The Mushloonz - Gloomspite Gitz

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

After Bolet Ghosteater parted ways with the Rotmoons he continued his search for potent mushrooms in the gloomy forests of the Harrowmark. On his travels through the dark and tangled woods he started to encounter more and more Moonclan Grots with similar goals. Most of them came along with him as he seemed to know what he was doing. Before he knew it he had a warband of his own. They started calling themselves the Mushloonz and he just went along with it.

- 🍄 -

The Bad Moon spoke to me! Inevitably.... This is the start of my small (maybe!) Moonclan warband. I got the Warhammer Underworlds: Nighvault Moonclan warband when they first came out and I have been painting them very slowly between other projects since then. The Gloomspite Gitz announcements spurred me on to get them finished!

Bolet Ghosteater was already painted during Malign Portents but I have repainted his base-edge and his skin to match Zarbag's Gitz.

Zarbag the Shaman

Drizgit the armoured Squig Herder, Bonekrakka (the one with the bone between its teeth) and Gobbaluk, Cave Squigs.

Prog Da Netter and Snirk Sourtongue the Fanatic

Shootas Stikkit (arrow through hood), RedKap (mushroom hat) and Dibbz (shooting “blind”)

- 🍄 -

Viktor has very kindly given me 6 Moonclan Shootas (from the "Battle for Skull Pass" Warhammer Fantasy 7th edition starter box set).

Update: I have already assembled (with a few small additions of stalagmites and mushrooms on their bases), undercoated black and zenithal-sprayed them grey. I hope to start painting them very soon!

I found this git in my bits box, with no face. So I added a 40k Grot face and sculpted his hood around it. 

 

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

The Mushloonz in the Harrowmark

Far from any village in an unusually damp and dark corner of the Harrowmark, is the Dankwood. Home to the Mushloonz and a dozen other Gloomspite tribes it is overrun by mushrooms, troggoths, giant spiders and grots.

The area is riddled with labyrinthine networks of caves and maze-like winding paths through the trees with impenetrable walls of tangled branches and thorny brambles. Cobwebs and clumps of mushrooms are commonplace and daylight rarely penetrates the forest canopy.

- 🍄 -

I have finished the six grots Viktor gave me, and the extra (converted) Shaman and Squig from my bits box.

Noggit (a Madcap Shaman) and Maw (a big Cave Squig).

Stog (Shoota Grot Boss), Snok and Ruk

Skur, Dort (Gonger) and Zeg.

The Mushloonz search the woods of the Harrowmark for interesting fungus.

The warband so far:

This is something I made waaay back, for Warhammer 8th edition, as a marker to show that a Mysterious Wood counted as a "Fungus Forest". I'm really happy to be using it again as an objective marker for Age of Sigmar Skirmish games!

[Mordeus 126]

Cool stuff! Looking forward to the rest!

[Saikological 48]

Nice minis! Not sure about the names on the bases, but i like the rest.

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Deep in the Dankwood, hidden amongst tangled briars and mushroom groves, is the shantytown lurklair of the Mushloonz. A higgledy-piggledy mess of tumbled-down structures made from looted materials, local stone and gnarled timbers from the trees of the Harrowmark forests. It would be barely distinguishable from the worst areas of the forest itself, apart from the massive number of grots and troggs wandering around it.

Like most Moonclan leaders, Bolet Ghosteater has a Gobbapalooza rambling around his lurklair causing mischief. A gathering of so-called wise-grots, petty shamans and gabbling loonpriests, a coven of grots who offer no end of cunning tactical tricks. The Gobbapalooza takes it upon themselves to counsel their boss whether he wants their advice or not.

- 🍄 -

Oggle The Boggleye stares deep into the souls of all those around him, chanting hypnotic mantras and revolving his pupils in an unlikely and hypnotic fashion.

Xorg The Spiker scuttles about with a basket of clinking poison-bottles lashed to his back.

Badtryp The Shroomancer experiences such vivid fungus-brew hallucinations that his magics spill out to animate the fungi around him and bring his visions to life.

Gnark The Scaremonger capers and hoots from behind his terrifying Glareface Frazzlegit mask, carried aloft on most of a Squig skeleton by his slave Snark.

