Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Thank you, Sarigar and NathanD298!

@STG: Absolutely, go ahead and loot it (like any proper Ork would do)!

It will probably be a couple of weeks until my next update, as this week I'll be off with the family for our traditional pagan ritual of celebrating the summer solstice (by eating herring, drinking spiced spirits and dancing around a great big pole - yes really - it's what we do in Sweden). But then I'll be back with the Evil Sunz case. Take care!

Summer time! Vacation, lots of free time! Right?

Right?

No, not really, but at least I've done something - I finished my carry cases! Maybe not as neat a paintjob as I usually do, but I think it's good enough. It's a bit cartoonish, and I thought about trying to add rust as well but I think I'll skip it since I like the way they look now (and I want to get back to painting miniatures). I can always go back and continue on them later if I want.












Next up will be a continuation of a project I started last summer. And it's not Orks! (*gasp*)

Those are ridiculously cool. Love em, the free hand is great on the symbols!

I love them!

Nice work on the cases! They look great. Don't worry about them looking "cartoonish", they're very Orky.

Thank you Dez and Cleatus!

@Spacewolverine: Thank you, although it's not really freehand - I made the stencils on the computer and printed them before cutting with a steel ruler and a scalpel. The smaller test pieces on the last page were freehand though.

And now for something completely different!

(A man with a tape recorder up his nose?)

No, an ancient foe has risen!

Last summer, I hit a kind of hobby slump - I guess I was disappointed that painting my Orks was sooo slow, and at the current pace, I wouldn't have a playable army until 2020 at the earliest. On the other hand, I had set a level of aestetics that I didn't want to compromise on - rather the opposite, actually - and I really wanted my Orks to be unique and be convert as much as possible - after all that is what I think painting Orks is all about. So the idea was born to do something else for a while - to paint an army with a simple color scheme that I could just churn out the vanilla models without converting everything, and which would be possible to build a complete army of in a short time so I could actually start playing the game in the current edition.

When I first got back to the hobby a couple of years ago, I found a big box of miscellaneous Ork stuff on ebay - a codex, an AoBR set, a box of Killa Kans, a Big Mek, a Painboy, a metal Ghaz and some paints and other stuff. First I figured I'd build a marine army, I had the ones from AoBR after all, but I actually had an Ultramarines army way back in 2nd ed. and I wasn't super excited to build another one - marines are a dime a dozen it seems, and if I was to use it to play, I'd rather have something else. But among all the things I got from ebay was also a Necron Battleforce box. Hmm, maybe that would be something?

Around this time the new Necron codex dropped, which sealed the deal - I would make a Necron army. It would be a lot less models than my Orks, no conversions (hrrmm, more about that later), and a simple color scheme. My eldest son was also interested in these ancient alien murder robots, and as he was going to help me paint them, he go to decide the color scheme. He wanted them to be gold and purple, so gold and purple it was!

A metal primer sped up the process considerably, and after he had helped me apply the washes, it didn't take long to complete the 20 warriors from the battleforce.





Great, finally some speedy progress!

Then I decided to tackle the Ghost Ark, and that is when I got stuck. Don't get me wrong - I love the model, it's super rich in detail, and it's a great concept - but I also hate it because it's super rich in detail and an awful concept to paint. There are millions of nooks and crannies that need to be reached with the washes, and millions of edges that need to be highlighted. So, my grand project of quickly building a playable army got crashed and burned right here. I lost interest, and went back to my Orks.

Fast forward a year, it's summer again, hey what about this old Ghost Ark that has been sitting in parts on the shelf, collecting dust for a year. Let's get it done! So, the project is back on track, and I actually finished the Ghost ark.

More or less the state I abandoned it in last year:



Now it's done (except for the base):







This feels great, and next up are these fine gentlemen. After that, there are only some Scarabs bases left, then the Battleforce is done, and the first towards an actual playable army is complete!

Awesome, Necrons are my other army besides Orks Wonderful to get the kids involved, my daughter is eyeing Sylvaneth

Behold! The Immortal cohorts of the Ka-Varnak dynasty marches forth!

