Somewhere in the 2nd half of the 90s I bought the team box of the Skavenblight Scramblers, containing a good start of a 3rd Edition Games Workshop Skaven team. My idea of painting in that period was quite straight-forward: I gave a black undercoat and dry-brushed some gray paint on the fur and body parts. Another 2 or 3 colors to touch up some metal pieces and other details and the team was finished ! It was quite poor, but at that time I felt satisfied with the result and my focus was more on gaming. Remember - in this period digital photography and the internet were not so wide-spread, so there were few examples of fantastically painted miniatures available. Actually, the only miniature painting reference was the White Dwarf magazine.
As today I have less oportunities to play and more evenings to spend at home painting, I dediced to make a better attempt at painting the team including the addition of some extra players and miniatures on my wish-list (I have more money now, too). The team is composed of 20 unique miniatures - a fact of which I'm quite proud !
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| 3rd Edition Games Workshop Skaven team |
Except for the limited edition "Resurrection" Gutter Runner and the Rat Ogre, all miniatures were sculpted by Gary Morley and released in 1994.
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| 4 Gutter Runners - ready to score another TD ! |
The team includes a selection of 4 different Gutter Runner models. 2 of the miniatures are simply out of the box. The 3rd Gutter Runner at the back is a conversion of 3 miniatures: A Gutter Runner, the legs of the Very Long Legs mutant and the right arm of a Warhammer Fantasy Rat Ogre (and some Green Stuff...) This way I got a Gutter Runner mutant with Very Long Legs and Big Hand - mutations which fit well with this type of positional. The 4th miniature in the centre at the front is the famous "Resurrection" Gutter Runner - a limited edition miniature which was distributed at some tournaments. It is recognized as an official Games Workshop miniature.
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| 5 Storm Vermin - not as easy to push around as the average Skaven player ! |
The team also includes 5 Storm Vermin miniatures - the Blitzers of the Skaven team. Unfortunately, the Skaven roster allows for only 2 Storm Vermin + a possible Star Player. The 3 Storm Vermin miniatures in the front are straight from the blister. The 2 at the back are simple conversions with the hand replaced with a Claw and vice versa. I like the 3rd Ed Storm Vermin better than the 2nd Ed Blockers. The miniatures are slightly larger and have a more dynamic pose. They are very easy to spot on the field - which can be important as they are your best chance at getting Guard in your team !
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| Rat Ogre conversion with a huge Claw |
Together with the converted Gutter Runner, this Rat Ogre is my favourite miniature in the team. Clan Moulder is specialized in creating mutant organisms, such as the giant Rat Ogres. Thanks to the application of Warpstone, the metabolism of these creatures are raised to incredible levels. This results in a combination of huge strength, high speed and an unnatural ferocity making the Rat Ogres very hard to stop from getting at their target. The miniature has seen some fierce combat, with part of the ribcage visible and the right eye missing. This will not stop the Rat Ogre, its metabolism fed by the mutating power of Warpstone. I replaced the right arm with a huge claw, as Rat Ogres have access to Mutant skills. I found it very fitting on a player purely bred for massacring the opponent, which is the goal of any game of Blood Bowl !
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| Mutant power ! |
The team includes no less than 9 mutants - 5 original models and 4 conversions. Obviously, the Skaven access to mutations helped in customizing the team and getting to 20 unique miniatures.
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