Choose Your Own Adventurers #14: Necromunda Mauretania, Space Amazon
Necromunda’s just been re-rereleased, and there’s a piece of art floating around in White Dwarf and Warhammer Community that doesn’t correspond to any of the miniatures released yet, but is a lovely call back to a couple of 1980s classics.
Necromunda Mauretania makes all her decisions on the hoof.
The hoofed mad-haired Amazon in stockings is a leitmotif Games Workshop trot out occasionally – much like female miniatures. Let’s chart a quick family tree.
John Blanche’s Amazonia Gothique on the cover of White Dwarf 79 (July 1986).
This piece of art was made into the LE15 Kinky Chaosette miniature released a couple of months afterwards. The version on the left was a conversion by John Blanche himself, rather than a commercially available miniature. I’d love to know where the gun component came from.
White Dwarf 82 Amazonia Gothique miniatures (October 1986).
The Amazon with a gun concept did appear as a commercially available miniature a couple of years later, sporting a paint scheme very similar to the John Blanche conversion. She’s an Amazon, but she’s in space.
RT601 Space Amazon Adventurers, White Dwarf 99 (March 1988).
This Space Amazon turns up in those exact same colours, zebra stripe, leopard spots, piebald cow blobs in the John Blanche art compilation a year later. Sto’Knor Macekiller has painted his copy to match this, right down to the polka dot neckerbow.
Space Amazon by John Blanche, from Ratspike (1989).
Flashing forward to 2017, past some other possible miniature incarnations of the Amazon, and the cheeky nostalgia monkeys at Games Workshop re-relaunch Necromunda with this character popping up in the promotional art teasers.
Interestingly, I think the yellow patterns on her armour are meant to evoke the shape of the shield from the original Amazonia Gothique. I hope we see a miniature based on the this concept! Until then, I have painted the Rogue Trader incarnation based on the new (and the original) artwork.
Mauretania and the Claw Nebula pirates in the Jericho Ironworks on Necromunda.
The next episode of Choose Your Own Adventurers will be brought to you be sho3box.
CYAO Episode 13 – Phineas, the Navigator (axiom)
CYAO Episode 12 – Doug Orewell, Squat Miner (sho3box)
CYOA Episode 11 – Indiana Jones, Xenoarchaeologist (Curis)
CYAO Episode 10 – Rico “Snakey” Vitovitch, Pilot for Hire (axiom)
CYAO Episode 9 – Erica James, Sister of Silence (sho3box)
CYOA Episode 8 – Steppenwolf, Mutant Outlander (Curis)
CYAO Episode 7 – Cinereal Jeannie, Inquisitional Psyker (axiom)
CYAO Episode 6 – Joan Grace, Null Maiden (sho3box)
CYOA Episode 5 – Nebuli Tsar, Ventolin Pirate (Curis)
CYAO Episode 4 – Short Jern Silvo, Ratling Cook (axiom)
CYAO Episode 3 – Garnier Wangst, Eldar Trader (sho3box)
CYOA Episode 2 – Paradox Zeeman, Pirate Captain (Curis)
CYOA Episode 1 – Obi-Wan Sherlock Clousseau, Inquisitor (axiom)
Jeez, you did an outstanding job on this one ! It’s by far the best version ever. Not kidding.
Thanks! I’m a bit annoyed I missed the shield-shape in the freehand design, and was tempted to go back and repaint it, but thought it would risk ruining the figure.
That’s really nice.
The greenish armour is lovely. I dont recall seeing the illistration of the sci-fi version before actually. Do you know if the figure came before the illustration or vice versa?
Cheers! I’d not seen the piece either until this morning when I found Stro’knor’s version.
Also, I’d missed that Mad Donna Ulanti is another possible homage to Amazonia as she’s loadsa leopard print, and stockings with an ankle bracelet on the left foot and turned up fabric on right.
aaaaaaaaaand he knocks it out of the park again!
WOOP WOOP!
Yup, it’s awesome! You really nailed that titchy small face too. Well done mate :)
Faces with one eye are impossible to make look bog-eyed.
Just wonderful! So much back-referencing at the same time as being smack on trend. In isolation, the elegant jade and lilac colours are a lovely interpretation – utterly different to the red, yellow and black schemes that have gone before. For reference, mine will have pink hair and will hang out with my brats :)
Ya started her already?
I reckon this model was at least a partial influence on Mad Donna Ulanti. That would make her a pre-Mad Donna, and there’s a prima donna joke in there somewhere.
Wow, I had forgotten about that one, she’s pretty!
Thanks Suber!
Great work, and the whole article’s a very pleasing trip down memory lane – some good sleuthing in there.
I wonder if the cloven hooves are a feature of her rather severe boots, or else a subtle hint at the corrupting influence of a certain ruinous power?