WHATEVER WILL I DO NEXT???

I have already said that I think I have gone as far as I can with the guard now, so I am looking to the next project.

Chaos still features, as I think they have the best looking models and the widest scope for conversion, colour and diversity withing each force.

To this end I started musing on the armies I already have.
I have thought about the daemons some more, but I just dont like painting them. The models are ok I suppose, and I can paint them up to look ok. The thing is that they just do not seem to appeal to me. Too much beaming in and out. I am not a fan of too much unpredictability, as it makes for playing games with no clear battle plan which invariable means that the only options available to the general are get close and assault. Fair enoiugh if you can get close, but with the right wargear and character options, an opponent will make goo out of you before you get too close. And I dont like painting the models...

I have just finished building the guard, so I am not keen to repeat it just yet. They are good looking troops and easy enough to paint, but I want something that would be a bit smaller and pack a much more flexible punch.

Which leads us back to the chaos marines. Now, I already have a massive black legion and death guard contingency. Both armies look impressive and have tactical flexibility, a mix of different troops and abilities and an array of shooty kit as well as up close choppy killy stuff.

To that end I am thinking along the lines of a new chaos warband. I want something that moves me, like all my marines do, but in a new way. This means looking to the codex for inspiration. I want to move away from the blacks and reds too, as I have done too much of that in all my work. (black legion, traitor guard, Ulthwe Eldar).

I also want to think about both a theme and flexibility of the troops, coupled with some real clout on the battle field.

This means some serious planning. I want to steer clear ofusing the "usual stuff" too and go for something unique. This has led to thoughts of monstrous kit bashing between loyalist chapters (thats right PLURAL) and chaos marines. I have already seen remarkable results by combining the space wolves with the marines, and I may well go back to that sort of philosophy.
In the codex they mention "SKYRAR'S DARK WOLVES" who use symbology similar to the sons of Russ, but of course, are chaos marines.

I like that idea, but don't want to step in that direction and end up with "CHAOS SPACE WOLVES"

That leads onto the dark angels' history, and "the fallen." I love the marines in robes sort of style, but I want to combine it with the individuality and flexibility of the chaos marines. To field the fallen in the "spirit of the story" as it were, woul dmean fielding lots of small units, with limited equipment. Not very me, that.

The we move onto the black tempars and their "crusader" idealogy. Again, awesome, but the matter of how to combine it with my chaos ideals of flexibility and aggressive punch.
And so on we go to other chapters, leaving the same problm each time. Every chapter has something that appeals to me, but I cna't seem to think of ways to combine it with chaos troops without returning to where I've already been in terms of troops, tactical options etc.

So what's left that I haven't tried yet?
Well, in terms of chaos troops, quite a bit. I haven't included thousand sons or noise marines yet- or raptors. I've not fielded a daemon prince or a lord in terminator armour that wasn't a special character. I haven't used vindicators before, or possessed marines, or even a defiler. That pretty much covers 1 hq, 2 troops, an elites, a fast attack and a couple of heavy support choices.... weeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrd.

Perhaps this is the new plan then?
But what to do with it?
I have mused on sonic weaponry before, and it still appeals to me.

Perhaps I have some sort of new direction here after all:
Chaos marines mixed with loyalist vanilla marines (kitbash) along with sonic weaponry. Watch this space, I need to think on this some more...

This leaves me a bit stuck in all as to which direction to take the next chaos warband in.