Necromunda: Gang Roundup

With the new Van Saars being teased last week I decided to get all my gangers together for a photo session.

 The new box set got me set up with both Eschers and Goliaths, both gangs that appealed to me the least in the last couple iterations of the game.

 The new Orlock plastics are definitely a step up from the originals.

 My favorite gang has always been Van Saar. These are Mad Robot Miniatures Vanderbilt Fighters. Thanks to the work of Mad Robot Steve I have some juves for this gang. I plan to hunt some down for all my other gangs as well but I expect it will be slow going.

Finally my Scum! He's lonely for now but with all these new bounty hunters and hangers-on that are listed in Gang War II and been announced will see some more like minded underhivers joining the pool.

I'm probably going to end up with one of each core gang box at the least. I've always liked the setting and so why not? Also I've got Chaos and Genestealer cultists that are waiting to have something done with them so why not add some heretics and a xenos menace in my underhive?

Cheers,

CJ

Inquisimunda: Van Saar Mercenaries

I have fond memories of picking up some Van Saar from eBay to flesh out a Hive Gang Militia unit for my Steel Legion army many, many moons ago. These guys came painted up in the standard Van Saar green and really contrasted well with the other hivers I had thrown together by mixing Catachans and Empire Militia. Sadly, those models are all long gone.

With the rumored return of Necromunda and the looming release of Shadow War Armageddon I decided to put together another Van Saar gang. I thought about picking up some first or second edition GW models and instead picked up some Vanderbilt Fighters from Mad Robot Miniatures. These resin minis capture the feel of the original gang perfectly in my humble opinion.

The Mad Robot kit included six adults and four youth. In the narrative I'm building my mercenaries are Mechanicus aligned. In that vein I armed my juves with Flechette Blasters and one of my gangers with a Radium Carbine. If I ever get to a game of Necromunda they'll count as more mundane weapons that look cool. For the Inq28 games I have planned (someday...) these guys will be armed exactly as they look.

The weather has been unseasonably nice these past couple weeks so I got some painting done. After a primer coat of Testors flat black acrylic I gave the models a coat of Orkhide Shade, then a coat of Snot Green, and finally a wash of Thraka Green. I haven't gotten any more done at the time I get this posted, but I do have a plan.

Cheers,

CJ

Terraforming Necromunda 006: The Drawbridge

I've been working on the bridge and platform this past week, and made quite a bit of progress.

I'm using the robot kit I got from Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago to make the frame for the bridge and platform. The deck of the bridge and the catwalk over the platform are black plastic canvas (granny grate) with thin card overlays. I traced out the design with a ruler and protractor and then used a stencil knife to cut it all out.

The biggest challenge of this piece is that I wanted the bridge platform to 'float' over the ruined building. The idea being that where ever this happens to be in the underhive, a rotted out section of makeshift gantries crossing a anchient administratum ruin wasn't going to cut it anymore. The powers that be had the ruin 'leveled' and then the platform and bridge installed. If you build it, charge the underhivers to use it!

In the underhive the powers that be are of course the gang that controls that section of the sump... so I wanted the construction to resemble that. The platform and rigging is solid and suitably industrial, but the keepers hut is ramshackle. The bridge stolen from somewhere else and incorporated into the structure.

But none of that explains the 'float' part.

Well, how do you keep your new toll road mostly level? Build it on stilts, of course.

And by the gods of the warp, it worked. AND even before I glued the stilts in place it was mostly holding itself up.

You can see here the entire superstructure has a decided lean to the right. I glued the stilts to the base of the platform and pinned them with floral wire, which took care of the stability issue.

The bridge keeper's hut is made of foamcore clad in thin card, and fronted by a cut down Necromunda bulkhead. The deck of the platform is more thin card, this time with the plastic canvas on top.

...aaand it's big. I mean, it got away from me from the go, with the footprint being larger overall than I envisioned. It's also more squat than I wanted, but at the same time it ended up being taller in the super structure. It had to be to 'work' properly. I set the drawbridge and the industrial ruin from a few posts back on the floor and took a picture to really get a sense of what I've got.

