Hungry Ghosts Chaos Squat 100: Col. Teckja Ras-El-Dugmit

Five years ago, a glorious new chapter in the history of the Squats opened up: The Hungry Ghosts Chaos Squats of Khorne blog. As one early commenter said, when I saw the name I thought it was a joke. Joke it was not. Now we break new ground with the introduction of the 100th Hungry Ghost, Colonel Teckja Ras-El-Dugmit.

Ras-El-Dugmit is the Hungry Ghosts version of Imperial Guard Special Character Captain Al'Rahem of the Tallarn Desert Tigers. Ras-El-Dugmit adheres rather closely to the illustration of Al'Rahem, considering the warping power of Chaos. We have the large overcoat and the sand-shielding goggles that came with Squat Guildmaster 2, and of course the mandatory Space Boots all but Tyranids must wear.

In contrast to Al'Rahem's puny excuse for a beard, Ras-El-Dugmit has been given a magnificently long flowing braid, as mobile as the desert winds he strides amongst. It is from one of the plastic Beastmen Gor heads. It also nicely covers up the Obvious Mistake that was made in not designing Guildmaster 2 with a proper beard to begin with. And that silly albatross around his next like he would ever consider getting on a boat had to be scraped off. Ras-El-Dugmit was given a lighter shade of the Hungry Ghosts hair color formula to signify his desert origins, the old Bronzed Flesh paint.

Ras-El-Dugmit's Plasma Pistol was made incalculably more awesome than Al'Rahem's, using the 40K 3rd Edition Chaos Space Marine Champion Sprue version with glowing veins of power and the early wisp of a plasmatic blast coming from the barrel. I think it is some bit of Wood Elf shrubbery, but can't remember.

From the side, we can see that Ras-El-Dugmit's attire is well integrated. One of the many Hungry Ghosts who do not use Squat arms cause they suck, Ras-El-Dugmit has the right arm of a plastic Necromunda Orlock Gang member from the mid-1990s starter box. It provides additional sweat-absorbing cloth beyond his headband (made larger with some green stuff below his cyber-bit on the right side of his head). The band does well as an emphasizing accessory for his bulging, if necrotic, bicep. Teckja also knows the Power of One Glove - Sham-On!

The matching cloth streaming from the Plasma Pistol comes from the less impressive source of a plastic Bretonnian Knight Head. Like Al'Rahem, Ras-El-Dugmit is equipped with shoulder armor. Not that that's not a common feature in the Grim Darkness of the Grim Dark Future.

Ras-El-Dugmit is sporting a fancypants Forge World backpack from a Krieg Engineer. More noticeably, while Captain Tallarn has a mincy little sword to dispatch his enemies, Ras-El-Dugmit has more fully committed with his entire left arm replaced with a huge Power Mace, the Maul of the Skull-Breaker. The yellow bumps are a reminder of all of the Mark 6 Space Marines that have been smitten by the Maul over the centuries. The circuitry of the cybernetic arm attachment region is guarded by a bit of plastic Empire Knight armor.

Said circuitry can be seen from the other side, and like the Plasma Pistol, the Maul also has nice little cylindrical bits to display the energy flowing within the weapon.

 Some may have noticed that Ras-El-Dugmit's dual-weapon arms provide a wide open stance, projecting outward and upward at similar angles. By now, we know that was intentional. So was the counterbalance. While the killing arms spread open like the wings of the angel of death, Ras-El-Dugmit is looking right at you. This was emphasized by ensuring that the long beard ran up at a contrasting angle to the arms, up to his face, and continuing upward by the addition of an antenna to the right side of his head (Battlefleet Gothic spaceship bit). In the middle, frame by the hair and head band, we have his goggle-guarded gaze. The lenses of the goggles have been painted the same bronze color as the pistol and Maul of the Skull-Breaker, while the exposed area of his face was muted with a ghoulish light blue-gray.

