Manic's Slow Skaven Project

EricF

Administrator
I'd say cute, but does that go with "weeping sores, bony growths and fluid-filled blisters which mark their flesh"? The unit looks good and I've always had a soft spot for that Citadel plague monk model with the scroll and dagger, proper classic.
 

ManicMan

Member
Another dull text without images but I'm trying to work on getting atleast PART of my first Clanrat regiment done. I do have a couple of other figures partly done (and really need to figure out and sort out stuff so I have space to batch paint stuff).

For.. reasons, I have rows of 6.. well, I could have rows of five but... can't remember if I said about this but I got some not too bad and pretty cheap lasercut movement trays which also came with the inner cutout bit as bases, which was fine.. but I made a slight mistake and they were for 25mm bases, but I use 20mm (and not really interested in changing to 25 for regiment figures) For my Plague monks, I used an 'adapter' to work fine, but for regiments it would be a bit stupid and I worked out that was was meant to be 5x4 rows making a unit of 20 in 25mm, is in fact pretty much the same as 5x6 for a unit of 30 with 20mm. I could have them ordered as rows of 5 and they are kinda deep.. or rows of 6 and it just looks a better. Looking around.. I got a great deal as to find movement trays for 20mm are normally cost a fair bit more and that's without the bases.. which is weird..

Anyway.. I've already shown my first Standard for this unit, I've got 3 standard clan rats done (two AHQ, 1 Fantasy Regiment), I've got another FR in the works an starting on my unit's Champion
 

Fimm McCool

Member
6 wide is good anyhow, more potential for getting blows in. Clanrats in a unit of 30 sounds pretty reasonable to me, though painting the extra 10 figures may seem a chore! All my night goblin regiments are in 30s... looking forward to painting them and they'll be impressive when done but I fully expect to be regretting my decision halfway through!
 

ManicMan

Member
gets worse.. my large-ish army list has.. 4 regiments of Clan Rats.. 3 of them are 30, and one is only 10 (because it's the one carring/moving the screaming bell).

I think doing up the clan rats would be much easier then when I have to get to Lord Skrolk.. one of these where I painted it very badly in the past and... I'm not looking forward to trying to figure out how to do that book.. Of course, regiment wise I have 20 Stormvermin and two groups of 30 Slaves.. Gonna take some time ^_^also.. probebly haven't got all the figures right now but, it's a long time project so that's fine. got a nice selection already though, from a few different manufactors.
 

ManicMan

Member
this is.. kinda going faster then expected, even though still slow.. apart from picking up some nice old 80s Skaven cheap, I got few more figures to add up the amounts. I've now got the first row painted and I was going take a photo but ran out of time. Hopefully do it in a couple of days.

Also been having a tiny bit of trouble converting a metal spear rat into a standard bearer.. Spear was too short, so I had to cut off the top and attach part of a banner pole from a warlord's back pack. Fair enough.. first problem, not really great for super glue so I tried to solder it but not taking at the moment, but since I got my main soldering iron back (had to lend it to someone) I should be able to give it a better try.. Second problem is the old spear was much thinner then the banner pole, as I was gonna try to pin it too but that's not working well.. the banner pole isn't that thick anyway.. still.. I'll see how it goes now. worse case, have to use some stronger epoxy..
 

Fimm McCool

Member
Brass rod matey. Drill out the hand and the top of the spear. It'll be resistant to bending and save you so many attempts at glue!
 

ManicMan

Member
mm.. point. Drilling is being a bit of a pain.. I think my bit has lost it's sharp tip.. I'll see how it goes ^_^ thanks
 

ManicMan

Member
I'll probably just try to re-sharpen it first ^_^

Been able to take a couple of quick shots,
ClanA_Row1.JPG
The First row. Already shown off the Standard but this is the first 6 of this unit of 30 done. The movement trays are MDF 2-piece laser cut ones which I have used adhesive backed magnet .. erm. sheet.. it's not fantastic stuff but pretty good for my needs. For plastics, I put two small magnets in the figure bases and they hold pretty strong. For metals.. well.. they kinda hold okay but can't take being held upside down or anything because the metal is too heavy.

ClanA_Row1Rat.JPG
These are, of course, 2 AHQ Plastics and 2 Fantasy regiment. the AHQ wearing blue was me just doing a 'refresh' on the paint job it already had when I got them years ago, while the green one was me doing it from scratch. Technically the shield is wrong as that's a Clan Eshin shield but that's how AHQ sets had random shields. The middle two are both new paint jobs with the blue rat having a Goblin shield.. While I think the FR sets had enough shields for each figure that had a shield, I have some without shields which I should be able to deal with, and some which have the wrong shields but as Skaven are meant to take scraps of cloth and stuff from fallen enemies, He picked up a nice Goblin shield from some fallen Goblin. The Red jerkin guy's shield is in fact a 4th Edition plastic shield .. or maybe 5th.. I think 5th.. with spare symbols to attach the shield if you can't or can't be bothered to paint the symbols by hand.

