Bugman's Rangers - Command Group

And here we are all ranked up!

So far, I like how they look as a group. I can't wait to add a few troopers to make this into a proper unit!

Hopefully more next week...

Bugman's Rangers - Musician

Here's the final model for the command group. As he is a musician, he's a bit more flamboyant than the rest with his blue tunic (Bugman worries about 'Owd' Tom's swashbuckling stories corrupting the young dwarf), but still ready with his axe when it's time to get stuck in!

I'll have a shot of the whole crew tomorrow...

Bugman's Rangers - Standard Bearer

One of the first things I paint when starting any new unit is the standard bearer. This has always been one of my favorite dwarf miniatures - the pose, the beard. the girth... great stuff! Just a lot of character in this model.

This casting has something strange going on around the left eye. I'm not sure if it was intentional or some sort of miscast, but I ran with it and painted it as an empty socket and scar. The banner is a slight variation on the classic 'official' design in that I moved the 'spike' to the top corner of the flag rather than the center which just looked strange to me. I also swapped the sides of the flag, because compositionally, I wanted the banner over the bearer's head. If I left the 'official' version, that would have put the tankard on the back. If anyone wants the flag for their own unit, feel free...

Bugman's Rangers - 'Owd' Tom Thyksson

Next up is the unit champion, 'Owd' Tom Thyksson. This rogue spent his youth with the pirates that haunted the port of Marienburg, where he acquired the eye-patch, peg-leg, and snappy fashion sense (check out that pimp shirt) through numerous misadventure.

Bugman's Rangers - Joseph Bugman

The Story of Bugman's Dwarf Rangers
It was a clear, crisp morning in early spring when a mule-cart creaked up to the entrance of Karak-Varn. Two guards looked suspiciously at the driver, a small hunched figure thickly wrapped in a variety of foul-smelling and flea-ridden blankets. It might be a Dwarf, but they couldn't be sure.

'Who are you, and what's your business?' challenged one of the guards. The driver of the cart cackled softly.

'Come to see your king, I have,' it said, gathering the blankets around it as it shuffled down from the driving seat, 'Brought something for him.'

The guards looked at one another, a little nervously. 'What is it, then?' asked one. The other moved towards the back of the cart, and started to lift the tarpaulin that covered its cargo.

'DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THAT!' Surprised by the sudden power in the driver's voice, the guard dropped the tarpaulin as if it had burnt him. 'It's had enough of a messing with, just getting here,' the driver grumbled, 'And if you go a-poking and a-prodding it about, it won't be fit for Goblins. And now, if you don't mind, I've had enough of the oily rags and I'll talk to the mechanic.'

Such a speech could only have come from the lips of a Dwarf, so the cart was admitted to the Dwarf hold. By the time the King arrived on the scene, a small crowd had gathered. A hush fell over the crowd as the stranger deftly whipped the tarpaulin off the cart, revealing a large barrel.

'Now I'm not guaranteeing how well it's travelled,' he announced, to no-one in particular. He produced a grubby metal tankard from among his mass of blankets, drew off a little of the barrel's contents, and peered at it critically. 'Hmmmm', he sniffed, 'Gone cloudy.' He swigged noisily, then screwed up his face and spat. 'Worse than I thought,' he continued , 'it could really do with settling for a month or two. Still, it should give you the general idea.' He held out the tankard to the King.

After a moment's hesitation, the King accepted the tankard, and, wiping the rim fastidiously with his cuff, took a swig. The effect was remarkable. His eyebrows shot up to the very rim of his crown, his eyes bulged and began to water as he was doubled over by a fit of coughing. After a few seconds the coughing subsided, and was followed by a deep, resonant belch. It was almost a minute before he was able to speak. 'I don't believe it!' he exclaimed. 'it can't be! It's.... Bugman's!'

There was uproar in the chamber. It was many years since the Battle of Bugman's Brewery. Joseph Bugman was just a memory, a name half forgotten and wreathed in legend, like the name of Bugman's Best Bitter.

'That's right,' said the stranger, 'The Goblins left me for dead. It's taken me all these years to work my way here - but hush now, I'm forgetting my manners.' He threw off his wrapping of blankets, and stood revealed as an old, grizzled and heavily scarred Dwarf. 'Joseph Bugman, Master Brewer and onetime Ranger Captain, at your service.'

Joseph Bugman miraculously survived the Battle of Bugman's Brewery, and turned up years later at the Dwarf hold of Karak-Varn. He was not recognised at first, but when the King of the Dwarfhold tasted the beer that he brought with him, his identity was proved beyond doubt. Bugman's Dwarf Rangers were re-formed at Karak-Varn, as his reputation and his brewing skills brought Dwarves from miles around flocking to his banner. The expedition to reconquer and re-establish Bugman's Brewery assumed the proportions of a holy war.


Right! So that's started - my Dwarf army is underway and the unit it always had to start with was Bugman's Dwarf Rangers. The unit will be 24 models strong (including the hero and champion) and hold down the spot of the compulsory Dwarf Crossbowmen in my list (with full command and the upgrades for shields and double-handed weapons, of course). My plan is to paint the unit in muted tones - browns and greys - for the most part.

I'll have the rest of the command group up this week...