CK, we need a unit of Stormgrotz dressed up as various flying superheroes - Supergrot, Grotstorm, Captain Marvel Grot, Grot Lantern, Mag-grot-o, etc...
monkeytroll: I have to paint, I've built everyhting for the waagh!! . And, in all fairness, the skin had already been done on these guys, saving quite some time. As for the chibi-halberd guy: just shows how easily you can convert a mini. I've found with the grots, that it's all about changing the silhouette when compared to the original model. Besides, this guy's sword doesn't offer that many options, so this seemed like a logical choice
Vitruvian XVII: Thanks! The rust is done using Vallejo pigments, though they're a tad less bright irl. As for the warlord: I haven't assembled anything yet. it's been in the planning phase for a while now, and with the grot's finish in sight, I decided I needed to get a new project going. My FLGS had a mispack of a fortress of redemption, and I'm hoping I can get my hands on that. It would help out lots . Still, I'll keep those musings for the warlord thread, when it gets started. Don't hold your breath though, could still be weeks or months!
Awesomesauce: Glad you like it here! For the warlord: see the comment above
Gitsplitta: lots and lots . Or 68 to be exact plus four kommissars. Not all that much, but it's the converting that's taken up a lot of time. I'm still aiming for a total of 120 + 12 kommissars, but that'll be a very slow project one the stuff I need will be finished. getting 52 more original poses is going to be a challenge...
Arakasi:
dsteingass: Thanks! With the greenskins, it's all about character
Dysartes: Remind to do a few after my 1750 points are finished . I'll give you Grotter Harley (or Grot Rambo, depending on preferences) to keep you going:
I've also been working on the burnagrots, getting the three grots themselves finished. Now, it's getting the suits done.
Piccies:
Hope to have these three done by the end of the week, if work and family stuff allow it.
dsteingass: Thanks! I consider myself more of a converter though. While I can paint models in a decent fashion, it's more 'technical', more about doing it the right way, while modelling simply is natural to me. Not to say that I don't enjoy painting, but painting is about getting the model done, while modellinbg is about modelling in itself. Don,'t know if that makes any sense, but hey, what would you expect from a demented grot
monkeytroll: Lol .
Now, onto some more piccies. I got two more burnagrots finished, bringing them up to 6. game legal without resorting to shortcuts! Yay!
CommissarKhaine wrote:Dysartes: Remind to do a few after my 1750 points are finished . I'll give you Grotter Harley (or Grot Rambo, depending on preferences) to keep you going:
That dude can be Grot Rambo - you know Grotter Harley needs to be using a bow & chicken...
liking them together, But how on earth are you going to get these models around, they have such a weird shape and size. i have troubble and my models are'nt even that weird shaped? anyway good stuff
Tortured-Robot: Thanks! They're rougly termy size, Here's some comparison pics:
The arms are waving all over the place, but the body itself is slightly bigger than a marine. I'm gussing they're slitghly taller then regular lootas but, I doubt anyone will be pulling a 'modelling for advantage' thing on me.
SelvaggioSaky: Thanks!
HAZZER: Got one more done toda!
Dysartes: Hmm, where did I see that chicken model... I have a razorwing flock lying around, one of those heads might be nice...
bigfish: Getting them around involves solid modelling: They take up a lot of room, but the models are built pretty solidly, so they won't break off easily.
Awesomesauce: Thank you
monkeytroll: Thanks! Hmm, have to check the model for a jade figurine... Don't have it by me and not sure I added it...
Now, in between goign away and generally having a very good weekend, I managed to get burnagrot number 7 done:
Capitansolstice: Thanks! I've got 3 more burnagrots to go, then it's my lootas (looted servitors), a few grots, and my megadeffkopta:
Well, and the stompa:
and my SAG:
So, I hope you'll agree there's still some cool stuff in the pipeline
Gitsplitta: Thanks man!
HAZZER: Thanks! As for parts: a grot, any decent flamer nozzle, some random bits, and lots of plasticard, I beams, and rods. Oh, and guitar wire . here's a pic of an unpainted burnagrot:
mullet_steve: Thanks! The SAG was inpired by all the good dakka folks here, who lured me away from a painting spree with the idea
Gitsplitta: Mad, mainly, but I'll settle for genius . Thank you!
dsteingass: Thanks man!
monkeytroll: Thanks! I definitely feel there's light at the end of the tunnel now (well, this tunnel anyway ), mainly due to my 1750 list getting finished. I'll get back to the stompa after that.
Awesomesauce: like a grot, I hope?
In the meanwhile, my insomnia granted me some time to get the remaining 3 burnagrots blacked in. I also applied the DA green basecoat for the skin:
I hope get the skin done this evening. I've also been working on some more grots, but I'll post those up when they're completely finished. I'm also gonna build some more basic grots, so I can use some of the classic models as riggers/ammo grot counters .
killykavekommando: Don't bring yourself down: your model is painted neatly, which is a great start and the base for everything else. If you want, I can give you my grot skin recipe?
Arakasi: Yep... I focussed on modelling first so I could play with the little guys. Maybe I should do a catch-up post when I reach page 50? If I have to point people at stuff right now, it's pretty hopeless...
HAZZER: Thank you! And we both know this army will NEVER be finished
And because I like piccies, and I managed to get the skin done:
Next up: either the regular grots or the burnagrots detailing. I started work on 5 more regulars, meaning I'll only need to do two more after this set.
I'd love a recipe for skin! Right now I just use Goblin green, camo green highlights and thrakka green (or baddab black if I'm out) as a wash. I'd love my grots to look like yours.
killykavekommando: first, DA green over a black undercoat
knarloc green wetbrush
2/3 knarloc green + 1/3 bleached bone
1/3 knarloc green + 2/3 bleached bone
bleached bone + a bit of knarloc green
a wash consisting of 1/3 thraka green, 1/3 gryphonne sepia, 1/3 water or ogryn flesh wash, depending on taste
Now, piccie time! I got 5 more regular grots done, leaving me with 2 regulars to paint for my 1750 list.
monkeytroll: thanks,; the lense effec tis pretty easy once you get the hang of it; if I can find a model that has unpainted lenses, I could do a tut if you want?
Llamahead: Hasn't stopped any if the GW design team
DrGonzo: Thank you, glad to have you drop by!
For piccies today, I give you my PIP burnagrots. I hope to get these finished by the end of the week. I need my modelling shot badly, too much paint
The grots themselves are 99% done, and I've made a start on the metallics for the suits. Still a way to go, but quite doable.
Dysartes: Correct, these are the final three. Well, for this edition, that is, if the leaked rulebook is correct on firing from vehicles and the "flamers in assault" thingy, I may need 5 more. But for now, I'll try and spend my remaining sanity on other things than burnagrots.
Arakasi: You are a true seer, sir . Luckily, a solution is at hand since I still need few grots with remotes for my second loota unit.
SelvaggioSaky: Same here. Well, I put that goal up once I pretty much had everything built, so don't know if that counts... The odd thing is, made sure I got lots of basc grots painted becasue I dind't want to paint them all in the end, but now I'm stuck with my elites. There's less of them, though, so that's good news
monkeytroll: the wise old ork warned me for you... Pistons may be a tad off, but I'l be doing some modelling shortly anyway.
Goresaw: modelling is the rollercoaster ride, painting is the slow drive that gets you to your destination: losing patience just sets you back further
Vitruvian XVII: Exactly! Lots of us seem to feel the same way. Time for a suport group? . It's one f the reasons I like surfng daka as well: there's always some cool modelling going on.
CommissarKhaine wrote:Dysartes: Correct, these are the final three. Well, for this edition, that is, if the leaked rulebook is correct on firing from vehicles and the "flamers in assault" thingy, I may need 5 more. But for now, I'll try and spend my remaining sanity on other things than burnagrots.
@ Dysartes: I had a regenerating squig brain-transplant, so my sanity regenerates. It's like teef really, you spend it on cool stuff!
@ Vitruvian XVII: Yep, it always pushes me to go that little bit further. Ah, life in the spotlights...
@ dsteingass: it's better then the AA: we get to brag about pour addictions
@ HAZZER: Thanks, keeping it up, burnagrots are done!
@ monkeytroll, SelvaggioSaky:
Hi all, I'm CK, and I have a modelling problem
Luckily for me, it's back to modelling! I got all the burnagrots done, meaning it's time to make the last few grots with remotes for my second loota unit.
Pictures of the last three burnagrots:
Very bright, I know, but the lighting is awful :(
And a sideshot showing off the burnas:
I must say, they're quite a sight here in my mini cabinet, all ten of'em. This was the unit that intimidated me the most when it came to painting, but in the end I'm pretty proud of them. Now, back to the plastic crack (<-- maniacal, relieved laughter)
@ bigfish: group shot coming up . As for the rulebook, it's in the news&rumours section.
@ Tortured-Robot: Thank you! The new edition of 40K will come out in the summer as far as I know, general consensus is that the leaked document is at least partially real. Still, grain of salt and all that...
@ Dysartes: Thanks! I'll probably be building a few here and there, in between other projects for the little guys. Both the new edition and my whim will dedice what, when, where, and how - as is usually the case.
@ SelvaggioSaky: becasue I don't use tankbustas, so I don't have any grots that can take rokkits: ).
@ monkeytroll: Thanks! group shot is a bit wtf indeed, took me 20 attempts or so for two decent pics... Camera has trouble focussing, for some weird reason . The lootas are already built, just need to add some grots. Not sure I like them 100% though, may redo one or two... We'll see!
@ Gitsplitta: Thank you .
So, group shots as requested:
A mess of arms and flamers, but I like it; imagine seeing a screeching, clanking mass of these grots charging at you...
That is a brilliant project to reach completion. The anarchy is definitely propelling I also like the brightness and sheer scale of the accomplishment.
The group shot is amazing. I bet nothing feels more satisfying that watching a bunch of terminators disappearing beneath a mass of arms, flames, and screaming grotz.
