Monday 2 April 2018

The Dustfarers - Ash Waste Nomads between the hives of Necromunda



Well Necromunda doesn't stop to inspire many of us and I've found it to be the perfect excuse to go back and dwell in the leadpile to find old projects that could be good to tick off the list !
Ash waste nomads were exactly that !
As you may have noticed, I have a very deep fondness for Confrontation (Necromunda's ancestor) and I have to say having a gang of each entry in the game would be quite of an achievement for me. ^^
Two opportunities have made the Ash waste nomads climb to the top of the painting queue : Necromunda and Dracula's America.
What's the link with Dracula ?
I'm going to tell you.
Little time ago, some of my WIPster friends came up with some very positive reviews of Osprey's Dracula's America, which even lead Sho3box to come up with a 40k flavoured gang of Ratskins for it.
Trying new games is always fun, committing models wise less so, I'll always be wary of starting something new since I do like to build a world of my own with my models. But blending the setting we've jointly been building with Dracula's America's, now there was an idea. 
His ratskins/native americans could surely find worthy opponents.
Now with the release of the new Necromunda, I also wanted a fresh gang. And what original gang had the true desert dwelling vibe I needed ? Yep, Ash Waste nomads !

Like often, the illustrations from John Blanche had everything I needed to work from :


The sketches also provided plenty of info :


Of course, the first models I picked were the original nomads I had (and yes I'm missing the shotgun one, I KNOW). Beautiful Marauder models along this sublime Goodwin leader !


Then I wanted to add a bit more variety so I kept the ideas in Blanche's sketches with concealed faces, hoods, hats and all sorts of protective gear. You have all sorts of models here from a converted Perry tank crew, to a Copplestone scavenger, to a kitbashed scout, a converted Goodwin chaos warrior and a scavvy ganger turned into a heavy.


Now I had this very precise idea that Ash Waste Nomads are a superstitious kind, worshipping the sun and different elements like deities. In that regard, I thought it would be fun to have some of them embracing the gifts from their gods and roaming the wastes free of breathers, goggles and all.
I'm not sure I'd use them any differently in gaming turns but I really liked the idea of those mutants inspired by all sorts of the usual sources like Judge Dredd, Fallout and the like...

The sun blessed as are deeply deranged inside as they are outside but their insanity makes them jolly and very useful companions when crossing the wastes.
Colours wise, a brutal change occured midway through blocking all colours. It doesn't happen often but at some point I just realised I was facing a wall :


The main colours was initially some deep reddish brown which thought would suit them and would make them look like they're blending with the martian kind of environment (my martian desert gaming mat) they'd dwell on. But after adding the green (to echo the possible acid lakes you'd find in the wastes, I thought they'd look way too much like my scavvies :


So I swapped the reddish brown from some good old charadon granite. Only problem being the green and red now make them look a little like Sho3box's ratskins now (which they might face soon enough...) :


Rules wise in Necromunda, I suppose they would be pretty good scavvies (unless Ash Waste Nomads get their own rules (wink wink Mr Hoare) but for now, they could be either Vansaars (for the protective gear) or just Orlocks.
In Dracula's america, I think using the rules for either the congregation or the Dark confederacy. The former would suit the Ash waste more (good guys, worshiping the forces of nature), but the rules of the confederacy would suit the zombie aspect of the Sun blessed more I suppose. I'll have to think about that as it would potentially mean more models to paint if I chose the former... ;)

Anyway, I'm really chuffed to have these guys done, I just have to move on to a new gang now... or get back to an old one ?
Anyway, I've got some chaos to paint again this month for my renegade army ! There's always plenty of cool projects ahead !

50 comments:

  1. Time to get them on the tabletop and blast some Hyper-urban scumbags! Awesome stuff JB.

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    1. Those hyper urbans disgust me ! Urgh !
      Not even able to enjoy the delicate scent of fresh air and sweet touch of sun rays !

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  2. Fantastic! I can't believe how quickly you've blasted through these. The converted additions to bulk out the ranks fit in nicely with all the hats and rebreathers. Surely the scene is now set for us to play some sort of tribal conflict out in the wastes?

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    1. I really wanted them to be done for March so I rushed a bit I have to say some areas are a bit crude if I'm being honest but it suits them I guess, I didn't want them to be too clean.
      Thanks !

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  3. Awesome work! Didn't know of Confrontation as Necromunda's anchestor up until now!

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    1. Confrontation is the best thing that ever happened to us !

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  4. Very beautiful original ash nomad sculpts (not just the Goodwin one), had never seen them before. Here is hoping for some more "made to order" goodness. I also like your conversion work on the other guys, they blend in very nicely. Thanks for writing this up, I am loving it.

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    1. Oh boy how I'd love those kind of models making it to "made to order" ! Thanks a lot !

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  5. Interesting thoughts behind your decisions. I have to say they are full of personality, this is a really cool band!

