The Cult of Ruin – Part 5

Hang about – five posts in one week! What’s happened to me? Have I been possessed? That’s a worrying thought…

There has been a lot of cult activity going on around here lately, most of it admittedly focused on those insidious xenos; the genestealers. However that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about the servants of Chaos entirely. Whilst other projects have pushed the chaos cultists on to the back burner I couldn’t resist putting in some time to finish off the hideous spawn known as Gibbermaw.

Fans of the dark gods take note however, this doesn’t necessarily mean a resurgence in Chaos activity in the Underhive will be happening straight away, I’m planning to concentrate on the Eschers first then we’ll see how things go from there.

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The Ladykillers – Part 4

It seems like I’m on a bit of a roll at the moment. As well as cracking on with painting I’ve also managed to get a few Escher gangers assembled. One of my big sticking points with the Eschers has been the repetition of hairdos across the gang. With each ganger having such showy set-piece locks the duplication is all the more obvious, as compared to, for example, the uniform mohawks of the Goliath or wall-to-wall baldness of the Delaque. Regular readers will know I couldn’t tolerate the idea of cloned hairstyles existing in the gang but trying to create alternatives is a herculean task. Grafting on Dark Eldar hair is a time-consuming and challenging job and other alternatives that really play to the style of the Eschers are thin on the ground. Needless to say when the new head upgrades were released from Forge World last week I really wanted to give them a go. Following a flurry of assembly over the weekend I have to say I’m really quite impressed. Here’s the latest recruits to the gang.

Hopefully by allowing me to make the gang as I’ve always envisioned it this should be the spur I need to get some more of them painted over the next little while.

Mean Streets – Part 2

Undoubtedly the biggest project I’m currently working on is my collection of Underhive terrain. It’s something I discussed at length when I first started this series but to recap, as it’s been a while, I’ve always dreamed of having my own set of terrain but until recently I had neither the space nor the money for it. If I’m honest with myself I probably still don’t but, with a bit of creative storage and careful budgeting I’ve decided to go for it anyway. After all if you’ve been planning something for over a decade it’s probably time you just got on with it right?

I wouldn’t really consider myself a gamer, for me painting and modelling comes first and any dice rolling, if it happens at all, is a very distant second. That said when I do play games I want them to be as evocative and atmospheric as possible. Nice though it would be to create all the landscapes I can imagine games being set (a crumbling dwarven mine infested with Skaven and Night Goblins, the wraithbone spires of an Eldar craftworld, the ever changing madness of a daemon-world within the Eye of Terror, the verdant gardens of Nurgle, a shrine-world covered in statues so vast that tank battles can play out in the Emperor’s cupped hands, a Blood Bowl pitch with cheering crowds, hotdog sellers and a commentator’s box, the inside of a Tyranid bio-vessel, and so on) practicality tells me I can only really have one board for the foreseeable future. Thus, as my predilections lie towards small scale skirmishes in the 41st Millennium (mostly Necromunda but there’s room for some Kill Team/Inq28 shenanigans in my life too), what I need is a slice of decaying industrial hell, layer upon layer of toxic, crumbling factories, a place so rough the apocalypse would improve things and streets so mean even the rats won’t go out after dark.

Needless-to-say, although I’ve painted a huge number of models over the years, terrain is still pretty new to me. I’ve been chipping away on this project for about six months now, and the learning curve has been steep, but Azazel’s latest monthly challenge (which calls, appropriately enough, for terrain) has given me the push to get one of the bigger pieces done at last. (Those unfamiliar with Azazel and his famous challenges – where have you been? – should take a look at his blog, and I urge you to join in – this is a phenomenon not to be missed). Anyway, let’s take a look at the building shall we.

As might be expected I got a lot of things wrong here, there’s certainly things I won’t do the same way twice, and places where I made a lot of work for myself that I really didn’t need to but on the whole I’m happy enough and hopefully I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learned and things will continue to get easier and smoother.

Looking Uphive – Necromunda Plans For 2019

As we stride purposefully into 2019 I wanted to take a look at just where I stand with all of my Necromunda projects (which otherwise run the risk of degenerating into my usual disorganised chaos). For me Necromunda is the game and setting I’m most excited about of all GW’s canon. The game had a great year in 2018, growing from just two gangs at the start of the year to nine by the end. With all of the Clan Houses now represented it’ll be very interesting indeed to see how things progress over the coming months and years. As for myself I’ve started working away at all kinds of projects with my usual unsystematic enthusiasm. The aim of this post therefore is to serve as a round up, keeping me on track with where I stand with all of my gangs. It’s not all models you’ve seen before though, a few new ones have snuck in as well. Let’s take a look.

