Greetings Spikey Bits Readers! Ginge here with a guest article about something particularly close to my modelling heart – cool conversion projects!
Now “cool conversion project” is very much a catch all term, and I have seen beautiful Mechanicus armies or Custodes forces.
Then there are those less rooted in the 40k universe, that take inspiration from our own world or popular culture – WW2 theme guard armies, Star Wars theme armies etc. It is the latter that I tend to lean towards.
Several years ago my friend convinced me to go to my first tournament. Now I had always been put off by the idea of meeting douchey players at tournaments and had never attended any, but my friend convinced me that this tournament was fairly easy going and friendly. (As it happens, in the years since I have met a couple of douchey tournament players, but no more of a percentage than I meet when playing outside of my regular gaming group of friends – clearly my small club has spoiled me!)
At this tournament, there was even a prize known as the Fergus Award for the daftest/craziest piece of hobby on the day. He had in fact won that prize the last time he had attended with an objective marker that looked like the Stargate but with a soul grinder body leaning out of it. Being my first tournament I didn’t expect to place well, but a prize for hobby insanity? Now there’s something I could aim for!
The tournament we were going to was a 500 point each doubles tournament, using combat patrol rules. Now I have really grown to like this tournament format as 500 points generally gives me enough to come up with a fun theme to make something new for, while not committing me to the expense of an entirely new army. For this, my first tournament, I chose a theme I consider to be easily recognizable and a real geeky crowd pleaser – Aliens!
First off was the list. Now obviously I wanted to get a sentinel power loader in, as the most iconic image from the movies, but lacking the rules I just made do with a basic scout sentinel and would convert the model to look the part. I also wanted a team of Colonial Marines and an APC. I had a couple of ideas for objectives, however I found that this came to only about 300 or so points. To make up the numbers, I borrowed an idea from Alien3 (even though I tend to pretend that movie doesn’t exist!) I included a couple of squads of penal legion and a priest, to represent the religious convicts of Fury 161.
I already had a couple squads penal legion converted awaiting a paint job, and to mark them out as penal legion I had already intended to put them in Orange jumpsuits. About the only difference this project made was that I painted a couple of unit idents on the banners, for Fury 161.
The colonial marines are represented by Storm Troopers – the biggest badasses in the Imperial Guard. Or, more to the point, the easiest way for me to get to 500 points. In my effort to rack up the points quickly I included a couple of plasma guns to represent Vasquez and Drake. I found a vehicle from an online retailer that was about the size of a chimera but looked so much more the part.
And of course, the pride and joy of the collection, the power lifter. I already had the power lifter hands as I’d wanted to do some sort of diorama years ago. The new sentinel kit with the multi jointed legs allowed me to convert a pair of arms out of the legs, allowing me to use the ball socket joint of the feet to mount the hands effectively. Using the cages from the two sentinel kits I made an open cage around the pilot. I mounted a heavy flamer underneath as, if you’ve seen the movie, the powerloader does have a small cutting torch. I just scaled this one up a bit…
The finishing touches to the project were a hassle-free miniatures Newt equivalent to be one of my objectives, and a facehugger in a jar to be the other (made from genestealer fingers, green stuff, and a dolls house accessory – and a great deal of patience!)
If I were to do it again, then there are things I could do differently. The release of the Dreadknight model provides a far better chassis for the power loader. I’d also look at maybe including some sort of drop ship. However as neither would be allowed in combat patrol, this would mean increasing the size of the force, and that I feel would break too far from the original idea. I’m already stretching the numbers by including the penal legion. I wouldn’t want to go beyond that.
Since that day, I have used that tournament as my annual crazy project, to give me 500 points combat patrol of Halo Spartans and Battlestar Galactica theme also. I had planned a Star Wars theme one, but I had too many ideas to fit into 500 points, and that now stands as a 2000 point army (though my counts as Vendetta, an AT-AT, no longer works – I had previously used it to plod along at 6″ firing all guns, never turbo boosting as it would have been out of character. Now having to enter play as a zooming flyer, I think I may have to retire it and come up with an alternative before this army sees the tabletop again)
 |
| Project: Halo |
 |
| Project: Star Wars |
 |
| Project: Star Wars |
 |
| Project: Battlestar Galactica |
As for this year, with the tournament looming in February? Well this year my teammate wanted to join in with the theme, like he did with the Halo army. And someone mentioned to me that the Dark Eldar were 40k pirates… So I’m working on Pirate theme Dark Eldar, while he works on Ninja theme Dark Eldar! The two enemies will set aside their differences (temporarily) to fight for the common good – Rum and Wenches!
 |
| The Pirates vs Ninjas project begins… |
Oh, and how did the Aliens army do? Placed mid-table with two wins two losses. Narrowly missed out on the Fergus Award to a remote control battle wagon. But did share the Best Painted Army Award with an absolutely beautiful Necron army. We would win the Fergus the following year with our Halo themed force, and I would pick it up again for the Star Wars army. Will the Pirates and Ninjas continue the trend? We’re hoping so. After all, we don’t expect to actually win the gaming side of the tournament any time soon
I dont know about you guys but when I see that powerloader all I can think of is Ripley saying “Get away from her you 3!$@#” Very cool Covnersions indeed! Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Ginge in the future! -MBG
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