So there it is. The industrial ruin is going on a 24"x24" base, so I built the drawbridge long enough to reach. That spot on the deck of the industrial piece is a Skitarii. There is an Inquisimunda henchman on the deck for the drawbridge. Oh and my cat. Cat for scale.

Eventually I'll get more work done on the industrial ruin, too.

Cheers,

CJ

Terraforming Necromunda 005: The Drawbridge

Between work and life I'm not finding as much time as I'd like to get my hobby fix. On the upside I have plenty of time to read during my commute every day (I've taken to playing The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on the ride some days XD).

I've gotten the shacks at the base of the drawbridge all...er...dressed? I'm not sure that's the word I'm looking for but nonetheless... Clad, that's the word.

I was also able to get the floor of the ruined building laid down around the shacks and walls, I used thin card for all of the flooring, and most of the shacks' walls. The corrugated card is from the inside of coffee cup insulators. For the grating on the floor I used black plastic canvas.

With the base of the drawbridge mostly finished, it's now time to move on to the drawbridge platform and the bridge itself.

Cheers,

CJ

Terraforming Necromunda 004: The Drawbridge

While working on the sump station project I had an idea for controlling access to the place with a drawbridge. At first I was eager to incorporate it into the sump station, then decided it was better served as its own piece. I got out my notebook and sketched out a few things.

This is the first design I cracked out. You can see the suggestion of the Necromunda bulkheads in the column that supports the bridge. No sooner had I finished this quick scribble than I had the idea to incorporate a few shanties to the base, and an array of spikes and other physical obstacles blocking access to the bridge platform from below. If the Scavvies  could just scramble up then they may wrest control of this vital underhive crossing!

So with that in mind I revised my art, and set to work. I envisioned thicker walls, a near completely ruined structure that has been co-opted into use as a base for this ramshackle bridge above, as well as a group of shanties in the shadow of the bridge.

Now at work we had recently tidied up a bit. One of the things that I saved from the bin was a one by eight sheet of 1/2" thick foamcore, clad with plastic instead of card. I set about cutting it into two foot lengths and brought it home where it wait for a use. Turns out its perfect for this project. I set to work cutting the shapes I would need and then peeling the cladding.

Here is the basic structure of the ruin, held together by cocktail sticks. Nothing is glued at this stage, waiting for the base, a piece of MDF. I drilled holes through the base and secured the foamcore structure with more cocktail sticks and wood glue.

A little further along. It was late while I was getting the base prepped and I decided to carve in a Genestealer cult sigil and a paranoid slogan. The former will be completely covered by a shanty, while part of the latter will remain visible. I'm interested to see how visible the letters will remain after a coat of spackle.

The shanties basic shape are accounted for by blocks of blue insulation foam. Into each I cut a rude doorway and gave each a door frame made of stir sticks cut to size. They are secured to the base and ruins with more wood glue and cocktail sticks.

So next up is the coating of spackle and then detailing the shanties. After that, sand and debris and the base of the drawbridge will be done. I've yet to start on the platform and bridge, aside from the above sketch.

Finally, I'd like to give a nod to The Terrain Tutor, Mel, and his excellent YouTube channel. If you haven't heard of it or given it a look yet, go to it. He used to run a blog called Corbania Prime, and his Imperial Guard stuff is just excellent (fair warning, its been some time since the last update there). Anyway, watching his videos has been inspiring. The board he's been working on most recently for Bolt Action is just beautiful.

Until next time!

Cheers,

CJ

Terrain: Terraforming Necromunda 003

My housemate got new speakers for his car and as soon as he opened the packaging I knew it was terrain waiting to be realized.

So I set to with some cardboard tubes, foamcore, card, and some plastic grid from light fixtures to make something suitably underhive-y and industrial. I used the coffee sleeves from the 7-11 for the corrugated walls.

As I worked on the project it grew out from my initial vision.

And this is where I'm at with it after about two weeks of crafting after work and in my free time. I'll have another post where I get into the guts of the construction a bit more.

Cheers,

CJ