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Hi Dakka,


I was recently in GW Manchester (UK) and was privileged enough to see that preposterously cool Stompa/Warboss/Mega Dakka.,. thing conversion that was doing the rounds on Dakka a few months ago (the one with all the Battle Cannons etc on its back). Feeling inspired, I went home and dug out all my old pewter Orks and decided to give them a plasticard makeover (much to the chagrin of my half-finshed Tyranid force which is currently undergoing a similar transformation).


Anyone who's seen my 'Nid thread on Warseer will know I'm laughably bad at taking pictures, so please forgive me that particular shortcoming.

Anyway, on with the pictures:

My shot at a Ghazghkull conversion:




I was just about to spray him when it occurred to me that some people might be interested to see what is plasticard/pewter/plastic etc, so there ya go.

I found the plasticard work pretty easy, and found following the attitude of Waz (I'm sure I'm not alone in saying his Ork thread provided me with massive amounts of inspiration) worked brilliantly in that everything was very much measured to eye and just basically improvised.

I'm an excruciatingly slow painter so please don't expect him to be finished any time soon.

I'm gonna leave it there for now, although I have a ton of equally heavy conversions that are almost ready to show off.

Cheers!

I love a good and tough looking warboss. Can't wait for paint

OK - time to jump start this blog!

I've been meaning to update this blog for ages, but having no light box set up has discouraged me from taking any pictures of my Orks.

What with taking part in the April painting challenge I finally pulled my finger out and scrambled together a suitably crude contraption and, whilst

being far from perfect, started taking pictures.

Here is almost everything that has seen some paint since I first posted up my scratchbuilt Ghazzy:



And a slightly more yellow version:



My take on Ghazghkull's number one stooge, Grotsnik:



This is the conversion that made me kick myself in the arse and start getting stuff done. He's a conversion using mostly Grukk, the Skitarii walker and the Meganobz sprue. I plan on using him as

a Big Mek on a bike. Currently his load-out is ludicrously expensive (KFF, KMB, Powerklaw) but I plan on making a couple of other options for him, most notably a Shokk Attack Gun.

Here's how he looks right now:







Now, for my entry to this month's painting comp. Conveniently for me, the theme this month is speed, and I just happened to have this Painboy and his Biker Nob retinue waiting in line for some paint. I

have no idea if I'll be able to get them done in time but I'm certainly going to give it my best shot!

Here they are:










Sorry for the enormity of this update. I got a bit carried away taking pictures.

Here are the first batch of Ork Boyz I got painted up. Their trukk is a daft conversion between a Deffkopta and an old trukk:












And here is the first Warboss I made after the new codex came out. I used the Forgeworld Kommando axe to represent Headwhoppa's Killchoppa and I also spent hours

fiddling around with plasticard tubes to make a pose-able mask. Don't ask me why....





And finally, something that nearly derailed my entry to this month's painting challenge. For some unfathomable reason, I decided to start making a Stompa out of a Shadowsword kit I had lying around. I

actually got really excited for this project and have ordered looooads of cool bits off the internet to build him up proper cool and that. I'm hoping to make a detailed interior with a transport section and a

'driver' riding a converted Deffkopta which controls the Stompa's feet.... Yeah that sounds mad. When I've done some more work on her I'll take some pictures and hopefully that'll clear things up!




I hope you enjoyed the mammoth update, anyway!

I'm hoping to keep this blog much more regularly updated from now on.

Awesome stuff, very Orky, looking forward to seeing more updates!

Thanks, SJM! I love your post-apocalyptic Orks.

I got pretty giddy when I saw your Ork boars/bikes bits..

I can't wait to see what you conjure up, man!

Exalted! Love your stuff.

Wow! That version will kill Marneus Calgar.

@ Matthew - thanks so much, dude!

@ Kaptin - that's the plan! :-)

As I'm temporarily resigned to the fact that I am incapable of taking good pictures, I've been on a bit of a painting hiatus these last few weeks. Instead, I've donned my greasy Mek Boy cap & returned to what I love best: converting Orks (or should that be Orruks? ;-))

I loved the look of the new Devastator box and had been planning on making some Old Skool Lootas (I'm thinking 3rd Ed here.. Back when Skarboyz were a thing) anyway so I ordered both a box of the new Devs & some Lootas. Something I'd always recommend when planning Ork conversions is to buy two boxes at a time so that you can just go nuts kitbashing them together. Whether it's two boxes of Orks or whatever, I always find it really helps get my creativity going like mad.

