Comrade's Wargames

Hark, dear reader — do you hear? The bell has tolled thirteen dolorous peals, signifying the completion of the great task which I set before myself two years prior. It is time to share with you my newly completed Skaven army in all its creeping, coiling, loathsome glory!

Regular readers will know that collecting and painting up a Skaven army composed of the old-school metal figures that I coveted as a kid is a goal that I’ve striven toward since the middle of 2018. I certainly took my sweet time with this project, chipping away in bits and pieces between several 40k projects and a couple other fantasy endeavors. Now it is time to show off the fruits of my labors!

Keen-eyed readers will immediately notice that this isn’t a Warhammer-sized army. It’s true — I collected and assembled this army primarily to play mid-sized skirmish games like Dragon Rampant and Saga: Age of Magic. Most of the unit sizes are in multiples of 6 and 12 figures, which align well with those rulesets. With a little work, I can probably reconfigure this lot for Warlords of Erehwon or Kings of War.

For those who want to catch up on this series, here are links to past entries:

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Part IV

I’ll share some detail shots a little later in the post, but for now let’s run through the units in the big photo above.

A. Warp Lightning Cannon – what’s that, a plastic model? Yes, it’s true. Purists need read no further. I have included just a handful of plastic models in this army … mostly larger models. In this case, I acquired this Warp Lightning Cannon nicely painted and finished, so it was an easy one to include.

B. Packmaster and Giant rats – barely glimpsed behind that hill!

C. HQ units – various beautiful old models including Thanquol, Lord Skrolk, and the “Middlehammer” version of Deathmaster Snikch, plus a few more.

D. Weapon teams – Warp Grinder and Warpfire Thrower

E. Crossbow rats – these are monopose metal figures from Heartbreaker Hobbies’ wererats line.

F. Poison Wind Globadiers – possibly my favorite individual Skaven models, and strangely pricey these days due to the fact that they’re still a valid unit choice in Age of Sigmar despite being available only as metal, 20-year-old sculpts.

G. Weapon teams – Ratling guns x2

H. Rat Ogres – another pair of plastic figures, also acquired nicely painted and ready to play.

I. Clanrats – gorgeous old figures from Jes Goodwin’s C47 range. Here’s a closer look!

J. Skaven Slaves – Another batch of metal models that are rather pricey these days. Just basic slaves with spears and leg irons.

K. Stormfiend – The newest addition to the army, I acquired this plastic model nicely painted a few weeks ago. I like the idea of a single Stormfiend lumbering at the rear of my army, hissing and clanking and ready to exploit a break in the enemy’s line.

L. Plague Monks – featuring a custom banner vinyl banner

M. Stormvermin – the classic Skaven shock troops.

N. Gutter Runners – eight sneaky assassins plus their leader, Veskit the Executioner

Now it’s time for some close-up photos! I borrowed a nicer camera to take some macro shots, which really give the sense of a mass of chittering rats surging forward on the battlefield.

Note: All photos should be clickable, so you can view slightly larger versions if that is your desire.

Miniatures photography is almost as fun as actually playing games with these guys!

More pics below showing the spear-wielding guys at the vanguard of the assault.

I had a lot of fun acquiring and painting up some of these nifty character models. Here’s a closer look!

Now back to the rank and file! Imagine this gnawing horde charging at you across the battlefield, slashing the air with their rusted weapons and chittering in their foul rat-pidgin.

After I took these fun new photos, I realized I had missed one model: my Doomwheel! It sat ignored and unloved on a shelf while I was gleefully arranging these pics. Oops! Here it is, lest it get overlooked.

This army project was a real joy to tackle over the last few years. From researching to acquiring the models to painting up the units, I learned a lot about the Oldhammer-era history of this fun fantasy faction. I am pleased to report that I ended up with the exact army that I wanted, beholden to no particularly game or ruleset or army list or special rule.

I hope to do a similar post later this year for my dwarf army, with lots of nice photos and group shots — stay tuned!