Thanks to Games Workshop for sending us advance copies of these models for review.
It’s been a month since the Gloomspite Gitz’ scouting force of Gitmob grots atop chariots and wolves of various sizes arrived, and now they’re followed up by the Battletome’s full release, alongside some new reinforcements for the Moonclan’s sun-chasing kin. Today we’re looking at the new dual kit that builds either the Snarlboss or Frazzlegit Shaman on War-wheela, as well as the Doom Diver Catapult, reimagined for the Age of Sigmar setting.
The Models
Before we delve into building and painting the kits, it’s worth having a look at the overall design of the new units. The Doom Diver Catapult is one of the clearest illustrations yet of how far GW kits have come in terms of design and manufacture when compared to the original metal offering. It’s eight times larger, it’s now mounted on a beast of burden, and it’s covered in references to the Gitmob’s obsession with the Glareface Frazzlegit (a.k.a. The light of Hysh), and yet the identity of that original kit still shines through and is instantly recognisable. The picture below is actually the second Doom Diver Catapult that GW released – the original is even smaller!
Grots strapped to rickety wings don a variety of explosive and spiked helmets for their one-way trip towards enemy forces, while above them on the launch platform the current chosen implement of the Bad Moon’s will is loaded into a huge slingshot, cranked backwards to maximum draw, then released up a well-greased wicker ramp to their (and hopefully their enemies’) ultimate doom. All of these details are rendered really well on the kit. The greasy ramp is cartoonishly over-lubricated, helmets sit on a useful hat rack made from skulls, and the war machine’s driver turns a steering wheel that is connected directly the the supporting beast’s harness in a method that seems, if not quite feasible, then at least something that a grot would believe works.
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, chariots thunder towards the enemy lines. Unlike the Sunsteala Wheelas that we’ve already seen, flimsy and disposable contraptions of wicker, the War-wheela is of sturdier wooden construction, and a fair amount larger. The driver gets a bit of protection, rather than just sitting on a cushion, and the Snarlboss (of a similar level of paunch to Droggz) stands tall (relatively) in his section, ready to dish out some beatings with the hefty flail he wields. On the back, a runt prepares to light some explosive bottles of brew for a speed boost at the opportune moment.
The alternate build here is the Frazzlegit Shaman, which replaces the Snarlboss’ standing area with a tall pole, from atop which the shaman themselves can light up the battlefield and draw enemy fire away from their troops. The ‘Eavy Metal paint job on this variant really shines, with some great freehand across all of the poles which manages to be incredibly neat yet still retain the look of something daubed on by the grots themselves.
The Sprues
The sprues are well laid out, as is to be expected of modern GW kits. Each of these kits fills three A5 sized frames, although strangely the War-Wheela comes in a normal unit-sized box while the Doom Diver inhabits the larger, A4 sized boxes. I assume that’s as much about intended shelf positioning in retail stores as anything else, although the Doom Diver does include some fairly large pieces so it could also be an attempt to avoid deforming those by crushing them into a smaller box.
Really there’s not too much of interest to say about the sprues, save that they contain one of the best lil guys of recent years.
The Build
It’s another set of Gitmob kits, and I am once again recommending you build them in subassemblies to save yourself a world of pain. The Doom Diver is absolutely covered in crew who are much easier to paint separately, and I also left the ramp/platform piece loose for ease of access. For the War-wheela, which I’d opted to build as a Frazzlegit Shaman, I built the entire structure but left the shaman himself separate, as well as the two wolves and the driver. The catapult includes two options for the elastic element of the catapult itself, either wound backwards or flung forwards at the moment of launch. I chose the former, arguably because I’m a coward when it comes to breakable extremities on models.
The build experience on these was pretty fun, as with most of the new Gitmob kits. Parts mostly slotted together well, with good contact points and intelligent hiding of mold lines. I did have a couple of trickier moments with the War-wheela chariot: the sides do not initially locate very well until you also slot on another assembly, so I ended up with one of mine at a slight angle. This wouldn’t be too noticeable except that a pole passes up through the side, and a slight tile at the base becomes really obvious further up. I opted to break it apart and re-glue. I also had some difficulty seating the main trunk of the Shaman’s post – it needed some real pressure to sit close enough for all of the chain parts to also meet the floor of the chariot. Luckily it all looks great now it’s together, so no harm done!
The Paint
I decided to carry on the theme of the previous Gitmob models I’ve reviewed, sticking fairly close to the box art and putting them on some bright yellow desert bases. Models were basecoated with Contrast colours, before being washed and then highlighted. I tried to push bright with my highlights to really help the minis pop on the table. Despite looking a touch jarring up close under a painting lamp, I think it really helps the force stand out under room lighting, which helps when you’re a person whose hobby motivation is almost entirely driven by other people telling you they like your army!
For this mini-project of two war machines I chose to paint the collection of grots first, mounted to individual bases for painting. This meant I could really take my time focusing on common elements like the skin, without having to also be thinking about big areas of fur and wood at the same time. I’m pretty happy with how the skin has come out – it’s a base of Gutrippa Flesh, washed with a warm red-black wash, then highlighted first with Pro-Acryl Bright Yellow Green and then the same mixed with Dark Ivory. The pink noses, ears and knuckles were glazed with Dark Hot Pink, feathering back towards the green where necessary, before reapplying some of the final highlight over the join.
I noticed that the Doom Divers in the box art all had freehand on their wings and so I felt compelled to do the same, although it’s hardly visible in my main photo! I went back to take an extra shot just to show it off, I think it adds some character to an otherwise fairly large blank space, and hey if it looks a touch wonky I can just claim that it’s authentic to a grot’s design sensibilities. I also added a bit of freehand in the form of colour blocks to the poles on the Frazzlegit Shaman’s chariot, although I didn’t feel I had the time or energy to go as detailed as the box art one unfortunately.
Although I do a lot of “proper” highlighting on these Gitmob models, for the wooden parts of the warmachines I did resort to a few coats of drybrushing both before and after the wash step, to build up texture (and also ensure that this article was not two weeks late thanks to endless edge highlighting). I think the wood texture takes the drybrush really well, and I have gone back with a few fine brush highlights where required.
Check out the review of the Gitmob Army Set for some more in-depth painting steps on other parts of the models!
Final Thoughts
Overall, these kits were both good fun to build and paint! The Gitmob grots continue to ooze character, and the design language feels really coherent and cohesive across the sub-range. My only concern really is that at 180 points at the time of writing you might feel like you want to include more than one Doom Diver Catapult in your Gitz list, and it’s a hefty project to do twice without a huge amount of room for customisation beyond the choice of launch position. Still, in my opinion both of these kits show how capable Games Workshop continue to be when breathing new life into decades-old iconic designs. I’m looking forward to adding a Snarlboss on War-Wheela to my collection soon to round out the force.
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