Modelling ideas for Inquisitorial Retinues: Warriors and Familiars

Continuing the theme of alternative models other than those in the GW boxes to use for WH Inquisitor retinues:

The Warrior (Veteran Guardsman/Servitor/Crusader):
The Warrior provides combat support for the Inquisitor, either in close combat or at range. Veteran Guardsman would be easy to cover, as there is a huge range of models already in the IG range (with more to come soon). I particularly like the Cadian Senior Officer, the Vostroyan models, or some of the characters like the Jungle Fighter captain. Probably for the veteran guardsmen, the model you choose will be based of what you're going to arm him with (like a plasma gun).

Alternatives to using guardsman are many. For example, some of Necromunda Arbites models look great and would fit in pretty easily (Godwyn Fischig in the Eisenhorn novels was an ex-Arbites). Here's a picture of Fischig, courtesy of WH40K Lexicanum:

Eisenhorn also employs other warrior types, such as the bounty hunter Harlon Nayl. Bounty hunters would be well presented by Necromunda models like the Delaque Gangers (check the Delaque leader in the top left of the picture). Some of the models from Armor Cast would also make good bounty hunters, such as this one, though I'm not sure on the scale of the model compared to GW models.

As a complete alternative (and because we don't see enough of them), why not resurrect some Squats? How about this one from Hasslefree minatures as a plasma gun armed one?

Servitor models are available through GW, but given they come in packs of two, one ranged servitor and one close combat so you might need some conversion work if you want both to be one type. A nice alternative would be some of the Iron Brotherhood minis from Micro Art Studios that I posted about as alternative sages. The figure on tracks would be ideal as a close combat servitor.

Crusaders are close combat specialist in the retinue. In the Eisenhorn novels, Eisenhorn has a couple of death cult assasins which accompany him (beginning of the second book if I remember correctly, here's the Inquisitor scale models of them), so the models for those at 28mm could be used as "count-as" Crusaders. Strictly speaking Crusaders are armed with suppresion shields and power weapons, so it would need to be a shield armed model to be more accurate to the weapon configuration. I particularly like the model for the Beast Hunter from the Mordheim range, and with some weapon swaps (a shield on his right arm, changing the axe in his left hand for something more 40K-ish), I could see him as a warrior from a feral planet that the Inquisitor has bought into his retinue. You could also use Arco-Flagellants as "counts-as" crusaders if your Inquisitor is particularly gung-ho.

The Familiar (Cherubim/Servo-skull/Cyber-Eagle):
I'm drawing a bit of a blank on alternate models for these creatures, which act as psychic conduits for the Inquisitor. The Coteaz box set has a cyber-eagle (on Coteaz's arm) which could be clipped off and added to a perch as an alternative. The Necromunda arbites box has a cyber-mastiff which you could also use.

That's all for now, in the next post I'll look at the two remaining members of the retinue: the Penitent and the Chirugeon.