Thursday 22 August 2019

Who Needs Understated Hairdos? More Brats

I think I've now been working on my Brat gang for over six years. At least that's what my old photos indicate! Funnily enough I've only ever played a handful of games with them, so it's high time they got an extended run on the tabletop. With a new Necromunda campaign kicking off in early September, I decided to get the Brats game-ready.

I'll be using the Brats as an Escher gang - they're a close fit stylistically and in terms of gear. After reviewing my existing models, I established a dearth of standard rifle fighters. I had plenty of combat fighters, and a pretty decent selection of special weapons, but not much in the way of a solid firebase!


The three figures above are ones that I started working on in 2013 and never got around to completing. Happily they'd just sat in a case over the last six years and were just waiting for the right opportunity!



Masque Max is one of the original armless Jes Goodwin Brat sculpts. Aside from a pair of Victoria Miniatures arms and a repair to his mask's flattened nose, he's a straight up paint job in my now preferred Brat gang colours of jade green and white (with pink, orange and gold accents!).



Ultra Rox carries a suspiciously sleek lasgun - in fact it's taken from a two-part plastic monopose Eldar guardian from the early 1990s. The figure is based on one of the duellists from the short-lived Empire Citizens range in the early 2000s that I wish I'd bought more of. I added some holstered pistols and sculpted the gloves and whacky hairstyle.



Durran Dan was converted back in 2013. I suspect the greenstuff work would be better now, but it's certainly passable for a low-level gang fighter. The figure was based on a Confrontation bounty hunter, with some work to his tunic and shorts and more Victoria Miniatures arms. I think the dog was from Farmer Maggot (the hobbit set). The lead was certainly a strip of greenstuff.


I suspect I should have painted his dog in a more exotic colour scheme, but I quite like the fact that he seems a little meaner and no-nonsense compared to some of his gang mates.



Overall, I blasted through this trio to get them table ready. I think I could go back and add some extra highlights here and there - perhaps I will. But for now they're good to go.


I think I have another three Brats to paint and then I can call them finished, in so far as any project is ever truly finished!

31 comments:

  1. So nice seeing these come to life after witnessing the creation back in the forum days (how old are we ? ^^')
    Brats are always welcome !

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    1. Thanks JB! I reckon these are some of my oldest skirmish game conversions (by that I mean converted after I stopped playing army-based games). They've sat happily in a case just waiting for their moment!

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  2. Back to the brats. Duran Dan's shades just scream "deal with it."

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    1. The Brats are the figures that got me re-excited about Confrontation. It's difficult to keep away!

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  3. The mastiff is so cool 😄 great addition to the gang 😄

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  4. I really like the colours chosen. The white hair seems to me to reference big powdered wigs of the horse and musket era tied in with even more retro slashed clothing. Future retro mirror glass chic seems exactly the type of thing richy rich gang bangers would go for.

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    1. It's funny really, it never occurred to me to do anything other than white - it's so ingrained that extravagant hairpieces are white. I think it works though!

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  5. More great work! I noticed the eldar lasgun straight away, hopefully the Arbites or visiting inquisitor will not!

    And yes, the Empire civilian lines is one of those that I wish I had bought in bulk, along with the Mordhiem civilians, and Steel Legion gun crew.

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    1. That sleek Eldar design is obvious to the trained eye!

      There's dozens of ranges like that I wish I'd picked up, but that's the benefit of hindsight I guess :)

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    2. Yes, unfortunately! Yet somehow I never feel quite as pleased about buying the huge (unbuilt) armies that lurk within all the boxes in my garage (or desk or bookshelf)

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    3. Funny isn't it? That kind of stash is rather different!!

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  6. Very nice conversions and paint jobs, absolutely love your Brat gang. and I had no idea that was the empire duelist until you pointed it out, amazing conversion work!

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    1. Thanks very much! Up until about 3 weeks ago, the cellist Brat was armed with a laspistol and bolt pistol, but then I decided to change it up. I actually think the rifle works better and pulls him even further away from the original figure. Cheers!

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  7. Very impressive, a visually striking gang.

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    1. Thanks Phil! I was musing only yesterday whether if I could have taken a less gaudy approach with these, but I think it works OK for Brats!

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  8. The all look nice but Ultra Rox (that's the guy on the far left in the first photo, right?) looks especially cool.

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    1. Yeah, Ultra Rox came out alright! Cheers :)

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  9. Wow, so great. Ultra Rox (the duelist) may be my favourite one. Really nice repurposing!

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    1. Thanks Suber! Pretty pleased with how he came out :)

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  10. The Bratts are quite impressive. I think they look really good for being done three years ago. A picture of a Space Wolf Scout came across my view the other day and the hairstyle reminded me a lot of your Bratt Gang.

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    1. Absolutely, those space wolf scouts have a lot of a family resemblance to Brats! Big hair, high cheekbones etc!

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  11. Think I have one of those Eldar lasguns lying around somewhere... I do remember buying the actual fig it came with just to chop him up as a casualty for a base cos I detested the Eldar so much! (Still don't like em for what it's worth.

    Duran is one of my fav Confrontation sculpts and I just happen to have my own on the table ready for priming and painting (Though he'll be the leader of one of my Genestealer Cult Brood Brother Squads).

    I've mentioned before in the comments that I really love your Brats and this trio are no different. Really good colour choices and some typically well done greenstuff and converting on them.

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    1. Thanks Dai. I reckon Duran Dan is a good inclusion in a genestealer cult unit. A high ranking non-magus sort?!

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    2. He's the leader of a squad of "Brood Brothers" that instead of typical PDF, I've made up the squad from a mix of types that might be found in regular society. AWOL Guard, Underhive gangers, regular worker-types, etc.

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  12. The hair styles and stark colours remind me of something. Oompa Loompas from the first Willy Wonka movie, maybe? Dan kinda feels like an 18th century dandy given access to newer accessories and weapons. I also regret not picking up more of the Empire Citizens, that was an awesome range.

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    1. I can see the oompa loompa vibe - something about the puffy hair and orange perhaps? Cheers!

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  13. That's a great idea to work them up as Escher. You can even wholesale take the newy introduced background element that their chemical weapons are taken from their cosmetics factories. I can imagine one of the Brats bragging that, "Yeah, I work in make up and fashion," and his mates are like, "Shut up Johnny, you don't work in fashion you put the lids on the Estée Lauder in the factory."

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    1. I think Escher are the natural successors to the brats in many ways. They certainly share an eye for an exotic hairdo.

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