First Entry - First major 40K Rough Rider Conversion

The mighty lizard beast sniffed the air, as if anticipating the battle ahead, while the rider scanned the battlefield for his prey. Then, across the field, he spots a charging Chaos Warrior, resplendent in his corrupted armor. The rider spurs his mount into action, charging towards the evil servant of Chaos. The heavy weight of his explosive hunting lance is reassuring in his grip, as he lines up his target...

This is my first post and my humble first attempt at creating something all together new for my 40K Imperial Guard Army. I think like many I was totally put off by the current and ancient Rough Rider model offered by Games Workshop. http://store.us.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.us?do=List_Models&code=301866&orignav=301304&ParentID=6363&GameNav=10

Pictured below is the first of what I hope will be a five man strong unit of Rough Riders.
To create this Rough Rider I had to order some bitz from GW directly and also used some stuff in my spare parts box.

For the Rider: I used a Catachan Jungle Fighter plastic head to give the rider a bit more fierce and independent look. I figured if you are going to be riding a giant lizard into battle you would have to be a little crazy. The head is atop a standard Cadian plastic body. I had to cut the legs and green stuff them so that it would look like he was riding on the Lizard and not standing on top of him. The large Las-Pistol is from the Imperial Guard tank commander and the explosive hunting lance is made from a straightened out paper clip, a Space Marine knife, four grenades and a green stuff cable. Assembly of the rider was pretty easy, I pinned everything to let him survive getting knocked over. I trimmed the inside of the legs and boots to make him fit more snugly to his saddle.

The Mount: The lizard mount is a standard Cold One from GW. The only modification was to cut down some of the scales on the back so the rider would sit slightly lower. I then added a Green-Stuff saddle and saddle bag.

Painting: I make no claims at being the world's best painter, or even a good one. But for me I think the paint job turned out well. The Rider is painted in my standard 40k Imperial Guard Army colors, the 13Th Regiment of Ultramar. Basically Ultramarines blue (Man, I love that color) and Codex Grey. The Lizard is various shades of green with a dark green wash to bring out the scale pattern.

Well, I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions!

Jon AKA Buckaroo