Where GW really dropped the ball was not announcing a companion miniatures line to go with Dark Heresy. Fortunately, there are a bazillion other companies, like Rackham. I only wish they hadn't gone the badly-prepainted-plastic route, but what can you do? They're French.
Above is a set of minis I don't get to use often enough, (which is good, because they stay intact that way); Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Thetis and her advisors, Doctor Phobic and High Canoness Vespera. All three are lovely (overpriced) minis from Rackham, minimally converted. I weaponized the staffs on Phobic and Thetis, turning one into a chain-glaive and the other into a force weapon with integrate plasma pistol.The High Canoness I left stock, because I love the freaking miniature the way she is; she has a nice high-holy look without being a frothing-at-the-mouth zealot.
Yes, I know, square bases on models meant for 40k, it's a crime. I need to get some more Warmachine bases to transplant them to.
In the grand tradition of high Imperial muckety-mucks, they carry their scriptures around with them, and miraculously manage not to maul themselves with their enormous weapons. I didn't add any purity seals because, quite frankly, they have enough detail, and additional bits would have obscured that too much. If you look closely at that second photo, I did attempt to do a "vitruvian man" type sketch on Phobic's back banner, but... well, don't look too close. I also dirtied up his storm coat a little too much, I think; I wanted to show he'd been mucking about in battlefield trenches, not Imperial streets. The Rackham range has (or had) a lot of nice models that fit directly into the whole Inquisitorial aesthetic, including quite a few gun-toting weirdos.
Speaking of weirdos, this bunch was positioned together for the sake of the pictures, but I think they make a pretty neat team. The Inquistor in the center is a Dark Age Bane model, with the rocket-thing flattened into a staff and various bits added. He happens to own a powerfist-wielding servitor (a Cryx thrall; I love these models) to take down those pesky doors. Plus, there's the ever-present servo skulls, a fearsome looking mercenary (courtesy of the Iron Kingdoms range), the hot bald chick (a psyker; aren't all bald babes psykers in the 40k universe?) and that assassin-looking lady on the end with veil and wicked-looking rifle. (a Shirow Masamune ripoff design from the Corvus Belli "Infinity" range, also woefully overpriced; I got this one on sale from the Warstore, I think) . A lot of these are intentionally painted dark; with a few exceptions I generally start from black and work up. Some of these people shouldn't be walking around in bright, day-glo colors anyway, particularly if they're supposed to be assassinating someone. Speaking of assassins:
Yes, I know, I'm behind on my basing. Get off my back already.
I'd like to think assassins come in other forms than just chicks with swords wrapped in lycra. When I saw that Privateer Press mini on the left I had to have him, just by virtue of the hat and gas mask, never mind that his primary weapon is the grenade, of all things. Likewise, the Rackham sniper on the far left with the enormous rifle and puritan hat. I resisted the urge to put his =I= icon up there and mounted it on his belt instead. The other two are orc-suited Corvus Belli troopers with nasty rifles, painted to tie in with my chosen SoB order. The real jewel of my assassin corps is this lady:
Sometimes I have terribly poor impulse control when it comes to really beautiful models. She's so delicate and thin I can't even bring myself to put her in a case for use in an army. All that armor is positioned so that as you turn the model it becomes almost an entirely different miniature. It's just lovely. The rest of the faction she comes from is equally exquisite, but I'd bankrupt myself collecting them all, so I had to stop at this one. I still keep the catalogs, though, which are chock full of fantastic photos. You gotta dream.
I chose this Reaper model to serve as my Living Saint, although honestly I can't picture an army featuring one that would work effectively, badass as she supposedly is in combat. You get the feeling they wrote the WH codex right after reading a bunch of Dan Abnett novels, and tried to cram in as much as they could including the Inquisition co-opting IG forces. Well anyway, in contrast to other companies, Reaper's models are both cheap AND good, and I thought this haunted-masthead construct was perfect for a dark future supernatural dynamo. Luckily, the SoB Canoness model comes with a bunch of spare bits, including a wealth of gauntleted hands holding things (like that book). The flamberge-style sword is from a Reaper weapons option set that is also, helpfully, extremely cheap and well-sculpted (see a trend here?)
3 comments:
These are awesome! I have not seen many Rackham sculpts as donors for 40K conversions but this shows they work wonderfully.
Great Inquisition model choices. You had me looking through the Confrontation selection at my local game store.
They really are fantastic models aren't they? Like I said, it's almost a shame to cover them up with other bits, apart from the odd icon, anyway.
If only their dwarves weren't so outsize, they'd make fantastic Squats, too...
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