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Am I missing something here People think that's an untidy desk? I thought you were more orky than that Merlin

Loving the dakka, good job

Thank you very much all! @monkeytroll: well, that's after building only two easy peasy, pre-planned ammo drums... you don't want to see my desk after a few days of randon creativity lol!

My desk hasn't looked like that since about a week after I built it, 6 years ago

them Guns are look very good mate, i hope you understand that i will be copying them

Glad to see your back home and in the Saddle! (something I sould be doing...) Keep up the good work I look forward to the finished product!

Mr, you are, as always, inspiring in your Orkiness.
I have to admit that I have always thought vulcans were the way to go with all Ork big guns, but I am now doubly convinced, seeing as there are two guns to convince me.
I've actually long since replaced most of the "big shootas" on my Battle Wagons with vulcans, and now I'm more or less convinced to do the rest of them.
The best part?
They are SO DAMN EASY to build!
Keep up the good work. I'm dying to see this thing completely built and blocked for color.

 monkeytroll wrote:
My desk hasn't looked like that since about a week after I built it, 6 years ago

Yea Im the same way. When its convertin time, inside a few hours, my kitchen table is just buried under a mountain of bits and tools and glue and you name it. Its a Meks wet dream

I'm stuck. I don't have any idea how to build the front part of the bike, I'm not even sure which wheel to use...
Here are the options. The first one looks a bit like those on the batmobile, broad, forceful and agressive....




The other one looks like the front wheel of a bike.... so.... should I go for the broad one or the other one? I'm leaning towards the broad one, but its a bit TOO broad to fit into the front fork. And how do I fix that? Help!





@monkey: looks like there's only one solution for your desk-problem.... build a new one!
@waz: Thanks dude, steal and copy away.... I do the same with your stuff all the time, lol!
@will: cheers dude!
@mat: damn right you are, I love the vulcans too!
@KC: but don't you have to clean everything up again later? See on a desk, you can leave it there all month,

Excellent stuff there, MrMerlin. My vote is on the more narrow tire. Don't know how to describe it but it just looks more proper and more believable as a motorbike/tike. These wide tires always look quite a lot like theyÄre made much more for street racing and in my opinion they look plain "too modern". The more narrow tire looks like it's got a bit more of a profile (even if that's not true).

You could try using a single arm instead of the usual expected fork. Like the rear arm that many modern racing bikes use so they can change the wheel easy. Then you can have it bend out around the fat tire. but then you could just do that with a fork... would look unique anyway. Actually a bit like what has been done on the batmobile / batbike that you have a pic of right there... D'oh.

Fat tyre, bend it around I say! Unless it doesn't work, then go back to the thin one...

This is looking good MrMerlin I'm also working on a trike atm.

Both the wheels are orky. Go with the one that makes the whole model look 'complete'. It doesnt need to 'make sense'.

I vote for the thicker tyre also.

D

my vote goes in for the fat tire too... heck if you are able to... then go the full distance and try to make it look like the batman vehicle tank...would be awesome as hell...

Thanks Sigur. Yes, I see your point... but the fat one also looks brutal and agressive, soo... (we're talking about orks after all)
@Dr H: welcome to the blog and thanks for the input!
@Arakasi: cheers mate, nice to see you here again!
@TaWaaagh: Thanks. You're working on a trike too? awesome! share a link when you upload pics!
@cheese: Thanks mate.
@Vik: I just had a similar thought too! I've found another one of those fat tyres, and four wheels look better than tree... it's being done!!

COOL! i am looking forward to that badassery then!°.°

 MrMerlin wrote:

@Dr H: welcome to the blog and thanks for the input!

Not a prob. I've been lurking for a while and I forget where I've commented or not.
I like what I've seen here and I look forward to seeing this orkmobile completed.

Beautiful Orks! You got me motivated to Start adding more models to my ork army, love the guns on the bike!

I want to see dis ork batmobile with a fat tire. Its more rugged and worth its teeth.

Merlin! Everything is looking awesome. Love the example shot from the front. I am already able to invision what this will look like completed.

Now, on to the front wheel conundrum.

