The Cheatin’ Gitz – Part 2

Last time we were on the Blood Bowl pitch I was working on my Goblin team. Now we’re back with the little green gits to paint up the final three (for now). These rascals come from the Forge World Killer Kontraptions set which I treated myself to a while back. First of all we have the rambunctious Ooligan…

… then the Pogoer (who’s head has been swapped for one from the Night Goblins)…

…and lastly the Doom Diver.

Add them to the various other Goblins I’ve painted lately and there’s a whole new team ready to go!

I reckon I’ve done pretty well with Blood Bowl over the last couple of month but, as regular readers will no doubt have guessed already, there’s still plenty more still to do.

The Cheatin’ Gitz – Part 1

Right, I know what you’re thinking. Another Blood Bowl team Wudugast? Another greenskin team? I mean, fair enough, paint more teams, Blood Bowl is cool, but you do know there’s more to the game than just green guys right? You’ve already got an Orc team, and a Black Orc team, and then there’s those Snotlings that you should be finishing – do you need to start a Goblin team as well? 

Well here’s my excuses. The thing is, I actually have quite a few Goblins already. I painted six of the runty little gits for my Black Orcs and another four for my normal Orcs, which means I have almost enough to field a team already. They wouldn’t be a very good team but still… 

Back when I started my original Orc team I bought myself a set of Goblins, partly to assist the Orcs and partly because I thought at some point I’d like to paint the whole set and have a Goblin team as well. Of course it’s taken me a while to get around to it, but here we are at last. I also have a troll who I might as well get my moneys’ worth out of now that I’ve finally got around to painting him. 

As well as the ordinary Goblin Linemen and their Trained Trolls there are six other positions on a Goblin team. These tricky, sneaky, cheaty little so-and-so’s are where a lot of the strengths (such as they are) of a Goblin team lie, or so I’m told anyway. The art of playing Goblins, it has often been repeated to me, is to drag the opposition down to your level and beat them with experience. A while ago, when I was putting in an order with Forge World, I talked myself into buying models for three of these positions; the ‘Ooligan, Pogoer and Doom Diver. Anyway, that left me with three positions to fill; the Fanatic, Loony and Bomma. I already have a few Fanatics around so I grabbed one I’d already painted and press-ganged him into the team. 

Anyway, enough of models I’ve already painted – lets look at some new stuff! My next step was to dig around in the bits box and kitbash myself a Bomma with a suitability volatile-looking fungal bomb. 

I didn’t really need more Goblin Linemen but I had a couple of them sitting around so I painted them up anyway.

Lastly I turned my attention to the (chainsaw wielding) Loony. I experimented a couple of times with making my own but nothing really looked right. As I was struggling with this however I stumbled upon Slugkap Kipplecrac, a limited edition model from a company called Geek Salad. He was perfect for the job so how could I possibly resist? Better yet, the model I received turned out to be number 007. Those who survive his chainsaw rampages will undoubtedly be shaken, but not stirred. 

The name’s Kipplecrac, Slugkap Kipplecrac!

With these done I’m well on my way to having the Goblin team up and running, especially as I can borrow things like tokens and markers from the Orcs (I’m already borrowing half their players after all!). All being well I should get the final lads finished soon.

The Stupendous Swamptown Superstars – Part 1

Time for some more Blood Bowl players as I make a blatant attempt to pad out the number of models I’ve painted this month with lots of tiny Snotlings, using a mix of new plastics and a few of the old metal models I’ve had sitting about. 

Want to see a group shot of the whole collection so far? Of course you do!

I’ve always had a soft spot for Snotlings (oh all right, I have a soft spot for greenskins of all descriptions but I am particularly fond of the little snots). Needless to say I’ve got loads of them kicking around so expect to see this infestation grow and grow! 

Rock Bottom

Why yes, I did paint a stone troll and name him Rock Bottom. Don’t judge me, you’d have done the same thing if you’d thought of it! 

Once again this is a model which has lurked in the pile of shame for some time, and now comes stomping forth at long last as I continue my efforts to work my way through the backlog. Somewhere I have a couple more of these trolls, expect to see them… someday. 

The Git-Killaz – Part 5

Right you horrible lot! Did you over-indulge at Christmas? Good!

As it happens I’ve been a busy boy. With the end of the year looming I decided to finish off my Black Orc Blood Bowl team (minus the troll – for crying out loud will you stop going on and on about that bloody troll!). The team had reached the stage where although there were still several models to paint they were all fairy small, nothing I couldn’t handle before we reach 2022 right?

