Luggub's Droppaz; Rogue Trader-themed Orks

[apologist]

 

Waa-ork! Here are the Arch-Arsonist's crack* ladz from the Charadon Empire; Luggub's Droppaz:

 

 

* Definitely implying elite, and not a euphemism for 'expendable'.

 

 

+ Hruk's Gang +

 

 

Cheerful looking bunch, aren't they? I guess when your boss is the boss' mate, you get best pick of the loot (well, after da boss and da boss' boss – and da uvver bosses – have had their go).

 

I think the greenstuffed grins are my favourite part of this mob, but the nailed-on hand that allows Hruk to use the bolter he looted from some luckless Crimson Fist veteran is a close runner up.

 

The flaming skull on his belly plate is the Charadon Empire symbol (see below).

 

 

 

+ Zerox's Gitz +

 

 

 

This squad's got the best examples of the Rogue Trader elements I've tried to get in: a mix of ramshackle weaponry that nevertheless looks manufactured rather than all custom-built; heavier armour than modern orks; and a (slightly anarchic) sense of uniformity. I've tried to get more of a sense of individuality through, so they look like an undisciplined army, rather than a warband of beasts. 

 

 

+ Wortoof's Mob +

 

 

 

The clans – Deathskull, Evil Sunz etc. – weren't around for the Battle for the Farm era, so I ummed and erred about whether to retcon them in or not. In the end, I decided to keep things simple to avoid diluting the look. With that said, not showing it off isn't the same as saying it's not there – I think it'd be possible to pick out a mob of more Snakebitey-looking boyz, such as the fur-clad Wortoof here. Similarly, the two in the front rank here look slightly more like Blood Axes than the others.

 

 

 

+ Splatta's squad +

 

 

 

This mob's a good example of the contrast between the jokier-looking ork on the right, and the more savage Splatta in the centre. I'm not against humour in orks; I just think it's more fitting when there's a nasty streak to it...

 

 

 

+ Ident-markers and ikonography +

 

Backplates came in with Waaagh the Orks, and were given a lot of emphasis in terms of markings – working as a bit of blank space equivalent to a Space Marine's shoulderpad. They haven't really been mentioned much since 3rd edition, though they haven't explicitly been written out. The models, however, still have 'em, so I used the info from Rogue Trader to add the symbol of Luggub's Drop Legion to them:

 

Warpaint's also mentioned, so a few of the boyz have got classic chequers, dags and – what better for the troops of the Arch-Arsonist? – flames.

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Apologist

[Bryan Blaire]

So much character and history in those models! Awesome work Apologist!

[Aothaine]

Great work indeed!

[Brother Dallo]

Some really characterful models here.

 

You should be proud of them.

 

Do you have any WIPs?

 

Dallo

[Lexington]

Seriously, one of the most interesting Ork projects I've seen in a while. Great stuff.

[Marshal Rohr]

I'm struggling to find Ork heads that don't have a whimsical/boisterous look for my orks. I'm really trying to play up a monstrous feel. 

[Wolf Lord Duregar]

Lovelly boyz! I had that box of metal Orks from RT.... With that Space Marine scenario on some farm? Sadly long gone.. But it is fond memories you gave me there.. Great job!

[apologist]

Some really characterful models here.

You should be proud of them.Do you have any WIPs?

Dallo

 

Yes, quite a few. When I next have access to a proper computer I’ll upload some.

 

Seriously, one of the most interesting Ork projects I've seen in a while. Great stuff.

 

Ta very much. All part of a broader project (The Alien Wars) that’s looking at the question ‘what would the Rogue Trader-era stuff look like if it came out now?’

 

 

I'm struggling to find Ork heads that don't have a whimsical/boisterous look for my orks. I'm really trying to play up a monstrous feel.

 

 

Thoroughly recommend the Blood Bowl Orcs for that - slightly smaller, slightly more savage, but still identifiable as a GW Ork.

 

 

Lovelly boyz! I had that box of metal Orks from RT.... With that Space Marine scenario on some farm? Sadly long gone.. But it is fond memories you gave me there.. Great job!