Anyway, these guys are the first of what will hopefully be a full squad of fifteen in the end.

All are WIP!







I thought the Lootas needed bulking up a bit (they look puny next to Flash Gitz) so I used 32mm bases for em. I love how much more imposing it makes them feel!

Anyway, I'm gonna go nuts with these guys so, I hope you like em, and look forward to more!

Got another Loota done today before work (sorry it's blurry, I didn't notice until it was too late):



It's so much fun making these guys! I found some garden wire in the local hardware shop which makes perfect cables, which I personally think you can never have enough of.

Also tried to take a better picture of my Armorium Grot. I'm in two minds whether to give him the little iron halo that came with the kit or not..



More to come!

Really nice looters, I love the bullet fairy grot

These are really great! It's amazing what you can do with bits of plasicard and wire.

A couple of things I've been attacking with my X-acto this week:

Firstly, what is probably going to be the leader of my feral Ork detachment (in other words a ton of Cyboars), a Warboss on a (count-as Warbike) Mournfang Cat.

I'd been planning on doing some sort of feral Ork project for yonks, and in the end it was the stellar work of this forum's very own SJM (if you haven't already, check_his_blog_out!) that motivated me into seizing the boar by the tail and actually getting some work done.

After an afternoon's work, this is what I have:



As always, he's WIP, but the head especially so. When I started this conversion, the image that popped into my head looked something like the Black Orc Big Boss riding a gigantic, snarling beast into battle. I think he's one of the most bad-ass looking Orc sculpts and I particularly love his helmet/tusks. The problem is: I'm reluctant to pay 225 SEK for essentially one 'bit' ie, the head I'm after. That's where I'm hoping someone on Dakka will come to the rescue... So if anyone's reading this who can help me out, I'd love to do business with you. PM me!

Secondly just a quick update on the ShadowStompa. I've added a gun platform behind the head and also a ridiculous SAG thingamajig on the shoulder. This project is likely going to take me years to finish but I'll keep updating as I go along. I'm hoping to emulate the more 'Mekky' style of the Forgeworld Stompa than the plain old GW one...





And a scale shot next to what will eventually become his owner, my as-yet-unnamed not-so-big Mek.



I've also got loads done on what will be the removable interior detail but alas, no pictures just yet.

Thanks for checking out my blog and don't forget to hit me up if you have the spare head I'm after!

Tim

This week I've been slaving away on getting my ShadowStompa shipshape (try saying that five times, fast). Every now and again the magnitude of the task I've undertaken with this guy slaps me & makes me wonder just how long it's going to take to get him finished..

I will persevere!

Something that kickstarted my motivation this week was seeing this old WD picture:



Though I'm not planning on adding so much detail (there'd never be enough room anyway!) but I am planning on multiple levels and full interior detail. Madness, I know.

Anyway, I've made some progress on the 'driver' this week. He sits in a kind of sentinel-esque cockpit and controls the Stompa from deep within its armoured bulk. The plasticard you see in these pictures will make up the 'floor' of the interior. As you can see, the legs go through it and will, after much sweat and blood, connect to the feet.





And a peek at the WIP control panel:



I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll with this guy, so hopefully more pics soon!

As a little 'and finally...', here is a little diorama I made for my daughter for her birthday. Nothing makes a father's heart swell with pride more than hearing their firstborn declare their love of grots :-)



I hope you enjoyed the update!

Fantastic work. Subscribed!

Woah...these are amazing! I think you just bumped up the standard on scratch builds for me. I like what you've done with the lass cannons on the appendage thingy's. What kind of functionality would those serve within the stompa?

@ Cleatus - Thanks, dude!

@ Novasetri - Thanks! The lascannons are just part of the walker's legs; eventually they'll just be attached (via the heavy bolters which make up the lower part of the legs) to the huge Stompa feet. I'm hoping they'll look more convincing when I've bodged together some ramshackle armour plates to make them more Orky :-D

Wow, awesome!

@ Novasetri - Thanks! The lascannons are just part of the walker's legs; eventually they'll just be attached (via the heavy bolters which make up the lower part of the legs) to the huge Stompa feet. I'm hoping they'll look more convincing when I've bodged together some ramshackle armour plates to make them more Orky :-D

Ah ok, I see it now! Is the plan to create an outer hull that is removable or are you going to make it similar to the picture with the cross section?

More work done on on the Stompa!

I tentatively attached the 'legs' to the feet, and also the cockpit to the 'floor' of the Stompa. Here's a picture of it balanced precariously on my work desk (I haven't glued the floor section in yet as there is still a TON of detail work to do):



And a close-up from the side:



It feels like I'm almost there when it comes to getting the exterior shell finished, which feels nice as it's the wacky details I look forward to starting work on most.

