It came from the Sump! (Skål's Wild Card)

This month was a short painting month for me as we are heading out on holiday for a few weeks. So with work being busy and my painting time cut down a bit I decided to use my Wild Card for a beast that will roam the Underhive. So with out further ado I present the Ambull the thing that came from the Sump.

The rules were published in White Dwarf 201 and they used a Chaos Spawn. I thought it was a bit more fitting to use a classic Ambull as it just fit the vibe I am going for.

The Thing from the Sump is a unique and extremely tough creature. Being largely made up of slime and gunk, it is completely immune to most normal weapons. The best you can hope for with a regular weapon is to drive it back slightly. The only way the gangs can think to destroy it is by submerging it in a particularly noxious toxichem pool. Fortunately for the gangs such pools are not uncommon amongst many parts of the Underhive. The only problem is how to push it in...

Till next month.

May misfortune follow you the rest of your life but never catch up.

Skål

The Elite of the Elite (Skål's R&F 4)

These creatures are not devils or ghosts, as the Underhivers know all too well. They are the sons and daughters of the Noble Houses that rule Hive Primus and the whole of Necromunda from the fastness of the Spire. These siblings of noble blood are cast down into purgatory to prove themselves tough and resourceful enough to take their place amid the ruling families. In a hive containing so many billions of souls, only the most dynamic and merciless individuals can expect to rule, or indeed to survive.

 This month I painted up the Spyrers from the Outlanders expansion. This gang was a fun one to paint up. I first had to strip most of them of their 1990's me paint jobs as they needed a fresh, dark look to fit in with the rest of my gangs from this project. So after a good clean up I dove into painting this little team up. I originally was going to use this month as my Wild Card month but I ended up being able to paint up 10 Spyrers, all different, all original (besides the Patriarch and Matriarch).

The Orrus embodies the most brutal aspects of the Spyre Hunters. Its distinctively oversized powered arms and hulking shoulders betray the Orrus’ fearsome combat style: that of crushing and battering its opponents to a bloody pulp. Ranks of armoured pistons power the arms and its blunt, claw-fingered hands, and each fist is backed by a rack of bolt launchers to blast apart opponents at a distance. Though the Orrus is the slowest of the Spyre Hunters it is also the most indomitable.

I painted each of these between two different days. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do with them and just sort of grabbed what I had on my desk that I thought might fit with my vision.

The Yeld is the most bizarre of the Spyre Hunters: a winged fiend with pinions of chameleonic metal and claws of laser energy. When not in use, the Yeld’s wings sweep back to form a pinioned cloak of steel and reveal the heavy forearm units bearing laser tubes that are its primary weapons. Its wings are jagged with edges sharp as razors so it can slice its victim as it swoops overhead. 

I was lost at first on how I should paint these two. At first I was just working on one and then I was hit with the idea of shooting them both from the top with a dark grey blue and then hit them from underneath with various reds. So in a fury of inspiration I was able to knock these two out rather quickly. 

Malcadon are cunning and subtle in their hunting, trapping their victims in webs of iron-hard silk before tearing them apart with steely claws. Two bulbous spinarets for creating the web threads are mounted on the suit’s arms and connect to the Malcadon’s hunched back amidst a snake’s nest of tubes. The rest of the elongated limbs and back of the Malcadon are covered with downward pointing spines and overlapping plates of armor.

With the Malcadons I went with the classic red and purple schemes. I always loved the classic colors of the originals and though it would still fit in with the style I was going for for the gang. I was very happy with the way they came out and the glow of the eye on them.

Here are two you don't often see in the wilds of the web. I had a hard time finding any good images of the Patriarch and Matriarch, so here is my take of the lovely couple as they visit the Underhive to lend a hand to their murderous children. So here is my take on the both of them.

The Matriarch has a very Khorne vibe looking at the fig so I rolled with it and let her embrace her darker side.

The Patriarch on the other hand gave me a Horus vibe so I thought it would be fun to give him the glow from his armor's life support around his head. His armor was a lot of fun to paint up and it comes off as older but kept up, like it has been passed down from father to son for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Last but not lease is a group photo of the entire gang. I realized once I had put away my scenery and started to write this post that I did not get any solo shots of the Jakara models. You can catch a glimpse of them in this family photo. I painted one in a very subdued color scheme like the rest of the gang and on in a very bright orange. The reason I did this is the orange one will draw the eye of the opposing player and draw fire while the rest the the gang can move up. I am still on the fence with her being orange and I may dip her and paint her to match the rest of the team. We shall see.

