Da Blood Axe 42nd Mekanized Krumpany (List shenanigans 4/16)

[Kaldoth]

Hey all!  So, I've been at the hobby desk putting together all sorts of Orky stuff lately.  What with the Codex being nonexistant and expectations none too high, I decided to make the Ork army I've always wanted to make.  Zog off wiv da meta, I says!   So, this thread will be a bit of a ramshackle plog into the Blood Axe 42nd Mekanized Krumpany, 4th Platoon. 

So, the target army I'm going for is a 1500 point list based around my own experiences in the Army overseas in a mechanized company (minus the desert.  Had enough of that to the point I'd rather not be painting sand and rocks, thanks ).  As always, we'd be kicking around in the sandbox in our Strykers and we almost always had helicopter support, usually Kiowas or Apaches overhead.  So, that's the army I'll be going for: Lots of shoota boyz with deffkoptas and some Kommandos. 

 

The army will be based around the Armageddon Campaign, so I plan on using lots of Black Templar and Steel Legion trophies once I find a good source for them.  Snikrot was actually the Ork character that inspired this army, because he's dead 'ard and killy.  I had actually already painted him up a while back with a jungle themed base, but I'm second guessing that decision and thinking I might want to do a city fight type of camo pattern for these guys/ ruined city bases.  Its pretty much the only kind of terrain I've never worked with before, so I think it'll be a fun challenge.

 

I warn you all now, when I say this is going to be a ramshackle plog, I mean it.  I have sever hobby ADHLS (attention deficit HEY LOOK SHINY), so I have a bad habit of starting one project and then moving on to another before it is complete.  Right now on the work bench I have 30 Kommandos, a Stompa, some Flash Gitz, a looted Rhino, and I have 3 Kopta Kans from Kromlech on the way, as well as some Spellcrow stuff coming in too.  Its gonna be long and painful getting all this put together and painted, but I shall find some way to endure I'm sure

First up, Da List:

 

HQ: 

 

Warboss - 66 pts

Headwoppas Killchoppa, Attack Squig, Kustom Shoota

 

Weirdboy - 62 pts

 

 

Elites:

 

Painboy - 53 pts

Power Klaw

 

 

Troops:

 

11 Boyz w/Trukk - 155 pts 

Nob w Big Choppa, Sluggas, Choppas, Burna

 

11 Boyz w/Trukk -155 pts 

Nob w Big Choppa, Sluggas, Choppas, Burna

 

12 Boyz w/Trukk -167 pts 

Nob w Big Choppa, Shootas, Big Shoota

 

11 Boyz w/ Trukk -161 pts 

Nob w Big Choppa, Shootas, Big Shoota

 

 

Heavy Support:

 

Big Gunz - 81 pts

3x Kannon

 

 

Outrider Detachment 

 

 

HQ:

 

Boss Snikrot - 69 pts 

 

 

Elites:

 

15 Kommandos - 148 pts

Boss Nob w Power Klaw, Sluggas, Choppas, 2x Burna

 

15 Kommandos - 148 pts 

Boss Nob w Power Klaw, Sluggas, Choppas, 2x Burna

 

 

Fast Attack:

 

1 Deffkopta - 80 pts

Killsaw, Twin Big Shoota, Bigbomm

 

1 Deffkopta - 80 pts

Killsaw, Twin Big Shoota, Bigbomm

 

1 Deffkopta - 80 pts

Killsaw, Twin Big Shoota, Bigbomm

 

 

Total: 1500 Pts  

Command Points: 5

 

While I've already accepted the fate of the list being non competitive (maybe that'll change when the dex comes out), I do feel like its pretty solid for friendly games at least.  The Deffkoptas and Kommandos are going to do the majority of the vehicle hunting with their Klaws and Kill Saws.  I decided on Kannons over KMKs for cost and to have the option for frag rounds as we do have a few nid players in my hobby store.  The Warboss and Painboy roll with the melee boyz, while the Weirdboy sits back with the Shootas and smites away.  I'm pretty excited to see it on the field.  

