Interlude

Just a short post.  

We've recently moved houses so I'm in the middle of constructing the new man-cave, which will allow me to actually unpack my minis and get back to work!  Look for a short side series on its construction over the next month or so.  As you can see 1) it is quite cave like and 2) there is lots to do!

In the interim we will endeavor to keep the posts coming.  Here is the last known shot of the old desk.  I've keep the image quite large so you can peruse all the WIPs.

The final painted pics of the Looted Wagon are just around the corner.  Stay tuned!

Red ones go fasta! Pt 2

Taking a short break from the Looted Wagon and going back to HQ choices with my second Big Mek, Major Buzdak.  

Buzdak is most often found tooling around in his Battlewagon, ionized air crackling around it from his forcefield generator, as, like any good Mek, he careens in the most reckless way possible across the battlefield, oblivious to any incoming fire, until things end in a right proper pile-up!

First, full credit to highelf who I shameless copied the idea from - I mean... was inspired by.  Check out his far better original on CoolMiniOrNot.

Here is a WIP shot of both Big Meks primed black after building,  You can find my post on Big Mek Gogstompa (the one on the right) here.

Similar to Big Mek Gogstompa, Buzdak is takes his inspiration from the Imperium (in true Blood Axe fashion), and has similarly adorned himself in Mechanicus red robes (but with Orky dags instead of gears) - after all 'red ones go fasta!

The mini is the old metal GW Big Mek with Forcefield Generator.  I've sculpted the hood (and added a few other targeting systems), converted his axe to a more Mechanicus looking gear and added the electrical arcs by bending stiff wire between the arc nodes.

Buzdak is accompanied by his (un)trusty Gort oilers.  These guys are assembled from a random collection of bits:

  • The Pit Chief is a Night Goblin with a Inquisitor scale Mendrite hand and a WWII tank wrench
  • Grot #1 is a Spell Crow torso, Fantasy goblin legs and a second wrench from the very, very, very first Ork battlewagon kit
  • Grot #2 is a GW plastic Grot head, Fantasy goblin legs and the hammer and toolbox are the same battlewagon kit (I knew keeping that kit for 20 years would pay off some day :P)

He is also accompanied by another Mekano Squig from Wargame Exclusive.    I love that its just a giant maw with legs!

And here is the group shot.  The electric arcs don't show up very well against the white background so thought I'd try something a little different.

Hope you like these.  If you do, follow me on social media to see more.  

We'll get back to the Looted Wagon shortly!

Drive it like you stole it Pt 2

The most potent of the Wargear options you can add to the Looted Wagon is the Kill Kannon.  No need to make one of those with this kit - but what if you don't want one (I can't think of why, but, what if).  Similar to the front gun, I built a transition piece that could replace the turret.  I then added a hatch, also from Kromlech.  

Then I got a little obsessive with the magnets.  So, the transition piece is magnetized to the tank, the hatch is magnetized to the transition piece, the lid is is magnetized to the hatch and then the lid then has tiny magnets in the hinge so it can open and close (not completed in pic below).

And with one of Kromlech's tank crew added.

One of the pitfalls (and awesomeness) of so many magnets, is you can just keeping adding and combining pieces.  So Kromlech's turrets (and associated guns) can also be added as an alternate.

And now we loose all pretense of useful wargear conversions.  Without the turret and the steep angle of the front armour made me think this could be an an awesome tank destroyer.  So built a gun, added a magnet and viola, an Ork StuG - but really just another Kill Kannon option.

And the last and most pointless conversion, I swapped out the engine plant in the back for a set of doors. The idea was that if the Looted Wagon was carrying troops, there should be an Access Point.

Finally, a shot of (most of) the pieces laid out.  I did build a few additional options - Deff Rolla, a few more Big Shoota and Rokkit options, etc.

Hope you're liking this look at a, now fairly modular, scrap tank/looted wagon!  Next post we get some paint on this bad boy.

Drive it like you stole it Pt 1

Lets move from infantry models to something with a little more umf - tanks!

With the 7th Ed codex, many of the Ork vehicles got kick-ass new kits.  Sadly, the Looted Wagon wasn't one of them and, in fact, would eventually be removed entirely by the time we got to the 8th Ed book - fortunately, it did reappear in White Dwarf a few months later.

So I was super excited when I found this on MaxMini  - the Scrap Tank (this was long before it was re-purposed as part of their Green Alliance Kickstarter).

It's roughly the same size as a Leman Russ and is a beautifully detailed resin kit that works just perfectly with the new Ork look (as if it was designed too).  Its super easy to build, consisting of a just an handful of parts but still has a fantastic level of detail.

