Today, amid the turmoil of the rapidly changing world we now inhabit, I have some rather unusual delights for you. A while ago I became aware of a new project from Macrocosm, some space dwarfs, including bikers. There were parts to convert them into mutants, which look very much like genestealer cult squats, so naturally I was most interested.
Chris from Macrocosm was kind enough to send me a selection, and I set to work. They are modular, so there are a variety of arms, heads, weapons, packs and so on. Along with the number of regular squat parts, there are several hybrid heads along with some mutated arms, and a dedicated hybrid biker body with an extra arm.
I used that very biker body here, on Dagur Griefkin, Atalan Jackal of the Kabeiri. The set was sculpted by Bob Olley and Alessio Cisbani. I'm quite the fan of both sculptors, and as Bob has sculpted so many genestealer cult minis before they fit in nicely.
The bikes are metal, so have quite a bit of heft to them. I recommend pinning where possible.
Here we have Baerdal Clawhammer and his gunner, Lythur Griefkin on a Wolftrike. (A very fine proxy for the Atalan Jackal Wolfquad) The trike is a charming mini, perfectly at home in a retro Bob Olley heavy cult. I do recommend painting it in sub-assemblies though. I tested out my scheme for vehicles for the Kabeiri on these bikes, and I'm quite happy with it. I think it'll work well on ridgerunners and goliaths.
The faces on the hybrids were a joy to paint, with lots of nice detail. I used mostly contrast paints on the skin, and essentially washed in all the colour over a Pallid Wych Flesh basecoat, with only one set of highlights over the washes.
There is also a set of infantry available. So for anyone wanting a nice squad of modular hybrid squats, now's your chance. The claw arm on this guy is a conversion, using the hand from the mutated arm in place of a regular squat hand. There are heavy weapons as well as melee and ranged arm options for these.
So, if you fancy some of these, head over to the kickstarter which is due to start any day now, and see what tickles your fancy.
those look awesome!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Riot!
DeleteThis is something I didnt know I wanted till I saw this....thanks so much Mec. LOL
ReplyDeleteAnytime Grove!
DeleteHaha, I didn't see this coming! Wow, they certainly have their own distinctive charm. Really cool!
ReplyDeleteCheers Suber. Oddly I have quite a few squat hybrids from different sources, I guess the stealers find them easier to catch!
DeleteGribbly and very nice. Bet they'll fit in nice with the Bob Olley stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks Thantsants. They fit very well indeed I must say.
DeleteNot meaning to overlook the painting of the figures, but the bases on these are fantastic with the variety of shapes and texture you've got going on. You've masterfully avoided the standard trap of having a bike with sidecar looking like it's driving through an indoor exhibition centre. I'm taking notes.
ReplyDeleteI really like your flesh tones as well, there's a lot of work and love you've put in there to blend in hthe shadows on the eyes, and make these guys look really creepy. I'm painting the mini axiom gave away at BOYL, and I went for a swarthy Bugman's Glow for the skin – might revise that in light of what you've done here.
Very kind of you to say Curis, thanks! I adore basing. It's far from a chore I must complete once the mini is painted. Establishing the mini in a setting always excites me. I might be unusual in that I paint the base first in general, as it's quite a messy process.
DeleteWith flesh, it's one of my favourite things to paint, especially faces. Lately I've taken to using diluted contrast to do a lot of the work for me. It's great for blends and speeds the process up considerably. There's only one layer of highlights on the skin.