Have you looked at the Grot Tanks and Grot Mega Tank rules from Forgeworld? They'd definitely fit and could be used as an excuse for some fun conversions.....
@ Dysartes: Those can be the nobz . I always had winged squigs in mind for the actual stormgrots, the supergrots would just be a nice distraction. Or I could use them for objective counters
@ Llamahead: I have. But FW is rarely allowed where I play, so... I might get me a few if I really have cash to burn, but till then, I'd rather build stuff I'd play with.
Now, I've been ill for a few days, so I didn't get all that much done. I also decided to focus on my modelling fix, so I got the two grots done for the last two looted servitors that were still grotless.
Number one was based on the stompa grot, with the hammer removed and a remote and some glasses added:
Number was started on the much-maligned grot with the sword in front of him. It's one of thos emodel's that's hard to convert, but this time I decided to bite the bullet and carve away the sword. Since I wanted a 'mad dok' somewhere in the loota bunch (and this was my last grot controller for the lootas), I figured he'd need extensive rebuilding anyway.
Piccie after carving, before gs:
And nearly done:
They both need some cleaning up, and I should learn to let the gs cure longer before I touch the model again, but I'm reasonably happy with them. I'll clean them up tomorrow, and then it's time to slap some paint on them. I'm alos going to build me a few more regular grots so I can take out the old metal ones, since those will be sued for ammo/rigger grot counters.
That first guy looks like he's got his own "Name Your Own Price Tool"! (sorry, reference to a U.S. commercial) He needs a bouffant hairdo and a [Flo] name tag.
Anyway... great work CK, that mechanical hand is nuts!
Gitsplitta wrote:That first guy looks like he's got his own "Name Your Own Price Tool"! (sorry, reference to a U.S. commercial) He needs a bouffant hairdo and a [Flo] name tag.
Anyway... great work CK, that mechanical hand is nuts!
I wouldent believe too much about the new rule book that has been leaked, chatting to a GW employee and appantly some brainstorm copies were released and the full book is at the 40 page mark...
Lol, real life seems to have kicked in, meaning I missed out on a bunch of replies. Sorry guys, let's fix this!
SelvaggioSaky: Thanks, it's all plastic rod of different sizes, cut to discs or tubes.
monkeytroll: Yep, glad I finally had the guts to do so. Did a second well as well, pics further down!
Dysartes: Something like that, yes - More Dr Frankengrot, I think
Awesomesauce: Lol - maybe in a while, I need all the SCs, after all...
DrGonzo: Thank you!
Gitsplitta: Don' t know the show, but if plastic little monster smake you think of real people, i'm doing something right
Capitansolstice:
EagleArk: I know, but 6th will be out this summer, so... Changes will be necessary, I'm afraid - or maybe GW has finally seen the light and will be making a grot codex
HAZZER: Thanks HAZZER!
Now, as I said on top, real life has had it's vice-like talons (both work-related and private stuff, so yeah, it's been busy!) on me for a bit, but I've managed to escape for a little bit. In order to preserve my sanity, I decided on some modelling for my troubled mind. So, 5 more basic grots for your enjoyment!
Since they're all converted and that I'm quite proud of them, they all get separate pics:
Number one, with a huge 19th century looking rifle. The part in his hand is actually the grenade bit from the grot sprue, with some IG bits and a grot pistol added to make an antique looking gun:
Number two,carrying a double-barelled shotgun. I've been wanting one of these for a long time:
Dual sword-wielding guy. The sword blades are from the grot prod:
Now, another swordfighter. I really like this one's pose, I think it's very natural. I also had to resculpt the back where I cut away his hair. Not bad considering it's one of those dratted one-part models
And, last but not least, my gunslinger! Based on the grot with the sword in front of him, I resculpted his loincloth, and had him blasting away. Why? Becasue it's fun, and I hadn't doen a western-movie stereotype yet
And all five together:
These guys will alow me to swap out some of the old metal models so I can use those as riggers/oilers/ammo grots. Hope you enjoy'em!
Llamahead: Thanks! For the double barrels, file/cut a bit of the tubes, so they fit flush. it also saves you some room - every mm count son models this small .
monkeytroll: Thank you . To be honest, I keep being amazed by the versatily of the grot minis. I have around 80 regular grots now, and the only duplicates are two classic models that will be grot riggers in the end- not bad for only ten basic models or so.
SelvaggioSaky: thanks - and to think that the two-handed sword is just a regular grot sword with an extended grip. It shows nicely how ridiculously big GW weapons are .What I like about the two-handed pose is how natural it looks, something that can be pretty hard with conversions, since you can't change every bit of the model.
MajorTom11: Thanks!
Sadly no piccies today, since I've been undercoating stuff and we've been clearing out the garage of all the 'moving house' boxes still in there. Hope to get some paint on either the deffkopta or the lootas!
Anyway, small piccie update with new stuff as well; I got the skin done on a bunch of grots, always a nice step in the painting process:
You can see the 5 newly-built grots there, as well as some lootas, and the two guys in the back will be added to the battlewagon turret and to the rokkit buggy respectively. I built them ages ago, so thought I might as well toss on some paint . Hope you like'em!
Hey CommissarKhaine! The grot are looking good! Bhw do you have any tips for converting grtos becuase I'm currently needing to for my trukk to battlewagon conversion! Which is on my blog!
Not sure about pure Grots, but O&G snotling swarms (or whatever they're called in Fantasy- Gnoblars or something?) are fairly cheap, and come with a ton to a pack.
hi, well i have just looked through all 44 pages of this and all i can say is WOW!
they are all looking amazing, just a few conversion ideas,
you could try and make some mega grots from some space marine terminators. also, on your stompa, i think it would look cool if you had a grot hanging onto some of the armour plates of its huge platform so it looks like the grot is falling
Awesome Grots dude. Your the reason why im gonna start an army of grots soon. Love the battlewagons and the kans, not so sure about the MA grots through. The leader looks amazing. Your skilllvl is amazing
Wow, over a year since I posted here... Bit of a shame really... Real life and a bit of a hobby burn-out have conspired to keep me away from here for -way too long really. But slowly, I felt the need to return home. I started lurking here on dakka again, started replying (*gasp* ), and well, time to get posting again!
I figured I might as well start the little guys off with something big... And since I've started painting my converted stompa, I figured it would be a nice start. So, without further ado: an orange stompa, and hopefully the start of a renewed stay here on dakka .
Notice the grot in there, feeling a lot tougher with his big friend around .
And some side shots:
It's *only* the orange that's been done, but on this guy, that's quite a lot already- especially considering my rather sluggish painting. To get here I used 3.5 pots of macharius orange, a pot of vermin brown, and 3 pots of ogryn flesh! next up I'm gonna start balcking in the blue and metal areas, and then it's on to graffiti and detailing!
For the people looking for orks in here: don't . There just the one underneath one of my kans:
The squeaky waaaaghh is a grot revolution, so expect madness here -but no orks
A bit of very old background I might as well repost:
M 39.851, Segmentus Pacificus, Gnosis IV, Adeptus Xenos research facility, greenskin holding cells
“I assure you, inquisitor ‘s Yrenne , the highest precautions have been taken to make sure our subjects cannot escape. As a matter of fact, considering the 97.6% probability of an attempted uprising, maximum security precautions are always in effect in the greenskin holding area.” The voice sounded mechanical, inhuman. Adeptus Mechanicus. With the lack of humanity came a lack of the fear Inquisitor ‘s Yrenne was used to. Magos Biologis Xornos lacked humanity, in a way only the Adepts of the machine-cult could. “What about the spores they produce, Magos?” A mechadendrite extended from the Adepts waist, projecting schematics. “These pics should provide more clarity, Inquisitor. The greenskin area is separated with airlocks from the rest of the facility; it’s air is brought in from the outside, and outgoing air passes through several mechanisms to destroy any spores or, indeed, greenskins that may be attempting to travel along the air ducts. All gates are guarded by servitors, programmed to shoot anyone not broadcasting the proper signals. Hence the bio-data-specific emitter on your wrist.” “So one of these emitters gives me full access to the facility?” The magos hesitated for a second, clearly taking care to formulate the next answer properly. “You have a visitor’s emitter, inquisitor. You are safe in all green zones, as stated on the documents we presented you with, and as long as you stay near an emitter with a higher ranking, you are allowed to go wherever the higher ranked emitter goes. Should you be found … unescorted… in an unregulated area servitors or skittarii are programmed to detain you and call up the nearest senior Magos. I realize this may seem insulting to you, but we have had to upgrade our security since the latest incidents. Full descriptions can be found in the data provided.”
The data had been extensive alright: the Adeptus had provided all the information the could on the ‘incidents’ as they called them. To the inquisitor, ‘sabotage’ seemed more appropriate. There had been reports of airvalves not functioning, disappearances of personnel and servitors. Not efficient, not like the Adeptus Mechanicus usually was. “What species are detained in this facility, magos Xornos?” The Magos blurted out information, akin to an automaton. The inquisitor wondered how much humanity really was left inside that mechanical shell. “Curently, we have 2 non-psyker Eldar, 546 Tau, fire and earth caste, 700 K’tir, 1.345 orks, 412 squig hounds, 2 squiggoths, and a number of gretchin between 7.000 and 8.000 units, depending on hatching periods and daily casualties. All numbers except for the Eldar and Squiggoths can be off by 1.7% due to a delayed information transfer on the vivisections.” The inquisitor frowned “No Tyranids?” “Our psychic containment facility is not finished yet, inquisitor, it would seem unwise to draw the attention of any tendril fleets. This is the same reason we do not keep Eldar or ork psykers on Gnosis IV. If orks with psychic powers are detected, they are properly restrained and moved to another facility. As for your next question: in case of an uprising, we have a full strength skittarii platoon equipped for anti-personnel, and a number of auxiliaries that can be pressed into service. The PDF has been equipped with all the proper material as well, and the commissariat keeps them admirably in line, considering the natural tendencies of the Gnosis IV PDF.” “And yet, none of your personnel could find the saboteurs responsible for extensive damage to the facility?” “Not all incidents can be catalogued as sabotage, Inquisitor” the Magos protested, rising high on his mechanical legs, looking like an obscene, spider-like centaur. He was cut short abruptly by ‘s Yrenne. “You’ve had 59 deaths, 32 irrepairably damaged servitors, several power leaks and shortages, several important thefts, and you still believe no sabotage is involved? My first guess would have been Tyranid vanguard organisms, but as far as we know, none have ever been near Gnosis IV.”