(uh, or five of them at least)

Now, only a few Scarab bases remain, then I'm done with the Battleforce (and I am allowed to buy new models). Yay!





I'm working on an update of my photo setup - a larger background and stronger lights to allow me to take photos of several units at a time. So, excuse the crappy phone photos for now, when I'm done with the Scarabs I'll snap a few "proper" ones.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
We have these nice pine trees growing all around our house, and I've long thought about using the bark for making rocky bases. The texture is lovely, but they are quite brittle, so I coated the pieces in superglue to give them a hard surface to protect them. Cyanoacrylate fumes are quite nasty, so a tip for anyone who is planning to do this is to do it outside or in a well (and I mean extremely well) ventilated room. I had to take it out on the balcony, it wasn't enough with two open windows plus a balcony door.

Anyway, these little buggers are well on their way now. I primed the undersides black, but I'll use the metal primer on the top side. I think the Scarabs will be gold, even though I had originally thought that only the Necrons themselves should be gold, and all their machines dark metal. But the dark metal will probably look a bit dull against the dirt of the bases. But we'll see when I get there.

@Dez: Cool! Great minds think alike, right? It's nice to get the kids involved, my son has painted a few Space Marines (because it's fairly easy), but he is really into Orks now so that's his next project.

The bases are coming along nicely by the way.

Love the wagon. I reckon the time doing the straken highlight was worth it, personally, even though it is only visible in a few places.

Thank you, Fifty!

The Canoptek Scarabs are done! The Battleforce is done! Now I only miss a HQ, and then I have a legal, playable Necron army. A small one, sure, but it's a start. So, next up is an Overlord, and after that, some Tomb Blades, and then I'll have a Reclamation Legion.

So, here are some phone shots of the Scarabs. Sorry for the bad quality. I am working on expanding my "fancy" photo setup with a larger backdrop, so I can snap some pictures of the whole Battleforce, but that is still WIP.

Hot diggidy damn that is some nice painting and modelling, Those wildboyz look amazing!
I'm sad to see you shifting focus :(

Keep it up da paintin!
Vid.

That rust looks fantastic

Thanks Vidrian! Don't worry, I'll get back to the Orks soon - the Necrons are mostly just a side activity. But I think it is one I need so I don't burn out only painting Greenskins.

Thank you Imperial Monkey! I guess you mean on the Battlewagon? I'm pretty happy with it too - and it's so easy; just a little watered down Scrag Brown, carefully applied.

Small update: I got my hands on an Overlord, it's a nice model but I don't like the head, and I don't like the Warscythe. He's not supposed to be in CC, so better to just keep the Staff of Light. So I used the head from a Ghost Ark driver, and made a new top out of a Deathmark gun and a few pieces of plasticard, maybe it can pass for a Solar Staff if I want to.

Is the pic not working for anyone else?

How come you don't like the War Scythe? Every tine I've gone tow to toe with an overlord they seem to do well with them.

EDC

Pic doesn't work? Hmm, works for me in multiple browsers on multiple devices...

Well, it depends on how you play him - in a Royal Court-star he can have a Scythe as it's supposed to bring the hurt, but if you run a standard Reclamation Legion and join him to Warriors or Immortals for protection, he's better off with a ranged attack so at least he has the potential to join them in shooting. That's my theory at least - since I haven't actually played my Necrons yet.

I'm not very fond of how the Scythe looks on that particular model either, so if I'm going to try it in the future I might cut this one off and magnetize it with a custom made Scythe.

Oi, wat's dis? Paintin' dem tin boyz? Why not paint some propa boyz!? I got somefink 'ere fer ya, I'm puttin' togetha a small krew fer a quick smash an' grab sorta... uh... fink. Whaddaya' say? Ya up for it, or are ya a weedy grot?

. . .

”Oi, some ’un shut dat racket down, or I’ll start crackin’ ‘eads”, Baznakk growled, sending gretchin and boyz alike scurrying out of his way. The tinny blaring of the klaxon grated in his ears, and at his patience. Typical ‘oomie stuff, stating the obvious like that.

