24 replies to this topic

[Lexington]

 

Among the uproarious and violent society of the Orks, there is perhaps nothing so rare as a lasting institution. Greenskin culture does not hold much truck with continuity, and an organization is only as good as its last victory. In this way, the infamous mercenary marketplace known as Da Kamp stands apart, having established itself as a bastion of reliable stability within the chaotic bounds of Ork space.
 
Da Kamp is home to a variety of mercenaries, all available for hire to raiding parties, warbands and even Waaaghs! From across the galaxy, discerning Bosses of all sorts come to see a microcosm of all the specialized violence that exists throughout Orkdom, and to add a bit of temporary muscle to their own forces while they’re at it. All of this is somewhat extraordinary on its own, but even more so are Da Kamp’s origins, which lie in a tale of blood, betrayal and the distinct lack of a plan...

 

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Hey, ya'll.

 

I've long promised various friends and other non-hostile entities that I would finally get a log for my Orks up here on the venerable B&C, and this seemed like as good a time as any. Their background's already been put to page earlier this year's Iron Gauntlet challenge, and now the models will follow!

 

First up is Torq, whose background is included in the article above. Torq came around in 7th Edition, when one could suddenly take Big Meks on Bikes and slap a Kustom Force Field on them for optimal mobile protection. Around the same time, a friend of mine by the name of Tor gave me a bunch of old Ork stuff out of the goodness of his heart, so I decided to base a character on him. The actual Tor is sort of his own legend around in Minneapolis gaming circles, and is always full of bizarre stories (‘have I ever told you about the time I forgot how doorknobs worked?’), so it wasn’t exactly a difficult translation.

 

 

 

 

 

In further biking adventures, here's the very WIP Nob of an upcoming Warbikers unit. Background's pretty light on this one, but he's definitely got a 'little guy' complex, and his signature oversized power fist has gotten him the nickname 'Knuckledragga' - though not to his face, if you know what's good for you.

 

 

Finally for today, painting. Way back in the wilds of 3rd Edition, I became an Evil Sunz fan based entirely around this single picture from the new Ork Codex:

 

 

Getting this scheme to happen properly on an Ork, to say nothing of the mass production required of a full Ork army, has been a long-term challenge. I may have finally gotten it down, though, to a standard that's both acceptable and time-friendly:

 

 

It's a pretty simple recipe, relying on a lot of Contrast and a non-zero amount of fudging around the dark areas that are harder to see. Have about ten of these guys fully done up, with more on the way.

 

So, that's that for this first entry. Comments, criticisms, ideas and unadulterated jeering are all welcome. Thanks for reading!

 

Track of the Day: Christmas Steps by Mogwai - A slow, long, steady buildup to some truly explosive nonsense, which isn't a metaphor for anything, I assure you.

[Kyknos of Athena]

Nice bikes!

[Brother Chaplain Kage]

 

 

++++++++++

 

Hey, ya'll.

 

I've long promised various friends and other non-hostile entities that I would finally get a log for my Orks up here on the venerable B&C, and this seemed like as good a time as any.

 

 

 

Nice to see your greenskins finally hit the board!

[Lexington]

Thanks, all!

 

Small update tonight:

 

 

 

Giving some bulk to the upper arms like this is an idea I stole from someone on the sadly-departed WAAAGH! Forum, and the shoulder area's been brought down/outwards a bit to complement it. Big, solid boy! The pistons are technically functional still, 'till I glue them together later. The current hand clamps are both Privateer Press bits, and the lower arms/clamps will likely be a combination of parts from some of the Merc 'Jacks as well. Just need Privateer to finally re-establish their parts service...

 

Also, I can paint more than one Ork Shoota Boy! This is an incredible personal accomplishment, let me tell you.

 

[Brother Chaplain Kage]

Ahhh yes, I thought those clamps looked familiar. Nice job on the scratch-built hydraulics too!