Now, as awesome as this kit is, it did need a little work to allow for all the Looted Wagon wargear (e.g. Big Shootas/Rokkits, with and without a Kill Kannon, Deff Rolla, etc).

I started with the Big Shoota options.  Instead of using the assault cannon that came with the kit, I magnetized a Big Shoota in its place.

I also added another magnet on top on the turret.  It has my 'Longteef' banner to identify it as part of my Blood Axe clan, but it can be replaced with a cupola mounted Big Shoota (not pictured).   That gave me two Big Shoots but I needed a third.  So I used the big flat area on the front armour, added a third magnet and built a mounting bracket out of plasticard.  I then magnatized that and added the Big Shoot from Kromlech.

Given the mounting point and the guns are all magnetized they can be removed/swapped, so I naturally added the other Kromlech guns (Skortcha, Rokkits, Kannon, plus Big Shoota) - just to have options :)

I now needed three Rokkit options.  I used 2 of the existing magnets and added one more magnet in the smoke launcher (on the other size of the Kill Kannon).

But just to keep things interesting, what it the Rokkits were firing!

The Rokkits where made using the old Forgeworld Ork vehicle weapons kit.  The Rokkits were cut free of their launchers.  I took a wire and bent into a somewhat haphazard flight path and put one end into the Rokkit and puttied a magnet to the other.  I then rolled a ton of green stuff balls of varying sizes to represent smoke blooms and built up a smoke trail, starting with the larger ones at the end working up to the smallest.  The 'bubble' effect gets mitigated when they are painted and the cracks get filled up.

Next post the conversions deviate from just wargear and go slightly off the rails.

Some Like it Hot Pt 4

Ok, here is the final post for the Ork Burna unit with the inclusion of the leader, Mekboy Gear'ead Gazlugg.  Gazlugg, like all of his ilk, has a desire to construct and deconstruct in equal measure.

 

He's really just the old stock plastic Mekboy with a bit of a fancy base.  I've put him on 32mm to help distinguish him as the squad leader (that and his big shinny gun!)

 

And finally, here is the shot of entire 11 man squad.  Not bad given 60% of the squad is based off 2 models.

Some Like it Hot Pt 1

Some Orks just want to watch the world burn.  They are cleverly called Burnas.

During a Waaaah, these flame loving fellows are fearsome flamethrowers reducing all in their wake to molten slag or crumbling ash.  Because their weapon of choice is also a powerful torch, they often join boarding parties where they can cut through the thickest bulkheads to gain entry or assault large warmachines to slowly dismantle them.  In 'civilian' life, Burnas are often employed by Big Meks as welders in their construction projects or in scarp and salvage work.  

My Burnas originally started out as heavy weapon options for my boyz mobs (as was the option in the 3rd ed codex).  

I needed 4 Burnas for my 2 squads but GW only produced 2 single piece metal models (remember metal).  Never wanting dups, I built two others using 2 standard Ork boyz, Burna mask heads, Scortchas from the old (metal) dreadnought and a few Skaven Warpfire Thrower backpacks.

Next up: more Burnas and what happens when Burnas become a squad of their own!

Lowest of the Low Pt 4

We come to the last of our Grot posts - the command squad - in true IG fashion, the Grots of Da Longteef have cobbled together a command squad of sorts, including a Lieutenant, Kommisar and a few 'special' weapons.  These particularly intelligent, brave, ambitious or willing Grots bark orders (a few even correctly) and generally try to keep the squad moving in the right direction.

The Lieutenant is built in same fashion as the other grots, though this time with an officer cap (again from Basicks), a grot-sized chain sword and a las pistol - a fancier weapon, as befitting his rank, than the crude pistols the other grots use.  Finally, a fur half cloak from the Empire White Wolf upgrade sprue makes a nice cape and gives him just a little more 'authority'.

The one element of the IG  that remains an ongoing mystery to the Orks is why you would have two people in charge (the concept of morale being largely lost on a Ork mind).  Never the less, there must be a reason - in this case to mostly give contradictory orders and add to the general chaos that is an Ork battlefield.

The Kommissar is a goblin officer from Basicks with the most Commisar looking hat from their officer head sprue.

Finally, one of the special weapons.  This is one of the older pre-plastic GW grots, though I've sawed him in half to give him some pants and boots.  I think the blunderbuss works great a special weapon - like a crude, big blast shotgun 

Here is a shot of the entire command squad.  The dual pistols and Necromunda shotgun are really just place holders until I can find something a little more characterful.

And finally, the current squad all together.

Hope you're liking this look at the Orks.  Please comment and follow on facebook..
Next post we'll have a new squad!