WaaarGh!! The Redux

[Ghudra]

This is a bucket for all of my Ork projects; from the tiny & forgotten, to the scale-creepingly bigganized & new.

Since Epic's inception, I’ve somehow managed to squirrel away over 35K points (by Epic: Armageddon standards) in Space Orks. About half of that was painted at one time in fabulous 2nd Ed flashy colors and therein lies the problem. Now most of that bulk is stripped and I’m working my way back through the army & updating it’s appearance.

So begins my tale of woe.

A changing of the guard from Space Marine-Era Goffs to my revisioned Snakebite Clan, Da Deff Spydaz, is priority one. Along the way, I’ll be filling gaps in my force that developed from the discrepancies between Space Marine/Titan Legions & Epic: Armageddon.

Here’s a sample of what everything looked like before the ill-fated invasion of planet Simple Green:

[Ghudra]

First up is a test project driven by my lack of Flakwagonz & the need to establish a color scheme. I'm basically looking for a more natural scheme with earth tones, bare metal, some red, & dags.

This Flakwagon was based off one of the old plastic Battlewagonz with some p-card adjustments.

[Ghudra]

Here's a couple more from a Bonebreaka tank & another converted Battlewagon.

[Spectrar Ghost]

I've seen these before. Now, as then, I feel that they are obscene and disgusting, and should be turned over to the relevant authorities for proper disposal. My address is...

[Ghudra]

I've seen these before.

Indeed. Much of this is going to be a re-run for TacComs folks or if you are one of the 5 or so people from The Waaagh who accidentally click on the Epic forum.

And with that, here is a celebration of Stompas along with a bit of a paint test:

[Ghudra]

This is Da Gitburna II and it's the first of six Great Gargants to be repainted. The Deff Spyderz symbol is on tacked up on the front along with the "hot dakka" glyphs. It was the shortest glyph sequence I could find that fit the space and made sense with the Mega-Skorcha.

Just a note on process, this model used a fair amount of classic military modelling techniques with regards to weathering & there was some zenithal undercoating.

I'll get some riggaz stuck on make the model look a bit less barren, but they will have to wait till some other projects are completed.

[Ghudra]

And now for something completely different.

If you've spent any time on military modelling forums in the past few years, you will have inevitably run into color modulation as one of the newer techniques. Here is an explanation of how this plays out on (much) larger vehicles & here is another example. While I haven't yet seen color modulation put into practice on anything at Warseer or other 40K forums, I thought it would be fun to give it a shot at Epic scale.

I started with a black undercoat and airbrushed a simple modulated basecoat with a couple of greys & white. From there, I ran a few layers of brown over the model and then followed up with simple weathering & glyphs.

While the modulation isn't 100% correct and the weathering occluded the effect in spots, I'm still pleased with how the mini came out. I'll refine the next few models and see how that shakes out.

[Spectrar Ghost]

What color do you use for the rust streaks? Is it Vermin Brown?

Also, do you have a special airbrush for painting at this scale? I've tried camo with my Badger 360, and I can't get the lines fine enough.

[Ghudra]

What color do you use for the rust streaks? Is it Vermin Brown?

Also, do you have a special airbrush for painting at this scale? I've tried camo with my Badger 360, and I can't get the lines fine enough.

I used burnt sienna oil paint for the streaks. I'm not sure if that's close to any GW colors, but I'd wager they have an equivalent. I'm not a fan of acrylic for some detail work.

I use a Grex XG for airbrushing.
Grex has an XN, which is supposed to produce even finer lines, but the XG is slick. Mig Productions sells the Grex XG & XN as their house brand and I think they even knock of a few bucks.

It helps to knock the PSI down around 8-10 and you may try pulling the needle cap off.

[Spectrar Ghost]

I really gotta try working with oil paints at some point.

Thanks for the tips. I turned the PSI down low (can't remember how low), but didn't think of taking the cap off.

[Hrw-Amen]

Goog tanks. I wish GW / FW would release W40K scale versions of thing like the bonecrusher and gobsmasher etc.

[Ghudra]

I really gotta try working with oil paints at some point.

Thanks for the tips. I turned the PSI down low (can't remember how low), but didn't think of taking the cap off.

