Friday, December 3, 2010

Who are you calling Ratling?

The Ratling Snipers I converted for my Vraksian Militia required a bit more dark flavor than just waist-high cooks with hirsute feet...

In order to create a unit of sneaky snipers, I needed a model that was not only diminutive in stature, but also evil in intent.  I have always loved the Games Workshop Ghoul box, but I was never really a fan of the over-the-top heads and faces.  While sharp teeth and snarling lips have their place, my snipers needed to be a bit more focused on their work.  I found the Cadian Command sprue to contain an easily converted gas-mask, with which to cover the leering grins and slathering tongues of the original models.  This just left the weapons to be subbed-in.

Long ago, I had done a commission job for a friend that involved converting a large unit of Kroot.  I remembered that the arms had bone piercings and jewelry that would mesh well with the Ghoul kit, and that the Kroot rifles themselves had a sniper feel.  By removing the knives and excess bones from the rifles, and also by drilling out the barrels, I found the Kroot bits to be a perfect match.  With the addition of the required lasgun packs, my conversions were complete.


I have yet to take this 10 man squad to a game, but I am very excited about the prospect.  The hunched posture and sneaky looking heads just beg to be infiltrated into some ruins.  While it is true that these models have quite a bit of flesh showing, I think that the color palette and treatment helps to unify them with the rest of the collection.  It's pretty easy to envision this group of naked, degenerate man-things creeping through the mud with rifles, in hopes of picking-off the enemy HQ before the battle really gets underway.


As always, I hope you enjoy seeing my work.  With the holiday season quickly approaching, many of us are looking to use the down-time we have available to get to work on projects for the upcoming tournament season.  I wish you all the best of luck, and if I can be of any assistance, feel free to drop me a line.  As for me, I am currently trying to decide the best color of flock to accent an army's worth of cobblestone and sewer bases....


12 comments:

  1. They look amazing! I can't wait to see them on the table.

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  2. Great models. Seeing them in the flesh makes me think they look more like Nightsider. I am only guessing as I have only heard them mentioned but I have not seen a drawing of them.
    I guess they never made it into the current game. Much like the squats and the old beastmen and the rest of the abhumans. Best to call it a ratling so at least you can play it.

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  3. These look really awesome! And the cool thing is that ratlings aren't actually a bad choice as far as units go.

    Kroot bits are so essential to a modeller. I see them everywhere. BTW, are we going to be seeing you at Conflict GT?

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  4. Pretty nifty conversion ideas there. I like both the gas mask (agreeing that the snarling teeth would be a little too aggressive looking for snipers), and the kroot rifles (which are just great looking guns, period).

    Good ideas, good execution.

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  5. Nice job. These are really inspiring. While I won't be at the Conflict GT probably, any shot you will be making it to the St. Valentines Days Massacre tournament in Feb 2011 in Philly?

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  6. You really hit it out of the park with these sniper models. The gas masks and long rifles are just the right industrial accent to their contorted bodies and pallid color. Well done!

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  7. Good job! That's that said then...

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  8. I really like these. The hunched form gives them a great "I'm infiltrating!" look, and mutated chaos snipers is just such a great idea anyway.

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  9. I love this conversion, woww.
    Thanks for sharing these. I hope you show us a group shot of all 10 together on a table some day.

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  10. These are soo cool! Pretty much makes you want to change over to Renegade Guard!!

    Great conversions...

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  11. What a timely find on my part! I've been building my traitor guard force and have decided to include a unit of Ratling snipers. However, I've been stuck as to what to use as a base figure.

    The I'm toying with converting the Nightgoblins from the 6th Ed Fantasy boxed set but I really like how the ghouls turned out.

    Since you used the gas masks to cover the face, do you think the faces could have been converted another way to make them appear less "ghoulish"??

    Great conversion work and your Vraksian force is a pleasure to see.

    Thanks,
    Tom

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