[Urauloth]

Real classic stuff here. Between this and Apologist's alien wars, it's a great time for ork nostalgia on the B&C. I remember that 3E codex fondly, and I always liked the way the pale cloth on those Sunz worked to set off the flashy red of their armour; seems as though you've recreated that look nicely here with a straightforward contrast-based approach.

 

Looking forward to seeing that dread painted up! Are you planning to add any flame patterns to anything, by the way?

[Azaiel]

Great work!

 

Love the gunslinger pose on the deff dread.

[Shovellovin]

Holy smokes! I love the bikers!!! Where'd the pewter springer come from? I also like like the use of the flathead Harley. One suggestion I'd make is to move the sissy bar back; I'd recommend having it coming off the rear axle. It's a bit close to the rider.

[PeteySödes]

Hell yes dude, Im glad i didnt miss this for too long. Always happy to see your work!

[Evil Eye]

Nice work! I'm loving the paintjobs on the basic Boyz, and the conversions thus far are great too. Loving the Deff Dredd- I've often wondered about using PP bitz for Warhammer purposes, I tend not to like the actual models but the individual parts have merit IMO.

[Lexington]

Ork work continues to apace, but I am very bad at updating things. Thanks for the comments, everyone! I'll try not to leave several months between posts again...

 

Ahhh yes, I thought those clamps looked familiar. Nice job on the scratch-built hydraulics too!

 

Thank you! Really happy with how those turned out.

 

Coincidentally, the guy whose work inspired it happened to wander into an Ork Discord channel I'm known to frequent - goes by the name of Badfang, and he's a delight. Seemed to really enjoy my take on his concept.

 

Real classic stuff here. Between this and Apologist's alien wars, it's a great time for ork nostalgia on the B&C. I remember that 3E codex fondly, and I always liked the way the pale cloth on those Sunz worked to set off the flashy red of their armour; seems as though you've recreated that look nicely here with a straightforward contrast-based approach.

 

Looking forward to seeing that dread painted up! Are you planning to add any flame patterns to anything, by the way?

 

Thank you very much! I'm still looking to improve the color scheme where possible, especially the skin, but it's been great to finally get something down after years of not quite getting it right.

 

As for flames, there will be many, including some on the shoulder armor of the ones you've already seen here.

 

Holy smokes! I love the bikers!!! Where'd the pewter springer come from? I also like like the use of the flathead Harley. One suggestion I'd make is to move the sissy bar back; I'd recommend having it coming off the rear axle. It's a bit close to the rider.

 

As the odd placement of the sissy bars and other elements might suggest, I don't actually know very much about motorcycles. This project's been pushing that knowledge forward, though. Not sure I'll be able to move the bar, though. It's somewhat stuck in a position between the rider and the KFF that's built into the rear fender. Thanks very much for the suggestions, though!

 

Oh, and the bike is from MaxMini. Absolutely adore that thing, and Torq's will be joined by at least one more in the (semi) near future.

 

Hell yes dude, Im glad i didnt miss this for too long. Always happy to see your work!

 

Sodes! Always great to hear from you. Thanks for the comments, hopefully we can see each other before I take off for St. Louis this summer.

 

Fun trivia fact for the masses - PeteySödes, Tor (of Torq's inspiration) and I all used to work at the same Minnesota tech company some years back, along with a couple of other very talented folks of the 40K variety. Like most good things, it couldn't last, but they were memorable times.

 

Nice work! I'm loving the paintjobs on the basic Boyz, and the conversions thus far are great too. Loving the Deff Dredd- I've often wondered about using PP bitz for Warhammer purposes, I tend not to like the actual models but the individual parts have merit IMO.

 

PP's chunky style really suits Orks in my opinion. Got out of the game some years back, but there's still some leftover bits and bobs strewn throughout my bits box. It's probably inevitable that they'll make their way into a few more greenskin conversions.

