Need advice on modelling the Arachnork Spider

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**MechaEmperor7000**

I got the Venomfang boxset because I wanted to finish off my Forest Goblin army and was wondering about how to go about modelling it. I want to use the Arachnork for a Goblin Shaman mount and give it the webby thing (forgot the name) upgrade. Does this mean I can reserve the rest of the crew for other conversions? I wanna turn the web lobber into a warmachine and the other gobbos into crew and foot goblins (themed after the forest goblins), but I don't know if the Shaman still needs the rest of the Howdah. Rule-wise, the 8th edition rules say that if it's taken as a mount, the Howdah rules aren't used, so I assume the crew is not needed?

**Orlanth**

An arachnarok with spider shrine still carries regular goblins.

**MechaEmperor7000**

Bleh, I was hoping I could keep those goblins fer something else

**Orlanth**

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:
Bleh, I was hoping I could keep those goblins fer something else

Nothing stopping you. Many orc players back in the day would just use the spider on its own, the spider looks awesome, the howdah less so. Some like the model, others do not.

**MechaEmperor7000**

I may model the spider with the Shrine on it and just the gobbo shaman. The bareback spider looks weird to me since the sculptor clearly posed the spider to balance the Howdah, so without it, the spider looks like it's doing a bad Miley Cyrus impression.

**SlaveToDorkness**

Now all I can think of is a Dryder that's half Miley Cyrus.

**Orlanth**

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:
I may model the spider with the Shrine on it and just the gobbo shaman. The bareback spider looks weird to me since the sculptor clearly posed the spider to balance the Howdah, so without it, the spider looks like it's doing a bad Miley Cyrus impression.

What is a Miley Cyrus impression? Dont know that one.

Bareback the spider looks ok to me, it also looks sort of realistic. There are lots of images of 'arachnarok without howdah' or 'arachnarok without goblins', google-fu some up. You will see that many gamers run/ran the 'Rakky bareback.

Spoiler:

A tip, dont glue on any howdah, especially the spider shrine, it wont take much to dry pin or magnetise and have the shaman an optional add on on a case by case basis.

Another tip: The eight goblin ranged attacks could just as easily be spitting or quill throwing spider attacks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticating_hair

This means you can model on the extra spiders from the kit on the base as 'counts as' forest goblin crew.

**MechaEmperor7000**

To the Miley Cyrus thing: Giant Twerking Spider butt.

Anyways I found some images of the spider being repositioned and they look a bit better (namely looking like it's flairing up to attack), so I might go with a naked spider.

I'm thinking of using the tiny spiders as filler for the gobbo regiments.

**Orlanth**

'Rakky can flick its own hairs then.

Good idea with mixing goblins and spiders to make infantry, trouble is you will need a lot of kits to make one viable unit. You might consider converting grots, they are near naked.

**MechaEmperor7000**

I think I will only have one big block of infantry and i can get pretty creative with some filler blocks, plus I intend on getting at least a second Arachnork so the infantry part will be fine. I'm just trying to think of what other kinds of troops I can include with the "spider" theme without resorting to use giant spiders as count-as wolves or squigs (them lacking the Wall climber rule kinda knocks me out of the immersion).

So far I got a Spear Chukka (the catapult thingy from the spider), normal grots and maybe snotling swarms (really tiny spiders)?

**MagicJuggler**

What's really a shame is that for all the potential variety that could have been done with Spider armies, they currently boil down to Spider, Bigger Spider, and Even Bigger Spider. One of my favorite B-movies (or sendups of B-Movies) is Eight-Legged Freaks, which had Spitting Spiders, Orb-Weaving Spiders, Jumping Spiders, and Trapdoor Spiders, all jumped up. And for all the talk about an Arachnarok being able to trap a village hamlet in webs and start leisurely snacking on its inhabitants, such abilities aren't actually an in-game option...

