I’ll never cease to be amazed at the lengths intrepid Warhammer 40k model converters will go to in merging their favorite pop culture icons with Games Workshop’s grimdark far future. Just two months into 2025, I’ve been floored by another magnificent kitbash: all four of The Golden Girls as Adepta Sororitas character models.
As the only all-female Warhammer 40k faction, it’s fitting that these before-their-time, elder feminist icons be drafted into the Sisters of Battle – but it’s the extreme fidelity of these custom models, and especially the paintjobs on their famous faces, that really stands out.
I genuinely can’t decide which is more shockingly good – this, or the kitbashed It’s Always Sunny Danny DeVito cyber-cherub we reported on last year.
The genius behind the project is Adam Huenecke, a hobbyist from the Chicago suburbs who also goes by ‘giddyup_buttercup’ on Instagram. He tells Wargamer the four custom models – Sophia as a Canoness, Blanche as a Repenta Superior, Rose as a Dialogus, and Dorothy as a Sister Dogmata – were an extended labor of love for the show.
“I grew up watching the Golden Girls,” he says, “but only recently realized how progressive their humor is (even by modern standards)”.
“Their comedic timing is unparalleled, and the characters perfectly balance one another (famously, like a good DnD party).”
The Girls’ perfectly 3d rendered heads were a custom creation, Huenecke explains – “I’ve done some studio work for Black Site Studios… and become friends with their digital sculptor. As a favor, he created the character heads for me.”
Luckily for us, the STL files for those heads are now on sale on the Black Site Studios site for the not-so-princely sum of $5.99 – so if you’re a dab hand at 3D printing miniatures you can cheaply make your own.
Huenecke’s superb kitbash required more than just the heads, though – the Girls themselves had to be just right, true to his cherished memories of the classic NBC sitcom. “I selected Sororitas characters that fit with the vibe of each Girl, and made appropriate modifications,” he says – “Dorothy is taller, Sophia smaller”.
“I had to digitally sculpt Sophia’s purse, which I’m not very good at and took an embarrassingly long time.”
And after pouring so much heart and soul into the build, Huenecke had to ensure the paintjob on the Girls’ faces was top tier. How did he manage it?
“Skin tones are hard!” he admits. “I suggest looking outside the typical ‘flesh’ tone paints, and focusing on realistic color choices. I use an almost khaki color as the base.”
Beyond that,” he adds, “find a good method for eyes – good eyes can save an otherwise mediocre model (and bad ones can ruin a great paint job).
“I painted the eyes before the rest of the face, using a method similar to Shepard Paine (How to Build Dioramas).”
The Girls haven’t yet led Huenecke’s holy orders into battle, sadly – “like most gamers, I collect and paint WAY more than I play” – but their day will come. “I can only imagine the Girls will be unstoppable”; he says.
The Adepta Sororitas got their latest, 10th edition Warhammer 40k codex in June 2024, and sadly for the Sisters, they’ve since bumped along near the bottom of the competitive tables this edition, very rarely seen in high level play. Perhaps what’s missing is some new (old) blood from a TV comedy that went off air in 1992 – it can’t hurt, right?
In the meantime, you can take the Sororitas to war in some of the best Warhammer 40k games on PC, including Battlesector and Gladius: Relics of War – and they feature in some quality Warhammer 40k books, too. If you’d rather try getting your brushwork up to Huenecke’s standard, you could start with our beginner’s guide to painting miniatures.
And at any rate, you should bookmark our Warhammer 40k news page and follow Wargamer on Google News for daily updates from the grimdark far future.
Source: Wargamer
