goblinpaladin's Squats - a January update (270 points)

You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. We do well because we treat it as a business. It is just a matter of outlook.

    -Warlord Hargir Brondsson, Gruben Stronghold

Rank & File month #1

Combat Squad + two engineers

drone-eye view

For once, this January hasn't resulted in the burning fire of Sol consuming my entire continent in a torrent of fire and smoke. That means I was able to get cracking on these guys almost as soon as I took down last year's calendar.

• Combat Squad: 215 points/squad
• Grenade launcher: 25 points
• Heavy bolter: 15 points
• Power glove: 15 points
• Hand flamer: free
  
• Guildmaster (Champion): 20 points
• Guildmaster Champion: 20 points
  
  
• TOTAL: 270 points    

Combat Squad led by Njáll Þorgeirsson

a squad-t, if you like

With this squad, I now have six infantry squads. Two are equipped with four heavy bolters, the rest have the grenade launcher/heavy bolter organisation of these lads. This would allow me to match the Warhammer 40,000: Compendium list from Rogue Trader but also fits in with modern army design, which mostly features 'one special, one heavy weapon in a squad'. Eventually, I'll get around to writing the 8/9th edition codex in my head... but enough of that talk! This is oldhammer.

riflemen (riflesquats?)

All five of these lads are available from Macrocosm. The back four are sculpted by INSO, while the fellow with the nice hat is from Bob Olley. I had originally intended to put in a resin space dwarf from Wereweevil Miniatures (also sculpted by INSO), but his Rogue Trader-era lasgun looked weird next to the boxy INSO designs. The fellow with the hat blends into the squad much better.

rocket-powered grenade launcher

This might look like a missile launcher, but that's just the advanced Squat technology confusing you. This is definitely a grenade launcher. (Sculpt also by INSO).

heavy bolter

My collection is a little adhoc, meaning that few squads are completely uniform. This works with the Squat background material; while these are a Brotherhood force, they can also double as mercenaries, veterans or pirates. This sculpt is a classic Citadel sculpt - technically a dismounted Guild biker - although the left arm is from Wereweevil Miniatures. If he were the only lad out of uniform, he would look strange, but I think he blends in with the others okay, given the leader...

Squad Leader 'Brennu' Njáll Þorgeirsson

"I know," says a young Bob, "I'll give the cigar guy a hand flamer."

God, I love this sculpt. A classic Olley sculpt, he has nearly all the things I love about Squats: a beard, cybernetics, a cigar and cool sunnies. Really fun to paint - I can only imagine he was as fun to sculpt. He's been in the leadpile for bloody ages now, and I think he was one of the first Squats I actually bought.

The ceramite pads and belly plate match some of the other squad leaders in the army. Painting them in yellow or yet another colour would have overwhelmed the miniature, I think.

engineer

This is the second time I've painted this INSO sculpt, and it is so much fun every time. This dude is jacked. I think he's intended as a berserker, but he always struck me as an engineer, so that's how I treat him.

His webbing is actually a different brown recipe from the jacket, but apparently not so you can tell.

Roli Runeseeker

The last of the miniatures pledged for this month, Roli Runeseeker is from Victoria Miniatures and sculpted by Jason Wiebe. He has loads of old-school charm: combat boots, a cigar, and cybernetics. Hell yeah.

From Warhammer 40,000 Squats by Paul Bonner
©1989 Games Workshop

Coming up next month: motorcycles

(assuming my bases arrive in time)