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

Stormboyz are 3 things: Shock troops, orderly, and disciplined.
I scratched my head a bit about what I wanted to do with these models and came up with a few rough ideas:

- They should be flying, or at least some of them. The 'just touching down' look is fine, but I wish they hadn't cast the base terrain into all of their feet. That aside, their body poses are still pretty dynamic, and they can easily be made to look like they're 'suspended' in the air.

- Gas mask helmets. Once hortwerth made his Death-Korps-ish helmets available for sale (here from The Warstore for those in the US, and here for those in Europe). Gives the stormboyz a somewhat intimidating, uniform appearance.

- Similar weapons. Here, I think I've decided to give the whole mob of 20 chain-bladed weapons, meaning chainswords, chain-axes, that sort of thing. A buzzsaw or two may make an appearance if I end up cannibalizing one of the new nob choppas into something smaller. I thought that might help with the 'shock' part of shock troops, since a mob of orks blasting towards you with revving weaponry is probably enough to force a morale check on it's own.

So I started off with this guy:









The stormboy was hacked free from his molded-on plastic base detail. The choppa arm is the one swinging the chain from the warbike set, with the chain hacked off. A 2nd edition ork choppa was added in it's place. The slugga arm's from AoBR, and just reposed a bit with some greenstuff and pinning. The head's straight from Micro Art Studio.

I have some 14-gauge galvanized utility wire that I used to suspend him in the air above the base. I decided on this stuff instead of the normal flying base because although I have about 40 of Games Workshop's clear flying bases, there is not a single one that doesn't have ridiculous air bubbles in the stems. I've also read stories about how easily same stems can snap, and being a klutz, I figure galvanized wire will be better to work with.

A washer was added underneath the base to help with balance issues, even though the miniature could still stand without it:



I'm going to get some 2-part plumbing epoxy later and just cover the whole base over so the stem will hold a bit firmer into the base.

I figure the stem can be hidden at least to a tiny degree by the addition of either flames or smoke. Sculpting flames would be fine, but I'm sort've giving smoke more thought right now because a bit of steel wool would probably be easy to add, and it's certainly much easier to paint than fire.

Anyway, I made two more stormboyz after this guy as a start on my mob of 20, so here they are:













Yeah, I see the mold lines, don't worry.

I'm going to try and limit the number of identical weapons I have in the full group of 20 to maybe 5 max, so I don't end up with too much redundancy in the chainswords. I really like the 2nd ed chainsword on my first stormboy, but a lot of input I'm getting about these suggests they might be too weedy in comparison to the current-edition chunky chainblades ork boyz have. I'm not sure if I want to change the weapon or not, honestly.

Anyway, that's a start.

Very nice

Waaaagh!
Really nicely done.
How many will you make?

They look awesome! Can't wait to see what you do with the stems, but even as they are they're a marked improvement on the current GW solutions.

I say keep the chainsword, old schoolers will enjoy it and I'm sure it would do just as much damage! Maybe just give it a special paint job, such as hazard stripes or something

i like the heads you used.

Oooh!! Nice! These guys are very cool so far! Can't wait to see em painted!

I like the 2nd Ed Chainsword bit. Makes it look a bit more vicious. (As curved weapons are wont to do.)

The galvanized wire is a good idea too.

Looking as brilliant as always.

Ein you continue to turn out great work.

I'm not too keen on the MAS heads though, they look a tad too long and snout-like for me.

But the combination of cutting them free from the base detail and the elegant rear wire mount is genius. I've held off on replacing my stormboys because something about the kit wasn't meshing with me. Aside from being too busy with triangles of scrap metal on every conceivable surface, I couldn't put a finger on what I didn't like about the models. Seeing your mods, the culprit is evident: the cludgy base detail and subsequent vertical posing.

Man, I've seen the light. I might have to free up some cash for a new unit!

What are your plans for a nob, your bang-on Zaggie model?

Wow. Another thread from you in which your conversion laden models are much better than the stock GW model.

Great work and yet another thread of yours I will be viewing intently.

Teek: I'll be making my ol' Zagstruk fit this mob. New head with a gas mask, chainblade... I'll get to it.

