Fleas the Size of Rats Sucked on Rats the Size of Cats: Citadel Scale-Creep

Hungry Ghosts just got a few of the latest edition of Imperial Guard Ratlings, and they are quite robust fellows. We'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

 And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes...

Squat Adeptus Mechanicus flanked by Ratlings Mark 3 flanked by Ratlings Mark 1, and a wee little Marauder Miniatures Halfling stuffing his mouth at the left end.

Cute how they kept the traditional Ratling poses. Not so cute how the new Ratling looks like he could eat the old Ratling and still be scrounging through your fridge for leftovers. It's always Hunger City when you're a grotesquely large mutant Ratling.

Could strap that halfling onto the rifle instead of the scope. Scope's less greasy though. Less gassy as well. Doesn't want you to guess how many cheesy puffs he can fit into his mouth...whose idea was it to use the halfling instead of the scope?

Steel Legion Officer, Mighty Ratling, Drunk Dwarf Miner, Scrawny Space Dwarf, 

Embarrassingly Large Gotrek Gurnisson, 

Embarrassingly Small Space Marine Captain with Terminator Honors.

R.O.U.S.'s? Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist.

Power Fist, Dwarf Fist;

 A Steel Legionnaire becomes 

Delicate flower.

But I'm a Terminator! Chaos Terminator! Eye of Terror Terminator!

I'm a HORSE! Quit whining.

This is why the Iron Claw Squats Hover Car is also known as the Halfling Cloud Car.

This is why Squats and Scrunts don't mix.

Even I Don't Know What to Name This One

Alrighty, let's remind ourselves that we can actually finish something, especially since the last Chaos Squats Census found 50 or so partly assembled, painted, etceteraed Squats and hangers-on. An we shall not speak of all those Plague Marines, World Eaters, Eldar. Especially the Eldar.

But did Hungry Ghold Leader stay on target? No. No way, he took the shortcut to 1-up mushrooms on the desert world of Level 2...erm, Tatooine. Um. Allusion collision. Chaos can get confusing.

So we start with an innocent round heavy weapons/dreadnought size base. Being a bit tired of the blackened Eternal War theme of the Hungry Ghosts bases, and having many interesting shaped Alien Plants from Armorcast, a thorny menacingly large desert plant was placed on the base.

The plant came in two pieces, the ridged middle section and the thorn-tipped large-leaf section. This included an integral base, of a sandy texture, with several smaller plants, some disturbingly brain-shaped. The oblong shape jutted out from the Warhammer base, while leaving parts of it exposed.

As we all know, those luscious succulent bulgy leaves and that ripply broccoli-clustered central stalk contain enough water to fill many a stillsuit. And a chance to work with textures not commonly associated with Chaos Squats.

To tempt the thirsty, the bulging leaves were painted with a green pattern similar to the watermelon, protected by hard red thorns in an inversion of the softness of the red inside of the watermelon. The central stalk was painted an inviting green as well, while the sharp scalloped ridges were painted Don't-Touch-Me Orange, protecting the water of our desert plant. Pretty much a mix of the color schemes of the watermelon and the pumpkin.

But let's not be silly. You're wondering who is coming 'round that bend.

It's rats, more rats. Citadel just keeps pumping out new rats to fill my bases. As we can see, there are three.

First, let's engage in some self-applause, for deciding not to include an entire squad of Ratlings in the Hungry Ghosts Army. Our littlest Rogue Trader Mercenary, Shorty, was repurposed as cavalry, through a mere snip of the slotta tab.

Given the rat-fetish of Hungry Ghosts, the Skaven Rat Centaur needed prominent treatment. So the Rat-Centaur was not only made into the mount for Shorty Mario, he was also given his own bolt pistol. Both Ratling and Rat-Taur were painted in color schemes that provide camouflage in the desert world they roam.

Since the base of the Space Cactus provided some empty space, the pair could also be positioned behind a mix of the smaller plants molded in the base, painted a similar mix of oranges and yellows. The striped leaf pattern was echoed by the striped tail on the Rat-Taur, while the pointy nose, pointy tail, and pointy horn on the head go nicely with the thorny bits of the Space Cactus.

Unable to resist the addition of bits, Mario has been given a banner atop his backpack, from one of the plastic Army bits from the 1990 edition of Mighty Empires. This helps to provide a nice diagonal going from the Rat-Taur's pistol and head bits, continuing with Mario's head and pistol, rising with the banner pole, and reaching toward the Cactus Stalk (which would otherwise really stick out of the mini-diorama).

