Hive Scum & Brood Scum for Necromunda

After Van Saar and Cawdor it’s time to bring out the mercenaries and there are none better (read: cheaper) than the Hive Scum. Time to sit back as I explain How to Paint Hive & Brood Scum.

Necromunda

Necromunda is a game of 6 houses and their gangers fighting for the Underhive… but sometimes people outside the Houses want to carve out a territory.

Hive Scum / Brood Scum

Hive Scum can either be used as Hired Guns for a one-off mission – crucial if you have some injuries or need someone to ‘volunteer’ to do a dangerous job – or as part of an Outcast gang — where they form the majority of the gang.

Brood Scum use the same models, but with Genestealer hybrid heads from the Malstrain sprue… they are the Scum of Hive Secundus — and they may be infected. Be aware!

Pictures

How do they play?

Hive Scum and Brood Scum are individually average. They will not win any games on their own. But together they have access to some fun weaponry, basic armour and grenades so they can fight.

Alternatively they can keep the heat away from the gangers and Juves you want to survive… or your Malstrain Genestealer.

I love using Hive Scum in a one off game to learn the rules play with something a bit different. Or as an excuse to paint outside my gang colour schemes. The only thing tying these guys together is their bases and their desire to survive.

Paints Used

If you have lots of paints you have not used. Or colours that just don’t get on the table then Hive Scum can be the gang for you. There is no template or restriction in what they can be or what they are wearing. It is a great opportunity to try what you want. For me that meant trying out my Contrast range.

Undercoated in Black and Zenithal highlighted with Grey Seer I then attacked them with contrast paints. I used Nazdreg Yellow, Talassar Blue, Snakebite Leather, Militarum Green, Blood Angel Red, Gryph Hound Orange, Volupus Pink and Magos Purple. My favourite is definitely Talassar Blue. It is so vibrant and contrasts with the colour pallet I normally use for the gangs.

Weapons mostly used the traditional Mephiston Red, because red guns make Necromunda if you are of a certain age. Metals were done in Leadbelcher and Balthasar Gold and ropes and cloth was done in Rakarth Flesh.

Where the colours felt a little flat I used the shades Nuln Oil & Agrax Earthshade.

Finally the bases are very simple. Black undercoat, Leadbelcher and Balthasar Gold and a wash (or 2) of Nuln Oil. All with an Abbadon Black rim.

So, that’s How to Paint Hive & Brood Scum — graphic below:

Buying a Box?

These are available everywhere, so try your local FLGS first – or ask them to order in for you. If you don’t have a local FLGS then Woehammer has an affiliate link with Element Games which gives us a small kickback to buy more toys. The Hive Scum box has 4 scum in it at RRP of £13.50.

I think this is one of the best sets out there – I now have 12 Hive Scum and certainly will be looking at another box in the near future – they also have some fun weapons options and you can use them as a basis for some of the gangs if you wanted Gangers or Juves who stood out. Cawdor is the obvious first call, but they would look okay in Orlock (especially with the drum-fed autogun) and could be used as a Nat-Born Juve for Goliaths (indicating their reduction in Toughness).

And keep the spare weapons – they are always useful for your other gangs who sometime lack the basic weapons and pistols included on this sprue.

— Declan and Eeyore