 

Managed to happily snag a Christmas Ork the other day, and I've since decided that he'll end up as the standard bearer for Zagdakka's warband, the Burning Skullz. Still need to get the banner-clutching power fist from the standard model, but here's the beginnings of what'll hopefully be a quick conversion:

 

 

Next up is an exercise in shameless copycat-ism that I'm fairly proud of. Most of the vehicles in this army are built from 1/35th scale WWII models, which was inspired by a single conversion built by the legendary Scarpia from the aforementioned WAAAGH! forum. It's called Gooba'z Wagon, and it is perfect. I'd intended to do up a tribute to it ages, but had trouble sourcing the engine. Turned out to be from a 1/24 V12 Ferrari Testarossa, and I was lucky enough to find one on eBay this summer, separated from the full car. So, I got to work on making my own Trukk version of Scarpia's original.

 

 

 

 

Still some work to do in the cab, but it's pretty close to getting there, and I'm very happy with it. More soon, including some needlessly complex Lootas and Tankbustas!

[Syrakul]

Love the custom bikes and truck! Ive had a go at several tamiya kits for the same purpose, and the details are perfect all over! (Suspension, drive trains etc)
Looking forward to seeing more of the vehicles, and another 20+ orks painted to that standard...

[lionofjudah]

Man...that's a lovely trukk already. I just updated my son's Ork army and your basing is what I'm aiming for...mind sharing that recipe

[Lexington]

Love the custom bikes and truck! Ive had a go at several tamiya kits for the same purpose, and the details are perfect all over! (Suspension, drive trains etc)
Looking forward to seeing more of the vehicles, and another 20+ orks painted to that standard...

 

Cheers! One downside of this whole thing is that it's gotten me a little obsessed with the underbody/mechanics of my vehicles, to the point where I feel the need to make sure every vehicle has a quasi-feasible drive system. You know, on the underside. Where no one looks.

 

It's a disease.

 

Man...that's a lovely trukk already. I just updated my son's Ork army and your basing is what I'm aiming for...mind sharing that recipe

 

Thank you! Here's the basing scheme as I remember it (been a minute since I did the bases...I should write this stuff down somewhere). Note that the paint is all over a white undercoat:

 

Textures:

• Light coat of Stirling Battlemire (helps the next step adhere)
• Agrellan Earth, all thick n' gloppy as Gork intended
• Dots of Armageddon Dust where appropriate

Paint:

• XV-88
• Heavy dunking of either Agrax Earthshade or Army Painter Strong Tone (I use them fairly interchangeably)
• Heavy drybrush of P3 'Jack Bone

 

Now, the promised Lootas!

 

 

 

 

 

The plastic Lootas have never been for me, so much. Not that it’s bad kit, but it’s hard to square the chunky, shoulder-mounted Deffgunz with the practical, mobility-minded look of my Evil Sunz. I’ve always dug on a converted Loota shown in the color section of the 4th Edition Codex, made by replacing a Burna Boy’s weapon with a double-barreled gun from a Warbike kit, and that became the visual base for the unit.

 

To balance out the hefty gun, I wanted to give every model in the unit some kind of an ammo backpack. Since they’re Lootas, it seemed reasonable to have a variety of styles, here – some would have built automated ammo feeds (somewhat inspired by the Flash Gitz from the original Dawn of War), some would create provide motive power and be connected via cabling, and a few unlucky gitz would have to make due with an ammo-filled rucksack. For the more advanced ones, the Snazzgun coverings from the Flash Gitz kit made for an awesome base, with lots of slots for ammo feeds, plus technical wotzits like knobs, dials and levels to simulate whatever madcap system the local Mek could knock together. Stick some ammo boxes from Bikes, (actual) Lootas, and even a few ‘oomie bitz, and you have something properly Orky, and functional-ish to boot.

 

In the works are the last few stragglers that'll bring the unit up to its full fifteen, including a Mek with some interesting headgear courtesy of Hardcore Miniatures.

Edited by Lexington, 02 January 2021 - 07:42 PM.

[Brother Chaplain Kage]

I also never cared for the roll-cage lootas and a personalized squad like this just shows even more how much they missed the mark with that kit. Fantastic work!