Meanwhile, the curved ammo-clips and small wavy banner bit make a nice match with the scalloped shaped parts of the main plant. Yellow was used to unify the tops of the bits- the Rat-Taur's horn, Mario's helmet, and small banner. Yellow was also used for much of Mario's gear, and for the highlights of the smaller plants on the base.

But a tension was also purposefully created- the Rat-Taur has a trio of tumors, a bright yellow gift of Nurgle, while Mario is quite obviously in a quest for new life, as his Mushroom Banner shows. The colors of the Mushroom Banner also blend in with the leaves of the Space Cactus. The red thorns and the various dark grey areas were given white or close to white glossy highlights, fitting with the 1-UP Mushroom.

Our hero is being trailed by a camouflaged critter of the desert, waiting for a chance to bite off a bit of Rat-Taur tail. Painted in the same orange-yellow tones of the small brain-looking plants, and of similar size, the critter is one of the larger members of the Tyranid Squig range. He also fills in an area of exposed base.

From a different angle, we can see the other mutant space rat on the mission, another of the older metal Skaven rats, with a pointy artificial leg attached to a tube full of poison. This rat was painted very bright yellow, just because I haven't used that old Bad Moon Yellow for a while.

The Bad Moon Rat's poison mechanism wraps around his body and along his tail, making him dangerous from either end. Like most of my creations, the color palette ranges across the spectrum from white to black and just about everything in between.

From above, the overall effect of bits added to the mini-diorama nicely fills the available space. The area at the bottom of the picture is another thick green plant, topped by a rusted and worn-down Space Marine helmet, one from the ancient RTB01 Mark 6 Beakies hollowed out, with its faded colors blending with the greens and reds of the Space Cactus.

That Space Marine did not find his Green Mushroom in time.

Khorne in the Kitchen: Master of the Cuisinatorium

I have been slumbering in the arms of Nurse Nurgle for the recent past, but now bring forth a new Hungry Ghosts character. Right now he plays no gaming role, just important in the fluff, which is just what you need be doing instead of finishing your tanks.

Master of the Cuisinatorium Ghoti "Gravy" Chunckx

Here is the insane ratling master chef whose drugged cuisine of mysterious meats played a critical role in turning the sturdy and noble Legios Moriad XIV into the mutant undead Hungry Ghosts of Khorne. He started out as part of my fetish with turning unlikely souls into Chaos mutants and as a joke about Dwarf cooking ability, but the latest IG codex provided the opportunity to turn my joke character into a mockery of the Command Squad Regimental Advisors. Thus was sparked desire for creating the Master of the Cuisinatorium, Ghoti "Gravy" Chunckx.

Ghoti is based on the RT601 Adventurers series Halfling Cook*. I got him a while ago, but since he is a bit puny in his native form, with a piddly little laser gun. So I needed to wait until the right conversion bits came along and he sat on the shelf waiting for duty. The first person who can tell me how Ghoti's first name is pronounced will win the severed Ratling legs.

But look, he flies like the wind on hooves of brass, like no proper Halfling should even think about. Gravy's silly little laser has been exchanged for an old Chaos Renegade Bolt Pistol. And he carries a variety of small pouches and canisters for spices and poisons, from the WFB Dwarf and 40K Cadians.

Master Chef has been turned into a Chaos Centaur. His tiny slow pudgy feets have been replaced by the bold red and brass power of Khorne. The body comes from the C38 Beastman named Crawler or Horse-Man**. His head was popped of and replaced by the Chef's torso. The body by itself doesn't really look like he is running, so I had to add some bits to make a sense of motion- the plastic Horse Tail flying in the wind, the severed head swinging back, and Chef Chunckx pointing his large (for a Ratling) gun forward.

Now our Chef has a swift gallop going, but all the flowing hair patterns and hooves sticking out makes me want to put more curved/flowing bits that stick out. When you see a good gestalt for a conversion forming, it's best to dive right into it and see where it takes you.

In Chef Chunckx's case, he also needed some bulking up to look like a credible servant of Khorne. The original Beastman body was sculpted with strong muscular detail, so that was fine. It allowed me to focus on providing him with the customary spiky armor. So I went with the best source for organic-looking armor plating bits, the Tyranid Biomorph sprue. Four of the horn-like curved armor bits, one at the top of each leg, and one of the shovel-blade shaped bits on the back. These also hid the place where the Ratling meets Beastman along with the pouches.

