Space Skaven! Spaven...errr skace?

[Teetengee]

Started making some space skaven, not sure what rules I'll use, but it's mostly a modeling project anyhow. Probably gonna try to add some more chaosy bits and maybe do some vashtor/horned rat stuff.

in any case, I need advice. Where should I attach the cannister? Scoot it up to the back of the chair? Beneath the chair? Where it is and make a bracket to attach it? Somewhere on the legs, maybe with some pipes to those too? Somewhere else?

 

Edited Thursday at 10:17 PM by Teetengee

[ZeroWolf]

Space Skaven? Yes-Yes!

 

I'm all aboard with this idea.

 

I think scooting the canister up slightly more on the back of the chair will work, though where it is now will suffice if the move is too troublesome.

 

As far as rules go, I'd say try proxy necrons, they aren't exactly 1:1 but I think you could make them work (say the regeneration rule is either them eating warpstone or getting more rats in to take others place! 

[PeteySödes]

Hell yea that’s a great conversion! I think the position of the tank is solid, slip some sprue bits or GS in between for a better mechanincal connection and you’re likely good!

  

Second for the counts as necrons, “get back up” and “without end” are similar enough in theme that rule of cool covers the rest IMO.

 

what else do you have in mind for conversions?

[Teetengee]

Well, I made one skaven with a shotgun so far, and have some jezzails and legion imperialis stalkers to play with, but no firm plans yet.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I like it!  A very nice sci fi take on skaven, while staying true to both the "sci fi" and the "skaven".

 

Personally, I think the canister looks fine where it is, though it would also look fine higher up the back of the chair.  Do think it needs some sort of mounting brackets or such, though.

 

As a counter suggestion, there's a long history of 40K players doing skaven armies using the IG/AM rules, and this would fit in well there as a sentinel, though I'm not up on their rules enough to know what weapon is the best fit for its multi-barreled gun.  This is also a good fit if you intend to field your infantry with lower tech personal weapons, which sounds like the case given your shotgun skaven.  Alternatively, if you are going higher tech for your infantry weapons, maybe mechanicus might be a good fit.

[Teetengee]

I think it's a lot taller than a sentinel, as that's a 90 mm base, but honestly I'm not worried about rules right now, I think it's just a fun project, moving to back of chair or making a bracket seems decent though, so I think I'll go with that.

[N1SB]

Rats of NIMH, what have you done!?

[Brother Christopher]

This is shaping to be a very intriguing project. I don't have any feedback regarding rules but I'm all for this unholy mishmash. Good luck!

[GuitaRasmus]

What an inspired idea! I love it! 

[Rusted Boltgun]

That walker is great!

Always loved Skaven, they were my wishlist WHFB army as a kid and I think they deserve a place in 40k. I've put together a Space Rat Kill Team list but have yet to complete a model.

Would love to see your shotgun-toting Space Rat.

[Teetengee]

3 hours ago, GuitaRasmus said:

What an inspired idea! I love it! 

Your dark mech is in fact what inspired it, so I'm glad you like it! That project continues to live rent free in my head
 

2 hours ago, Rusted Boltgun said:

That walker is great!

Always loved Skaven, they were my wishlist WHFB army as a kid and I think they deserve a place in 40k. I've put together a Space Rat Kill Team list but have yet to complete a model.

Would love to see your shotgun-toting Space Rat.

Ask and you shall receive!, Just a WIP, I've done some more shaving and filing, and need to do some gap filling, but it was a pretty simple conversion.

I've found so far the best way to sci-fi up the skaven is to first, file down or remove any wood grain, and second, to de-rivet their armor. It looks a lot more sci-fi than steampunk without them.

[TheArtilleryman]

These look great! I do believe that skaven actually exist in 40K lore somewhere and there is a picture of one in an old book.

 

Mantic do a range called the “veermyn” that are basically this. Perhaps have a look at their models for some ideas?

[ZeroWolf]

51 minutes ago, TheArtilleryman said:

These look great! I do believe that skaven actually exist in 40K lore somewhere and there is a picture of one in an old book.

