Plamo: The 30 Minute Missions Spinatio (Sengoku Type)

Well, clearly I'm late to the party on this one, but sometimes you get lucky in the nerd shop...

The Spinatio and its variants represent something of a departure for 30 Minute Missons. In terms of fiction, this represents a third faction with a new and distinct visual style. Here, the Mecha invoke samurai and ninja tropes, rather than Zaku-alikes or Frame Arms-wannabees. This is a popular period of Japanese history, and use often in romanticised media, although not my usual area of interest or expertise. I'm personally at the "Q.I forfeit" level of knowledge, where I know enough so that I know how little I actually know. Samurai were a feature of Japan in one form or another for about 1000 years, after all. More practically, this kit is something of achange in play pattern, as armour parts are included with it, as well as a bonus sprue of gubbins in the initial production run. Sold-separately add-ons are course plentiful, but things feel a bit more feature complete this time around, with two weapons and spare hands for swordplay poses. All this, combined with a new joint sprue, makes the Spinatio a slightly different and much less generic beast than its predecessors. It's a skinny robot in general, looking more like a gymnast than the real robots 30MM has previously done, and I can see this making for an absolutely goddamn amazing Spider-Man custom. Adding the armour has almost no limiting effect on its mobility, which is sufficiently good that I didn't miss the swing-out shoulders earlier kits had.

 

As a build, a Spinatio is obviously familiar, but perhaps a little less elegant than its older kin. As you have 3 main colours rather than 2, it ends up more "bitty", with multiple small sprues. The use of black for the armour makes for a good contrast , although the weapons would benefited from being grey. I like how these are implemented though, with a clip that can store both on one hip. Compatibility with previous kits is present, but the new joints use two less polycaps, and add mobility in the core/abs area. One quirk however is that the completed mecha omits shoulder armour, so you have to swap parts to allow such things to be installed. Also, while you do get multiple hands of the "sandwich" style, corners are cut by only including two plates for the outsides. Also, be mindful of the translucent visor when attaching the faceplate. I managed to both mark it AND loose it, muppet that I am. A shame, as this is otherwise a joyous build.

|I kept this project simple, as it was my first time playing with one of these, and so left the gubbins sprue for future projects. One idea I did experiment with however was the idea of panel-lining the black with purple, based on the memory of an old batmobile toy. This didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but it did add definition to the piece.

While the samurai stylings are not necessarily for everyone, this is the best kit I've built all year.

Transformers: Cybertron Longrack Is Something That Exists

You know what? Let's talk about another Japanese-inspired retool of questionable providence. Because what are diminishing returns? 

 

The 1999 Longrack toy

 

In 1999, TakaraTomy, although it was still just Takara then, introduced Beast Wars Neo, a small fill-in affair covering a gap between seasons of the Western-led Beast Wars franchise. Whereas the other fill-in, Beast Wars Second, was almost entirely repaints, Neo was almost entirely new stuff, some altmodes not seen before or since. There was a penguin, a bunny, a horse, a time-travelling tanuki and, of course, Longrack. Longrack was a giraffe, and a regular feature on the tie-in anime. I'm hazy on the specifics, many are due to language issues, but they had me at "giraffe", I'm usually on board for unique transformers, even though the whole Beast Saga isn't my usual thing. Advance 7ish years, and Cybertron/Galaxy-Force is in full swing. I'm calling it Cybertron/Galaxy-Force here as things got rather complicated around this time, with Hasbro and TakaraTomy not agreeing on stuff. Functionally, there's not much difference as far as the actual toys go, but there's a great potential for pedantic tangents. Cybertron is the Hasbro release, named for the Transformers homeworld, Galaxy Force is TakaraTomy's stuff, to keep it simple. Seemingly as a late addition, the decision was made to retool the Hoist/Super-Grap mould from Armada into a new version of Longrack. This wasn't an obvious choice for two big reasons though. The first and most obvious, was that Hoist didn't have a beast mode, and the second was that Hoist already looked like a completely different beastformer entirely, Dinobot. Hold that thought, we'll be back to him later. So, already this is first-rate article fodder, and we've only just started. They had an obvious route for a popular repaint, but no, they went even more obscure.