**MechaEmperor7000**

Yeah, Although I chalk that up to AoS starting before they fully explored the spider idea (they sorta came in piecemeal with 7th and 8th introducing them).

Like, why isn't there a Spider chariot or just plain spider swarms, especially since people showed that it's not that hard to make.

**Orlanth**

MagicJuggler wrote:
What's really a shame is that for all the potential variety that could have been done with Spider armies, they currently boil down to Spider, Bigger Spider, and Even Bigger Spider. One of my favorite B-movies (or sendups of B-Movies) is Eight-Legged Freaks, which had Spitting Spiders, Orb-Weaving Spiders, Jumping Spiders, and Trapdoor Spiders, all jumped up. And for all the talk about an Arachnarok being able to trap a village hamlet in webs and start leisurely snacking on its inhabitants, such abilities aren't actually an in-game option...

1.
Well you can have very fast wolf spiders, aka wolves. But I think thats a boring gimic.

2.
Trapdoor spiders could be summoned by magic, foot of gork in reverse. Spiderising your spell choices will add flavour without changing gameplay. A spectral ghost spider would make a decent 'curse of da bad moon'. You can get transluscent 'scary' spiders in joke shops.

3.
What you need is a vector for poison attacks for savage orcs . The spider banner solves one, 'boar spiders' will otherwise have to deliver dry bites. The next problem is base size, you need 50x50 for the big spiders, therefore each one carries two savage orcs and counts as two boar boy models.
They cant climb walls because they are 'porting two orcs each.

Between the official models, savage orc spider riders, spear chukkas which you can field as it), forest goblin infantry and spell effects you can have a pretty decent spider army.

**MechaEmperor7000**

Now I just need a Warboss on Gigantic Spider that isn't finecast.

It was released in metal at one point right?

**Orlanth**

Heresy miniatures do a very nice giant spider, resin body with metal legs and fangs.
I have this kit (admittedly unassembled) and highly recommend it.

http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=64

++ Just add goblin! ++*

* I won't though, mine is for RPG use - when I get around to it.

**MechaEmperor7000**

I have a bug about collecting original GW Metals.

However looking at the options, Goblin Bosses can ride normal giant spiders, not just the gigantic ones, so I was thinking of using 5 of them to build 1 BSB and 4 other bosses to give the Gobbo units some much-needed LD boosts.

Still though, I'll be on the hunt for an actual metal Boss on Gigantic Spider for completion sake.

**Orlanth**

Its not much to look at:

http://www.solegends.com/citcat1995-6/cat19956p253-01.htm

**MechaEmperor7000**

Actually I meant if this guy was ever made in metal:

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/catalog/product/600x620/99810209011_GoblinBigBossGiganticSpiderNEW01.jpg

**Orlanth**

I don't think it ever was. The 90's spider persisted a long time, officially at least. Dont remember people bothering with it much, until Skull Pass everyone just took wolves, post Skull Pass they converted or still took wolves.

Things never really took off until the Arachnarok was released, though old school forest goblins did include a range of infantry models.

**MechaEmperor7000**

Apparently it was made in metal at one point, but extremely hard to find now because no one bought the damn thing before it went finecast (where even fewer people bought it)

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Goblin-Warboss-Giant-Spider-GW-Oldhammer-Vintage-Rare-OOP-Metal-NEW-/302425032679?hash=item4669efc7e7:g:at8AAOSwFXNZdMzh

**Orlanth**

Well its on buy it now, are you mad for it enough for £45?

Frankly I would prefer the resin, its too spindly for a workable metal model IMHO.

**MechaEmperor7000**

I've bought I think 3 Finecast models in total in my lifetime?

Makes me hiss like a vampire in sunlight.

EDIT: I've assembled a metal Tomb Scorpion before, so this wouldn't be that bad.

**Orlanth**

Finecast deserved its rep, but has improved over time. Past initial teething I find it is a more than adequate resin product, and GW will handle miscasts in store. Though do you have store access in Canada?

