Miniatures from the Rogue Trader Rulebook: From the Pages, Set 9

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In today's post, I'm sharing a showcase of five finished Rogue Trader 40k-style miniatures from From the Pages: Set 9 by BigMrTong. The goal was to print, paint, and present the models, and do some theorizing on what their backstories could be. All models were printed with my PrusaXL, using my Balanced Miniatures profile you can copy here.

Before getting into the models themselves, it is worth explaining what From the Pages is, and why it resonates with me so strongly. From the Pages is an ongoing attempt to sculpt every single character illustrated in the original 1987 Rogue Trader Warhammer 40,000 rulebook in miniature form. He looks directly at the source material and sculpts them in the classic oldhammer style. I think it's tremendously cool as someone who poured over that rulebook many times in my youth.

What makes it interesting is how unique and unfinished the original lore feels. Early Rogue Trader is loose and full of ideas that were never standardized. Many figures suggest roles, technology or archetypes that were never fully defined. It added a level of possibility and excitement to 40K that in my mind is sorely lacking these days.

You might ask why I started with Set 9, given this is my first ever From the Pages showcase post. The reason is laziness - I've already printed and painted one of the models from this set for my earlier article. At the time of writing, there are twelve complete From the Pages sets available. My intention is to print and paint the entire series, to end up with a seriously cool collection of minis.

With that out of the way, let's look at what we'll be working on!

The Models

In his official commentary on the release, BigMrTong writes: “Set 9 uploaded and another mixed bag (this is the result and fun of following the pages). What to me is a test bed slave of some sort, a couple of assassin / inquisitor or even medic types. finally a pair of Human mercs in the style of the artwork and not the eventual mini interpretation.”

I agree with his interpretation of these models. The far left looks more like some kind of drug-stimmed pysker, or even a crazed zealot. The middle looks more like a medic or engineer to me than an inquisitor, but the artwork did show him standing over a human in pain.

The Finished Models

Without further ado, let's look at the finished models!

The Zealot

The first model is the “Test Bed Slave” from Page or possibly a stim-injected assassin or zealot. The illustration from the book looks more human flesh-toned than what I chose to paint it as, but I figured an imposing, unhealthy, pure blue power pumping through this characters veins made sense. The metal ports blend in nicely as well.

The Android

The second model is the robotic, tau-like android character that appeared in my first article. He could be a bounty hunter, a soldier from an alien species, or a highly augmented security guard. I detailed my painting of him here, but the primary color is Flesh Tearers Red contrast.

The Medic

The third model is an enigmatic power-armored character that could plausibly be read as a medic, a mercenary, or something between those roles. The eye is drawn to the menacing egg-shaped helmet. He kind of reminds me of the Death Star control operators from Star Wars. I really love this kind of wacky power armor, and I will see about doing more of it in the future. I added in a fun Ork Hybrid ambush with this character, and I want to try more posing like that in the future.

I chose to paint him with Militarum Green contrast for the armor and Dark Angels Green contrast for the undergarment, with professional-looking black leather gloves and boots. Finally, a red bolter strapped to the back for some nice contrast (I used the word contrast 3 times in this sentence... wow.)

The Brutes

The fourth and fifth models are human mercenaries. These guys look like classic sci-fi bullies. They come off as brutish but silly. I chose a simple grey and white ensemble for them with my favorite Snakebite Leather for the helmets, boots and gloves. I used black leather for their pouches and straps, and used metal to give them a Chewbacca-esque bandelier. The page illustration makes them look more like noble warriors, but I like to think of them as lackeys of a powerful space drug lord.

This set was a pleasure to work through at a relaxed pace, and I'm quite determined that From the Pages is a project I want to commit to long-term. It is a thoughtful way to preserve and reinterpret the strangest corners of early Warhammer 40,000, and I am looking forward to working backward through the remaining sets and seeing how those early ideas evolve from the beginning.

Fighting Filament is a hobby site focused on 3D-printed miniatures, narrative wargaming, and the process of turning digital files into finished, painted models.

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