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    1. Cheers man ! There were many ways I could have gone, from e very grim and dusty look to an outrageously colourful one (as described in the background) but I finally opted for some sort of middle ground as usual ! ^^

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  6. Superbe ! J'adore. Coup de cœur pour le 5ème en partant de la gauche sur la première photo.

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    1. Merci ! J'avoue que les vieilles figs marauder sont souvent à part en terme de look mais elles sont toujours un régal à peindre et rendent tellement bien une fois peintes qu'on oublie les proportions et tout pour juste profiter. ^^

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  7. Very nice work tying these disparate models into a unified rabble!

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    1. That's something I really like to do ! Thanks !

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  8. I really need to dig out my unreleased Scavs, they are around here somewhere...

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  9. Beautiful work JB. There are only so many color combinations, you're going to run up against some one else's sooner or later. I must have Scavvies and Ash Waste Nomads conflated in my mind. I need to read more fluff.

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    Replies
    1. It's mainly due to my very strict self inflicted "rules" about colour combinations which makes them rare !

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  10. I feel your pain with the color palette overlapping with Cheetor's. It makes me think of how the the Brits and Germans in the Desert both had "khaki" uniforms, but differing takes on the shade. In a monochrome environment, contrast becomes an issue. I think you've done a great job in tweaking the theme and making them unique.

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    1. It's not exactly similar really, but there's an echo that's fun in a way, we'll see if it is an issue once they're on the same table !

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  11. A very dynamic looking bunch JB, they're all posed in a way complimentary way to each other....if that makes any sense. What I mean is that there's no one mini leaping or contorting in a way that makes them stand out from their brothers. It helps to unify them. A weird observation I know.

    Your paint job is, as always, top notch sonny jim :)

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    1. Not weird at all, I wanted the poses to match the idea of the gang I had in mind hence the one kneeling to aim and the one kneeling to hide.

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  12. JB you have fit the vibe perfectly with the color switch. These are absolutely stellar, and give me a real BOrderland's feel when I look at them. Can't wait to see you get a batrep in with these. ;)

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    1. They'd be doing great on your table for sure, they'll soon have the chance to face Cheetor's ratskins so that's a start !
      Thanks !

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  13. JB your work is always inspiring!

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  14. That’s a beautiful collection of models!

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  15. Those are absolutely fantastic!!

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  16. You managed to get these figs really rather colourful, without them being too gaudy. They look fantastic.

    Dustfarers vs Boss Drums, coming soon...

    What's their theme song? They must have one, there must be a tune that they put in your head...

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    1. Thanks, it really was a matter of getting the balance between colourful and dusty/worn-out.
      A theme song actually made its way to my head but it's not really great and I'm sure I can find something better. ^^'

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    2. Themesong? Hats, googles, dust... May I respectfully suggest some Fields of the Nephilim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsSFR43Z600 - you might enjoy watching the lead singer, Carl McCoy mucking around, digging up Necrons at the beginning of Hardware https://youtu.be/Nkdyd5i33qU?t=1m36s lol!

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    3. I think you've found perfect material here Zhu !
      I was actually thinking about Mr Bungle's "desert search for techno Allah" because I cannot help but find something oriental in those guys but the mood is a bit off I reckon. ^^

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  17. I hate your level of productivity in the most complimentary way possible! Fantastic work, as always.

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  18. Gang looks great, but those mutants. Phew!

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  19. There's a new expansion book out for Dracula's America called Hunting Grounds that has two new factions. Maybe your Ash Waste Nomads could be the Cursed (I think that's what they're called) members of the 7th US Cavalry that have been infected with a werewolf curse, so they have a couple guys that turn into werewolves ... could work for your "sun blessed"?

    Awesome models as usual!

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    1. They could be a good solution indeed, my friend Cheetor has the book iirc so we might use this faction instead ! Thanks !

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    2. Hmm ... maybe if I grabbed one of the sisters of battle from the Celestine set she could be a seraphim and use it alongside my redemptionists as a twilight order warband ...

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    3. That's definitely a winner ! ^^

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  20. Fantastic mate - great ideas & execution (of course), but I also love that we see some real old gems next to some bang up-to-date figures here - very cool

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    1. Cheers mate, I think we're on the same page about models, if we like them, we paint them, simple as that, year of release or other concepts are irrelevant. ^^

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  21. It's great to see you put your thoughts on the colors you used. It's surprisingly rare to see bloggers talk about colors and I love it that you do.

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    1. Coming up with the colour scheme is a big part of any project and clearly is the go/no go step before doing anything, I've tried guessing as I was painting like here but it often means going back on some part swhich I hate. ^^

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  22. This is a great gang! The way you've brought the Poxwalkers to life as characters rather than rank-and-filers really makes you look at them in a new light.

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    1. They really have charm on their own if you remove a few tentacles. ^^
      Thanks !

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