The Merciless Maniple of Maimwrack Warspasm

These words inscribed in scrimshaw, 

Jagged grooves in a Jabberwock’s thigh bone.  

I carved them with a rusted awl while the bone still steamed.  

I am Maimwrack Warspasm. I was born in the echo between oaths.  

Malal found me there. Laughing. Broken.  

My flesh was feeble, so I shed it for clockwork and iron.  

Now my body ticks with hatred and spite.  

I was not born alone, my twin hangs from me like a millstone around my neck.

He mutters mercy and doubt, old prayers I strangled long ago.  

Malal forbade me kill him, so bear him I must, screaming sermons on my back.  

At my side pad a pair of blasphemous hounds from the East. They hunt hope, not meat.  

Dark elves follow me. Silk, poison, and broken promises.  

They would slit my throat for pleasure if I still had one.  

I relish the thought. Treachery is devotion.  

Orcs march by my side. They do not know my god’s name, and that pleases him.  

They only know that I lead them to war.  

War is truth.  

Skaven skitter in the shadows, plotting my fall.  

Whispering and scheming, watching my back, waiting for weakness.  

I savour their gaze.  

I declare war on the gods who claim dominion.  

I am Malal’s contradiction given form.  

Maimwrack Warspasm 

 

Undivided Chaos Warrior Champion with chaos armour, and additional hand weapon.

Rewards:

Demonic Creatures: 2 chaos hounds.

Mutation: Technology (chainsword).

Mutation: Mechanical legs (tracks).

 

Apologies to Don Hans of Slaves to Lead blog, whom I mercilessly stole the paint scheme from. It was done in awe and admiration.

 

 

2 Chaos Hounds (Rewards)

 

 

4 Dark Elves with crossbows, and shields.

 

 

 5 Orcs with hand weapons, light armour, shield, and warty skin.

 

 

 6 Skaven with hand weapons, light armour, shields, and irrational hatred.

A Chaos Warband built by Zoatibix, using the Down Under Empire's Realm Ov Chaos rules (on Crom’s Hall blog).

The Merciless Maniple of Maimwrack Warspasm

Undivided Chaos Warrior Champion with chaos armour, and additional hand weapon.

Rewards:

Demonic Creatures: 2 chaos hounds.

Mutation: Technology (chainsword).

Mutation: Mechanical legs (tracks).

4 Dark Elves with crossbows, and shields.

5 Orcs with hand weapons, light armour, shield, and warty skin.

6 Skaven with hand weapons, light armour, shields, and irrational hatred.

Pete Taylor’s Skaven Army

 

 by Zoatibix

 

 

Many years ago, I think in about 2005 I was surfing the ol’ information superhighway and came across Pete Taylor's magnificent Skaven army up for auction. It was being sold by 'The Virtual Alchemist", a really interesting website that may have been connected to The Stuff of Legends in some way? They often sold relics from GW's past, such as original painted figures, and ex GW staff collections. I also distinctly remember seeing a big lot of original John Blanche figures up for auction, including many that were in various publications and very famous and recognisable.

I couldn't believe my eyes, here was the very same iconic army from the colour pages of the Warhammer Armies book. The army I had drooled over and marveled at, wondering how could any one possibly assemble and paint such a verminous horde! I must have squinted so hard to try to make out the intriguing painted details through the blurry CMYK moiré, I'm sure its why I need glasses today. This Skaven section of my Warhammer Armies book is in tatters, the pages loose from the binding and stained with grubby paint stained finger prints from being pawed over so frequently.

 

 

 

 Pete Taylor's Skaven Army showcase from Warhammer Armies.

 

Luckily I had the wherewithal to save these auction photos before they disappeared. I took a lot of inspiration from them as well as those in Warhammer Armies for my own Skaven army - in particular the overall dingy tone, free hand runes and decoration, and cotton wool warpstone smoke.

On that old hard drive they remained for about 20 years until just recently when Beowulf and I started chatting about the various army showcases in Warhammer Armies, and I remembered that I had these photos filed away. It is very gratifying seeing clearer, better quality pictures of this iconic army, as well as many models that didn't make it in to the original showcase and were perhaps later additions. I hope you will get a kick out of seeing them too.

Just to reiterate- these are not my photos or figures, I only had the fortune to rescue them from digital extinction, and am posting them as I think they are worth saving as a significant part of Warhammer history, and may be of interest to Oldhammer fans.

 

 

Check out this siege tower/war machine! I think it is made from Snotling Pump Wagon chassis configured into triangular hoarding, echoing the iconography of the Skaven. Great idea and execution, would love to see this in a siege game.

 

 

This next group of figures must be a later addition - the quintet of Skaven special characters sculpted by Jes Goodwin and released during 4th Edition.

Lastly some of the most interesting and unique figures of this collection - a group of converted Rat Ogres. Many of them take the concept of "Rat Ogre" quite literally, some of them more "Ogreish" than you might expect, with just a few ratty details, others are based on classic Jes Goodwin Ogres with custom sculpted details, some of them may even be complete scratch builds.

I happen to have a few more pictures of Pete Taylor's auctioned figure collection, but I will save these for another post.