The Biggest Axe - Venator Ogryn Brute

Most Necromunda gangs have access to one or more brutes - big muscular fighters that can be added to their crew. Venators don't have a gang-specific brute, but can field either of two universal brutes: an ambot or a servitor ogryn.

I quite fancied giving my Venators the option of having a big guy for the fun element (and the extra muscle of course). Given that I'm pretty far down the road of masked and hooded Venators, it seemed only fitting to follow the theme for their ogryn.

A strong hunting party of Venators enters the settlement, accompanied by a hulking ogryn.

The Iron Fist - Inquisitional Commandos

I know that the Inquisition hangs around with the Deathwatch or the Adepta Sororitas a bit, but they're overkill when it comes to an every-day world of the Imperium setting. Storm Troopers and Tempestus Scions are a little bit militaristic. So I'd put aside a few Imperial Light Troopers (AKA No Face Fargo) and Garrison Troopers (AKA Kylla Conditti) with the intention of using them as a tools of the oppressive Imperial regime in a mundane, non-battlefield setting.

And so, along comes January and a new painting challenge on the Oldhammer Facebook group. The rules of 'Naismithery' are simple - pick one or more models sculpted by Bob Naismith and paint it within the month of January. It just so happens that Bob sculpted both No Face and Kylla...

Inquisitional Commandos conduct door to door searches on the trail of a notorious space pirate.

A Hobby Review of 2019

As is the now an annual tradition, with the end of 2019 drawing to a close, it's time for a hobby review of the year.

My hopes and aims for the year were neatly summed up in a very similar blogpost about this time last year!

It's interesting to note that I really did stick pretty closely to those broad ambitions:

• I painted up numerous fringe-world buildings including the excellent Fogou Models scrap fort.
• I painted up an array of Necromunda figures including Adeptus Arbites / Enforcers, Brats, Venators and latterly Helmawr gangers.
• I had some fantastic games including two Necromunda campaigns, a Realm of Chaos Rogue Trader at BOYL 2019 and the occasional pick-up game dotted throughout the year, including some fun Space Hulk with my 9 year old son.

Crates and Barrels

My buddy Michael got himself a 3D printer earlier this year and has been testing it's capabilities pretty heavily, printing everything from 20mm car accessories for Gaslands to baby Yoda Christmas tree decorations. He gave me a selection of sci-fi barrels, crates and junk piles which I think came from Thingverse. I've yet to tackle the junk piles, but did spend some time working with the barrels and crates.

The barrels and crates were individually printed.

The Gun (and Chainsword) Fighter - Ash Waste Nomad

The marshals finally corner the ash waste bandit after years on the run.

Buoyed by the success of painting up the last two Marauder Venators, I decided to finish off another long overdue project - my Ash Waste Nomads. Painted between the end of 2014 and the start of 2015, my gaudily coloured nomads were the first gang I used in the first game of Necromunda I played after several decades away from the game. They've got a lot to answer for I guess!

Venators are Coming To Town

They're making a list.
They're checking it twice.
Gonna find out who's naughty or nice.

Nothing could be more seasonal than painting up a bearded man in a pointy hood, right? What about if the beard is sculpted onto a rather scary mask, and the hood is tied up with a noose? That will probably scare the children! And I guess that's the point of Venator gangs in Necromunda - they are sinister vigilantes hunting down the most dangerous of criminals.

A gaming opportunity arose to play some Necromunda with my good friend cheetor. After looking at my variety of Necromunda gangs, I decided that the best option would be to use the meet-up as motivation to paint up the remaining pair of Confrontation Venators from Marauder that had sat undercoated since I painted up the other figures back in January.

Like the previous two figures, these are Aly Morrison sculpts. They might have chunky details, but they really are a pleasure to paint.

The Baron and the Imp - Helmawr Leader and Attendant

I've made some more progress with my Helmawr gang, finishing off another three fighters. This time they include my planned leader and an attendant.