That's all for now


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Novasetri wrote:

@ Novasetri - Thanks! The lascannons are just part of the walker's legs; eventually they'll just be attached (via the heavy bolters which make up the lower part of the legs) to the huge Stompa feet. I'm hoping they'll look more convincing when I've bodged together some ramshackle armour plates to make them more Orky :-D

Ah ok, I see it now! Is the plan to create an outer hull that is removable or are you going to make it similar to the picture with the cross section?

The former, mate! Although that said, I really want to fill the the interior with details so it'll be a little of both I guess. When it's finished, though, there will be a section of removable hull that'll hide all of the interior stuff (for gaming, I guess).

Ok, no pictures for this update; I just need some advice.

Has anyone ever tried to make a huge custom base? For something as large as a Stompa?

Last week I attempted to hack up a chopping board which was in the shape of a raspberry (good luck to anyone ever attempting to chop up a chopping board with nought but an X-Acto for company, by the way). The shape was almost perfect after my modifications, but in the end it was just not rigid enough to act as a base.

So I'm stumped. Has anyone got any suggestions? I have seen people base their Hierophants with custom wooden bases, but I don't like the look of those. I want something that could feasibly be a GW base, just all enormous and that.

I await any suggestions eagerly!

I woud go with mdf. Its cheap, thin, and pretty sturdy. Tou can sand the edges down to give it a nice flush transition from whatever its sitting on.

 Novasetri wrote:
I woud go with mdf. Its cheap, thin, and pretty sturdy. Tou can sand the edges down to give it a nice flush transition from whatever its sitting on.

Hmm.... I'm reluctant to use MDF or other wood because I'm so sorely lacking in the tools department.. Can you buy MDF in really small pieces? Say, for example, the size of a raspberry-shaped cutting board? :-P

As far as the progress on the Stompa goes, I've had a hiatus this week as I try and get caught up on my painting backlog. This week it was the turn of this buggy. I'm fairly sure I started this a good 13 years ago, so I hope you'll forgive me for it not being the most original concept for an Ork buggy.

Anyway, this guy is 90% done!



Thanks for looking!

That is awesome!

After many months of scouring the net for a decent light-box set-up, I've finally managed to track one down! And surprise surprise, they had them in a store not five minutes bike ride from where I live.

Anyway, now I've got my daylight lamps and pristine white backdrop, I've set about the tortuous process of trying to get my pictures looking 'right'. Any tips will be welcome along the way! I've already found out it's not as simple as setting it all up and snapping away; my first attempts were rubbish!

Here's my Warboss looking pleased with himself:



What do you guys reckon about the picture quality there? That's with the lamps pointed right at him, as opposed to through the sides of the light-box.

Next I tried to snap SquigMek with my phone camera (other camera is charging) and feel like I've failed miserably! I think he might just be a reeeeally awkward mini to take a picture of:



As mentioned, any words of advice will be warmly welcomed! I don't aim to take amazing pictures, just ones that do my minis justice!

Thanks for looking, more to come this evening!

Next test batch done! This time after tinkering with the 'exposure' on the camera (It's actually embarrassing how much of a newb I am at this).

I think these are looking better, if not perfect...

The lightbox is looking good so far! For what its worth, I really liked the style of your photos before as well. The warm light had a style of its own and was easily identifyable as yours.

Im not an expert but I might suggest sticking to the sides to diffuse the light rather than shining directly on the models.

Have you considered any kind of backdrops? I know there are some printable ones online, or, if you want to get really fancy there is a site called hanger 51 (I think) that has some really cool ones. I just use black Velour but I want to look into some of the fancier options in the future.

Your conversions are simply beautiful. Really characterful and orky.

EDC

Novasetri wrote:The lightbox is looking good so far! For what its worth, I really liked the style of your photos before as well. The warm light had a style of its own and was easily identifyable as yours.

Im not an expert but I might suggest sticking to the sides to diffuse the light rather than shining directly on the models.

Have you considered any kind of backdrops? I know there are some printable ones online, or, if you want to get really fancy there is a site called hanger 51 (I think) that has some really cool ones. I just use black Velour but I want to look into some of the fancier options in the future.

Thanks, Nova! I have to admit I was quite fond of the warmer pics too, although I did find it frustrating not to be able to show off my models in their true.. er.. light.

