Some questions on Ork physiology

[Quantum]

Hi all,

 

with the arrival of the Mega-armored Warboss I finally decided to start a Bad Moon army. But a couple of question on Ork(oid) physiology that will have an impact on my paint scheme bug me, and I was hoping some-one can answer them:

 

1: Do Ork eyes have pupils? I know from lore their eyes are bright red, but I can't find definite information if they have something in those red orbs.

 

2: What color is Ork blood? Lore states that Ork skin is green due to spores in their bloodstream, so that would hint their blood is green, black or some other dark color (think Orc blood from the Lord of the Rings movies). However, art and models painted by the 'Eavy Metal team often show red blood for the Orks.

 

3. Are all squigs red? Do green squigs exist? Is there an in-universe explanation why their skin is red. In my mind all orkoid species are branches of the same genetic tree, all with the same spores in their blood that should give them the same green color, but perhaps I am missing something.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[toaae]

I can't honestly answer 1. I feel like they do, cause somewhere in the back of my mind I think I recall a reference to their pupils changing in some story, but I cannot be sure and definitely can't source it.

 

2. Ork blood is red. In many interviews over time, this has been asked, and the answer has always been some variation of "well, yeah, it should be a different color, but it looks so good as red, you know?" And that non-red blood sometimes doesn't look like blood. This is a case of the painting/modeling side of the hobby really influencing the fluff.

 

3. Squigs can be any color at all. I'm about to finish my Squigbuggy and I've painted like five different colors of squigs. Red is the one chosen most often because of how good red looks contrasting the Ork's green.

[Lexington]

Ork eyes do have pupils, normally, and were shown pretty frequently on Studio models for a long time. Ork eyes only turn red in the heat of combat, IIRC. I’m a fan of pupils on Ork models, as red eyes make them seem remote and subtracts from the overall character of the model.

 

toaae has the right of the blood color question in a lot of ways - in art and models, it’s been red for about twenty years since a WD article set it in stone. Technically, I think the idea is that it’s green internally, but turns red once exposed to sunlight? Anyhow, in written fiction, this has been a little more complicated, as it’s been declared green, then red, then green again, sometimes black-ish, etc. in different recent Codexes. These days, I’m a fan of the old RT-era explanation that it’s a lot of different colors, depending on what the Ork last ate.

[Gorgoff]

Hi all,

 

with the arrival of the Mega-armored Warboss I finally decided to start a Bad Moon army. But a couple of question on Ork(oid) physiology that will have an impact on my paint scheme bug me, and I was hoping some-one can answer them:

 

1: Do Ork eyes have pupils? I know from lore their eyes are bright red, but I can't find definite information if they have something in those red orbs.

 

2: What color is Ork blood? Lore states that Ork skin is green due to spores in their bloodstream, so that would hint their blood is green, black or some other dark color (think Orc blood from the Lord of the Rings movies). However, art and models painted by the 'Eavy Metal team often show red blood for the Orks.

 

3. Are all squigs red? Do green squigs exist? Is there an in-universe explanation why their skin is red. In my mind all orkoid species are branches of the same genetic tree, all with the same spores in their blood that should give them the same green color, but perhaps I am missing something.

 

Thanks in advance.

1. Yupp, they have yellow pupils.

2. It's green, but they use red because it looks better.

3. Nope, feel free to use every colour you want.

[andes]

Squigs come in every color, though nobody's ever seen a purple squig.

[MithrilForge]

Squigs come in every color, though nobody's ever seen a purple squig.

 Badoom-tish! ...

 

Mithril

[nanosquid]

Orks are green due to algae infused into their body that give them mild photosynthesis to supplement their diet and let them go longer without eating. Since squigs are most often used for their voracious appetite making them eager to bite things, the old ones didn't implement that dietary supplement into them, so they can be any color.

[NemesorSobekta]

Check this ork head for a color reff to the original color of ork fluids.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/b/b7/Rogue_Trader_FCover.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101106211728
Speaking of mega armored orks, did you know the armor is powered by an internal combustion engine that runs on the gas released by the wearer, who eats lot of bean squigs before going into combat?

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by NemesorSobekta