Vin Diesel 40K: Riddick 28mm Miniature Kitbash

I've always liked the movie Pitch Black, the Chronicles of Riddick maybe not so much despite it being the closest live-action 40k-esque movie out there at the moment, disregarding Starship Troopers.

The big draw of these movies is the one and only Riddick, as portrayed by mousy, wallflower geek-actor Vin Diesel. With the impending release of yet-another sequel due late-2013, I thought it fitting to work up a new addition to my existing armies, be it Imperial Guard, Grey Knights, etc. Thank you 6th edition allies rules!

3rd Edition 'Dex, 5th Edition Game - Imperial Guard 101.

Behold, the first model I had painted after a 15 year absence in 40K. Not bad for a not-first timer?

After I had observed my friend play his Marines Vs Orks (Black Reach set) in an 800pt. game on an A0-size drawing board, I promptly rushed out and purchased a 20-men set of Imperial Guard Cadians and a copy of the Codex: Imperial Guard to spend a happy weekend in May 2008, painting them all, as the results below indicate.

Platoon 01 - Squad 01, led by Sergeant White.

Platoon 01 - Squad 02, led by Sergeant Black.

After quickly tiring of painting in eyes (the 2no. sergeant models) I thought to myself: 3-colour minimum. That must be the way to go. Quickly slather on the paint and rush 'em out into the field of battle!

Strangely enough, these 2 squads were still the best looking and best painted models on the table (the Black Reach figures the other players had were even more haphazard than mine own!). These 2 Cadian 512 squads were then promptly slaughtered in a rules-bent Imp Guard-Ork allied force vs Marines in a quick game intended to familiarise myself with the rules of the mysterious beast of 5th edition 40K.

The rules I learnt, which stick to me to this very day being:

1. Guard suck at close-combat.

2. Guard suck at shooting.

3. Guard suck at being shot at.

4. Guard suck at holding their nerve.

5. Guard suck at small numbers.

6. Guard suck?

With this in mind, I went off to get more men. 'More men' must be the answer surely to rectify Lession Number 6? More? More! MORE!

P.S. Hope you all enjoy the new header.

Why the 512th?

I started out in 40K in the early 90's. A friend of mine was into WFB, and I hung out around watching games being played until they made the move into 40K, and I followed suit. Soon, Ultramarines, Orks, and Space Wolves populated my desks, cabinets, and imagination.

Then, as puberty hit in, I gradually lost interest. Fast forward 15 years, I finally had the cash to merit a proper, 'grown-up' army of my own. A chance encounter with a fellow player who had bought the Black Reach set has now meant this obsession with little plastic men has re-entered my life and burnt a hole into my wallet like something fierce.

Which army did I want to play? Ultrasmurfs? Wolves? Something else?

I thought long and hard, and the Imperial Guard came to mind. I was always a treadhead, loved the tanks of the 41st Millenium, and something else.


With that, a love for Codex Grey and Chaos Black on Cadians followed suit.

The 512th Cadian Regiment - Orbital Defence Detail M41, standing to attention!

Since mid-2008, I've played a drop troop-doctrined army in an attempt to capture the feel of the movie. That been said, I've always been a fan of the Robert Heinlein book (as jingostic a military piece can be), and I'm an even bigger fan of Joe Haldeman's Forever War (the Earth-2 mirror to Starship Troopers).

Obviously the 5th Edition Imperial Guard Codex has changed all that, but I've since learnt to adapt with Mechanised forces, Valkyries, scoring Veterans, Deep Striking Stormies, etc, etc.

I have Big Jim of Galaxy in Flames and the website Bell of Lost Souls to thank for re-igniting my interest in 40K and blogging hand-to-hand.

P.S. I'd also like to point out the existence of the 40K roughnecks blog, for obvious reasons. Go Mobile Infantry!