In all this Hive, why I do think

There are five reasons why we drink:

Good kills,

good ammo,

lest we be hunting

and till our oaths are filled.

SKÅL

One Rule. Stay In The Light! (Skål's R&F 1)

HIVE PRIMUS

THE WORLD OF NECROMUNDA

Welcome to the real, real start of OWAC. This is where the rubber meets the road. Where the fun of your hobby can all of a sudden become stressful. Don't give into the stress, relax, enjoy the process. For my first month I decided to do my take on House Delaque. I have always liked these figs and ever since the movie Pitch Black came out I thought they had the same vibe as Riddick. I guess being follicly challenged and having some cool shades throws you in a group. So theres that. Bald and bad ass.

House Delaque benefits from a special understanding with the Imperial House of Helmawr, providing not just materials but also information to the rulers of Necromunda. Delaque spies are said to operate throughout the hive, observing the activities of the other Houses. It is rumored that some of the ruling family members of the Houses, and even some Noble Houses, are in the pay of the Delaque. Other Houses are suspicious of the Delaques. Their appearance perpetuates their reputation for double-dealing and espionage. They traditionally wear long coats in which they can easily conceal weapons and other large items. Most are very pale and bald headed. Their whispering voices are thin and eerie. Many wear dark visors or implanted filter screens to protect their sensitive eyes – an intolerance of light being a common Delaque weakness. Although the entire hive is eerily dim, the territory of House Delaque is particularly dark and shadowy as befits a people whose motives and methods are shrouded in mystery.

Painting this month has gotten me pretty pumped. I am not going to worry about points. What I am going to do is make sure to paint up a good variety of miniatures so when I get a group together to game the players will have some options on how they want to equip their gang.

This first group has a Ganger with a Shotgun, Heavy Stubber Ganger and a Ganger with a Lasgun. Every gang that can get a Heavy Stubber should have a Heavy Stubber cause well, HEAVY STUBBER! This heavy and old-fashioned weapon is affectionately known as the ‘big stubber’. It rattles off a hail of heavy bullets sufficient to stop a man in his

tracks. The workshops of the Underhive can turn out weapons like this quite easily, all slightly different in design but basically the same in terms of their effect. It is a simple weapon to maintain and relatively cheap to buy. Many gangs start out with a big stubber to back them up, and its deadly rain of bullets has put an end to the aspirations of many an Underhive fighter.

This next set contains a Juve with a Stub Gun, a Ganger with a Lasgun and a Ganger with an Autogun. Autoguns are made in the factories of the hive city and traded down through the hive. Crude but effective versions are made in the Underhive workshops themselves. Ammunition, spares and repair facilities are relatively easy to find throughout the Underhive, and traders always have guns and ammunition for sale.

Next up is  two Ganger's with Lasgun's and a Ganger with a Shotgun. Laser weapons are manufactured in vast quantities in the hive city and are exported to the armed forces of the Imperium throughout the galaxy. Lasguns are traded in Underhive settlements and the Guilders bring shipments from the factories above. Power packs come from the same source and some are made locally. Supplies of parts are plentiful and repairs easily effected.

Last but not least is a Juve with an Autopistol, the Gang Leader with Stubgun and Boltgun and a Ganger with a Flamer. 

Prolonged warfare between Houses is rare but not unknown. Violence can be triggered by anything from accidental trespass to deliberate invasion. The most common cause of animosity is contract fighting. This happens when a House tries to destroy vital factories in a neighbor’s domain in order to make it impossible for them to fulfill a contract. Should this happen the neighbor will incur heavy penalties and may lose a lucrative contract to a rival House.

 So January is in the book's with 12 miniatures and a great start to this years OWAC. To say that I have been looking forward to this project since the announcement of this very special OWAC is an understatement.

May your Autogun never jam,

your Heavy Stubber never run dry,

and the only bottle you see 

is the one you are drinking from

when the fighting is done!

Skål