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I'm honestly thinking of leaving the eyebrows off this thing. They make it look silly in the same way the 'ears' on the original did.

Lol, i was about to suggest you add ears to the head, like in the concept sketch.
And you could also add those 2 pikes on each side of the head like in the drawing, trophies are always cool.

Anyway, keep up the good work, and Bravo !

if you got legos or something close to it.you could put in a few bricks here and there.
You could then be able to switch batteries and cover the back.Maybe even build onto the brick the grot launcha

I like the whole Eyebrows idea. it's just so damn Orky to put Eyebrows on a Bot.
hey, make them extra big, moveable and add a metal mustache, then you have a Dr. Wiley Bot

and it's nice to see bunny again, azhagmorglum

why not use a magnetic switch instead of the toggle switch? then all you have to do is place a small strong magnet on the switch and it will activate.  i was able to use one with my dreadnought.  the switch was under the base, the magnet on top, and it still worked just fine.  i don't think it would go through TOO much plastic, but easily an 1/8" or so.  the stronger the magnet the thicker the plastic.

you can get them at any train store, they're fairly cheap. 

What if you attached the Flamer to the jaw? Have it pinned to the insides of the jaw with cables and such running along the insides?

First off, you need to put some sort of bottom onto the jaw. That would do 3 things for you.

1) It would give you someplace to show off more crude panelling and rivets (both top AND bottom).
2) It would give you someplace to mount the flamer.
3) If you mount the flamer where I suggest, it won't look NEAR as dorky as if it were poking out between the top front 2 teeth.

Again, if you mount the flamer on the jaw/deck area, the flame nozzle should poke out just forward of the top teeth, but not actually be too visible from the sides of the head. Angle the flamer nozzle just "slightly" up, so the flame stream will clear the bottom teeth (and on an artistic note, it points straight out as it's lumbering forward in it's current pose.)


As for the back of the head... just finish off the short squat cylinder you've already started with the front of the head. It would then look more like some Dok Mek found an imperial fuel tank, and decided to use it as the head for the stopma he was building. You could then make more panel lines on the back of the head (with rivets, of course), maybe a ladder to the top of the head which also leads to an access/inspection hatch of some sort. Maybe, for just a bit of "color" have a pipe or 2 sticking out the side, leading to a valve with a flange end which leads to absolutely nothing. It's just the leftovers of it's prior life as a storage tank of some sort.

That should also leave you PLENTY of open space for an earthshaker and grot launcher mount on the back.

Posted By KiMonarrez on 07/06/2006 6:42 PM
First off, you need to put some sort of bottom onto the jaw. That would do 3 things for you.

1) It would give you someplace to show off more crude panelling and rivets (both top AND bottom).
2) It would give you someplace to mount the flamer.
3) If you mount the flamer where I suggest, it won't look NEAR as dorky as if it were poking out between the top front 2 teeth.

Again, if you mount the flamer on the jaw/deck area, the flame nozzle should poke out just forward of the top teeth, but not actually be too visible from the sides of the head. Angle the flamer nozzle just "slightly" up, so the flame stream will clear the bottom teeth (and on an artistic note, it points straight out as it's lumbering forward in it's current pose.)


As for the back of the head... just finish off the short squat cylinder you've already started with the front of the head. It would then look more like some Dok Mek found an imperial fuel tank, and decided to use it as the head for the stopma he was building. You could then make more weld lines on the back of the head (with rivets, of course), maybe a ladder to the top of the head which also leads to an access/imspection hatch of some sort. Maybe, for just a bit of "color" have a pipe or 2 sticking out the side, leading to a valve with a flange end which leads to absolutely nothing. It's just the leftovers of it's prior life as a storage tank of some sort.

That should also leave you PLENTY of open space for an earthshaker and grot launcher mount.

In your suggestions, you seem to be forgetting that there is, in fact, a grotpit located below the bottom jaw with the pilots in the belly of the beast. Let me go by the points:

1) Crude panelling and rivets would be okay, but right now the jaw doubles as a bullet shield for the grots - when they're under heavy fire, the mouth opens (presumably breathes fire, as it might as well) and absorbs some of the incoming fire aiming at them. A 'bottom' to the jaw would probably crush the grots in the grotpit.