 

The 2006 Hoist Toy (With Refute)

Here's the bigger picture, Cybertron had a lot of product, and towards the end, there were increasing numbers of toys that didn't appear in the show proper. Four of these were actually retools of Armada era deluxes from two lines earlier, which were also homages to characters from other continuities. We got these initially as Japanese exclusive two packs, Buzzsaw vs Blurr and Longrack vs Runabout. Two of those are fairly well-known to western fans, with Buzzsaw being a homage to Beast era repaint, and Longrack being, well Longrack. I've got no actual evidence for this, but my gut tells me that TakaraTomy took the lead on this little project, because of this character selection, the versus format, and that these turned up on screen as crowd fillers. There's a whole bunch of reused moulds and "non-show" originals that Takara just passed on, but they released these, and they came relatively early in the life of the line, the wiki putting it at wave 3.5 of 8. So, Longrack went from giraffe to sci-fi excavator vehicle, but in one key respect, this made perfect sense. Both toys had a ridiculously big, spring-loaded arm gimmick. But then it gets even more complicated, as when an older mould was brought back, they changed it, the mini-con partner being absent in favour of a Cyber Key. While in some instances this was a simple matter of adding a mini-con port to the key itself, thus avoiding changes to the main toy, the updates to Longrack and his versus kin were somewhat more involved. Here, rather than just omitting the little partner dude, the spring-loaded mechanism was replaced/modified with one that aligned fully with the Cyber Key play pattern. Plus a new head etc. One wonders if the moulds in question were in need of some repair, and they went the extra mile. That they went as far as they did is however curious. This wasn't Combiner Wars, and substantive changes to a toy for re-release weren't a common thing at all at this stage. Or maybe they just wanted it to match better? Who knows? Longrack's character model did turn up on screen, but did F-all of note. Maybe there were plans to do something with him, I dunno. Hasbro even went on to release Longrack twice in their markets, a similarly strange action as Beast Wars Neo lacks a Western release to this day. I am unable to parse a a satisfactory reason for all the above, other than the possibility that someone important liked Beast Wars Neo, saw the beastformers Galaxy Force already had, and made it happen. And then Cybertron needed more toys for the shelves, and the rest is history.

So, what's he like as a toy? Well, the basic Hoist toy sits in a bit of an odd place relative to his kin, in that Armada tended to place gimmicks before articulation, but Hoist had it the other way around. The big punchy arm thing was its only mini-con activated feature of note, this was little more than a locking mechanism. Once you used the little dude, you could put him to one side, like a key. Or a Cyber Key. Was that the original idea? They wanted a mould that easily fit the play pattern? Of course, this re-engineering technically makes Cybertron Longrack the worst iteration of the mould, as even the best Cyber Key still ends up being worse than any functional mini-con, which is a toy in its own right. Fortunately, you can just leave it and forget its there. The retooling also has the effect of harming the look of the vehicle mode, as the new handle is not symmetrical with the other side, as the previous one was. It's easier to use, but it's clearly a later addition. The vehicle is also a bit of a marmite in general, to be fair. It's not really trying to hide the head or other robot bits, but is this really a disguise? Hold that thought. Right next to Dinobot. The robot mode is however more of a slamdunk, interestingly asymmetrical this time with a nice head, and attractive colours. He's big too, having a presence akin to a modern voyager. Articulation is, as noted, present and comprehensive. Longrack has 19 points of articulation due to his transformation, featuring toe joints and even ankle tilts a good decade before it was fashionable. The punching arm is obviously a bit of an anomaly, but this can rotate into the bargain. The mould has a lot of big industrial feeling ratchet joints, thier limitations adding character, and hold up well versus modern toys. The major quirk however is that it lacks actual hands. The right has fingers to approximate a hand, but it's limited by the mini-con post there. This can help out with the Skyboom Shield from Armada, but otherwise isn't too handy, as hands go. The overall effect is of a toy with one very strong robot mode, a fairly basic vehicle mode, and a gimmick that uses maybe a quarter of its parts count. So, I'm not going to pretend Longrack is for everyone, but its not just about the toy...

