Tau Gue'vesa (Human Helpers) Pathfinders & more!

Happy Valen-Tau's day folks! 

I've designated this mini as squad Gue'vesa'ui sergeant since its my favorite mini out of the five.

I thought I'd share a bit more Tau love with my latest completed batch of minis. First up, my Heresy Labs KS Gue'vesa Pathfinder squad (looking back thru that KS's offerings, I ought to have gotten more than just five). They're really great models and if anything, even more detailed sculpts than the actual GW minis. 

The whole Pathfinders squad. 

From what I understand about the pathfinders in the new codex, using markerlights requires an action (of not moving) in the movement phase followed by hitting on a 3+ in the shooting phase...or something like that. 

Practicing retreating evasion tactics...

Thus far I've not bothered with the Actions game mechanic in my games of 40k, however markerlights are more or less the lynchpin that holds the Tau's ballistic onslaught together, so I'll have to figure it out! Otherwise I'm left with a mere 50/50 chance to hit under the best of circumstances for anyone other than an HQ model. 

Wait, why are the gue'vesa running towards us?

In addition to the pathfinders, I also completed another trio of Fire Warriors with Pulse Rifles. You can never have enough of these bread and butter troops in an army, and these bring my painted compliment of them up to 8 (with three more in progress). 

Empty Circles = Unpainted

Half Circles = Half Painted

Full Circles = Fully Painted

Speaking of, I tallied up all of my Tau minis, folding in all of the unpainted Fem Fa'Tau from that now defunct army (the handful painted Fem Fa'Tau have taken up residence in my display case). 

To better keep track of my progress, I created the painting chart above. Currently, I'm sitting at about the halfway point between painted & unpainted and all within a month's time! How's that for  Squaduary? 

Another view. 

As you can see, my force is all but bereft of vehicles and heavy weaponry. I had given a good chunk of the Fem Fa'Tau (including all of the tanks) to my buddy Hoss. He'd always flirted with starting a Tau army but couldn't afford the initial buy in. He was also as close of a friend to My Beloved Wolfy as he was myself, thus they were given to him after her passing. In the interim, not being too fond of the current Tau rules, he was just waiting for the new codex to drop before getting started.

Sadly, this past Thursday we laid him to rest as well. Still can't quite wrap my head around it really, don't think any of us can. I told My Beloved Wolfy to go and find Hoss, show him the ropes and for them to keep each other company. His family is looking to sell his gaming collection to raise funds to cover the funeral costs, so I'm hoping to buy back my tanks. I think I have enough infantry for now though. 

Edit: In reading the Goonhammer review of the new codex, I see that fire warriors and pathfinders now come in squads of 10. As such, the in-progress pulse carbine strike team will be moved into the pathfinders or else the Gue'vesa will be moved to the carbine squad (either way demoting the mini in the first pic to a mere grunt) and I'll just buy pathfinders later on. I'll also have to repaint a 1-off Hogzilary to bring that squad up to 10, and the in-progress pulse rifle fire warriors will join the breachers (also, I will have to scrounge a few more off of eBay). 

FORWARD YOU FILTHY SWINE!

Harsh. Accurate, but still a bit harsh. 

This week I painted up my Dal'yth Tau's Cadre Fireblade & a squad of 8 'counts as' Strike Team Hogzilaries (yes, you pronounce that phonetically). The latter were cheap, 3D printed minis I got some ways back just because I found them amusing. With the simple addition of Tau pauldrons they blend in nicely looking like some sort of lesser known species that has been subsumed by the Tau empire. 

Their guns are of a blocky Tau-esque style, though they are a bit chunkier despite their puny dimensions compared to say pulse rifles and/or carbines. There were two doodads protruding far from the fronts of them which I trimmed down with varying levels of success (3D printed minis don't like to be converted it seems...).

With a barrel opening that large, it's almost like a blunderbuss!

I plan to use 'em as Standard 'FireWarriors' albeit it with vastly inferior weaponry, IG shotguns most likely. Points costs remain the same as is standard, chalked up once again to the price of proxies. Also of note are their inverted 25mm bases. These came with integral 20mm bases any any attempt to remove them resulted in broken legs. Gluing them on top of 25mm bases didn't look satisfactory to me, so instead I inverted the GW bases which works well enough if a bit odd in appearance. 

The one in front with pauldrons on both sides is the squad leader, which is called a Soo'ui! 

It isn't recorded (as far as the Imperium knows anyways) as to just when the Tau Empire took the small world of Scrofa into their possession. The indigenous Scrofan inhabitants (who collectively refer to themselves as just 'Hogs') were all too happy to provide troops to assist in the expansion of the Empire in exchange for improved technologies and security for their homeworld which had long been subjected to alien raids. 

