More Hyperian Wars Escalation! DIY Virum Nascii Death Roller

Time marches ever onwards, and it’s startling to realise that the big Hyperian Wars game we’re currently prepping for was one we actually planned to play over the summer holidays… oh well!

You’ve already seen the 301st Skyborne with their new reinforcements and superheavy, Dan’s Waagh-Ghazhrag horde have their big new heavyweights, there’s something due for the Ancien Regime but for now here’s something for everyone’s favourite chittering treacherous hordes, the vile Ratmen – the Virum Nascii (who are absolutely nothing to do with GW’s Skaven, we’re sure)

Now, originally I had planned to make a Doomwheel – and had gathered peanut butter jar lids accordingly – but I just couldn’t get anything together that looked right, so I decided to toss the idea and come up with something that fulfilled the same role but looked a bit cooler – inspired more than slightly by this post from the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts blog.

However, while the Doomwheel was too dopey, a rat-tank just didn’t seem quite dopey enough for Ratticus and the crew, so I hit upon the idea of a roller pushed by a weird scrap construct firing Vril-lightning.. functionally identical to the Doomwheel, but hopefully cooler looking.

I even sketched out a rough concept drawing – I know, check me out! – and then it was time to hit the Pile Of Interestingly Shaped Crap.

Yep, that’s an asthma inhaler. Again. And a pepper pot, and a pair of milk carton lids. My house is a ridiculous place at times.

Cardboard added for the “Horned Rat” superstructure, and kebab skewer for the Vril-lightning cannons

Padding out the booty with corrugated cardboard…

Details added! Cardboard strips, blobs of PVA dotted on with a cocktail stick to represent rivets and superglue tube lids for the cannons… you may also notice the tail (!) which was a wire tie thingy, and the cocktail stick legs… why have wheels when you can walk, right?

By this point, the Muse had taken me!!! So after having glued everything I had to hand to everything else I had to hand, I left it and when to bed….

Yep, that’ll do! Out to the shed for priming – attempting this zenithal business again, so a grey base dusted from above with white….

…and then a brain fart, as either I didn’t take any more photos, or I did and managed to delete them.. but here we are with the finished product:

Of course, flags are now de riguer in our Hyperian Wars armies…

Side shot…

Showing off the junk in the trunk.. in fact, that’s a mechanical tail capped with a Vril tipped blade, so this thing should be a beast in close combat!

And here with the rest of the crew, Lord Ratticus’ horde….

So there we go, one new grand war machine for the Virum Nascii to match the Dauntless Redux and the Orca War God…. just the Ancien Regime to get tooled up and that’ll be everyone!

You’ll be glad to hear that Hyperian Wars now actually exists as a PagePlus DTP file – a whole 7 pages already! So there actually is a chance that we might finally get around to publishing this one before the heat death of the universe and/or the release of Legiones Imperialis… so till next time, stay thrifty and Slave Ukrainia!