The lost art of metal slotta models

I bought a few Tallarn models direct from GW back in the day but I bought most from ebay (when they were about £3 a model). I rather suspect that one factor motivating GW to change from using metal to plastic for their models is the fact that the longevity of metal and the ease of stripping paint off metal models allows the second hand sales of models to continue decades after their manufacture. 

It is always interesting to see the state of second hand models. The paintwork can be very good, but it is just as often laid on thick without the benefit of primer.  

I presume the the slotta base was a GW innovation from the 1980s.

I prepare the models by stripping the paint off using a solvent; then cleaning with a brush which usually removes any stray metal.  The metal tag is usually a poor fit for the slotta base and I usually bend the tag so that is a tight fit.  After adding superglue to the slot and allowing to set I fill the slot with some sort of filler to stabilize the model.

If I do come across a broken tag it is not too difficult to drill a hole up into at least one of the legs so a wire can be glued to the model to enable it to be fixed to a base. I see that some modellers do this for most of their models as this facilitates the holding of the models during painting and allows the use of scenic bases.

I don't push the model all the way in to the slot but have the boots of the model raised about 1mm above the base; or rest the feet of the model onto a piece of plastic about 1mm thick.  This is to allow the addition of texture onto the base without the model having the appearance of sinking into the base.  I do this by brushing polystyrene glue onto the base and then sprinkling on a mixture of different sizes of railway modelling ballast.  The weak glue allows the brushing off of any grit in the wrong place.  The ballast is fixed in place by dropping a 50:50 mixture of PVA glue and water from a syringe onto the base; the watered down glue will spread over the base.  I allow the glue to dry over night before spraying the model and base first with Halford's Grey Primer and then GW's Chaos Black and then Zandri Dust.

Army Lists

 The recent rule changes have changed my target list to the following:

om   Recon Detachment:

        Cadian Castellan (armed with bolt gun) 55pts

2 Cadian Command Squad (officer with plasma pistol; 1 plasma gunner)  2 x 65pts

4 Cadian Shock Troops (2 x Sargent with chain swords; 14 lasgun troopers; 2 plasma gunner; 2 melta gunners)  4 x 120pts

2  Cadian Heavy Weapon Squads (Mortars) 2 x 65pts

2 Rogan Dorn Tanks  2 x 240pts

6 Scout Sentinels (with autocannons) 3 x 110pts

6 Armoured Sentinels (with lascannons) 3 x 130pts

Total = 1995 points

Adding the following would make a 3000 point force:

Lord Solar Leontus 120pts

1 Cadian Shock Troops (2 x Sargent with chain swords; 14 lasgun troopers; 2 plasma gunner; 2 melta gunners)  120pts

3 Catachan Heavy Weapon Squads (Missile Launchers) 3 x 65pts

2 x 10 Attilan Rough Riders  2 x 120pts

Total = 3000 points

A document named "Chapter Approved Tournament Companion" recently appeared on the 40K download page and this document includes a Base Size Guide which indicates that Commissars, Cadian Castellans, and Cadian Command Squads are expected to be on 28.5mm diameter bases.  Sentinels are now on 80mm bases (they used to be supplied with 60mm bases).  Cadian Heavy Weapon teams are on 50mm bases (surely some mistake) while Catachan Heavy Weapon teams are on 60mm bases.  Rough Riders are now on 60x35.5mm oval bases.  I intend to follow this guide as best as I can, although I will be putting all heavy weapon teams on 60mm bases.  

    

Tallarn model range

These are the Tallarn models shown in the now out-of-print Imperial Guard Collectors' Guide (Games Workshop 2003). There are 2 officers, 2 sargeants, 8 raiders with lasguns, 3 raiders with special weapons, 5 heavy weapon teams of two men and 2 rough riders. Rough rider sargeants can be made by using the standard (Attilian) rough rider chainsword arm rather than the hunting lance.  Two casualties were also marketed but are not included in the Collectors' Guide.

The models were sculpted by the Perry brothers.  As far as I can make out the models were released as follows:
 

May 1995 - Tallarn squad; Tallarn Autocannon;

June 1995 - Tallarn Lieutenant

March 1996 - Captain Al’rahem; Tallarn Lascannon; Tallarn Missile Launcher

June 1998 - Tallarn Heavy Bolter;  Tallarn Mortar;

July 1998 - Tallarn Rough Riders

The sargeant with the chainsword, the casualties and the heavy bolter gunner were withdrawn in 2007.  The gunner that was originally released with the heavy bolter (the one on the left with the googles and headscarf covering the face) was quietly replaced by the Autocannon gunner (on the right) at some point.

 
Pictures pinched from ccm wiki who (in my humble opinion) assign them incorrectly.

Inventory

Current models I have to hand:

Captain Al'Rahem x2 (= Commissar or Cadian Castellan)

Tallarn Officer (Infantary Platoon Commander) x4

Sargeant (plasma pistol) x8

Sargeant (chainsword) x10

Trooper 1 x13

Trooper 2 x 9

Trooper 3 x 18

Trooper 4 x 13

Trooper 5 x 15

Trooper 6 x 7

Trooper 7 x 8

Trooper 8 x 17

Tallarn with Grenade Launcher x12

Tallarn with Meltagun x25

Tallarn with Plasmagun x11

Tallarn Missile Launcher Team x21

Tallarn Auto Cannon Team x10

Tallarn Heavy Bolter Team x9

Tallarn Lascannon Team x3

Tallarn Mortar Team x5

Tallarn Rough Rider x10

Looking at the previously proposed list, I am short of a Mortar Team. I have 3 metal Cadians with vox castors.  I don't have any tanks or sentinels.  

Blog Aim

Is this the sixth or seventh time I've re-started this blog.  Fifteen years ago I had a blog here where I had set myself the mission to collect and paint an army of Warhammer 40k miniatures. I must admit that the hobby became little more than buying metal miniatures on ebay with very little painting being done.  I'm now selling off models that have little chance of ever being painted.

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My first Warhammer love had been the Imperial Guard but I couldn't make a decision about their tanks.  I hated the boxy Leman Russ and the Chimera is only a little better.  I had previously tried making guard tanks based on the Rhino but only managed to make a couple of mangled models, but the release of the Rogan Dorn now gives me a good looking tank.

So, my plan is to concentrate my meagre painting efforts on finishing off what could pass as an Astra Militarum army consisting of my Tallarn models and new tanks and sentinels.  The following seems a reasonable 2000 point army:

-   Commissar (armed with plasma pistol and power weapon) 30pts

3 Platoon Command Squad (officer with bolter; 1 plasma gunner)  3 x 60pts

3 Infantry Squads (2 x Sargent with power weapon and plasma pistol; 16 lasgunners; 2 plasma gunner)  3 x 120pts

2 Infantry Squads (1x Sargent with power weapon and plasma pistol; 8 lasgunners; 1 plasma gunner)  2 x 60pts

2 Heavy Weapon Squads (Mortars) 2 x 60pts

2 Rogan Dorn Tanks  2 x 240pts

6 Scout Sentinels (with autocannons) 6 x 55pts

6 Armoured Sentinels (with lascannons) 6 x 65pts

Total 1990 points

  

Doesn't a 67 year old man have anything better to do? Probably but the country is going mad following Brexit and the world is coming to an end due to limited resources/global warming/war/banking collapse. I need a diversion.