+ inload; Repurposing models +

+ inload: New jobs for old models +

+ The sun sets on the Primarch and his Honour Guard outside the walls of Macragge. +

+ Re-using or repurposing models from one army to another is something I do quite a bit. A fresh paintjob can work wonders in livening up a figure, and is – obviously – considerably cheaper and quicker than making another. 

+ The three Honour Guard figures above are a good example of figures that are good candidates for re-use. They received quick paintjobs for a specific campaign weekend, and don't quite fit anywhere in the way I now see the Ultramarines. +

+ The three started out life as Imperial Fists (see left), a short-lived project that eventually got swept under the carpet. They were pressed into service for the Ultramarines when I was hard-pushed for time, but have languished, virtually unused, in my army case since that campaign weekend. 

+ I can't get too excited about elite troops; I much prefer the down-and-dirty line infantry. For this reason, I decided that the Honour Guard would be re-used to help integrate the new Ultramarines (the 190th) with the old Ultramarines (the Praetors of Calth. +

+ The Praetors of Calth are an army of which I'm very proud, but the later models didn't quite fit with the original image I had for the army for one reason or another. With the thirty core troops in place, I flitted from expansion to expansion; adding five Vanguard or Recon troops... and then pulling them apart and repainting them when they didn't quite fit. + 

+ The 190th are an attempt to breathe new life into the army as a whole. With the release of the Forgeworld Horus Heresy range of bits, it's become a real possibility to create the army that I wanted. The first step was to build a relatively substantial force of the new models; I have a bad habit of breaking apart perfectly useable old models with the intention of updating them, then getting distracted by other projects; leaving me with fewer than I had before! +

+ So, with a large squad of new marines complete:

+ ... it was time to look at updating the older models, with the intention of creating a mixed squad of Breachers that would bridge the visual gaps between the older models and the newer ones. I started by creating some completely new models, being sure to add visual links to the newer models like updated FW helmets, equipment, and legs (taken from Tartaros Terminators). +

+ I then broke up the Honour Guard and rebuilt them with a mix of the older and newer elements:

+ Notice that the focal points of the Breacher marines (weaponry, helmets) are updated – this is relatively quick work that really changes the feel of the models. I also updated the backpacks (as these are a strong visual identifier for the period, but the majority of the work was removing the excess decoration on the originals. +

+ I like to think that these are perhaps the same marines; simply at an earlier stage of their careers. By the time of the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, the rest of the squad must have been killed or promoted away, leaving just these three grizzled survivors. +

+ As a group, I hope the newer and older models fit together well. In particular, the mix of newer and older shoulder pads in the squad (probably the most distinctive visual part of my particular method of making larger marines) links the unit both to the older and newer models. With a quick spruce-up of the paintjob – I think they deserve my best efforts –  I think they'll work well. +

+ While talking about the Breachers, note the additional marine in the back left of the image above. He's a 'transition' marine that combines elements of the older and newer aesthetics in unique ways: his backpack and shoulder pads are neither the new style nor the standard old style; instead being a unique mix that combines elements of both to assist with the unit blending together.

+ He required a bit of reposing. Here's the original construction (he's at the front):

+ While it's a pose I liked, it didn't fit with the squad. I'm being very careful with the 190th to make sure that they look good en masse; and that means occasionally sacrificing individual poses for the good of the group. With the new poses (and bits – his legs and right arm have been removed and are already the start of a new marine), the squad looks much more cohesive. +

+ This concentration on the group rather than the whole also makes the most of limited resources. I only have eight Breacher shields and seven of the gladius-style shortswords. By planning ahead and scattering appropriate-looking chainswords (see the fifth picture from the top for an example) in the squad as it's built, I'll gradually work in these divergent bits of equipment on models that otherwise stick closely to the group aesthetic; further building on the integration of the squad as a whole. +

+ On this note, it's part of the reason why one having something special (a bare head, a cool pose, a weird bit of equipment) often looks best on a model if it's set off by a group of standard marines – then the divergent bit becomes a point of interest in the overall arrangement as well as the individual figure. +

+ Anyway, enough pontification! To end this post, here's a final shot of the Breacher squad from the front. +