Summary
As soon as I saw thecinematic trailer for Skaventide, I knew I needed the Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast. I didn’t know what it was called, nor what kind of unit it would be, but I knew it looked perfect for myAge of Sigmararmy. I couldn’t wait for more information before diving into my bits box and coming up with my own estimation of the pestilent creature based on the half-second of screentime we’d already seen.
Kitbashing and converting is my favourite part of the hobby. Just take a look at my Dark Mechanicus for proof of that. While I admire people whospend days weathering their tanks to the point where they can’t be handled by human fingers, that’s not my bag. I’ll spend that time meticulously crafting the perfect model, a creature that is unique to me and my army, only to slap a quick paintjob on in a couple of hours. Maybe it ruins all my hard work in the eyes of some, but I don’t care. Colour is better than grey, and converted is better than built straight from the box.
Takemy Verminlordfor example. While I’ve put a lot more work in since (he has a tail, for starters), the leader of my cult of the Horned Rat is based onUshoran, Mortarch of the Flesh-eater Courts. It’s this conversion that got me thinking about using Age of Sigmar’s zombie range to create my own Clawlord. Or, more accurately, to create my own Gnaw-Beast.
Creating The Gnaw-Beast
The repulsive rodent rider itself wouldn’t be too difficult to convert – my Skaven bits would see to that, so I started with the mount. Opening up my Flesh-Eater Courts army set, I immediately assessed the Morbheg Knights as the perfect basis for my beast.
I set about removing the bat wings from their front limbs and any of the weird bones piercing their skin in decoration. The latter was tricky to do, even with a sharp scalpel, and I probably could have got away with keeping them in for a Skaven force, but I decided it was too emblematic of the Flesh-Eater Courts for my liking, so it was worth it.
After the extraneous parts had been removed, I smoothed the areas with a little sandpaper and moved on to the important bits. The head and tail of the Gnaw-Beast came from the Skaven Stormfiends, which were the perfect size for this conversion. Plus, I had them left over from my Dark Mech Kastelan Robots.
This transformed the miniature, and a little green stuff fur later, the Gnaw-Beast was complete. Now for the Clawlord.
The Clawlord
The Clawlord strays a little further from the official model, mostly because this conversion was completed before any images of the Skaventide miniature had been released. I may work on making it look more similar in future (especially the wargear if I want to use it in a match), but you’ll soon see I have other plans for this model.
The Clawlord’s legs are from the Morbheg Knight’s rider. I tried various Skaven kits to see if I could sculpt the perfect riding pose, but after all my problemsgetting a Salamander to fit on an axolotlearlier this year, I gave up. Sure, the feet are more human than Skaven paws, but if someone’s picking up on those details, I’m just glad they’re taking an interest in my model. I’m not entering this in a competition after all, it’s mostly going to be viewed from above at a distance of around two feet. Pun intended.
I modelled a distressed skirt from green stuff to hide the rest of the legs and any unsightly seams, and attached the torso, arms, head, and tail of a Stormvermin to the Morbheg Knight legs. The result is a little top-heavy, but so are a lot of Skaven. The Clawlord skips leg day, you heard it here first. Putting the two together, I was happy with the result.
The Grand Reveal
My finished Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast looks great. I’m pleased with the conversion, and I think it represents the official model well. However, putting it next to theSkaventidegeneral gives me pause (or should that be paws?). My version is a lot smaller, for starters, and the hunched shoulders don’t project the same aura of authority as the official Clawlord’s upright pose.
It’s a testament toGames Workshop’sdesign team that the Clawlord looks as good as it does. It’s one of my favourite models they’ve put out this year, up there with the Kroot Ravagers and Stormcast Prosecutors.
But what if I didn’t use this conversion as a Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast? After all this effort, what if I made some adjustments and proxied it as something else? What if I didn’t like the new Rat Ogor sculpts from the Skaventide box and plan to utilise them in a different army, perhaps one for 40K that has been mentioned multiple times already this article?
Yes, this Gnaw-Beast cavalryrat will represent a Rat Ogor in my Skaven force. He just needs two friends to finish the unit. Luckily, I made two spare models to see which I liked best. Here, check out the others.
Again, these will need some tinkering based on the new rules. It’s a happy accident that Rat Ogors now come in units of three, but one of these riders will need a ranged weapon to match the warscroll.
No matter, what’s the point of converting if not to try something new and, if it doesn’t work, try again? If I want the most unique horde of ratmen in my LGS, I’m going to have to put in the graft.
