No need for any serious kitbashing here, it’s quite easy to build a squad of fully equipped winter troops with the available parts. These were built almost entirely using Anvil Industry parts (plus some scenery bits from elsewhere). To build this squad as they appear you’ll need these parts, but you can just as easily pick and choose different combinations from their many parts, they even have Mosin style rifles if you want a more historical look. These are most directly inspired by the Winter War era Finnish army, and I originally called them Talvisotas (the Finnish name for the conflict), but not unexpectely that proved a nonsense name and someone from Finland suggested the name of Talvisoturit meaning winter warriors, so I’m going with that. For 40k players these can almost make great proxies for Valhallans.
Basics:
Ushanka Hats – Male (7)
Winter Greatcoat Torsos (6)
Male Fatigue Arms – Mixed (5)
Male Fatigue Arms – Shooting (5)
Male Fatigue Arms – Specialist Energy Weapon (3) (only needed for specialty weapons)
Long Greatcoat Legs 2 – Advancing (5)
Long Greatcoat Legs 1 – Male, Static (5)
Phase Rifles (6 + mags)
Fluffy extras:
Long Greatcoat Legs – Sitting / Kneeling (3) (for if you want anyone taking those positions.)
Heavy Flame Thrower Upper + Fuel Tanks (1) (or you can get the normal flamer, I just like the look of the heavy one)
DSR-1 Rifles with Male Arms (2),
Large Flames (3)
Suppressors /Silencers (5)
Alpine Accessories Set
Entrenching Tools (5)
Regiments Bayonet Pack
Weapon Accessory Pack
Pouches / Webbing Mega Pack
Molotov Cocktails (8)
Trench Melee Equipment (11)
There were also a couple other odds and ends that I can’t locate at this time, much of the list can be skipped just make sure you have enough of the essentials (heads, arms, torsos, legs, and weapons) for the desired unit size. If you want skis each Alpine Accessory kit comes with 2 backpacks set up and two more individual skis so you can do 3 minis per kit. A large part of why I put off my many other projects was because had not seen anyone else having made ski soldiers.
If possible prime and base-coat with a light color since white is very difficult to paint over a darker color. Most of these bits fit easily together, however the skis do not fit perfectly to these feet, and will need a bit of shaving. To make a sergeant I also gave it an under-slung grenade launcher for his carbine, this comes with the accessories kit, and to make this look right you should shave down the stock below the barrel to make it fit and not look too bulky. I also stuck an antenna to the top of his pack to make it look like it’s coming out from a radio he carries inside. It’s not hard to find a suitable bit for this, and it could come from pretty much anywhere. As always, when shaving resin make sure not to breath in any, use a face-mask and wet the area first and make sure you have good ventilation.
I also added small scopes to most of the rifles, giving the sergeant a holographic style site, since some of them have a reticle for grenade launchers.
I intentionally gave them contrasting colors with the legs on them being a more conventional color since often in winter operations legs don’t get the same camouflage covers, and web-gear remains normal. I thought about using the robed figures to simulate the looser covers, but none of those really looked right, so I just painted them with white outer coats. Over a base-layer, I used Apothecary White (really a gray) contrast paint, and then dry brushed white over the raised areas. I also added some tiger-stripes to break up the silhouettes in white since many winter uniforms have this because most of the time people are not out in fields of only white. I’ve also seen too much white actually make a people more visible at night. I used dark green (Caliban Green), but some kind of dark blue or gray could also work.
Basing I used Battlefield Snow from the Army Painter, mixed with a solution of water and white PVC glue to make a paste, plus Deadlands Tufts for the spurts of grass, plus some bits of spur to simulate logs and boards lying around. After I put down a layer (to include dabbing tiny bits into the grass) I sprinkled some dry snow over it to give a fresh layer of powder at the top. This gives a nice look of multiple layers.
You can see from these two pictures the before and after effects of dry brushing, while I did a few other touch-ups dry brushing over the main cloth areas was the main improvement.
