Tuesday 25 September 2018

Ranger Support - Eldar Scouts with Alternate Weapons



I wanted to add some variety into my Eldar scout-themed Kill Team. I figured the best way to do this was by way of proxying some scouts with different weaponry. My favourite unit in my 2nd edition 40k army was a squad of scouts armed with shuriken catapults. These guys in fact:

This veteran unit has experienced the horrors of being boxed and discarded for decades.

I converted this unit by clipping off their long rifle barrels and replacing them with Dark Elf crossbows. At some point in the late 1990s or early 2000s, the unit got further upgrades with fur and Wood Elf accoutrements, and were used as Exodites. It was only a few weeks ago that I suffered the acutely embarrassing realisation that scouts armed with shuriken catapults are not a legal 2nd edition codex unit. I can tell that you're shocked.

My current Kill Team will salvage and refurbish some of the horrifically converted scouts owned by my younger self. And will possibly redeem my rules illegality in the process.

The next two additions to the Kill Team masquerade as a Guardian Defender grav platform and operator. Of course, being a grav platform doesn't necessarily mean you need to be a levitating gun - you could just as easily be a really cool scout with a big gun and a bandana!



I painted the new pair up in the same scheme as the first group. These got a little more pink by virtue of the extra ribbons and sashes. I put the heavy weapon trooper on a larger elevated base to reinforce the fact he's not just a normal figure.


The figures are both converted. The female scout with the shuriken catapult has been given a new head from a Wood Elf sorceress (the legs of which I used on Tal Newblade a few years ago). The shuriken catapult was cut down from one of the proto-Dire Avengers, and I added the modesty-concealing loincloth (which I think was originally from a Khemri Blood Bowl player).


The lad with the big gun is a splice between the lower half of a scout and the upper half of yet another proto-Dire Avenger. I really wanted to keep the cool bandana, so rather than do a complete head swap, I removed the crested helmet from above the bandana, and resculpted a sleeker helmet more akin to the other Eldar scouts.  His gun comes from a Harlequin Death Jester, and the pointing hand is from a modern plastic Dire Avenger Exarch.


Because I'm using many of the scout models as essentially modular components, it's fun to see how much variation you can get using the same base models.

All three figures share the same legs.

This pair began life as the same figure.

So that's now eight painted figures that I can use in the team, seven of which are newly painted. I really should put some time into developing background and names. I also had my first couple of games with the team, which immediately suggested that I need to take fewer Rangers and more Dire Avengers. So I'll be making a couple of extra scouts with shuriken catapults to fill that void.

The Kill Team to date.

32 comments:

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    1. Thanks! You forgot to add "really cool retro 80s trend-setter" ;)

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  2. Fun stuff. Looks great, and they have a very cool story.

    (Note to self: get a red head band!)

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    1. Thanks very much! Pink head bands are even better :D

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  3. That heavy weapons guy is great! The helmet is well sculpted and the gun is ambiguous in that very useful for skirmish gaming way.

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    1. Glad you like him! I haven't actually settled on what his gun is, so flexibility is really useful. I'm inclined to think that more shots is better!

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    2. For multi shot guns, Star Cannon may be overpowered, but probably fits the best. Shuricannon is just too distinctive.

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    3. Yeah, the shuriken cannon has a very distinct look. Possibly a multi-laser?

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    4. Oh yes, the multilaser! yes, that seems to fit the gun best (besides the proto-fire pike that it is sculpted as)

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    5. Oh, I know it actually IS a bright lance, but that seems a bit overkill in a skirmish setting 😉

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  4. Man, you make these kitbashes look so seamless. Loving that scheme too. solid mate.

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    1. Thanks very much! Getting to the point where conversions look like production figures is the ultimate aim. It's great to hear I'm getting close.

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  5. Agree with Dai...your kitbashes are so subtle and perfect.

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  6. These look so good! So much character!

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  7. You keep on amazing me :O
    Wonderful work, seriously. That last pic can make a perfect Codex cover!

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    1. Thanks Suber! It needs to have a nice blue background and some giant war machines in the background! Perhaps I should set up a photoshoot ;)

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  8. Beautiful conversions mate, I love the big gun leader he excites me much better than most the old eldar sculpts
    great work
    J

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    1. Big gun leaders get most people excited I think :D Glad you like them!

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  9. These are just amazing conversions. I too have a few models that my younger self horribly mutilated in "converting" them. I don't think they've ever really been finished.

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    1. I think it's reassuring that the mutilations of younger days aren't necessarily just junk. It's been fun revisiting them!

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  10. There's something really cool about skinny guys with large weapons. It's a Dark Reaper Exarch, or Deathjeter vibe. Great work! It's really heartening to see figures resurrected from your past.

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    1. That was where Maugan Ra didn't work for me - he's just too big and bulky for the Eldar vibe. Death Jesters are much cooler, even if they do wear chaps!

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  11. I'm surprised Rangers didn't have a Shuricat option back then. I know I had some with Power Swords and Shuriken Pistols. I wish they still had more options like that instead of just being dedicated snipers. As you demonstrate here, they look fantastic with a wider mix of weaponry.

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    1. I'm with you, I'd like more options. Being pigeonholed as snipers is a bit limiting I think.

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  12. I'm late to the party, but these are lovely. I hope that we get a game in featuring them sooner, rather than later.

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    1. Me too cheetor. A weekend of Kill Team fun sounds really tempting!

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