First things first we have the three remaining goblins that complete the squad of players able to take to the pitch. Let’s take a look at them.

This one seems to think he’s a bit tough. Let’s see how well that holds up when a chaos warrior is thundering down towards him…

I do like this lad’s headgear, very stylish indeed sir!

Gathered together with their mates from a couple of weeks ago, we have the goblin half of the team (joining the Orc half which I painted – appropriately – back in Orctober).

Of course we need a full-team group shot but that will have to wait because we have a few other things to look at first. Each team comes with a couple of coin-shaped counters with the team logo stamped on them.

And then we have a couple of balls. Again each team comes with balls in the style of the team. Do you want to see a goblin playing with his balls? You do? Well ok then…

A clever thing about a lot of the recent Blood Bowl teams is the way that each miniature can be built in one of two very distinct ways. Two sprues of models therefore give you two sets of pairs of models. In the first Orc team I painted you ended up with two sets of “clones”, each Orc was the same as their partner, until I set about converting with gusto of course! With this team there was no need to do that, and in my book that’s a very good thing. Much as I enjoy converting models it should be something that you do because you want to do it, not because you feel you have to just to end up with an aesthetically pleasing collection. Anyway, just for interest here’s all the pairs of models from the Black Orc team. Despite the name of this blog I can’t recall doing anything in the way of converting with these.

And there we have it, the Black Orc team is ready to roll. Want to see a group shot? Of course you do!

I’ve still got plenty more Blood Bowl to tackle in 2022 of course. There’s that half-painted elf team, my long-neglected humans and various undead monsters all clamouring for attention. And that troll of course but the less said about him the better!

The Git-Killaz – Part 4

Time to revisit the Blood Bowl pitch as I keep chipping away at the Black Orc team I started in October. Last time we saw them I’d painted all 6 of the orcs which just left the goblins waiting for attention. Since then I’ve been working away at painting up the more nimble and diminutive side of the team and managed to complete first one…

…then another…

…and finally a third. 

I also went for the easy win of getting these two markers painted up as well. 

All in all the team is coming together nicely now so I’ll aim to finish it by that ever elusive date known only as “soon”. 

Hobnobs – Part 1

Time for another of Games Workshop’s newer releases, and this time it’s the turn of the Hobgoblins, or as they have now been rebranded “Hobgrots”. For a while I mistakenly believed they were called “Hobgobs” and then, when I was texting a mate about them, noticed that my phone was autocorrecting them to Hobnobs – and that’s what they’ve been called round my house ever since. Although since painting them I’ve started referring to them as “fiddly little bastards” instead…

Much like the Kruelboy Gutrippas I decided to paint these in a slightly different style to that I’ve used for orcs and goblins in the past and as a result the learning curve proved quite steep. Still, now that they’re actually done I’m happy with them, I’ll aim to tackle a few more soon.

The Mean Green Geezers – Part 6

Back when I painted up my Orc Blood Bowl team the advice I received from experienced coaches was “add a couple more Big ‘uns and two more Blitzers”. To which I have nodded heartily, thanked them for their sage advice, and painted up a couple of goblins instead.

Now perhaps I should justify myself here a little. For one thing I actually own a load of goblins – which means I can contribute them to the “Paint The Crap You Already Own” challenge being run by Ann’s Immaterium – whereas I’ve yet to find a deal I liked to acquire myself the Big ‘uns or Blitzers. Thus painting gobbos is a way of clearing my backlog, whereas adding more models to the unpainted pile would have quite the opposite effect! Plus I intend, at some point in time, to be able to field an all Goblin team, and these bring me one step closer to achieving that. Thirdly, and most importantly, I just fancied painting a couple of little gobbos!

There is a certain irony that the carefully (and to my eye rather well-) painted “15” on the back on the top model doesn’t really show up in the pictures, whereas the slightly smudged and lumpy “16” on the second model has photographed quite clearly. Ah well never mind – everyone knows goblins have terrible handwriting! Here they are next to the other two runts on the team.

Of course now they’re done this does mean I really ought to get on with it and paint that troll. He’s assembled properly now at last so someday, someday…

Goblin Witch

You don’t often see female greenskins so when I found this goblin witch from Knightmare Miniatures lurking in the unpainted pile I knew I had to include in my Fembruary painting marathon.