Then we have the cat. A reminder of the original Desert Tiger, as well as the GI Joe action figure Spearhead who was accompanied by a bobcat...

named Max. There he is, now working for a Rogue Trader Ork Runtherd, the one that's not in the Catalog (Ooooo....rare...). We also have some Orks from the days when, if you wanted your Orks to be insanely powerfully armed, you got it. These three came in a blister pack with another heavy weapon Ork with a Missile Launcher.

 This Max, in proper feline fashion, is walking near Ras-El-Dugmit, not with him, and not particularly interested in what our Chaos Squat is looking at. He is from a Grenadier Wizard's Familiar metal sprue, with the addition of a plastic monster-face collar from one of the old WFB Empire war machine accessories.

As the addition of our desert cat suggests, we can't have a miniature where all of the action is in the upper regions with a lonely ignored base.

So our base is filled with rubble. As in the original fluff, the Guildmasters were inexplicably aligned with the greasy Biker contingent of Squats, motor vehicle parts have been strewn upon the base. We have a wheel from one of the 1990s Imperial Guard Heavy Weapon platforms and a partially buried headlight from the old Squat motorcycles (actually miscast and not partially buried). 

Anyway, we know we can't have prominent angular alignments without circles. We learned that from Stonehenge. So our circular headlamp is set below the Power Maul, and given similar colors. The wheel is placed on the other side of Ras-El-Dugmit's beard, and directs attention toward the seam of his coat. Both the wheel and coat seam and buttons are painted in similar colors as Ras-El-Dugmit's goggles, to provide another source of attraction toward his gaze. Ras-El-Dugmit's head forms the most important circle of all, surrounded by the lesser rings.

Ras-El-Dugmit, like many of the other commanders of the Hungry Ghosts, is a Squat who will not be constrained by the boundaries of his base. Ras-El-Dugmit's right boot is set at the edge of the base, with the result that almost all of his right arm is beyond the edge of his base. His candy-corn colored antenna sticks out as well. And the old tire.

The result is that Ras-El-Dugmit is both backed into one edge of his base while jutting forth in contrary angles.

And a triangle emerges from the circles and dischordant lines. Ras-El-Dugmit was intended to be a simple conversion. But he is Master of All He Surveys.

And here is Ras-El-Dugmit joined by the other special characters, led by The Grudge Master. Who's that in the upper right? We will find out soon...

Finally the Iron Claws Have Arrived!!!!

The Hungry Ghosts Chaos Squats have finally been joined by Iron Claws Avi (20), and Grenadiers 25 and 29. Those Grenadiers are hard to find. They have been given proper names, Spc Gizo Bimun and Spc Biloru Guma

But how long will they survive?

Angry confrontation or potluck lunch?

Coming soon!

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.

Thunder Chiefs Rough Riders Number 9: Spinne Sluitdiep

The newest Hungry Ghost to be finished is the 9th of 10 Rough Riders from the Thunder Chiefs gang, Otzo "Spinne" Spuitdiep. Spinne is the first in what will be a growing series of "Squats That Are Not". Yes, Chaos Dwarfs have been converted into 40K Hungry Ghosts, and Storm Tpr. Spyham is the Ork Tinboy Squat. But Spinne is a bunch of bits, none of which are of Squats origin.

As the picture shows, Spinne's Cycle is speeding across the battlefield, crushing all those who get in his way. In this case, it is Necromunda Pit Slave 1 smashed against the front shield. The Pit Slaves in general make for fine victims in their posing, and we recently saw Slave 3 beneath the wheel of Thunder Chief Ken, and Slave 2 will appear with Thunder Chief Trollo soon.

Pit Slave 3, Unterm Rad, for you Hermann Hesse fans

Back to Spinne. Spinne was painted to emphasize the many rivets, gears, divots, and other round bits found on the pieces of his bike and body. The riveted shield PS1 is splattered on is from the Ork Hop Splatt Field Gun, with the Front Wheel and Handlebars it covers coming from the standard Rogue Trader Ork Bike. The Shield was embellished with a WFB Dwarf Warrior Head Symbol, a large spike, and a Chain Sword Blade.

