1987 - 2016 : 30 years of Blood Bowl Skaven miniatures !

Having sacrificed my soul to the Great Horned Rat many years ago, obviously I had to complement my collection of Blood Bowl Skaven with the most recent box of Skaven miniatures. And boy does Games Workshop deliver - I find the miniatures absolutely stunning !

The new Games Workshop Skaven miniatures from 4th Ed Blood Bowl 2016

The new box contains 2 identical sprues each carrying 3 different linemen, 1 thrower, 1 gutter runner, 1 storm vermin, 3 Skaven balls, a Skaven coin and a Skaven artefact to be used as a counter. Included are also 12 x 32mm slotta-bases, a full sheet of decal transfers allowing for many choices and a "ready-to-play" 1.000k team roster including all 12 miniatures for beginning Blood Bowl coaches. @ 25 € I believe this box to be excellent value-for-money.

4 editions of Skaven Storm Vermin 1987 - 1989 - 1994 - 2016

The technical quality of the miniatures is of the highest level, above my expectations. The plastic material of which the models are composed is very hard, not the soft stuff used in the 90s. This seems to allow for more crisp details in plastic figurines. I did not find a single mold line on any of the 6 models I assembled. All figures are multi-component (3 pieces + base) and require some careful assembly. They snap-fit, but obviously I applied plastic glue. I found these miniatures of the same technical quality as the incredible Space Hulk 4th Edition Blood Angel Terminator and Genestealer models - Games Workshop truly masters the craft of producing top-level plastic figures.

The lowly Skaven Linemen 1989 - 1994 - 2016

Compared to their historical counterparts, the design of the new Skaven miniatures is a huge leap forward. The poses of the different Skaven are very dynamic, the miniatures look like 3D pictures of the players in mid-action. Gone are the days of "clenched fists" all over and "one fist up, one fist down" poses (just take a closer look at the older models in these pictures and you'll see what I mean), the new figures actually show spread hands and individual fingers on anatomically correct limbs in mid-motion ! The model designers succeeded in giving the miniatures a realistic, agressive and menacing touch, very much fitting to what is supposed to be a race of mutated humanoid rats with evil and cunning minds. I only play tabletop, but from what I've seen in screenshots I guess the miniatures are inspired by the Cyanide Blood Bowl computer game.

Skaven Throwers 1989 - 1994 - 2016

The miniatures are bigger compared to the 2nd and 3rd edition figures - a positive evolution. Especially some of the 2nd edition linemen were very small, even next to other 2nd edition Blood Bowl teams. The dynamic poses make much better use of all 3 dimensions, in contrast to the classic "flat" poses by older models (I guess a limitation of the old molding process). This causes the new miniatures to take up more space, without becoming much taller. The only (small) point of critic are the long Skaven tails. While they do add to the visual spectacle offered by the miniatures, I wonder how long it will take before the first tail snaps off during play ? Also safe transport is worrying me. Possibly a better balance should have been looked for between visual design and playability.

Skaven Catcher / Gutter Runners 1989 - 1994 - 2016

This excellent set with outstanding new Skaven miniatures does not dissappoint - I'm truly impressed. This makes me look forward to what is to come before I will assemble my final 4th edition Skaven team, preferably with some variation options for the different positionals - the 2nd edition team counted no less than 17 different miniatures ! I do hope for some variations in body parts, possibly even some mutations and of course - the vicious Rat Ogre ! Wait and see what Games Workshop will offer the hordes of the Great Horned Rat ?

The Chaos All-Stars - a legendary Blood Bowl team

The Chaos All-Stars - from Old Skool Picture Archive

For a very long time, the Chaos All-Stars have been part of the Blood Bowl meta. This collection of bad guys, mutants and misfits from many different races, including multiple Big Guys, have claimed a legendary status since the conception of the game in 1987 (the team should not be confused with the 11-player team box which was released in 3rd Ed in 1994). Official Blood Bowl canon contains many references to the Chaos All-Stars, the team being the ultimate Chaos (Pact) team and often sporting an untouchable status. The Chaos All-Stars are the bane of the Blood Bowl league circuit, both because of their physical prowess and a series of random, magical events which make games against the Chaos All-Stars unpredictable (and often highly unpleasant for their opponents !).

