Those Who Work as a Family

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
   - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

the family that scavenges together stays together

Quick one here. I've been doing other projects while I've fallen silent. I intended to do an army-builder style blog about one but work has been kicking my arse and involving lots of typing at a keyboard - so the idea of typing at home has been very off-putting. But that's mostly behind me and while I've since painted a tank and been sick, I did just do these guys!

A little family of scavengers, part of Crooked Dice's 4th Colony 87 kickstarter, a few years back now. Gave them a uniform, painted their little droids - easy.

dear ole dad

When looking up the kickstarter for the above link, I realised that dad's meant to be pulling down a visor - I just painted it as a black band holding on his ear protectors. Oh, well, that still works.

He was actually the last of the team painted - contra. my usual style, this list is exactly in the opposite order to the paint!

mumsie

A hard-nose lieutenant of a woman, this one. She has a weird dot flaw in the cast next to her nose, but I think that just makes her look tougher. Love that she has basically the same gear as dad, only plus a bandana and cool sunnies.

I did enjoy weathering the hell out of their gear.

teens right

boy

Not much to say about these two. I think the boy looks like a right git, in the tradition of early teen boys throughout the ages. I do like that he's a bit tubby.

lil guy

This was SO fun and easy to paint. He really has turned out like I weathered him deliberately, when most of that is just from rough brushing and the Contrast (Iyanden Yellow if you're curious) that went straight over grey - oh, all these guys were undercoated grey.

big guy

Love this guy. He looks so friendly! And yet with the textured white for his head and the red eyes, he's also real creepy. I added the cog and some other 40K transfers to ensure that the crew still ties into my vague sense of setting - the implication is that he's not at all sapient - assuming the local Mechanicus administrators are compliant...

The orange was rough Wild Rider Red and then sponge-applied Trollslayer Orange. Maybe a layer mixing them in there, I forget. I then weathered hell out of him, which is always extremely fun.

makers' mark

One of the other transfers. I didn't want it to go on the chest like heraldry, but instead give a sense that it's a markers' mark or has some other significance, so it got tucked in here. Helps break up all that orange.

obscure symbol

Down on his leg is one of the warning symbols from the Mechanicus transfer sheets. It actually was broken on the sheet, which I found out when I had already soaked it, but that just meant it blended in nicely to the weathering (and then I did even more to it, yayy). I could weather dorky robots forever. Maybe I should do a Mechanicus project.

Anyway, that's it! I'll hopefully post about some games I've had in the last little while and/or that project I mentioned - it was out of sequence, but it's also almost finished, so I don't feel too bad about breaking up my 'complete things' rhythm. See you all soon!

Those Who Work, Those Who Sell, Those Who Record -- Those Folks

 In the beginning of time God made the earth. Not one word was spoken at the beginning that one branch of mankind should rule over another..."
   - Gerrard Winstanley

some regular folks

Moving up in the world, we've reached the working and middle classes - a real mixture of 'just folks'. These are mostly Eureka Miniatures again, slightly small and slight among the more classic GW-style Crooked Dice, but it works for a diversity of a population. Probably. They also go with the kids I've done in the past.

Those Who Venture

Still firmly in the 'scum' category, although Prospector Gan Havelock at least approaches respectable, being a freelance surveyor rather than an... ugh adventurer.

meet all sorts out here

More Crooked Dice miniatures, from their Colony 87 range. Some of these have only been in the collection for weeks as opposed to my usual years. I've grouped these as vaguely adventurers, as they're all a bit armed and rowdy to really be anything else, although Havelock could have as easily fit into the next group (working and middle class types).

Really had fun with these - I always say that for Colony 87 though.

Those Punks

Climbing the social ladder, from animals to cops, to outcasts and punks.

punks and skum

A mix of manufacturers, meaning a range of scales and styles, but I think they all work together as a group. This group of misfits and sods were fun as hell to paint, letting me muck about with colours (I've been using a lot of pink and green lately), as well as some experiments with skin tones and -- well, let me get into it.

Those Who Protect

Following on from animals: space cops.

pigs are a kind of animal, after all

These were all hell of great sculpts to paint, even if being armed kind of puts the 'civilian' aspect of this project as a bit of a lie. But I've done armed folks before and I will again. 

These are mostly Crooked Dice pieces from Colony 87: Wave Four, while the Judge is a Kev White sculpt from Diehard Miniatures. I'm pleased with how they've all come out, so let's show 'em off!

