Friday 20 May 2016

Abdul Goldberg - Space mercenary


Abdul Goldberg, the infamous, Abdul Goldberg the bastard, Abdul the deceiver, Abdul the betrayer, I don't think there are characters as evocative of Rogue Trader as Abdul Goldberg and that's a real funny thing given the little information we have about him.
Since a little painting challenge has been created on the Emporium of Rogue Dreams on Facebook, I thought it was time for me to offer my vision of him.

I've had the model converted for a while now and yesterday night, I don't what happened but I just finished the model in one session. This is not a usual thing for me to do and that explains the rushed look of the paintwork. I did have a very clear idea of what I wanted him to look like.



Now I want to explore a bit of what we already know about Goldberg first. Colin of teh Leadpile has already covered that in a brilliant post with which I totally agree.

Now let's have a look at the 4 apparitions of Goldberg in the Rogue Trader rulebook, just to get an idea of who he is :


OK, so Abdul is  a liar and a thief who uses dirty tricks, not a good start...


Right, so Abdul seems to be a confirmed to be a tricky bastard but he's enjoying good time with his crew so at least he seems close to his men.



Huuuum, Goldberg seems like the guy who values his own life, perhaps above the value of a promise of friendship... looks like th eperfect definition of a good pirate to me !


OK, so Goldberg is a man of ressources who knows what he wants.

See, the funny thing is, all those descriptions show Abdul Goldberg is no more than how you're actually described in the scenarii : a cold blooded pirate who will do anything, including theft, murder, lies and worse, to reach your own goals. Not a good guy but not exactly the worst kind either.
He seems to me he's just the typical space pirate like many we know and have come to love :


Now there's of course the name, Abdul Goldberg, with the
Andy Hoare from Tales from the Maelstrom asked Rick Priestley about it but there's little to learn from that :
" I've asked Rick about the character and he says the name wasn't a specific reference, but was intended to be suggestive of 1970s sci-fi baddy/rogue types."

So with such conflicting first and last names, I had several choices :

- Totally ignore his name and model what I wanted : Tempting, it wouldn't make much sense which would fit well with the general RT vibe.

- Make Abdul Goldberg a middle eastern looking guy with visual elements from the cultures implied by his name : Dangerous, I'd be scared to make a "Jerry  Seinfeld wearing Fez on a camel"

- Make Abdul Goldberg even weirder by adding elements to the concept, elements that actually don't relate to the character or with what we alredy know of him : That's more like it. It's a matter of pushing things to 11 for me.

That's how I came to select the most peculiar head I had in the bits box. For some reason, I felt adding a third cultural elemnt would make the model even funnier.


You can actually see that the head pieces Sikh warrior wear are actually more exagerated than what I used. But they are just brilliant graphically and th efact the head is that of a fat guy over a slim body pleased me even more !

One of the main elements I wanted for this model was that I didn't want him to openly carry a gun. This doesn't mean he doesn't have a weapon concealed in his coat or that he may not be trying to get a grenade in his pocket but I want to leave a doubt.
The guy is a con man, always on the run, fleeing and thieving, that's what the running pose is all about. He's always either being chased or chasing others. The fact you don't know what he's going to take out of his pocket summarises everything, is it the shuttle's keys ? a gun or grenade ? his ID ? Who knows ?


"- I've heard the guy can fly, I SWEAR !

- Nah, that's just bollocks ! I know a guy who's worked for him and it told me that Goldbeg is actually a robot, that's why no ordinary means can kill the damn thief

- You guys know nuthin', I was hired by the governor on LV537 and I've seen the guy with my 2 eyes stopping bullets with his bare hands after we shot him. God damn piece of shit had stoen all our honestly robbed loot from the starport !

- (takes a long blow from his cigar) I'm telling you that guy must have made a pact with some demon. We've set up so many traps to get his ass that we're almost fascinated like kids when he still manages to cross us... damn thief...

- What about you Drik ? Have you ever encountered the infamous Abdul Goldberg ?

- Oh sure I have... (sigh)

- What did he steal from you or what trap did he make you fall in ?

- ... Nothing.

- Really, You sure that was the man ? Doesn't sound like the great pirate !

- Oh, I'm pretty sure it was him Kohl, I had all the time to ID when I saw him come out of my home kissing my wife goodbye..."


 It seems space bastards are an inspiring subject for me, I have 3 done so far and I don't think I'm going to stop here.


Now please don't expect to have 3 posts and 6 models painted a week. This was just a fluke. Really.
I have plenty of projects ongoing at the moment and I have absolutely no idea which one is gonna be completed first (especially since I'm starting new ones every day).
Anyway, there's gonna be freshly painted stuff coming soon enough !

Take care !

37 comments:

  1. I like his hand in his pocket like he's about to throw some coins at the bartender before he runs out of the bar...to duck out of a fight he's just started!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hadn't thought about this possibility but see that's exactly why I find the hand in pocket is cool ! Thanks for this idea !

