The Elite Gangers of House Ulanti

Although the Techs, Brats and Ash Waste Nomads from the Confrontation game got most of the limelight, much of the setting was about hive gangs. The few figures that were produced were split into four gangs which have become known as Dogskins, Hunters, Maniacs (or sometimes Maniax) and Elites. The Elite leader is an iconic miniature with his gnomish hood, pelisse and pit bull. I painted him back in 2015. But the other three gangers are pretty uninspiring. They don't really have a strong visual identity compared to the Hunters or the Dogskins. Maybe this was the reason they'd been in my WIP pile for several years!

However, in search of a quick post holiday project, I pulled them out, added some arms and got them painted:

Inq et nunc - The Ancient Slann

Back in the early 2000s I planned a space slann army for 40k. The project never got off the ground as I moved towards smaller skirmish games, and most of the slann have long since been passed on. I did however keep the slann leader that I had planned to use - this was a conversion that was done for me by sculptor and Golden Demon winner Jeff Wilhelm. 20 years on, I have finally got round to painting up this long-neglected slann!

Originally intended for 28mm gaming, this slann will also see use in 54mm.

Inq et nunc - Inquisitor Janez Belec

Inquisitors come in all shapes and sizes. I've always been fond of those in the Eisenhorn mould - radical-leaning and a bit world weary. Those with a more subtle nature rather than being god-like warriors.

One of John Blanches concept sketches for a veteran Inquisitor from The Inquisitor Sketchbook really stands out to me:

Here is an imposing character in a commanding pose. He carries a cane almost as a mark of office. I love the echoes of Don Quixote and that slender bionic arm.

Inq et nunc - Rask Dogar, 54mm Ratling

(One of the) glaring omissions in the 54mm Inquisitor range were abhumans. Where are the ratlings, beastmen and ogryns? OK, maybe ogryns might have been a bit unsubtle and overpowered, but I'd have loved to have seen a ratling. Rask Dogar is my attempt at filling that gap. He's not actually my first attempt at a ratling (more on that in a future post), but is the one I'm most pleased with.

Inq et nunc - 54mm Castellan Robot

The robots that Citadel released for Rogue Trader are some of my favourite 40k miniatures. They are big (for 28mm scale), fun and interesting sculpts that really do draw on the sci-fi artwork of the era. A few years ago I picked up an upscaled resin version of the one of the RT robot designs (the Castellan) that was available from the short-lived Troll Soup Miniatures. I'm not entirely sure what the rationale was behind the enlargement, but to all intents and purposes the sculpts were carbon copies of the originals, but bigger. Much bigger! In the event, I decided the larger Castellan was too big for 28mm gaming, but I put it aside with my 54mm Inquisitor figures for a rainy day!

Dick Slevlan suddenly looks pretty brave with his tough-guy associates!

Inq et nunc - Soemon, Gun for Hire

My latest model is an attempt to use a suitably-sized miniature from the current Games Workshop range and adapt it for 54mm-scale gaming. Soemon is a gun for hire (another desperado character) who will get used as a nice bit of supporting firepower (and muscle!).

Look out behind you!

Inq et nunc - Jutta Gyldentheld, Rogue Trader

Although every Rogue Trader's authority is set down in their Warrant of Trade and Letters of Marque, in truth every individual's approach to exploring and exploiting the galaxy on behalf of the Imperium is different. Some Rogue Traders control battlefleets and large personal armies to overwhelm and conquer. Others seek lost secrets with just a few hand-picked companions.

The leader of my first completed 54mm Inquisitor warband is Jutta Gyldentheld - a Rogue Trader firmly in the low-key camp!

Rogue Trader Gyldentheld & companions exit their shuttle in search of new opportunities.