Gyrinx

Quick update. I haven't been painting much in the last couple of weeks, although there are more 40k Squats awaiting photographing. I did however paint a Gyrinx.

The Gyrinx is an alien creature from the Rogue Trader rulebook, resembling a large ginger cat. It bonds with characters, and then had the power to store psi points, and augment shooting, close combat, and initiative by +1. I have added the rules from the rulebook below.  The background to the Gyrinx was that it was some kind of familar-empathic creature which formed a symbotic relationship with it's 'owner'.

Miniature wise, it was released in 1987, but more as a limited edition mail order miniature. I do recall that in 1990 there was a 'sticker sale' in my local GW shop (Brighton) as part of a wider promotion, and there were one or two Gyrinx included in the RT601 Adventures and Pirates packs, as well as Jokaero. Like an idiot I did'nt buy them at the time, and I only managed to purchase my Gyrinx this year.

Sculpting wise, it's a big fluffy cat. The sculpting is good, but there's not much else to say about it. I am not sure who sculpted it, but they did a good job. Painting wise, it's described as a big orange-ginger fluffly cat, with blue eyes, and that's how I painted it. I did take care to tone down the orange with a sand coloured highlight to stop it looking too much like a fox. More contempary takes on the Gyrinx have it blue and white, but I chose the old Rogue Trader look. It will probably end up with my Space Slann.

Enjoy. :)

 Gyrinx.

 Rear view.

 Rules from the Rogue Trader rulebook.

 Rules from the Rogue Trader rulebook (cont.).

The artwork of the Gyrinx from the Rogue Trader rulebook.

Next update will be the last of the Squat miniatures.

Unreleased C32 Slann miniature.

Recently I purchased a batch (or Spawning?) of 1980's Slann from e-bay. One of the the Slann in the batch is a Slann which I haven't seen before. I have collected several unreleased or rare Slann before, but I have never seen this one before.

He seems to be based on the sculpt of the released C32 Slann 'Zipanzuma' due to several similarities in sculpting. A few years ago, via the Oldhammer Facebook page, I spoke to Trish Carden (formally Morrison) who sculpted this range of Slann, and she stated that there were two reasons for the existence of unreleased Slann miniatures from this era (1985-7). The first was that some Slann miniatures who did'nt make it into production due to casting concerns. The second was that in the later 1980's, about 1988-90, some sculptors in the design studio converted some test pieces based on her original scuplts, with an aim for later Slann releases to revitalise the range. However, these sculpts, and the idea, was put to one side as there were more immediate priorities, namely the massive success and focus on 40k at the time.

As for the sculpt itself I have mixed feelings. I LOVE any 'new' old sculpts of Slann which I can find and buy. I do like that the Slann seems to be wearing a captured Old World/Norse mail coat. This fits into parts of the 2nd and 3rd Edition warhammer Slann background which suggests that some Slann are adpoting some of the new weapons and equipment brought from the Old World.

On the other hand,  I am not sure on the sculpt of the weapon(?). Is it a weapon, or a standard, is it meant to be made of metal, obsidian, or wood? The whole sculpt excellent, as per the era, but the miniature concept itself is ok. It's in the same vein as other miniatures from other ranges which create variants from one basic sculpt. However, unlike some of them it just seems too different be just a 'Zipanzuma' variant, and too similar in some details, such the helmet, to seem a very separate miniature. Still, I do like it and am glad to have it. :)

Enjoy :)

 Unreleased Slann. 

Rear view.

 Tab.
It's a standard tab used on the Slann from this era.

Rear view.
Again, a standard looking tab. It reads G.W 1985.
Both sides of the tab are the same as that which is found on the tab of 'Zipanzuma'.

 The variant and 'Zipanzuma'.

 Next update will probably be some more Squats.

Squat Assault Troopers

More Squats, this time a brief update on some Assault Troopers.

The Squat Assault squads in Hylgar's Hell-Raisers are largely armed with Las-Pistols. The early range of Squats didn't have any Squats armed with Las-Pistols, but they did have several armed with what looked like the early Bolt -Pistol. So I have just painted up that pistol in the same grey as I have with the Las-Guns. The army list is flexable, so items can be swapped out, so it wouldn't be too much to have them as bolt pistols.

The pistol armed troopers are based on three sculpts, which themselves are all releated to each other via a basic sculpt. The only difference are the heads are swapped with other heads from Squats in the same range.

Enjoy. :)

 Assault Troopers.

 From left to right:
'Heckler Smith'; 'Lee Hotchkiss'; and 'Krag Jorgenson'.

 Rear view.

 I have also painted some more Flamers, again left to right:
'Nambu Arisaka'; 'Waltha Twelvebore'; and 'Koch Wesson'.

 Rear view.

 'Roth Bergman'.
The Squat Guard Squad also required a unit leader, but one armed with a Power fist. I did'nt have any other Squats armed with one, so I painted his left arm and shoulder pad in a chrome metal to suggest either a Power Fist or Bionic army counting as one.

He didn't have his original backpack to I added an old metal Space Marine one, partly to suggest a power pack for his Power Fist.

I have nearly finished all the Squats, but I have also have a couple of other things I want to update on, so might break the Squat updating for an update or two whilst I finish them off.  :)

RT302 Squat Command Group.

More early era Squats, this time the RT302 Space Dwarfs/Squat Command groups.

Released in 1988, the Command Group range were sculpted by the Perry Twins. Only the Squats, Space Orks and Eldar/Space Elves had dedicated Command Group releases. Like their fantasy counterparts, the Command Groups consisted of four elements; the Commander (Leader); Champion; Standard Bearer; and Musician. Also like their fantasy cousins, the command groups were based on four sculpts, with the other miniatures based on an initial sculpt for each of the four.