The inquisitor consulted the charts again, her eyes scanning over the data “falling cargo containers and masonry crushing personnel, supplies disappearing, cut cables, two ogryn servitors that have vanished, unexplained power fluctuations and shortages… Not to mention that several Tau stealth suits were stolen! Thank the Emperor the ammo had been removed! How could this happen?” Magos Xornos’ chest unit started to whirr, increasing air intake and body fluid transmissal. The inquisitor had learned early on in her dealings with the Adeptus that this indicated some kind of stress. She decided to push the Mechanicus adept. Since there was no psychic containment field active, she could enhance his emotions. Even when done subtly, it would bring his reaction time down to a normal human level, just like his emotions would go up to a human level. “This is sabotage Magos, and I wonder why this wasn’t reported earlier. These “events” as your people call them, have been happening for over a year now! If Tyranids aren’t involved, it must be chaos cultists!” The Magos startled, the gears in the chest unit going a tad faster. “I assure you, inquisitor, this facility is loyal to-" “How can you be sure? Have you checked every single worker here yourself, Magos?” “No, but…” She decided to spring the trap. “So, what do you think, Magos?”
“Jealousy” It was blurted out, and the tech adept was obviously startled by his own answer. “Continue” The psychic imperative was barely needed. “My work with the smaller greenskins is ground-breaking. We have separated a number of them from their bigger cousins, and it creates a very different social structure. They have proven useful if cowardly workers, and some share the genetic aptitude considering all things mechanical of their larger cousins. They may provide us with interesting information on greenskin technology and genetic imprinting” “What else? Just this can’t be enough!” Again, a little nudge at the mind. It was harder to affect a partly mechanical mind, and she couldn’t read the thoughts like she could with an unenhanced human being, but she could surely work his emotions. The Magos’s defenses cracked open a bit more. “The holy grail of greenskin study is similar to the inquisition’s radical path, as you are well aware. A weapon that would make greenskins turn upon each other in such a fashion that they do not get the chance form a Waaaghhh!, or that a Waaaghhh! poses no threat to non-greenskins.” The Adept paused, hesitated for the tiniest fraction of a second, then decided to continue. “Social conditioning of the smaller greenskins has met with some success. I will download you a pict fragment that should prove my point”.
The pict-feed was high-quality, filmed through some kind of grating; a hidden camera in the greenskin holding facility. There was an ork visible, a huge, muscular monster, with fists the size of inquisitor ‘s Yrenne’s head. He was followed on cameras as he stalked through a number of areas. He was clearly new to this part, exploring as he went along. With surprising ease, he ripped a piece of pipe out of the wall, making for an improvised club. As he came into a new area, he noticed a few gretchin. His face split open with a wide grin, baring yellow fangs. “Oi, you lot over there! I’m hungry, get me a squig or it’ll be you I’ll be having for dinna!” The camera panned out, showing several of the diminutive greenskins looking at each other. ‘s Yrenne had studied greenskins extensively before, so she knew what would happen next: the grots would scarper off, trying to fulfil their master’s wishes. If he didn’t like their efforts, he’d clobber a few and maybe eat one of them, just like he’d said. Or he’d clobber a few anyway, for good measure. Greenskin society was brutal, and grots never stood a chance against the orks. She was in for a surprise.
Te grots didn’t scarper off. On the contrary, they assembled around the ork, grots appearing as if from nowhere, many carrying bit of glass or pipe. Then, they began to shout, one at first, then more, all the squeaky little voices blending together: “Please, master, no more beatings” “We’re workin’ as fast as we can boss!” “Don’t kick the gretchin!” What should have been a pleading, miserable voice, was instead a taunt. There was a malicious glint in their eyes, and a vicious tone to their voice. These grots would not obey. The ork, like orks are wont to do, decided to use brute force. “You lot moutin’ off now, iz ya! Feel me pipe then!” As the ork swung his pipe, cables were thrown. ‘s Yrelle hadn’t even noticed them, focused as she was on the grots’ unexpected behaviour and the more visible weaponry. It took the grots less then a second to bring the hulking brute down. It took the ork a lot longer to die, however.
“this was approximately 18 months ago. It was the first time his behaviour was observed, though it had often been hypothesized this behaviour should occur.” The next fragments were similar. The number of orks increased, and it appeared that the grots who had thrown off the shackles of repression had become a different breed of greenskin altogether. In the last pict-feed, an ork mob was lured into a dead-end, and then bombed to death with whatever the grots had found, creating a kind of mechanical cave-in. A trapped ork was tortured for hours on end, before being clobbered to death by a bunch of exhilarated grots. “Some payback…” The inquisitor mused. “Not quite, inquisitor; the grots you see here have never been oppressed by orcs. They were allowed to build up strength for 7 months. Then, we introduced a few squighounds and other creatures, forcing them to fight together against a physically stronger enemy. After that, we led a few grot slaves that had fled from the orks there. The results... Are impressive, if I do say so myself.”
So, hope you guys enjoy the pics! i'm working on some basic grots and a dakkajet, so new updates should be arriving within less then a year
Jehan-reznor: Thanks! It's a follows the 'normal' stompa rules (mostly since sine the model based on one ). As for what it's made of: it's a regular stompa body turned upside down; most of the construction pics are on p 31-35 of the blog, but this pic should make things clearer:
Arakasi: I knew that would get your attention . Thanks for the warm welcome!
hk1x1: Thank you! Paintin' is notoriously slow with me though, so it might take a while .
lone dirty dog: Thank you! It's good to be back, looking forward to your comments!
As for newer piccies today: I finished two of my grots I still had lying around:
Some pics of each of them separate:
And.. I'll be going back to remove the mould line on the gun; don' t know how I missed that...
I really like how this gunslinger worked out, especially since he's based on the single-pose grot holding a sword in front of him. But the resculpting of the loincloth is decent enough that you won't notice at a distance, and he's in a nice and dynamic pose, which is what it's all about.
And the swordgrot, wielding a singlehanded sword with two hands because GW thinks every sword is a greatsword:
Pretty natural pose on this one, made easier by the fact that I've practised both Aikido and medieval swordfighting
Grots are awesome. You certainly did them justice. Maybe they will get some type of love in the next dex eh? *dreams of entire Grot army like they do in Fantasy*
KingCracker: Thanks: A grot codew would be nice, but I don't feel too restricted by counts-as (and Belgians are pretty relaxed players), so just using the ork codex is fine by me
Gitsplitta: And he's holding it left hand first as well . Good to have you back!
SelvaggioSaky: You actually remember him? Wow, good memory
Now, I got a dakkajet a while ago (I love my wife!), and decided it was time to get it doen up. This one is pretty basic, just the cockpit moved back, my second one will be a bomma and will be a bit more extensively converted
Piccies:
I used the cockpit bit where the grot gunner usually sits, inverted it, and added a front window in clear plastic. Makes it look a bit more WWII, always a good look for greenskins IMO!
i love your work, thank you keep it up, you stompa is the best ive ever seen, i hate that model, but its a great model to convert tho, just like you have.
wazzoo2000: Thank you, means a lot coming from one of the greenskin konvertin' experts
I agree that the original stompa lacks inspiration, but, like you, I find it conversion-worthy
Talking about the stompa, a very small amount of painting has been done:
I also added some long overdue grots my buggy and battlewagon:
Small progress, but I've been spending alot of time looking for a new job, and that does take precedence, unfortunatyely
So, what more is to come? More paintin' done on the stompa, obviously, and besides that I got me a new fighta-bomma (feel like doin' som seriuz konvertin this time around), and some squigs have arrived in the mail as well. After getting the paint off, these will be a good base for stormgrots
SelvaggioSaky: Thank you! Hmm, rebel grots... makes want to do an x-wing style dakkajet... One more crazy idea to add to the list
Gitsplitta: Thanks, it feels good to be working in the grots again. It took me some time to get the vibe back but now, it's back with a vengeance
For today I have a nice demonstration of my modeller's ADD. I could've painted some more on the stompa, or I could've worked on my first dakkajet. maybe touched up some models... Or.. I could've starte don my second fighta-bomma!
For this one, I felt some proppa konvertin' was need to turn it into a bomma. Not sure if it'll be a burnabomma or the other'un, but I knew I wnated to:
- raise the wings
- move the pilot to the actual nose
- have angled wings
- have a tailgunner
So, with trusty dremel and hacksaw, I set to work. I took out the top to have a nice area for the wings, cut of the rear jet engine, and messed up the nose. Results in the piccies!
A view from the top:
For those wondering: yes, those are cavalry bases used as spacers
Full frontal:
Note that the wings are angled properly, but it doesn't look that way because I taped on the canopy for your viewing pleasure (and to make clear what it's going to be)
Side views:
And a rear view, showing where the tailgunner will sit. I have two tubes sliding into each other (lucky find in my bitzbox- aspirine tubes apparently match with deodorant caps), so the gunner's seat will be removable for painting. It will get the circular canopy attached, in all likeliness.
Things I'm still considering:
- What to do with the original openings where the wings are supposed to go. I'm thinking hydraulics and landing gear/skids, or some kind of gun sponson, though that might give rules issues.
- How to finish up the top
- How to make a good looking cockpit while keeping the clear canopy near the feet as well.