The Chaos All-Stars by Phil Lewis in White Dwarf 114, June 1989 - from Realm of Chaos 80s

Many coaches field creative combinations of miniatures to represent the Chaos Pact team. For die-hard Blood Bowl collectors, there exists an "official" set of Games Workshop miniatures which represent the original Chaos All-Stars. At the core of the team are 7 limited edition figures, complemented with 10 x 2nd edition models. The original (and unique !) team was composed by Phil Lewis, a former employee with Games Workshop / Citadel Miniatures in the 80's. You can find an excellent interview with Phil Lewis on Realm of Chaos 80s by orlygg. Below you find a classic picture of his original version of the Chaos All-Stars :

The Chaos All-Stars - from MidgardBB.com

Phil Lewis based his selection of miniatures on several images of the Chaos All-Stars in Blood Bowl meta, such as the one at the top of this article and the one below. For 10 players he found a proper miniature available in the existing Blood Bowl range; the other 7 are conversions. This original set of miniatures and unique figures have come into the possession of Tom Anders aka GalakStarScraper, THE reference in the Blood Bowl community. You can find a detailed set of pictures of the original Chaos All-Stars on his website.

The Chaos All-Stars - from Old Skool Picture Archive

For about 15 years the Chaos All-Stars team continued as a unique collector's item. On a good day, Tom Anders decided the annual GW Chaos Cup tournament organized in Chicago required a special give-away miniature. I prefer to quote Tom himself from a reaction he posted on the Phil Lewis' interview on the Realm of Chaos 80s blog:

"Working with Games Workshop Chicago ... I had purchased original master metal casts of Phil's sculpts of Juergen Demonfeeder and Garak Grigolson that were original cast by GW so those were moulded and cast up for the GW Chaos Cup event with their approval. The other original characters that were given away at future years Chaos Cup tournaments at Games Workshop were created by Phil Bowen who took the original stock figures that Phil Lewis had converted and then converted them to match as closely as possible the conversions Phil Lewis had done ... those figures were Sark Four-Eyes, Snake Sanders, Krefft the Despised, Acid Scarred Max and Constrictor Atlanson. So these 5 are very similar to the Phil Lewis models for these characters ... but are not exact."

Yes, you have read correctly: It appears only Juergen Demonfeeder and Garak Grigolson (the 2 blitzers with the big shoulderpads) are EXACTLY the same like in the original Chaos All-Stars team by Phil Lewis ! The 5 other limited edition figures are proxies created by Phil Bowen aka Lucien Swift - a well-known miniatures sculpter - looking very much like the original team members but NOT exactly the same... On some figures the differences are hard to spot, but the difference is clear when comparing the original and the copy of Acid Scarred Max. Thanks to the efforts by Tom Anders, a couple of hundreds (?) copies of all seven "special Phil Lewis minatures" have been distributed at the Chaos Cup tournament and some other, smaller occasions. The original team is safe in Tom's cabinet (see picture below).

The original Chaos All-Stars in the cabinet of Tom Anders - from MidgardBB.com

For the sake of completeness you find below a full list of Chicago Chaos Cup tournaments figures. This is a direct listing by GalakStarScraper on TalkFantasyFootball.org. As you can see, all 7 limited edition figures which are part of the Phil Lewis team have been distributed between 2004 and 2009. Galak continues the tradition of launching a miniature based on Chaos All-Stars meta, but from 2010 these were no part of the original Phil Lewis team.

