The War Dolls - Girls Game Too!

It’s not at all easy to be a warrior princess in the forty first millennium these days. Some of the other eras are tough too, but today we’re looking at Warhammer 40k and it’s sad lack of female models where there should not be a lack. Tau, Eldar and the Imperium of Man are all composed of binary races (that still occupy their original bodies, Necron lovers) and have fluff that state that both races fight on the battlefield, but the miniature line doesn’t reflect that very well for some.

Eldar and Dark Eldar actually have a good representation of our fighting women. The Eldar Guardian sprue has a female torso in the base 4 bodies on said sprue. The Dark Eldar Warrior sprue has at least 2 female torsos in that set, maybe even three. Both races have a fair distribution between the sexes I believe, though I wouldn’t mind a few more ladies in the different aspect choices for Eldar.

Tau can be argued to have a good mix, but we’re not entirely sure what a combat ready Tau female looks like. In the Xenology book that was put out by Games Workshop several years back, Tau females were very physicallly similar to males. I think they’re already intermixed.

Combat cheerleader?

As normal humans, Imperial Guard (and by extension, the Adeptus Mechanicus), are
described and portrayed as multi-gendered force. Men and women fighting together for the fate of their world and God-Emperor. Sadly GW hasn’t produced many models for us to represent this on the battlefield. There are maybe a half dozen figures, all out of print, that are female Guard. That number might cli
mb to a dozen or more if you go back to the early nineties, but most of those were described as ‘adventurer’ and would not count as ‘WYSIWYG’ and in some folks eyes, not playable. Some of the more current models aren’t exactly ‘combat ready’ or have specific weapons or roles that make fielding a whole unit all but impossible. ALL of these models are also metal, meaning that customization is a daunting task to say the least.

As a woman, I like to have some options to represent my gender on the battlefield. Sure, there are the Sisters of Battle, but they’re a tough army to make competitive and getting harder all the time to collect, but that’s an article for a different time. If your fluff says it works, then it ought to, and I ought to be able to paint some boobies, right? Thus I have collected here a list of the companies that I have found offering alternative models in order to build up your estrogen powered fighting force!

Note: Estrogen powered dagger.

Shadowforge
First up is the original option that I found many years ago while looking for alternatives to Blood Bowl models (and ended up with the female elf team). Shadowforge produced female miniatures early on. They are currently sold by Eureka Miniatures. They had a ‘coming soon’ Female Conversion Pack for GW’s Guard line. It was then I first had the desire to have Lady Guard.

They also have a line of female soldiers, but most are not well dressed for combat.

Victoria Miniatures
Oh my! These ladies are pretty impressive! I ordered an Arcadian squad last year and have been super happy with them. They were a bit ‘flashy’ but once I got them trimmed and cleaned up they were very well detailed. Since I’ve ordered, they’ve added two more styles; Tannenburg and Victorian (and a flak torso option) and all of them are mix and match if you want. I can only assume that they’ll get as many as the boys eventually. The only down-side is that they are rather expensive models – $50 USD vs $30 for Cadians.

My original plan with the Shadowforge models was to intermix the ladies into my squads. The Arcadians are very distinctive to themselves and can stand out a little from the Cadians that I have. I’m going to have to think hard about making an all girl squad or mixing them in.

DreamForge Games
Dreamforge has released a box of female Tank Hunters in their line of infantry. They aren’t extremely compatible looking with GW, but would make a great squad on their own, or perfect Stormtroopers. So far this is the only ladies I see for them, but they may be planning more.

Chapterhouse Studios
I found a small squad of ladies over at the Chapterhouse site. They look pretty compatible but I couldn’t tell if they were single cast models or come in pieces.

Kromlech
Kromlech has entered the fight as well with some torso and head conversion packs. You’d have to add these to existing Guard bits, but they look pretty compatible and to be good sculpts as well. They’re in Europe, but shipping looks to be a flat 4.20 Euros.

Brother Vinni
Brother Vinni has some military type ladies (squad and individual) over at his site, both Cadian and Catachan in dress, though the Catachans seem to have suffered from wardrobe malfunctions. Not sure if they’re parts or just single cast models but they look a bit compatible with existing GW parts.

Raging Heroes
Raging Heroes has come into their own recently and have been turning out some great heroic lady figures. They have other races too, but right now we’re looking at the Guard-like models. They look to be somewhat compatible with GW models. I’m seeing multi-part, multi-pose squads of 5 as well as individual heroes that would look pretty amazing as HQ models. They’ve got some very dynamic poses as well, so if that’s what you are looking for, these are the ones you want.

Statuesque Miniatures
Statuesque Miniatures, besides having a great name, has some Female Resistance Fighters. While not exactly Sci-Fi in nature, they’re some really gorgeous minis and deserve a look. Sadly there are very few of them and they’re only head and weapon swappable.

Cathedral Arcanum
CA has a single set of Female Soldiers (so far), but they look very compatible with the look of existing Imperial Guard and are supposed to mix and match quite well. They’re a smidge more expensive comparably, but could be worth it. I’m really giving these some consideration!

Hasslefree Miniatures – Honorable Mention
Hasslefree has some great sci-fi models, and lots of them female, but unfortunately there aren’t any squad level options, but the ladies that are there would make great commander minis, especially if there’s a show or movie character you were looking for a miniature of.

Well that’s my list thusfar. If you feel I’ve missed some that have squad level miniatures available, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. Hopefully this list will help someone out with fielding some much needed girl power!

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