Llamahead: Thanks, that's the look I was going for, it's pretty much a liberator crosses with a valkyrie. The nose art... may find my painting skills lacking I'm afraid. Now that you've said it though, it needs to be done. Time to start practicing methinks
SelvaggioSaky: that would be a nice idea for the grot from the stormboyz set I have lying around... May have to ebay me a few more of those, I want to use those for my stormgrots as well. Choices, choices... Thanks for the inspiration!
cormadepanda: Thank you!
As an idea for the sides: retractable landing skids are still in the runnig, or... I could make a bomm port (bit like a torpedo tube), where the grots push out bombs to drop on unsususpecting victims... I'll be pouring concrete today (time to set up a proppa bbq), so that'll give me time to think.
Wow.. four years. I hadn't realised I'd been out of the hobby this long. Real-life has torn me away from the hobby, but recently I've returned to my old ways of wargaming . At first, I started of with my guard, getting some games in, getting a feel for the new edition - turns out I skipped 6th . But, slowly, my itch for the greenskins returned. After a friend of mine pushed me to play my grot revolution again, all fell into place. A spark was re-ignited... followed by welding sparks and the frantic cutting up of minis and plasticard. Combined with a whole bunch of unfinished projects, this blog will be about finishing my old stuff, and adding some new things.
For the old stuff, I'll be working on:
My stompa, which needs lots of paint:
One of the first ever conversions on this thread, a wartrakk:
And some random minis of course
As for the new: I once discussed on these esteemed forums the option of turning a dreadnought into a huge warbike. Since I want to add a biker warboss (possibly Zhadsnark), I figured a grot riding a warbike made from a dreadnought would be a nice start, since I already had some ideas that had been lingering in my mind for four years. Basically, i put the sarcophagus on it's back, cut out the part where the marine would go, and added the engine to the back:
The squig hound is in process of being converted. I want him to look like a dog enjoying the wind in his face . And well- all the rest is WIP as well, obviously .
With tracks where the dread arms would go, and the start of a steering column, it ends up like this:
I'm fiddling with the steering column right now, if that works out, it's adding a buzzsaw, guns, gubbins. Ooh, and a bunch of flaming skulls as a tribute to Wazdakka, that other great ork biker warlord!
In the works right now: the odd bit of painting, the warbike, and a flying squig counts-as-stormboy conversion; because just one project isn't my style
Oh, and Dysartes, after four years:
Looking good thus far, Commissar - how large an air force do you intend to end up with?
I'll get a 3rd one tonight, so three will be a nice start
So, some more progress on the warbike. It actually has a front wheel now. still need to detail the steering column, but the groundwork is now in place. Next is the driver, the guns and the buzzsaw/powerklaw contraption. Ooh, and the squighound fo course
Since I didn't want to do a regular front wheel, I mated a buzzsaw from the killa kan set with some skids from a deffkopta:
The had will touch the handles one glued in place, and the squighound will be more upstraight, but I'm only going to glueing it in once painted.
Side piccies:
Still not sure where to add the gun though. Rear left will have the power klaw arm, exo-skeleton style. Rear left will have the squig hound. So, the logical place seems to be what was the top of the dreadnought. Opinions are welcome, as always!
Llamahead: it's good to be back . Took me some time to get stuff sorted out, but it's good to return to modelling the little guys!
While gs was drying on some other WIPS and my bike, I decided to experiment with a stormboy idea that I've had for ages, namely a grot riding a squig - we all know what the '1' on the run roll will mean in that case
Still needs gs and more gubbins; I'm not going to bother stripping the squig, since the coats of paint are very thin.
Next up will be some progress on the warbike, if everything goes to plan - and I don' t get distracted
Now, in a classical case of changing projects half-way through, I decided to get some more work done on my biker boss, figuring out a decent way to represent a S10 powerklaw on a grot. In the end, I settled on a big, mechanical loading-arm contraption, with the obligatory huge pincer attached. Since I chose the kan klaw with the saws, I figured he can stand in as Zhadsnark if I want to.
And the pic showing off the warboss, which dakka decided to turn sideways for some reason:
The warboss got a mohawk, and the squig is getting his mane built up and the gaps filled in where I cut away his neck have his head turned into the wind. Next up will be more gs work, and find a way to add the dakka guns. Maybe a small platform? Or dakka guns where the roof of the dread used to be?The jury is still out on that one, so stay tuned to see how it all pans out
Hmm, not much love for the warbike apparently? Still, finished the damn thing, so you'll be getting pics of it anyway :p
I added a twin-linked dakkagun to the side, building up a gun port, using two barrels from the dakkajet. Besides that, I added a banner pole, and filled up some things here and there. I still have some gs touchung up to, but apart from that I'm calling the little guy finished
Piccies:
And the view the mini will be getting before getting run over or snipped/sawn in several pieces:
As a getting-back-into-things conversion, it proved a nice challenge, mainly design-wise. the actual modellingwasn't that hard, but making it all 'fit' in my head proved quite the challenge. Still, it got me on the right track again, so I'm happy! If you feel anything should be different, feel free to drop a comment.
Next up: more counts-as stormboyz, or maybe some mek guns; I have several old zzap guns (the metal ones). if I can make the guns interchangeable, those might be a nice addition to the squeaky waaagh!! I Also have an idea for the other bikes, involving tracks as well, based on a french bike design that used one huge track on a bike instead of wheels. Seemed properly 'green' to me
Llamahead wrote: One of the random Polish companies makes those.....
Ooh nice! I checked zinge industries' model, but I think I can do better (want more tracks exposed). Didn't find any on maxmini or kromlech, is there a company I missed?
In other nzws, last night I took out the greenies for their second battle in 7th, against Iron hands space marines.
I went for a double CAD, consisting of:
- Warboss in mega-armour, lucky stikk
- Warboss on bike with PK - Big mek on Bike with shokk attakk hu,
- 4 * 10 grots
- 2* 3 killa kans (3 with rokkits, 3 with grotzookas)
- 3 buggies with rokkits
- one deffkopta with buzzsaw
- 5 traktor kannons
- 5 meganobz in a battlewagon
10 burnaboyz ina battlewagon
My opponent's army consisted of:
- a librarian on bike
- apothecary on bike
- big bike unit with grav
- 2*3-man bikers with two melata
- 2 attack bikes with multimeltas
- 5 termies in a land raider redeemer
- a venerable dread ina drop pod
- 3* 5 marines with flamer, in rhinos
We played the capture the relic mission, and my opponent got first turn.
Deployment looked like this:
In his first turn, he advanced cautiously with most of his army, bar his dread who blocked of my left flank:
I advanced agressively up the center with my battlewagons, my deffkoptza grabbing the objective and running off, only to be gunned down by three lucky assault cannon shot the next turn. I took out the center bikers with shooting, which meant my bikers couldn't assault (rookie mistake, I should play more)
I then spent the rest of the battle picking up the objective and using my battlewagons as movement blockers, while my left flank played a holding action. I ran off with my warboss with the relic (pretty grotty ); while my other BW (with only two burna boyz remaining thanks to the redeemer's flamestorm cannons... went for linebreaker.
We ended up 5-2, the both of us having first blood and linebreaker, and me grabbing the relic.
Good fun was had, and for an army largely taken from 5th, it worked decently. The killa kans were a disappointment though, so I'll be looking at what to do with them: one big unit, or maybe replacing them.
Cool
Turns out I lied it's Mad Robot Miniatures [url]https://madrobotminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_16&products_id=41&zenid=5cb1qkronqrr1b1tamrgiekqr0
[/url]
Dystopian Legions from Spartan Gameshttp://shop.spartangames.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DLFS33 and Kromlech does have one the Legionary Breacher bike.
Llamahead: Thanks for the links! The mad robot one seems a tad bland (same issue as the kromlech one IMO), but that Spartan Games bikes will serve as some very nice inspiration. If they scale properly, I might order a set for two more bikes (maybe for a mek or a painboy), funds permitting.
Gitsplitta: Thanks, it's good to be back And you know what they say about old dogs...
Today, I managed to get a bit of modelling and painting in, right in between taking the kids to the park and all the other adult stuff that needs doing. I decided to start on some pretty old models who'd been sitting on shelfs or in boxes for way too long, figuring babysteps will be the way to get there - like any modeller, I have an impressive backlog of both projects and unpainted minis.
First off: the stompa, who got some black and metal added. This beast is gonna take a while, but I don't want to rush him, since I liked what I did with the conversion. And before I start on the gun arm, I'll dust it off, I promise
Then, a bit of nostalgia: my first ever conversion for the squeaky waagh! got some paint!
Beautiful, glorious orange everywhere! . Since I was on a roll, I tossed some paint on the megagrots as well:
For those wondering: these count as meganobz, and once fully painted, will hopefully look like this:
And of course, I needed to do some modelling as well, and started on the layout of the tracks for the bikes. The higher bit will go on front, with the driver in the middle. I'm not sure where the guns will go, but they're going to be big
Not sure I'm willing to go that far, but here's something new on display at least:
Still WIP, but the basic shape is getting there. I still need to gs all the gaps, add rivets, a bucketload of gubbins, and some dakka of course
The grot isn't sitting down properly because I want to greenstuff him a seat, which I couldn't do till I knew the final position of the grot, hence him bouncing up and down
The left side is still pretty empty because I need to add the guns there. After that, it's prettying it all up. The front fairing will be the testbed for a rivetting attempt with ball bearings (and probably some of Camkhieri's techniques as well), so stay tuned to see how it goes
Some of the plasticard work isn't up to par IMO, mainly because I need new gear (mainly modelling knives and tubing), so it's off to the shop to top up my supplies. The gs is curing on the bike as I type, so I hope to have an updated view later on .
Gitsplitta: how about a proper seat? :p. These bikes are supposed to be made for the grots, so no need for booster seats
Thanks to a moment of peace, I got my first biker conversion fully finished. Pics for your viewing pleasure:
And a scale shot with a bike chassis:
Feels quite OK, since the naked chassis would become a tad bigger with all the bits on it - and the fact that GW tends to make their vehicles undersized. As always, C&C welcome!