And because every chef loves a hidden surprise, Ghoti Chunckx has the snarling face of a Tyranid Hunter Slayer with a goat-like beard where the standard rear exit would be. The swinging beard and turned face help add to the impression of movement, especially since the face is not looking at what the head is looking at.

This is what happens to Tyranids who misbehave.

Since I was trying to create a kind of panoramic flow and circular symmetry with this conversion, here is a view from the top. I tried out another piece of armor in the front, so he would have 8 parts pointing outward for each of the points of the Chaos Star, but it didn't look as good as 7.

This guy was fun to create. I've been carrying that Tyranid face with me for over 20 years waiting for the right punishment for his Crimes Against Squats. Finally the Stars Were Right and the Sleeper Has Awakened, Quiznos Haagen-dasz etc.

Enough hyperbole. You all are by now thinking "where's the rest of that Hunter-Slayer?"

This guy!
From the loopy daemon generation rules of Realm of Chaos filter through my 14 year old brain. And, yes, White Dwarf really did advise the use of paperclips and index cards for your banners back then.

* http://www.solegends.com/citrt/rt601adventurers.htm
** http://collecting-citadel-miniatures.com/wiki/index.php/Image:C38beastman26.jpg

Hungry Ghosts: A Day at the Fluff Factory

This is the story of how the Legios Moriad XIV Expeditionary Regiment became the Hungry Ghosts of Khorne

Hungry Ghosts: The Bones Beneath the Beards

The Legios Moriad XIV Regiment was assembled as an elite expeditionary force composed of troops from the League of Moriad, nine heavy gravity homeworlds near the edgeward borders of the Squat regions. Sent to investigate rumors of exotic mineral resources to be found on the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy, they instead discovered horrors from beyond the stars and from within their minds.

Rather than rich worlds awaiting the construction of mighty forgespires and deepest delvings, empty husks of pitted rock awaited. These grim discoveries drew the Moriad along the trail of wrecked worlds toward temptation. How efficient must be those who stripped these worlds, how mighty the machines and how wondrous the technologies, how surely these technologies would be shared with the Squats.

These were the thoughts the Squat commanders could not put to rest, thoughts that pounded ever louder as they pursued those who destroyed worlds. Their thirst for mechanical lore led them beyond the limits of the Astronomicon's flickers and into the maw of the Behemoth, the first fleet of the extragalatic Tyranid to drink from the Milky Way.

The Moriad were soon desperate for survival in the pincers of an advanced biotechnology that they struggled to comprehend and could not defeat. The mind of the expeditionary force commander, Gen Jengiz Stalkarlik, turned grimly toward the thoughts that had spurred the Moriad to chase the Tyranid fleet. Where the sane would have turned away, Gen Stalkarlik and his Moriad embraced their dark cravings and followed them to their source.

Some believe the Moriad were tainted from the start, others that they broke psychically from the emptiness of the edges of the galaxy in contrast to the snug corridors of their homeworlds. Whether driven by desire or desperation,* the Squat warriors called upon Lord Khorne, the dark god of blood and machines to save them from the Behemoth Tyranids. Mighty Khorne granted the Moriad their wish, in a fashion.

In the end, entirety of the Legios Moriad Expeditionary Force was slain by the Tyranid. As each soldier died, though, Khorne transported his corpse from the battlefield. Each awoke to undeath, refashioned by Khorne’s whims and the random chaos of their warpspace journey. All awoke in the Maelstrom, upon a blood red garnet the size of a planetoid, conveniently orbitted by a Chaos-corrupted spacecraft.

Ever restless, the Moriad soon forayed from the Maelstrom. Khorne provided them with weapons and minerals in the form of a Squat reconnaissance outpost to devour. It was here that they discovered their hunger for flesh could never be sated, though they could never starve. After futile feeding on the bodies of their brothers, the Moriad left the garnet planetoid and the Maelstrom to continue their eternal quest for new flesh and machines to consume.

Through centuries of unlife the Legios Moriad, rebaptised as The Hungry Ghosts, have collected a strange variety of weaponry and cybernetics dedicated to destruction in the name of Chaos. Some have become more machine than flesh, but none have found rest.

*In fact, Chaos had levered the smallest among them to speed them to doom. The Moriad were accompanied by a gaggle of Ratling cooks, as the only artful cuisine among the Squats is entirely alcoholic or geologic. Following one of the few paths to Khorne that Ratlings may find, the mission's head chef came already possessed of unholy hankerings for raw meats of all kinds. Soon the hallucinogenic poisons he mixed into every meal made the Squats keenly receptive to Khorne’s daemonic gibberings from the warp, and their common greed inflated into undying treason.