Interlude

Just a short post.  

We've recently moved houses so I'm in the middle of constructing the new man-cave, which will allow me to actually unpack my minis and get back to work!  Look for a short side series on its construction over the next month or so.  As you can see 1) it is quite cave like and 2) there is lots to do!

In the interim we will endeavor to keep the posts coming.  Here is the last known shot of the old desk.  I've keep the image quite large so you can peruse all the WIPs.

The final painted pics of the Looted Wagon are just around the corner.  Stay tuned!

Red ones go fasta! Pt 2

Taking a short break from the Looted Wagon and going back to HQ choices with my second Big Mek, Major Buzdak.  

Buzdak is most often found tooling around in his Battlewagon, ionized air crackling around it from his forcefield generator, as, like any good Mek, he careens in the most reckless way possible across the battlefield, oblivious to any incoming fire, until things end in a right proper pile-up!

First, full credit to highelf who I shameless copied the idea from - I mean... was inspired by.  Check out his far better original on CoolMiniOrNot.

Here is a WIP shot of both Big Meks primed black after building,  You can find my post on Big Mek Gogstompa (the one on the right) here.

Similar to Big Mek Gogstompa, Buzdak is takes his inspiration from the Imperium (in true Blood Axe fashion), and has similarly adorned himself in Mechanicus red robes (but with Orky dags instead of gears) - after all 'red ones go fasta!

The mini is the old metal GW Big Mek with Forcefield Generator.  I've sculpted the hood (and added a few other targeting systems), converted his axe to a more Mechanicus looking gear and added the electrical arcs by bending stiff wire between the arc nodes.

Buzdak is accompanied by his (un)trusty Gort oilers.  These guys are assembled from a random collection of bits:

  • The Pit Chief is a Night Goblin with a Inquisitor scale Mendrite hand and a WWII tank wrench
  • Grot #1 is a Spell Crow torso, Fantasy goblin legs and a second wrench from the very, very, very first Ork battlewagon kit
  • Grot #2 is a GW plastic Grot head, Fantasy goblin legs and the hammer and toolbox are the same battlewagon kit (I knew keeping that kit for 20 years would pay off some day :P)

He is also accompanied by another Mekano Squig from Wargame Exclusive.    I love that its just a giant maw with legs!

And here is the group shot.  The electric arcs don't show up very well against the white background so thought I'd try something a little different.

Hope you like these.  If you do, follow me on social media to see more.  

We'll get back to the Looted Wagon shortly!

Drive it like you stole it Pt 2

The most potent of the Wargear options you can add to the Looted Wagon is the Kill Kannon.  No need to make one of those with this kit - but what if you don't want one (I can't think of why, but, what if).  Similar to the front gun, I built a transition piece that could replace the turret.  I then added a hatch, also from Kromlech.  

Then I got a little obsessive with the magnets.  So, the transition piece is magnetized to the tank, the hatch is magnetized to the transition piece, the lid is is magnetized to the hatch and then the lid then has tiny magnets in the hinge so it can open and close (not completed in pic below).

And with one of Kromlech's tank crew added.

One of the pitfalls (and awesomeness) of so many magnets, is you can just keeping adding and combining pieces.  So Kromlech's turrets (and associated guns) can also be added as an alternate.

And now we loose all pretense of useful wargear conversions.  Without the turret and the steep angle of the front armour made me think this could be an an awesome tank destroyer.  So built a gun, added a magnet and viola, an Ork StuG - but really just another Kill Kannon option.

And the last and most pointless conversion, I swapped out the engine plant in the back for a set of doors. The idea was that if the Looted Wagon was carrying troops, there should be an Access Point.

Finally, a shot of (most of) the pieces laid out.  I did build a few additional options - Deff Rolla, a few more Big Shoota and Rokkit options, etc.

Hope you're liking this look at a, now fairly modular, scrap tank/looted wagon!  Next post we get some paint on this bad boy.

Lowest of the Low Pt 3

In keeping with the more independent, more trained feel of da Longteef Grot squads, I opted to give them a command squad (next post).  But then that didn't really leave a spot for an Ork Runtherd.

So I opted for Runtbots instead (anyone remember those?).  That way the Grots could to operate on their own, but the Orks could still keep an eye on them (and 'collect' any of the squad that got misdirected).

From a modelling aspect, it was a nice retro nod to the Orks of old and allowed me to use all those cool Ork robot bits out there!

The Runtbots are a primarily Kromlech's Clanking Desytroyers with a little plasticard, random bionics and graba sticks from GW.  

The Ork in the center (who sadly has not been painted yet) is Kurgog, the Sgt Major of the Army and in charge of all the Grot forces.  The mini is from Mantic's Deadzone Marauders faction.  I just love all the medals and epaulets.  In general, I find Mantic's Orcs too different in design to use with GW,  but I couldn't pass this one up, so tweaked him a little and added a Kromlech officer head.  Mantic also has a Goblin sniper team which I think would work well.