Gitsplitta: Once in a while, a grot-tailored vehicle does have its charm :p. If I loot a space marine bike, I'll make sure to add a box or something underneath his rear end.
ChaoticMind: Good to be back - took me long enough . Originally, I figured that if I botched the gs job, jumping up and down would be an OK alternative, especially since the tracks don't really seem to take supsension into account. Still, there's more bikes to come, so more chances to botch it up
Camkierhi: Thanks! Took me a while to get the energy back to give the little guys the attention they deserve. Still, I'm happy I jumped in again, nothing as soothing as gluing your fingers together
Llamahead: Thanks, job's a good 'un!
So, with easter coming up and friends from Switzerland coming over, my hobby time was limited this weekend. I managed to get some paint on the wartrakk and megagrots though, getting the skin done on the grots, which is the last of the messy stages.
And I got started on my next two bikes, one of which will be a nob. Still debating whether to give him a PK, and how big I want the unit to be. Suggestions welcome, as always!
WIP piccie:
Nothing special yet, but I figured people might want to see how I built them, since the principle can be applied to quite a few other armies as well.
Llamahead: Yup, I'm afraid so. On the other hand, an additional biker costs about as much as a PK, so for a screening unit that might be more useful. Then again, it's hard to argue with S8/9 Ap2 attacks...
Camkierhi: Guess so. Ah well, it'll allow me to add in some pistons, the bikers are sorely lacking these right now, and they always add to that 'greenskin' look . No way I'm ever gonna use that much bikes though. Right now, it's more of a toss-up between two 3-man screening units, or a 6-8-strong unit and two smaller ones.
Talking of bikes: I managed to get some more work done on the both of them, building up the shape. I left more room in the back for engine shenanigans, but this does reduce the room in front and in the seating area, especially visible on the right one. Since there was so little front room left, I decided to add a diagonal intake. Not sure I prefer it though, the way it's tilted forward doesn't quite do it for me. Opinions welcome as always!
The WIP grot is probably going to be the nob, wielding a PK-like contraption in his right arm, going off the comments
And.. I managed to get the other two bikes finished It did involve a small blood sacrifice (forgot exactly how sharp modelling blades are ), but I now have a minimum size biker squad.
First off the nob:
The ball and chain represent the powerklaw, since I couldn't really find a decent way to give him an actual klaw and have it look S8-worthy. Since the wrecking ball is S9, this seemed a nice match . Te banner top is a black orc kit banner top.
My second regular biker, who has a more angled front; Not worth the hassle IMO. I did it here because I was crious as to how it would look, and because the front was becoming rather tiny
And some group shots, showing the whole unit. The nob is definitely the meanest looking - the other two grots look pretty relaxed, but he's clearly entered a state of road-rage!
Next up:not quite sure yet . I have some old metal zzap guns with krew that need some love. I also got a trukk and an additional dakkajet in a trade (because I didn't have enough sprue and bits yet - amazing how quickly you fall back into the habit of scroungeing useful gubbins), and I need a few more buggies. And that dakkajet body would be a nice start for a submarine... I also got a (damaged-) red gobbo (from Gorkamorka) from a friend that would make a mighty fine addition to the squeaky waaagh!...
ChaoticMind: Quite true - he sure looks like a stressed-out parent with road rage :p
Yorkright: Yup - I need a creative outlet for a not-always-creative job, so these little guys are it.
evildrcheese: Thanks - the warboss is huge, maybe I should do a scale shot next to the other bikers?
Dysartes: Feels good to be back . I've honestly missed this place but it took me a while to get back into things. Glad I jumped back in though
So, since I hate updating without piccies, some random WIPS for you today. Lots of random stuff, which was the theme of the the day: I forgot my laptop at work, so took a day off instead of working from home, and then spent the day day doing all those little things that need doing, interspersed with some random modelling
First off, I managed to get my grubby hands on a trukk kit, from a friend who decided orks aren't his thing. I wasn't gonna buy new stuff, having a huge pile of to-do boxes and projects, but he basically sold me the trukk kit and added in a fighta-bomma, so I couldn't resist...
Since a good waaagh always needs more buggies, I decided to sue my bitz box and the trukk kit to make two additional buggies.
The first one is nicely underway, going for a stubby jeep look:
I wanted a single driver and no passenger to differentiate from my other trukk-based buggy. The rockets will be shot from the back compartment, though I still need to figure out how.
The second one is just a flutter of an idea for now:
It might become a hotrod, or maybe a dune buggy. We'll see where the inspiration takes me
I also tinkered a bit with an old zzap gun, turning it into a proppa mek gun:
Still WIP, but getting there
And to finish off, I also tinkered with a project that had lain discarded in a box for four years, my blitza bomma:
Main thing here is building up the wings further and tidying up the cockpit area. And attaching the bigg bomms of course, but that's the easy part
Hope you guys like the pics, and since a lot of things are still in the open, c&c welcome as always!
Fantastic work sir, gun looks spot on, buggies are awesome, and loving the Dakka jet. That has a familiar feel about it, kinda reminds me of an Intruder.
Camkierhi: Thanks . With the dakkajet I went for a strong WWII feel, a bit like a liberator with the whole front being a glass canopy . It'll hopefully become a bit clearer after I add some more bits
ChaoticMind: Thanks, that's more or less the point with this thread . Nothing better than konvertin' to take my mind off things
And speakin' of konvertin': the first buggy got to the pre-greenstuff stage. I always try to keep al the gs work for the end, and make sure everything has dried and is is solidly in place. It's also the moment I take a few steps back to look at the project and do last-minute changes.
As it stands now, the buggy looks like this:
And a close up of the rokkiteer:
The main body of the rokkit turret is a pair of dreadnought legs, with shortened dakkajet missiles added. The body of the gunner is an old (as in 4th ed. warhammer fantasy old ) plastic goblin. Their squatting pose makes them great for using as gunners or otherwise seated grots - same for the 4th ed. night gobbos, as I found out with the driver
And to finish off, a comparison shot with my other trukk-based buggy:
I'm gonna give this guy a day's rest, since I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with it, and start a build on something else. Suggestions welcome as always!
Gitsplitta: Thanks, the parts came together real nice on this one
inmygravenimage: Thank you!
Dysartes: Thanks! Not 100% happy with it though - and I even found the problem- that's why I like to let a model rest once in a while
So, what's wrong with my buggy, you say? Well, besides needing a bucketload of gs and some more rivets, the turret attachment needs to be integrated a bit better, and more importantly, the railings are not parallel with the flooring, and there's something missing behind the headrest. Just shoddy work on my part, I'll need to rip it off and build it properly. My own fault really, should' ve kept an eye on it, and it' s easily fixed, so no worries.
On the bright side: I started on my second buggy I changed the chassis by mating one of the trukk remains with a dozer blade support strut, which gave a much nicer result.
Anyway, piccies of my second buggy:
The engine cowling and the roof are still loose, I'll make it so the roof can be turned up
The hinges on the doors are made to work (simple half-hinges), so you'll be able to see the inside once it's finished.
The inside still needs work, obviously . The rear is still open, but the room is too small for a full-sized grot, so I'll either have one hanging out, or I'll add something else. :
Wheels are wonky because they're still loose.
I also made a comparison shot with the other buggy (one of them even shows a non-blurry right side of the new buggy):
The footprint is about the same, but it's a tad lower, which suits the hotrod look a bit more. Not sure where I'll add the rokkits, but most likely on the side, land speeder style. or a system that has to be loaded from the rear cab, of course
In the end, if you'd add a few bits (two wheels, mainly ), you could easily build two buggies out of the trukk set, making it pretty good value for money, and a lot more 'modern' looking than the old buggy kit. I still have some bits left over for other bits as well, so those will be put to good use in future projects.
Now, let's see if I can fix the railing on the other buggy, and build up the interior on the second one
Wow, lots of replies, looks like I'm doing something right with the buggies :-)
Ryla: Thanks!
Camkierhi: yup, it's the most versatile ork kit I think. This one, together with the kans and battlewagons, are excellent kits when it comes to capturing the greenskin spirit
MajorTom11: The painted part? A lot like 4 years ago . The unpainted part has been growing steadily though, I took a pic just for you
Warboss_Waaazag: thanks: the bits really came together on that one
Gitsplitta: One of the perks of a less than creative job: I get to save it all up for the grots
Dr H: Orkiness? Thanks, like how that one worked out as well. It's using the dozer blade bit that made this one work, since it allows for the space in between the front wheels.
And because I hate updating without piccies: group shots!
And with the unpainted/WIP stuff added:
Linked to the gallery, so you can zoom in if you want to
Warboss_Waazag: Thanks . I like my armies to look coherent on the battlefield, and the orange certainly achieves that
Yorkright: Thank you . I'm definitely a mekboy at heart, I love konvertin' and can spend oodles of time rummaging through bits boxes. Thinking inside boxes... doesn't work for me
Dr. H: it makes a difference to them. Thanks!
Gitsplitta: It doesn't always have to be violence
So, buggy time . I got both the buggies finished, so figured I'd show you guys the result:
Oh, and remember how I said no grot would fit in there? Turns out the ammogrot does:
And an a picture with the cab and doors open:
The grot originally had a cap, but I had to shave it away or he wouldn't fit in, there's very little room underneath the roof.
And two comparison shots:
After building the buggies , I realised I barely used a bit besides the ones from the trukk kit. I did a little rundown in my head, and these are the bits not from the trukk kit: two wheels, a rhino door, a bit from a dozer blade, plasticard and tubing, assorted grots, some rokkits, a shield icon from old WHFB orcs, a faring from a SM bike, some rokkits, and part of a IG tank searchlight. And I still have some trukk bits left over for other conversions
With all the rumours of 8th going around (which I'm liking btw!) , I'm going to focus on finishing off my WIP projects: building the blitzabomma, and painting all the stuff that needs it: the stompa, the old wartrakk, 2 meganobz, a dakkajet, the news biker warboss and cronies, and the buggies of course. That should keep me occupied till June 17th.
