The Bat Winged Loony Lobber

a.k.a The Doom Diver. I've already made a customised version, but I can't believe it's taken me this long to sort out a proper one: the model, the rules and the fluff are equally awesome.

From the Wile E. Coyote school of artillery.

"...This technique was developed to provide greenskin tribes with a form of aerial reconnaissance. Early aeronauts were given bits of slate and chalk on which to sketch enemy troop dispositions. As few Goblins survived the rather sudden landing, this was felt to be the only way of recovering the information they had gleaned. Unfortunately the idea wasn't a great success as most slates were found to bear a hasily scrawled message along the lines of 'Yahooooo!' of Wheeeee!'"

Orcs & Goblins 6th Ed (when fluff was worth reading)

The actual are a pretty basic set: Goblin Green base, Green Ink wash and Nurgling Green highlights for the skintone; then various shades of brown (Zandri Dust, Balor Brown, Tallarn Sand) for the gear.

This wee chap with the hammer (the 'master gunner' I assume, since he makes the decision when to release) is either a very small goblin or a very large snotling.

Either way, he's borderline.

The other two goblins come as a set: I think they're supposed to come on a cavalry base, but my sense of tidiness made me put them on two glued-together 20mm bases, since that's what goblins come on.

... I then had to glue the entire thing on top of a cavalry base, when I realised that mounting my war machine on a 60mm base meant that they needed to raise up a step to 'hook' the launcher.

Of course, without the war machine, they just look like mimes.

For the machine itself, it was the usual mix of Tallern Sand + Brown Ink for the wood (although I think I threw a few different browns in there, to make it more ramshackle); plus Typhus Corrosion + Reza Rust for the metal parts.

One nice detail I hadn't noticed before was the bucket of grease hanging off the machine, and the well-greased runway for the bat-winged loony. I tried a mix of Spearstaff Brown (which is really a dirty yellow) and Blood for the Blood God to try and get a viscous-looking grease.

And, with all my goblin war machines, I'm going to try and include a snotling mascot. This one is a flag-waver, so presumably he's the one that says 'launch!'.

Maybe that makes HIM the master gunner?

Last, but not least, the 'template'. I'm not sure if Games Workshop have ever done this before or since, but this is the model that you definitely need to play - it doesn't form part of the machine or the crew, it gets placed over the target (it would be like saying you have lie down your actual giant model for a 'fallen giant' result).

Anyway, I magnetized his tummy, so he could be easily removed from the flying base, and gave him the same paintjob as the other Doom Divers: Mephiston Red jumpsuit with sporty white stripes up one side.

"I'm flying, Jack."

Apparently, they're awesome in 8th Edition (I can testify to this somewhat) and rubbish in Age of Sigmar. No matter, skinks gotta swim, gobbos gotta fly.

Up, up and away to the wild green yonder!