Building the Orkmada - BFG Orks

[Jihad_Ragsta]

Greetings

Firstly, just a quick bit about me. I've been marauding Warseer for over two years now and have learned a lot from other members. I've been into Warhammer on and off since I was 12 (16 years! Arrgghhh!!!).

I had Battlefleet Gothic Orks for ages but never really played. After a big move I sold them off so they would actually see some action with others. Now, however, I am motivated to build myself a new fleet of greenskins!

Inspired heavily by Ironhands and the excellent work on Easy E's scratchbuilding thread I went ahead and bought myself one of the Imex Chemical Plants.



I'll be basing the whole fleet on this kit, check out all the pieces! Over 300 bits in one box, I'll be using plasticard and pieces from my bitz box too.



Here's the equipment I'll be using for the project. Metal snips and brass wire for pinning the pieces, a selection of cutters and needle files for tidying up them up. Just wanted to show you guys what I'm using so others can get an idea of how easy this is!



And here's a test kroozer I've been working on, you can see the general idea I've got for how I want these ships to look. Lots of ribbing and tubes to bulk out the hull, I'll be adding to this before its finished.




The objective for all this? I'm going to show how simple scratchbuilding Ork warships can be and in the process build myself a fleet of Ork Marauders. Hopefully some of you will get some ideas of your own from this, criticisms and suggestions very much appreciated!!

[Wishing]

Cool! I built an ork space hulk for BFG once, it was my first major scratchbuilding project and was great fun. Are you going to make faces on them like the normal ork ships have?

[rob_alderman]

Wow that looks excellent!

I'll have to order one of those packs then. I have lots of polystyrene balls, just waiting to become ork roks and hulks!

[Jihad_Ragsta]

Wishing - Building Ork stuff IS great fun isn't it? I have found it has really helped my scratchbuilding skills in general, to the point where I built myself a Leman Russ alternative outta plasticard! I'd love to see that spacehulk, you should post it up, mate

rob_alderman - Glad I've helped encourage some Rok building, I think you'd be making an excellent decision buying the kit for such a purpose.



Wishing is correct, I intend to give each of my capital ships a face. They are what make Ork ships really Orky IMHO. This one has come out rather lion like but I quite like it! Thoughts? I have added rivets using the contents of a water filter cartridge.



From this shot you can see how I'm developing the prow cannons. The Ork's Hammer Battlecruiser can fire its prow bombardment cannons OR torpedoes each turn. Summat like that anyway- I am hoping to make the forward weapons similar enough to represent both types of weapon. Just for kicks



I have added some framelike plastics to the hull sides, I just wanted to broaden the hull out a little bit. Currently I'm wondering what else this piece needs - the engines need bulke out a bit and I would like to add some gubbins along the hull. Any ideas, boyz? Definitely around the neck though!

Thanks for looking, people, and I hope to hear from ya!

[malika]

Totally awesome!

[Jihad_Ragsta]

Thank you, Malika! Coming from a fellow scratchbuilder (and Greenskin) that means a great deal!


Let's talk about inspiration for a minute. Now, every time I watch Serenity (the film spin off from Firefly) I really like the footage of the Reavers and their ecclectic swarm of pirate vessels. I know I'm not the only one who has based their Ork warships on the Reavers!

Take a look at this video I found- the reaction of the bridge crew (and even the look of the Reaver warships right down to their head on tactics) just screams to me Ork Pirates!


The lead vessel in that video is a true monster- I may try and base a Hammer battlecruiser on it but for now I'm still working on my Terrorships. And here's my second one!





I am using Lego Bionicle heads for the prows of these ships- this one has also been given a monster chin gun, which needs a little more work. I may add smaller tubes inside it to represent a multi barrel launcher. I haven't added the rivets to the plasticard yet, which will really help.

Thoughts on this one? I added a dorsal mounted dragster engine! I am thinking about adding angled plates above the main gun, to make it merge more with the head. Suggestions welcome.