2) If I mounted the flamer there, the captain would be very toasted. Also, it would eliminate the 'fire-breathing' appearance that I wanted to give it if it just shoots out of the neck.

3) It won't be poking out between teeth - just slightly behind the smaller one on the top jaw. The paint should hopefully reflect the fact that the center area there is where the flame spits out of (I'll be adding a burned effect around there). The flamer will actually be slightly behind the teeth, in any case, so as not to ruin the actual face's appearance.

I like the ladder on the back of the head idea, though. I'm not sure if I'm going to push an imperial fuel tank look, but I'll probably round the back off and close it, and then add the scaffolding for the grot bomb and a ladder going up so the grots can fix the wiring up top if it's needed.

The Jaw can still be a bullet shield... now it has a bottom. Then any rounds coming in via the mouth area aren't going to ping around and ricochette into the pilots. I'm not saying you need to bulk it up a bunch. Just put it straight across the bottom of the jaw. Think of it as adding a ceiling for the grot pilots.

If you still don't like that idea... that's cool. You're the actual artist here. The rest of us are just spectators/the sounding board for ideas.

I did finally get the flamethrower part done.. things have been crazy around here recently.



The flamer actually attaches to the torso instead of the head so that I can still easily get at the batteries inside the head for when they need changing.



Looks a bit silly like that, but let's fit the head in over it..



There. Not bad?

I was tempted to add more cabling/wires, and I still might, but I think it works pretty well right now as well - any extra cabling would become complicated in the interest of removing it. I could fix it in place, too, but I may as well make it removable as it's got the magnets there already.. it gets to a point where I think any additional detail will be missed anyway, so now I move on to closing off the back of the head.

I'm probably going to carry the cylindrical look around to the back of the head, close it off with some extra armor plating, then add scaffolding atop the shoulders that buttresses up against the back of the head for the grot bomb/earthshaker mount.

I was thinking about rules for this thing, aside from VDR.. There's one or two particularly fun special rules that I'd love to play with this thing, assuming my opponent would be open to it. For example, the following special rule actually cuts 50 points off the final VDR'd cost of the gargant:

Dis way! No, da uvva way!
The gargant is piloted by a team of grots usually work together to keep the stompa moving, shooting, and generally on a rampage. However, the grots will occasionally have a disagreement about what levers to pull or buttons to push, and occasionally begin fighting in the grotpit due to lack of slaver supervision. At the beginning of gargant's moving phase, roll a D6 - on a roll of one, the grots erupt in grotpit brawl, sending the gargant spiraling out of control as levers are hit inadvertently. Roll a scatter die until a directional arrow is apparent - the gargant wildly lumbers 6" in that direction. Any units in it's path, both friendly and hostile, take a wound with a 4+ save. Any units that fail can be assumed to be crushed beneath the unexpected heavings of the war machine. (Additional cityfight rule: As I'll be giving the gargant the 'wrecker' upgrade from the VDR rules - if the gargant's 6" random movement causes it to walk into a building, the gargant takes a strength 10 front armor hit and that building is removed from the terrain).

That seem fair?

i would pay to see 3 grots fight over a red button or a lever.Keep that rule for sure
I love the simple way you added the flamer AND it doesnt stick out too much either.Great work

I have been reading posts on dakka for quite some years, and post quite seldom. However, this is one of those times I feel absolutely compelled to write.

I have followed your building of the Stompa with great interest and awe. I have had vague ideas of building a Stompa myself in some unforseeable future, albeit a much less intricate and much less amazing one. I find words to be lacking, and I hail your innovativeness and skill. My one gripe with your project - work faster goddammit! ;-)

Okay. I closed the back of the head off with a bit of plating - three, to be precise. The head's still removable - all that's left to be done up there is to build two 'U' shaped 'clamps' for the grot bomb or earthshaker cannon to rest in.







