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Hi All!

This is my first P&M blog, though I've been here for quite some time - I've never quite gotten round to documenting my painting and modelling projects but I'll make an exception with this one.

I've always loved the classic rogue trader era of 40k, having been introduced to it through my dad's old RT beakies, and I've found myself coming back to those days through the genestealer cults, and now SQUATS. Because I'm stuck at home in lockdown for feth knows how long, so while we wait for Nurgle to pass over us, I've decided to finally crack on and start my dream project.

I started off small (har-har) with an Arkanaut Company Box, and Thundrik's Profiteers - I've done up two spess dorfs with gatling guns, and have made a tiny (har-har) conversion to what is going to be a squad leader (planning on eventually running these as skitarii) with a goliath combi-plasma pistol. I find the goliath weapons look suitably industrial - if a tad oversized.

Stay tuned - I'll be posting plenty more pictures and updates tomorrow! Stay safe everyone.

The Arkanaught models do seem like they are begging to be turned into Squats, I look forward to seeing how this develops

Hi Fingol23 - I've always thought the Kharadron were perfect for the role, even down to the mercenary/privateer lore that GW have developed for them.

In 40k, I imagine these squats to be among the last survivors of their race, after their Homeworlds were consumed by Hive Fleet Behemoth, sometime in the 41st millennium. They have managed to carve out a living for themselves as miners and labourers on numerous Imperial worlds, roving the galaxy and offering their superlative engineering services to the highest bidder - including xenos - though they hold nothing but enmity for the races of Orks, Aeldari and of course the Great Devourer.

With this in mind, I wanted to go for a more industrial feel and I think the goliath guns fit this rather well - although as I feared they are very tricky to fit what with the squats being so... well, squat.

Anyways, I now have the first squad built up - may tinker with them a little, but for now here they are: The Brothers of Squad Barak:

I like the backstory, and the goliath guns fit in with their overall look well

Thanks amazingturtles - not the most imaginative backstory but I will endeavour to flesh it out as I go along.

I've been hard at work on another squad - this one armed with plasma calivers and more stub-guns - because the underhive is a dangerous place and mining colonies are not much safer (especially those with a large preponderance of strange bald men...) - but any would-be assailant would have to be very foolhardy to take on the battle-hardened squats of Squad Siggurd!

Second update - sorry it's been a while but I am still (thankfully) working from home during the week.
I've done up a couple more of the little guys, as well as two characters (from Thundrik's Profiteers).

The Aether-khemist came together straight out of the box - I think he's perfect for the setting and his esoteric equipment befits that of a master engineer in the 42nd millennium.

Thundrik himself, on the other hand... I have never come across such an atrocious push-fit kit. Seriously, that irritating balloon-thing just would not fit into place. I scoured it for tabs and mould-lines, but it stubbornly refused to fit together properly - in the end I ditched it and cut the spurs off the model. I've had to use a bit of greenstuff to fill in the gaps here and there - as the torso didn't fit quite right either.
Modelling trials and tribulations aside, here he is as my Master Engineer (Techpriest dominus).

(I've also managed to spray them all so hopefully should get round to some painting soon!)

Another small update - I've started painting the little fellas. I've gone with a green and copper look - the green is actually Warboss Green (ironically), washed with Nuln Oil to give it a greasy look - it's far too vivid before the wash!
Red and yellow are going to be my spot colours - in this way I'm hoping to recreate the original squat colour scheme but with a modern, grim-dark spin.

Would welcome any and all thoughts / criticisms you have - the squats have thick skins! They can take it!

The Goliath guns go really well, they look suitably robust and no nonsense.

The painting continues! I've now got a full squad painted, which I'm quite happy about - only trouble is as soon as I get them before the camera lens I realise all the mistakes and where the paint appears too thick - though I have thoroughly thinned it so it might just be the poor lighting and rubbishy android phone camera...

Enough of my mewling excuses - that's a good way to get my name entered in the Book of Grudges (volume 8004) - here's the first squad (and a few extras!)

I like those colors! Yellow for plasma is always a bit of fun, and it's a good choice for a spot color

Thanks fingol23 and amazingturtles for your kind words! Now I've got some proper time off I should have more to show soon!

Looking great! Are you by any chance using tye arkanaut ships for future conversions? Curious to see what you'll do with those.

Hi Flapjack, I'm not planning on using the ship's just yet - this is meant to be a small force for kill team games - but who knows where the hobby will take me?

Right, having cracked on and made a fair amount of painting progress, I can reveal not one but TWO additional squads - one of Arkanauts, and another of Thunderers. For the latter I've used Runelord Brass on the metallic trim to distinguish them from the Arkanauts - haven't done much if any conversion work on these because I think they work perfectly as is, even with the oversized flintlock rifles.

As you can see I've reorganised the squat squads a little bit to give me two squads of 5 with broadly matching weaponry - and the two sergeants from before have been promoted to Thanes - minor Squat Lords fit to command their fellow engineers.

All that remains for me to do is base the lot of them (today's challenge), and get round to the characters at some point...

I did manage to get them all based on Sunday - it was the photographing them that took me ages to get round to! I thought today would be the perfect opportunity as I got to run them in their first ever kill team game against my dad's necrons - scouring the irradiated surface of Rahe Secundus for long-lost archeotech.

The squat armsmen under the command of Thane Barrak were scouting the area when the dread necrons rose from the rad-sands to encircle them. With hot-shot lasgun and volley-guns blazing, the squats dug in and held their ground in the face of a furious offensive - nearly half the team was wiped out in the first two gauss salvos! But they rallied around Thane Barrak and launched a fierce counter-offensive, taking their foe apart one piece at a time with coordinated volley-fire. The crons withered away, and the lead Immortal was ultimately slain when it made the mistake of charging my demolitions specialist - overwatch availed him naught, but he stood his ground and head-butted the immortal, cracking its skull and taking it out of action!

(Apologies I didn't get more shots in-game!)

What are you playing them as? Scions?

Hi Gwyn,

Yes for the moment I'm running them as Scions - still undecided whether to run them as scions or AdMech in the long run, so there will be a fair bit of experimentation in the meantime.

Is the demolitions specialist related to a certain Dain Ironfoot by any chance? Congratulations on the win!

Think he might be - long long ago but the squats have incredibly long memories, and it is vitally important to know your ancestors. The squats probably have better records than the Imperial administratum!

Well done squats! And I suppose also, well done squats, for the ones fried by gauss fire. Nice to see them victorious, and the bases look good.