ClanA_Skarr.JPG
Not very great photo of unit Champion, Skarr Bladefell.. not 100% sure on the surname (the fell bit really) but works well enough.. Kinda got name painted on the back of the base but just 'Skarr' cause I misjudged the space. He is a Ral Patha ratman Champion, part of a lot of Ral Partha ones I picked up
 

ManicMan

Member
okay.. Brass rod I ordered turned up.. might have been better with the next size down (got 1.5mm cause that seamed about right.. 1mm sounded a bit too thin and 2 too thick).. well.. maybe cause of the small hands, or maybe my skill... or both.. hell, I'll go with my Skill.. Kinda turned the rat into a Lego man.. but that should be easy fit with a tiny bit of putty.. more info on him when I do anything of any real note (like maybe once the pole and putty are done.)
 

Fimm McCool

Member
I generally use 1.5 for spears/polearms and 2 for banners. Lego man is no bad thing though, the fingers can wrap naturally around the pole. Not everyone has fingers long enough to wrap all the way around!
 

ManicMan

Member
ugh.. been getting some work still done on this but... I like the old 3rd Ed Skaven, I'm just not being that happy with how they are coming out.. but still, doing okay.. Almost .. well.. 2/3rds of my first unit of 30 done but I might start to work on units in more bits and pieces then that many at a go.. while some it it can be done in block, I'm just not feeling it for some figures... not sure why but it happens.. and doing a bunch together like that doesn't quite work for me..

One of the rats fell on the floor and .. I can't find it right now ¬_¬ So I've replaced it for now with a Ral Partha one I had with a shield from Little Solider Company to be the unit leader as I didn't have a specific figure for him. I might work on some smaller units or just pick and choose figures from units. I got a half (mostly) painted Jezzail team, some Rat swarms painted, and a bunch of figures kinda ready.. so.. I'll see how things go.
 

ManicMan

Member
right.. I think I'm gonna do some work on my Globadiers as that is just a small unit of 5 (they can skirmish but I'm still doing them on a movement tray, if only for storage).. I have all 5 figures But only three model types.. Two copies of 'Venombreath' (c47-3) who was originally sold as a musician but holds a poisonwind globe, has a gas mask and was later classed as a Globadier (if you didn't know, he was an 'alternative' of Warpscream the musician.. just changed his drum stick for the global and a new masked head.), also have two of Gas Bomber (c22-d) who is very much the same thing, as in Gas mask, globe. Both figures have a small backpack. I then have one of Colin Dixon's Globadiers with the much bigger backpack who will work well as the unit leader. I wondered if I could do anything to the doubles to just make them a bit more different.. well.. not really. Gas Bomber has his hands tight holding the globe infront of him where as Venombreath has it on his one outstretched arm, but can't do too much with that.. Oh well.
 

ManicMan

Member
naw.. Gas bomber's head is a bit of a pain to remove.. though maybe not, though Vemonbreath's is much easier.. but I would have to take a Skaven head and sculpt on the gas mask and stuff.. even if I just swap them over which would give a... might be possible but tricky for me to save both heads to do that with.

Just thinking about it.. Gas Bomber did have a altenative sculpt of a ... well.. 3rd listed him as a WarpSquealer which is a lower level Grey Seer, IT was mostly sold as a Grey Seer as i know it, cause that makes the most sense, but was also listed as a Globadier but.. I can't see a Globadier without a mask.
 
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ManicMan

Member
possible but.. I'm probably just gonna go with them looking the same even though it's a small group.

I was looking through the 3ed Armies and 4ed Skaven Army book and.. 3ed shows about 3 Globadiers, and they are all Gas Bomber in different colours (fair enough) but it's quite weird that there are NO Globadiers shown in photos in the 4ed Army book. well.. part from the Grey Seer alt sculpt.. appears very weird to me..

of course, while I like the big backpack of the Colin Dixon Globadiers, From what I've seen of 6ed + Skaven.. they are pretty much more tech then the Dwarfs these days.. I got a 5ed Rat Orge a while back to add to my set (I've got plenty now.. ranging from 3ED, 5th Ed and some generic.. but most of the 5ed appear to be.. Cyborg Rat Orges.. this one is only very slightly to a point where it passes Oh.. and I got the original Boneripper.. before became undead skeleton Boneripper, and then Cyborg Franken-ripper's monster
 

ManicMan

Member
whew.. ALMOST got the first Clan Rat Unit done.. Just need to finish off two when I get around to it and.. well.. not 100% happy but it's a pack, it's fine.

Meanwhile, the first of my Poison Wind Globadiers is done, and it's the Colin Dixon one which is acting as the leader for a unit of 5.

anyway
PWind1F.jpgPWind1B.jpg

The Globe didn't come out as I wanted.. to wanted to give the feel of a transparent globe with swirling Green poison gasses.... It's.. kinda got a bit of that.. kinda..
 
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