The eyes need some new batteries, I think. Watch batteries run down fast, and I've had it on a lot the past few days just to enjoy. Thankfully, I've made them removable and easy to replace.

The grot bomb needs some work. I made one a while back but I don't think I like it, as my sculpting is generally garbage and it's a little.. rough. It's an impossible shape to plasticard, though. >_>

It is no nice!!! Im in love with a Stompa. It definately looks better than my girlfriend, but don't tell her. She is the jealous kind of type.

I would suggest that you add another grot or two, maybe an ork, on the display base - in nonsquashed condition. As it is right now, I find it a little odd that the squashed one is there all by himself. It would be really cool to have a little gang following this monster of a machine. if i was an ork (im not, though the quality of my tries at converting might suggest it), I would be following in the wake of this machine, screaming WAAAARGH!!! A few greenskins would add a lot in my opinon, and make a displays allready more than amazing, more than amazing.

Maybe a nosecone from a model rocket or plane?

Also I don't know what your plans are for the earthshaker but the imperial model from the basilisk is too slender and "elegant" for orks IMO.

Oh, I'm sure if he uses the IG model, it'll be suitably "orkified" before it gets mounted on.

I started messing around with the old Grot Bomb, trying to add detail.. The chain'll link around to the other side as 'reins' for the grot to ride it with. I'm not entirely sure how to make it look better, though.



It's obviously getting fins and a booster on the back.

Well, you COULD try to make the flying tigers trademark grinning face on the bomb out of Green Stuff and/or plastic strips.

Again, I want to say how fabulous this project is (for like the fifth time).

With that said, I can't post without mentioning that your final(ish) product definitely looks more "cartoony" IMO than the original concept sketch. I get this feeling based almost solely on the head design.

In the original sketch, the lower jaw is more extended, and the bladed tusks give it a look of menace. The slanted eyes make it look more angry and the entire head is set much deeper into the body.

Now, obviously your entire design is fantastic and at this point you're not likely to go back and change anything as major as what I've pointed out. More importantly, you're likely very happy with the way you've made it. . .that's why you made it that way!

But I just had to say it, because up until the head I felt that you had captured the essense of that drawing perfectly with your design, and I'm obviously a huge fan of the concept sketch.

Now that I've said my 2 cents, I'll get on to the real reason I'm replying: RULES! Something I'm okay at.

Dis way! No, da uvva way!
The gargant is piloted by a team of grots usually work together to keep the stompa moving, shooting, and generally on a rampage. However, the grots will occasionally have a disagreement about what levers to pull or buttons to push, and occasionally begin fighting in the grotpit due to lack of slaver supervision. At the beginning of gargant's moving phase, roll a D6 - on a roll of one, the grots erupt in grotpit brawl, sending the gargant spiraling out of control as levers are hit inadvertently. Roll a scatter die until a directional arrow is apparent - the gargant wildly lumbers 6" in that direction. Any units in it's path, both friendly and hostile, take a wound with a 4+ save. Any units that fail can be assumed to be crushed beneath the unexpected heavings of the war machine. (Additional cityfight rule: As I'll be giving the gargant the 'wrecker' upgrade from the VDR rules - if the gargant's 6" random movement causes it to walk into a building, the gargant takes a strength 10 front armor hit and that building is removed from the terrain).

That seem fair?

I like the concept of the rule but there are a few problems with it.

If this thing is a War Machine (which I'd assume), then it's likely "lumbering", which means it can only move 6" a turn and can only turn 90 degrees at the end of its move.

Stylistically, It seems really odd to me that, even if the Grots are fighting each other, a lumbering machine would be able to turn on a dime and move back towards the direction it just came.

Although the rule would be more complicated, I really think the Stompa should only be able to move either straight ahead or 45 degress to the left or right (perhaps split on a D6 roll of 1-2, 3-4, 5-6). Also, if the direction is randomized why isn't the movement distance? I think 2D6" isn't inappropriate at all (as the grots could force the Stompa to move faster than is safe).

