Comrade's Wargames

Among my very favorite models released in the current “modern era” of Warhammer figures are certainly the Putrid Blightkings. These multi-part plastic kits can be used to build a wide variety of oozing, pus-filled champions of Nurgle, armed with a variety of rusted, wretched weaponry and armor. Each kit comes with more than enough pieces to make five warriors, ensuring that you will end up with a variety of surplus bits to use elsewhere.

I love the models and have wanted to try my hand at painting them for a while now. But I’ve been put off by the retail price — $57 for five figures, well above my typical price tolerance of a few bucks per figure. In addition, while I liked the idea of having a big pile of leftover bits, in practical terms I had no real need for such accoutrements … I just wanted the toy soldiers, thank you very much.

Thankfully, I was able to patiently scour ebay to find the exact solution to fit my needs: a clutch of four Blightkings, already assembled and sloppily painted, for super cheap. I want to say I got the four of them for $20, which made me feel like I’d just won the lottery. In a strange way, acquiring them pre-assembled was actually a relief. I am not super interested in fiddly assemblies these days, and so I was glad to have that task done for me ahead of time.

These guys were about 75% complete when they arrived. A couple of them were missing the all-important butt pieces, which cover their rear ends and generally complete the miniature. I was able to fashion replacement butt pieces using green stuff and various satchels, packs, and bandoliers from my bits box. I must admit I was sorely tempted to sculpt a yawning anus on one of these guys, just for the Nurgle style points.

After a quick dip in the paint stripper, they were ready for some brushwork. The paint job included contrast paints for the flesh, together with dark, grimy chainmail and lurid green plate armor. I like painting my Nurgle guys in a bright, almost cartoonish paint scheme.

Here’s a peek at the butt solutions I came up with. The swishy tail is from a leftover cavalry horse!

All in all, these guys fit the bill for exactly what I was seeking — cheap models, pre-assembled, ready to strip & repaint. I’m not even bothered by only having just four of these guys, because they’ll be a standard-sized unit of hearthguard in Saga: Age of Magic.

What’s your favorite chaos-aligned figure or unit?