As for backdrops, I was eyeing up some of the spreads in the codex and thinking they'd look pretty boss in the background, but I got cold feet. I thought it might end up looking a bit busy and distract from the models. I'l definitely check out hangar 51, though!

evildrcheese wrote:Your conversions are simply beautiful. Really characterful and orky.

EDC

You're a gentleman, good Doctor. .

Seriously, thanks man

Just Curious. Are you using any kind of Macro feature on your camera? If using a cell phone, there are some pretty neat features on there that help with taking pics of Mini's. I've been looking at one of those universal Lenses for my phone to give better quality. Most of them have Macro lenses as well that I think would help get the full model in frame and show off the details a little better.

 Novasetri wrote:
Just Curious. Are you using any kind of Macro feature on your camera? If using a cell phone, there are some pretty neat features on there that help with taking pics of Mini's. I've been looking at one of those universal Lenses for my phone to give better quality. Most of them have Macro lenses as well that I think would help get the full model in frame and show off the details a little better.

Sorry for the delayed response, Nova. To be honest dude I'm not really sure what you mean by 'macro feature'. My camera was new five years ago but is starting to show its age quite badly I think. I can adjust the exposure and things like that, which seems to be making a big difference, but that's about as far as I've got.

I took these pictures of my most recently 'finished' minis yesterday. I say 'finished' because I typically never finish a model. I almost always bomb out at the 95% done stage, which I think is due to having such a huge backlog of stuff I want to get painted. Also, for reasons unknown, they've come out looking blurry here even though they look fine on my camera

These are my very unflashy Flash Gitz. I have a confession to make about the Flash Gitz box. Though I absolutely loved the minis (seriously, if that's how cool Ork minis look from now on then just imagine how Lootas might be re-imagined a few years down the line.... ) I truly hate the pirate aesthetic. Skull and crossbones & eye patches make me cringe in places I had no idea I could cringe. So, in order to use them in my army I decided to come up with my own fluff as to why these Snazzgun-wielding maniacs aren't actually Flash Gitz



In my mind, a notoriously greedy crew of cut-throat Flash Gitz was hired by my Warboss, Gazznak Gitchoppa, to join him in eliminating a rival klan. As they geared up for battle, Gazznak presented the Gitz' Kaptin with a token of his gratitude, a monstrous new Battlewagon to ferry the the Gitz into the fight in style...



However, as the last Flash Git boarded the smoke-belching contraption, the ramp was slammed shut by one of Gazznak's loyal Nobz, Gitkrumpa. Quickly sliding the bolts that only that morning Squigmek had welded to the outside of the 'wagon into place, the ferocious nob gave but a glance to Squigmek's burna grotz. The wicked gretchin leapt forward and prepared to incinerate the Kaptin and his crew. Realising too late the deceit, the Gitz opened up with their Snazzguns from inside the Battlewagon. Enormous shells the size of a grot's torso ripped through the reinforced plating of the transport, a cacophonous din that caught the attention of the whole camp. One round caught a burna grot and pulped him instantly into a crimson miasma, his horror-struck snotling assistant left clutching the fuel cannister for his burna.

The blind volley came too late to save the Gitz however and, with an evil snicker, the burna grotz jammed the nozzles of their burnas through the portholes of the 'wagon and turned the Gitz' new prize into a burning hell.

When the flames had been extinguished, Gitkrumpa loped up the ramp and surveyed the charred remains of the Kaptin's crew. As he had hoped, the hefty snazzguns once wielded by the Gitz were still remarkably intact, if a little blackened, but he didn't give two squigs about that. So long as they were good for shooting up some 'umies then he was happy.

Turning with a satisfied sneer, he heard something splutter and choke behind him. Gitkrumpa wheeled around to see the Kaptin, half shielded behind some spent Kannon shells, crawling toward him. His legs were gone; reduced to charred stumps. His once outrageous garb now resembled the singed loincloths you would expect a Zzap gun crew to dress in, and his necklace of teef had been scorched away; the teef scattered. He fixed Gitkrumpa with a hate-filled stare and went to curse him, only to start spluttering, and hacking up blood again. Gitkrumpa smiled; he had just realised that he had a job vacancy. And the Kaptin was a prime candidate...


Phew! That was fun. All the time I've been painting these guys I've been thinking of how I can explain the fact that I've done away with all the pirate insignia, and hopefully this little back story justifies it. The job vacancy at the end is an ammo grot conversion I'm still working on which uses (yes you guessed it) the torso and head of one of the piratey Flash Gitz. More on that, next time!

Hope you enjoyed the update!