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113th Valhallan Ice Warriors – Part 1

I fancied something a little different tonight so after finding my base coated Valhallan Ice Warriors I thought I’d give one of them a go.

For those of you not in the know Valhallan Ice Warriors are an imperial guard (Astra militarum) army in Warhammer 40k. They’re old school having first been released some time in the 1990s I believe. I remember seeing them the first time in a diorama on the back of a white dwarf magazine manning a fortress fighting Tyranid aliens. Their colour scheme was this –

As I’ve always been a huge fan of all things imperial guard it was an easy decision to make sure I snapped them up when they were re-released by GW in early 2020. I base coated them immediately but then obviously got sidetracked by something else and didn’t even look at them again until recently.

I picked out a Lieutenant as I just love his ridiculously big hat haha, poured some wine, turned on the music (Black Flag) and got stuck in. It’s been a while since I’ve painted a figure so I definitely felt rusty but all in all I’m pleased with the finished result of Lieutenant Yakovitch of the 113th Valhallan Ice Warriors.

This will be a small army with troops, artillery and a Leman Russ but that’s it. They’ll certainly come in handy as reserves for my Praetorian Guard Army from time to time.

I am looking forward to painting more and will be incorporating a basic green and white camo scheme for the standard troops based on the first picture in this post.

However, it’s back to the CoffinWood project I go.

Wudugast taught me that taking a break from a large project is always good so that’s what this was all about.

I hope everyone is keeping well.

Cheers

IRO

52 thoughts on “113th Valhallan Ice Warriors – Part 1”

      1. They only did that once for the Valhallans so far, if they ever do then again it will be a long while from now. The only old metal regiment available(albeit only the squad, no support) is the Steel Legion.

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      4. Sweet. You would use the Vic Minis? They’ve got some cool bits and bobs. I’ve got a fair few old school Prae Guard but I’ve also got quite a few from her and they look good. They’re not quite as chunky as the old school metal but still nice and fit in to my army well.

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      3. Apologies for my mistake, what can I say I’m getting old ! LOL Link has been sent, so check your spam, as my emails tend to end up there ! LOL

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  4. Well painted. Its funny how each of has our preferences. Valhallans are my least favorite, nay, 2nd most dis-liked of the Imperial Guard models GW ever produced. Whether thats bc im a child of the cold war and spent years in uniform with Soviets as my enemy, or something else, Idk. I do prefer your paint to the WD models you shared. Are you painting a full army ir just afew models for fun?

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    1. I like anything imperial guard and the funny thing is Catachans used to be my favourite when I was a teen but now they’re my least favourite. I think the Russian element to me is what I like most with the Valhallan but I can see why others wouldn’t. It’ll just be a small army man but this one was just a palette cleanser before I get back to CoffinWood.

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      1. Catachans were my first 40k army. Though they suck on most boards. I had a largish Cadian army languishing in bare plastic for years. Then I traded it for a Lizardmen army that languishes in bare plastic. At least you are painting!

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  9. Great job on the Valhallan, mate! I had forgotten the old color scheme and I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying that I think it looks gaudy and terrible. The one you chose is a huge improvement and looks more natural like a soldier in this army should. I think it would be cool if GW rereleased these with improved sculpts. They’d be good fun to paint, I reckon!

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    1. Thanks mate. I quite like the old look but I think it’s more for nostalgic reasons. The general theme for mine will be a little rag tag with some old school camo here and there. It’d be a dream come true if GW released all the old school imperial guard either in metal or plastic but preferably plastic so I can easily convert.

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      1. That sounds great. Camo is fun to paint too. I’d go with an ice camo of blue, gray, and white if I painted any of these. I think that would fit their environment pretty well. So I guess I’m on board for a plastic update now too 🙂

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    1. Haha spot on. Yeah they re-released at the beginning of 2020 as a special order. I snapped them up quick smart. Itd be cool if they did the same with Praetorian Guard. Even though I’ve got plenty of still buy more. It’s a sickness haha.

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  12. Same! Emphasis on the blind of paint. I think I was painting straight out of the pot. Used a sepia ink for every shade. Never heard of highlighting. Loved the army though! Wont ever part with the minis.

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  14. Nice, not really up with the different Imperial Guard factions (the ones I had were the originals, and there was only one type back then! we never had the winter ones, the pith helmet ones, the Rambo ones, the desert ones and all that back in my day, mind you Space marines had pointy beaks back then too 😉.

    Cheers Roger.

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  19. Excellent – I love this kind of thing, the big cap especially. At first sight, I immediately thought they had the vibe of the old Stouthearted Praetorian Guard and I can see they’d make for great reinforcements.

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  20. Late to the party but I brought more 🍺. Too critical of the paint job you did here, I do like it, though like borderguy I do see a Soviet enemy! Anyways, glad you had the break, I might do the same soon, but given my focus probably not. As for old school, they are new to me!

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