Ta very much – and my pal Bob Hunk and I re-fought The Battle of the Farm with his awesome Crimson Fists.

[Marshal Rohr]

 

Some really characterful models here.

You should be proud of them.Do you have any WIPs?

Dallo

 

Yes, quite a few. When I next have access to a proper computer I’ll upload some.

 

Seriously, one of the most interesting Ork projects I've seen in a while. Great stuff.

 

Ta very much. All part of a broader project (The Alien Wars) that’s looking at the question ‘what would the Rogue Trader-era stuff look like if it came out now?’

 

 

I'm struggling to find Ork heads that don't have a whimsical/boisterous look for my orks. I'm really trying to play up a monstrous feel.

 

Thoroughly recommend the Blood Bowl Orcs for that - slightly smaller, slightly more savage, but still identifiable as a GW Ork.

 

 

Lovelly boyz! I had that box of metal Orks from RT.... With that Space Marine scenario on some farm? Sadly long gone.. But it is fond memories you gave me there.. Great job!

Ta very much – and my pal Bob Hunk and I re-fought The Battle of the Farm with his awesome Crimson Fists.

 

 

You are a genius

[Wolf Lord Duregar]

Lovely! I´ll get some coffee and have a look at that Battle Report, thanks! :D

[apologist]

A few pics of the Droppaz from the Alien Wars:

+ Blood Angels confront orks of the Charadon Empire on Lurtz. +

 

 

+ The fighting gets close and bloody. +

 

A close-up of Thrugg Bullneck and his drinking buddies:

 

...and some of my other ork stuff, fighting the dread saharduin:

 

+ Waa-Ghrast +

This explosive conflict saw the literal destruction of the world of Xin, when an ork Space Hulk crash-landed onto the small planet. Drawing in millions of fighters from both sides, as well as over dozen other alien species, the orks were eventually successful in defeating the Saharduin. This event is grudgingly regarded as having saved substantial proportions of the Ultima Segmentum from the depredations of the Saharduin, catastrophically reducing the species' fleet numbers and ability to expand. 

 

 

Despite the collateral damage sustained by allies in the region – the Squat League of Drummond lost forty per cent of its holdings, and two Forgeworlds were lost – the result is seen as a net positive for the Imperium, whose reserves descended on the bloodied remnants of Ghrak's forces and decimated them over the plains of Zomm.

 

+++

Edited October 15, 2019 by Apologist

[apologist]

Some really characterful models here.

*SNIP*Do you have any WIPs?

 

 

Sorry, took a while to dig these out, but hope they're interesting:

 

Building up the greenstuff. Note the reposing of the legs, to give a more upright posture.

 

 

 

Here's an example of how I'm aiming to emulate and update the classic sculpts:

For this project, I'm aiming for each ork to have a unique face; to match the classic character of the original models. Sometimes they get noses added (as here); other times it's more subtle:

 

Most are built from cheap second-hand stuff scored from eBay, so please excuse the existing paint.

 

 

+ Painting WIPS +

 

 

Being such a simple scheme, it's easy to hop around. This also helps their uniforms to vary slightly in tone – this, oddly, enough, adds to the realism.  As usual, I like to get some variety in skintones in a force; but I want to balance that against speed. The solution was to use paint remaining on the palette to slap on the runts. The picture above shows what a difference application can make: the grinning ork on the right and the grot on the left are painted using the same mixes; the only difference is that I use smooth, blended application for the grots, and textural scumbling and feathering for the orks to create the impression of rougher, leathery skin.

 

This pict-capture's a good illustration of the freewheeling approach to painting I'm using here – they're all at different stages, including one with (oddly) just his teeth done.

 

 

+ Skintones step-by-step +

If you're interested in how I tackled the skintones, I wrote a blog entry on + Death of a Rubricist + here.

[Wolf Lord Duregar]

Nice! :D That 4th pic - the first model, ever, I painted, was an Ork from RT in that pose.. :)

Nice work on them, very well done!

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

They look great!