 

Anyway, I figured I'd throw up a few snap shots of the Kommandos I have on the bench, as well as a very rough rhino I picked up from a buddy of mine:

 

 

 

 

So, I had the idea to do all Kommandos with berets to make them feel more elite, but then I realized just how many repeat faces I would have if I went that route.  I can't stand repeat models in an army, so given that these guys have experience fighting the Black Templars who embed neophytes with their more experienced battle brothers, and Blood Axes are more smarter and kunnin' than other Orks, I came up with the concept of "Green Teef."  Being a Kommando is a dead 'ard job, not for weedy gits and regular Orks,  so it only makes sense that to be a Kommando, you'd have to earn the title.  While Orks are usually genetically encoded with some know wots about certain things, being a Kommando is something learned, not just given at birth.  So,  the Kommandos of the 42nd Krumpany have taken a page out of the beakie's book and began embedding their newbies with the more experienced boyz.  The Kommandos with berets will be the more experienced guys, where non beret wearing Kommandos will be "Green Teef," and have one of their teeth painted green to show their "new guy" status.  I'm sure I'll write up some proper fluff for it eventually.  Hopefully you guys like the concept

Onto one of the trukks I have on the bench (or rather, in a vat of simple green).  A buddy of mine collected Warhammer a loooooong time ago and found his old model stash when he moved.  He hadn't seen them in well over a decade, so he passed them off to me.  The vast majority of them were in such bad shape and covered in such thick glue spots and paint they weren't salvageable.  I did manage to keep an old school Rhino and a Land Raider, though.  Only fitting that they be rebuilt and painted up good n' proppa!  So, this is what I have to work with.  The assembly on this thing was ghastly, frankly.  I have already pulled random bolters that were glued down onto it, a spotlight that was under the front slope, three smoke launchers all on one side of the Rhino, so on and so on.  You all will probably get a kick out of the photo of the underside.  Ten teef to the first person who can tell me whats wrong:

 

 

 

So, while that thing sits in a bath of simple green, I'll be coming up with some concept sketches on how to convert it to a Trukk.  Its going to be a big, complicated, pain in the behind but I'm pretty excited to getting it up to snuff.   I've actually never worked with the original Rhino kit, so it will be the first of many firsts for this army. 

Will post progress as it comes. 

Cheers

 

-Kal

[Magos Takatus]

As another Blood Axe collector, I have to say I am excited to see what you come up with. That Rhino really has had a hard life by the look of it, I think this one was born to be a looted Trukk.

 

I think the berets are an interesting idea, it reminds me of the old Kommando models with the wooly hats. :)

[FlamingDeth]

Honestly kommandos are sort of oddboyz anyways, being sneaky and stabby and all kinds of unpropper. Green teef seems a good plan, especially if you have a way to make them a tad smaller than the full fledged kommandos. As far as the rhino goes gotta be careful with the old ones, if you plan on opening it up they have zero interior detailing so that’s all stuff you’d have to scratch build yourself, not that it sounds like you’re adverse to that sort of thing.

 

Good luck! I won’t comment on the list since my gaming with orks amounts to dumping them out of a bucket, failing armor saves, then putting them back in to the bucket. I just build what looks cool.

[Pearson73]

The berets are well done and the green toof idea sounds great, very characterful.

[Tallarn Commander]

I look forward to watching your ork army devulop and I also love tbe berets!

[deathspectersgt7]

Dem Boyz rmind be of sum ladz from the 82nd.

[Kaldoth]

Dem Boyz rmind be of sum ladz from the 82nd.

I was debating on whether or not I should paint the berets red. On one hand, it would look really good with the ork skin. On the other, my Kommandos would start calling the other Orks "dirty legs" and as a proud tank commander I don't know if I can abide that

 

So, will hopefully have some progress on the trukk for you today. This thing is a nightmare. Our stripping adventure started with simple green, which is my usual go to. After 12 hours, barely any paint came off, so yesterday I switched it up to DOT 3 brake fluid and started seeing some progress. I don't know what kind of demon paint my buddy used to prime that thing, but it is the most stubborn paint I've ever had to deal with. I've actually had to take a hobby knife to carefully  scrape the paint off.  What's worse is all of the spots of really thick paint aren't spots of really thick paint at all; its all superglue.  This thing is coooooooated in the stuff, so its going to be a great adventure in sanding for me.  Another problem I'm having is the interior.  I can't get the two pieces of the hull to separate, and I want to get some interior work done, but its looking like that's not going to happen.  So, all of my design ideas might have to go out the window if I can't get these pieces to come apart :(  

[FlamingDeth]

My guess is that it isn’t superglue at all, but plastic cement. That can pool too, and is a right pain to do anything with. On the bright side it’s an ork vehicle so if it gets damaged in cleanup you can just rivet on some armor plates to cover it up!

