Big Boy Techs - A Serious Arsenal Upgrade

If I think back to previous versions of Necromunda, the weapon that everybody feared was the plasma cannon. Now I quite like plasma weaponry in the new version of Necromunda too, and it just so happens that Van Saar Tech gangs have access to plasma cannons through their House list. So it would be rude not to take one, right?

I've been keeping the final Roy Eastland tech sculpt back to use as a heavy weapon ganger - with his chunky frame, shades and cigar stub, he's perfect for a cool-as-ice champion capable of blasting any opposing ganger into oblivion.

He might be thickening around his middle, but very few folks are willing to suggest that Zepto loses some weight.

Getting Technical - A Pair of New Tech Gangers

I'm coming to the close on my Tech gang. I have another half dozen Techs to paint, including some reinforcements for a new campaign that will be starting at the end of May.

The Data Kings conduct tense negotiations with Ash Waste Nomads in an abandoned settlement outside the hive.

Grogan and Fischer are a pair of basic lasgun-armed Tech gangers, built using nothing more than a pair of torsos and period plastic arms and lasguns. Why do I need more gangers with lasguns? Why haven't I used short-barrelled lasguns that match the previous gangers? Because I'll be using these Techs to represent House Van Saar. And in the recently published Gang War 3, House Van Saar get cool new lascarbines as well as lasguns. Lascarbines effectively fill the same niche as autoguns do for other houses - slightly less accurate but with a higher rate of fire than a lasgun. In order to visually distinguish between the two weapons, my long-barrelled lasguns are lasguns, and the short-barrelled ones will be lascarbines. I should have taken a comparison picture, but I forgot. I'll just have to remember to do it another time. Perhaps when I add a long-las!

The Joy of Techs* - A New Tech Gang Champion

"Boss, those Bratt fopps are the other side of the sump tanks. Better get the plasma coils warmed up!"

The new Necromunda supplement, Gang War 3, came out a few days ago, and it looks like I'll be using my Tech gang as Van Saar in a new campaign at the end of the month. Having looked at the new House list, my bolter-armed fighters can't be in the starting line-up, nor can my champion with heavy stubber. I need to supplement my existing fighters with a few new ones. I plan to make a new leader with a combi lasgun/plasma gun and a funky Van Saar energy shield and some more lasgunners. I also wanted to make a new champion with plasma gun - actually finishing a conversion I had started alongside the other plasma gunner from a few weeks back.

My new champion, Orbison, gets a matching colour scheme to the rest of the Techs - stark white overalls with plenty of bionics. Orbison is also one of the techiest Techs around - not only is he sporting bionic limbs, but he's also got a nerdy pair of bionic eyes!

Rural Tranquility - Fogou Scenery Set (Part 2)

In my last post, I showed off the forthcoming Fogou Models terrain set that I've just painted up. It's worth taking a look at the set in a bit more detail to see how I might use the set.

Besieged Space Marines defending a ruined farm from a horde of greenskins. That sounds familiar!

Rural Scrawl - Fogou Scenery Set (Part 1)

If you follow the blogs of Asslessman (Leadplague) or Curis (Ninjabread), you may have seen a few blogposts recently with some forthcoming terrain courtesy of the fabulous Fogou Models. The terrain is part of a new set from Fogou, with a Kickstarter due to go live in the next few weeks (I think the 22nd of May). The set comprises some lovely ruined buildings and walls, with loads of accessories.

I've been lucky enough to get an advance set to paint up and have been feverishly trying to finish the set over the last few weeks.

Any derelict building is the target of spray-can wielding perps!

Techs on Tour - Attending a Necromunda Tournament

Last weekend I attended the very first Necromunda tournament at Warhammer World (well, certainly the first GW-run event using the new game). This was a free event that I'd built and painted my tech gang, the Data Kings, to use at. Prior to attending, I'd had my models cleared by the events team and GW archivist, mainly because I was fully aware that the age, obscurity and conversions on some of the models might raise suspicions!

The rules for creating and using a gang in the tournament pack followed a well-established model, commonly used in Blood Bowl tournaments. We were allowed an elevated credit limit (1,250 creds) and a package of skills and stat increases that we could scatter amongst our fighters. We were also able to access trading post weapons, hired guns and hangers on. As a resurrection format event, the gang reset after each game, so there were no advancements or lasting injuries.

I sent these images into the events team to help rubber stamp use of the figures

I used the Van Saar list from the Gangs of Legend pdf:
Leader -boltgun, laspistol, trick shot
Champion - heavy stubber, stub gun, +1 ballistic skill, trick shot
Champion - plasma gun, laspistol, fast shot
Specialist - grenade launcher, laspistol, +1 ballistic skill, munitioneer
Ganger - boltgun, laspistol
Ganger - lasgun
Ganger - lasgun
Ganger - lasgun
Ganger - plasma pistol, axe, stub gun
Juve - 2 stub guns, club, sprint

The list was designed around my preferred shooty type of gang, with a couple of combat fighters just in case!

Ctrl Alt Repeat

I noticed a funny thing the other day - that there are some models that I've used a number of times. And not simply the same basic troopers that you paint because there are only 3 sculpts to go into a 10-man unit. I keep using these models for different purposes and conversions. I wonder whether familiarity means I am better able to visualise adaptation? I've managed to inadvertently do this with figures from the Rogue Trooper range, Blood Bowl and Rogue Trader.

Here are some examples:

The Eldar Trader

I think I have painted the Eldar Trader five times in total. I've still got three in my collection one I use as an Eldar Trader, one as a Dark Elf Blood Bowl coach, and one as the more exotic Bonesinger. On the face of it, the trader and coach are identical, but I did actually replace the holstered pistol for a pouch on the coach!

The figure is really unusual, both as an Eldar and Elf - he has a great expression and a really interesting pose - haughty and as far away from combat as you can get. I suspect that's why I've painted him so many times!