Even wackier would be to have the out-of-control Stompa move straight ahead, but then roll the scatter die to see which direction it ends up facing. Although this may seem similar to your rule, since a lumbering vehicle has to move in a straight line, this would seriously affect it's move next turn too!


As for straight-up rules issues, here goes:

1) You don't explain what happens to models that it moves over, are they pushed out of the way? Tank Shocked? What about vehicle models?

2) You say that any units in it's path take a wound with a 4+ save. Were you trying to say "models" not "units"? If "units" is correct, are you saying that the unit only takes a single wound no matter what? If so, you should probably specify "single wound" to make it more clear. Also (and most importantly), what about vehicle units?

3) Lastly, it is odd for the Stompa to take real damage from a ruin/building since War machines only get slowed down by terrain, never immoblized. Are you not making the Stompa a Warmachine? Per the VDR it really should be.


Anyway, get back to me on these points and I'll help you hammer out a super-awesome funny rule (if you want my help, of course!).

I suggest that you make the jaw plate slightly melted near the flamer to represent regular heating from the weapon.

Speaking from a mechanical point of view... if the metal doesn't get heated PAST it's melting point, it won't melt or show any signs (aside from charing, and maybe some cracking from repeated heating and cooling) of being heated. So I'd vote "no" to melting the teeth a bit.

It looks a bit.. silly. I think I'm going to put the eye-stitching on afterall, as I can actually picture them as an electrified component of the eye-zzap cannons, but the ears and those head-pole things make it look a little more comical.

When I first drew that, and looked at it, I basically wrote it off. But looking at it sort've grows on me, too, and now I'm stuck in my typical creative ambivalence. Give it a second to just sit there and evaluate it. I can't seem to make up my mind. I've been saying from the outset that I was going to redesign the head a little bit, anyway... but I don't know how faithful I should be to the original over something like this.

Anyway, the head'll be getting more detail in the back - my main priority in armoring it up was to protect the wiring that I've done, both from primer and external sources, but I'll put some holes in it with cables running through into the head.. Just need to figure out where they'll go on the torso that I can still remove them. Making a sort of 'plug-in' cable that attaches to the torso in that manner sounds good, but it's more work than I think I want to bother going through every time I remove or add the head on. Also, charring around the teeth will be a painting consideration, not a modelling one. I don't want to melt anything

As for the grot bomb - once I get the shape right and attach fins, I'm going to use a goblin wolfrider as the base for a conversion for a grot straddling the top of the bomb with a cowboy hat in hand waving it in the air. I think the way I'm going to be making the rest of this is to add the launch ramp for it onto the back to fill in the 'hunch' and go back to the head to add detail wherever visible after that.

Posted By jamsessionein on 07/08/2006 8:24 AM
As for the grot bomb - once I get the shape right and attach fins, I'm going to use a goblin wolfrider as the base for a conversion for a grot straddling the top of the bomb with a cowboy hat in hand waving it in the air. I think the way I'm going to be making the rest of this is to add the launch ramp for it onto the back to fill in the 'hunch' and go back to the head to add detail wherever visible after that.

Ooooooo.  The Dr. Strangelove reference would be a REALLY nice touch.

*grumblegrumble*Stupid HTML editor won't work*grumblegrumble*

Try this link to Dr. Strangelove.

I am SO glad I am not the only one who got the Dr. Strangelove reference...

The worst part of knowing the reference, is when talking to people of the younger generation who think the reference is to the movie "Armaggedon". *shudder*ugh!!!*shudder*

i dont get it...sry
but no,loose the ears.Orky or not,its too much even on a thing like that.
Where's the bullet holes?
make a few in the face so the light shines through the holes....it could look good.

i vote yes to ears and eye stitches

My votes:

Ears: "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Eye Stitches: Not sure. Leaning towards "No".



Bit more on the ears. Just because they look "ok" in a 2D drawing... does NOT mean it will translate well to a 3D model.

I think you should add something to look like eyebrows, to make the thing look more beastly and mean.