Those Animals: Tame (and weird)

 Couple of things mixed together here!

animals tame (and other)

Alright, getting some things crossed off the list. This lot have mostly actually not sat in the drawer for too long - in fact, two of the models only arrived a few weeks ago! Not too bad. But then again, the Necromunda Wyrd was in the pile for the failed Old World Army Challenge from 2023, so let's not brag.

melty men

First off, some melty men. Like last time's mootants, these are Thunderchild Miniatures. A few layers of yellows, contrasts, washes, drybrushes, glazes, picking out the white teeth and eyes, varnish. Fun and easy. Sorry they're not in the group photo, this is what happens when you break up the painting and photography but not the blog post (also are they even really in the animal theme? eh)

Those Animals: Baggage

Share the load.

green transportation alternatives

I haven't gone anywhere, I just haven't had much to share. It's been either too hot or too wet to paint, and I'm so busy at work - and consequently exhausted - that I haven't been able to schedule any games. But I have assembled, cleaned, and based a ton of new additions to the civilian project (and just in time to receive more Colony 87 from another kickstarter too, so I feel very embarrassed not to have done the last one...) -- and last week I was finally able to get out the spray undercoat. There are a couple of different things in train.

Let's start with a baggage train, eyyyy

Those Who Were Undercoated

 Winter has come, and I am once again unprepared.

Undercoated Family photo

It's too cold to undercoat any of the projects that I want to concentrate on, so I've dug up a handful of already-undercoated models from projects I stalled on - most from years ago - and done a little brushwork on them. Not included here are three models finished from my Age of Sigmar Flesh Eater Courts, because I'm going to do a big project post for those when the whole army is finished. I also have the original Escher gang that I didn't finish for the last Old World Army Challenge I was in, but I haven't been able to do much on those yet.

I'm also working on some terrain, and I'm prepping a bunch of miniatures for when the weather warms up so that I undercoat tons at once. I really ought to plan these things better. Maybe next year...

Gnow There are Gno More Gnomes To Paint

 Look at that. A second post.

the new villagers

Back in 2020, for the Old World Army Challenge, Old School Miniatures was kind enough to sponsor my entry: a small force of their wonderful alpine gnomes. I never considered the project complete, though; one regiment of spearmen was under-equipped, and I wanted to expand the cavalry regiments a little.

As part of my new focus on finishing projects (I know!), I have managed to actually complete the gnome army. I also wound up adding a second spearman regiment as well as a small pile of new villagers (above).

The force is fairly small in most editions, especially as Byron's list design eschews heroes in favour of wizards, but I'll be able to ally in Wood Elves or my old, ancient Empire army (whichever of these boxes that's in...) if I really need more points.

So, what's new?

Those ex-Slaves

You are not machines, you are not cattle - you are men!

there's power in a union

I've had these on my desk since they came out. Always love a narrative of working lads breaking their chains. It's even better if the chains are laser-powered. The pit slaves in Necromunda '98 had similar vibes, and the tale of Bull Gorg goes hard. It's tragic that we never got a miniature of him.

The ex-Slave Ogryn gang in Necromunda '17 fills a similar place, with the addition benefit of just straight-up lobotomizing some of the workers. grim But solves a problem! or does it

The gang (for which I'm yet to decide on a name) also fits into the vague 'civilians' project. These guys can be an outlaw gang of workers in revolt or they can used as flavour or muscle for various factions - all their 'weapons' are really tools, after all. This is why they have my desert basing instead of the grimy underdark basing you've seen before.

Those Guys

 Just some lads.

lads lads lads

I try to group the civilian posts by theme, but these lads (and the below robot) are all I've done in the past few months, so they can go up together. These four are available as Sailors at Crooked Dice.

yeah just headed to the space-pub for a space-schnitty

I randomly decided to make one chap a football fan because why not. The meaty bloke on the right is into the same punk band as one of my squats:

we ain't dead! say it a-fucken-gain!

bleep-blorp

Finally, we have the non-sentient P0-N3 bot, 'Bill', from Skull & Crown's Space Scrappers line. An absolute treat to paint up!

Those Who Work: Prospector

 A civilian painted a little while ago!

make sure your helmet is polarised against radiation, kids

This guy had been sitting on my desk for a long time, but I managed to finish him over Christmas. He then sat in my photos account! I was hoping to get more civilians painted to post him with, but the Old World Army Challenge started up, and that's that.

Not really much to say - he's from the Genestealer Cult range, which have a great unified aesthetic for mining and industrial workers, while being grounded in Warhammer 40,000's setting. I demilitarized him a little, giving him a mining laser and the wrench arm, but there is no conversion work.

