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I would like to get into Warhammer 40K as an Ork player, but models are very expensive to get at a store. For someone who does not have a lot of money to spend on models, what tips do you have for building a decent army? Would it be possible to construct an army entirely from bits?

Best advice would be to buy an ork army off ebay or bartertown/dakka.Orks have alot of flexibilty with building models out of bits.Want stormboys find something that explodes and put it on a boys back, want lootas find a big gun,want kommandos find a backpack or just paint boys kamo.. As for vehicles anything can be looted and konvrted up to be orkish


Automatically Appended Next Post:
You are most likely going to want at LEAST 100 boys for a nice core before getting to crazy with toys

From what i see in my friends armys... Dont try to Build an Army on a budget.
There Are always the Moments where you face a Knight or a titan... And think... I Need something to Counter that... And Song have the finde.
Building the Army cheap from ebay may work but getting all the Stuff needed in a good condition is nearly impossible
Playing warhammer 40 k on a Budget is like driving a ferrari without the money for gas.
Sometines you buy 10 gallons And can Drive 50 Miles but you Will Never be able to make that roadtrip


Tip

Start an Army with a very Low Model count.
Deathwing/ Grey Knights come to my mind.

Also, remember that there's no real need to buy an entire army in one go. After securing a good base of boyz, pulling in a new unit or two every month would both space out the amount you're spending and the amount you'll have to paint. Then you can budget your time and money for what you've got.

You don't need super expensive army to be competentive. All you need is a well balanced list that can preform decent versus any race.

Some advice:
1. You will need to spend more than you'd like
2. Buy on eBay, army lots are often the best deals but obviously are large purchases in one go
3. GW paints are nice, but some of the other brands are cheaper. They are all good for beginners who have no preference yet
4. When you can't find what you want on eBay, try to buy from discounted retailers. Often stores will discount 10-30% from GW retail.
5. Orks can get more out of converting than any other army. You can cut a lot of corners and create a lot of the unique irks units by converting stuff. This is something you'll figure out as you go

Good luck! Orks are a wonderful army and I never tire of growing my horde. The biggest thing though is to be honest with how much you can spend. A LOT of people dip in and only want to spend 150$ but find it doesn't get them very far.

If you are buying new, look for deals, and shop smart. GW offers a lot of “one-click, zero-saveings” web deals. Don’t be lured in. A good rule of thumb is that if it is a bundle that has it’s own box, there is saving in there. Assuming you need everything in there. Of course, as an ork, most things can be re-puropsed. But it’s something to keep in mind.

Find a picture of an ork. Size it so it is 28mm tall. copy and paste it 200 times. Print. Cut with scissors. Stick on a base.

Bam. Cheap army.

Orks are wicked cheap on Amazon.com, like usually $25 to $28 for a core unit with free prime shipping...doesn't hurt to start there. Ebay is alright, but amazon is a bit more legitimate imo. Personal preference though really.

I always start out my armies by purchasing a large used lot for as cheap as possible. Someone is always selling a damaged army in serious need of TLC, and I don't mind doing the refurbishing.

Orks, DE, and IG have a lot of give and take between kits, so your bits can stretch quite a ways.

Buy a couple of GW kits, and get 'padding' models from elsewhere.
If the padding is generic, gluing a weapon or emblem onto it can make it fit in.
It works far better with games that use movement trays, but if you have lots of bitz from a 'legit' kit, it might make cheaper kits better.

That, or magnets. Get lots of bodies, and arms and weapons for other units. Swap out the arms as you need, and you'll not need as many bodies.

In some ways, it's down to how much time and patience you have.

First, it sounds like you are just starting out, so I sympathize with your desire to get into the hobby without spending too much. I've been there. Heck, I'm still there.
Do you know how many points your looking to build? Maybe 500-1000 to start? You could probably do that for $50-$75, depending on what deals you can find on eBay or the Dakka swap shop.

As others have mentioned, buying models second-hand is going to be your best bet. I shoot for the $1/model price point. Auctions for 10 Ork Boyz for $10-$20 are common. Occasionally you will find an amazing deal; once I won an auction for 30 Gretchin and 20 Ork Boyz for $15. These deals do exist, but they are rare. If you're willing to do some conversions, you could buy some Fantasy Orcs, and swap the arms for Sluggas/Shootas. I've used Warhammer Fantasy Ork legs for some models, and they look fine, especially if those models are mixed in with other 40k Boyz. In my experience, don't try to build an army entirely from bits. The price-per-bit can vary widely, simply because there are more of some bits on each sprue than others (e.g., legs). On eBay auctions for 10 Ork Boyz torsos/heads/arms often go for <$5.00, but legs usually will go for $1.00 each. Simple supply and demand. Buying whole models or army lots is the way to go. Keep an eye out for sellers other listings too, as sometimes people will break up an army into multiple auctions, so you could save on shipping if you win multiple auctions.

I hope this helps. Good luck, young Warboss!

Building Orks on low budget is a bit ambitious.
Instead, I'd try an army with low model count like DW, RW or GK.

Check out dakka swap shop, amazon and ebay. If you cant find anything on any of those three, try something more reliable like The Outpost; they do 20% off of models. Also try cutting pieces off of boyz and make it look like battle wounds- 10 boyz could make 15 or even 20 with this method

 Da Stormlord wrote:
Also try cutting pieces off of boyz and make it look like battle wounds- 10 boyz could make 15 or even 20 with this method

Good call.
Peg legs, hooks, etc. Very Orky

 Skinnereal wrote:

 Da Stormlord wrote:
Also try cutting pieces off of boyz and make it look like battle wounds- 10 boyz could make 15 or even 20 with this method

Good call.
Peg legs, hooks, etc. Very Orky

You will still need heads and torsos to go with your bag of extra arms and legs though surely ?



Unless you want to cut those in half too, they are Ork I guess, but still !

thewarstore.com sells stuff at a 20% discount, they just don't have an online shopping cart for GW stuff per some silly arrangement. Just give them a ring and get what you want for less.

Now adays your start 40k cheap by useing aslittle GW product as possible.

-Vallajo Paints and secret weapon washes to paint your army. Vallajo paints are prety common now to find in local hobby shops.

-Don't buy GW glues, go to your local hobby/model shop for that. I sujest Tamiya Cement with the brush for plastic glue. Any store that sell Tamiya millitary model kits will carry these. For super glue just what ever brand of modeling usper glue they sell. (I use Mercury Adhesives)

-The only tool GW makes that's worth considering is their pinning drill.

-Michaels craft stores sell Exato Knifes and replacement blades MUCH cheaper. For flat edge cutters, go to their beading section. Theirs are much better then GW since the blaes have to be hard enough to cut metal wire in crafts.

All of these products are not just cheaper then GW's, but better quality.


If your not playing at a officle GW store, you can also consider mantic's Marauder troops for your ork boyz.

Learn the ancient forbidden art of scratch building. Dollar store trucks, plasticard For Sale signs and green stuff = all the transports you'll ever need.