The Chain Sword blade is the one that was removed from Blood Eagles Trooper Brew Ithica. As said in the days of the Deodorant-Hover Tank long ago, never throw anything away. That Chain Sword Blade is the only piece of Spinne & Bike that are actually from the Squats miniatures; the Dwarf Warrior Head is the only bit from the Dwarfs.

The Chain Sword and Spike also provide support to keep the Pit Slave attached more effectively. And because I can't leave anything alone, you Necromunda Obsessives out there may have noticed that Pit Slave 1 did not come with a metal mouth-guard originally. It is from a from a WFB Empire Knight, and though it does match well with the tire strapped to the Pit Slave's shoulder, I literally found it on the floor while walking from the Shelf of Many Catalogs to the Mighty Place of Painting Miniatures.

From the other side, the skull face on the Hop-Splatt Shield can be glimpsed. To complement the many rivets and such, I used a lot of bits with eyes or faces for the cycle, including the small lion head from a WFB Empire Cannon and two Space Marines Gun Scopes in the center of the shield. They line-up with Spinne's eyes to give him a double-dose of cybernetic vision enhancements. They also work to create a nice black/grey ribbed pattern extending from the Pit Slaves shoulder to the Scopes and then to Spinne's Horns, as can be seen below as well (the Horns came from a plastic Beastman Gor Warrior Head).
Now Spinne. Most noticeable is that having extra limbs lets Spinne steer his motorcycle and wield two weapons at the same time - Spinne has a Chaos Warrior Spiked Mace taking the role of the Rough Rider Explosive-Tipped Lance (yes, the use of an exploding mace is meant to turn the Ridiculous Meter to 11). The rest of the arm is made from part of the Gorkamorka Big Grabba Blowtorch and green stuff, with the armor plating from some High Elves or Dark Elves sprue that is newer than the 2006-07 Catalog, so I am not sure where exactly. Spinne's other upper arm wields his Lasgun, which is a Death Korps of Krieg version from Forge World.

From the right side again, Spinne's upper right arm is visible, from the Necron Destroyer Lord set with another bit of armor. Spinne's right leg and left middle arms are both visible as well. These bits, as well as the obscured left leg and right middle arm are taken from the Chaos Dreadnought Power Scourge. The clawed ends are used for the limbs, but the upper segment has not gone to waste - it is the piece that attaches the back end of the cycle to the front section, with Spinne positioned above it.

The complicated conversion makes it tough to get a good look at Spinne all at once, but this angle combined with the other pictures lets us see Spinne's head and upper body well. The bulk of Spinne, his head and torso, are an Epic-scale 40K Imperial Knight Titan Paladin, the metal version. Like the bike bits, it is nicely detailed with rivets and straps and circular protrusions of unknown purpose. But they provide an excellent way to break up Spinne's overall shape, along with the limbs, giving him a futuristic Cities of Death camouflage scheme should his bike be destroyed.

Though very difficult to see, Spinne proves his Dwarf-origins by having a long braided beard flowing from his cyber-chin. It is the flame-colored pointed bit visible below the haft of the mace. Like the horns, the beard is from a plastic Beastman Gor head. Legends whispered in the dark intimate that, unlike the Imperial lies about the entirety of the Squats race, Spinne was devoured by Tyranids. Or almost devoured- leaving only his beard, horns, and hatred available to rebuild him.

The rear section of Spinne's bike provides the propulsive force. Skulls with trailing spines provide air-intake while expelling noxious exhaust, on both sides of the engine. They are made from the Vampire Counts Mounted Wight Horn Blower Arms, with the arm removed. Next to the Skeletal-pipes are halves of the Smoke Launcher from the Chaos Vehicle Accessory Sprue 2. Maybe they launch smoke, maybe they are sensors, maybe they're the "check engine" lights. It's a future space-engine, so they're mostly there to look cool.
Another view of the Skeletal engine system, showing how the curves of the Wight Horn Spines flow into the curve of Spinne's legs which point toward the front wheel, providing a wave-form visually integrating Spinne with his cycle. The Smoke-Launcher halves have been painted to match the Gun Scopes attached to the gap in the front shield, providing a trio of steel and red pairs of machinery. Similarly, the red-on-brass round protrusions forming Spinne's mouth and on his shoulders are re-emphasized by using the gears of the tracks and the forks of the front wheel assembly.