[Wishing]

Wishing - Building Ork stuff IS great fun isn't it? I have found it has really helped my scratchbuilding skills in general, to the point where I built myself a Leman Russ alternative outta plasticard! I'd love to see that spacehulk, you should post it up, mate

Cheers! Plasticard is great, though at the moment I'm taking a shortcut by working with foam and cardboard for my scratch builds. The hulk is in storage at a friend's house, but I'll try to take a picture next time I get a chance.

[Jihad_Ragsta]

SO as I hammer away at my warships I am aware that each Ork ship is the ultimate achievement of an individual Mekboy. Sure, there must be hundreds of the genius l'il lunatics aboard each one but ONLY one of them will be big and brilliant enopugh to dictate the final appearance.

Which is why my latest piece is a radical departure from the last two!



There are so many weird and cool pieces within the Chemical plant kit, I just had to branch out and use some different pieces. With this ship you can see where I've added some launch tubes and Jumbo jet-like engine pods. Plenty more work needed to make it look truly Orky- once I add teef and angry brows she should fit in with the other Terrorships.

[precinctomega]

Great start on a cool project!

R.

[wolf40k]

Awesome start, but I had to have a chuckle at that green head, it looks a little silly, not that that is a bad thing with Orks, I mean look at the title of my Ork Project log in my Signature.

[GomezAddams]

Reminds me of a space station - like the orks have captured it and thought 'you know what'd make this cool? Rocket boosters'

Simple but effective conversions - I see your smugness was justified

[Jihad_Ragsta]

Precinct Omega - Thanks, man! Glad you approve, I am quite surprised at how motivated I've managed to stay in churning these kroozer hulls out.

wolf40k - That's a very cool project you have going on there, I hope to make each ship here an individual in its own right.

You have a good point about the green head - it looks absurd! However, I wanted each ship to have different prow lines so have used different heads. I am currently working on plating it over with plasticard and big teef, pretty confident it will improve.

Gomez - I thought the same thing when I put together the main hull. I think you may have helped me work out some fluff behind this force! It's only natural that Orks would try and turn any space junk they find into fighting ships- perhaps even the outposts they plunder...



My fleet comprises of four cruisers. This one is the 4th. I wanted to post it up as it's proving the most contraversial of my ideas- it was originally the other way up! Anyway, I won't be posting more pictures on incomplete capital ships as you'll probably get bored - next update I hope to show you the completed capital ships prior to paint.

After that it's a flotilla of Ramships.

Criticisms and comments on the ships you have seen are very welcome- thank you for your support so far

[GomezAddams]

Needs something else as the tubes kind of lack purpose. What about some swept back fins.

The ideas sound its just those upper tubes making me unsure and causing me to think, and you know that only makes my head hurt.

[wolf40k]

Very cool, and even if the tubes lack purpose, who cares, their Orks, they probally think it makes them go faster.

[Onion_Marmerlade]

These are awesome. I'm loving the bionicle head prows. Just out of curiosity have you had any thoughts on how your gonna paint 'em yet?

[Jihad_Ragsta]

Gomez - Sorry for hurting your head but it was worth it! I agree with you- some swept back wings have been added and I'm much happier with progress. This means two of my kroozers are winged and two of them more cigar shaped. Variety is good



wolf40k - Haha excellent logic, my friend! The ship still needs extra detailing on its wings, around the hull plus some mandible type jaws.

Onion_Marmerlade - Thank you, my friend, glad you like them I am glad you've asked about paintjobs.

Currently I am thinking about painting the hulls an olive drab and the prows a dull red. There will be minimal drybrushing, I'm getting pretty fed up with that paint style for my Gothic ships. I may try and paint some hazard stripes around the launch bays too.

My apologies, boyz, I know I said we would have completed ships in the next update but I wanted to post up developments!



The wings and hull need... Something. I plan to add some brass etching panels to it (kindly donated by Gomez). Might try and make them look like ramshackle repairs, maybe I'll cut some dinks and blastholes into it too. Thoughts?

Cheers, chaps, until next time!

[wolf40k]

Looking good, definitely more Orky looking

[Wishing]

Still looking great! I managed to get some shots of my BFG ork models, and opened a thread with pics just over here: http://www.warseer.com/forums/showth...73#post5183573

[horizon]

Insanely cool Jihad.

[Mr. Ultra]

Very Orkesque!!