Wychwud the Brewgit shuffles around with weird fungus potions bubbling in his loonshine still, selling his product to eager customers.

- 🍄 -

This is such a great kit! It goes together really really well. I built all of them in less than an hour and I wasn't rushing.

I'm hoping to start painting at least one of them this week.

Edited January 25, 2019 by WarbossKurgan

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Xorg the Spiker clicked and hissed to himself as he scuttled through the Dankwood. The poison-bottles in the basket lashed to his back clinked together as his swaying gait moved them around. His bare feet pattered over the gloomy forest floor, between gnarled tree roots and clusters of fungus. Thin beams of pallid moonlight managed to break through the tangled bowers overhead and illuminated the winding pathways. Shrouds of thick cobwebs hung from the branches and nameless things squirmed and writhed in the shadows.

It felt like home!

He had heard rumours of a growing lurklair in the midst of this dark corner of the forest, and that a Fungoid Cave Shaman was gathering a warband. A gathering of Gloomspite Gitz meant one thing to him: customers!

- 🍄 -

Some close-in shots of details. I struggled with the glass bottles as I looked at a lot of very, very good still-life paintings that included wine bottles during my art degree. So my expectation of what a glass bottle should look like is probably unrealistic at 28mm scale!

I tried something different with his skin this time: Elysian Green basecoat, lightly dry-brushed with Pallid Wych Flesh, then washed with Athonian Camoshade. So quick and easy: It ends up looking exactly the same as the Gitz I painted with a lot more steps!

Edited January 31, 2019 by WarbossKurgan

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Mollog's Mob

The Dankhold Troggoth known as Mollog the Mighty slept in his mushroom-littered cavern beneath the dunes of the Desert of Bones for centuries, emerging every so often to rampage in search of food. It was a comfortable life, until an infestation of Skaven spilled up from the deep earth. After he had finished picking his teeth clean of scraps of flesh and fur, the troggoth realised his home was lost to the endless tide of vermin. Followed by a mob of the bizarre denizens that had dwelt within his cave, Mollog set off to find a new one. The troggoth travelled far across the bone-strewn wastes, eventually coming to the ruins of Shadespire. Underground he went, certain that somewhere in this gloomy place lay the dank, quiet cavern he was looking for. Instead, Mollog found the labyrinth of the Mirrored City. Still he presses stubbornly on with his search, a trail of crushed and battered bodies left in his wake.

- 🍄 -

I probably won't be using this warband in Warhammer Underworlds, but I want to leave my options open. He and his followers look like a lot of fun in AoS Skirmish anyway!

Bat Squigs are little more than mouths with wings, yet these body parts are a deadly combination.

The fungal clouds emitted by a Spiteshroom can rot flesh from bone.

When angered, a Stalagsquig can gnash through metal and bone with gruesome ease.

Mollog - an ancient Dankhold Troggoth - just wants a nap! Stirred from a long slumber, he now seeks a bit of peace and quiet, and is more than happy to crack the skulls of anyone who’d deny it to him.

The Mushloonz so far:

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Skragbad the Loonboss. 

I carefully chopped off the "moon helmeted" head and added a head from a Squig Hopper Boss - I'm in the process of adding some robes too, just the hooded head makes him look a bit unbalanced in terms of "fabric vs. armour".

Some assorted NPCs from the Dankwood are also on the way: a pensive Shaman and an annoyed Fungus Farmer (reprimanding a small squiggly beast for eating his crops).

Heads from the amazing Squig Hoppers kit.

And a trio of gitz who follow a Scaremonger (masks left to right: Ork Nobz back-banner top, Greenskinz Boyz shield-boss (OoP), Empire Fortified Manor sign (OoP). Knowing this might not be very helpful though, as two out of three are out-of-production kits!)

[kenshin620 958]

Man, this makes me hope someone makes an "everyone wears masks" grot army!

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Update: Loonboss with a greenstuff-joined cloak (made from a Coven Throne Curtain!)

Edited February 20, 2019 by WarbossKurgan

[TheWilddog 908]

Great job overall with these gitz.  Your army oozes theme.  Keep up the good work!

[DeathCat147 196]

Good choice on adding the cloak, Kurgan. It helps to balance the model out a bit visually, and texture wise compared to all the armour.

