Know Thine Enemy

I promised this post earlier, but too much awesomeness in the form of my Octo-rant got in the way. Actually, he's got more than eight arms... and I almost thought to call him a portmanteau of Hydra+Tyrant... but calling him a "Hydrant" just doesn't do him justice. BUT... on to the main attraction. I promised a look at my hated enemies- the Imperial Guard currently being created by my cousin. I'll be taking more pictures later as he finishes, but he's taken great care to make his men look like they've deep in the action- the extras, the 40K Basing Kit, sand and gravel all give a look like they're in the middle of a warzone. He's also used green-stuff to create "mounds" and make the ground uneven. I've not seen how that looks yet all based/painted up, but I think it's a great idea. Anyways, onto the main attraction-

1) So I guess I should start out from the very beginning- out of all the races available to you in WH40K, why in God's name did you choose the Imperial Guard?? I mean, uh... what about them made you want to collect an army to paint/play/compete with?

Why indeed? There goes the argument that you would want to paint and play with something exotic, different; the idea that the army, like playing a hero in a video game, allows you to be more much more than you already are. The 40k universe is filled with all sorts of legendary warriors: lithe Eldar, weapons, tanks and armor sleek as sin and twice as deadly; the mighty, mighty Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, the heroes of the Imperium themselves, and the Tyranids, utterly ferocious, bent on the consupmtion of life as we know it. All of these forces are super human, unimaginably deadly, and just damn cool.
So why Guard?.... FOR THE IMPERIUM!


The Guard doesn't need highly trained warriors, swift and deadly, or psychers that control the very fabric of fate. The Guard doesn't need superhuman enhancement and tank like armor.The Guard doesn't need the driving force of a hive mind and monstrous beasts of cruel destruction. The Guard is relentless, slowly grinding it's opponents to dust under boot and tread. The Guard is is numerous, men and women, REGULAR men and women selling their lives dearly in defense of the Imperium. The Guard is driven by it's faith in the Emperor, an unimaginable war machine, facing the horrors of the universe with lasguns and courage.

I play the Guard because, in this whole universe created by GW, the lowly Guardsman is the underdog. I play the Guard because I can feel empathy towards their desperate struggle against unbelievable odds. I play Guard just because they are damn cool.

Oh, and tanks... God I love tanks... and come on, who didn't love the little green army soldiers we got as kids?The amount of (given, inaccurate) firepower I can call on with a Guard army? *wargasm


2) Tell me about the back-story for your army- I know Nerd when I see it (takes one to know one, and all that)- and I'm sure you've thought of some sort of fluff for your army? What do they call themselves? Where are they from? What is their purpose in "life", aside from being swept aside by the Izanagi horde? ... jus kiddin' Lian. Tell me about them.

Hmmmm... I've given it thought... but haven't really come to many conclusions. I'm an Angel/forces of good and light freak, so that kind of motif might be nice. Invictus System, Hive World Angelus, Angelforge? The 501st Angelus, the "Iron Saints". A lot of this is admittedly taken from other sources (DoW II, one of the main Hive Cities is called Angelforge and the Iron Saint is an award winning Baneblade model), but I really like the sound of that.


As for backstory, I remember you saying that you wanted your force to be representative of a fleet from a campaign pretty much drawn to a close. No spearheads of Carnifexes to knock aside armored companies or masses of firepower and MCs running around. Deception is your stength, surprise and stealth your weapon. So, we can say that you are already upon Angelus, Angelforge itself overrun or in the process of, and we, the Iron Saints, last army to be raised from the Imperial Tithe, is recalled to reclaim their home planet. Therefore, the army is largely green, plainly dressed and armed. But, as the fighting goes on and the troops become grizzled verterans... who knows what the models will look like and be armed with in the future...

To be continued....



3) I remember your old models and your new ones have more of a crisp/clean feel, and definitely a big improvement. We won't get into them, because to make it even, I've gotta show my original crappers, too. So tell me about the paint-scheme. What was your inspiration for the color scheme?

While I like bright colors and the potential reds, greens, and blues and the like have in really making a model look pretty, let's not lie to ourselves; we're soldiers, trench dogs rolling in the mud and blood of combat. Who in their right mind goes into combat wearing a damn red shirt? (Editor's Note: Heeey... I play a "salmon-colored" Master Chief in Halo...) So, I took two darker much more neutral tones I thought worked well together: khaki and grey. Really, the idea came from looking at Armageddon themed tanks. I thought, if it can work for armor, why not the men? And voila, here I am today... :P a little catachan green for the weapons, blues for the glass and red for the wire to add color accent and their you go. Subtle, but pretty...



4) And one last question- You've currently got a box set, sentinel, chimera, and one of those bad-ass Leman Russ tanks that we know and love. Anything special planned for your vehicles, in regards to paint scheme or modelling? What, if anything is your next purchase?

Just a few touches like camo netting rolled up and placed on the tank, magnetizing the new turrets so I can switch up the main guns (and hopefully sponsons). Next purchases will the the dead sexy Valkyrie (with a veteran squad to ride it) and that wargasmic Manticore. Nothing makes infantry go poof better than D3 str 10 pie plates.



Looking forward to seeing the Iron Saints go head-to-head with Hive Fleet Izanagi!