The Inquisition Cometh!

   I've been itching to deploy an Inquisitorial detachment with my army for the last few months, but as I've been too busy to play, much less paint, I've got nothing to deploy!  I hate proxying with just a blank base marked with masking tape, so after the first of the year, I decided to get serious about converting some figures to fill out the detachment.

   Fluff-wise, it fits for an Ordo Xenos detachment to support my Space Marine army on the Eastern Fringe, so my primary HQ and warband would be built around that theme, but why stop there?  In an effort to give some of the lesser known Ordos some love, I thought that an Ordo Machinum Inquisitor with his cybernetically-modified henchmen would be a lot of fun to build.

  Since the detachment will be a small number of models, and need a bit of staying power, I thought it wise to put the Inquisitors and Acolytes in power armor.  Of course that fit right into my plan to use several of the Space Marine armor kits that I had no use for with my Mk-6-themed army!  The usual band of miscreants would need to be added as well, with a Ministorum priest, some servo-skulls and perhaps a mystic.

Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, Acolyte and Ministorum priest

Gear-wise the henchmen will all fit an assault theme, for the warband to get up close and personal with Tau.  I'm thinking that since several will have optional weapon fits, it might be time for a flamer or two to ruin the day of any close-packed formations of xenos. The Eviscerator on the priest will be fun to employ in close combat as well.  These guys have a bit more cleanup and sanding to suffer through and once the weather warms a bit, it will be off to basecoating for them!

  The Ordo Machinum Inquisitor would get to carry a conversion beamer, so I knew a lot more cutting and fitting would be required.  I've got quite a bit of greenstuff to remove to square up the beamer's handle and to clean up the chest icon placement.

  I can see the fact that I'm going to need some servitor models for the heavy weapons, and who knows what this inquisitor's warband will carry.  I've thought of giving them hotshot lasguns to punish those that close with them, but bolters might be a better compromise.  Either way, I'm sure it will be a trip to the bits factory of Anvil Industries, as that is where the Stormbolters for the Ordo Xenos warband came from.