Tuesday, November 24, 2020

More Rogue Trader Era Mercenaries


Citadel's RT7 line of Mercenaries from 1987 represent a long-dead vision of Warhammer 40K. With their medley of attire, weaponry and species, they hearken to 40K as a messy skirmish game that prioritized narratives and role-playing. Like other early lines that died out (the Space Pirates or the Adventurers), the mercs have no place in the tidy world of race-based factions and army lists that became the norm as 40K pivoted towards competitive tournament play.  

As I painted the mercenaries, I kept thinking of how they may not fit into 40K as a game, but they do match 40K as portrayed in fiction, especially the excellent novels of Dan Abnett. Even Abnett's frequent references to "bodygloves" (i.e. protective wet-suits worn under coats or heavier armour) seem to be prefigured in mercenaries like "Plunderino Pete" and "Sarge Rockhard."

And speaking of Sarge, here he is:



The next fella I painted was the somewhat unimaginatively named "Shorty". I believe this abhuman ratling is the first and last Warhammer 40K miniature to be sculpted with a smile:


Here is "No-Face Fargo." I spent 10 minutes staring into space trying to think of something witty to say about a miniature named "No-Face Fargo," but I drew a blank.


Finally, here is "Abaddon." Well, at least here is the first miniature to be called "Abaddon." Later, this name would be reallocated to Abaddon the Despoiler, "the greatest Champion of Chaos Undivided in the galaxy" and the "scourge of the Black Crusade that divided the Imperium and ushered in the eternal night." But in 1987, Abaddon was just a guy who decided to show up for garrison duty wearing a bright green envirosuit:



I hope you are all safe and healthy. Thanks for looking and I'll be back soon! 




21 comments:

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    1. I seem to run hot and cold on painting these days, and these guys came out of a hot streak.

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  2. More excellent renditions of these classic models

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  3. Superb! Always a pleasure to read your posts and discover unknown miniatures

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    1. If I'm the first one introducing you to these guys, them I am really honoured and happy.

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  4. Oooohhh, I have glittering eyes right now!! They look amazing, your paintjob suits them perfectly. I love them!

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    1. I wish I could master the dark, dramatic painting style from the old White Dwarves, but it eludes me.

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  5. so very good! as usual! They all are wonderful figures brought to life with your paint jobs.

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    1. High praise when it comes from you, Blue! Thanks.

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  6. Heh...you just identified 'abbadon' up there for me in my lead mountain. I shall paint him up for some inq28. Cheers.

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    1. I have one too! I really should dig it out and paint it sometime... A definite classic.

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    2. His outfit is a real throwback to the original Rogue Trader manual. The enviro-suit comes from a time when the game was more about roleplaying.

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  7. Somebody needs to tell "Shorty" that he lives in a complete shithole of a universe and there's nothing to be happy about. But maybe he's just enjoyed the fleeting pleasure of a good curry amidst the chaos.

    These are great... I hear ya about the amazing flavour of that time and how missing it is now. At least from WH40K. You're very fortunate to have acquired these models and have the skill to paint them up to be so lovely.

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    1. At least Shorty is smart enough to show up with a bolt pistol. That probably adds .5 minutes on to his lifespan.

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  8. Well done sully! Must have a game soon!

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    1. Great to hear from you! I cannot wait until we can have a game. I am dying for some live-action wargaming, and we have a lot to catch up about!

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  9. Aaaaa something new from YOU! Awesome classics!

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    1. Thanks MK - I know you are a big fan of the classics.

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