The Cadian Shock Troops make planetfall tomorrow, arriving in stores and online alongside a battalion of really big guns, imposing officers, and a new heavy tank. The might of Astra Militarum is (nearly) fully arrayed, and the foes of the Emperor are no doubt quaking into their boots.
The Shock Troops themselves are a wonderfully versatile kit, containing dozens of heads, weapon options galore and a variety of poses that ensure your squads can look unique. All that versatility, however, triggered something here at Warhammer Community – so we fired up the communal neurons and realised that these babies were ripe for kitbashing.
This week is all about the traitors – Imperial guardsmen pledging themselves to the Dark Gods or in thrall to Genestealer Cults.*
Luke: The Wyrmcrown
Luke: Genestealer Cults armies focus on workers armed with industrial equipment, so I wanted a Cult that had ensnared the upper echelons of a Planetary Defence Force on the unassuming mining planet of Thevick IV. I decided to make a command detachment of high-ranking officers who have finally taken off their masks, flown the flag of revolution and revealed their horrid bald heads!
I mixed Neophyte Hybrids with the Cadian Command Squad, which meant I had to snip off the neck connections due to the size difference, but some modelling putty filled the gap easily. I added a pickaxe onto the banner-bearer (and scrawled a crude logo on his flag) to add a cheeky revolutionary vibe, and gave the field medic a knife of dubious origin and purpose.
To make them look high-ranking, I went with a stately Kantor Blue base for the greatcoats and Celestra Grey armour panels to give them an urban vibe. These guys would be fun at the head of a Brood Brothers Detachment, but I treated it more as a concept unit than anything else – a diorama in the making, perhaps!
Will: Leman Russ Meatshields
Will: These are the corrupted remnants of the Ardish Zeta PDF worshipping the Bladed Cog, which were made with parts from the Genestealer Cults upgrade frame and the Neophyte Hybrid box.
The upgrade heads fit the new Cadians with very little work needed. The Neophytes required a little bit of tinkering though, including removing some of the bulbous neck that the Neophytes all have. Once they were shaved down I filled in any gaps with modelling putty (which also helped keep the head in place). I was able to use the Neophyte arms with minimal effort, padding out the gaps with putty – shaving down the striped elbow pads to match the flak armour was the furthest I had to go.
For the armour and fatigue colours I followed the basic colours from the Citadel Colour App, while for the flesh I followed the Genestealer Cults Skin Colour video on Warhammer TV, but stopped before adding in the veins (most of them aren’t that far along in the Genestealer process!).
Gav: The Innocent Men
Gav: After seeing Luke and Will throw in their lots with the Four-amed Emperor, I knew it was time to join them and prepare for my own day of ascension! I used various heads and arms from the Acolyte Hybrids kit to build my squad – I see them as a unit from a PDF regiment that was infiltrated generations ago and now is made up entirely of various Hybrids. It’s going to come as quite the shock when the planetary governor realises!
Colour-wise, I wanted them to have that old-school Genestealer feel so used Talassar Blue on their fatigues, Doomfire Magenta on their armour, and Volpus Pink on the skin. On the tabletop, I’m planning on using them as the start of a Veteran Guardsmen squad for Kill Team. With the Sergeant, Gunner, Demolition, and Comms Veterans all good to go, I’ll be throwing off the shackles of tyranny in next to no time!
Charlie: The Blooded High Command
Charlie:The Cadian Command Squad is absolutely loaded with ways to customise your commanders, enough that I was tempted to just build it as-is... but as I looked over the set I saw a leader, a banner-waver, two bodyguards, and a specialist draped in machinery. It was time for my Blooded Traitor Guard to get a Dark Commune of their own!**
I wanted to portray an actual Command Squad that had slowly fallen into corruption, accepting dark gifts and brutal trophies – so most of the parts I used are from the original Command Squad kit itself. There are a few spare arms salvaged from my bits box – notably the Electro-priests – and the Commander-Cult Demagogue's whispering familiars are actually leftover from a trio of Kurnoth Hunters, but the rest is just posing and cutting with some Liquid Green Stuff. It really is a remarkable kit.
A little extra modelling putty gave my Cult Demagogue a suitably intimidating mask, and added a tentacled daemonic infestation to the Iconarch’s regimental standard. I'm particularly pleased with Voxxy the Mindwitch!
Ben: Devotees of the Primordial Truth
Ben: I had awesome fun converting this squad of “entirely trustworthy” Imperial citizens. I drew a lot of parts from the Cawdor Redemptionists and Cities of Sigmar Flagellants, bolstered by additions from my seemingly endless Chaos bits-box – such as the banner, a spare from the new Chaos Warriors kit.
I love the idea of Traitor Guard armies and decided to go for an Astra Militarum Command Squad that has fully embraced the teaching of the Primordial Truth (whether they realise this or not). These are devout followers of the Word Bearers, seen by this group as the true spiritual leaders and saviours of mankind.
As you can probably tell, the rot has well and truly set in at Warhammer Community, and so we will be calling in the Commissars for a long, leisurely session of summary discipline at the earliest opportunity. Check back in in a couple of weeks, when we will be featuring an altogether finer and more upstanding gallery of loyal Astra Militarum regiments (once we’ve managed to get them painted).
Remember, there’s a vast selection of new Astra Militarum miniatures available to take home with you tomorrow. Cadia stands!
* Brood Brothers have received an FAQ that takes into account the changes in the new Codex: Astra Militarum. You can download it here.
** Traitor Guard don’t get access to regular Command Squads, after all.