.
.
.
Or maybe I'll start on that grot submarine, we'll see
Loving the twin linked rokkit launchers, hopefully there will be some good rules for a mechanized ork force. I used to have a small Evil Sunz army mounted on bikes, looted wagons and the old style battle wagon.
inmygravenimage: Infuriating? That's a new adjective. I applaud your originality
Yorkright: you and me both! I like the' switch to T and saves for vehicles, and I have high hopes so far; let's hope they keep up the good work.
Gitsplitta: thanks, me too. I took it away a bit from the regular' trukk-to-buggy assembly, and I must say I prefer this look. And like I said, with a few more bits, you can easily make two buggies out of one trukk, so that's quite feasible bucks-wise
Neither can I, but right now they've just been undercoated black - not the most exciting of stages, I'm afraid.
Luckily, I continued painting some other stuff!
The two regular grots are nearly done, and the megagrotz are well on the way. The trakk is. getting there slowly. For the stompa, O decided to work on individual parts, so as not to be overwhelmed by the modle as a whole. Painting is always a lot slower than converting for me though - still, it's rewarding to get miniatures fully finished
You know CK, one of the things I really enjoy about this project is that you've still got... after all this time... occasional, lowly grots showing up next to the big, fancy grotz-a-ma-whoozits. Just makes it all so whimsical and fun. Thank you!
Gitsplitta: Thanks - I feel the soul of the revolution should always be the little guys, so I thoroughly enjoy working on them. Still, I always wonder if people will car about a few grots if you see all the great stuff on dakka. Glad to have that concern alleviated
Yorkright: it's the power klaw of the stompa. I decided to paint the beast in smallish bits to retain some modicum of sanity. And this way, even If I do get distracted, I'll get finished bits, hopefully resulting in a finished stompa in the end
Camkhieri: Thanks. i'm more of modeller, but I do the the occasional painting. And with 8th coming up, there's not that many projects I can safely do. I still want to turn a dakkajet into a submarine though, so it won't be six weeks of painting till 8th hits .
So, some lowly grots finished, adding two more to the horde
Not all that much, but a good way to try my hand at painting after four years. Not my best work either, but they'll have to do!
Gitsplitta: well, they're just... grots. I know I like them, but compared to stuff such as certain reavers or morkanauts...
Yorkright: Yes they are, someone has to keep things running . Thanks!
Dysartes: Thank you! I have 69 painted, with 4 kommissarz. No real upper limit, i'm just going to continue adding o them as the inspiration hits me
EDC: thanks
Warboss_Waaazag: thanks . What I like about the last buggy is that he doesn't look like the trukk. I like the trukk, but this takes it away further from the base kit and gives the buggy its own identity, so to speak.
Dr H: thank you, glad you like them
Working on the megagrots right now, experimenting with sponge weathering. I'm in love with this technique I think. Pics later today or tomorrow!
Thanks graven, I like them to be a riot of colours . These two do have a hint of pirate in them, it kinda suits them, too.
Now, as promised, some progress on the megagrots. Taking the pics made me realize I have to fix up the noise of the helmeted one, but other then that, they should be good to go
And some loot I got for my birthday - I love my wife and friends
Camkhieri: Thanks! And it's the best kind of red - after all, grots are brighter than orks
Dr H: Thank you!
No piccies today, since everything's been undercoated black (not the most exciting of stages), and because I've been assembling shadow war terrain. I'm gonna start oranging up stuff tonight, that should net a few pics
So, I could say I've been distracted for a bit by bloodbowl and ARK, and Shadow War, and it's partially true. I love blood bowl, and sine I got the starter box AND an additional gouged eye box, I set out to make an orc team without duplicates. In addition, I got suckered into running a shadow war campaign, so now Im trying to mate the old Necromunda gangs with shadow war . So, worthy distractions each and every one of them.
But frankly, I've been postponing a job I dislike: undercoating everything :p. I'm a slow painter at the best of times, and getting through the 'orange' stage on a mini always seems tedious and slow. Still, I've persevered, and the first buggy is done. The other buggy and the bikes are looking nice and orange, but I still need to do the whole wash/highlight procedure till I'm happy with them. This is the stage that has me thinking I should really invest in an airbrush... Still, getting it done is quite rewarding, and here are some pius of a buggy to prove it!
I do like it! Investing in an airbrush can make some tedious work go by quicker. Most of my priming and base coating is done with it. Keep those pictures coming, love your orange crush orks.
Distractions are good, make us keener to come back at it.
That orange is looking brilliant, really nice start.
As to airbrush, I went for minimal spend and got a nail art little fart of a thing, works a treat for me, priming and base coating are a breeze, large scale blending are awesome, but I have to say realistically, the time you spend cleaning and fannying about with it, it simply does not save time, just less tedious. I really struggle with justifying a big spend on it.
Keep looking at that buggy even now typing this, just such brilliant work, love it.
Yeah, for large areas / numbers of models that are all the same colour, and for putting a blend on that area, an airbrush is good.
But they are not as easy to use as you may expect from all the people shouting "cheater!". It takes practice to just get a smooth coat.
I'd say it's worth it if...
You don't expect to become an expert painter overnight.
You don't mind spending the time to strip and clean the AB regularly (after every session).
You don't mind spending out money on a tool.
You don't mind spending the time to learn that tool.
You want to cover large areas in a nice smooth coat of paint.
Yorkright: Thanks . I'd only use the thing for basecoating, that's why I'm considering it.
Camkierhi: I agree distractions are good, but I can be extremely whimsical; a dilettant at heart, I guess. I like your idea; how much did that set you back? Less tedious is exactly what I'm looking for, so that's definitely a plus. And the buggy is real easy, I'm sure with your skills you could easily replicate and/or improve upon it! If you need any pointers, just holler.
Dr H: Thanks . Your "it's worth it" list is also what's holding me back. After 20 years of painting minis, I know my limits. I can do decent stuff, but time is always at a premium. Where I lack skill is exactly in the flat area department, so the airbrush would help out a lot there. If I'd found an orange spraycan that matched macharius solar orange,I'd be using that to be honest . Also, the whole cleaning part is holding me back. I'm pretty sloppy at times if I'm honest with myself (especially with 2 kids running around and distracting me), and ruining a paintbrush is one thing, ruining an airbrush... I guess if 8th will have me build more vehicles, I'll go for it. And I'll definitely do some research first.
So, since people like orange, here's some more . I got the orange done on the three bikes:
The riders are still removable, but the bikes look better with them on it. I've been getting the metal done on the buggy, and I ran out of flesh wash, so the second buggy will have to wait till I get to the FLGS
CommissarKhaine wrote: ...Dr H: Thanks . Your "it's worth it" list is also what's holding me back. After 20 years of painting minis, I know my limits.
You can teach old dogs new tricks when it comes to painting models.
I can do decent stuff, but time is always at a premium.
An airbrush will save time. If you paint large items or large numbers of items in the same sitting. Unlike with a hairy brush, you can't just dip in and out easily (you can, but it's not going to save you time due to cleaning).
The more you paint in one session, the more time you save due to area coverage and only needing to clean it once.
Where I lack skill is exactly in the flat area department, so the airbrush would help out a lot there. If I'd found an orange spraycan that matched macharius solar orange,I'd be using that to be honest .
Not just flat areas, but large "single" colour areas (with blending etc.).
Also, the whole cleaning part is holding me back. I'm pretty sloppy at times if I'm honest with myself (especially with 2 kids running around and distracting me), and ruining a paintbrush is one thing, ruining an airbrush... I guess if 8th will have me build more vehicles, I'll go for it.
So long as you don't let paint dry/cure inside the AB, and/or scratch the inside surfaces, and/or drop the tip down a drain (or the needle on the floor), you're unlikely to ruin an AB.
Cleaning is just a matter of washing through the leftover paint and wiping down surfaces. You just have to dismantle the AB to get at certain parts that you don't want to leave paint on/in.
And I'll definitely do some research first....
This should get you started. It's a talk from the man at Badger, about airbrushing for miniature modellers.
Dysartes: Slow and steady, with odd distraction in between
Matthew: Thanks! Patience is not my forte to be honest, so don't let that stop you from painting stuff! Just try and push yourself a bit on each mini, and you'll start making progress real quick.
inmygravenimage: Cheers
Dr H: Thanks for the explanation and the link! Sounds like an airbrush is exactly what I'd need to be honest... I'll just have to be disciplined enough to clean it. It's the letting paint cure inside bit that's gonna happen at some point, I'm afraid .
Yorkright: Thanks
Gitsplitta: a little bit of blue has been added! Needf to add more though, just not sure where.
For tonight's piccies, I got the engine and lights done, and added some painted to my old wartrakk as well.
Not sure how to paint the icon on the front though, open to suggestions!
Also: I've been messing around with a little bit of 'hood', not sure what looks best, so suggestions are welcome here as well:
Cheers folks! Now, time to greenstuff my bloodbowl team, and get the Orca-Cola Raiders ready for their first match!
I've used an airbrush, If you're doing a lot of a color it's nice but the trade off between time spent painting and time spent cleaning can quickly go awry. Personally I find the time spent cleaning is more of a chore than if I'd used a hair brush. If at all possible see if someone will let you try theirs and clean it.
One thing I have learned from my limited experience, when cleaning an airbrush odorless mineral spirits or similar make life easier. Once you're done painting run some through to *mostly* clean it. Even if you're using acrylics it will allow you to let the cleaner to do the work and reduces the how much effort is needed in the final cleaning.
Warboss_Waaazag: thanks . I like that it doesn't cover the engine, but it feels a bit superfluous when placed there. Maybe I should just leave it off?
Gitsplitta: Thanks
Yorkright: Thanks! Not quite as good as I used to be with gem effects, but it's a good start.