Whilst the Tau's influence on the Hog's manufactured kit and weaponry are easy to see, they nonetheless stubbornly cling to their woefully inferior native weapons. This severely limits their battlefield utility, much to the Fire caste's collective annoyance. This 'issue' has mostly relegated them to 2nd line garrison and policing duties.

Indeed, some within the ranks of the Water caste have privately speculated that the insistence on fielding their weak armaments has little to do with pride. Rather by rendering themselves largely combat ineffective, they are instead successfully manipulating the Tau into limiting Scrofan casualties on far off deployments about which they care very little.

With only 4 fingers on their hands, how does a Tau flip off the Imperium? Asking for a friend...

As for the Cadre, he's stock aside from a hand swap. I bought him via eBay, missing his sheathed honor blade hand (for a 30% retail discount). I had this missing bit as I didn't use it on the Fem Fa'Tau's Cadre Fireblade. However after dry fitting it, I decided I still didn't like it. So I went with this hand instead. 

Showing off his pulse rifle with integral marker light.

I was pleased with the camo cloak even though in hindsight, it's not going to be too effective given how this army is based. 

The Cadre will serve as my army's 2nd in command after my as yet unassembled Crisis suit commander. He'll likely hang back with the Pathfinders and other rear area objective campers. As for the army as a whole, I have the XV8 commander backed up by 43 infantry models of various types. As they all currently stand, my army is half painted with another eight minis in progress! 

How now Green Tau?

10 out of 11, not bad for a week's painting! 

Aways back I posted where I'd repaired my (then) 1-off fire warrior whom had been decapitated by the office cleaning crew at work. I've always liked the color scheme, mainly as it was both simple and quick to paint. Skip to the present and after cranking out my Star Schlock KS troopers both relatively quickly and in a similar color scheme, I thought I'd see if I could do the same with some Tau. 

Close enough. Worst case, the desk jockey (on the right) will die first. I mean, previously he had been killed by an old lady armed with a feather duster. You know, typical Tau close combat stuff....

Using the aforementioned desk jockey fire warrior as a guide (albeit, without the entire base covered in grassy tufts), I started doing just that and quickly finished up a small squad of 6 breachers (sans drones at the moment), along with 4 strike team fire warriors to accompany the former desk jockey. 

I'm sure that the 'writing' on the flag is explaining where the rest of his armor is...

The strike team, with their soon to be 36" ranged pulse rifles.

The strike team's Shas'ui looks more like he's in his pajamas than he does ready for battle. He's is a non-standard fire warrior being the Devilfish crewman with added bits. I'm not sure how inspiring a leader he is having forgotten about half his kit, but whatever. 

Into the breach!

He works for now, and can be replaced if I ever get all of my Tau infantry painted up. Usually such a statement as that is a laughable notion, but then again I did paint 10 fire warriors in a week's time! Nominally, my list clocks in at just shy of 500 points. However with a new 'dex waiting in the wings, that's sure to change once Battlescribe updates. 

Black marines helmets from the Iron Hands? Raven Guard? Neverness' Death Watch? 

Also I'd like to clarify that these are NOT an extension of my late wife's Fem Fa'Tau army (a shame as I so LOVE that punny name!). My Beloved Wolfy was an ex-army wife, and as such had a serious dislike of OD green and anything resembling woodland camouflage. If I showed her a mini that I had painted in those colors, she'd usually tell me it was a good paint job, but she hated it at the same time because it was an ugly color scheme. 

If that's Tau propaganda on his flag, it's lost on everyone BUT the Tau.

I knew where her disdain was coming from, and that it wasn't directed at me. As such I won't sully her infamous Fem Fa'Tau's legacy with this color scheme. Instead, my army will hail from the Dal'yth Sept due to the large number of auxiliaries (both official and otherwise) in my list. Amusingly, the above linked Lexicanum page lists their principle uniform color as green and grey...heh, that was lucky!

Captain Teague's new ride

If there's one thing that the Squats loathe about the galaxy ('nids aside), it's the physical need to have to look up to all of the lesser races of the galaxy. It absolutely infuriates them! To remedy this, the previously forlorn Captain Teague has gotten himself a new abeyant (the definition for those not sure as to what that is).

Teague has commandeered a cargo droid (also from the Starschlock KS) from his ship's inventory, replaced one arm with an autogun (that impressive cooling jacket is as much for show as it is function) and controls the bot via a remote in his pocket.

The intimidating side...

I'm sure though that it took some practice, and none too few falls before getting accustomed to the droid's gate in order to use it as a mode of personal transport.

Now seeing eye-to-eye with those verminous humans, Captain Teague is all but certain to be given his proper due (and has a few rounds ready for anyone who doesn't!). I'm not sure what to do with this guy, though Stargrave is still his most likely bet. Perhaps leading the Astro-Guards from my prior post. 

I'd imagine that any attempt at using that droid's hand as a weapon would quickly see Teague dumped onto the ground. Rather it's likely just for balance and as an adjustable step up onto the howdah. 

