Rogue Trader Space Pirates by Bob Olley: Part 2

Space pirates were a big part of WH40K in its early days. In The Book of the Astronomicon (1988) we learned that eldar, orks, humans and even squats engaged in piracy. That tome also provides a splendid army list for a pirate band, "Crangor's Buccaneers", which allows the player to assemble a band including squat ensigns, eldar void-dreamers, and recce squads on flying surfboards (aka power boards). 

Rogue Trader had to include space pirates. There wasn't a sci-fi trope that Rogue Trader didn't include, and space pirates have been an integral part of space opera since Ray Cumming's Brigands of the Moon (1931) or Buck Rogers battling Black Barney (1939). Leaving out space pirates would be like leaving out laser guns.

Of course there are space pirates and then are space pirates. Some versions rely on high camp (with parrots, cutlasses and Cornish accents) and some are a little more normal, i.e. "violent criminals with a spaceship." Bob Olley's version is somewhere in the middle: both eccentric and scary.  Personally, I think his version of space pirates owes a special debt to Doctor Who. Colourful yet menacing space pirates loom large in "Meglos" (1980) and the "Pirate Planet" (1978), not to mention the incomplete serial "The Space Pirates" (1969). 

Today I wanted to share six more painted miniatures from Bob Olley's fabulous IC301 range of Space Pirates (1987). 

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First up is "Star Raven". With his mix of cybernetics and fantasy-elements, this is a thoroughly entrancing sculpt.

Second "Vaal the Asharian". The big lips, fat head, and warty skin, make this sculpt 100% unfiltered Olley. I also detect a whiff of Matt Groening's animation style, although that may be anachronistic of me.

Third is "Verrington Kosht". This is another of Olley's splendid aliens. I particularly like tumescent weapon that he is carrying.

"Banzai Jones" seems to be straight out of a 1940's pulp adventure with his leather bomber and aviator cap. His name nods both to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). An interesting pairing! Both had budgets of approximately $20, but one made back $6 million at the box office and the other $390 million.

"Zandar" is another one of Olley's random aliens. He carries a fabulous dragon-patterned gun of uncertain type. Olley's delightful penchant for inventing new alien species and new forms or armament was another thing that put him out of step with the homogenizing trend of Games Workshop in the late 1980's:

And finally, my all-time favourite space pirate, "Nightwing". I love the bionic arm, the flowing cape, and the sinister facemask:

Stay warm, my friends!

See the first post in this series here.

Rogue Trader Space Pirates by Bob Olley

Bob Olley's Iron Claw was an offshoot of Citadel Miniatures operating briefly between 1987 and 1988. Olley operated in a different visual language than all the other sculptors at Games Workshop, which was why (I suppose) it made sense to give him his own label. His figures were fungoid, stumpy and melodramatic. When other sculptors modeled heroes or villains, Olley sculpted character actors. His figures stood out like mold on bread.

If there was one range of miniatures particularly suited to the Iron Claw treatment, it was Space Pirates.  They allowed a sculptor like Olley almost unlimited scope to use his warped vision: motley crews composed of cyborgs, robots, and off-brand aliens; jury-rigged equipment and bizarre weaponry; and a fusion of fantasy and sci-fi tropes. And so the IC301 range of Space Pirates was born, with 17 models released in 1987.

The very characteristics that would make the IC301 Space Pirates charming are also what doomed it to obsolescence. Olley's playful and uninhibited approach meant that ranges like the Space Pirates had no place in Warhammer 40K as it evolved into a tournament game with well-defined races and regimented army lists. 

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First up is "Col. Vlad". Bulbous head? Check. Half-digested face? Check. Weapon growing tumors? Check. Yep, that's a Bob Olley sculpt!

Second is "Loritta". I love the way she is holding that gun: half Rambo, half Nita Strauss.

Next is "Ooglorg the Cruel". Well, you'd be cruel too if your momma called you Ooglorg.

And finally for today we have "Venk." He carries a resonant Star Wars vibe (a thing not uncommon in the Rogue Trader era).

Stay tuned for more Iron Claw madness! Thanks for coming by!