+ Painting the Squat Kill Team +
+ We had a PCRC catch-up call yesterday, and spent an enjoyable couple of hours painting and enthusing about our various projects for the campaign. It was nice to actually get the dust off my brushes and work some more on my squat Kill Team – Hearthkyn Salvagers, if you're feeling fancy. Today's inload looks at some thoughts on painting them. +
The four above are regular 'Warriors' – no funny spelling or anything here. There are a couple of Kill Team specialists that I'm not too fussed about (like the jump pack one), so there'll be at least two of these in the final team.
Am I leaving flexiblity at home? Well, I don't think so. Specialism in Kill Team strikes me as a compromise, because even the 'basic trooper' archetypes tend to have a skill or piece of equipment that makes them stand out. In the case of these Hearthkyn, their Secure salvage ability means that they take a little less damage when contesting objective or mission markers – an all-round useful ability.
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Painting-wise, I've started layering Mephiston red over the maroon undercolour, picked out the metallics and added the leather. They're all getting to a fairly consistent stage, and I'm now starting to ask myself questions on whether I want to keep a uniform look (*shakes head*) or add a bit more individuality (*nods head*).
The scheme is unabashedly retro-flavoured, and takes its cues from this awesome Dave Andrews artwork shown below. One of the appeals of 40k in general is the mix of WW2 with pageantry, and while my tastes tend to run to the earthier, murkier end of things rather than super-saturation, I do like a spot of colour amongst the tasteful earth tones.
However, the bright, primary look of the artwork above, while very striking, doesn't necessarily translate well to miniatures. I prefer the brown gloves of the second rank chap with the yellow helmet to the 'washing-up gloves' look of the front rank, for example. I'm looking to find a good middle ground where some elements remain eye-catching while others play a supporting role.
The variety is something I'm keen to include. While at first glance the figures seem to be in uniform, a closer look reveals that almost every one has a subtly distinct combination of the same colours across their armour and clothing. That strikes me as very fitting for squats; it's a subtle nod to their desire to both stand out from and fit in with their comrades; a seeming paradox that evokes pride, personality and makes them more human than a lot of actors in 40k.
Here's the specialists. From left to right, we have a Gunner with a HYLas rotary cannon; a Kognitaar (battlefield analysis spod); a Lokatr (a scanner/recon operative) and a Field medic – who should be armed with a pistol and knife, so I'll either be doing a counts-as or swapping the backpack, as he doesn't really read as a medic at the mo.
That's eight. A little dig around shows that I part-built the other two, but – perhaps with this later change in mind! – left them unfinished. One will have to be a Theyn (the leader archetype), and I might have a bit of fun converting him to look a bit special. For the last chap, I've got the choice of the following archetypes:
- The close-in brawler, the Dozr.
- A Grenadier
- The jump pack warrior
- Kinlynk (radio-man/comms)
- Lugger – hefty dwarf chap who carries extra equipment.
I'll keep you in the loop on what I decide.
Naming-wise, these will be from the Irnståv Dominion [+noosphericexloadlinked embedded+], part of the Mjalnar League. A few names I've been riffing alongside the PCRC:
Theyn Albus Irnståv
Seven Forksbeard
Cnut Carespelt
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