History of the Chaos Cup figures:
2004 - Garak Grigolson and Jurgen Demonfeeder
2005 - Sark Four-Eyes
2006 - Snake Sanders
2007 - Krefft the Despised
2008 - Constrictor Atlanson
2009 - Acid Scarred Max
2010 - Rex Farsight and alternate Rex Farsight
2011 - Lord Dorian the Lost
2012 - Spider Smith
2013 - Phil Lewis sculpted Apothecary/Wizard for the Chaos All-Stars (from when he made the original team)
2014 - Ruddog Ironhead (starting in 2014 all Chaos Cup miniature moved from metal to spincast resin)
2015 - Margoth Doomgrim
2016 - V'hnn Qlss 'Snakey' Zzchhtrr

My references for this article have been TalkFantasyFootball.org ; midgardBB.com ; Realm of Chaos 80s and old skool picture archive. I would appreciate if any of the people actually involved would correct me on any mistake I have made in the reconstruction of this small but relevant part of Blood Bowl history.

My personal cherry on the cake is my very own copy of this famous team ! I started collecting the miniatures when I got the opportunity to buy a full set of the 7 limited edition figures from Dave "Da Dutch One" via the Belgian Blood Bowl Forum in 2014. Next I started selecting eBay auctions for the 10 remaining miniatures to complete the team, which took me about 2 years to get some affordable wins. Being a slow painter, after another 6 months I can finally present below pictures of what is today the prime of my Blood Bowl collection : The Chaos All-Stars, a tribute to the Phil Lewis classic team !

The Chaos All-Stars - my tribute to the classic Phil Lewis team !

The 7 limited edition Chaos All-Stars miniatures

Chaos All-Stars marauders - some  classic miniatures !

Skaven mutant, Dark Elf and Goblin - the Animosity carrying Chaos All-Stars allies

The Chaos All-Stars are mainly associated with the inclusion of 3 different Big Guys !

Rise of the Greenskins - GW 3rd Ed Goblins !

As I can't always paint Skaven, I also need to have a look at other teams. I like to have my miniatures painted and not sit on a "pile of shame" (= a mountain of unpained miniatures) so I checked what miniatures I have in my possession. I remember buying below Goblin team via eBay from a Dutch guy at a very low price, I guess approx 35 € for a LOT of Goblins, almost all Secret Weapons and 2 Trolls ! In the end it turned out 1 of the Trolls was missing a right arm but this was no issue as I don't like using the same big guy miniature twice in this team and I had Ripper Bolgrot available for a second Troll :-) I'll add some Tentacles to the Troll with the missing arm for an instant-Warpstone Troll for a Underworld team ! Beause that's the beauty of having a (or multiple) Skaven team(s) and a Goblin team: You get a third mixed race team for free - Underworld Creepers ! But that is for another post.

Below my Goblin team - all classic Games Workshop miniatures from 3rd Edition Blood Bowl, sculpted by Gary Morley and released in 1994. The team contains 13 Goblins (you can never have enough Stunties...), all 4 Secret Weapons and 2 Trolls.

Full Goblin team

The Goblin lineman gets little respect as they are ST 2, AV 7 and Stunty... But in a rookie league with few Block and Tackle players it is actually quite hard to catch the little buggers ! Just watch out for Dwarfs... As the league advances Goblin players quickly hit a ceiling because of their limited skill access (Agility) of which they already start with the best option (Dodge). So many people go Sidestep, next you can develop into Runners (Sure Feet) or Catchers (Catch, but who's throwing the ball in a Stunty team???) Basically you're praying to Nuffle for doubles on your skill progresion rolls ! Games Workshop manufactured 5 different Goblin miniatures for 3rd Edition, so the team always carries a couple of doubles (or triples).

Goblins looking for trouble...