[Mikeymajq 185]

Those are some awesome conversions!

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

"Oy! Ya zoggin scum-bags!" bellowed Skragbad as he strode down what passed for the main street of the Dankwood Lurklair. Faces appeared at the windows of the shanty hovels piled up on either side of the road. They soon disappeared again (and shutters slammed closed) when they saw who was shouting. Skragbad was pleased by this reaction and it boosted his self-confidence. He started shouting even louder.

The mob of semi-armoured thugs that trailed in his wake helped as well.

The self-titled Knights of Skrag laughed sycophantically as Skragbad pushed over a market stall, sending mushrooms and squig-parts bouncing and rolling across the hard, compacted dirt.

The food seller cowered behind his ruined stall as Skragbad continued to bawl at him.

"Ya ain't paid up dis munf. Ya know dat we can't make sure nuffink bad happens to yer if ya don't pay for us ta look after ya."

He stamped on a particularly juicy mushroom for emphasis.

- 🍄 -

Skragbad the Loonboss. 

I carefully chopped off the "moon helmeted" head and added a head from a Squig Hopper Boss - then added some robes, as I felt that just the hooded head made him look a bit unbalanced in terms of "fabric vs. armour". I used bottom of one of the curtains from a Coven Throne and greenstuffed the gap between it and the armour.

He was painted with the same method I have used on almost all of the Mushloonz: a black undercoat with a zenithal Mechanicus Standard Grey spray base-coat.

I base-coated Elysian Green on the skin, lightly dry-brushed the whole model all over with Pallid Wych Flesh, then I washed the skin with Athonian Camoshade. The robes were washed with Nuln Oil then tidied up with a mix of Abbadon Black and Mechanicus Standard Grey, painted over some of the dry-brushing that was too heavy and into the areas of deeper shade.

The reds are just Evil Sunz Scarlet with a wash of Carroburg Crimson then a highlight of Evil Sunz Scarlet again.

- 🍄 -

The Knights of Skrag

Skragbad's little band of bullies and thugs were made from half the riders from a Squig Hoppers kit, with the helmeted heads for the Boingrot Bounders alternative build, that come in the same kit, instead of hooded heads. Making them work as infantry was mostly just a case of gluing one foot onto the base, but a couple needed something to stand on to make them look right.

I have already undercoated them and hope to have them painted soon.

 

 

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

The Knights of Skrag

Whooping and hollering, Loonboss Skragbad's Mushloonz armoured enforcers moved through the clearings and trails of the Dankwood making as much noise and commotion as they could; they were cowards and bullies the lot of 'em and they took great pleasure in ruining the day of everyone they met who was not bigger than them.

They shouted at the squigs in pens, they pushed about the fungus farmers and they knocked over the Brewgit's bottles of beer.

If anyone stood-up to them some of them stood back and taunted them ,while the others snuck round behind them to stab them in the back. They knew that if anyone really tried anything their boss would have their back and he would sort them out. Of course if one of the Troggoths said anything to them, they would disappear faster than a a Gargant can finish a barrel of beer!

- 🍄 -

Skragbad's little band of bullies and thugs were made from half the riders from a Squig Hoppers kit, with the helmeted heads for the Boingrot Bounders alternative build, that comes in the same kit, instead of hooded heads. Making them work as infantry was mostly just a case of gluing one foot onto the base, but a couple needed something to stand on to make them look right.

Soddit

Itchy

Leggit

Bugrit

Skarpa

- 🍄 -

Fungus Farmer Maggit and Madcap Shaman Wazza, inspecting the crops and rooting out hungry squiggly beasts. (Heads of both also from the wonderful Squig Hoppers kit.)

 I love using an NPC, or two, to add a bit of flavour to a warband's backstory.

(Ugh. Now I have uploaded the photos I realise I didn't paint the tiny coins on Wazza's staff! I'll fix that tonight.)

Today's new Gitz, all together:

Edit: Fixed!

Edited March 11, 2019 by WarbossKurgan

[Roostmanuva 240]

Love your thread, may have to steal the idea of the hopper head on the Gitmob shaman, so effective!