Plenty of turorials out there for flames, but I will add my suggestion to mix your colors with ‘ard Coat, so they become shiny and translucent, that way you see multiple layers. Start with white and work your way outward and down the length adding in yellow and orange, and just suggestions of red, and tips of black. You can also go back over your darker colors with a thin coat of of the translucent yellow to give a layered effect. I made the flames on the Molotovs much darker to indicate they’re less intense since the wick is just a triggering mechanism.
To make this sniper I used the rifle, and nipped the tip off to attack the suppressor, I then added cheese cloth soaked in PVC glue and water and painted in white and gray and green for a shroud. This is of course inspired by Simo Hayha, right down to the scar on the left side of the face, of course with many liberties taken. For one the gear is different, and he used iron sights, but I took used the rifle as is judging that he did not like the mediocre sights available at the time, but one with better magnification that avoided reflection (by the shape of the lens and adding a hood), he might have reconsidered. In the end I wanted the sniper to stand out a bit, so gave him that, and made more of his gear white.
One last point is that it would be easy to change parts out according to one’s tastes, and Anvil has Ushanka’s with futuristic gas-masks, and various types of helmeted heads. You could also use torsos with flak armor, and possibly just sculpt fur collars out of green stuff if you want that. Heavy weapons teams would be easy since there are many options for that too.
Warhammer 40k regimental fluff:
The Talvisoturit (winter warriors in their native tongue) regiments of the Imperial Guard are much valued as light infantry particularly in cold environments thanks both to their resilience and mastery of the ski. While much of their equipment looks similar to that of the Valhallans the two groups have something of a rivalry, not that the taciturn Talvisoturit give many details about it. Unlike many regiments named after an entire world Talvisoturit come from the harsh polar region of the civilized world of Zyachry, and developed a very distinct culture, though it remained organized as a loose confederation of several countries called the Hansatian League which grew prosperous over many generations. Generations ago the planetary governor tried to fully subjugate this region, but met one military disaster after another, so conspired with a few Administratum officials to win the war by pretending it was an uprising of heretics against the Imperium itself, and thus brought in the Imperial Guard. Chiefly this was several regiments of Valhallans, beefed up massively past their usual strength to hide the scale of the operation, they nevertheless failed to win a decisive victory. Despite the Valhallans’ famous tolerance of the cold most spend their lives in their enclosed cities, so sometimes (like in this case) have limited familiarity with the wilderness let alone one like the Talvisoturit’s home regions which seemed to have nothing better to do than try to kill people. After action reviews discovered that while over-strength these regiments were extremely green and lacked fully qualified officers, and did not receive training on important tools such as skis till after they had suffered several shocking defeats.
Despite many setbacks the ground war was being slowly won, by the combined Guard and PDF elements, but it dragged on too long and drew the eyes of other elements of the Imperium. In particular rumors swirled that a rebel sniper inflicting horrendous casualties was actually from the Inquisition, this was used as an excuse, but drew exactly the wrong kind of attention. Upon looking into the situation the Inquisition quickly discovered the truth that the conflict was a planetary matter, and beneath the notice of the Imperial Guard; however before Governor Molotov could be brought in for a hearing he tragically accidentally repeatedly stabbed himself in the stomach while shaving. Similar fates befell his supporters in the Administratum, and the conflict ended with the League’s regional government being acknowledged as a confederation independent from the planetary government, and most lost territories returned, but them being liable for their own Imperial tithe consisting of several Guard regiments and their equipment.This conflict while a defining event for the region is little remembered by the Valhallans, even the regiments which took part, and if they do know of it they remember it as the glorious and successful suppression of some heretics as part of a broader Imperial Crusade. They would also sometimes dismiss these troops for not being true ice-worlders.
If anyone has built something similar I’d love to see it, so post them or a link to pictures in the comments.
Ashes and Temples 