Update: August 22, 2016

When we last left the Ratkin project, things were looking failry bleak with not much progress at all. I had just finished the first base for a unit of Clawshots and was playing around with both the Secret Weapon rust powder and the Games Workshop Oxide wash, which, when combined, makes for some pretty awesome rust effects. Here's how we were looking a few weeks ago.





























Since that time, I have been busy working on getting the Clawshots themselves done, and then working on several other bases for the larger units. First up is the Clawshots. Picture 1 is the unit in progress and picture 2 is the same finished guy from the other angle. I used the same oxide and rust effect on the gun, and I think it really makes the weapon look old, used, and not taken care of. Perfect for the rats.

Picture 1 - His good side.

Picture 2 - His other good side.

Picture 3 is the remaining Clawshots from my first run (those that I could easily see in the bitz box and were primed) waiting on some paint. I have about another 12 or so, and I am thinking of being able to do either 4 or 5 units of them in the future just for extremely large point games and to make the army look nice on the shelf. Pictures 4 and 5 are more work on the models that will go on the first base. I really like the fact that I don't need to stack tons of models down on the base to show off the units and can instead focus on spacing and basing to make the unit look cohesive and full.

Picture 3 - Four more guns!

Picture 4 - Starting on the blue robes after a quick all over wash.

Picture 5 - Working on highlighting the fur tones and beginning work on the guns.

Pictures 6 through 9 show the finished Clawshot unit ready for the table top. I might add another rat gunner eventually so that the unit looks a little more fleshed out, but three models is sufficient to meet tournament requirements, so that is where I will stop for now until I finish up everything else I have going on.

Picture 6 - Clawshots ready to go

Picture 7 - close up of the right side and the rat's rusted gun

Picture 8 - Rat butts.

Picture 9 - a view from the other side, rat toenails included free of charge

Other than the finished Clawshot unit, I have been working on the bases for several hordes and regiments which you can check out the progress below. These bases need to be finished up in the next several weeks before the West Coast GT in mid-September.

Horde base and another Clawshot base after priming and an initial brown basecoat

First level wash on the bases

Starting the basing highlights and beginning to work on the stone pieces

Starting the highlights on the stone pieces and picking out random detritus on the bases 

A few more regiment and horde bases waiting in the wings.

Next up is finishing the bases and doing a couple of test models for both the blight units, warrior units, and various weapon teams that will be used in the army. I hope to have a couple of test models done in the next week along with the horde and regiment bases so that I can use them at the West Coast GT so my opponents know exactly what each unit is. That beats having to stick unpainted, unprimed straight plastic models on the bases. But with only two and a half weeks before the tournament, we will see how much I am able to get done before then. Though I hope to completely finish the army before next year's tournament season.