Historia Squataticus: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Squats in Warhammer 40K

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Col Iron Beard's Bodyguards, Lt Horst Haakhoeken

In the center of the fray, we now find Lt Horst Haakhoeken, one of Col Iron Beard Schtarken's pair of bodyguards. The Space Pirates our Chaos Squats face a is heavily armed band of malcontents, with the Ventolin Pirate and a Bolter-bearing Ork taking aim at Haakhoeken. Ah, Ventolin, a most precious substance to the young asthmatic, and a reminder of days long gone when intellectual property law was not Enforced With An Iron Fist (TM).

The Ork is obviously after Haakhoeken's lunch, a nasty pinkish rotting torso from an old metal Zombie. Horst bears a symbol of a wild boar's head on his shoulder pad, which he shares with Zwartwaal. While the boar's head may indicate a quality luncheon meat in modern America, Haakhoeken's zombie bits are not recommended for consumption by live mammals.

Taking the Squat's-Eye view, we can see the snarling teef of the Ork with the dangerously poorly constructed Heavy Flamer. It also becomes clear that the Hungry Ghosts face one of the more bizarre characters in the Warhammer universe, the Iron Claw Space Pirate known as Nightwing. And that the pirates are being surrounded as our Khorne Renegades appear behind the wall readying their weapons.

Lt Haakhoeken lunges at the green menace, Bolter firing, large backpack and sidearm making simple conversions difficult. Horst is from the Bob Olley Squat Warriors released in White Dwarf 108 in 1988, many of which are in a lunge-and-fire position. Horst's Bolter resulted in his swift disappearance from the Squats line, as rules modifications made the weapon a symbol of the Space Marines (and Orks). He is one of 6 Squats from the WD 108 set left out of the 1991 Blue Catalog.

And to ease the curious mind (a thing of great danger in the Warhammer Universe), that Ork Runtherd is riding on a Giant Wildcat. Giant on the Warhammer scale, but an average sized bobcat for the GI Joe action figure he came with (Spearhead, cat named Max). The Wildcat was also painted for Warhammer use, originally a uniform and icky orange-brown color.

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