ChaoticMind: ANother vote for number 2, duly noted . With what I'm hearing about airbrushing, it sounds like the thing for me. I have a friend with one, I'll pester him a bit and see if he can show me the ins and outs. Not sure about the bone colour, becasue I did it with the skull on the wartrakk, not really sure I like it. pic below, so judge for yourself!
evildrcheese: thanks!
So, did some more work on the wartrakk, notably some basic weathering and the skull on front. Still needs all the details painted in though, but getting there slowly.
Not sure I like the bone effect, will give it some rest. Still, not doing it bone would be a bit weird, so...
Even if it's a "real" skull, doesn't mean the little green ones won't paint it.
And if you can make it look like the paint was slapped on, leaving some of the bone uncovered, even better. e.g. just on the front face of the skull in a contrasting colour, leaving the sides clear except for some paint runs...
Warboss_Waaazag, Yorkright: Agreed. I toned it down again, but forgot to take pics, will do so later!
Dr H: Quite true. Still in consideration. I started off by toning it down, will see what that gives for starters.
Captain Brown: Thanks!
Since option 2 was voted for exclusively, that's what I went with . I still need to finish the driver and the loader, but otherwise the buggy is finished:
And a model's eye view:
Since buggies aren't half bad in cc now, I expect enemy models are going to see this view more than they'll wish
As much as I like the changes from 8th, it has left me with one issue though: I have 6 buggies/trakks, which is a lot, since they tripled in price... What would you guys think is a good amount for blocking shenanigans and distraction? 3?
The buggies are looking great, as for the rules in 8th about buggies no help here. Have not gotten much of a chance to even look at the rules for them.
Yorkright: Thanks! I was thrown off a bit by the huge points increase (x3 - ouch). They'll be wort it though, being more survivable and able to engage units in cc. Just, using 6 would eat up 430-ish points, whiuch seems a tad much.
Matthew: Yes, they will. Not sure if they'll be any good, but they will be able to - and they should be more survivable as well to boot.
inmygravenimage: thanks! I'm not 100% happy with the lights though - not pianitng for a few years seems to have diminished my ability to do gem effects, especially the bigger ones. Time to pony up up and improve at those! Ia gree witht he drybvrush, will post sompe pics with the aditional weathering. I weathered the orange, then forgrot the blue
Gitsplitta: Thanks! Quite pleased with this one myself, and a fun build to boot
Camkierhi: Tank you!
Now, off on a tangent (like that's never happened before). Today i was looking at the genestealer cult goliath truck. I think it's ugly (just like the Taurox btw, though I'll need a bunch in my 8th ed. guard), and wsas wondering what I'd do if I got my grubby hands on one. Then, it downed on me: I don' t like the cockpit thingy (waste of space IMO); but what wouldn't work on a truck, would make a fine start for a meka dread:
If you cut roughly at the line,you would have nice shoulders and a head for a mega- or mekadread. Not sure when I'll get to it, but this one got on my to-do list
As usual, my hobby attention has been divided between too many things, but with the cold dark winter upon us, it's time to return to my grots. I've been doing this and that, so I figure I'll just give you guys an overview of my recent endeavours:
First off, I finished off the crew of one of my buggies. The buggy itself has been finished for quite a few months, but I finally got around to the crew:
And a loader as well of course:
Next off, some more counts-as lootas. I Originally had a small unit of Tau drones and some looted servitors to count-as lootas, but I didn't like how the servitors turned out. Since I managed to get hold of a bunch of drones, I decided to make some more of these fellas.
The one one the right is pretty hard to take pic sof, which is a shame since I turned him into a cool little blimp - which might work as a killkrooza for BFG as well:
Not the best of pics, but I hope it conveys the idea!
And to finish off the pics part: my first warbiker conversion has been painted! A relatively basic model, I still like how he came out:
I added some more bling to the others, in the shape of glyphs and gear. The basic model works though, which is important if I ever add more (I only have three right now). Do you guys think I should put them on bases, or leave as-is?
So, what's up next on the hobby table? Some looted drones to count-as tankbustas (still debating the tank squigs, not sure to use Tau drones or actual squigs), I started painting a dakkajet, and the other bikers of course. Or maybe I'll do something else instead
Warboss_Waaazag: of all my buggy conversions, the roadster is my favourite because it moves away so far from the original model. It's an acutal ne wmodel, not a conversion
Gitsplitta: blue and orange is where it's at Thanks
Yorkright: what always happened, too much stuff to do and too little time . Glad to be back though, I always love coming back to dakka!
So, to show I've been doing some stuff, more bikers! Still PIP, but nicely on their way to being finished. The bikes themselves are pretty much done, the grots still need some work. With these two finished, i'll have a min unit of three. Whether I build more, will depend on their usefulness
I'm going to give them all a bosspole thingy, it fits the bikes and adds some character.
Vallhund: thanks, how to build them can be found on p 46 and onwards, if you're interested. They're not that hard to build with some plasticard at your disposal.
So, happy new year everyone!
With all the festivities, my modelling has time has been limited, but I've started messing around with a Taurox (grot tanks and a trukk, anyone? :p ), and a counts-as tankbusta:
Still rather basic, but a nice first model. I'll have to model a grot with a remote control as well to go with it it .
Tankbuster looks good. Taurox'll be interesting. I also will admit that the Goliath to me looks like the RT battlewagon before looting. Good to here from you as well!
llamahead: thanks! The main thing I dislike about the goliath is the central cockpit, though I agree it would make a nice (albeit small) start of a battlewagon.
For piccies today, I give you a start of a grot tank, made from the track unit of a taurox:
This is the largest of the two track assemblies , so I'll have to biggerize the other body of the tank a wee bit. I used the bits that attach the track to the body of the taurox to make the body. the turret was shamelessly looted as well. You can also see the magnet I added for weapon-switching purposes. Next step: greenstuffing and grotifying!
Since I used the taurox tracks for grot tansk, I figured I'd use the body to make a trukk (since most of my trukks have been turned into buggies, and I want to avoid confusion when playing). Made a tentative start:
We'll have to see how this pans out, not sure myself
Camkierhi: good idea, I had totally forgotten about the wrecking ball! Now I'll just need to find the bits to make it, since I used the orginal wrecking ball bitz for all kinds of shenanigans . is it a good option in 8th? Haven't really played enough to be able to judge.
Gitsplitta: thanks, that's what the grots are all about
So, lots of swearing tonight... Not only did my dremel break down, stalling work on the taurox. No fun, but a dremel can be replaced.
What's worse: I found out that GW stopped making macharius solar orange. Only the colour I use as the base for all my orange bitz (so, pretty much every single vehicle ) I'm pretty much screwed. I'll need to try and mix up a suitable replacement, because none of the new colours are even close. I hate it when GW pulls that... IF anyone knows of a suitable replacement colour, please lemme know....
Well, at least I managed to finish another warbiker...
Still needs some minor touch-ups, but I'll do that when I'm in a less murderous mood...
Stopped using GW paints ages ago so I'd have a look at Vallejo or Army Painter equally they're Grotz I can't imagine they'd oly use one shade of paint anyway so keep on going.....
Grot bikers are looking good and shooty, are you running them as ork bikers or using some home brewed rules? Good luck in your search for a new paint source.
Llamahead: While I don' t mind a little variation, I want to keep the army unified. And a solid base colour goes a long way for that...
Yorkright: Thanks! I'm running them as regular bikers, I doubt anyone wil hassle me about it. If anything, my bikes ares sturdier
So painting.. I did a little work on my stompa! The model's been sitting on my desk for ages now (well, four years or so :p), looking at me sullenly, wishing for some attention.. So I decided to make a start. Baby steps:
One pic with flash, one without; the real colour is somewhere in the middle I guess.
I also experimented with paints, and found that an orange/ snakebite leather mix seems quite close to macharius solar orange (it's the second one from the left):
So, with my dremel still broken (and no replacing till February,bills and stuff...), it's painting time I guess . I'll be spending some time on the stompa, the biker nob, and whatever random model I fancy (as usual )
Awesome stuff one ting about the new mix. Didn't they stop making Snakebite Leather donkeys years ago. If theres a new equivalent to that maybe there is one to Macharius Orange. Might be worth asking about if they've done that there with some of them they probably just changed the name on the pot.
All ya'all painters do realize that a 3 point hue difference doesn't actually matter, right? Heck, with the number of color-deficient people out there (myself among them), most folks can't even see a difference most of the time. Just use "bright orange" and you'll be fine.
For the orange base colour: Personally I'd paint a flat reference piece of plasticard and use that to colour match my future paint mixing. But I seem to have been blessed with a good eye for paint mixing, not everyone does.
Gitsplitta; I thought we'd established this was intended to NOT look like a flower pot?
Llamahead: lol, there goes that plan. Still, finding a similar brown should be feasible. I'm going to find out whomever is in charge of this 'discontinued paints' scam, hunt them down. And kill them.
Anvildude: the diffrerence is pretty big for me tbh. Not sure how it would look to you, but it would certainly look wrong to me. Macharius orange was a very earthy orange, which I liked. And it covered a LOT better than all the other orange paints...
Gitsplitta2: True, though I'll admit my ego likes the acclaim :p. Besides, I like posting on dakka becasue of the helpful advice I get here, it's surely improved my painiting and modelling skills.
Dr H: Thank you . And I intend to make a whole pot (or 5) of my mix, based on the last bit of macharius solar orange I painted on a bit of plasticard. My paint matching skills are OK but not superb, so getting it right once seems the safest bet.
For piccies today, good people of Dakka, I give you my third warbiker giving me a nob and a legal (if small) unit
The big ball and the bigger banner make him stand out from the other two, easily identifying him as the nob - as it should be
Meatshield: Thanks . it feels good to be back at it tbh, but real life can get in the way at times.
Llamahead: if I had a provider of Vallejo paints nearby, I would....But our FLGS only stocks GW (not enough demand for Vallejo) Glad you like the nob, he's sitting here all pretty in the cabinet with his two buddies
Jehan-reznor: Thanks . If I built it from scratch I'd still do things differently, but I feel the kit does have some potential. Never liked the actual taurox model though, so you could say I'm pretty biased.
