Darktan Bloodclaw, Skaven Warlord, and More Rats

Pasha Dan issuing a challenge to take on my ratty hordes with his Chaos Dwarves has gotten some momentum going on painting all these Skaven. Of course, seeing what can be done with some fast block painting, dry brush, and then an ink wash helps make these figures a lot less intimidating too. 

On! On! Kill the Man-things! Yes! Yes!

Of course I'm going for decent table top standard, not Golden Daemon or suitable for print photographry as well. That helps a lot when you aren't trying to edge highlight every thing.

And people think Napoleonics are complicated? I guess it depends upon what you're used too.

So here's a unit of Stormvermin. One of the little wee buggers broke at the ankle because of the stupid pegs GW forces you to use. But some plastic cement and a judiciously placed piece of clump foliage and he's right as rain.

A unit of Clanrats.

I do like the little rats included at the feet or on the shoulders of some of them.

My math tells me I'll have a few figures left over, and I hate left over figures. So I made one with a particularly commanding pose into a minor hero and gave him a purple robe instead of the normal dingy grey. Because he's special. His name is either Klik, or Spam.

And the best for last, my Army Commander, Darktan Bloodclaw riding his Clawbeast, another horribly tortured beastie from the Skaven labs. He's so big, I naturally had to load him up: armour 4, legendary weapon, brutal, plus some missile fire ability (note the gatling pistol). Of course, if he dies, I lose 8 of my 16 Reputation. 

The name Darktan is from the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Several other of my Skaven characters are named from the same book.

The figure was very complicated to assemble. Fortunately there were clear instructions. But we're almost entering scale model building territory here. I get why some GW folks paint the parts on the sprue.

I hope his glaive looks suitable ancient, legendary, and magical. I used some washes over silver to try and get the effect.

I've got a freind at work printing some movement trays for me, designed by another friend on the Quar Discord Server. Dan and I might try a match up in a couple of weeks. Although I will have to conscript some enslaved goblins to make up the numbers. Downgrading Darktan to a level 3 just doesn't seem right.

No Mini Left Behind!

I had a poor lonely one-armed Skaven left over. No left arm, and a metal right arm holding a cudgel. 

Consigned to oblivion in the Bitz Box. 

I hate left over figures. 

Then I saw this graphic:

And said to myself: "Self, that'd make a great Skaven banner!"

But who to carry it?

Then, fueled by a quiet day at work and some chatter on Bluesky, I had a thunderbolt of inspiration, and remembered the one-armed Skaven.

Digging through leftover plastic sprues for a left arm, or a standard, or both.  

But plastic hands are really too small to drill out.

The Oathmark Human Cavalry set has a left hand holding a sword. I covered the shoulder with a Wargames Atlantic Goth cloak. 

Parts from four different manufacturers!

Drilling out the metal fist I then added a RAFM spear.

Some epoxy sculpting putty is used to tie in the cloak better with the right shoulder. 

Several attempts to paint the words were botched, so I just went with a generic Skaven design. Electrical Pete said he needed a tactical rock to make him a low level hero. That would also help correct his lean to the right. A small piece of bark was quickly found and everything glued to a washer.

While finishing him I also finished repainting a Skaven with a barbed whip, who will hopefully keep the Rat Ogres on task.

"On! On! Kill the Man-things! Yes, yes!"

I also finished a second unit of Gutter Runners.  They needed repainting, and I added a Gothic sling to one upraised had that had been brandishing a triangular Skaven thingy (throwing weapon?).

The Beast Master and the 2nd Gutter Runners were all glued on to GW 20mm squares which were a pain to cut them off of. Fortunately I didn't break anything.

My horde of Skaven is growing!

Rats On A Roll

Knocked some more Skaven out this past week. The second unit of Clanrats with polearms and a unit of Gutter Runners. 

The Gutter Runners are the way the original owner assembled them. I just did an overpaint and repaired a crack in the sling.

They're classed as Light Infantry for Midgard. So more stabby and less shooty than other skirmish troops. But the slings give them decent range.

You can tell they have slings, because one of them is shooting with one!

My horde of painted Skaven is now up to 1x unit of Stormvermin, 3x Clanrats (2 of those with polearms), 1x unit of Gutter Runners, 3x Rat Ogres (who will be their own units once I get some giant rats to fill out their bases), and a Grey Seer.

Retro Rats

The first unit from the bag of old Skaven that Pasha Dan gave me at Ragnarok back in July. I had to glue several tails on and reposition some arms, but otherwise they are as the original owner assembled them.

I'll get two units of Clanrats with polearms (or maybe Stormvermin, still debating that, but my other Stormvermin are better armoured) and two four-figure units of skirmisher types out of the bag, plus a leader with a whip, who I think will try and motivate the Rat Ogres.

Note the small rats running around on the base. There are three if you can find them.

 The good sized base should help protect those tails from breaking.