Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chancers (Astra Militarum/Imperial Guard): Part 1

This is my 13^th published post: a fitting tribute to the Thirteenth Penal Legion of Warhammer 40,000.  For fans of the GW metal miniatures of the late 1990s/early 2000s, Games Workshop sells several of their older ranges through their online store (webstore exclusive).  I recently picked up Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chances; a metal range of twelve figures, including the infamous Colonel himself.  The Last Chances were sculpted by Alan and Michael Perry in the late 1990s.  Each of the twelve miniatures has a distinct look and are given individual names: Colonel Schaeffer, Hero, Animal, Shiv, Grease Monkey, Warrior Woman, Demolition Man, Ox, Scope, Rocket Girl, Fingers and Brain.  I have never read Gav Thorpe’s The Last Chancers series of novels, so, I am unsure if these miniatures represent specific characters from the series.

Colonel Schaeffer, Hero, Scope & Warrior Woman

Price: Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chances are priced at $50 Canadian, which works out to ‘$4 & change’ per figure.  This is an excellent price for GW metal miniatures.  Plus, shipping is free on order of $80 Canadian or more (I added a squad of plastic Catachan Jungle Fighters to my order and received free shipping).

Shiv, Grease Monkey, Brains & Animal

Demolition Man, Rocket Girl, Fingers & Ox

Preparing the Miniatures for Painting:  I like to wash my metal miniatures in soapy water to remove any of the residue left by the mold release agent before I prime my miniatures.  After I have glued my miniatures to the ‘slotta’ bases, I use some epoxy putty (green stuff) to fill in the gaps in the ‘slotta’ areas of the bases.

I purchased the female Commissar from eBay & the female Catachan Jungle

Fighters from brick-and-motar retailers when this miniature was in circulation

Female Representation: There are two female miniatures among the Last Chancers: Rocket Girl and Warrior Woman.  The only other female Imperial Guard miniatures (post Rogue Trader) that I am aware of are the female Commissar Games Day figure, the female Catachan with a grenade launcher and the female Gaunt’s Ghost trooper.  Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chances will give you 2 out of the 5 female Imperial Guard miniatures.

 Colonel Schaeffer, Warrior Woman, Demolition Man & Brains

While slightly below the sculpting calibre of today’s Games Workshop’s plastics kits, Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chancers are great looking miniatures, reflective of the high-quality metal miniatures Games Workshop produced in the late 1990s.  Each of the Last Chancers has a distinctive look, reflecting the diversity of the Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum).  Priced at $50 Canadian for 12 miniatures, Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chancers are an affordable way to add characters and special weapons to your Imperial Guard army.

Colonel Schaeffer: The cigar smoking colonel carries a plasma pistol in one hand and a close combat weapon in the other hand.

Warrior Woman: Dressed in a sport’s bra and a mini-skirt, Warrior Woman holds a lasgun and has a sheathed sword strapped over her shoulder.

Demolition Man: Wearing a military style fur hat, a fur vest and baggy pants, Demolition Man wields a lasgun in one hand and carries a bag of explosives in the other hand.

Brains: A bald headed warrior with wiring connected to his skull, Brains is armed with a lasgun.

Ox, Grease Monkey, Shiv & Animal

Ox: A muscle bound guardsman carrying a heavy bolter in a similar fashion as ‘Try Again’ Bragg (Gaunt’s Ghosts) and Sergeant Harker (Catachan).  This miniature could easily represent a heavy weapons trooper in a Catachan army.

Grease Monkey: A bandaged soldier wearing a peaked cap/forage cap, Grease Monkey wields a bolt pistol.

Shiv: A Native American inspired miniature, Shiv is wielding a long knife and carries a holstered plasma pistol.

Animal: Wearing shackles around his ankles, wrists and neck, Animal wields a meltagun and has a chainsword strapped to his back.

 Hero, Fingers, Rocket Girl & Scope

Hero: Dressed in a long overcoat and wearing a peaked cap/forage cap, Hero wields a lasgun and a laspistol in each arm.  Strapped to his belt is a sheathed sword.  The Hero miniature could be used to represent an officer in a Mordian Iron Guard army.

Fingers: Wearing a boonie hat and jungle/tropical fatigues, Fingers wields a lasgun.

Rocket Girl: Wielding a rocket launcher and wearing a bandanna, Rocket Girl has the fierce look of a Catachan Jungle Fighter.

Scope: Outfitting in a ghillie suit, Scope sits in a kneeling position aiming his deadly sniper rifle. This miniature could easily represent a sniper in a Catachan or Cadian army.