..so, yes, he still has grenades and a pistol holster. Hellsreach-style planets are dangerous places!

There are still loads more civilians in my pile of inspiration or whatever we're calling them these days, but I really need to get cracking on their terrain.

Those Scouts: Riders

Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse / to the old town road

Slann trading contingent, feat. Ometeotl the Outrider

wastelander horseman

Once again, these are hardly civilians, despite the fact that I continue to group these miniatures together under that tag. I suppose I will eventually call this setting something else - maybe if I finally paint any of the terrain I'm accumulating.

These two are mounted scouts; the one a baseline human, riding his actual horse across the desert sands. The other is as far as we can get from that, being a space frog riding a space velociraptor. 

Those Animals: Wild things

 A handful more critters for the desert.

small local fauna

I've painted a handful of small creatures to sprinkle around the gaming table. The lava dog thing comes from Northstar, the rest from an indie company the name of which I've misplaced. They sure are cute, though.

armadillo analogues

lizard analogues

thingies

some kind of heated-rock monster?

Those Mercenaries

 A collection of local guns.

not exactly civilians

Today we have a handful of armed figures for the civilian project. At this rate, I'm basically recreating Gorkamorka (and yes, that is a spoiler for something planned soon), albeit with fewer orks.

scout

A classic Rogue Trader adventurer sculpt and as such as been done by many many others, which is part of why I wanted to buy him. He's been on my table for ages, as I wasn't sure how I wanted him to come out. Some of the off-whites came off a bit too close, so I'm not totally happy with him, but still - he looks pretty good to me.

I like to think of him as the best of the scouts for hire, preferring to keep to himself in the deep desert. His use of a shuriken pistol and apparently uncanny insight into the trackless wastes gives him a reputation as half-Eldar, despite the genetics making that impossible. Right?

old bandit

Another RT adventurer! Jason has also painted him up, but I've gone for a weather-beaten old raider style for him and his weird pistol.

I think of him as old friends with the scout - not as good at guiding clients through the wastes, but way more vicious in a melee with the mutie raiders and slaver tribes that might waylay a caravan winding through the cacti-spheres.

Madeline and Maximillian

"Mad" Madeline and "Max" Maximillian are a couple of local gunslingers. Sometimes raiders, sometimes caravan guards, sometimes just mean bastards. Always hired as a pair.

These sculpts were from a Facebook group and I was able to get some of the initial run a little while back - but thankfully they're now available at Crooked Dice as the Mannix Twins. Real joys to paint, and a lovely classic vibe.

Lastly, and finished only a few minutes ago, we have Ms Lovely Day.

Ms Lovely Day

No need to point out her inspiration! You can also get her via Crooked Dice (can you tell I did an order recently?). I've painted her up as roughly inspired by her origin, but she fits in with the rest of these gunslingers although slimmer, possibly teenaged.

It's a beautiful sculpt and fun to paint.

I undercoated some more civilians today, but also go back to work tomorrow, so we'll see if my painting time shrinks substantially. Stay tuned, desert wanderers!

Those Renegades

 Just a couple of perfectly ordinary civilians...

Magos Biologis, Mechanicus

This is a medic from North Star Military Figures's Stargrave releases. I'm going to be putting together a different team to play the game, but this saturnine fellow is perfect for my civilian project, even if he's a little more armed than usual.

His weird tech greeble fits into the Rogue Trader aesthetic, and while the blue gloves hint at a different science fiction setting, marking him as an unpleasant sort of fellow. I see him as a low-ranking Adept Mechanicus who screens the citizens for genetic deviance, hence the red collar. He also works perfectly as a Rogue Doc in Necromunda. Multi-use!

Heretek, poss. former Mechanicus

Also from Stargrave, this I gave this hacker a goth aesthetic. I was tempted to freehand a cool skull on her jacket, but her cyberpunk tech greeble makes that too hard, and I'm very lazy.

I see her as a heretek,* running local hacking jobs for a reasonable price. They aren't all towering monstrosities of cybernetic cables and whirring gears, blaspheming with cogentities as scrapcode gods. Some of them are just folks who break open the cases and tinker without the proper rites.

I'm not sure if Necromunda18 has a specific role like this, but it would be easy to design scenarios around her! I wonder if her deck would let her hack Spyrer-style suits, or maybe even servitors.

That's it for this entry! I'm working on some more civilians and am very close to finishing an army for a different skirmish game...