Edited March 8, 2019 by Roostmanuva

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

On 3/8/2019 at 2:07 PM, Roostmanuva said:

Love your thread, may have to steal the idea of the hopper head on the Gitmob shaman, so effective!

Thanks @Roostmanuva!

Next up for the Knights of Skrag: some Netters.

One is made from a Squig Hopper rider (with a little greenstuff work needed), the other two from regular Moonclan Grots. All three have Boingrot Bounders heads.

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Loonboss Skragbad chuckled to himself as the orruk Brute strolled into the Dankwood as if he owned the place. He started to shout and order the resident grots and act as if he were the boss, just because he was bigger than everyone else. This was typical of an orruk as they always thought that being the biggest made you the natural boss. Skragbad knew better.

The Knights of Skrag gathered at either end of the dirt track through the shanty town and slowly closed in on the massive shouty orruk. Skragbad stepped out if a side street a few yards away from the Brute and took up to most confident and arrogant pose he could manage.

The orruk turned toward him and grinned a big toothy grin. He hefted his ragged-bladed axe and took a step toward the Loonboss. one of the Knights jumped forward and thrust his stabba into the back of the orruk's thigh. The orruk roared in indignation and swiped at the grot but he scampered out of reach. Skragbad nodded and two gitz with barbed nets pounced and threw their nets over the orruk!

The other Knights swarmed round the tangled Brute and set out him with their spiked clubs. They aimed at his calves and the backs of his thighs and brought him down to his knees. the they aimed at his hands and face. The orruk bellowed in rage and pain as his broken fingers dropped his axe and tore ineffectually at the nets.

More gitz came out of their hovels carrying sticks and clubs and joined in the vicious beating. Soon the orruk stopped moving and even more grots appeared to take part in the "fun".

- 🍄 -

This addition the little band of stabbas known as The Knights of Skrag feels a little gamey for my usual style (when combined with the Command Ability of the Loonboss) but it's also a nice call-back to the Warhammer 4th edition Night Goblin unit: "Netters and Clubbers", so I don't feel to bad about it. 

Snag

Tangul

Kacha

The netters together:

The Squig Hopper rider needed a little bit of greenstuff to make the netter hands fit into his robes-sleeves. The other two are normal Moonclan Grots, they needed their heads (carefully) sliced off (and saved for another project!), and the helmeted Boingrot heads needed a trim to fit flush, but obviously their hands fitted with no work.

Edited March 12, 2019 by WarbossKurgan

[hammer49 53]

Great looking army so far

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Gnark, the Scaremonger, and the Frazzlegitz

Gnark The Scaremonger capered and hooted from behind his terrifying Glareface mask. He rode upon the skull of a Cave Squig (borne by Snark) that represented the immolated godbeast Boingob, he put the fear of the Moonclan bogeyman into the nearby Mushloonz. 

Gnark was routinely followed around by The Frazzlegitz, a small band of sun-masked Gitz who thought he was some kind of prophet.

Gnark the Scaremonger (and Snark)

Huka

Nerb

Taz

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

Thomm the Rockgut Troggoth wandered randomly through the caves and forests of the Harrowmark until he met Loonboss Skragbad and his crew. The grots adopted him and used him variously as a pack animal, a living shield, a battering ram and a tool for intimidation and extortion. The fortunes of all of them were improved greatly.

- 🍄 -

Thomm (who will soon be joined by Durg and Ar-Ree) was painted with a mix of dry-brushing, washes and edge highlights. I was struggling with getting him to look right so I was a trying all sorts of things along the way. He took a lot longer than I expected as a result. I wanted him to look a bit like the classic "blue Stone Troll" illustration from Warhammer 5th edition.

The moss on his shoulders is a mix of Agrellan Badlands texture paint and static grass.

[Arkanaut Admiral 231]

These gitz look absolutely outstanding!  Amazing work Warboss! 

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

The Shroomers

"Oooh! Wat about dis 'un? Or dis 'un? Oh, dis 'un looks gud! Ohh...." Gank capered from one clump of mushrooms to the next, getting more and more excited as he went.

"No. Not dose ones. No. Not dat one neither...." said Index, the boss, as he flicked back and forth through a very grubby and dogeared old book of woodland fungus of the Harrowmark. In the distance the sounds of Nibz laughing drifted through the trees.