Speaking of the taurox-to-trukk conversion: it's entering its final stages. I still need to model up the underside, and properly fix up the hinges for the rear ramp, and do some minor stuff here and there, but it's nearing its final incarnation. have a looksie:
Still need to a some more nicks, gs gaps, etc... but the main body is done. I also added a hole for a small pin on the right side to add a searchlight, or a wreckin-ball, or a shoota... What makes this model work IMO is widening it, and making it opend topped. Right now, it's more of an open-topped jeep, which feels a lot more ATV than the orginal model.I still don't like the sloped hood, but not much I can do about that except building it completely from scratch . I'm going to add a glyph to the front grille though, that'll break up the shape nicely.
Oh, and going off on a tangent as usual: I also found two kannons in my bitz box, so I'm gonna mate those to some zzap gun chassis I have lying around
Brilliant work, trukk is looking superb. Beautiful level of detailing. That's one I can tick off the list now. Always fancied having a go at a Taurox, and a GSC Goliath conversions, but so many have been done so well now, it would all be borrowed work, yours is so good I know I could not do better, so scratch the Taurox off the list. The only real odds are you can argue that the kit is GW if required in tournament. Used to be a thing I think once upon a time.
Paint, ignore me cus I am really no expert, but, I don't really go for all the unified colours thing anyways, and though I personaly really like GW paints, I have tried several different ones, now recently I discovered "Golden Fluid Acrylics" this is paint at it's best, dare to buy a bottle and you will see. Also at our local hobby store they have "Pebeo" paints and I recently got 2 pots one metallic, and one tha is so close to Ushanti Bone it is no odds, but at 50ml for £2.99, the best coverage I have ever seen. Will be investigating more, but might be worth a look, your "local" hobby store seems to stock both.
Not sure how local that is, but if you need I can get some sent to you.
No idea if this is good advice or not, but when ever I know I have a large project and will require paint colour consistency over large amount, I make up a large batch in a jam jar. 1/4 litre goes miles, and I make it with thinner and flow agent all built in. I know people will say "yeah but what happens when you need to touch up later?" Near enough will do, trust me. If it is a playable army It will never stay a display piece.
Gitsplitta: that's what I tend to go for, thanks - Orks really should have lots of unique vehicles IMO
dsteingass: thanks! In 8th ed. they seem like a good ride for a bunch of tankbustas.
Guildenstern: Thanks! And the taurox looks better as anything but a taurox
Vallhund: Agreed I sure won't be using in my guard army - way too ugly.
Camkhieri: wow, that's some high praise . Still think you would work from a different angle though, if only because you're modelling for orks and not grots. Not to mention your astounding attention to detail andthe general 'feel' yuour models have! I'm honestly curious to see how other people would tackle these kits, so don't let me be the reason not to. I agree that the GW parts matter, but since I've used a few 3rd party heads scattered throughout the force, it's technically not allowed in a GW store anyway with their new policy. Good thing our FLGS doesn't care . As for the paints: thanks a lot, I'll definitely check that store out! I work in Brussels, so a brisk walk during lunchtime should net me some paints. When I started this project in 2010, I never thought I'd be at it for 7 years, so I never really thought about what I'd do if GW discontinued my paints... I'm going to take your advice to heart though, and mix up a big batch
Now, onto the piccies!
I finished off the trukk to my 'I need to let it rest a few days' stage, adding gs, some more damage, and two crewmembers:
The grot with the looking glass is from the old zzap gun set.. Since KI have six, they'll get interspersed throughout the force
Now, I've read about peope having trouble converting the taurox to a wheeled version (there are even 3rd party kits for it), so I though I'd show you the trukk's underside:
The gs work isn't my best, and if I redid it I'd add proper suspension I think. On the othe rhand, I barely used taurox bits on this already, so a few more at least make me feel like the kit was worth it
And for fun: a shot of the driver:
Thanks for all the kind words, and I hope you guys enjoy the pics!
Nice CK. The truck looks great. The driver is awesome. I try to stay away from metal bits just cause they are harder to work with in my opinion. But he turned out awesome. Can’t wait to see it painted.
schank23: Thanks! I started modelling when pretty much everything was metal, but I agree palstic is easier. Still, glueing on a metal head is quite feasible
Yorkright: thanks! The head is from micro-art studios, but I looked on their site and they don' t make them anymore -probably a C&D from GW, or maybe they din't sell enough:(. They had goblin general heads too. They're q smidge too big for grots,but fit great on the old gobbo torsos.
For today, I give you kannons
I'm going to keep the carriages separate and model lobbas as well (still have metal zzap guns that actually go with the carriages) to keep my options open. I only had two kannons in my bitzbox, but plasticard to the rescue! I also have some molds to make bolts and the like from gs, really helps out to keep things together size-wise. I'm going to convert the crew as well, so I don't have identical models in the force.
It's quite easy to do, so I'll probably make 6 of 'em since I have 6 zzap guns. Next up: more kannons or lobbas. Or maybe some winged squigs. Not quite sure yet
schank23: thanks. that's both the strength and the weakness of orks IMO. You can do anything, but it still has to make 'sense' on a certain level (for me anyway) to work visually.
Gitsplitta: thanks
Dysartes: lobbing stuff is seriouz bizniss . There' sonly that much you can do with it, so I figured I'd make it nice and bulky.
Camkierhi: Thank you! They'll make a nice distraction build if I want something simple
Yorkright: Thanks! I hope to get some more work done on the plane this weekend, it'll be a nice addition to the cabinet once finished
For piccies today, a measly picture of a trukk, and not even made by me at that:
What is it to me? A nice trade from a friend, and some brilliant bitz waiting to be put to good use! The old gorkamorka trukks are tiny, and so are the drivers. But the wheels will be nice on some mek guns. The body plates will be added everywhere for detailing. The two orks are so scrawny, that with a headswap I'll have two grot drivers for whatever vehicle I'll cook up. oh, and I love those goofy old big shootas, so it'll get used somewhere as well. The way of the mek: everything has potential
I'll be blacklining all the panels again, and I'm considering adding blue flames to the fron of the wings; what do you guys think about it?
I also converted some more grots. Since I've heard people complain about the limited poses, I thought I'd show you the same model a few times, to see how many variations you can make (grey ones are new conversions).
1. the easiest way to change appearances is use different heads. No cutting or limp swapping involved!
2. Small modifications to a weapon are easy and will change the appearance of the model:
3. Major cutting will, of course, change the look of amodel:
All of the above models use the same base model, just to show it's quite easy to change models up.
Oh, and two more single-piece grots that have been converted:
About the Orange https://shop.instarpaint.com/about/ are releasing "Vintage" colours which coincidentally match GW I had some testers from them and it's good paint might be worth shooting them a message!
Gitsplitta: Thanks! I feel it's important to come back to the little guys on a regular basis; I simlpy love these models, and they always provide inspiration.
Yorkright, Dr H: thanks!
Llamahead; Thanks for the suggestion! Between yours and Cam's, I should be able to find a good replacement colour. One of the reasons I love dakka: it's a beautifully supportive community
For today, I'll be going off on a tangent. Not unusual for those who've followed this blog for a while ; I've blacked in all the panel lines on the dakkajet, which isn't all that exciting (despiting adding a lot to the model), so I'll save pics of that till I get some more painting done. 'So what have you done CK?' I hear you sigh.. Well, I finally got a proper tankbusta modeled up that I like . I originally did one that was too much like a loota for my liking, so I scrapped that one. IAfter some soul-searching while building basic grots, I decided I wanted a unique-looking unit, albeit sticking to the looted Tau-drone theme. The obvious choice was to make them ground-bound, contrary to my lootas who almost all float. Since we recently reintroduced chickens to our yard, and that I like the way they move, chicken-legs and rokkits seemed like a perfectly logical combination . Chicken heads went a bit too far IMO, so I carved out an old black orc shield to give the drone a face. Anthropomorfism ftw!
judge for yourself:
And a scale shot with a bloodbowl orc:
Size-wise they seem quite OK, they're celarly different from the lootas while still retainign the theme, and your landraider or venerable dreadnought being busted by a bunch of robochickens with rokkits is exactly the kind of psychological warfare I relish . I'll spend some more time on the shin-armour on the next one, and maybe add in some more cables as well; first, I'm gonna give it a night's rest and see how I like it in the morning.
Well, enough of my ramblings, C&C appreciated as always!
That is awesome. Reminds me of the mousers from the 80’s TMNT cartoon. Love the use of the shield for the face of the walker. A bunch of those on the table would be a awesome site to see. Great conversion CK.
. And, in all fairness, the skin had already been done on these guys, saving quite some time. As for the chibi-halberd guy: just shows how easily you can convert a mini. I've found with the grots, that it's all about changing the silhouette when compared to the original model. Besides, this guy's sword doesn't offer that many options, so this seemed like a logical choice 
. Or 68 to be exact plus four kommissars. Not all that much, but it's the converting that's taken up a lot of time. I'm still aiming for a total of 120 + 12 kommissars, but that'll be a very slow project one the stuff I need will be finished. getting 52 more original poses is going to be a challenge...
I consider myself more of a converter though. While I can paint models in a decent fashion, it's more 'technical', more about doing it the right way, while modelling simply is natural to me. Not to say that I don't enjoy painting, but painting is about getting the model done, while modellinbg is about modelling in itself. Don,'t know if that makes any sense, but hey, what would you expect from a demented grot 
I can't wait for the other to be finished too!
but now it is back from the dead so I can remark on the work now and say BLOODY AMAZING 
), but I now have a minimum size biker squad.
IF anyone knows of a suitable replacement colour, please lemme know....
; I've blacked in all the panel lines on the dakkajet, which isn't all that exciting (despiting adding a lot to the model), so I'll save pics of that till I get some more painting done. 'So what have you done CK?' I hear you sigh.. Well, I finally got a proper tankbusta modeled up that I like 
