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While the lineup is short now, all submissions are presented in the order they are received.
Since October last year I’ve been gradually recreating a classic Rogue Trader-style Squats army using modern kits.
It started with the basic Squat Warriors, using Kharadron bodies as a base, with Green Stuff sculpted quilted jackets (which is time consuming but not as difficult as I first feared), Genestealer Cultist arms, Escher lasguns, and Dwarf Gyrocopter pilot heads.
After that I made a Warlord and his Hearthguard, using a mix of Kharadron, Dwarf and 40k bitz. The Living Ancestor uses the head from GW’s 1988 Psychostyrene Dwarf - a model I had no idea existed until I started researching Rogue Trader era models. Multipart plastic kits back in the 80s!
Squat bikers are divisive amongst hobbyists, but I was determined to make despite their silliness. The bikes are based on GSC Atalan Jackals, but were a pretty intensive build - check out my Insta below for a full tutorial.
Cyber Slayers were never officially released, but were amongst the test models for the 2nd Edition Squat army that never happened, so I turned an old Skull Pass slayer into a bionic nutter.
Exo-armour is a another classic design that shouldn’t work, with its derpy egg-shaped silhouette, but which is somehow perfect. I used a Skyrigger balloon for the body then did my best to match the original whilst making the proportions of the legs slightly more believable. The head is the top of a Kharadron grill.
One of my favourite Squat weapons is the classic Mole Mortar, so I scratchbuilt one from an Imperial Guard mortar, with extended supports made from a Space Marine backpack and vehicle suspension, and boring chamber made from Sector Mechanicus piping. Had to include some Rogue Trader graffiti too ;)
Most recently I painted up Tech-Priest Grombrindal from the New Year - I added a cowl from the Genestealer Cult Locus to make him look more traditionally AdMech. Also a pair of Squat Servitors based on the original metal Rogue Trader model. On the right of the group is my reimagining of the original Squat model, “Irn-Bonce the Squat”, with a pair of antenna “horns” from the Gellerpox mutants.
It’s been a lot of work getting to this stage, and I’ve still got a few bikes and trikes to finish off and some other vehicles in WIP. By the time I’ve rounded off the force, GW will have probably officially released them as a new faction (based on the Necromunda Squats and the teaser in Pariah), but at least the Ancestors will be proud!
Check out my Instagram @johannusminiatures for more shots of the Squats, more details on the builds, and more grimdark things.
Cheers,
Johan
