Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum

Howdy folks - Doctor Xiox here, 

Been a long while since I last made a post. 

That doesn’t mean we’re out of business though! We're back and ready for eighth edition with guns blazing and chainswords revving for combat. So without further ado, I present to you my now completed force of Astra Militarum/Imperial Guard!

Introduction:

Back in 2008 and 2009 this was the typical 5th Edition Mech Guard in all its glory. Nothing like a traffic jam of armour across the board!

A picture from back in 2008. This was about two turns away from those Space Wolf Terminators ripping the chimeras a new hole.

The Astra Militarum (or more informally known as the Imperial Guard) is a sea of guns and steel that spans across the entire Imperium of Man seeking to destroy whatever heresy or xeno filth may threaten the name of the Emperor. Many regiments often consist of waves upon waves of endless infantry, but the Xioxian Imperial Guard is notorious for obliterating their enemies through the use of their trusty steel behemoths.

And here they are in all they're armoured glory...

Decided to dust off the cabinet, so I took these babies out for a big group photo.

A pair of Vanquishers in the foreground, and a pair of Leman Russ Battle Tanks in the background. On a side note, these two Vanquishers scored me a one hit kill on a Spartan Land Raider from across the board!

My (counts as) Knight Commander Pask in a Punisher Leman Russ with multi-melta sponsons and a lascannon hull, alongside an Exterminator Pattern Leman Russ with the same loadout. Pask has worked wonders in 7th edition - from stripping Contemptor Dreadnoughts of their Hull Points to chewing Power Armoured Space Marines careless enough to get in range.

The Triumvirate of the Imperium! I loved the figures the moment I saw them online and knew I had to purchase them to reinforce my Imperial Forces! Can't have a last stand battle for Cadia without this trio!

Sadly the Valkyrie no longer sees intensive use as she's just too troublesome and cumbersome to transport. She is still one of my favorites though and acted as a staple for my Tempustus Scions in battle from time to time!

The real Fifty Shades of Grey!

Tempestus Scions in the foreground are my suicide squad with meltaguns. Pretty cheap and very effective for their points! Oh and in the back? Just a bunch of Veteran Imperial Guard and their Chimera APCs...

My Commissariat Baneblade in all her black and shiny gold glory! She's seen a lot of battles and devastated tons of Terminator Armoured Space Marines who got too careless for her liking!

Background Lore:

Currently composed of the 2nd Amoured Brigade, 4th Mechanised Infantry and other elements, many a foe has trembled at this sight of the unstoppable steel wall. Numerous variants of Leman Russes plow through the enemies' ranks with the infamous Xioxian 4th Mechanised Infantry sweeping up any lucky enough to survive the initial onslaught of their tanks.

As veterans of many battles, the Xioxians were one of many forces present at The Fall of Cadia, reinforcing their brothers in arms with armoured support. In their final moments, the Xioxians participated in securing a retreat for the wounded and injured, sacrificing blood and steel to facilitate the successful withdrawal of Guardsman, Space Marine and Martian alike.

As a little blast from the past, here's an overview of the Xioxian Imperial Guard over 4 years ago!: