Given that I was one of the three people who were using Storm Guardians as an actual troops choice for my Eldar army, when the new Codex Aeldari and new models were announced I had a gut feeling that we were going to see some changes – and this is one of those rare occasions where I can say that I was correct, and that I called this. The biggest change I anticipated was that the minimum squad size was going to change from 8 to 10, which would make my existing Storm Guardian squads unplayable – and I was determined to beat GW to the punch on this one.

Because I love a good rescue project, I got a hold of a half-dozen Storm Guardians online along with some extra bits from the same seller. What made these feel special is also that they were the older ones with actual pewter weapon and head bits – and I love the feeling of extra weight that pewter gives a model, and I love working with it in general. After a Simple Green bath, I went with my usual Ulthwe painting formula, but this time made a point of taking my time and being a little more deliberate about brushstrokes than I had on earlier batches.

They came together really nicely, and in the end I think I’m more happy with these than with earlier batches of Storm Guardians that I’ve done, as shown below. It’s always one of the best feelings in the world for me to look back and see that I’ve made marked improvement in this hobby, as a painter.

Now that my Troop choice house is in order, so to speak, I at least have enough for a couple Patrol detachments now, which means that the majority of the models that I have, while they will fit into weird places, will still at least be viable for tabletop use. I might not have called Dire Avengers becoming an Elite choice and knocking me out of the running for Battalion detachments, but I totally called the Storm Guardian changes, and am happy with the results. Nice try, GW, you can’t get rid of me that easily!

“Storm Guardians often support Aspect Warriors in close combat, wielding their pistols and blades with all the grace and skill of their kind. Other Storm Guardians bring special weapons to bear, burning foes out of cover with bursts from their flamers or melting through armoured bunkers with their fusion guns.” – Codex Aeldari, Games Workshop, p. 155.