Just watch your range with the cap off because you don't want to ding your needle.

Oils are a must to try for any mini painter. Alkyds might be a better fit for minis, but oils are surprising in all scales.

Goog tanks. I wish GW / FW would release W40K scale versions of thing like the bonecrusher and gobsmasher etc.

Post-Epicast, I think FW is doing pretty well. The Kil Krusha is great & hopefully they continue the trend of introducing new Ork tanks beyond the Kil Bursta/Blasta.

[Verm1s]

Digging the plasticard conversions and personalisations, dude. Man. Man-dude. I always enjoy seeing well-done stuff like that. Especially for orks. Obviously I need to crack open your head and feed on the smart stuff inside.

I don't mean to sound dismissive about colour modulation, but from the Armorama article it looks a lot like a combination of techniques mini painters already use. Not to say it doesn't give good results (nice gunwagon), but... *shrug*

I only just noticed the FW Kil Blasta yesterday. D'you want an epic-scale scratchbuild challenge? Counts-as gunfortress?

[Ghudra]

I don't mean to sound dismissive about colour modulation, but from the Armorama article it looks a lot like a combination of techniques mini painters already use. Not to say it doesn't give good results (nice gunwagon), but... *shrug*

I wouldn't say it is a "new" technique for miniatures if we are talking about troops, characters, etc. Zenithal highlighting really does the same thing for minis. It's the 40K vehicles that haven't yet received similar treatment.

At Epic scale, it's more of an experiment, but I think it could work really well because you can exaggerate the shading beyond conventional techniques. Granted, you could do the same thing with a brush, but the transitions won't be as smooth or as easy as what you can get with an airbrush.

I only just noticed the FW Kil Blasta yesterday. D'you want an epic-scale scratchbuild challenge? Counts-as gunfortress?

Not a fan of the Kil Blasta, but I have a Kil Krusha (LOVE that model!) in the works. Lots of fun to be had with the new FW stuff.

[Ghudra]

Got around to repainting some Nobz for my Deff Spydaz. I tried to impart more Snakebitey flavor and keep with the dags & earthy colors.

Some of the banners might look a bit more like ticks than spiders, but it's a learning process.

[Ghudra]

Working on a group of dredz currently. Trying to keep the painting & the look simpler as I don't see Snakebites as a flashy group that uses lotsa paint in purdy kolors.


Even Teh Emprah's finest can't hold the line when Orky Dredz attack...

[Ghudra]

Trying to bring more dynamism to my Stompa Mobz ala the work of Totgeboren & the Mark Gibbons illustration. They both managed to lose the funny penguin walk that seems natural for the 2.0 Stompa.

Here's the WIP. I think my previous conversions are due for some similar "adjustments".

[Ghudra]

Here's an entry from the Orkimedes Gargant Bigmob list that I have been sporadically working on since early 2008.

For those unfamiliar with the list, a Grotnought is described as follows:

Not even Grots can avoid the compulsion to build their own effigies to Gork and Mork. When the Mekboys and Big Meks aren't looking, Grot “wee meks” will filch armour plates, bolts and anything not already bolted onto a vehicle or Gargant as they attempt to build their own Gargants.
Not big enough to be considered Gargants, or even Stompas, the vehicles are referred to as Grotnoughts because, while they might seem titanic to the average Grot, they are often only slightly more effective in combat than an Ork Dreadnought... just larger, heavier and more prone to explosive failure.
Grotnoughts are used in the same manner as Grots in other formations; mainly to soak up fire & trigger minefields.

With the exception of a Snappa & Kombat 'Amma(WiP) replacing the normal CC, I've tried to stay close to the Epic profile while bringing some Grot flavor to the model. There is a full interior and that is why there is currently no armor on one side. I've planned on a hinged panel once the interior is painted. Additionally, there are 5 krew set aside for the Grotnought, 2 of which are in the pics.

With some judicious blu-tacking, I have the basic pose set here:
Scale shot with the WiP 'Ammer:

[Photographer]

Very dynamic they way the machines tread!

[Ghudra]

Basic structure of the Kombat 'Ammer arm formed up.



Seriously considering magnets for the arms at this point; anyone know what the best size would be for this model?