"Oh dis 'un?" said Gank.

Flick, flick, flick.

"Nope." said Index.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" said Gank.

"I wish day'ed all shut their traps. Just for a minute." grumbled Stoga quietly. Raff, who was sat next to him a a rock, just nodded.

The laughter echoing from somewhere beyond the tree line came a bit closer, then recided again.

"Idiots, the lot of 'em." said Stoga with a scowl.

"Dese?" said Gank, holding up a wide, red and white mushroom.

Index flipped back a few pages and frowned at the book for a few moments.

"Yes!" he said triumphantly.

Gank squealed and started plucking red-capped mushrooms and throwing them into a bag. Index snapped his precious book shut and started herding the rest of his small mob into action.

"Roight ya lazy zoggers. We've found 'em. Get 'em gathered up so we can go!"

Reluctantly Stoga and Raff stood up and joined Gank. The three of them and Index harvested as many red-caps as they could carry. In the distance Nibz laughed and hooted through the forests. Stoga gritted his teeth.

- 🍄 -

I painted five more Gloomspite Gitz last night. I actually think the simplicity of the conversions has made them my favourites so far. They are a mix of regular Moonclan Grots and Squig Hopper rider parts. I think Index's book is from an old High Elf model but I'm not sure. I got it in a batch of spares from a friend a few years ago!

- 🍄 -

Nibz

Raff

Gank

Stoga

Index - the boss

He stole a book about mushrooms from a house in Wortbad. He can't read it but Bolet has marked the drawings of the mushrooms he wants them to collect.

- 🍄 -

The new Gitz.

Detail of Index's book. I tried to reproduce a couple of pages I found on a google search for old mushroom reference books.

Edited June 10, 2019 by WarbossKurgan
typos

[Kramer 4,658]

21 hours ago, WarbossKurgan said:

The Shroomers

"Oooh! Wat about dis 'un? Or dis 'un? Oh, dis 'un looks gud! Ohh...." Gank capered from one clump of mushrooms to the next, getting more and more excited as he went.

"No. Not dose ones. No. Not dat one neither...." said Index, the boss, as he flicked back and forth through a very grubby and dogeared old book of woodland fungus of the Harrowmark. In the distance the sounds of Nibz laughing drifted through the trees.

"Oh dis 'un?" said Gank.

Flick, flick, flick.

"Nope." said Index.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" said Gank.

"I wish day'ed all shut their traps. Just for a minute." grumbled Stoga quietly. Raff, who was sat next to him a a rock, just nodded.

The laughter echoing from somewhere beyond the tree line came a bit closer, then recided again.

"Idiots, the lot of 'em." said Stoga with a scowl.

"Dese?" said Gank, holding up a wide, red and white mushroom.

Index flipped back a few pages and frowned at the book for a few moments.

"Yes!" he said triumphantly.

Ganks squealed and started plucking red-capped mushrooms and throwing them into a bag. Index snapped his precious book shut and started herding the rest of his small mob into action.

"Roight ya lazy zoggers. We've found 'em. Get 'em gathered up so we can go!"

Reluctantly Stoga and Raff stood up and joined Gank. The three of them and Index harvested as many red-caps as they could carry. In the distance Nibz laughed and hooted through the forests. Stoga gritted his teeth.

- 🍄 -

I painted five more Gloomspite Gitz last night. I actually think the simplicity of the conversions has made them my favourites so far. They are a mix of regular Moonclan Grots and Squig Hopper rider parts. I think Index's book is from an old High Elf model but I'm not sure. I got it in a batch of spares from a friend a few years ago!

- 🍄 -

Nibz

Raff

Gank

Stoga

Index - the boss

He stole a book about mushrooms from a house in Wortbad. He can't read it but Bolet has marked the drawings of the mushrooms he wants them to collect.

- 🍄 -

The new Gitz.

Detail of Index's book. I tried to reproduce a couple of pages I found on a google search for old mushroom reference books.

Those are amazing! Great eye for detail like the book makes me take extra time looking for them. Very cool! 

[WarbossKurgan 1,349]

5 hours ago, Kramer said:

Those are amazing! Great eye for detail like the book makes me take extra time looking for them. Very cool! 

Thanks very much @Kramer! 😊