The Troll Biters

I have already said this, but one of the annoying things I like about building armies with Marauder Miniatures is the absence of certain models. For Chaos Dwarfs, we lack heroes, shooters, warmachines, command groups and... berserkers!

This is my new project: a regiment of Chaos Dwarf Berserkers (I'll count them as Chaos Marauders), all based on Marauder Miniatures Troll Slayers. 

The main difficulty here is to make these jolly figures look evil. After considering massive conversions turning dwarfs into boarmen, and then dropping the idea due to a complete lack of sculpting skill, the simplest way was to hide their faces behind the skulls of some unknown monsters. 

For others, I tried to sharpen their teeth and pierce their noses with rings... Can't say it's really convincing (compared to the illustration below from the Warhammer Armies supplement), but I was running out of skulls.

 

Then, while browsing the "Stone and Steel" warhammer supplement, I stumbled upon this incredible rune: Kulgur, the art of cooking Troll:

 

That was it! My berserkers were sharpening their teeth to eat troll flesh! As a tribute to Mad Marik Trollbiter, a miniature from the Citadel "Chaos Dwarfs Renegades" box, I will call them the Troll Biters.

Below are the first models from this new unit.

• The standard-bearer is a basic Troll Slayer from the MM16 range (MM16/2); I removed the mace, resculpted the hair, slightly bent his right arm so he could hold the standard pole taken from an old Beastmen plastic sprue, and gave him a flail from the ancient Chaos Marauders plastic sprue. The troll head comes from a Troll Slayer banner. The banner itself was painted with the Dark Khazalid rune 'Dumkulgur' (the art of cooking Chaos Troll 😝). 

 

• The musician is based on the Troll Slayer MM16/1: I removed the sword in his left hand and gave him the drum and the mallet taken from the Marauder Miniatures MM97 Beastman drummer. I also added belly armour to emphasize his alignment with Chaos.

 

• The next three warriors are simpler conversions based on models MM16/3, MM16/4, and MM16/5; the plastic skulls were carved to facilitate their positioning, and extended on the sides with some greenstuff to fully cover the dwarfs' faces.

 

The first batch of Troll Biters in their dreadful glory: