Been five years has it not? Well, without using too many words nor time for it I’ve been kinda stuck in the insta-blast-your-mind mode for a few years and blogging has been too much of a hassle really. But for some reason this spring I am kinda tired of just being bombarded with stuff and I felt for using a bit more time on the what, why and how of my current ongoing project of bringing back the retro feels with my long neglected orks from the older editions of 40k this year.
It will be interesting to see how many actually ending up reading this, but I’ll do it nonetheless with this intro post showing the undisclosed amount of hours I have spent taking this…
…and then getting it into the kinda shape you are seeing on the header pic there. But first, lets just recap with a few of my previous summer projects not being featured here yet.
So with that as a form of recap, lets dive into the ork projects I’ve been using the last 3-4 weekends on building from that pile of random bits and kits.
The first step was just sorting through it all, trying to form a set of units to build up the core of the army with. From the top left you have the OG scorcher, three bastardized boars from WHFB, something that can be a buggy, in the center bits for a battlewagon and at least one cannon. Then we have the old “new” SAG. In the front from the left you have the first mob of boys with a lot of the plastic arms from the old starter set, you have a handfull of the plastic grots from the starter set, a 3d printed Ghazkull inspired modell which I started kit bashing from the go with a mekaniak and a weirdboy. On the right you have what will be a heavy weapon mob and a normal Boyz mob under them.
So yeah, this was basically just the first sort through. But as you can see from the top pic, things kinda grew from this point.
Now the ongoing hours from this point to the “finished” WIP pic was a whole ton of steps, but I choose not to take that many pics as it was not really that interesting. So instead I will take you through each unit, trying to remember everything I did.
CHARACTERS
The Gretchins here are not converted as such. I had to put the BSB on a 32mm base just to balance the weight of his banner pole.
The warboss himself I found for free over on thingiverse. Can’t remember when I printed him, nor the sculptor which is poor sport from me, but I just love how well he fits in. I used an old dread- or killa kan leg as a prostetic leg, and then I added what I think is a Ghazkull power klaw arm. I lacked some of the claws so I used the sword that followed with the 3d sculpt. I changed up his hors and then for his banner poles I added a hormagaunt- and an elder head as trophies. As you probably already have noticed the poles are an ongoing theme that looks great, are era accurate but I shiver in terror at tackling so many banners truth be told…
Rulewise I think the WB will be run as having a mega armor as he just is massive, especially considering the era.
I have had my 2nd ed era orks for quite a few years, so the weirdboy here was something I converted for another project many years ago. I updated it now with the magic stick- and banner top to just really hammer home the weird in the boy. Or something like that! Note that my nobs and characters in general are mounted on 32mm bases to easier see where my leaders are compared to the normal boys.
Same as the weirdboy, this one was put together and converted slightly for a different project. This time around I just needed to add the banner. I know the banner top makes little sense for a Mekaniak but it was cool and I wanted to use it somewhere so this one got it.
A more complex conversion by far. The legs comes from the one legged ork slaver that whips on the old rock lobber. The upper torso however is from the OG stone thrower model. The injection gun is from Fabius Bile I think, and the big power klaw arm is from one of the classic Ork characters from this era. So fun model with a ton of different bits, that broke at least one set of pliers!
For the keen eyed you can see that I used a pain boy here but it just fits as I want to paint the light on his forehead as an eye. As in targeting eye. The tip of the gun I had to use to smoke launchers as the old end is long gone. The snotling base is just all of the snots I had left. It should be two bases but alas, I don`t have enough so this will have to make do.
MOBS
So the truck is from Gorkamorka and there is no rules for it in 2nd edition (as I know of). My main bulk of boys are originally mad boys. Now in the old codex they where 0-1 Mobs, but seeing as the models are great fun, I am using them as Bad Moons. The boys are all armed with bolt pistols and axes, primarily from the orks in the 2nd ed starter set. The two missile launchers I just cobbled together with what I had at hand.
Not much to add as the two mobs are quite similar. I converted this truck a bit just to differ it from the other one. So these two mobs are my backbone and offensive muscle in the army.
Mostly a filler unit using models I wanted to add in. The three metal models where simple enough, but the two bolter wielding ones are original Hero Quest orks which I converted with fantasy ork heads from that era.
Only two original heavy weapon wielding orks here, the three others I used guns from the Gorkamorka set to assemble. I love big shootas from newer editions so had to add a whole unit of it here. Note that the older of the OG heavy weapon orks have a newer slugga on top for a bit more volume to balance him out with the others.
Not much to say here. The Runtherd got the old Hero Quest Gargoyle whip arm and the gretchins got my fav goblin heads as I really wanted to add them in as they have so much character. This unit was capped with the amount of heads I had available.
SUPPORT
So yes, did not have an actual battlewagon model from yonder days, did not want to buy one for the price of an arm and my soul-, so I built one myself. The main build comes from an old rhino for the front, a chimera for the bed and then I cobbles in all manner of bits and pieces to make it look like the OG model. At least close enough – which I feel it does. This is the first mini in quite a few years I needed to make rivets for, and boy what a tedious job that is – lol! But it is still so worth it as it totally changes the look of those plasticard add ons.
Just a very fun build from end to end. I first thought I wouldn’t have a dread or killa kans as I do not have the models but I just could not shake the temptation to make one when I first started with the battlewagon build and that one took off. I do think however that the dread is my fav single build in this entire army as it encapsulates so much of what I find great with orks.
A lot larger than it really needs to be, but when I finally got the possibility to use that old FW cannon for something I took it! I added parts from an old metal ork rock lobber and made the muzzle with an old plastic tube I had here. The crew got som OG rokkits just so I will remember what these grots are for.
This one I did not do much. The trailer had to be assembled shorter as I did not have that joining bit between the bike and the tank. Still, it works. Heaviest model in the army by far even though it is very small by todays standards!
The rear part is from a Gorkamorka kit I think, the front from a newer ork bike. Hero Quest ork rider and an old ORK Kommando as the shooter. Only had one of the kommandos so removed his backpack and used him here instead. Simple and fun build basically. A bit on the large side maybe but who cares (I don`t) 🙂
When you do not have enough of something, cobble it together and just make it work. I only had three boars, and a limited amount of riders even though I could’ve have pushed it so I at least got a Snakebite mob out of it but alas. Still it is a very fun little mob which I really like! The center model could be a nob, but he doesn’t need to be neither.
SUMMARY
All told this is approximately 1500 points give or take. Not many points when you see the amount of models but alas that is how it is. I am more than happy with a 1500 point army of 2nd ed themed orks at the end nonetheless!
I will spend most of my summer painting this in the mornings before the rest of the family wakes up, so I don`t see this finished before mid august at the earliest if I can stay disciplined through my vacation.
Best regards,
Tommy
bigbossredskullz 