**MechaEmperor7000**

Depends on what you mean by "store access". I can visit a store but it's a half hour drive to the next town. Still though I dislike resin because on top of being fragile it's also hard to strip. I actually prefer metal models over plastic models for this reason too (and I often strip my own models when I'm dissatisfied with the paintjob).

In anycase I worked up a decent 2000 point list without the gigantic spider:

1 Goblin Great Shaman on Arachnarok Spider with Shine
5 Goblin Big Bosses on Giant Spider with light armor and shield. One is a BSB
3 units of 15 Spider Riders
1 unit of 30 Gobbos with spears and shields
2 Spear Chukkas
1 Arachnarok Spider.

Depending on whether or not I give Commands to those units, I can spare anywhere from 10-100 points, which may let me upgrade the spear chukkas to Lobbas. Reason the Shaman is riding the Arachnarok is because I couldn't fit a second one in without bumping the entire list up to 2500 minimum.

**Orlanth**

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:

1 Goblin Great Shaman on Arachnarok Spider with Shine
5 Goblin Big Bosses on Giant Spider with light armor and shield. One is a BSB
3 units of 15 Spider Riders
1 unit of 30 Gobbos with spears and shields
2 Spear Chukkas
1 Arachnarok Spider.

1 Goblin Great Shaman on Arachnarok Spider with Shine

Vulnerable but forgivable for the theme. He needs points spare for a 4++.

5 Goblin Big Bosses on Giant Spider with light armor and shield. One is a BSB

that is overdoing it in my opinion. You need some level 1's to back up the great shaman.

3 units of 15 Spider Riders

Spider riders are eight legged infantry, use them as fighting blocks, so take units of 20+ for full rank bonus. Add a couple of characters and this will work.

1 unit of 30 Gobbos with spears and shields

You need this deeper, but material appears to be your problem. The answer are 40K grots which are mostly loinclothed, convert the weapons and give them feathers (high elf and empire sets have those).

2 Spear Chukkas

This is ok, if anything get more and dont upgrade them to rock lobbers. Lobbers are for dealing with units, your spiders can handle those, you need to handle monsterous infantry and big stuff. Spear chukkas are insanely good at this, some of the best artillery in the game because of their disgustingly low price for a bolt thrower shot.

1 Arachnarok Spider

You have to. IMHO you should up the army size enough to fit in a third 'rakky in your army. This will also make room for the a goblin warlord for much needed ld8, ld9 if you can fit in discipline somehow.

**MechaEmperor7000**

blah. I hate how the Arachnarok comes to 290 points. 40 points cheaper and I can fit two in a 2000 point list without spending my lord allowance.

**Orlanth**

At this juncture you should consider 9th age. Your army will fit in fine.

I use 1.1 rules so it keeps its WHFB roots, all I have to do is rename the units and spells back where they were.

The Arachnarok was overpriced in 8th, its still good at 290pts but it costs more than equivalent monsters. 9th Age fixes that and the O&G army list has full rules for Forest goblin infantry, shamen on normal spiders and spider archers. Great shamen can still use the arachnarok, but lose loremaster, and IIRC there is no flinger option.

**MechaEmperor7000**

My friends, when they are willing, will only play 8th or older. They generally prefer the officially printed sourcebooks, even if their balance is even more crap than the community one.

**Orlanth**

9th Age has fuelled a collecting spree in me, but in my rush to collect armies I also buy the 8th edition WHFB army books for them all, or the most recent as appropriate.

**jouso**

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:
Apparently it was made in metal at one point, but extremely hard to find now because no one bought the damn thing before it went finecast (where even fewer people bought it)

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Goblin-Warboss-Giant-Spider-GW-Oldhammer-Vintage-Rare-OOP-Metal-NEW-/302425032679?hash=item4669efc7e7:g:at8AAOSwFXNZdMzh

I have two of those.

Back in the day you could slap a 2+ AS on two of those baddies (for barely 100 points) and have them do all kinds of nasty stuff.