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Hi Dakka,

I recently obtained a squad of Nobz (x5) who I intend to act as a bodyguard for my HQ (Grukk Face-Rippa)

Looking at the sprue, I appear to have the following options:

x5 Choppa
x4 Big Choppa
x5 Shoota
x2 Kombi-weapon with Rokkit Launcha
x1 Kombi-weapon with Skorcha
x3 Power Klaw
x4 Boss Pole

Then there are some unidentifiable gubbinz that look like a circular saw arm and another that looks like a harpoon arm gun. I'm assuming these are just choppa-substitutes


From this and what the Codex says I'm allowed, what do you reckon would be the best outfit?

The saw and harpoon gun is for Painboy upgrades. Not familiar with the latest update but in the last Codex for which the kit was designed.

Use the saw as another Power Klaw if you need to. The harpoon could be a shoota or a choppa or Power Klaw. The great thing about Orks is a lot of stuff can be something else.

I like big choppas personally for any nobz that excess PKs would be overkill. Also with a big choppa the models can be equipped with shootas/combi weapons without the need to model them as such (some people like to magnetize the gun to stick to their back to show which has a special gun).

The major choice your nobz are typically going to be faced with is what type of melee weapon they are going to use. PKs are expensive but dead killy, choppa+slugga has more attacks and is cheap (base cost), while big choppas do the inbetween of the two (cheaper than a PK, higher str than a choppa).

The saw can be used to model a Painboy (convert a slugga to be a urty syringe if you stick a "needle" on the end of the gun. I cut up the handle of a stikkbomb for this purpose)

10 Ork Boyz might be a better body gaurd

I'm liking the idea of big choppas now that I realise you can keep your gun.

That means I can have

x2 Kombi-weapon with Rokkit Launcha
x4 Big Choppa
x1 Power Klaw

Would that seem sensible? I've kept away from the twin-linked shootas even though I love the concept of them to keep them a CC squad with anti-vehicle potential.


I'm guessing a Kombi-Rokkit Launcha can't have twin-linked on the shoota part only (ie: you can't upgrade for 3pts to make the shoota part twin-linked and it only works on bog-standard shootas)

That saw/syringe conversion idea has set my mind in motion

 Deadshot wrote:
The saw and harpoon gun is for Painboy upgrades. Not familiar with the latest update but in the last Codex for which the kit was designed.

Use the saw as another Power Klaw if you need to. The harpoon could be a shoota or a choppa or Power Klaw. The great thing about Orks is a lot of stuff can be something else.

Actually, the saw was the cybork body upgrade, most people just used it to build painboyz instead of shelling out for the single model. I would suggest the OP to do the same, you can't have enough pain boyz, and the model is a bit expensive for a single nob equivalent.

Outside of that, the best use of the nobz box would currently be getting a box of flash gits and combine them. The combi-weapons are easily turned into snazz guns using all the extra bits. Nobz simply aren't good in big games, while flash gits can still contribute by providing pretty awesome shooting against both light and heavy infantry.

If you want nobz anyways, simply building the nobz from Grukk's dataslate is actually a pretty good way to go (armor, two PKs, one combi-skorcha). You might also want to build a Waaagh! Banner for one. If you're untalented in scratchbuilding like me, either get the Waaagh! banner nob from GW (awesome model), or buy the black ork box, which comes with a an orky banner, you can use the black orcs as additional nobz.

Painboyz seem essential if my understanding of the codex is correct. Would you need to model them using Nob bodies rather than normal boyz?

You can't really tell if the metal painboy is a nob or a boy. My self-built pain boyz use boy torsos, which seems to work fine.

 Jidmah wrote:
You might also want to build a Waaagh! Banner for one. If you're untalented in scratchbuilding like me, either get the Waaagh! banner nob from GW (awesome model), or buy the black ork box, which comes with a an orky banner, you can use the black orcs as additional nobz.

This is exactly what I did with my old Fantasy models. That game needs so many battle standards that I now have my pick of no less than 3 Waaagh! Banners. The Goblin banners I've used like personilized Bosspoles for my Warbosses, carried around by his faithful lackey.

As far as using the add'l black orcs as more nobz: I don't like them for this use. They seem too small when you stand them side by side with a 40k Nob. I use mine as 'Ard Boyz. Of course, mine are the old school metal blorcs, so maybe the plastic ones are a little bigger.

Lastly, as for the saw arm, why not use it to build a killsaw mek?

Because killsaw meks will disappoint you. The best thing mine manage to do is punch a razorback and die in the explosion.

No seriously, that's a good use as well. I'd just rather have another pain boy than a killsaw mek. Doubling up on CADs and fielding three pain boyz has done wonders for me, while killsaw meks are more of a place to sink points. There also is a big choppa which can be cut up to make two killsaws, in case you need more.

Oh, and plastic black orks look a lot more like nobz than boyz imo. 'ard boyz works as well though.