Banged out two more stormboyz for the mob.









I will be tweaking the existing ones a bit, probably bulking up the old 2nd ed chainsword when I get around to it. I'm probably going for wool-based smoke at this point, since sculpting smoke is a pain I don't want to go through. Flames also seem appropriate, but the idea of them belching out smoke is more fun. More to come.

sweet very good ideas i dink. I think your army is one of the most ustom i seen

Finally we get a Stormboy conversion. Been itching to grab my wallet and buy five box sets ever sicne i laid eyes on them in WD.

Nice conversion work though, cannot wait to see them painted with your L337 painting skilz Jamessionsneimheim.

Banged out two more stormboyz for the mob.

Nice how'd that work out?

Anyway great looking stormboyz I'm def gonna steal/borrow this idea

They rock,can't wait till I can see em' painted!

I really like the wire firstly. It would also make a good base to green stuff exaust out of the rocket pack. I really like the heads from Micro Arts Studios and I think I'll snag some for my burna boyz. Nicely done man.

These are great. Besides the heads and arms, are they stock stormboyz?

The wire looks good, i second the steel wool idea, ive used it before and it looks great.
look forward to seeing the rest!

Ein you might try cotton take a Q tip super glue the cotton to the exhaust port after it hardens pull it slowly while twisting drench in super glue zip it then cut off the Q tip instant smoke trail.

I've looked at all of your conversions, they're really sick. I love the heads on the stormboyz, did you make them or can you get them somewhere? Totally Bad ***

s1gns: Please read the first post, there's two links in there where you can purchase the heads I'm using. They're a product of Micro Arts Studio.

Corndoggy: Yeah, the heads and arms are the only real changes. I've been hacking the arms up and resculpting the shoulder joints a bit to make them sit farther out from the torso, so they look like they have their arms extended away from their bodies a bit more.

Put one more together yesterday and snapped photos this morning. I felt like building a chain axe for this guy, and did a little tweaking on his rokkit pack. He's also more lateral than some of my previous ones.







I'm fine building a couple more axes, but I need some alternative chain-weapon ideas. I'm giving some thought to making one 'stormboy' be a pair of grots who managed to get their hands on a rokkit pack - maybe one hanging from a harness, and the other riding on the top. 2 grots is almost equal to a boy, right?

What about a Chain-hammer?

What about a chainsaw? Although it's clearly the mother of all chain-weapons, you never see them in 40k. I mean a proper two-handed belching engine chainsaw!

This makes me want to build a unit of Stormboyz. I've always thought they were one of the more characterful units, and converting them like this, shows more of it. Great job!

As usual, very nice work, but you know that already of course.

I'm giving some thought to making one 'stormboy' be a pair of grots who managed to get their hands on a rokkit pack - maybe one hanging from a harness, and the other riding on the top. 2 grots is almost equal to a boy, right?

At least in points they do . Just do, it'll look great, I'm sure.

I really like the boy with the geared-up chainblade with the bike handle. Reminds me of Devil May Cry and with the other hand just above it, he looks really menacing.
The one with the chainblade under his arm looks pretty cool too. I was thinking about doing that for a biker.

edit:

What about a Chain-hammer?

I have no idea what that's supposed to look like, but it sounds awesome!

Ain't nuffin' 'arder 'den a stormbo-...







Oi! 'Ow'd grotz get a rokkit!?

I figure the model's sufficient enough to count as a stormboy. Got all the wargear - chainsword, slugga(s), and a stikkbomb.

Does any one have a brick wall with a stop sign for the orks. +wall = then
They looks better than the stock ones.
i ilike them.

I really dig the stormgrots! Your stuff helps me set the bar high for my orks Ein. Not sure how im going to be able to even attempt to top these though!

As expected, your Stormgrotz are pure gold, Ein.

I think you should probably work the gas mask on the lower one into his face a little better. It looks like it's just stuck onto his face, with that bandanna over his mouth still showing below it.


LOVE it, though!

Eric

tbh , they look freeking awesome

For you next awesome conversion, I suggest two grotz - one standing on the other's shoulders to imitate an ork. Maybe even throw a long trenchcoat on them with just the lower grotz face poking through at the waist.