      Delete
  2. Absolutely marvellous mate, nicely done! The bar has been raised higher again, I'd best get my skates on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You pull those wondeful fingers of that sexy ass now !
      Cheers mate !

      Delete
  3. Top stuff JB. I love the detail like the different eye colours.

    Goldberg!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you so much for noticing the bionic eye !
      Now up to making a model for Farrokh Bulsara I suppose.

      Delete
  4. Short necked Abdul Goldberg is here ! I love the background (which I didn't read) and your conversion is nice... while short-necked, even if I find this a bit odd, this fits the character :)
    Have yout thought about trying a more colorful approach for his hat ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He isn't as short necked as it seems but he's very bent forward so that changes the perspective, he also has a double chin which doesn't help ! ^^'
      I actually meant t opaint his skin blue at first but didn't for a reason I have forgotten. I kept a simple colour for the turban because I wanted to finish him quickly.

      Thanks mec !

      Delete
  5. Lovely job mate, he is a cracker! Where did that amazing head come from? I love it!

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    Replies
    1. Cheers mate ! Th ehead is from Midas the whatever, one of the dogs of war characters from WHFB 5th ed, I've cut his head and have already finsihed converting the rest of his body, I'll get to him at some point. ;)

      Delete
  6. What a character. Exotic, shifty, perfect!

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  7. Looks awesome, best of them so far!

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    Replies
    1. Oh funny, he's the one that took me the least of time !

      Cheers !

      Delete
  8. Bloody brilliant! The running pose and the hand in the pocket is a fantastic idea - that I'll steal. I see it like he's pulling a knife or small gun out on the run (I think I'll sculpt a pocket over an embossed impression of a gun for my next conversion). Nicely done bud!

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    Replies
    1. Cheers ! I should list all the idea of things he can be pulling out of his pocket. It actually reminds of an old video games where a kid had to get stuff from his pocket to kill his enemies.

      Delete
  9. JB you have done it again, this build and paint scheme fit perfect! Love it!

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    Replies
    1. I'm simply the best around ! ^^
      I have made some good progress on the knight btw... ;)

      Delete
    2. LOL Totally! Awesome news....can't wait to see him....but no hurry of course. ;)

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. You should like his bionic left bum then ;)

      Delete
  11. Great conversion! The hand the pocket is a good idea, as who knows what he has in there. The use of the old IG arms is an excellent way to bring in some Rogue trader flavor too.

    He really seems like he would be a smarmy jerk, so that works nicely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The skitari fit well scale wise with the older stuff so those arms are Great.
      Thanks a lot !

      Delete
  12. Excellent figure, excellently painted. There's a lot of nice subtle details that you don't immediately notice - his bionic eye, his obviously counterfeit purity seal, his hand trying to sneak something out of his pocket...

    A great trio of bastards too!

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad people notice the little détails, I think they're actually the main thing about him.
      Cheers !

      Delete
  13. F%#k, man, this is awesome! It takes me hours (weeks) of planning and seizing bits in order to make civilians and then you get here and Bam! You just get this out of the pocket. Great, great work, JB, seriously!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Painting took a session but the building was a longer process ;)
      I don't lack energy not creativity yourself !

      Delete
  14. A Really interesting and well painted converted character :D I did not know about this character from RT. The first time I read about his name I asked to myself: Abdul Goldberg? Who is this guy? Seem a guy that his ancestors were jews while his name is from middle-east origin (maybe he is from Tallarn? But I don not think that Tallarn was yet available during RT age, or yes?). I should consider to do my version too for some rogue trader games, but I'm not sure about how model to use... A question: Do you play often you RT characters? There are some battle reports about them?

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    Replies
    1. I think I've played most at least once yes (see the Battle report tag). You should enter the compétition, it's being judged by Rick Priestley himself !

      Delete
  15. Another great piece dude! Many little things make this one 'pop' from the weathering on the ends/fringes of his coat, his eyes, the reflective 'gem-piece' on his back, shading on the pants, etc ... that attention to detail ... love it.

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    1. Thanks, given the nature of the character, I thought it was better to plat on détails rather than on a bright "in tour face" paint job.
      I'm glad You noticed them !
      Thanjs !

      Delete
  16. It's breath freshener in his pocket isn't it? Coz he is going to smooch the waitress (who will then swoon) as he runs from the chaotic barfight that he just started.

    What do I win?

    Great work JB.

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    Replies
    1. Look Paul, you're not one I can lie to do here's the sordid truth : Abdul is asthmatic and he's Just getting his breathing aid after the 20 meters sprint to the shuttle...

      Delete
  17. Of the Different Abdul Goldberg I have seen I think your is my favourite.

    I am slowly working my way through your blog from the beginning toward the end and I hope to see more of him :) maybe with some underlings ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's played a game so far but hasn't got a full retinue ... yet !

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