 

The Irondogs (House Goliath)

The former lords of Ironhouse have had a fine time of things lately, at least when it comes to getting painted. The backstory I’ve written for them may see them as a shadow of their former glory, struggling to reclaim the turf they once held so securely, but at least they don’t have to worry about unpainted models. As it stands the gang is pretty much done for now, I’m aiming to finish off the bolter wielding ganger Sylus shortly, but I ended up picking up the weapon upgrade for them, and will undoubtedly add the new heads to that, so expect to see further reinforcements arriving in the future as Korak attempts to expand his realm and reclaim the lost power of his house.

I’ve mentioned previously that I see the Goliaths as having a lot in common with the dwarves of old-Warhammer (brawny craftsmen who rely on sturdy durability over fancy do-whats – just swap the pre-battle start-me-up for combat stims instead of Bugman’s XXXXXX and you’re good to go). However it wasn’t until I was writing this that I realised how deeply this had worked its way into my thinking – as my once mighty Goliaths now struggle to reclaim a corner of their Underhive empire from the invaders squatting amid the ruins. Speaking of which…

 

The Ladykillers (House Escher)

For hundreds of shift-cycles the House Escher presence in Hive Araneus has been minimal, making it the perfect for “Gallows” Grace and her girls to set up shop. Having betrayed her way across the wastes Grace needs somewhere off the radar to build their strength, and the under-defended Ironhouse looks like the perfect place.

The Eschers haven’t grown as quickly as I first expected but I intend to do something about that shortly. Generally I feel this lack of progress can be attributed to three key factors. Firstly, these ladies are challenging to paint, with all those crazy patterns and colours. Secondly, I’ve been working on this gang for my partner and as she’s also an avowed acolyte of the Void-Emperor and His strange xenos ways my focus has been switched to the genestealer cults over the last month or so. Thirdly, I want every Escher to look unique. After all in a house where peacocking is  more than just a way of life having the same hair-style as one of your gang sisters sounds downright intolerable. Thus my progress has been slowed as I’ve tried to create unique ‘do’s for each of the girls, something I’ve managed to pull off so far, but which the new head upgrade kit should mean becomes much more straightforward.

 

The Radwolves (House Orlock)

I must admit when I first saw the Orlocks I wasn’t that inspired by them. On the other hand the longer I’ve looked at them the more excited I’ve become. I’m still no fan of the running poses, and I’ve steered firmly away from the more “well groomed” gentlemen but I’ve still already kitbashed a little army of them and I’m constantly tempted to do some more. I’ll try to get them painted soon, although I’m aware I’ve promised myself that about a lot of things…

Tech-hunter Cadre Scorpion Null (Van Saar)

Even more than the Orlocks, I really wasn’t that enamoured of the Van Saar models when they first appeared. They’re just so different to the aesthetic of the wider 40k setting that it took a little getting used to, plus the fact that they’re the harder to build, let alone kitbash, by a country mile makes them possibly my least favourite gang in Necromunda (although it goes without saying I’m still a big fan – what a fan boy eh!). Although I’ve not found myself as captivated by them as I have some of the other houses I’m still working on an elite team, dispatched into the Underhive by the house masters on a secretive mission. Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying out my planned colour-scheme on a test model and I’m rather pleased with how he’s turned out.

Of course now I just need to get the rest of them done. Hopefully the fact that I’m not planning many of them should mean I could wrap up the project fairly quickly, but with so many things I’d like to be working on getting the chance to focus on them exclusively might not happen straight away.

 

The Oathbones (House Cawdor)

Whilst I only plan an elite strike force of Van Saar my Cawdor will stand at the opposite end of the spectrum; a full blown army of the faithful. I make no secret of the fact that I absolutely love these models, and all the various forgeworld upgrades for them have only served to make them better. The temptation is to paint hundreds of them, although as ever time and money have tended to reign me in so far. That said one of the joys of Necromunda is that it’s relatively cheap so a mighty horde of fanatics could well be within my grasp.

Plus the stigshambler I made a couple of months ago was one of the most popular models I produced in 2018, and remains one of the conversions I’m most proud of, so I need to get them (and their gangmates) painted soon.

However, rather than start somewhere sensible like painting up a few gangers, I instead chose to paint a sheen bird as my first model for the gang. I had planned to use the model as part of a converted Tzeentchian cultist but when I realised that wasn’t going to work it ended up in the bits box looking for a home. Now I just need to complete the ash prophet who’ll be its owner.