Luckily for the Goblin coach he can pimp the team with some cheap "special players" - enter the Secret Weapons team ! The Chainsaw-wielding Looney is iconic for Blood Bow, with Nobbla Blackwart one of the most popular (and feared?) star players. A Chainsaw is a no-brainer against agile low-AV opponents, but the Chainsaw will break even AV9 approx 41% of times. Better to combine it with some assists during a Foul Action and go for the kill before your Secret Weapon player is sent off ! The Ball&Chain Fanatic is another classic recognized by any Blood Bowl coach. Don't judge these guys on their size, @ ST7 they'll stop at nothing thanks to Madcap Mushrooms ! The Bomber is complete madness and can be brilliant at breaking up tight cages and causing general mayhem. The pogo-Goblin actually isn't a Secret Weapon (ie does not have to leave the pitch before the next Kick-Off) and adds some speed to the team.

Spice up your Goblin plays with Secret Weapons !

I actually regret having sold some doubles of these Secret Weapons Goblins on eBay, as I guessed I would not need them. I was wrong, as a Goblin team thrives on inducements and the Secret Weapons star players offer you good value for their performance. Imagine the face of your Elf opponent when you field TWO Chainsaw Looneys! The miniatures went for very little money, so I regret the sales even more. Oh well, I hope they are causing pandemonia on some other pitch at this very moment...

Not your complete team is squishy: You do have 2 of the cheapest Big Guys available: Trolls ! ST 5, AV 9 and Regenerate, 2 of these guys on the Line of Scrimmage will be an issue for many teams. And even if they get punched, you have little reason to worry : Trolls are great at being punched ! These guys develop into the ultimate roadblocks, offering your Goblins a spot to hide from being butchered. Left you see Ripper Bolgrot, the 3rd Ed Star Player. Right is the 5th Ed Blood Bowl Troll. They follow the patterns of a Stone Troll resp. a River Troll from Warhammer - Fantasy Battle. I'm actually looking for a good 3rd Troll miniature which fits in with below characters, as chances are you can induce your third Troll Star Player ! 

Smile at the camera !

I don't have much experience playing Goblins, but I like the idea of the team. Less focus on the competitive aspect, more focus on the crazy violence in a Fantasy sports league setting which should take itself not too seriously. If the Joker would be playing Blood Bowl, he'd be playing Goblins, I bet ! "Why - so - Serious ?!?"

GW 3rd Edition Skaven - even more Skaven !

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 !

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.

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.

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 !

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 !

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.

GW 2nd Ed Skaven - a classic team

A good blog about tabletop Blood Bowl requires some pictures of painted miniatures !

So enter my Skaven team from 2nd edition Blood Bowl by Games Workshop :

GW 2nd Ed Skaven team + 2 Rat Ogres

The team was sculpted by Jes Goodwin and released in July 1988 (Stuff of Legends). I painted it in the spring - summer of 2015. It is an assembly of several eBay auctions which I combined to finally collect all 17 different models.

4 Skaven Catchers - fastest players in the game

I added Sark Four-Eyes from the Chaos All-Stars team by Phil Lewis as a 3rd Catcher (the 2-headed player). For the 4th Catcher I added a third arm to a double of one of the Catcher models. Mutants rock.

8 Linemen and 2 Kickers - Skaven collectors are spoiled !

The team is great on display, unfortunately the majority of the Linemen will never see the pitch or even a team roster ! With Skaven counting 9 positionals, a maximum of 7 Linemen can be signed up. But a 16-player Blood Bowl team is rare unless you like to spoil your opponent with inducements. So only a select group of the 10 Linemen figures (including the 2 Kickers for which there currently are no separate rules) will enjoy the pleasure of being positioned on the Line of Scrimmage on Defence !

Headsplitter and a "rookie" Rat Ogre

I included 2 Rat Ogres to complete the team. 1 Rat Ogre is Headsplitter, the Games Workshop 3rd Ed Blood Bowl Star Player sculpted by Gary Morley. The other Rat Ogre is from the old Warhammer range, but not as old as the "small" Warhammer Rat Ogre you occasionally see with this Skaven team.

Hope to add some picture of the Blockers and especially the Throwers, as the latter are somewhat considered as iconic Blood Bowl miniatures.