Aside from my most obvious preference for complicated designs, I feel that many painters, including the Games Workshop staff, tend to ignore the possibilities presented by the details of the sculpture of the models, both artistically and (admittedly imaginarily) functionally. So Hungry Ghosts will also point out at this time that even the details of the tracks and tires can be used to increase the effectiveness of the overall appearance of a model.

Similarly, as best shown from this angle, the use of red for the tips of many of the triangular areas - the claw tips, mace-spikes, end of the beard, gun tip, chain sword, and the ridge of spikes on the Wight horns - focus attention toward the outer edges of the model, enhancing its apparent size. Visual effects that enhance apparent size are a common evolutionary strategy. As is the use of patterns that have the appearance of eyes, used to either create the illusion that an organism can see in a direction it cannot, or to distract from the actual eyes, to make it less likely that a predator can bite a head off a smaller critter. But in the Hungry Ghosts army, as in all the Warhammer Universe, heads also make fine decorations and gifts, and should be used as much as possible to please Khorne.
Now for a direct look at the back of the bike. As we can see, more skulls, more bright red circles surrounded by metal. This section also uses ridged patterns extensively. Along with the spines of the Wight-horns, a crown of spikes has been placed over the middle skull (Ork Boyz armor bit), and a feathered-winged skeletal angel is used as Spinne's seat-back (mid-90s Space Marine Chaplain 4's Power Maul). The large spiked pole in the center of the cycle, indelibly stained red with the blood of Elves, is a Chaos Dreadnought Trophy Rack.

The main bits forming the rear end of the cycle are a Space Marines Vindicator Tank Hydraulics bit that the tracks are attached to, and the grabby-end of the Big Grabba from the Gorkamorka Big Grabba truck. The large engine piece sporting the large center pipe and the tubing bending down into the nether regions are most likely from an Ork vehicle or very big gun, but I gave up searching the catalogs before I could find it. Only so many sanity points left... Anyway, a couple more plastic bits were added for fun, the big red bulb is part of a plastic IG Flamer Backpack, and the thin upwardly pointing pipe is from one of the Dark Eldar guns (I think).

In the end, Spinne was a complicated and fun romp through the bits box. Hopefully I will not drop him.

And there is always more crazy heading down the highway.

Thunder Chiefs Rough Riders Number 8: Ken Haringsbeens

Thunder Chief Kenneth "Ken" Haringsbeens is finally finished, after languishing in partly painted form for a year. As we can see, Ken brings no surprises in painting scheme, using the typical Hungry Ghosts red-black-brass-blue quadrinium. But Ken's half-track motorbike was created with a paella of bits from all regions of the Warhammer universe.

We started with a pile of parts from the various Rogue Trader era Ork Bikes for the basic shape- the back section is built with a pair of Tracks from the Scorcher/Wartrak stuck together with 2 of the Wartrak Gunner's Platform bits. The platforms were lower than the top edge of the tracks, so the small piece of the Imperial Guard Hellhound Turret Plate was added on top of the platforms, which was made to look more like there was an engine somewhere in the bike by adding on top of the turret plate the Fuel Hose from the Hellhound. And for extra sophistication, a little Griffon with Warhammer was attached to the Fuel Hose (from the WFB Empire Organ Gun).

From the rear view we get a better view of the engine-o-bits. And the large amount of gear Ken is carrying on his bike. Using the Banner Poles bit from the Juggernaut of Khorne for support, Ken has a Cadian Las-Gun with the stock chopped off, a few different kinds of grenades, a bedroll, a shovel, and rope (which are mostly obscured from this angle). Where needed, green stuff was used to make straps to keep the gear attached to the poles.