Star Schlock Astro-Guard

Psst: Did you hear that?

Hear what...?

(slight pause)...that. Better go check it out... 

The squad as a whole.

The guy with the red striped helm is the Squad sergeant/leader.

Judging by these sculpts, the sculptor apparently likes his women petite and leggy. 

The squad ID numbers are on the backs of their helmets. 

One of these is not like the others...

There are 10 unique sculpts so that there are no duplicates within each squad. However I grabbed two of the same and as such they have different numbers on them. The second set of 'twins' in the back will get the same treatment whenever I paint the 2nd squad. 

This marks the first full squad complete for me in 2022. I batch painted these which isn't much fun though is effective, and cranked them out over the course of two days. The last two days of my 'Rona quarantine in fact (the bofors turret in my prior post was also mostly a quarantine project). 

Of course I only started painting on all of these once I returned to the realm of the living. Usually I hear folks complaining that towards the end of their quarantines that they're bored out of their minds. I'd imagine that most mini painters like myself instead find themselves being rather productive.  

Sweep & clear in progress. 

I got these minis plus a 2nd squad along with almost as many robots, which sorta look like kitchen accessories with legs (think free roaming coffee grinders), out of the Star Schlock Kickstarter a little ways back. These have a bit of an old school Imperial Guard feel and I painted them to suit rather than the garish colors seen in the KS itself. 

Sergeant and the lasgun support trooper.

Interestingly, these came with 20mm bases, and I based everything on those aside from the 2 support weapon troopers per squad which are on 25mm bases (one of which was by necessity). As such these guys (and gals) now work perfectly in my cavern terrain, with only the support troopers having to stick to the wider corridors/caverns. I think that's a bit representative of their weapon's unwieldiness in tight quarters.  

Best not stop and smell those alien flowers, they're likely toxic!

The squad sergeant (denoted by the red stripe on his helmet) and 7 other basic grunts are only armed with pistols, with the support troops having a lasgun and grenade launcher equivalents. Thus I figure they're essentially Redshirts an 'away team' sent to a planetary surface, or an asteroid mining facility or whatever to investigate...something. 

The two likely heading to their doom that were in the first pic (and of the 'in action' pics, this one is my fav!). 

My buddy Hoss is a fan of this mini line and is wanting to try Stargrave. I'm guessing these guys along with my cavern terrain will be excellent for trying that game out (once I refamiliarize with the rulebook...).   

Another group shot, looking a bit more dynamic than they did on my kitchen counter top!

Silver Drakes Bofors turret

What's the High Gothic Translation of: "DAKKA! DAKKA! DAKKA!" ?

No it's not a servo-strike-whatever-the-fuck-GW-calls it (at least not in my house it isn't!). All this needs is to be fitted onto a WWII destroyer add a few Kamikazes coming in for the kill and...okay, so maybe an Oerlikon turret is more accurate, but how in the hell do you even pronounce that? Bofors it is!

 Due to all of the recessed areas, this was a paint as I assembled it project, but went together fairly easily. I modified the gunner's helm with an ocular augmentation lens rather than be hard wired directly into the control panel as that seemed kinda dumb to me. I mean hell, one of his arms is physically connected, isn't that enough? Save that heretical full body hard wired shit for the Iron Hands/Warriors. 

No, there's no ejection seat. With his arm plugged in like that, he'll ride this ride all the way until the bloody end!

I opted to not make his armor fully red, but rather replaced the blue portions of the other Drakes armor (the one pauldron aside) red. Leaving the rest silver as is the footsloggers' norm.

With the right arm plugged in, I'm guessing that the mechandrite is used to access the buttons for his left arm keypad?

This is my first and thus far only (sorta?) vehicle for my Silver Drakes. Rather make that for any of my Primaris marines. With a sedate 3" movement rate, I can see this slowing my Drakes foot slogging combat patrol down a bit. However with the highest strength, longest range and best rate of fire for any unit in my little army, I'm sure they'll not leave this behind. 

The '8' pertains to the company affiliation, and the chevron is self-explanatory. 

(The end of) The End of the Road

 

Corporal, we don't have time for this...

....annnnd done! Well that was fun, relatively easy, and something different all in one. This has already  taken up station in my display case though the car itself isn't glued in place meaning I might be used as a Centaur or the like at some later date. 

The car looks as though seen a lot of miles from this end.

Like the bricked road, the rooftop Aquila worked perfectly with the dust wash.

Even OD green blends well in the desert once it gets dirty enough.

For once my dirtily painted infantry look clean when compared to their surroundings.

My only complaint with this project is right here. 3 layers of matte varnish, 2 of dust wash and inexplicably nothing will adhere to that line over the decal on the fender. It can be easily explained away as one of the Guardsmen ran a gloved finger across the fender, leaving a line in the dust but still...I just find it irksome.

This is probably my favorite view of this little diorama,