I'm really happy with the look of them, but it evolved over several tries.  Originally there were just rust with a little black.  I then went back and added detail like that checkerboard and dags.  It took quite a few tries before I found a colour for the face that played well with everything.

The Graba Sticks are also magnetized to you can swap them out for a Grot-Prod.

And, of course, you have to have a Squid Hound.  Given the Runtbots, this seemed like a perfect place for another Mekano Squig (from Wargame Exclusive Miniatures).

And finally a shot of them together.  Hope you liked this look at the Runtherds.
I will finish this off next post (promise) with the Grot Command Squad.

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Lowest of the Low Pt 2

Continuing on with the Grots of Da Longteef, we're now looking at the close combat side.  Those Grots that prove to be more courageous, reckless (or just poor shots) end up in one of the assault sections.

These Grots are built in the same fashion, largely based off the GW Fantasy Goblin range and Basick's heads.  The guns are a collection of old Necromunda weapons, both metals and plastics, and the sword is a knife from the 40K Ork sprue. 

The backpacks are a random assortment of GW, 3rd party producers, and WWII plastic kits.  Basically, whenever I see a set of backpacks I buy them.  I find the variation provides a bit of the random, slapped together feel the Orks are known for and still gives then a "uniform".

Finally, here is a group shot.  I'll wrap this up next post with the command squad!

Lowest of the Low Pt 1

From the mighty, towering Warbosses, we now swing to the other end of the spectrum with the lowly Grot. The labourers, assistants and functionaries that make Ork society (such as it is) function, and occupy the lowest rung in the Warbands.

I avoided GW's Grot with its loin cloth and bare feet, as being too wild and not representative of the IG theme of the Blood Axe army.

I envisioned the Blood Axe's using their Grots more strategically, actually training and equipping them to serve, admittedly as unequal partners, in their Waaaghs.  After all, Grots already man the artillery and pilot Killer Kans, so not that far of a stretch.

I also recalled the Whiteshields from early editions of the IG (and I think more recently with Cadians). More inexperienced and less battle hardened recruits seemed like a thematic match with the Grots, so added a white arm band as a nod to those old Whiteshield units.

The first 'squad' of Grots is a Rifle section.  There's a fair number of components that go into these guys (totally reasonable for a 2 pt guy that you need 60-90 of, right?)

  1. The body is from GW's Fantasy Goblin range, only using the less 'medieval' legs and torso.
  2. Bare heads are GW Goblin heads, while the helmeted heads are from Basicks, one of the early (and now defunct) Polish microcasters, created after the split at MicroArts Studio.
  3. The guns are converted Lasguns from the plastic Orlock Necromunda sprue
  4. The other arm is from the GW Empire Flagellants range
  5. Finally I added things like kit from the IG sprue and a random assortment of backpacks

I've painted them in my standard Longteef colour scheme, kind of an urban camo, with bluey greys and whites and a touch of actual camo on the helmets.  I felt I needed to include some actual camo as its a distinctive feature of the Blood Axes, but too much can look muddled (not to mention its quite time consuming to paint)  so  I felt that just the helmet was a good compromise.

Hope you like this intro to the more rank and file and will be back next post with more of the Grots!

Red ones go fasta! Pt 1

I'm starting our look at Da Longteef with the Big Mek, Gogstompa.  Gogstompa holds the rank of Kolonel and leads Grimtoof's walker warband - stompas, dreads, nauts and cans!

The fig is the old metal Big Mek GW miniature.  In keeping with the Blood Axe/IG theme, I figured the meks would take after the Adeptus Mechanicus so I painted him red and sculpted a hood with dags (instead of gears).  I really liked the idea that the Ad Mech are predominantly red and this somehow validates the Ork's belief that 'red ones go fasta!'

I also added a backpack with a little more horsepower - a old Killer Kan power plant.  I then fitted it with a couple of power claws from Kromlech, to help when building those big walkers.  Admit it, every 'converter' wishes they had three arms at some point.

And of course I magnetized the arms and head just in case I needed swap anything out down the road.  I have no real reason for doing this other than I'm afraid to commit to any one wargear option.

Of course, every mek has his grot oilers.  I figured the pit chief would try to emulate his boss, so used a Night Goblin for the red robes.  He's had a few less then well though-out upgrades. His assistants are a grot from the current plastic box (with custom blow torch) and a converted grot from Spell Crow with power hammer.

Finally, threw in an attack squig for good measure.  When I saw these mekano squigs from Wargame Exclusive, I knew they would work perfectly for a Big Mek.  They are painted up using the standard GW rust technique (Ryza Rust over Typhus Corrosion).  All my Ork robots have this super rusted look because, Orks.

And here is the group all together.

Hope you liked this first look at Da Longteef, my Blood Axe warband.  Lots more to come!