Neat. But I have just realized that their guns are a bit too big for a weapon carried by a pilot. Maybe it's just me, though.

yeah, the one on the right's too big, but the one on the left is a pretty good pistol, I think

You could do some custom campaigns with models like that.

cool idea with the IG torso

Agreed about the guns, though most armies in the 41st Melinum issue Carbines to their tank crews.
I mean, a Laspistol just isn't going to stop a Ork who wants to wear your balls as goggles.

At least that's how it goes on the Righteous Imperial side.

As far as the paint job goes, the purple and brown work nicely with each other ^^ Only thing I would say is maybe a mix of Warlock and Litch purple, painted on as line highlights?

Hmmm I may do that...never really tried highlighting XD And it's listed as a pistol for battlesuit pilots int he codex, which is still str 5 AP 5...the reason they don't carry anything bigger is because of space constrictions within a battlesuit

That works. I see you used the basic conversion they had posted on the GW site. The guns look good though, I mean, this is 40k, reasonable sizes whent out the door the moment they made a ship that can land an entire Cadre of Fire Warriors

And line highlighting is easy. Just get a thin brush (I use the Citadel Fine Detail brush) And run it only over the edges of the armor plates, and any raised parts of the armor. As far as paint goes, a 1:1 Mix of Lich purple and Warlock purple, with a bit of water, will work just fine.

Though, be sure to try it on a scrap model first.

well, these guys aren't really gonna appear on the tabletop, but I LOVE how the one on the left came out so if I get my hands on some Warlock Purple soon I'll test it on the right one

nice concept but persenaly i would not have used the helmets.

well, I forgot to mention it, but I painted the tabs on the backs of the carapaces silver-connection ports. The back of the suit plugs into the seat, and relays all the data directly into the helmet.

I think i read in the novel version of Fire Warrior (PS2 game, but the book was soo much better) that when they get into their battlesuits they strap themselves down so they can't move. Then plug into the mech via the forehead, in the similar way you would in the matrix films.
They don't so much pilot the mech but become the mech. kinda interesting to read.

I don't see the guns being "too big for pilots to carry" as a problem. This is 40k, after all. And a Tau without a decent gun is pretty much worthless, given their preference for long-ranged weapons.

-nods- indeed