Baznakk didn’t need no fraggin’ alarm to tell him something was wrong, especially not after a huge, rumbling crash had shaken the deck enough to send everyone sprawling, and the gut-wrenching feeling of dropping out of the warp that had followed. For a moment, he wished that damned Mugbuzz had never got the power plant of the ancient ‘oomie ship running again, then he wouldn’t have to stand this infernal racket. On the other hand, it was kind of good that they’d got proper air to breathe, and light for all those cramped corridors – but damn it, why did ‘oomies have to build everything gretchin-sized?

Stooping low to fit through the bulkhead, Baznakk arrived at what the mek had claimed was the “enguneering deck”. The long, vaulted chamber finally allowed the warboss to stretch out to his full height, which he did, taking the opportunity to reach out and whack a grot over the head, sending him flying into some machinery with a crash.

“Watch dat!” cried Mugbuzz, who was standing with his back towards the room, by a large control panel of some sort, filled with blinking red and yellow lights. The mek was busy pressing buttons and pulling levers - probably at random, figured Baznakk. The warboss growled, which caused Mugbuzz to jump.

“Sorry, guv! Didn’t see you dere,” the mek shouted over the din, and gave his boss a toothy smile. Then he turned back to the control panel, and gave it a good whack with his spanner. He’d have to watch that one, Baznakk decided. That mek was a bit too smart for his own good. He’d have to show him who’s da boss soon, before he got too cheeky. Best let him shut that fraggin’ alarm down first though.

. . .

First finished member of Mugbuzz' Mek Krew: Morgog da Kutta



More to come!

Amazing is too subtle a word to describe your Orks. They're so good they've got me flowing with jealousy, and really motivated me to get a move on with my own Orks. Kudos to you!

Loving those cases by the way - must try and make one myself some time

G.A

Nice Burna Boy.

Agreed with General, looking at your blog is motivating me to get back into my painting chair. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks you, General Annoyance! It feels great to be able to inspire others to be creative!

Thanks, Cleatus! That's right, get back and paint, I'd love to see more of your stuff.

So, what's the deal with abandoning the plan to paint a Necron army? Well, I am going take part in a 10-player narrative Kill Team campaign using the Heralds of Ruin rules, and I'm super excited! I've spent the past few weeks building a list and furiously painting to get my team ready. It will be lead by my Mek Boss, Mugbuzz, and their objective is to find all the gubbinz needed to fix their ship (so that they can go join Waaagh Ghazghkull). Also, since they're a Mek krew, they'll of course always "be keepin' an eye out for fings ta loot" as well.

. . .

They’d found this old oomie ship embedded in the huge hulk that was taking them on the Waaagh, and they’d fought hard for it, clearing it of the Goffs who thought they’d owned it. Good riddance - Baznakk spat as he remembered that bunch of squigstains. Just because they’re from the same clan as the great Ghazgkhull Mag Uruk Thraka, they had got in their heads that they’re better than all other Orks, strutting around bossing everyone else around. But Baznakk had shown them.

“I sent a couple boyz down to da loadin’ bay,” Mugbuzz said, “and when dey opened da doors, they was sucked right outta space.”

The loading bay was where the ship had been attached to the rest of the hulk. Baznakk had set up barricades there, to defend it if the Goffs got the idea that they might want to take it back.

“Maybe dose Goffs blew da airlock, and sent us spinnin’?” Mugbuzz scratched the scraggly hair squig attached to his chin.

“If dey did, I hope dey’re having a good larf about it, ‘cause when I get a hold ‘o dem, I’ll…” Baznakk’s klaw revved into action.

Mugbuzz quickly shuffled over to some kind of scope or screen next to the control panel. It cast an unnatural blue light across his ugly mug as he peered into it.

“Uh… I don’t fink dat’s possible, boss,” he said. “We was booted outta da warp, an dey continued on. Dere’s no way for us to get back.”

“You got da power runnin’,” said Baznakk. “You sayin’ you can’t get da engines runnin’ too?

“Well, boss, dis ship’s got too power plants. A big ‘un, an a little ‘un. I got the little ‘un runnin’. Da engines need da big ‘un, and it’s… well it’s got a big hole right through it. Dat’s why we don’t go into da main engine room, dere’s no air. Dat, and da radiation…”

“Radi-wotnow?” Baznakk was getting annoyed. And an annoyed warboss was not a good thing.