 

OK, so what is the real reason why Longrack is fascinating? Well, it's rendering of a beast era character in its pre-beast form. You see, mostly, when a Transformer took on an organic-looking beast mode, this only happened on organic worlds, not their home of Cybertron. Therefore characters like Optimus Primal and the Axalon crew would logically have vehicle modes not seen on screen. This version of Longrack personifies such a concept, he is not merely a beastformer that now has a vehicle mode, its how Longrack would have looked before Beast Wars Neo. Yes, it's just a homage with the same name, but the intent is clear. And, for all intents and purposes, this is the only mass market toy to try such a thing. True, we've had two video game tie-ins and Siege to explore Cybertronic vehicles, but beast era characters? Nope, its just Longrack here and his wavemate Buzzsaw, and arguably a third of POTP Optimus Primal. However, Botcon came to the rescue in 2006 with what was possibly their greatest single success, a set of vehicle mode Beast Wars characters. This of course featured the Longrack mould with the Hoist head as Dinobot, along with several other Cybertron series toys. Of course, it is functionally impossible to get this second hand. Cybertron Longrack would then go on to be repurposed as the Neo Longrack, and would be receive a complicated, miscommunication-inspired, double-homage in Transformers Animated.

 

The 2006 Darksyde Dinobot Toy

Do I have a point? Well, I just kinda like Longrack, and I wanted to write about a Cybertron toy, and found it was all the more complicated than it first appeared. Check him out, if you can.

Wargame Commentary: Grimdark Future

Well, here's what happened. I chanced upon this while researching paper models for RPG purposes. Grimdark Future is a freely available, Patreon-funded, and exceptionally rules-light version of Warhammer 40k. It bemuses me that this game exists. The creators, One Page Rules seem to specialise in this projects like this, offering minimalist answers to Games Workshop's big games. Yes, skirmish miniature rules are 10 a penny, as are 3rd party models, but seeing this felt somehow transgressive. The name alone feels like an act of non-copyrightable trolling, and I wonder why GW has ignored it. However, my tastes changed over the years, and I find myself more accepting of simple rules, and unlikely to play actual 40k. So, here's some surface-level critique of the rules. 

 

 

Grimdark Future features some substantial abstractions when compared to recent 40k. While a statblock in a Games Workshop system might have 8 or so characteristics before special rules, this system has only two, Quality and Defence. Defence is fairly self-explanatory, whereas Quality is a catch-all stat for causing harm and morale tests. You might think this isn't quite enough, and you'd have a point. Movement is standardised in much the same way as 3rd edition 40k, while keywords do a lot of the heavy lifting. The basic idea of a model being able to withstand multiple injuries for example is tied to a keyword, which probably made more sense before 9th ed happened. These key-worded rules tend to be only a sentence or so, which makes them easy to absorb, and allows this game its aggressively compressed army-lists. The result is that matters of attacking are usually just a matter of a two step dice roll, while movement is just as elegant. There is no rules bloat as such. What may throw players off however is that this game features alternating unit activation, something not especially common in GW games which go as big as this one. This minimises the first turn advantage, but is the most tangible difference from what Grimdark Future is emulating, with subtle effects on both shooty and choppy factions. To boil it down, its much harder for a shooty force to muller its opposition on turn 1, which is boring for the victim, but charging headlong at someone does not necessarily work out either. Units can fight in multiple hand-to-hand combats, but if they do, they start to hit on a 6+, and as units don't get locked in combat, return fire is a thing. So, already we've got a more interesting gameplay loop to compensate for lost detail, but having counters to track activations is probably a good idea. I regret that I cannot comment on competitive balance, but the game does seem to be supported and have an active-if-small community.

 

There's even rules for solo play. If that's a thing you want. 

 

Of course, actual dice rolling is not the entire experience of such a game. List building, the preparations to field an army is a fairly big part of 40k, and this is where Grimdark Future perhaps falters. The loss of detail that benefits actual play makes for a rudimentary list building experience. Again, I feel myself drawn to making a comparison to the 3rd edition of 40k, where things were drastically cut-down versus 2^nd edition. Each off-brand faction has a lot packed into its 2ish pages of units, however, its just laid out in a counter-intuitive manner. Match letters to units and you are halfway there. The other half is figuring out which units are under what name; a thesaurus may be needed. Also, if the Orc Marauders are anything to go by, it's not necessarily a direct adaption either, with a few weapons and abilities not lining up exactly with the 40k equivalent. Which is good, as it suggests its more than a copy. In fact looking at the wiki, not-squats? Ratmen? Zombie cults? Intriguing.