[Kaldoth]

So, I finally got the Rhino stripped down, ripped apart, and cleaned up.  There were two different kinds of glue used on this thing, one of which had to be plastic cement.  I spent about three hours scraping and sanding away at the nooks and crannies where it all pooled up.  There was so much of the stuff built up where the pieces were joined I actually had to break out my dremel tool to sand it all off.  But, its cleaned and ready for converting, so I got started on the interior.  I added in a simple sliding door to separate the driver's hole from the crew compartment.  I have to go to my local hobby store to pick up some plastic strips for the floor panel and the troop ramp tomorrow, and I have to wait until next wednesday to get some hexagonal plastic rod for rivets, so progress is kind of halted currently.  I don't really know what I want to add to the interior walls, if anything.  Any suggestions?  I plan on building an enclosure on the top of the Rhino that the boys can hang out in and shoot from.  Just have to get the interior finished first before I can start measuring.  Its been a pain, but I'm glad I finally got some actual work done on it besides sanding off old glue and paint :D 

 

[Kaldoth]

The Orkfication has begun! Actual progress today.  First, I went into my hobby shop to get the plastic strips I wanted for the interior, but then I found some textured plasticard that is perfect for the interior and some panels, so I would up buying that instead.  Its thin enough to cut with scissors too, so I was pretty happy finding this little gem of a material. Last package of it on the shelf too So, this is what the inside looks like so far: 

 

Next up was adding Orky bits to the hull.  There are a bunch of armor panels and such in the Stompa kit, so I borrowed a few from there to come up with this: 

 

And finally was building the platform for the boyz to stand on while they're riding around.  To say this was a pain in the ass would be an understatement, but I finally got it all measured out and put together:

 

So, progress is going to be halted on this until next Wednesday. What's left to do on it:

 

-Adding all the rivets. Have to wait til Wednesday for my hobby shop to get more hexagon rods in.

-Green stuff along the bottoms of the steel panels in the cupola to shape into weld spots.
-Adding a grot sponson on the right hatch lid.  Mork knows when Forgeworld will have them delivered here.
-Figure out what to do with the interior.  I'm thinking either handles along the walls or maybe some small benches in the rear?  Any suggestions?
-Paint! 

Cheers,

 

-Kal 

[Tallarn Commander]

It's coming along nicely. Perhaps a gun, grot, or choppa storage rack would look nice.

[Smoke Frog]

Really unique looking commandos! I like the backpacks

[Are Verlo]

Great work on the Kommandos. Orks are truly the army for those of you with modeling/DIY-skills. Any imperial, xenos or ork chassis can be kitbashed with whatever you or the mekboy had at hand. I´ve seen cool kits based off rhinos mixed with WW2 tanks and so on. Add some ork glyphs and you are good to go! I can´t wait to see how your rhino ends up.

[Kaldoth]

So, sorry for no updates for the past week.  I had a bit of training to do for work that kept me from Thursday through last night.  Fortunately, I'm back now, and I came home to a shiny new box of minis from Kromlech Kopta Kanz! 

 

 

 

So, this is what they look like out of the bag and assembled. Sorry for all the background clutter in the pictures, but I couldn't be bothered to take these upstairs to the hobby room when the food and beer are downstairs I'm still waiting on stuff to come in for the Rhino, so I'll be starting the build on the three of these.  I've got one together so far.  Its a pretty simple kit.  I didn't realize just how soft the resin would be, so if you plan on picking any of these up be careful clipping the pieces off.  Also, there aren't any instructions, so be careful gluing stuff.  I managed to put the bottom plate that holds the landing skids on backwards.  Fortunately, it was easy to remove because the resin is so smooth superglue has a bit of a time holding the pieces together.  Final tip, definitely use either epoxy for the flat pieces, or score the mating sides to get some grip for superglue to adhere (what I did).  I'm also going to have to do some careful converting to keep them all from looking the exact same.  There isn't a whole lot of room for customization on these as they are incredibly detailed.  Not sure what I want to do with them yet, but hopefully I'll have them all put together by tonight and have any custom work done tomorrow.  As far as painting, I'm torn between an urban camo pattern for them, or going with all black and trying my hand at OSL for a stealthier look.  Thoughts?

 

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal

[FlamingDeth]

When given the choice between walking upstairs and remaining where the beer is, there’s only one logical option, really.

 

Also one vote for camo, leaves more room to ork it up I think.

[Kaldoth]

And the Kans are complete! :D Or, almost anyway.  I wound up accidentally snapping two fins off of two bigbomms during assembly (Like I said previously, super soft resin!) but other than that they are good.  Nothing a little plasticard won't fix ^_^ I remembered I had bought some Killa Kan close combat arms for another project that has since been binned, so I would up using them on the Koptas instead.  The result looks pretty good I'd say.  The ball joints on the Kan arms are a bit big for the shoulder sockets on Koptas, but that was fixed easily enough with some cutting and swapping of ball joints.  Other than that, I just wound up throwing a few extra orky bitz on them to break up the monotony.  I figure between that and settling on a camo pattern, they should look different enough when I paint them up.  Have to hit the hobby supply store again as I've ran out of the kind of card I need to fix the fins, but these guys should be seeing a coat of paint in the very near future!

