Well since Finecast came out almost one year ago, metals have almost all but disappeared. Which has been quite devastating to some lines, most notable Tau.
The problem is, well you can’t get Crisis Commanders, Broadsides, or even the long lost Shadowsun.
So whats a budding Tau player supposed to do? Beg, borrow, and steal some bits to make what they can I guess….
At the shop here sometimes we get “used” merchandise in from time to time, and after trading for a crappie assembled Broadside model, I gave it to Jkin so he could restore it to it’s former glory.
Jkin as you know loves to jump around from project to project, and even has a Tau army. So checkout his pimpage of a battlesuit below.
Jkin basically took a normal XV8 Crisis suit and added the salvaged Railguns from the traded in model. He used the Landspeeder Typhoon Launchers for the SMS (Smart Missile System), and mounted them on the model’s shoulders Predator style.
He also took and cut down some Crisis Plasma Rifles for “scopes” and glued them to the railguns themselves. A gun drone was also attached to the base to help with the center of gravity, and as a bit of homage to the Imperial servo skulls I imagine.
There also a few other subtle conversions to the suit itself as well. I always like the arm mounted Railgun configuration like Forge World does, so I’m definitely fond of this “pimped” model.
Check out the Work In Progress (WIP) shots, below.
You can checkout more of the crazy work Jkin puts out, HERE.
Bring on the Tau Games Workshop! -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 the Las Vegas Open, each of which attracts thousands of 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 2011 Adepticon 40k Team Tournament. He was even featured for his painting in issue #304 of Games Workshop’s White Dwarf Magazine.
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.