Conclusion

While having more depth than the first impressions suggest, Grimdark Future prompts a single question "why?". Is there a statistically significant number of people whom like the 40k setting and models, but dislike the rules? It can happen, fandoms can split to favour specific iterations of a game, that's why things like Pathfinder and Kings of War exist. Alternatively, is this just a reflection of economics? People being priced out? GW does insist on charging money for almost everything, and you may very well need two hardback books before you play your first game. At time of writing, that's 70 odd quid if you don't shop around. Or is this just a matter of trend chasing? History repeating? A small enterprise has made a generic setting based on what was, 30 odd years ago, a generic setting made by a small enterprise. I mean, think for a second. If "Battle Brothers" or "Orc Marauders" sound a bit bland and non-specific, might I introduce you to Space Marines and Space Orks? There's a reason why Games Workshop tries harder with names these days. All of the above could be true. This is getting a bit too existential. One thing I can say however? Only that Grimdark Future probably worth a try. It will only cost some printer paper and an afternoon.

The Mecha Hack: Chassis & Pilot Review

First, a bit of background. As I am back running a campaign, I needed to give some thought to the actual nature of combat in The Mecha Hack. Specifically, how to present a meaningful challenge to a squad of 7 players. This prompted probability calculations, and deeper thought about how the classes worked. Then I realised that there was probably an article in it. A discussion or review of the Chassis types and Pilots. Of course, the thing I want to stress here is that I am not trying to find the chassis or pilot that is "Da Bestest". I'm trying to provide a resource for Gamesmasters to make combat more engaging, and for players to better understand how their robots actually work. We're all here to have fun, not min max. 

 

Auxiliary

TBH, I almost forgot about this one. The Auxiliary is rooted more in RPG tropes than the Mecha genre, although you do easily find mechs like this in Super Robot Wars. It offers buffs to damage rolls, and reactor management superior to that of the Striker. As its preferred stats are System and Presence, it grows into a nice sensors and face role too, making the Auxiliary into a natural choice for a Commander or Quipster Pilot playing support. On the downside, this chassis absolutely is not a front line fighter, having limited weapon options, a d6 hit die, and a d6 damage die.

Brawler

The best all-round beat-stick. It can actually move and then attack twice on a single reactor roll due to how Charging Strike works. This stacks quite well with the higher chance of critical hits, although the focus on Power and Mobility can create a vulnerability to unconventional attacks and problems which can't be solved with more violence. You do however get a lot of equipment options, and ranged combat is very doable. If a player is aggressive, but doesn't have a set idea of what they want their character to be just yet, suggest Brawler.  After that, module choices that favour melee or speed become easy choices.

 

Colossus

Similar to the Titan, but if the Titan is a turtle, this is more of an angry bear. Its defining feature is Garrison Mode, significantly improving both durability and damage output, at the cost of disadvantage on Mobility tests. How big of weakness that is depends on the foes you face, as while mobility is the common dodge roll, it's not the only one, and the 1d4 can reduce an attack to nothing. On average, a Colossus with starting equipment might expect to ignore 2.5 damage on every attack, while inflicting 8 damage in return, which is devastating in a war of attrition. There's even reason to transform right in front of the foe with Kinetic Reactor, although that's more a happy bonus when it happens than anything to build a plan around. While all of the above is great, a Colossus is brutish and slow, and relies on Garrison Mode to get the job done.

Hybrid

This is a bit complicated and simple at the same time. First off, this is the most immediately lethal chassis type, especially if you go for the Energy Modulator for the d12. Which 3 of my players did independently. This is not necessarily ideal, mind you; Hybrids have low HP with slight tendency to gore themselves, so inflicting D12 damage on yourself is bad news. This chassis is very much about risk versus reward, and being a total berserker. It takes heavy weapons only, no shields, but hits harder than almost anyone when it connects. And you are encouraged to hit as often as possible, as you don't overheat like regular mecha do. True, the side effects are bad news for you and everyone around you, but you aren't defenceless like in an overheat. Mawbeam also has a few odd implications, as it's based off Presence, a stat this chassis does not favour. It works mainly as a roundabout way to get a light ranged weapon, sometimes beneficial at lower levels, but otherwise is likely out performed by any ranged module. I can only assume this is to help low-level Hybrids, as its a Use action without the downsides of heavy weapon, and to provide a way for people to purposefully go feral if they want to.

