Back in the good old days of GW mail order bitz orders, my favorite thing to do was to build custom units created from scouring the catalogs for various alternate figures. These were still aimed at the usual army book or codex entry, but might feature unique heads, or weapons or alternate figures. Making the unit for cheaper than retail price was a particular thrill. (E.g. Empire pistoliers made from the Empire command sprue and bitz heads) My first Steel Legion squad was built in this way, and consequently it featured the elusive Necromunda sniper figure as a regular guardsman.
At the time, I intended to have just the one Steel Legion squad, used as an Armored fist squad in my otherwise foot bound army (made mostly from Catachan plastics, Cadians not yet being available). Consequently, rather than buy a Steel Legion boxed set, I ordered various blisters and bitz to build the squad, and ended up using the Necromunda sniper figure as an alternate guardsman. Currently the figure goes for relatively silly amounts on Ebay (One auction in progress has it at £9), but I bought the figure for $4 or whatever the bitz price was.
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| Picture from Collecting Citadel Miniatures Wiki |
If you examine the figure closely, as I have while painting it, it becomes clear that this figure was sculpted by someone other than a Perry, and further, that it was probably a trainee piece. The conclusion can be reached by the somewhat uncomfortable pose of the figure, and because the equipment is clearly not the same as used on the other figures of the range, particularly the bedroll.
Comparison shot of the rear of the figure and some standard Steel Legion troopers.
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| (Photo from bcderue's bucket, found via Google) |
Since the Fanatic range tended to release more dubious sculpts from trainees or hired sculptors, it makes sense then that the Necromunda Sniper came out under that banner (as a Necromunda Sniper) rather than as some sort of supplementary blister for the Steel Legion. Indeed, at the time, the only snipers that the IG had were ratlings, which were later effectively replaced by regiment specific sniper sets, themselves replaced by the Catachan and Cadian command boxes (which includes sniper arms).
In any case, in this man's army, he is just a rifleman, and I have another figure converted from a heavy bolter gunner which I use as a sniper.
2 comments:
I ordered a ton of this guy... trying to make an all steel legion army he filled in as a crewman for various HW crews.
The loader from the missile set and one of these with a metal mortar equals mortar team, this guy and the loader from the lascannon behind a 1/48 scale PAK40 for an autocannon team, and so on. Most was slightly converted but some where used as is.
And as a regular rifleman filler too of course. Just having one more pose in a fairly limited set of figures was invaluable.
Yeah, had I known that I would be building a Steel legion force, i would have bought a few more of this guy, and a ton of lascannon crew members. So useful!
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