Fighting Tiger Elites (updated 07/2009)
Unlike Codex Astartes Chapters (such as the Ultramarines), the Fighting Tigers do not organize themselves into companies. Instead, the Tigers divide themselves into two castes, or jatis, one based on each of Veda’s continents, Mahaduyana and Ghuyarashtra. Each jatis is identical in size (about 500 Marines, plus attendants) and organization. Each jatis takes its name from its home continent and its markings from the tigers found there.

Fighting Tigers who have been promoted to Terminator or Sternguard Veteran Squads are Tigers of Indra; Indra is the captain of the Vedic gods. Former tanadars (officers) who fall in battle may become Tigers Eternal  in Dreadnought form. Basic colors are Fiery Orange (or Skull White, for females) and Chaos Black for Jatis Mahaduyana, Bubonic Brown (or Skull White, for females) and Bestial Brown for Jatis Ghuyarashtra. 

Tigers of Indra: Terminators
In the Fighting Tigers of Veda Chapter, all Marines start as Scouts, then are assigned as Tigers of Rudra (Tactical Marines), Kali (Assault Marines), or Agni (Devastator Marines). Exceptional Fighting Tigers may become Sergeants and lead their squads into battle. Superior Sergeants are promoted from their squads and organized with their peers into Fighting Tiger Sternguard Veteran Squads; those who distinguish themselves with acts of valor may be promoted to Terminator Squads. Thus, Fighting Tiger Terminators are very rare! 

All my Terminators are older models, either pewter or plastic, and are not the larger, all-plastic versions that Games Workshop released a few years ago. Originally, I had mounted them all on the standard-sized bases that other Marine figures use, but when the "plus-sized" Termies came out, they had larger, 40mm bases. So I adjusted mine. Rather than pull off the old bases, I took them as they were and mounted them on top of 40mm bases. Then I covered the old and the new bases with static grass, making it look like each Terminator is standing atop a small mound.

Though my Terminators are not substantially bigger than my regular Marine figures, they seem like they're much larger, thanks to the 40mm bases. 

Tigers of Indra: Sternguard Veteran Fighting Tigers
Fighting Tiger Sternguard Veterans are drawn from the best Sergeants, so they always have lots of combat and leadership experience. Sternguard are among the few units within the Chapter that are sometimes integrated by jatis and sex; this is done so they may learn from each other (if they are promoted to Terminators, they are resegregated). 

Due to an over-abundance of Marines packing special weapons (flamers, plasma guns, and melta guns), I have six (!) Sternguard units in my army, each of them between 5-8 members strong. Basically, they're leftover figures from when I was reconfiguring my army to conform to the latest Codex: Space Marines. As such, none of them are the way-cool Sternguard models recently released by Games Workshop. Instead, they're Tactical Marine figures, either metal or plastic, some of them from the original RTB-01 Space Marine boxed sets released waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the "Rogue Trader," or 1st Edition era. 

Some of the figures, like the Sergeants in the two photos above, were painted by other people and given to me as gifts. So because of that, and because the figures were painted at different times over several years, they don't all look the same. In the photo above, you'll see different armor styles, different paint schemes, and even three different shades of brown used. I'm okay with that, as these squads are supposed to be assembled from individuals promoted from disparate units. Not to mention the fact that the Tigers are an old army both in fluff (established in the 36th Millennium) and in real life (I started collecting them in 1987). 

Tiger Eternal Shiva the Destroyer: Venerable Dreadnought
Maharaja Shiva Nagordarika, Founder and first Chapter Master of the Fighting Tigers, was struck down by a Bloodthirster of Khorne and reborn as Shiva the Destroyer, armed with an assault cannon, Dreadnought close combat weapon, and a heavy flamer. For this figure I used the 3rd-Edition era pewter Dreadnought model; the head is from a plastic Voltron toy. That bloody pulp at Shiva's feet is what's left of a Dark Eldar Warrior. I spread his arms out to make him appear more menacing.

Shiva was the first Tiger Eternal. His armor was constructed before there were female Fighting Tigers and was painted white because that color (in Vedic culture) signifies death. This has confused some outside the Fighting Tigers into believing that Shiva was female. In Hindu mythology, the deity Shiva (or Siva) is often androgynous and I deliberately painted the model this way to reflect that gender ambiguity. 

I painted this model back in 1998 (or thereabouts), and my painting style back then was, shall we say, not as sophisticated as it is now (not that I'll be winning any Golden Demons anytime in my life). Though Shiva's kind of lurid, I like him and he gets plenty of attention from onlookers whenever I use him in a game. 

Tigers Eternal: Dreadnoughts
Surya and Vashtar were Fighting Tiger Captains who assumed command of the chapter after the Tigers' founder, Shiva Nagordarika, was struck down in battle. Together, they ruled for centuries, and were elevated to Dreadnoughts. They play crucial parts in the short story  Dharma.

These conversions use original "Rogue Trader" Space Marine Dreadnought bodies and pewter, 3rd Edition-era Dreadnought arms. The heads and legs are from plastic Voltron figures. I painted these figures around 1998, and (like Shiva) they're rather "cartoony," but that was my painting style back then. Stripping them and repainting them would be very difficult, so I'll just keep them as they are. 

Tigers of Tvashtri: Techmarines 
Tigers of Tvashtri keep the Chapter's weapons, armor, and vehicles in a constant state of readiness. They often go into battle alongside Tiger war machines, especially ancient ones like Dreadnoughts and Land Raiders.

Tiger of Tvashtri, Jatis Mahaduyana

I have two Techmarines in my army, both of them older metal figures, and neither of them with the full-blown turbo-servo-harness thingies that make Techmarines look like Dr. Octopus' cousins. You'll notice that I paint my Techmarines in standard Tiger schemes, not the all-red look that "codex" Techies have. I explain why here.

Recently, I "retired" the figure that I had been using for former Raja Shamshir Talatra, but I didn't want to just throw out or shelve his bike. So I gave it to my other Techmarine. At first, I geschwitzed about I was going to get him (a basically one-piece metal model) to fit on the bike, but eventually I just decided to pose him next to the bike, as if he had just gotten off to repair something. There: that was easy.
 

Next page (pg 4): Gray Tigers Previous page (pg 2): HQ

Related Pages
Fighting Tiger Elites
Tactics: Fighting Tiger Elites
Tigers Eternal Surya Ashoka and Shrendi Vashtar
Tiger Eternal Shiva the Destroyer

Last updated July 2009

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