Scout

Probably the most D&D of the original 4 chassis, although Full Metal Panic exists, the Scout has a lot of utility. You've basically got a giant robot rogue that turns invisible, and there's a call for that in every party. The related abilities for this allow a scout to sucker-punch above its weight, but it's not something you can do in successive actions, and may leave it open for retribution. Going invisible is a reactor roll, and even if you use other methods, setting up and performing an Ambush is a whole turn's work. Fortunately, this chassis favours Mobility and System, so higher level examples don't need to use the Stealth Field as much.

Striker

This chassis is probably the closest to a generalist design, being average in most things, and lacking the Brawler's melee preference. Reactor Charge obviously finds use in every game, although Adaptable Robotics is more of an infrequent safety net. A higher level Striker will find themselves very agile and pass initiative tests a lot, but raw Power can take a while. The chassis does suffer a bit from the lack of an obvious niche, but you can take it places. Recommended for beginners, Commanders, and for System based builds.

Titan

A tank, sometimes literally. A Titan has the highest overall HP, a "shield spell" and can take hits for others via Kinetic Absorbers, meaning it usually gets used as a wall by more delicate mecha. This is doubly true if Barricade Mode is chosen, as the synergy there is off the charts. This is however balanced out by a tendency to act after enemies, and have mediocre damage output. Yes, a Titan does have high Power and a big gun, but the d6 damage die limits things. A Titan can reliably absorb damage, and return it, but heavy hitting is the job of other classes.

Vanguard

With its ability to shift its Reactor and Damage dies on the fly, a Vanguard is the choice for a player whom likes a technical play style, or wants to create a Do-Anything Robot. The usefulness of this ability is something mired in the realms of probability calculations, and that's a choice you'll have to make on the day. Sometimes it's better to hit once very hard, sometimes it's better to attack more, ya know? Some of the risk can be by taking both the Energy Modulator and Super Reactor modules, effectively meaning you can outperform a Hybrid reliably. This is especially true if you are making use of the Utility Appendage to carry a big axe. Alternatively, you could be less boring, an just go for the exotic modules to play support. The inevitable downside is that a Vanguard is a glass cannon, especially as it levels up. Not recommended for beginners, but recommended for people whom enjoy mastering rules mechanics.

Pilot Types

While chassis say what a mecha can do, it's the pilot type which dictates how they are played. I.e. this is where players find their characters, and what they might be good at. As this mainly applies at character creation, with their abilities being subjective in application, pilot choice is more of a role-play thing than a game-mechanics thing. At least once you've levelled up a few times; pilots do boost stats, but the effect looses significance over a campaign. That said, let's look a little deeper.

Bionic

These metal looking dudes offer mainly defensive stat bonuses, and only indirect benefits to offence. The ability to sacrifice armour to prevent reactor mishaps is powerful at lower levels, and has obvious synergy with Hybrids, and less obviously Strikers. It's applicable to many play styles however, and provided AP is readily available, it sidesteps any need for reactor modules.

Commander

These usually take on the role of Team Dad, and in a more tactical style of campaign can be very useful. An extra action is very handy there, especially if applied by fast Commander to a slower player. If you take a looser approach to combat however, the bonus isn't that great. In either case, the penalty for doubling up on actions still applies. Commanders work best in a ranged support role, where they can forego moving to boost other players.

Engineer

Despite the recent addition of the Auxiliary, something notably absent from The Mecha Hack is an obvious healer class equivalent. I think it's because mecha are more usually repaired in hangars. The Quick Fix ability does allow for a limited form of healing, but one that is most useful at low levels due to how it scales. Trading 1AP for 2HP is very much worth it when you have one HD, but not later on. Modules and equipment tying into armour can of course make this into more of a thing, but an Engineer isn't a cleric without homebrew rules. Both GMs and players will need to find a balance as how repair an Engineer needs to do, but I'm inclined to think of it as a happy bonus, not an obligation. Otherwise, this pilot type boosts the System and Mobility stats, which help them stay alive to fix others.

Maverick

The most aggressive of the pilot types, the Maverick is all about the violence, with minimal downsides. Reckless attack does consume AP, but this pilot boosts Mobility and Power, so it needs it a little less, and hits a little more. The additional damage die is also only applied to a successful attack, so you don't waste it, and it stacks nicely with other abilities. Mechanically and roleplay-wise, Mavericks fit most of the d8 damage chassis, although the Scout makes a lot of sense.