[Nexus17]

Well Lexington, I've got to say, those are some of the best Lootas I've seen.

I'm no fan of the look of the stock kit either (just what is the deal with the whole frame thing anyway?) And this underslung look is really characteristic of orks.

I'd love to know where you get your ammo belts from, too.

[Lexington]

Finally putting a banner on the foot version of Zagdakka, and can't decide which arrangement is better here. Fishing for opinions because it's driving me a little crazy!

 

 

[YoungWolf7]

I like the version on the left Lex.

[Brother Chaplain Kage]

Da leff one!

[The_Chaplain]

Yeah, inclined to agree- I think the left configuration is the way to go

[mithrilforge]

Awesome work here indeed !! 

i'm going with the right one  ...it looks more pleasing to the eye...plus the squig banner should be on top... it's your mark isn't it 

 

Cheers, Mithril

[lhg033]

To echo everyone else, brilliant stuff here! Not sure how I've missed this thread previously.

 

I love the lootas particularly.

 

 

Another vote for the left one!

[Evil Eye]

Definitely prefer the left configuration, but may I just say regardless of how you do the banner, that's a fantastic warboss! I love seeing metal components used in models- "mixed media" kitbashes are fun!

The lootas are good too, my sole complaint being the one whose ammo belt is dangling over his base rim. It's a very personal nitpick of mine that model parts shouldn't go beneath the "ground level" of the base- it breaks the immersion a bit, at least for me. That said that could just be my autism speaking, and there's no doubt they are an awesome skwad of boyz.

[Lexington]

Much thanks for the feedback, all!

 

I posted this up on a variety of social medias, and the response was pretty mixed. My wife made a pretty good point, tho - the one with the horns, explosion and lightning bolt all in one place feels like all the "action" is happening at the top, while the Evil Sunz symbol just hangs out in the middle of the model feeling dead, and almost severs the whole model into two warring focal points. With things more distributed, it keeps the focus on Zag's head, where it belongs. Think I'll take her advice and go with the second option.

 

Also, more Loota! This guy took a while, but I'm pretty happy with how he came out:

 

 

 

 

Well Lexington, I've got to say, those are some of the best Lootas I've seen.

I'm no fan of the look of the stock kit either (just what is the deal with the whole frame thing anyway?) And this underslung look is really characteristic of orks.

I'd love to know where you get your ammo belts from, too.

 

Thank you! The Ammo Belts are from Dragon Forge Design, but it looks like they're no longer being made. Zinge has a few options for this, but their sprues have several "linked" ammo blocks, rather than bare belts, which is why I didn't end up going with them.

 

Awesome work here indeed !! 

i'm going with the right one  ...it looks more pleasing to the eye...plus the squig banner should be on top... it's your mark isn't it 

 

Looks like someone is reading my Ork Twitter.

 

Thanks!

 

To echo everyone else, brilliant stuff here! Not sure how I've missed this thread previously.

 

I am very bad at updating the thread, so I think it ends up falling off the radar pretty easily. Thanks very much for the compliments!

 

Definitely prefer the left configuration, but may I just say regardless of how you do the banner, that's a fantastic warboss! I love seeing metal components used in models- "mixed media" kitbashes are fun!

The lootas are good too, my sole complaint being the one whose ammo belt is dangling over his base rim. It's a very personal nitpick of mine that model parts shouldn't go beneath the "ground level" of the base- it breaks the immersion a bit, at least for me. That said that could just be my autism speaking, and there's no doubt they are an awesome skwad of boyz.

 

Thanks! I've wanted to do a banner like this for him since just about forever (most of the model's a little over twenty years old now...yikes), but have only just now gotten around to it). Glad it's worked out in a way that is pleasing.

 

Y'know, I actually had the same thought on that dangling ammo belt when putting the model together, but it just looked so short and dinky when confined to the base...

Edited by Lexington, 02 February 2021 - 08:46 PM.

[Kierdale]

Absolutely excellent work, Lex!
The GS hair on the boss Mek biker is great. And those Lootas are tops!