Billy the Shiv, the Marbo Spiv

In recent games I’ve started using my Catachan Jungle Captain model (Arnie as I call him) as a counts-as stand-in for Straken. Makes sense to me, with the power fist and the bad-ass paintjob.

However, this left me with a lack of a model to use as Marbo, the Human Lictor. So what did I do next?

Relying on the same Predator/Rambo themes that GW have clearly lifted, I mean have been inspired by, for the Catachan range, it struck me that the old Last Chancer ‘Shiv’ model is channelling the ghost of Billy and thus a suitable model for Marbo (I’m not too keen on the official one).

And I’m not the only who thinks so! Sandwyrm has long used his Shiv model as Marbo, and is painted to fit into his Tallarn theme.

I’ve painted the Shiv model in quasi-Catachan colours to distinguish him from my normal grey & black Cadians. His arrival on the battlefield is always hotly anticipated by my opponents (and they rejoice every time he gets killed by his own demo-charge, which happens a lot more frequently than you would expect even with BS 5!) Apt really, as I would say the Cadian 512th's Marbo is as effective as the real Billy from Predator!

At 65 points, Marbo is a real bargain and a lot of fun to play, even just for the psych-out factor. Despite the use as a suicide bomb/free KP unit, I have also found that his Ripper pistol – assault with poisoned weapon-hit & run-repeat combo to be quite a useful harrassing tactic, and thus my opponents always seek to quash Marbo wherever they find him (wisely enough).

Dissident Aggressor

One of the many imports from Ecstasy Bay has risen through the ranks of the Cadian 512th, leading the glorious Infantry Blob Platoons through many a battle!

Brother-Confessor Hackett lives up to his name!

I had converted and painted up this Ministorum Priest from Empire Flagellant bits, some grenades and a Sentinel chainsaw for an Eviserator (why Sentinels don't have Power Weapon attacks like Marine Dreadnoughts, I will never know). This has resulted in a complete change of playstyle, veering away from Full-mech to a mixed list using combined arms and tactics.

Bubble-wrapping artillery, transports and tanks, or using them to intimidate opponents on the 1st turn charge with Straken, the fun is endless! Plus I'm pretty stoked how the model & painting turned out.

More to come!

What Menzies Did Next

Hello all! The Cadian 512th's been quiet of late, but that's only because I've been buckling down at the job, earning monies for more disposable cash to pump into the game of 40K, that game we all know to be a blackhole of money by which plastic crack will always tempt.

I've been pretty busy going on a mass painting spree to bolster my Cadian force and diversify my tactics, and the game itself of late. I'll follow this post with a few picture highlights, but here's the first! My fully-painted result of coming 2nd place to a certain competition...

Yup! This is the fully-painted Valkyrie (seen here with my count-as Vendetta options), a first for the 512th! Thanks bsmoove!

Admittedly, this kit has been a joy unbeholden. The hardest kit I've ever had the pleasure to assemble, paint, reassemble, repaint, detail, magnetise (for both Valyrie pod & missile options, and Vedetta twin-linked lascannons), and repaint! *Phew*

But it is worth it, truly a thing of beauty (in my eyes. After all, anything painted in the 512th colours or black, white and grey will always find favour in my eyes). 2 weeks worth of modelling and painting! But it is such a fun toy to have in an Imperial Guard army, and opens up a whole realm of playing possibilities, I sometimes think to myself "Why did I not get one sooner?"

True, it's definitely a fire magnet, and it's made it's maiden voyage and promptly got blown up the turn after it arrived, but it was so much fun to make and play, I do love it!

Thanks again Bsmoove! The Cadian 512th, we salute you!