Merc

The most open of the pilot types, a Merc can be almost anybody you want them to be, but don't bring anything unique to the table. Their main gimmick is the extra module at level 1, allowing for a player to push towards a specific build much faster, or just being prepared ala Batman. Otherwise, Mercs bring boosts to Power & Presence, which suggests a dakka and intimidation role in the party.

Pariah

Oh look, its a Newtype! Pariahs are adaptable to some extent, but obviously fit chassis that favour Presence. Strange Empathy can in that case compensate for weaknesses in Mobility, greatly improving those chonky boy chassis. Throw in some Presence based modules, and you may not need anything else.

Quipster

Shoutout to Dagger Zero, you glorious loon! Anyway, this is a good example of a handy buff tied to a role playing hook. Quipsters are comedians of a party, the one whom keeps morale up, and this is represented by them granting Advantage to other players. This is a great, "why not? " sort of ability, just remember it can be used to cancel out disadvantage. A Quipster is also a bit chassis agnostic, but a support role is a good place for them.

Vet

Possessor of the best ability on name alone, the Vet is an easy character to both use and get into. Reactor die based builds obviously get the most benefit, but the additional customisation at character creation smooths some bumps.

Conclusion

There's a lot of flexibility here, and what counts as “good” entirely relies on your skills as gamesmaster, or roleplayer. As it stands, the chassis and pilots found in the core rulebooks are the easiest to get into and balance, with the Mission Manual chassis being more specialised. The pilots from the manual can however be used fairly easily, with the possible exception of the Pariah. Ultimately? Use whichever feel right.

Plamo: The Junkernaught Scratchbuild

Yes, yes. I know there's a new Ork Codex. And I'm just sitting here. Scratchbuilding...

Anyways, Ramshackle Games is Nottingham's other-other local model company. Its a small, workshop-based enterprise specialising in made-to-order resin. Nice lads, as I recall. In the before times, I visited their business to collect my orders, and got to have a look around. They do their own designs but my main interest, and probably yours too, is their Ork-adjacent stuff. In addition to whole models, Ramshackle offers endless armour plates, wheels, tracks, and gubbins, which are excellent for conversions. I made a fair few Grot Tanks and Trukks that way. Of course, resin is a rather different material when compared to Games Workshop's fine plastic. There is a certain degree of extra preparation needed and the potential for miscasts or something just shattering. That said, if you're doing something orky, such imperfections may be welcome.

 

The Junkernaught is not a kit by itself, rather a demonstration of how to use a bits multipack by one Curtis Fell, Ramshackle's main dude. The basic idea is similar to Ork walkers like the Gorkanaut, Stompa, & Gargant, although smaller. You have a blocky, vaguely humanoid robot with a low center of gravity and a "belly gun" Inverted commas are there because the first Belly Guns were placed very low indeed, almost as it they are meant to represent something else. I took a look at the build and decided to give it a try. I didn't merely wish to replicate the example though, I wanted something more "friend-shaped" with more defined feet, and the suggestion of an armoured skirt.

My Junkernaught was built around the top of a spraycan and two bottle tops. Armour pieces were then layered on top, with some off-brand Lego for additional support and the feet. I ended up flipping whole thing early on, as it looked better upside down. I attempted the "scalding water" technique to bend a few resin panels, and this the first project where I've had call to use my new glue gun. It's a tool you really don't want to misuse, but it's great for filling gaps securely. I cheated somewhat for the claw arm, using some gunpla parts for the skeleton, and part of a Warlord Games Ghar for the grabby bit. It did come out really nice though, so I'd do it again in an instant! Mwahahaha! Meanwhile, the autocannon type thingy and the head came in the kit, along with the occasional greeblie from my bits box and some wire I chanced upon.

Painting was another exercise in weathering techniques, like the Grot Tank, or the more recent Scopedog. The main colours where achieved by drybrushing metallics over a dark brown undercoat, with an Agarax Earthshade wash. Ryza Rust and Valleojo Silver were used to pick out old and new wear, respectively. The feet and undercarriage got some Stirland Mud, with the model as a whole getting Typhus Corrosion'd in the gaps. Its my current favourite paint. I resisted the temptation to weather the blue too much, as I like it to be bright as a contrast. I eventually had to stop myself from painting it.

 

All in all, this project went very-very well. I think the whole "armoured shirt & feet" aspect is a bit too subtle, but it's fine as a first attempt. Now? I just need to stop myself from building an army of 'em. This made me remember how much I love making Orky vehicle conversions, and that's an expensive habit.