Hello everyone,
As you may have noticed, we’ve already published several articles about the Astra Militarum. It’s clearly the army that introduced us to Warhammer 40K (and no, it wasn’t the Space Marines!). What immediately drew us in was the incredible diversity of this faction. We remember the time, which is slowly coming back, when many different Imperial Guard regiments were available in the range.
Between the old official models and those from Forge World, we’ve accumulated hundreds of miniatures from various lines. But let’s be honest: these are very time-consuming armies to paint and assemble, especially if you want to bring them to life through their specific regiments. So they’re not exactly at the top of our priority list at the moment… But then, what single thing can represent an entire army on its own?
Sly Marbo!
It is therefore with great pleasure that we present our very first Imperial Guard miniature, complete with a character backstory and an original illustration. We sincerely hope you’ll enjoy this presentation! So, here is the gallery of our Rambo-style miniature, followed by its background.
Marbo is a natural-born survivor and known as a “one man army”. He is the ultimate soldier and his skills eclipse those of the Imperium’s most highly-qualified operatives. Despite his unparalleled ability, his superiors feel “there’s something not quite right with that boy”.
Aloof and mysterious, little is known about Marbo’s background, and most of what is said is based on rumors and speculation. Only Colonel Traupman, Marbo’s mentor and original commander, knows the exact details of his past. Legend has it he was one of 10 brothers who were inducted into the 12th Catachan Regiment. All were thought killed while battling the WAAAGH! Urgok on Ryza. But then tales began to spread of a single guardsman emerging two weeks later, carrying the head of an Ork warlord; a well-aimed bullet hole was visible right between the Greenskin’s two eyes.
Marbo is one of the few to have survived the Drukhari, or Dark Eldars, incursion on Galabad. The Astra Militarum garrison stationed on the planet was unable to cope with the series of raids launched by the Dark Eldars. Marbo’s unit was captured and, over subsequent days, subjected to torture. Colonel Traupman, heading up the rescue mission, found Sly Marbo alone and armed with a single blade, covered in blood. He was surrounded by wreaked vehicles, piles of bodies and the head of the Drukhari’s Archon carelessly impaled on a spike behind him.
The Marbo legend has entered into mythology among the regiments of the Jungle Fighters; over the years these tales have doubtless been distorted but each one contains an element of truth. It is said that on Pardus, Marbo destroyed an enemy convoy of armed vehicles by booby-trapping an entire ravine. On Sask’s World, he is said to have captured Commander Post Four-Twelve single-handedly, wiping out not only the extraterrestrial leaders but also their bodyguards.
Whatever the truth, it is evident Marbo is someone who has been to Hell and back and, even for a superhuman like him, this has had a severe impact on his mental stability. The events he has witnessed have affected Marbo to such an extent he is now no more than a killing machine, devoid of all feeling.
Marbo is a loner who, even when being given orders, prefers to stay in the dark. Few have laid eyes upon him, and no-one has ever heard him speak. He nods his head by way of accepting his orders and then vanishes away again to carry out his mission. When operating alone, Sly Marbo only carries as much kit as is strictly necessary. He travels relatively lightly because he is extremely skilled in turning an entire battlefield into a deadly weapon. Not for Marbo the relics and gadgets of the Dark Age of Technology. He sets about his work as would a patient hunter, and all he needs to finish off his prey are his Ripper pistol and his envenomed blade.
Marbo has taken part in numerous storied campaigns, although not officially of course. On Dulma’lin, Marbo and the rest of the 2nd Catachan were given orders to sabotage the Ork’s war effort. Colonel “Iron Hand” Straken had been fighting a lone war for several months as the other regiments of the Imperial Guard had been annihilated. Marbo found his way to survivors and led them in slaughtering the Orks. Straken engaged the Big Boss Ork in a fight to the death that resulted in both of them collapsing on the battlefield. It was Marbo himself who carried Straken’s bloodied and wounded body to the doctors, saving his life.
During the Third War for Armageddon, Marbo once again took on the Orks. His skills and experience have often led him to be sent to Armageddon’s industrial wastelands where he triumphed in a battle against hordes of Greenskins.
On Nordassa, Marbo managed to destroy a daemonic Banelord-class Titan. The ways and means deployed to pull this off were put under seal, and even the report in his personal file has been marked classified.
Lastly, during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41, Chaos outposts were discovered empty; those inside were dead – shot in the head from an invisible position. A confidential report later revealed that this was the work of none other than Sly Marbo. However, the Catachan High Command moved quickly to place all reports and records of his actions under seal.
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