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Last weekend's visit to Warhammer World provided a good incentive to do some modelling (and get back on Dakka after a 2 year hiatus). A friend thought the ork warcopta on display in the forge world store was particularly fun looking:



Now I have an ork mek-themed force with 3 scratch-built vehicles in it already (Bomma, Stompa and Kill Bursta), so when I discovered a spare ork torso (but no legs) in my bits box it felt like a sign that he absolutely needs to be a pilot. Now, the warcopta is cool (I love its orky rules - a ridiculously fast transport for the boyz, filled with guns and likely to explode if you look at it funny). My problem with the FW model is that the model itself is pretty uninspired. It's basically a flying platform for infantry to stand on - fits the rules fairly well but I feel there's a lot more creativity to be had when designing an ork helicopter (especially one with two devastating 'rattler kannons' and the ability to drop bombs over enemies)!

I've always loved the SM Stormtalon model, but it fits neither of my two SM forces (BA and DA). Thus, it became my inspiration for the project:



I had a few changes in mind to make the vehicle orky. Firstly, the jet engine 'wings' would be rotor powered, much like a 'copta' should be! Secondly, the pilot would be exposed rather than in a cockpit, as with all of my other ork vehicles. Finally, I wanted to incorporate a 'mouth' into the front of the vehicle, possibly with the guns coming from inside it. I think this is both orky and representative of military-style paintjobs.

I started by laying a foundation for the shape of the model through the combination of styrofoam and mechanical parts from a cheap meccano rip-off toy I got given as a joke present a while back. It also had two plastic rotors which were perfect. The 'mouth' of the model is made from what can only be described as a plastic "thing" I found in the diy cupboard. With a little research it looks like it was a pull cord mechanism for an old pair of blinds:



This part provided the perfect shape and movement to act not only as a mouth, but also to allow the attached rattler kannons to rotate in the mouth. With the addition of some cardboard 'teeth', armour plates and our orky pilot, the foundation was starting to vaguely resemble a helicopter. Note that each rotor engine can also rotate individually to represent thrust (i.e. if the model is moving or landing) - cheap meccano parts are amazing for this!



The next step was to fill in all sections with cardboard armour plates. All cardboard is taken from an AdMech battle maniple box - I've never used plasticard but I find this type of cardboard is perfectly suitable for cobbling together ork vehicles. By peeling off a layer of the cardboard, a corrugated effect is achieved (looks great once painted metallic).



A few final additions to finish off the exterior include a ladder on the bottom of the model up to an escape hatch, exposed wiring and spent ammo casings flying out of each rattler kannon:



Add a dash of black undercoat and we have the final model, with wraithknight and deffkopta for size comparison:



The rear of the 'copta, showing engines and bomb storage:



And finally, a close-up of the front of the warcopta, teeth and all! And yes, it does have searchlight eyes.



Will update once painted! Currently in the process of converting a supa-kannon onto my battlewagon and adding a deff rolla. Also, yes, that is a disassembled phantom titan in the background of the last few shots.

Looks amazing! But it lacks the trademark "Ork" rivets

Honestly man, the overall form a concept of this build looks great. I really like the fact that you've added more dimension rather than making it a flying block. It also looks very functional from an ork perspective.

If I could add some c&c - I think some rivits would help bring it all together. The plating looks great but I would recommend plasticard as you can sand down those rough edges and adding chipping for a scrappy effect. Just minor details, but a they will make the audience look harder once it's all painted to try and figure out what's scratch built vs actual model pieces.

Seriously awesome work, I can't wait to see it painted!