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So this past summer, I decided to try some conversions for the first time. I know some people think looted wagons suck, but I just couldn't resist the conversion possibilities. The project I had in mind was to orkify a tau vehicle, and thus the Shootyfish (working title) was born. So I picked up a Tau Devilfish, and an Ork Trukk. Since I really only needed the undercarriage, wheels, and engine from the trukk, so I decided to utilize the rest of the trukk parts for second looted wagon. Originally I was just going to do a Rhino, but I though the dozer blade on the Vindicator would naturally be more attractive to orks. So I sprung for the V. Finally, I was sick of claws and buzzsaws for my killa kans, so I found some heavy duty sheetrock anchors to give the kan pictured below a bladed/drill arm. The leftover claw was used to create a grabbin' klaw for the Vin based LW.

Since I did these, I have painted the shootyfish. I'll take and post pics of the finished product later.

Any name ideas?

Love the doza! but the shootyfish needs more rivets and armoured plates and such

While both are nice conversions, the trukk bits seem a bit too "just glued on" to me. I think it would look much better if you could build the undercarriage more into the underside of the devilfish and the Trukk platform on the vindicator also looks a little lazy.

And did you seriously use killakanz with flame weapons? One can argue about the pros and cons of looted wagons, but your throwing a BS3 just out the window with that one

I appreciate the feedback. As I said, these were my first attempts at conversions. I am also an inexperienced player. Could you please elaborate on the problem with using flame weapons on killa kanz?

Sure, no problem: Kanz are piloted by Grotz, which means they are one of 3 units in your whole army who has a BS of 3. Flamer weapons like the skorcha up there, don't use the BS. Grotzookkas aren't a very good idea either. If you use kanz, I'd stick with either rokkits or kustom mega blastas, Big Shootas are okay.

I you're not to far ahead with your work on the Vindicator, try to take the platform off again and cut off some stuff on the roof.

Ah I see. *fishes around in bits box for any spare rokkits*

How about attaching some scrap metal/girders, etc around the gap between the platform and the tank to "blend" the two together a little more?

That would work too. Right now it just looks too moch like it was just glued on top.

When converting Orks you have to remember, just because everythings looks like they didn't care building it, doesn't mean that you shouldn't.

I like the Kan drill arm, and yes, the flamer has to go. And I hope that you're planning on trimming and filing down those massive blobs of greenstuff

I like the Shootyfish . That would wind up my tau playing friend nicely.

Yep, I agree... more rivets and bolt on plates. Orks usually get this stuff by blowing a hole in it. So you'll need to knock a hole in it somewhere then patch it up orky like. A little more battle wear and tear would help. I really like that shooty fish conversion. Don't forget to add some grots running all over it with wrenches and spare parts. When you paint it up, lot's of chipped paint and maybe even some rust, although Tau materials probably don't oxidize like stupid 'umee materials. Probably those fancy carbon fiber composites. Good Luck, can't wait to see it painted!

kl realy likein the looted wagons

I like them both. Really nice start. I agree on the flame weapon. The BS is too good to waste on an auto hit template weapon like a flamer. You want flames? Make a deff dred and stick some on there. That way you dont have to worry about how bad Orks are at shooting. Other then that I like the kan.
I also love the idea of the looted tau tank. Altho Im not a HUGE fan of adding ten tons of rivets and such to it, you still should put some on there. Maybe even randomly pick spots to put some metal "patches" on the hull. Seriously Orks SALVAGE wreaks from battle. The chances of finding a Tau anything that ran out of gas (or what ever the hell they use ) and in perfect shape is impossible.
That being said tho really good start. And keep it Orks are fun to do crazy things with

love you conversions but are you going to far with the "Shootyfish". Ork and Tau technology are different in every single way.

deadly chicken wrote:love you conversions but are you going to far with the "Shootyfish". Ork and Tau technology are different in every single way.

Ork "technology" (if you could call it that) and the technology of every race are completely different. I see no reason why an Ork Mob couldn't loot any vehicle, including Tau stuff. According to the fluff a lot of Ork equipment only works because they think it should work (their psychic powers that they don't understand or know they have).

Plus for all you know they could have ripped out every piece of machinery and electronics from the Devilfish and are just using it as a shell to provide them with a little extra armor.

I know a member on this site made a looted monolith once, so the OP isn't alone in thinking that the Orks can loot ANYTHING once they set their mind too.

Lagduf wrote:I know a member on this site made a looted monolith once, so the OP isn't alone in thinking that the Orks can loot ANYTHING once they set their mind too.

That would've been me, I guess


My idea was something along the lines that a Mek with a Shokk Attack Gun disrupted their teleportaion field or something. Maybe through shattering the crystal or something like that.

That is not only hilarious Anung, but pretty awesome too. I agree it doesnt matter what race they steal from, Orks will find a way to make it work for them. Nothing is off limits.

Orksy's is da best!

I like da Drilla-Killa and the Shooty-Fish looks good. However the top of the vindicator does look really stuck on. Over all good work.

I do see how the monolith works but how would orks know how to operate tau tech beside the monilith is very heavily converted andthe shootyfish is only lightly converted

deadly chicken wrote:I do see how the monolith works but how would orks know how to operate tau tech

...that is why there is the "don't touch dat!" rule

Orks can make ANYTHING work, because they BELIEVE they know how it the machine is supposed to work...as long as they don't hit the wrong buttons!

Here are some pics of the final painted shootyfish / orkyfish / gorkafish (can't decide which I name like). The doza, or Gutshovela, as I've come to call it, is on hold for painting until I ork it up a bit more. The drillakan is also on hold untill I can acquire/fabricate a rokkit or big shoota to replace the skorcha. Thanks to all who provided constructive criticism.

