Crimson Fist Reinforcements

More survivors on Rynn's World

 When they last saw action, my collection of Crimson Fists was a pretty small detachment.  They had to be bolstered by some Imperial Guardsmen in their second game. Of course they represented the survivors of the catastrophe on Rynn's World, so of course they were small.  But I want to expand the collection - both to reflect our occasional campaign (Pedro Cantor and his survivors ultimately encountered other members of the Chapter who were not killed in the explosion) and for use in other settings.

New Predator, old marines

 I've been using the motivation of Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge to start bulking the force up a little.  This was a submission for the Challenge, and it includes a mix of new and old - a Predator from GW's current model lineup, and a group of RTB01 "Beakie" marines.

The Predator is one of GW's best vehicle kits - love the look of it

I love nearly all things Rogue Trader, but when it comes to vehicles, generally speaking, the newer model line is much, much improved.  The current Space Marine Predator is a beautiful model (and I've used one for my Guardsmen) so I wanted one for the Crimson Fists.  As always with models, I made several assembly mistakes (look closely and try to see which side sponson is mounted with the bracket upside-down!) but overall it turned out great.  The weapon load is configured to match the original Rogue Trader vehicle (an autocannon in the turret and two lascannons on the sides), but this can easily be swapped/ignored for a "current" 40k game.

I also like how the "new" vehicles are actually much closer to the right size in comparison to the older figures

These old marines are a lot of fun to paint, but one part I don't enjoy is trying to bodge the Chapter symbol on to the shoulder plate. For my initial slate of 15 marines I used metal "vanity" shoulder plates with the icon sculpted directly on (a brilliant notion that I wish GW would make a more consistent effort with - anyway).  This took some doing as the plates, sized to fit the newer, larger line of models, were awkward fits with the old Rogue Trader plastics.  Plus, they were pricey - fine for a small project, but not sustainable for an expanded collection. 

RTB01 plastic marines with vaguely shaped red smudges on their should plates

I tried to use the decals that are available (again, a great thing that I wish GW would make a little more of a consistent effort on) but again the size defeated me - they are designed for the larger, current models (obviously!) and won't sit on the old should plates without a huge air bubble.  That left freehand painting as the only option - not something I will be hired to do! So some of the marines look like they are part of the "Crimson Blobs" or "Crimson Paws"...but at least, in a group, their chapter identity is pretty much clear.

I think in RT the Predator could even carry five troops, right? Who needs Razorbacks?

Overall the original Crimson Fist detachment has expanded from the group of 15 survivors to about 30 troops in three squads now - with a vehicle to boot.  Hoping to get these on the table soon.