Sculpting wise they were very close to the initial Squat releases. The style of armour, helmets, and overall look and feel fits in nicely with the early releases. Also, the las-pistols used are the same sculpt as those used by other Imperial forces, notably the Imperial Army. The Bolters and Power Fists too. Interestingly, the one Power Axe used is the same as the Space Ork one. Personally I always liked the fact that a lot of the early equipment, Imperial, or Xenos, was similar or the same. It suggested a series close knit inter-warring groups who used similar tech. It also made the early Tyranids seems more 'out there' with their bio equipment.

I like this range. They had a limited practical use. They didn't really fit too well in the Book of the Astronomican army lists (although I've had a go!). They fit in fine with the later 1989 Squat list as troopers, or alternatives to the Hearthguard models, although I always felt that their armour seemed too heavy looking for just the troopers flak armour.

Enjoy :)

RT302 Squat Command.
Like the other Squat releases, they also seems to have several 'weapon names', such as 'Beretta', 'Ingram', 'Sterling', etc.

The same range, which I have painted.

The Champions.
They are all based on the same sculpt, and have a Power glove on thier right hand/arm.

Vikas Ingram.
He is a quite cybernetic looking. I painted the skull, shoulder pad, armour, backpack, and power fist in a shiney chrome to link them all. 

Rear view.

Ragni Beretta, armed with a power axe.

Rear view.

 Vollmer Adams.

Rear view.

Commanders.
They are all armed with Chainswords and Las-Pistols, but with different headgear and faces.
I like the medals they are wearing as too.

Lorenzi Forsyth.
He seems to be wearing a helmet similar to the Ancient Greek Corinthian helmet, a form of which was used in the late 18th, and early 19th Centuries.

Rear view, with a better view of the helmet.

 Brew Ithaca, with a quiff and cool shades.

 Rear view.

 Uzi Makarov.
He is wearing a plumed version of the 'standard' Squat helmet.

Rear view.

The Standard Bearers.
There is some variety in the details of the standards, and each of the bearers have different heads, but otherwise they are the same.An interesting detail is that they all have the 'Wound stripe' from p162 of Rogue Trader rule book on thier right shoulder pad. A couple of the Commanders also have this on thier helmets.

Hughes Phalanx.

Rear view.

Lisle Sterling.

Rear view.

Garand Steyr.
Again with the Squat cigar smoking! :)

Rear view.

Close-up of Garand's helmet, embossed with 'Kil', in the finest Rogue Trader era tradition.

Muscians.
They all are keyboard players (although they might be vocalists too!).

Grom Atchison.

Rear view.

Mortimer Gast.
It's a great name. :)

Rear view.
(sorry about the blurred photograph).

Galil Lankhester.

Rear view.

Next update will be even more, yet more, oh my God not more, Squats!! I have been painting a lot of them you know. :)

Squat troopers.

I've been busy painting a lot more Squats, this time mainly Las-Gun armed Troopers, but also a few others. These are just the ones I have based, I've painted at least this again, and they are just awaiting basing and photographing.

In addition I have been doubly distracted. Firstly there has been talk on the Oldhammer Facebook Group about painting Bob Olley sculpted miniatures, and so I have made a start on, guess what, more Squats! This time his IC501 Iron Claw range. I have found a very quick and easy way of painting them which I think looks good. It gives them a look of Chaos Squats, so the plan is for them to be the army of Warlord Thargrim 'the red', Tratior Squat Commnader, from a quote in the 1989 Squat army list. More on this later as it is more of an on/off side project.

Speaking of Tratiors, my second distraction is to return to sorting out my Rogue Trader Tratior Legions. I started this a few years ago, but after a painting related problem with the Nurgle Marines, I kind of ran out of steam. I have been paint stripping old miniatures, buying up odds and ends, and am preparing to sort them out into their repesctive Legions. However, I will finish the current Squat project first.

Enjoy :)

Squats!

'Owen Garand' and 'Roth Bergmann'.
A pair of Squats with Bolters. I think I made the varnish a little too strong, but it might be better than them chipping.

Rear view, showing both wearing the original seperate backpacks.

'Sgt.Bylcow' from the Heavy Weapon Crew range, and 'Mauser Von Dreyse'.

Rear views.
'Mauser Von Dreyse' is the same sculpt as the 'Lewis Gunn' miniature, but armed with a Bolt Gun.

'Gatt Gunslinger' (left), and two 'Maxim Bang'.
Again, 'Maxim Bang' is a variant on the 'Lewis Gunn' sculpt.

Five 'Lewis Gunn'.
He seems to be one of the standard basic sculpts from which several of the original Squat releases were sculpted. As an aside, there seems to be a lot of cigar smoking in t he Squat Military! Perhaps that's really why they only have a move of 3", they are all sort of breath!

Heavy Weapon Crew.
On the left  'Gunner Karl' armed with a Rogue Trader Ork Heavy Flamer, which I intend to use as a normal Flamer.
On the right is 'Gunner Keif', with a Conversion Beamer.

Rear views.
I like how the yellow flamer tanks turned out, I painted them to look like old plastic tanks. 

Bob Olley IC501 Iron Claw Squats.
I am painting them as a Chaos Squat Army of Khorne, and so picked a very straight forward red paint scheme, using a limited palette of red, black, gold, and Iron: the colours of Khorne!

Next update will be on the full range of the RT302 Space Dwarf/Squat Command range.