Getting Started with Trench Crusade (ft. Print Hub 3D)

 

Hi, and welcome back to the Empyrean! 

Trench Crusade is the big new miniature wargame making the rounds at the moment, and I haven't seen such enthusiasm for a non-GW release in a long long time. The game's massive Kickstarter success proves there's still an appetite for the macabre and grimdark in miniature wargaming in an era of "the grimdark style" becoming largely muddied and diluted and the marketing and overt content of Warhammer so sanitised. I think it's a great sign for this niche within a niche! I also have a special interest reason for hopping on the Trench Crusade train, which doubles as why this blog didn't see any activity in 2024--I started my PhD examining how the Book of Revelation's influence shapes western narratives and storytelling. This is super exciting to me, and after speaking with Tuomas Pirinen (of both Trench Crusade and Mordheim fame) it's obvious that similar interests and examinations are at the foundation of this project. 

I also think it's becoming increasingly important to log my projects outside of the Instagram/ Facebook sphere, so there's that too.

At the end of 2024, I received my pledge from the initial Kickstarter of the Mercenary characters for the game; I'd pledged originally as I liked the look of the ammo monk, but had no clue about what the setting actually was. Around the same time, Print Hub 3D kindly sent me a selection of 3D printed models and bits in exchange for review. And so, with all of these official Trench Crusade designs in hand, and having learnt more about the setting, I'd been presented with the perfect opportunity to start building up my model collection while also documenting my journey here, and my experience working with and making models for the setting.

The first model I assembled is the humble Trench Pilgrim (Mercenary design). I didn't receive this model from the initial Kickstarter, but it was the one I was most eager to build and have a look at, as the Trench Pilgrims faction is ultimately the one I have decided on painting up for my first foray into the game. This is a print of the Trench Pilgrim, sent to me by @printhub3deu, and although obviously the art design of the sculpt isn't their own, I can attest to the quality of the print. While the finish of the print appears a little glossy, it (as proven by the other parts from Print Hub I've painted) paints up with absolutely no issue and very little cleanup needed, save using a scalpel to trim off a few connection points (and obviously some glue to put the few parts together). I had to replace the barrel and bayonet of the rifle with one from a Perry design as unfortunately I dropped the model and it snapped off, though this isn't an issue with the print (the original bayonet was fairly bendy and could take some general wear and tear on the tabletop) as I've seen many Trench Pilgrim models suffer the same fate online. I constructed a base for him using a collapsing brick wall near where I live, combining this with layers of coffee stirrer wood and a GW skull. I then washed it with texture paint. My plan is to paint this guy up along with the rest of the Trench Pilgrim warband once my pledge arrives so they're all uniformly painted.

The Field Medic is my favourite model in the whole initial Kickstater release. The relaxed pose and delicate/ realistic proportions is something so incredibly rare in modern miniature design as companies rush to create the most epic and action-packed models possible. My only reservation about the sculpt was that she's leaning back a bit too far for my liking, so to give her a little more of a grounded centre, I've extended her gown on her left side to change the angle of her pose by pushing her up a little. This is the resin model from the initial Kickstarter and the fidelity and detail are incredibly sharp and the material easy to work with. This model in particular, however, suffers from some breakability issues that are better rectified in Print Hub's version. The blade the medic carries is so incredibly thin and fragile--unlike anything I've ever worked with before--and while this is excellent for realism and realistic weapon sizes, it broke off almost immediately while gluing her together. I had to attach a little cord/ piece of piping from the back of the blade to the underarm to hold it up, which I'd rather not be there, but it was either that or no blade at all. Still, I absolutely love this sculpt, and while it can be taken as a Mercenary and I will be painting this one up as such, you can also take one as part of of a New Antioch force, so will probably end up painting up a second one for when the time comes for that. I based it on a base topper. Absolutely obsessed with this model.

I've also got two Ammo Monks--the models that drew me to the initial Kickstarter. These are both entirely unchanged/ unconverted. One resin from the Kickstarter, one print from Print Hub 3D. The one from Kickstarter, while crisp, had some very tricky mold lines to cleanup. the 3D print had a few supports to remove under the gas mask. I based them using a combination of cut-up base toppers, bits of brick, Citadel Skulls and coffee stirrers. 

Finally, we have two Communicant Tank Hunter models. These guys are awesome. They're large and imposing, but also sort of spindly and lanky. They're not the MMA fighters you tend to see in ogre-sized miniature designs, but are instead lithe and unnatural. 

This one is the resin cast from the Kickstarter. I built it stock and think it's amazing. The pose is so bizarre and menacing and it's complimented so fantastically by the Ammo Monk miniature.

This second one is the Print Hub 3D print, and I've taken lots of liberties with the sculpt, converting it in a manor inspired by @lukemockeridge 's rendition of the same sculpt. I changed the gun so it's attached to his arm rather than held by it, like it's been surgically fused with his body after battlefield injuries, complete with many tech bits and doo-hickeys. I also carved away the mask so you can see a tormented skull inside--perhaps evidence of the being's instability and quickening half-life. I added a Sisters of Silence shoulder pad, while also replacing some of the right arm with a buzz saw from one of the Necromunda rogue docs. This was all in service of differenciating the sculpt and giving it the appearance of a battered and perhaps insane Communicant.

Both models are based on base toppers given to me by Heresy of Us over on Instagram. I chopped them up a bit and added some grit, plasticard piping and wooden elements to make them look less like they're floating on top of the base, as I like my bases to have some overhang.

In addition to these models I have prepped for the game, I have also started putting together some scenery which I can use for Trench Crusade. A short while ago I did a made to order purchase for some of the Wall of Martyrs Trench Terrain through GW (before I knew Trench Crusade was a thing) and now I've finally got a great excuse to paint some up! I built the terrain stock (one bunker, one set of trenches, one set of trench platform areas) and added some sand and texture paints to give it a more worn feel. I won't be removing the 40k iconography as I feel it's small enough to go unnoticed. 

Thank you for checking out this project and my blog in what I hope will be a return to form here! I've got some 2024 projects I'd like to log and work on, so watch this space. I'd also like to give a big shoutout to Print Hub 3D EU for sending me over some bits and amazing models to work with. I can't recommend their services enough in printing anything you need. Check them out here: Print Hub 3D - Print Hub 3D