 

Mantic do a range called the “veermyn” that are basically this. Perhaps have a look at their models for some ideas?

I remember that, was that the one that contained our first look at Kroot as well?

[TheArtilleryman]

38 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

I remember that, was that the one that contained our first look at Kroot as well?

You’re thinking of this - this old picture of the Hrud was thought by many to be Skaven - note the rat tail and the hunched physique. It was never official though and the Hrud were later changed completely.

 

 

Also, this article from White Dwarf 109 had a reference to a poison affecting skaven:

 

 

I’m sure there are more but I can’t find them at the moment.

Edited Friday at 09:52 PM by TheArtilleryman

[Teetengee]

Yeah, I have been thinking about the hrud a bit, and their changes over the years. I wonder if perhaps the Hrud and the Nocturnal Warriors of Hrud aren't quite the same.

In any case, I have a minor update, some filing, drilling, and subtle gs work on the shotgun skaven. I've also been working on the walker, but need to wait for full cure and some sanding to ask for thoughts on if it needs more.

 

[Teetengee]

Updates on the walker:

So I've added some plasticard and spikes to try to tie the skaven tech with the necron bits (and de-necronize them a bit) visually, and I've also added the mounting bracket.

Do you think it needs more? I have some bits from a chaos chariot that I was considering adding a little spike on the back of the seat, but it feels perhaps too much? I was also thinking about whether there was anywhere to add irregular armor plates on the legs, or maybe running a pipe from the cannister to one of the lower sections on the leg apparatus, but what do you all think?

Next up: jezzails

On lore stuff, doing some research, and as the hrud are a migratory species, and not encountered on hrud but other planets, so I wonder if perhaps they had some emnity with the skaven, and that lead to the confusion if they were found in the same place. Additionally, the hrud have legends of their head god Qah (an old one, likely) coming back one day to defeat the largely undescribed Yaam-khoh. Meanwhile, they believe the shards of the destroyed Qah (from slaanesh's birth) formed the Umbra. I wonder if perhaps the skaven worship the darkness manipulating umbra (and have some shared influence with the Hrud due to the same god leading them in different forms, leading to some similar approaches to tactics and technology). Anyways, it seems plausible, and perhaps more interesting than just another type of beastman.

Though I do think some sort of connection with vashtor also makes sense, and I still want to figure out how the horned god might be incorporated into the thought processes.

[ZeroWolf]

The horned rat could be an entity like Vashtorr (close to God hood but not quite) thus have a sort of "let's be friends*" deal. That would reference back to the Horned Rat's ascension in AoS I feel.

 

As for the model, I really like it. I think adding more armour might give it a more ramshackle appearance, of it being worked to death, then patched up to work some more. I think it's worth exploring.

 

 

* till your inevitable betrayal

[Teetengee]

3 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

As for the model, I really like it. I think adding more armour might give it a more ramshackle appearance, of it being worked to death, then patched up to work some more. I think it's worth exploring.

I'm trying to think where to put additional armor plating, and also how to make it (plasticard and spikes? some bit somewhere? oyumaru gs cloning existing plating?). Any thoughts on where you think needs it/what would be most effective bitwise?

[ZeroWolf]

46 minutes ago, Teetengee said:

I'm trying to think where to put additional armor plating, and also how to make it (plasticard and spikes? some bit somewhere? oyumaru gs cloning existing plating?). Any thoughts on where you think needs it/what would be most effective bitwise?

My two thoughts would be either spare parts off other vehicle kits or plasticard (this has the advantage of being designed to fit) of course the downside here is that you'd need to be careful to avoid the ramshackle look of Ork vehicles. With that in mind I think you could get away with some on the legs where they'd probably break in real life.

[TheArtilleryman]

Another point for anyone interested - there’s a minor skaven deity called Kweethul from Fantasy/Age of Sigmar whose name is referenced in The End and the Death as one of the many daemons being summoned. There’s no explicit skaven link, just an “Easter egg” style name drop, but it could be a bit of a lore link you could use.

[Teetengee]

Beginning work on...whatever this is

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 05:57 PM by Teetengee