Rats and Plague

Wishing

Member
I recently got inspired to work on some of my old warhammer models, so I dug them out of storage and broke out the green stuff, and my ebay password.

However, I know that inspiration can be fickle, and that I am better at keeping the fire going if I have some sort of project log online, with at least the feeling of some kind of audience. Then, rather than just painting for my own hobby satisfaction, I am also painting for that social media high, posting pictures hoping that someone will reply with a "cool model bro" to get that thrill of community approval.

So. My main love in the world of oldhammer is skaven, so probably most of the stuff I will post will be about them, mostly Clan Moulder, but also with some smattering of other clans.

Secondarily, I also love Nurgle Warriors and Daemons, and will definitely post some of my work on something within that category too.

I'm posting it here on the oldhammer forum because I feel like I the style and effect I am going for with both of these groups is related to oldhammer, and many of the models will be from the right era too. But I'm not a purist or a collector, so the models will be on round bases (when they are done anyway), and there will be some post-80's stuff in the photos on occasion too, as well as stuff I sculpt myself. Just as a warning.

So. The first model I want to preview is my packmaster hero riding a rat ogre. This is inspired by a model from what I think is Andy Chambers' 80's skaven army, though I am not sure. A picture of the army was in an old warhammer book anyway. The model is not done yet, but pretty close to it. Mainly going to put it on a round base (I just really don't like square bases anymore).

Kidg3rW.jpg


The second is a Nurgle Sorcerer on Palanquin. I think I recall reading in Lost and the Damned that palanquins (or maybe it was altars) could be carried by monstrous creatures, so I went with that idea and built a gross monster to carry the palanquin on its back. The palanquin has an earlier paintjob that I will probably just work over, so its just the beast that needs to be painted from scratch.

HnB0o6e.jpg


Stay tuned for updates, imaginary audience.
 

Ti Pouchon

Member
This looks very promising, keep posting!
I think that Oldhammer isn't proper Oldhammer without a bit of DIY thrown in, so keep the conversions coming!
 

Wishing

Member
Thank you. I'm hoping everything will look nice when I got the skaven painted up and take some group pictures.

For now, here is a couple of other skaven models I am working on. One is a skaven commander on a war litter - you may recognise that I painted the rider up as he was painted in Advanced Heroquest (as far as I remember).

8XlEsZ3.jpg


The other one is a Forgeworld Brood Horror. I love the model, but I want to make sure that the focal point of all my skaven model either has a classic Jes Goodwin head, or is covered up so you can't tell. With this guy, I gave him a Jes Goodwin head on the modern warlord body.

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Lands Annex

Member
Hello, this is great.

By a bizarre turn of chance I have been collecting a Nurgle Warband for a couple of years now. Collecting more than painting, the painting is yet to come. Then, recently, a mate of mine moved to America and as I had done him a lot of good turns over the years "bequeathed" unto me, quite a large late 80s/Early-mid Nineties Skaven Army. There's some nice Marauder in there but most of it is the Herohammer era stuff. Still, a great horde with some nice character models , a Bell and Doomwheel.

So put them together and I have a very similar project in mind, death, disease, pestilence and... the other one.

I'm stockpiling my models as I'm relocating soon, so I doubt I'll get started on putting together and painting all my stuff until at least the middle of next year. I'll be regularly checking out what you are up to here though, cracking stuff!
 

Wishing

Member
Famine! Or something. Cool beans anyway! And good luck with your project. :)

Currently it feels like I am sort of "gathering the materials" for this at the moment, but without getting any individual models done. But I am sure I will get there eventually. All my new ebay acquisitions have arrived, and I got my bases sorted, so nothing is holding me back. However, I kind of shamefully realised that I think the palanquin guy is the only oldhammer nurgle model I have. The rest I sculpted or are modern. So maybe he is the only one I will be posting. We shall see.

But the rats! I love the rats. Here are some more preparation shots of stuff I have gathered or am working on.

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Wishing

Member
Thank you. And I figured out that I lied - I also have an original Beast of Nurgle I can paint up for this thread. :)
 

Wishing

Member
Little bit of progress. The slave cage now has a slave in it. Removable, so I can make a range of different slaves if the mood strikes me.

LSZiOeC.jpg

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Wishing

Member
Update to the nurgle guy is that I put him on a bigger base and adorned him with some oldhammer skeletons. My plan is to put a big banner behind him too.

jSaOi60.jpg
 

Outsider

Member
Really excellent stuff; the conversions and the scratchbuilt stuff really looks excellent and it's always great to see people recreating artwork, etc in the miniatures.

I also completely get the whole 'posting a project online to encourage you to crack on and sustain that hobby urge'. It's a good way to get you to knuckle down and keep shrinking the leadpile.
 

Wishing

Member
Thank you guys. :) It is a little slow going, but I am enjoying the work a lot. All of these models are mostly for collecting, not primarily gaming, so I am thinking a bit about a narrative behind them.

The idea I am working with is that a skaven fortress/hive/nest somewhere in the chaos wastes is being beset and besieged by a force of nurgle worshippers. The remaining skaven in the fortress are a collection of clans led by clan moulder, mighty rat ogres providing the brunt of their power, whereas the assaulting nurglites are led by a foul necromancer who commands both clusters of plague skeletons and traitorous skaven plague monks.

I guess now I am writing this, what I should do is write a game scenario for the story, with rules for the different characters and units and such. Hmm, that could be a lot of fun. I could form my collection into pods, like command pods and unit pods, and say that each player gets to select three command pods (characters) and three unit pods, and try and make them about equal in power. Plus that would be an excuse to actually build a skaven fortress and other themed terrain.

This guy would then be a sorcerer-priest and battle standard bearer for the nurgle forces. Banner underway!

uhQGjg8.jpg
 

Wishing

Member
Thank you. :) Painting has started on the banner and the beast in earnest, so I will post some pictures of that once it starts looking the way I want it to.

As I mentioned, I only currently have two proper oldhammer nurgle models, the palanquin shown here and one beast of nurgle. But I am thinking that one cheap and easy way to get some more oldhammerness into the plague side would be to use the same old timey plastic skeletons that are hanging from this palanquin as plague skeletons. I have about five spare of them right now, and I imagine ebay would be an easy source of more. Maybe even a chariot too. It is tempting to try and ebay to make a small unit of oldhammer nurgle warriors too, or some pestigors.

The other nurgle champions will be non-oldhammer: so far on my desk I have Gorgathrax, Warlord of Bile (who rides a giant chaos spawn) and Maloron the Bone Weaver (who rides a giant chaos spawn that he has also fused together with). Both of these are based on newer plastics, but you lot will probably survive if I post them once I get on with them...

I also have an idea to make some "plague spirits" out of the brand new nighthaunt models, to go with the plague skeletons. I just love that Lady Olynder model.
 
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