As you know, I am a mechanic, and motorcycle enthusiast. That means my take on bike aesthetics, even Ork bike aesthetics is going to be highly colored by real life functionality, and "how things work", so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

Firstly, I don't like the double front wheel at all. I feel like bikes, even Ork bikes, should have some air of agility. It's a bike after all. A fast attack most of the time, and super speedy all the time. That means it should look like it could really rip it up on the battlefield. I feel like the double front tire really takes away from that and makes it look less bike-like and more tank-like. Which, don't get me wrong, tanks are awesome, but if you want to build a tank, build a tank! Anyway, I wanted to give you an example of what I mean. Look here at Sukigods Wazdakka. It's a superb model! And the painting is just mind blowing. However, if I were to point out one thing that just really takes away from it as a whole, it's that stubby fork, and the double front tire. It just makes it look like it might never make a turn. nor handle in ANY kind of terrain. It makes it look clunky and slow.



Obviously, I can't fault Suki and thing really. He's an amazing modeler and painter. But you can tell he doesn't know much about bikes.

You can find more of his work here. He is one of my greatest inspirations to model.
http://www.bigshoota.com/army-gallery/

If you start looking around at bike on the internet. Anything from choppers to bobber to street fighters and cruisers. You'll find that the front tire tends to be slimmer than the back, and usually of a larger diameter. This is to enhance control and for visual balance.

All of this said, I vote for the one tire approach, and for that matter, I vote for the slimmer tire. I think it will ultimately give the bike a more bike-ish feel and I don't think it will take away from the Orky stylings or look weedy. If I were you, I'd probably rig up both with some putty, and then take some pics in profile and from the front, down low. I think it will become apparent pretty fast what you like the most.

Thanks again for the input mat! Without you, this project would long ago have crashed and burned..... so thanks a lot!
But I think you got me wrong with the front wheels.... I don't want to do a double front wheel, I was thiking about two front wheels.... like this (by wazzoo2000)



well not exactly like this, I'd make it long and slim. But I'm not sure.... I guess I'll just build one front with two wheels, one with only one (a slim one) and then glue on the one that looks better..... what do you think?

 MrMerlin wrote:
Thanks again for the input mat! Without you, this project would long ago have crashed and burned..... so thanks a lot!
But I think you got me wrong with the front wheels.... I don't want to do a double front wheel, I was thiking about two front wheels.
well not exactly like this, I'd make it long and slim. But I'm not sure.... I guess I'll just build one front with two wheels, one with only one (a slim one) and then glue on the one that looks better..... what do you think?

I'll reserve judgment until I see it. Initial thought is, I'd be worried it would start looking like a buggy or trukk with two front wheel.

I'll wait for pics till I say anything else.

=)

Thats some good insight Matphat. I ride bikes as well - and I'm building mine with 1 front tyre

But it wont be 'wrong' either way. Its an Ork bike... who knows what kind of mushroom Big Mek MrMerlin has eaten ^^ And for straight line speed: that will depend mostly on the engine(s) beeing big enough. Orks are not known for control.

Following this progress closely now

edit: posted a pic of my own trike http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/120/423220.page

i like that buddy thing

Ok here's some quickly bashed together front, nothing glued yet:



loosk a bit "20s and 30s gangster"....




what do you think? I'm not completely sure, but I like it.

that's a pretty ballin bike.


Looks like a old Rolls royce!!!


Makes me jealous. Extremely.


My warboss is some weedy git. You'rs has gak loads of dakka, style, and teef... should be a bad moonz bike almost lol

that bike has 4 wheels... is it still a bike?

Twice the wheels, twice the bike... maybe?

It certainly says more "buggy" than "bike" to me.
But I like it, very gangster hotrod stylee. Is good.

I take it you are planning on turning the front into more of a grille?

@skyfi: thanks a lot dude and welcome to the blog! Wasn't actually thinking bad moonz, more like wazdakka.... from the ork dex: "... a turbo powered monstrosity that used to be a bike but is now something far scarier" lol
@panda: yes yes, sure... kinda.... well... yeah.....
@Dr H: Thanks dude and sure, the front will be turned into a proper grille (IF I'm using these parts... I might still go trike with the whole thing.... maybe)

As much as I like it (which is alot), it doesn't scream bike at me...

Your plasticard skills really are top-notch though!

D