. . .

Next up: some extra dakka for da Trukk boyz

Baznakk’s face was starting to hurt, his mouth was not used to doing this much talkin’, and his ears and head was still ringing from the alarm and the prattling of the big mek.

“So we’re stuck in dis here tin can, wiv nowhere ta go?” he asked, talking slowly, concentrating hard to contain the murderous rage that he knew would feel good, but wouldn’t help much right now. Mugbuzz seemed to sense as much, and you could see his gears working as he thought about how to answer his warboss.

“Well, Boss…” he started, ”I don’t fink it’s possible to fix da big powa plant… it’s well busted up and all.”

“But!” the mek continued, backing off as Bazkakk’s klaw, for the third time, went into action.

“Boss! Listen, I fink we can build a new one! We got most ov da scrap we need, we just miss a few gubbinz. Just gimmie a minute, I gotta speak to ma boyz.”

Mugbuzz scurried away, leaving the warboss alone in the engineering deck, his power claw idling. So that was it? They’d set out for the greatest Waaagh the galaxy had ever seen, only to be booted out and set adrift in the middle of nowhere? This was not the fate Baznakk had figured Gork and Mork had in store for him. But they were probably out there, laughing at him right now, the bastards. Baznakk felt the rage flow through him and flood out of him, like a frothing wave, a promise of destruction. He eyed the tiny door in the bulkhead. His klaw screamed as he revved it up, full throttle.

. . .

Boyz and grots alike had fled him like before a storm, and he had left a trail of destruction as he worked his way to the hangar bay. Bulkheads, hatches, ladders, pressure doors – nothing had withstood his rampage. Twisted metal and great sheets of steel torn apart marked his path through the ship. Now, finally, as he straddled his warbike, he let the last of the rage wash out of him. As he fired it up, the thunderous roar of the engine echoed through the hangar bay. Now, this was music to his ears.

. . .

Here they are, Mugbuzz Mek Krew!

I played a first test game against a Skitarii force this week, and my Orks performed very well - the Grots in particular, they were fantastic - don't underestimate the Grots! Next week is the first "real" game of the campaign, and I'll be playing 'The Last Stand' as the attacker. WAAAGH!

Here's the whole team. Remember, we're using the Heralds of Ruin games, which allows Mega-armour and individual specialists like my Burna and my two Lootas. The Boyz and Grots are divided into two teams of 5 each.





And here's Mugbuzz, by Boss Mek and Team Leader. I gave him the grumpy head from the Nobz kit, and added a greenstuffed beard and sideburns. He also got some looted Adeptus Mechanicus gubbinz. His arms and the tellyporta bit on his back are magnetoed, so I can upgrade his equipment during the campaign.

Just wanted to offer a quick note as I finished thumbing through this Blog.

Amazing work and very excellent execution on your orks (and Necrons!).

Love it, and look forward to seeing more updates on the current ork and future updates on your force.

Take it easy.

-Red__Thirst-

Thank you Red__Thirst!

Quick update today: We're supposed to play one game every two weeks, and in order to be able to finish painting any reinforcements, I've prepared a few candidates.

A Lobba, a Mek with KMB and a Runtherd for my Grots.

That's a great looking lobba and the Necron scheme from earlier is one of the best I've seen.

Thank you Cap'n Facebeard! I actually built the Lobba a long time ago, but never got around to painting it until now.

So, two victories and one defeat so far in the campaign, and now I get an extra 50 points to reinforce my team!

The Lobba is done, complete with two crew and an ammo grot (who sadly won't fit inside the points limit, but I like the little bugger so much I painted him up anyway).

It is magnetized, and can be swapped with a cannon part, but I haven't painted that yet.

Now I need to finish the Runtherd and a Burna boy before I play the next game. This week is gonna be pretty busy!

Love the lobba. Keep up the good work!

Is that a kataphron tread I see?

Also, as much as I love your orks (I'm a krazy mek myself), I have to say that the purple and gold really pop off your necrons.

Man your stuff is killer, love it!