The range of female miniatures available to me for this challenge has impressed me a great deal over the last few weeks. When I first participated in Fembruary back in 2018 I really didn’t have very many and it’s pleasing to see how much that’s changed in recent years. Partly of course that’s my doing – by a natural process of accumulation I now own more models than I did three years ago so I had more to pick from. However I’m also seeing an increase in the number of female miniatures on the market, and in an increasing diversity of roles. Where once I would have struggled to find much beyond sorceresses and the chainmail-bikini brigade now there are even goblin women. Long may it continue!

You Gits!

Unexpectedly, I decided to use the weekend to churn out another Warcry warband. This time it’s the turn of those cheeky little rascals the Gloomspite Gits (that’s Night Goblins to old timers like me). The Gits are, for me, the crux point at which I learned to stop worrying and love the Age of Sigmar. Up until they received their army book and expanded range of models they were a jarring oddity in the Mortal Realms, as one of the most iconic races of the Old Warhammer world they felt very much shoehorned in, as unwelcome and out of place in the new setting as Stormcast Eternals would be if they showed up in Necromunda (or perhaps its more accurate to say that the new setting was unwelcome, I’ve never lost my love of Night Goblins – AoS on the other hand took a while longer to work its magic on me…). Their armybook, released back at the very beginning of 2019, gave them a new lease of life – and finally won me over. After all, if the old Night Goblins could be successfully reinvented for the Mortal Realms then maybe it was time for me to let it into my life – at least a little? Now that’s not to say I’ve turned my back on old Warhammer, but there’s no reason why I can’t enjoy both (after all, the world of square-bases and flank attacks was always my ‘bit-on-the-side’ in comparison to the grim darkness of the far future, it’s far too late for WHFB to try to hold me to monogamy now!).

Anyway, getting back on track (although that intro will prove to be important – see below!) this little band of miscreants all began when I spotted this part painted squig-herder lurking about on the painting desk and decided to get him finished.

As I was working on him it suddenly struck me that I could make myself another Warcry warband, and what could be more fun to unleash that the madcap japery of these evil little so-and-so’s? Now usually these new ideas blaze gloriously across my brain every hour or so, and most die with their passion unrequited in a dusty corner of my subconscious, but this one found fuel in my love of all things greenskinned and took off like a hurricane. Before I knew it I’d painted up a leader for the new band, a crazily bouncing Boingrot Boss riding on a big old squig.

Next I knew I had to incorporate a Sneaky Snuffler. I’ve been loving these models from afar since they were first released and was pleased to see them given rules for Warcry (after being left out of the original rules for the faction). Honestly they don’t seem to do anything particularly cool in the game, they just snuffle around looking awesome, but there’s no way I was going to miss the chance to include one all the same. Truth be told the backpack with all those little mushrooms in it, wasn’t the easiest thing to paint so I’m in two minds over how excited I am to paint the rest of them, but I’ll get around to them eventually.

Next I needed to bulk out the ranks with more nasty little gits. For this I turned my attention to my unfinished WHFB Night Goblin army. I’ve wrestled over the last couple of years with whether or not to add the new models to the old army, or rebase the old army and make them into an AoS army. Lately I seem to have settled on the idea of making the Gobbos into Gits and unleashing them on the Age of Sigmar, and instead painting up an army of Dwarves for WHFB instead. I know I’ve currently only painted one dwarf but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and presumably neither was the Ungdrin Ankor (that’s the dwarven underway for those who don’t speak dwarf). Starting as I mean to go on (although probably – let’s be honest – not for ages, I’ve got loads of other things I’m planning to tackle, but we can all have a good laugh about this when I finally get around to it in 2037) I grabbed a calculator, wrote a list for the warband, dug a few goblins out of the box where they were being stored and rebased them.

Lastly, the warband needed a pair of squigs. In my opinion squigs are a vital component of absolutely anything Night Goblin themed so there was no way I was going to leave them out.

And here we have the whole lot ready for mayhem!

I’m quite pleased with the range of warbands now available to me for games of Warcry. There’s the Iron Golem and Untamed Beasts that I painted from the original boxset, three warbands from the Destruction alliance (Ironjaws, Ogres and now Gloomspite Gits) and enough models already painted to field daemons of both Khorne and Nurgle, and a plethora of Skaven options (assuming I don’t mind them being on square bases – which frankly I don’t, as it means some of my WHFB Skaven army gets to see battle more regularly than it would otherwise). All being well I’d like to finish up the Flesh Eater Courts and Nighthaunt warbands soon too, then perhaps turn my attention either back to the factions that make up the core game (the Spire Tyrants are the current favourite) or perhaps someone to fight in the name of order and civilisation for a change…