The Ushoran Model from Warhammer Age of Sigmar Is Excellent for Skaven Verminlord<br>

Zombies are not my thing. Though World War Z is a fantastic book (and a passable movie), I get tired of the shambling undead really quickly. I liked Left 4 Dead 2 as a youngster. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is entertaining, but instead of watching Poxwalker after Poxwalker explode at the end of my lasrifle, I wish we were Chaos cultists representing the four Gods battling against legions of Guardsmen or planetary defense forces.

The same holds true for games on a table. If I could field a few elite knights or elves, why would I build a horde of zombies? The thousands of foot soldiers worry me, but I prefer the beauty of the centerpiece models. I know what it’s like to paint 100 Boyz in a week, I’ve played Orks in 40K, and I’m even less inclined to do it for zombies.


For this reason, I’m turning Mortarch of the Flesh-eater Courts, Ushoran, into a Skaven figure. I want to base my force around this great miniature, if you can call it that—he is more than four inches tall. However, a zombie force is not what I want. On the other hand, a ratmen force is quite alluring.

Ushoran’s pointed toes and clawed hands served as the model for this modification. Before the recent range refresh, I had seen digital mockups of him transformed into Seraphon (Lizardman) or even a Kroot figure, but his stooped posture and sallow looks instantly made me think of Skaven.

It was an easy plan: switch out the head and weapons, then pin the tail on the Mortarch. Furthermore, it functions even without the need to use modeling putty or green stuff. I’ll probably work on the forearms a little bit and add some fur tufts to hide the rotting limbs, but I’m not too proud to say that I think I’ve got a winner here.


This might be thought of as the “first draft” of the conversion. I still need to locate a weapon that resembles a Skaven “religious staff,” tidy up the green stuff on the skull, and possibly make the tail more noticeable.

I’ll use this chance to briefly discuss the Ushoran model in general. His cloak, which has more components than the Mortarch’s body, is an amazing technical achievement in modeling. All of the glue spots and mold lines are expertly concealed inside unseen recesses and folds, and the entire assembly comes together like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

The model fits together well once you understand how it’s designed to work, albeit there are a few challenging locations. The fact that the dynamic model fits together so smoothly with so few mould lines to cut or spaces to fill is a credit to the sprue designers.

What will be my Skaven monstrosity, then? In my opinion, it represents the physical form of the Chaos God and is a Greater Daemon of the Horned Rat. In the Age of Sigmar mythos, the Horned Rat has essentially become a member of the Chaos pantheon, so why wouldn’t it have avatars and effigies on the battlefield? I’ll have to use it as a Verminlord in-game if I ever get to play with it, but that’s okay with me.


Though I’m no lore expert, particularly when it comes to Age of Sigmar rather than the Old World, Skaven are typically clever assassins, insane scientists, or pious plague-bearers. You see, it all depends on their clan. Therefore, I believe that Not Ushoran will be a member of a very religious Skaven cult that has completely surrendered to the winds of Chaos. Through sheer force of will and volume of prayers, this group compelled the Horned Rat to share a throne with Khorne, Nurgle, and Tzeentch.

My preference for Skaven over Undead is unclear. It’s just my innate tendency, I suppose. Perhaps I won’t even assemble an army of Skavens to pursue this centerpiece. But rather than producing anything out of the box, I find the lore more captivating, my innovations more thrilling, and the art of conversion more intriguing. All I have to do now is get out the Green Stuff and start thinking of rattish clan names.