A diverse army for a vast empire - WIP Astra Militarum

[Cpt. Crackpot]

Hello!
After 20 years of being away from the hobby I've recently returned thanks to a colleague of mine. I used to collect, paint and sometimes play WHFB and 40K back between 1993-1997. For WHFB I had an undead army and for 40K I had a chaos army (Tzeentch). Towards the end I also had a Skaven team for Bloodbowl. Coming back I decided to focus on 40K again. I started off with a box of Ork Boyz, seeing that they had evolved enormously. I remember the old Ork Boyz all cast in the same shape and pose holding an axe and a boltgun, squatting like they were taking a dump on the battlefield. The new boyz are lightyears cooler!

So while painting my boyz I was considering a larger project, but felt that an Ork army would come later. I was more drawn to Astra Militarum. For a living I work to increase diversity and representation within gaming and e-sports, so I was hoping the 40K universe had evolved since I last visited it. But no. The human part of the galaxy still seem to be made up of only white dudes. So if you're a white dude, as I am, it's easy to feel at home in the Imperial universe, and even in the hobby at large. We (white males) seem to be the only target group and are well represented in the miniatures and in the artwork. For those of us that are not white dudes, not so much. A bit strange, don't you think? I've always liked the Imperial Guard and decided to create an army that is more in line with my view of the vast and diverse human empire of the 41st millennium. The lore speaks of the men and women from the millions of worlds of the empire. So that's what I'm setting out to show in my army.

Now some may see me as a SJW, which I assure you I am. But if anyone from Games Workshop (GW) reads this there's also a few thoughts around the business side of the hobby included in my project. I have worked with product- and brand development myself. I guess GW want the hobby to grow so they can earn more money. Simply put, one classic strategy to do that is to expand your market. One way to expand your market is to work with representation in order to increase the size of your target- and customer group. If more people feel represented in your brand/s and product/s, more people will (hopefully) buy them. So this is me offering some inspiration toward that possible goal.

It took me some time to find miniatures for the bulk of my army. The Cadians from GW look amazing, but they're all male. Still, I wanted to find something similar. Something that looks very pragmatic, militaristic and bad ***. I found a few other female miniatures online, but most of them are sexualised pin-up miniatures. It's laughable, really. Not very credible on a battlefield with bikini tops, spandex or boob armor. Most modern armies include female soldiers that look just like all the male soldiers (see image below), so I don't see how they would look any less like soldiers in the 41st millennium. And yet, I still wanted to find miniatures where you could see that there are both men and women in the ranks.

I finally decided on the amazingly cool and highly detailed miniatures from [url]http://victoriaminiatures.highwire.com[/url] (VM). They're a bit more difficult to assemble and paint than miniatures from GW, so for me coming back to the hobby after 20 years that's a challenge. But hey, I like a good challenge. The main part of my infantry will be based on the Arcadian Guard-miniatures from VM, which include bot male and female soldiers all having the same gear. I've also found a few bits and pieces from other manufacturers that I will use, like alternative heads etc. I'm also going to use GW bits like flamers, plasma guns etc. I will get all my vehicles from GW as I want my army to look like it really is an army of the Imperial Guard. I'm also thinking up some fluff for my army and being from Sweden there will be a Scandinavian touch to it, both in the lore and visually in the army itself.

But enough text. Here's a real world image that inspired me and then a few images of the first five miniatures I've finished painting. I included an Ork and a Cadian so you can compare scale. I'm glad to get any feedback or answer any questions.

Enjoy your grim dark future...
Cpt. Crackpot

[Cpt. Crackpot]

So, just wanted to post an update. I placed a new order with VM a while back and it arrived a few days ago. Mostly more infantry, but also the new shoulder pads from their shop. I want my infantry to be bulkier than the regular out of the box-miniatures. It will also make them look more "Imperial Guard" I hope. But apparently I ordered too few of the pads. Must have been tired or something. So I'll have to place a new order soon. Oh no.
I also went by my local GW-shop to buy one pot of paint (needed some Steel Legion Drab for my bases). I came out with a shiny new Leman Russ as well. Those guys know how to sell, and I might not be the most difficult customer. But painting that tank will have to wait. Infantry first and I haven't decided on a colour scheme for my vehicles yet.

So, here's a photo showing the new shoulder pads and one photo of the squad I'm currently painting. Male infantry. I decided to try out painting all parts separately before assembly and final highlights. Not sure it was a good idea. I think it might take longer to finish the whole squad this way.

[Cpt. Crackpot]

So, finally an update!
Work has been taking up a lot of my time lately. But I recently had two days off and that gave me the time I needed for sitting down for a few hours.
As you can see in the images I've started to paint a new squad while also painting and attaching the new shoulder pads to the minis that are already done.
I think it looks really good and the shoulder pads give the bulkiness I want for my guardsmen and women.
I'm still trying out different skin tones and I think it will take a few more minis before I settle on three or four skin tones that I will use throughout my army.

[Kirsten]

they look fantastic, and great to see somebody addressing the lack of diversity

[Cpt. Crackpot]

they look fantastic, and great to see somebody addressing the lack of diversity

Thank you!

I'm thinking that this hobby is one where increasing diversity would be easiest, at least if we start with the minis. So I'm hoping GW and others will do just that asap.

Oh, and I would love to see some female space orks.

[Cpt. Crackpot]

So, it's been awhile.
Plenty to do at work and then christmas in the middle of it all. But just to prove that my project is still alive and kicking here's a photo of my ongoing batch painting-bonanza. This batch is 20 guardswomen being painted. Next batch is 20 guardsmen. Then I'll need to order some more from VM (heavy weapons and 3 veteran squads). After that I think it will be time for my vehicles and then characters. Starting with about 2000 points w this army.

[Cpt. Crackpot]

So, update long overdue.
Seems like this project is taking a very long time due to a number of reasons. But here's a few WIP images of my veterans.
When they're done most of my infantry is done. Then I'll move over to the vehicles and independent characters.

Feel free to leave feedback.