad. The Bone 'ead needed a Close Combat weapon so I got 2mm plasticard, filled to shape, drilled out and fitted a handle then attached it with a greenstuff belt-loop. Fiddly but its worked well.

Fire Dragons

Fire Dragons are a regular staple of Eldar armies. The Exarch is raised up on his base by a 1mm sheet of plasticard (a common trick to add 'importance'/rank) and had his 3 weapon options magnetised.

I've recessed double stacked 3mm magnets in his shoulder and each arm option has a 3mm magnet at the shoulder joint. The Firepike has a pin added at the bottom to locate in a hole on the model's base.

The Dragon's Breath Flamer and Fusion Gun options have a pin which locates on a hole in his right thigh. The Fusion Gun was a very involved piece to make: made of the Fusion Gun from an old Guardian Weapons sprue (although a modern Autarch one would do), a Guardian arm, a shaped and filed piece of plasticard for the shoulderguard and much greenstuff for bolts and bulges. In the end this was worth it as the Fusion Gun is the weapon most likely to be used.

Ministorum Priests

Amar                                       NitNat                                        Wend'

The painted Priests were done quite some time ago. The Keith Flint look-alike on the left has a Bolter added on his back, sadly no longer Codex legal, and some cabling from his sword showing it's a Power Weapon, again sadly no longer useable in game. The middle model is one of the few miniatures produced with an Eviscerator. It's a Necromunda Redemptor Priest, although the Flamer part of his Eviscerator isn't in the rules either it could be counted as a Shotgun proxy. Annoyingly the Plasma Gun on the right can't be used either, although the previous Sisters of Battle Codex did allow 1 Priest/Preacher to have a Plasma Gun, probably because of this model.

Techpriest Enginseer - Toby

I can't claim credit for the painting on this model. As good as it is sadly Enginseers are rarely useful enough to be fielded. If I do field him I can have him escorted by 5 Servitors.

Primaris Psyker - Little Rich

This Primaris Psyker has had the head of his staff swapped for a snake from, I think, an Empire Wizard sprue. As the snake is the motif of the Psyker Battle Squad it seemed fitting that all Psykers in my army used this symbol.

Commissar Lord Anil

This Commissar is actually a Mordian Iron Guard Lieutenant with a Power Sword added. Considering I painted this when I was much younger I'm still proud of the detail I achieved.

Commando Dan

Commando Dan (counts as Guardsman Marbo)

Psyker Battle Squad - Sgt-Overseer Mathieu

I wanted a distinctive Psyker Battle Squad and was underwhelmed with the standard Sanctioned Psykers. I had a look through an old Imperial Guard collectors guide and liked the Necromunda Delaque gangers: they're bald, wear glasses/goggles and trenchcoats but would otherwise pass for Catachans to match the rest of my army. I'm very satisfied with the outcome, even if others have had the same idea, although this wasn't cheap. They all have a snake emblem on their lapels so when I made an icon bearer I used a Dark Elf shield, trimmed down, which also had a snake. I like this as a symbol of the other-worldly psykers.

As psykers are equipped with Laspistols and Close Combat weapons I had to do a lot of weapon swaps. Here a ganger has had his Lasgun replaced and a Comm-Link (Vox-caster to post 2nd Ed. gamers) added. No, Psyker Battle Squads don't get Comm-Links but all my squads, whether Ratlings or Rough Riders, have one modelled for appearance. Next to him is a gang leader modelled as the squad's Overseer. His swapped-in pistol is bigger, as its suggested he's the final 'safeguard'. I've swapped his head for one on the tank accessories sprue which looks like a Commisar as his role is much like one, and he stands out.

 I used the two gang heavies as the icon bearer and the 'firer' of the squad. The icon bearer is a simple hand swap so both hands clasp the staff made of coat-hanger and a shield stripped down. The firer has two hand swaps: his left hand open as if hurling a psychic power. He also has a suitably large sword on his back with the existing straps of the model extended in greenstuff to hold it.