I’m not entirely without common sense though, so once the sheen bird was finished I painted the test model for the gangers. My idea, which I know isn’t all that original, is that some members of the house have seen the mighty warriors of the Imperial Fists who base themselves on Necromunda and, wishing to emulate these noble souls who must surely have stood at the side of the Emperor Himself, have taken to dressing in yellow robes. Plus I’ve got into the swing of painting filthy yellow clothing from working on my Skaven and knew I could repeat the look on lots of gangers. Overall I’m pretty happy with him so this is probably the look I’ll be using for all of them (unless some clever person comes along and suggests something so mind-blowing I end up doing that instead!)

The Children of Whispers (House Delaque)

As it stands I’ve only built one of these sneaky characters but I have to say this kit is absolutely outstanding. Expect to see me working on these a lot more in the future.

The Cult of the Abyssal Gaze (Genestealer Cults)

Like the Goliaths this gang is painted up and ready to take on the Underhive. Rising from the ash-mining clans of Delving Alpha-12 and led by the ambitious Vyrion the Elder this insidious cult prepare to invade Ironhouse and from there spread their influence into the hive itself.

Most of the work on this gang happened in December, and really served to demonstrate that I can get these projects painted up quite quickly if I just put my mind to it (and can find the time of course). That said they’re not finished by any means. I’ve always planned to build up a genestealer cults army for 40k and the newest images we’ve seen of forthcoming models have only added to that. For those who’ve missed them (and where have you been?) take a look at this lady for example;

Of course much as I enjoy building 40k armies it’s not a game I actually play. Thus part of me is drawn to the idea of expanding my genestealer cults into more than one gang, representing different factions setting out from the Delvings to spread the cult. Whilst Vyrion leads the invasion of Ironhouse his young acolyte could take a gang of her own to undermine the Orlock wayforts that dot the ash wastes, or drive out the Cawdor ragpickers that currently control Sumpside. One way or another expect to see plenty more of these in the coming months.

 

The Cult of Ruin (Chaos Cults)

Ah, my cult of mislead, Chaos worshipping helots! Such plans I had for them last year! Sadly not a lot of actual progress has been forthcoming. Part of the trouble is that most of the models I planned to include don’t have the best paintjobs, my skill having increased considerably over the five years or so since I first worked on them. This seems like a fine excuse to fix them up but as a result the project has become a lot more involved than I originally envisioned. That said things may have stalled but they haven’t been forgotten, so I’m aiming to get back to them sooner or later.

Venators

Not much to see here yet but I’ve got all kinds of ideas planned, starting with a gang of beastmen bounty hunters. Don’t expect them to appear straight away though, as you can see from the list above there’s plenty of other things to tackle first.

 

So there we have it, a solid set of projects to tackle over the next few months (alongside all of the other things I’d like to be painting). Naturally I won’t get around to all of them straight away but perhaps by nailing my colours to the mast and setting out my plans I’ll be encouraged to keep at it. Oh, and I have a heap of terrain to do as well. The Underhive never sleeps…

The Irondogs – Part 11

I don’t know about the rest of you but at this time of year I always feel a drive to try and clear my desk of half-finished models ahead of the new year. Of course the best laid plans of mice and men and all that, what with the way in which work is always at it busiest in the run up to Christmas, and then spending time with family over Christmas and New Year itself, all adds up to make this more of an aspiration than a reality. Nonetheless with the genestealer cultists finished for the moment I grabbed the chance to squeeze in a couple more models and get these two Goliath gangers finished.

Last time we looked at the gang the focus was on bitter misfit Max. This time it’s the turn of his cool-headed brother, Dekker, a man burdened with the unenviable task of preventing his recalcitrant sibling from pushing Korak’s tolerance beyond its limits. Somewhere up in the manufactorums I imagine a Goliath mama informed him in no uncertain terms that he needed to look after his brother and Dekker is still trying his level best to do exactly that.

Whilst all the senior members of the gang went to the Feast of Khorg, the likes of Max and Dekker were left behind to guard Ironhouse. Leadership of this skeleton crew was given to Spike and as a reward for holding the turf even after news came of the massacre at the feast Korak has entrusted him with a grenade launcher.

I’m aware that this pose isn’t all that popular amongst Goliath fans, and certainly the fact that this is pretty much the only way to position the grenade launcher without going to a lot of work is slightly unfortunate, but all the same speaking personally I think it looks excellent.

