Astra Militarum Combat Patrol painted in 122nd Cadian scheme

Why the Astra Militarum?

I already had ~ 1.500 points of Astra Militarum ready to go but didnt really work on them for a while but recently I got highly motiviated to get them to a playable state and for that I worked on the Combat Patrol

Five Astra Militarum Attilan Rough Riders mounted on horses, charging forward with hunting lances raised.

Attilan Rough Rider cavalry model charging with a specialized melta-tipped hunting lance.

Imperial Guard cavalry model riding a dappled horse mount with realistic blending.

My Goals

So I didnt had a specific list in mind, apart from the Command Squad I did need every unit from the Combat Patrol so it was just to “bolster” my roster and the Kasrkin are one of the reasons why I started an Astra Militarum Army in the first place.

A second squad of five horse-mounted Rough Riders, showcasing distinct fur textures and uniform colors.

The Painting Journey

Since I switched a lot of my painting focus to contrast paints, the old way I painted the army scheme didnt work as well anymore. While I still keep the old stuff and decided not to rework it, I think it works quite well. Especially for the vehicles (more on them in a later post). To the actually painting of the models from this box: I loved the Kasrkin, they were just fun models. The Atilan Rough Riders were also great models but I am really annoyed whenever I have to paint horses. Not the models fault though, they were great.

A full ten-model unit of painted Kasrkin special forces, showcasing a cohesive military camouflage scheme and special weapons.

My favorite details

The red shoulder for the 122nd Cadian are always fun to paint on as it gives them a fun color “pop”. As expected the Kasrkin were also the most fun for me to discover all the little details

The complete five-model Cadian Command Squad, including a Commander, Medic, Veteran, Regimental Standard Bearer, and Vox-operator.

Challenges & lessons

Horses… I always like the Idea to play an Army against the stereotype so in case of the Astra Militarum, playing a Horse focused charge army seems like a fun idea. However after painting them I can confidently say, that if thats ever going to happen, its gonna be a while.

On a more positive note, I think the new scheme works very well with the old scheme. Soon Ill play a 2.000 Point game and will show some pictures to compare them.

Paint recipe

Painted Kasrkin Sergeant holding a chainsword and hot-shot laspistol, featuring crisp edge highlights on the carapace armor.

Since all Minis use the same scheme I will consolidate most into 1 list.

All miniatures were base coated with White Scar spray
Space Wolves Grey for all the cloth
Black Templar for most weapons and Masks
Wyldwood for Belts, shoes and pouches
Vallejo Mecha Color Steel for metal parts and some weapons (like plasma weapons and blades
Flesh Tearer Red for the red shoulder plates
Basilicanum Grey for Armor plates and rocks
Retributor Armor for some details like aquilas
Nuln Oil over the entire miniature
Corax White dry brush over the entire miniature
Frostheart for any plasma effects on the guns or the Kasrkin Masks

Next Steps

The Armageddon Battleforce, Commisar Yarrick, Commisar Graves and a Baneblade are all lying on my pile of shame so they will all come soon.

Painted models for this army (Astra Militarum)

Epic Hero

1x Ursala Creed

Character

3x Cadian Command Squad (5 miniatures each)

Battleline

6x Cadian Shock Troops (10 miniatures each)

Infantry

1x Bullgryn Squad (3 miniatures each)
1x Cadian Heavy Weapons Squad (3 miniatures each)
1x Field Ordnance Battery (2 miniatures each)
1x Kasrkin (10 miniatures each)

Mounted

2x Attilan Rough Riders (5 miniatures each)

Vehicle

1x Basilisk
2x Rogal Dorn Battle Tank