Couple notes on the Morkfish: Someone mentioned above about the fancy tau alloys not rusting -- I took that into account, thus you'll notice that the body of the former devilfish has no rust on it, but the other salvaged orky bits do. My basic fluff-rationale for this conversion is as follows. During a battle with the Tau, the orks managed to nail a devilfish with a penetrating hit right on the cockpit area. After the battle, the hole created where the cockpit was made a convenient place to mount a propa trukk engine. So the meks gutted most of the tau super-high-tech-crap from the inside, and converted it to a looted wagon.

Looks good. While I'm still not such a big fan of the 'fish just glued on the undercarriage, it came out pretty nice.

Like the finished product. I tried to do a looted fish and failed miserably- it is nice to see one that works.

Excellent end product.

You have inspired me to make one if i decide to stop tau and pick up my Orks again.

P.S. Awesome

Hey, Thanks! Here's roughly how I did it:

- Get a devilfish, and a trukk kit
- on the upper half of the fish, use a dremel or similar tool to make the round hole near the back larger.
- cut out the area where the cockpit is. If you really want to be fancy, you can try to make the edges of the hole jagged so they look more like they were made from an explosion.
- On the lower plate of the fish, you will need to build a small scaffold out of sprues to support the engine, and the driver.
- I spent awhile trying to attach the undercarriage in the same orientation as a truck, but I found it worked and looked better to attach it backwards, though I had to build a support of two sprues in back to even it off.
- The teef at the front were also from the trukk kit. I bent it by heating it up with a lighter and gradually, and carefully bending it into a U.

In retrospect, I wish I had taken pics during the creation process as well.

This is a story written by a modeler whom i respect and admire. Which, on his website is posted with HIS version of a Monolith Battlewagon. This is completely not endorsed by Scarpia, and is stolen without permission. I completely hope he doesnt not thump me upside the head next I see him at the LGS.

Big Mek Gooba, second in command of Warboss Bobz Killa Konviktz, and a few of his most trusted mekz easily cut down the metallic warriors as they left the hovering pyramid, the ork burnaz leaving large scorch marks along the fallen bodies. The number of metal 'eads issuing forth lessoned, and Gooba's bionicly enhanced eye picked up a slight shimmer surrounding the pyramid. Having fought the Necrons consistently for the past few weeks, the big Mek knew exactly what that meant.

"Quick ya gitz, fire da chain gunz!" Gooba shouted at a group of Meks on the back of his nearby wrecka. Two strange weapon mounts, each resembling a large spear launcher, turned and fired their payload over the Monolith, each spear trailing a length of heavy cable followed by even heavier chain. The spears flew true, landied behind the Monolith, and imbedding themselves securely in the ground. The cables and chains draped over the Necron construct, and tightened securely as the wrecka's engine raced, pinning the Monolith in place.

A struggle between ancient technologies and basic physics took place, the technology winning as the wrecka began to be pulled backwards by the straining Monolith, its wheels tearing up earth as they spun. The shimmering became more pronounced as the living metal of the Monolith paused momentarily in its phasing, trying to identify the source of the restrictions on its movement. Gooba shouted again, resulting in large a mass of grotz leaping onto the wrecker, and the physical effort of the 100 gretchen changed the direction of this tug of war.

Knowing he only had moments, Gooba ran forward, his one natural eye fixed on the homing beacon, its internal light radiating brightly. Climbing up the side, and he adjusted the nozzle on his burna to its most focused setting. With a whoosh of compressed flame, the crude ork tool cut through the homing beacon's base, removing it from the top of pyramid.

Immediately the shimmering reversed itself, as the phaseing processed hallted, but the machine’s struggles increased as it shook itself violently against its restraints. Gooba almost fell from the pyramid’s top, but was able to sink his bionic hook into a support structure at the last moment. Bracing himself, he kicked out with a maniacal glee, smashing the glowing power crystal with his steel encased foot. A horrific explosion resluted, blowing him off of the Monolith and throwing him meters away from the machine, his bionic arm left behind and still anchored.

Grunting in satisfaction, Gooba picked himself off of a smashed grot. Ignoring that the smaller creature had padded his landing, he swatted at it, only to miss horribly due to the missing appendage. His foot connected, however, and he gave it a good kick. A grin straight from a child’s nightmare appeared on the flesh side of Gooba's face, and he turned to observe the Monolith sitting securely under the restraints, no longer shimmering, its struggles weak and impotent.

“Iz knew if it werkz fer a squggoth, dan it muzt werk on anyting” Gooba muttered to himself. His bionic eye returned to the violently glowing homing becon, still clutched in his natural hand. Gooba's grin grew wider as his gaze shifts to the now rising git. Gooba thrusts the homing device into one of the gitz hands, and hauls it to its feet, the wretched creature still reeling from being squashed and kicked. Reaching behind him, Gooba grabbs a superstikkbomb, engages the fuse, and shoves it into the grot's other hand. .

Standing dumbly, the shaken Gretchen looks confusedly at the items in his hands, and than at the Big Mek before it disappeared in a shimmering wave of light.

‘Dat otta be a nize surprise fer dem metal ‘eadz – now letz get goin’ on dis ding – Bobz gunna want hiz new fortrezz soon!”


Link to his site: http://www.garbo.org/40k/ This and LOTS of his other amazing conversions are listed in the drop down menu in the upper right.

looks alot better and now it definetely looks like ork!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shooty fish looks great even better painted, keep up the good work

look good

epic like the the battlewagon