Inq et Nunc - Imperial Navy Bodyguard

One of my favourites of all the 54mm Inquisitor models is the Imperial Navy Bodyguard or Bosun. He's an unusual subject - an Imperial that isn't an Inquisitor or Guardsman. I also love his piratical gear and no-nonsense look.

Inq et nunc - The Ancient Slann

Back in the early 2000s I planned a space slann army for 40k. The project never got off the ground as I moved towards smaller skirmish games, and most of the slann have long since been passed on. I did however keep the slann leader that I had planned to use - this was a conversion that was done for me by sculptor and Golden Demon winner Jeff Wilhelm. 20 years on, I have finally got round to painting up this long-neglected slann!

Originally intended for 28mm gaming, this slann will also see use in 54mm.

Inq et nunc - Inquisitor Janez Belec

Inquisitors come in all shapes and sizes. I've always been fond of those in the Eisenhorn mould - radical-leaning and a bit world weary. Those with a more subtle nature rather than being god-like warriors.

One of John Blanches concept sketches for a veteran Inquisitor from The Inquisitor Sketchbook really stands out to me:

Here is an imposing character in a commanding pose. He carries a cane almost as a mark of office. I love the echoes of Don Quixote and that slender bionic arm.

Inq et nunc - Rask Dogar, 54mm Ratling

(One of the) glaring omissions in the 54mm Inquisitor range were abhumans. Where are the ratlings, beastmen and ogryns? OK, maybe ogryns might have been a bit unsubtle and overpowered, but I'd have loved to have seen a ratling. Rask Dogar is my attempt at filling that gap. He's not actually my first attempt at a ratling (more on that in a future post), but is the one I'm most pleased with.

Inq et nunc - 54mm Castellan Robot

The robots that Citadel released for Rogue Trader are some of my favourite 40k miniatures. They are big (for 28mm scale), fun and interesting sculpts that really do draw on the sci-fi artwork of the era. A few years ago I picked up an upscaled resin version of the one of the RT robot designs (the Castellan) that was available from the short-lived Troll Soup Miniatures. I'm not entirely sure what the rationale was behind the enlargement, but to all intents and purposes the sculpts were carbon copies of the originals, but bigger. Much bigger! In the event, I decided the larger Castellan was too big for 28mm gaming, but I put it aside with my 54mm Inquisitor figures for a rainy day!

Dick Slevlan suddenly looks pretty brave with his tough-guy associates!

Inq et nunc - Soemon, Gun for Hire

My latest model is an attempt to use a suitably-sized miniature from the current Games Workshop range and adapt it for 54mm-scale gaming. Soemon is a gun for hire (another desperado character) who will get used as a nice bit of supporting firepower (and muscle!).

Look out behind you!

Inq et nunc - Jutta Gyldentheld, Rogue Trader

Although every Rogue Trader's authority is set down in their Warrant of Trade and Letters of Marque, in truth every individual's approach to exploring and exploiting the galaxy on behalf of the Imperium is different. Some Rogue Traders control battlefleets and large personal armies to overwhelm and conquer. Others seek lost secrets with just a few hand-picked companions.

The leader of my first completed 54mm Inquisitor warband is Jutta Gyldentheld - a Rogue Trader firmly in the low-key camp!

Rogue Trader Gyldentheld & companions exit their shuttle in search of new opportunities.

Inq et nunc - Wurmbi, Jokaero

One of the fun things about shifting scale is that figures can take on a different feel. A large hulking figure can become small and nimble or vice versa. I plan to use a few figures in 54mm for Inquisitor that were originally intended for use in 28mm games. My new jokaero character, Wurmbi is available from L72's Miniatures Musings and was designed as a leader / alpha for a group of techno space apes. That said, he's large enough to be a credible jokaero in 54mm gaming!

Wurmbi points out some interesting tech to Dick Slevlan.

Inq et nunc - Dick Slevlan, Hive Scum

I think I have more bits of Slick Devlan than any other Inquisitor model. I think most people do. Slick benefits both from being one of the original releases and from having flexible components that can be used for a variety of characters - not just gunslingers, but also mutants, bounty hunters and even Inquisitors.

A few months ago I snapped up a partially converted Slick Devlan from eBay. The previous owner had resculpted Slick's hair and nose, filed down his padded flack armour and sculpted it into a carapace armour breastplate. They had added cloth bindings around Slick's lower legs and resculpted his loincloth. A lot of work had gone into the figure, and I decided that although I already have plenty of Slick parts, I could add to the conversion work and come up with a nice new character. I started referring to the character as Dick Slevlan mid-way through the process. I think that's going to stick!

Dick Slevlan and Mono-152 cautiously move through a junkyard.

Inq et nunc - 54mm Servitor Mono-152

Inquisitor (published by Games Workshop in 2001) is a fiendishly complex table-top RPG, with figures that at 54mm scale do not fit with anything else in my collection. Not many people play it. Having enough terrain is a constant issue. Games Workshop's figures are long out of print, and there is a real dearth of suitably-sized and styled sci-fi miniatures from other manufacturers. There is absolutely no justification that warrants spending time to make and paint anything for Inquisitor. Except that maybe, just maybe, I want to because I fancy doing it.

In terms of my Inquisitor gaming history, I was totally enthused when the game was published and built and painted a hooded, powerfist wielding Inquisitor (I sadly no longer have him). Some time after that, I made a small group of 54mm Eldar (I still have them; chipped & missing bits). Then I left Inquisitor alone for at least 15 years, possibly as long as 20 years. But after chatting with buddies Asslessman and Antipixi, it seemed that we all had a bit of an Inquisitor itch to scratch. I'm not sure how far I'll get with this project - I'm currently working on about half a dozen figures. I might make and paint 1, or 3 or even more depending on how enthused I end up!

Mono-152 goes on a pre-progammed rampage

Pulling the Crew Together - A Rogue Trader in Stargrave

The best bit about Frostgrave was the way that it allowed players to delve into their collections, dust off old figures and breathe new life into them. Stargrave has that very same appeal for me, and whilst there are some lovely new figures I could use, it's also great to use the rules as a driver to form a new warband around existing figures.

The Iron Fist III - Inquisitor Chernevog

As I said in my last post, I fancied adding a suitable high ranking character to lead my squad of Inquisitional commandos. And who better than a dour, puritanical Inquisitor. None of the actual Rogue Trader Inquisitor models really fit the bill (mostly kitted out as they are in power armour of various outlandish designs). But the Rogue Trader rogue trader model had the perfect look with his greatcoat and no-nonsense gear.

The Path to Damnation (Part 3) - Renegade Inquisitor

The path to embracing the dark gods is not the same for all traitors. Those who defend humanity in full knowledge of the power of chaos have the furthest to fall. An Inquisitor may be tempted by the power and riches of the dark gods. Or they may be corrupted into thinking that chaos can be used against chaos. Or they may become so disillusioned and world-weary, that embracing chaos seems the logical conclusion.

The second of my chaos renegade's followers I've chosen to create is my traitor Inquisitor, Drugh. He is a potent fighter in his own right, with an excellent array of wargear.

Inquisitor Dirske finally tracks down the renegade Drugh and his followers.

Choose Your Own Adventurers - Episode 1: Inquisitor Clousseau

"Do you fancy painting a specific set of the weird spacemen that we have been drooling over for quarter of a century?" Cheetor said to Curis and myself. "As a group paint along?"

But which weird spacemen? Why the late 1980s Citadel Rogue Trader Adventurers range of course.

The iconic full-colour advert for the RT Adventurers range.