 

 

 

 

 

And one for scale if you were curious:

 

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal

 

[Brother Casman]

I think a camo scheme would work quite well

[Kaldoth]

So, more progress today.  Got most of the Trukk finished up.  The grot sponsons finally came in.  I'm actually pretty disappointed with the casting quality on the grot.  He's got a lot of holes that will have to be patched up, and his eyeballs are pretty much nonexistant  I have no idea how I'm going to sculpt something that small, but I'll figure it out.  I added a fuel tank to the platform, as well as a ladder going down into the crew compartment and some stikkbombs and a glyph for the interior.  All that is left to do is rivets everywhere.  Unfortunately, the manager at my hobby store ordered the wrong size hex rod, so I have to wait until Wednesday again for him to get the right size -_-

 

I also managed to build up the rest of the Kommandos for the first squad as well as well as a painboy.  On a brighter note, after the Spellcrow painboy kit came in, they sent me a buttload of freebies which included some bare Ork torsos, so I made good use of them.  As it stands, there are 7 "blooded" Kommandos and 8 Green Teef.  There isn't much that's special about the rest of the ones I built, so only a couple pictures.  I'm really pleased with the painboy though.  I'm glad I found the masked burna head.  I definitely plan on covering his clothing in blood and gribbly bits :D  Something I didn't think of, though, is do I paint on green blood, or go with red?  It seems the fluff has shifted Orks into having red blood, but I could have sworn they bled green.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the painting front, what with Captain Semper announcing the return of ETL (!!!!!) I'm probably going to hold off on painting stuff and just building as much as I can.  Will definitely be pledging for Xenos this time around ^_^

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal

[FlamingDeth]

Skip sculpting eyeballs and do goggles instead, it’ll be a little easier. If you have some small rod you can start with tiny slivers of that for the lenses.

[Kaldoth]

I thought about making some goggles for him, but making circular goggles with the amount of space available between the face bandana and the lip of the helmet would probably be a bigger pain in the ass

 

I have enough Orks between the sprues I have left to start up on one squad of Shoota Boyz, so I'll probably get building on them tomorrow.  As someone who has yet to complete an ETL, I already feel like I'm going to be pledging one unit at a time

 

So, all of that being said, I noticed something after making sure all of the greenstuff backpack straps were clean and tidy on my bare-chested Orks:  Should Orks have bellybuttons? As a fungal-grown organism, there wouldn't be an umbilical cord because there isn't a parent organism that hosts them.  So, wouldn't Orks be belly-buttonless? Maybe this question is bettter suited in Amicus 

[FlamingDeth]

Goggles are easier than you think! Alternatively a box of grots has something like three extra heads on it so just replacing the head could work too.

[Aothaine]

Looking awesome so far! If I ever do Orks I'll have to use that Rhino idea. I love that Orks just take other stuff and build onto it because everything works because Orks think it will work. 

[Kaldoth]

120 hand cut rivets later and the Trukk is complete!  The finger pain is real :P But, the build is finally done, and I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out.  I'm glad I took the time to cut and glue all of these to be honest.  I didn't think it would make too much of a difference, but the extra little bit of detail really brings all the additions together in my opinion ^_^

 

 

So, all it needs now is paint.  With ETL coming up, I'll probably be leaving everything shelved until the event starts, so I probably won't have many more updates until then.  Look forward to more once ETL kicks off.  WAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal

[FlamingDeth]

Small detail note: May be able to put some rivets on the pointy bits on the front to keep it secured to the hull! There’s a couple of flat spots where it looks like they would sit well. If you wanted to be insane on the detail, technically rivets would go all the way through and be visible on both sides! I’m sure you’re keen on doing 120 more rivets right?

[Kaldoth]

Small detail note: May be able to put some rivets on the pointy bits on the front to keep it secured to the hull! There’s a couple of flat spots where it looks like they would sit well. If you wanted to be insane on the detail, technically rivets would go all the way through and be visible on both sides! I’m sure you’re keen on doing 120 more rivets right?

 

We will assume that these Orks have access to a steel threader, they drilled and threaded the steel halfway, and then screwed the bolts in and called the job a good'un :P  And the pointy bits actually have some already on there, just can't see them well in the picture because I can't be arsed to use anything other than my phone camera :D