Mutilate This

 No unit is beyond redemption...

Here come the Mutilators!

A very unloved datasheet in the Chaos codex, Mutilators are slow-moving melee units with the same unreliable weapons that their Obliterator cousins have (which they'll only learn about in the midst of combat). 

Of course, the real reason you never see them is because of their stocky old finecast models who are more than showing their age by now.

That said, they are daemonic astartes (being a completionist, I want them in my possessed army) and I think they have potential in a Creations of Bile army (with all their buffs available to infantry).

Some conversions were on the cards for these guys and, having read a lot of Black Library novels where heretics make use of battle automata, that was the direction I wanted to go.

The only choice for kitbashing was the Luther Pattern Excavation Automata 'Ambot' kit - lovely models that I could happily paint a dozen of them (although at their price, I'll have to make do with two of them).

The first one was fairly standard, with a few chaos chains and spikes added, plus the head from a Khorne Juggernaut (since I assumed Mark of Khorne would be a good choice here).

The second one got more chaos spikes (the turret rim from a chaos rhino doing a treat here), some axes from a corpse-grinder model, and a daemon prince head that works really well.

In keeping with the theme of adding Hobbypocalypse rivals to my bases, this one had a ork underfoot (who's probably having the time of his life). It was actually the first plastic ork (soon to be obsolete) I've painted - and very enjoyable it was too (though I might change my tune if I had to do a horde).

Mutilator units must number three, and the Ambots only come in pairs, so some creativity was needed for the last one. I scrounged some spare parts from the other two (including extra legs, of which they fortunately have extras), plus a daemon prince's spare torso, the backpack from a Havoc, and a couple of arms from a Kickstarter (I think they're meant to be rail guns, but they look like fearsome clamps).

The only cheat was the backplate, which I took a press-mould of the actual Ambot kit, so he fits in with the others. And then painted in the standard colours:

• Armour: Wraithbone base, Seraphim Sepia wash, Bleached Bone drybrush
• Gold: Retributor Armour base, Agra Earthshade wash, Golden Griffin drybrush
• Flesh: Bugman's Flesh, Reikland Fleshshade, Kislev Flesh layers
• Red claws: Khorne Red base, Nuln Oil wash

I'm really happy with the unit - for 40mm bases, they're absolutely enormous (maybe they'll get an upgrade, like the Obliterators did), but they're very appropriate, and quite distinct.

Now for them to let me down every battle!