From the left side, we can see that Ken is made of assorted bits just as his cycle is. He started life as Squat Biker 5, one of the Squats with no arms. So Ken's left arm, steering the bike, is made from a cluster of wires cut from the Left Arm of the Inquisitor game character Damien 1427, with a shoulder pad from the Marauders of Chaos sprue. The wires did not quite reach the handlebar, nor did the shoulder pad reach Ken's neck, so they were extended using more green stuff.

Echoing the pattern and color of Ken's arm and the exhaust pipes, Power Tubes were added to both sides of the bike, from Magus Delphan Gruss from the Inquisitor game. These tubes helped remedy the fact that the front and back sections of the half-track were not actually connected to each other. Ken's wire arm also helps keep the bike together, but further strength was provided by slipping some spears under the handlebars that were glued to the front wheel section and the tracks.

Close up we can see Ken's shame: our Chaos Squat was cursed with crippled, ugly little legs (from a Dark Eldar Warp Beast). Despite his attempts to use much armor (from Ork Boys and Chaos Marines sprues) to hide them, his legs splay outward, their horrid pallor exposed to all the world; and providing extra strength to the power tubing holding the bike together.

The other secret is mine, and more difficult to see- Ken is not actually sitting on anything. His back is glued to his seat back nestled between the Juggernaut poles, with a tentacle added for more glue-able surface area, and the armor plating hides the gap below Ken's rear end. Ken's Saurus Warrior Spike Arm prevents anyone from looking too closely.

Finally, the front section of the half-track. The wheel section comes from the old Ork Warbikes as well, but the boring handlebars were cast off along with Ken's boring legs, and replaced with the front section of a Warmaster Undead Bone Thrower. All nice brass and skull and sharp horns, pleasing to Khorne. Khorne was further pleased by the addition of a row of spikes jutting out further than the tire, from the Epic Ork Tanks set.

What became of the rest of that Bone Thrower? Its boney frame became the seat-back that Ken is attached to. From the front, we can also see that Ken's beard was made more majestic with the hair from a plastic Beastman head.

Ken is rolling into battle over the battered corpse of Necromunda Pit Slave 3. Those Pit Slaves make great corpses. We'll see Pit Slaves 1 and 2 soon.

Ken running with the Flesh Hounds

Flesh Hounds take the lead.

Iron Claw Squats 40K Special Weapon Squad Part 2

Today we look at two more troopers from the Iron Claws Special Weapons Squadron, Special Trooper Shuv and Trooper Carpað, also known as Iron Claw Squats 7 and 13.

Special Trooper Chorby Shuv is armed with a very large Flamer, and has taken his fashion advice from The Great Pumpkin. On Tpr Shuv's base are the remains of an Imperial Guard Flamer.

From this angle, some minor modifications to Chorby's weaponry are visible - one of the little mysterious circular thingies on the front of the Flamer is a plastic bit from some vehicle. The large forked exhaust pipes are also from some vehicle, but I forget which one.

One more look at Chorby with a pair of Khorne Dogs from the Realm of Chaos era. The Flesh Hounds use Hindquarters 1 and 2, Forequarters 1 and 3, and Heads 3 and 6.

Next, Trooper Charwin Carpað. Though his gun looks like a hair-dryer, we count it as a lasgun. This Hungry Ghost looks like he has been lurking beneath the sea, and his beard is most suspiciously colored. Carpað says it's from eating too many Wood Elves, others say his grand-mama was from Innsmouth.

Tpr Carpað from another angle, showing his potato-masher grenade, and prominent scowl. This is one angry looking Squat. Perhaps it is because he wasn't shown on the Rogue Trader flyer, and had to wait until White Dwarf 100 to debut (along with the other 2 Iron Claw Squats holding grenades, and the Plasma Gunner- 24, 25, and 29).

Charwin from the back, with part of a WFB Chaos Warrior/Marauder Club painted to look like a lighted signal pole.

One more picture of our Iron Claw Squats combating the Eldar menace, joined by some Chaos Orks from the days when Orks were fun. (Ork Freebooter Chaos Champion, Madboyz 5 and 7, Weirdboy 1 and the Snotling Shamen)