For now this is pretty much the complete Irondogs gang. I have one more gang member who I had hoped to have finished by now but at this rate will probably have to wait until the new year. For a while however I’d like to switch my focus to some of the other houses, probably starting with a few more Eschers. Fear not though, I will be returning to the Irondogs at some stage as I continue to explore their lives in the deadly warrens of Ironhouse and its surroundings. In the meantime here’s a group shop of the Irondogs ready to defend their turf from xenos interlopers and rival gangs.

As usual I suspect I won’t be posting much here over Christmas but I will be working away on a few projects when time allows and you can expect to see a roundup of this month’s Skaven and perhaps even a self-indulgent look back at the year before we rumble into 2019.

The Cult of the Abyssal Gaze – Part 6

Every section of Imperial society contains a priest class tasked with interpreting the God-Emperor’s will and tending to the spiritual welfare of the masses. Where possible such preachers are dispatched from the monastic shrine-worlds which churn out priests in the same industrial production-line fashion as everything else to which the engines of the Imperium are directed. On a hive world such as Necromunda however the numbers required are too great and so much of the population must rely on locally-born, self-taught mendicants. Although at times this has an unfortunate effect on the degree of spiritual deviation and results in a disturbingly high level of observance of non-standard faiths the fanaticism of these individuals, and the resultant increase in the propagation of religion amongst the masses, is regarded as an acceptable counterbalance.

Amongst the ash-crust miners of Delving Alpha-12 responsibility for spiritual oversight lies with Vyrion the Elder. Born into the insular community Vyrion proved from a young age to be gifted with a grand vision, combined with a natural skill for oratory. Whilst most of his clan preferred to remain amongst their own kind for fear of suffering the judgement and suspicion of outsiders Vyrion undertook pilgrimages to the other delving in the local cluster, from Alpha-7 in the north to the deep warrens of Gamma-9 beneath the slag dunes to the south. There he has won many convert awed by the minor miracles of which he is capable and inspired by his visions of the Void-Emperor who watches over them all and, when the moment is right, will descend in righteous hunger to consume and remake this bitter world.

Having devoted his life to spreading the good word amongst the miners  and championing their rights to the manufactorum lords, Vyrion has now turned his unblinking gaze towards Ironhouse. Leading a small band of the faithful he seeks to establish an outpost within the bastion settlement and make it his gateway to the mills and forges of the hive proper. Even before the pilgrims set out word reaches them that the Goliath brutes who claim it as their turf have been bled almost to extinction. Truly the will of the Void-Emperor is at hand!

The genestealer magus is just a lovely model and the opportunity to include it in the gang was too good to pass up. At some point I’ll probably add a combat orientated alternative leader for the gang but to begin with we wanted to explore using a psyker in the game as well. Of course this also gave me the excuse to paint up a familiar to accompany him.

I always found the idea of the familiars as psychic manifestations slightly silly. I know that the Tyranid hive mind is probably the most powerful psychic entity in the galaxy (sorry Tzeentch but you can’t create the Shadow in the Warp now can you?) and so presumably conjuring diminutive beasties is no trouble at all, but surely it makes more sense that these are just tiny Tyranids spawned to serve their master? After all despite it’s psychic prowess the thing the Tyranid race is most famous for is its capacity as generic manipulators, spawning creatures of all shapes and sizes, from warrior beasts, to ripper swarms, to vast living spacecraft, so a mini genestealer would be no bother at all. Am I alone here?

With these two complete the gang is finished for now so this is a fine opportunity for a group shot.

I do however have a few more models built (as previewed previously) which I’m aiming to get painted in the early part of 2019. You’ve not seen the last of the cult yet!

The Cult of the Abyssal Gaze – Part 5

Time for painting models is running short at the moment, I ended up working through the weekend, but I managed to find the time to finish these two sneaky xenos to join my growing Genestealer Cult gang for Necromunda. I batch painted the greater part of them alongside the other three neophytes I showed previously so getting them finished off wasn’t too onerous, just a matter of going back to add the details, highlights and other finishing touches. First off here’s Neophyte Xandus…

… and here’s his clan-sibling Neophyte Decima who has been blessed to receive a grenade launcher stolen from a manufactorum overseer’s personal collection of armaments (licensed for use as a means of quelling severe worker morale issues).

That just leaves the Magos and his familiar to complete so I’m hoping to get some time over the next few days to just sit down, relax and get some painting in. Will it happen? We shall see!