Hobby WIP: Herd Beginnings

The MDF bases and paints I had ordered did not arrive in time for weekend hobbying. Still, progress was made on my little Herd project!

Everything involved currently has now been de-sprued and had the mold lines addressed. The larger satyr models I picked up back in the day (Games Workshop Gor and Bestigor) will still need some conversion and green stuff work, so I’ve pushed them aside for now.

This weekend I focused on the low-hanging fruit: the models on hand that required the least work to get going, namely the troops of Beast Packs and Tribal Hunters, as well as a character. The latter will serve as a tester for my paint scheme before starting on the larger units.

Beast Packs

The models are from GW’s Chaos Warhounds, left over from multiple purchases of Chaos Warrior Battalions over the years. I kept finding them on sale! The Warriors and Knights were conscripted into larger and larger units (in hope of having huuuuge sprawling games)… but the hounds were largely left out in the cold. Despite their utility in Warhammer, I didn’t really need endless ranks of warhounds.

So many doggies!

Many bits in the kit are “chaosy,” showcasing things like mutated crab-claw tails and weird deely boppers. While fluffy for Chaos and Warhammer… it’s not as great for the Herd. So, as I assembled these models, they also got some conversion treatment (adding more normal green stuff tails and the like) before I primed them over the weekend. I think they’ll look fine all painted up. I’m eager to give my highlighting painting skills a test, and I think hair/fur will work great for working on those skills.

Tribal Hunters

These are also GW models, their old Ungor. I picked them up (mostly complete, bits-wise, only missing a few heads) from a bits website years ago. Six were conscripted into a D&D campaign as mooks, and those few are getting my funky multi-base treatment to continue to pull double duty. The other 14 will be part of a proper multibasing attempt, and run in two Troops of 7.

Ready for paint!

Not much to these really. All the bits website had at the time were bows… so that’s what I ordered. Some of the arms joins were a little awkward, so these also got some green stuff fur before priming. The goofy unit of 6 will be the first unit I paint up.

Tracker

I picked this guy up about year ago from Reaper Mini... and did not end up using him for his original intended purpose. He seems tailor-made for this role in the Herd though! 

I liked the kind of looming menace evoked by the original model (reminded me of a more aggressive Boba Fett, lurking in the shadows of Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi), but thought it could use some additional work. I rotated the bow arm, did a quick head swap for my favorite Chaos Warrior head, and added a pauldron to the mini when I couldn’t clean up the plastic mold line on the shoulder satisfactorily.

I also really like his cost and his stats… and am curious to see in game how he would compare to say, a Troop of the Tribal Hunters. The Hunters have more shots.... but the Tracker is more survivable (has Stealthy, higher Nerve) and has Individual/Nimble and Piercing... 

I'll paint the Tribal Hunters up, but I wouldn't be surprised if I pick up a few more of these heroes in the future to use as the shooting component of my lists. They seem like they could be very annoying for my opponent... I'll need to get some games in and explore a bit.

I’m really pleased with the new look of this guy. As soon as my new paints arrive in the mail. I’ll test them out on him.