Gangster Ork Squad

I started these during the Soccer World cup of 2010 and finished them in Oct 2010. I then posted it to the local gaming boards at Chaotic Order (now defunct). I was known there as Far_Traveller. I'm re-posting here on my blog to showcase what an amateur can do with green-stuff and imagination.

"I've accumulated lots of Orks over the few years that i've been playing and collecting. When i tried to come up with a theme for my Orks with all the different types and paint jobs i decided...why? That's when i came up with the Bloody Burning Brain Boyz. A Mek themed army that's organized like a multi-level marketing scheme. Different Nobz come up with their own style to get other Orks involved. The Ork club that gets more loot and teeth, and gives a percentage up the chain, gets more opportunity for glory and fame. They also move further up the ladder to be head of more Orks. But only Meks can rule, with the 12 "Brain Boyz" Meks at the top."

"I've got ideas for clown boyz, Mime Kommandos, pirate boyz, terminator Nobz, Star Trek flash gitz, Wild Boyz (a la Duran Duran), Che Gueverra Gretchin...etc. I'll just work on a "club" a couple times a year but the army should look great in a couple of years. But first i'm going to do 30's Gangster Shoota Boyz with a converted Gangster lowrider truckk."

"I'm going to have a Boss Nob with claw and heavy armor, big shoota, 10 shoota boyz and 3 shoota boyz with stick bombs so that i can switch them in if i want to pay the points and leave them out if not. This will give a core 12 Orks to go in the converted Truckk. Here's the boyz as they are. Lots of potential but not threatening enough to get protection money or work a racket."

 "I chose one to get started with the green stuff."

"I've not had much experience with green stuff so i did some internet research and started. I normally do modeling while my wife and i watch tv. With the world cup on and her a sports fan i should finish this project by the time the world cup is done. At least that's the goal. Here's the first one done. I made a little lily for the lapel."
"I hope to vary the squad with trenchcoats or suits to vary the mix. I also hope to have their gangster names painted on the base. Vinny "the fish", Louie "the vole", Marky "the nose"...or some such. Orks don't completely understand the gangster films they've seen that have been beamed out into space by Terra from long ago but they like the guns, fisticuffs and lingo."

After a week...
"Well, it's been a little more than a week and i've finished most of them with greenstuff."

 "Yes, the middle one above is dressed like Ma Barker."

 "Each one is different so that they will have their own character. As i paint them the names should pop out."

"I still have one more to go and the Nobfather. I decided i'll just make the 12 instead of the 3 extra to save on time. The metal nob is in some pine sol to get the ugly paint job off."

"While the nob is soaking, i'm going to work on the car. In order to keep with GW's 50% rule, i have to make some modifications to the kit i have."

 "I picked the above up at the toy and model show a month back in Sidney. It was the only gangster kit i could find without paying big bucks. It even came with a green paint job."

 "Its size is huge and almost battlewagon sized in length. Especially compared to the original trukk."

 "I'm going to make the undercarriage and engine, as per the original model kit. Then i hope to cut apart the outer body in chunks. Then i'll use old sprue plactic, without the bits, to make the frame of the car that i'll glue/bolt the outer body to. I'll use plasti-card to make larger runners for some orks to ride on, like some old gangster films. I'll post once i have some more."

After two weeks...
"I first put most of the car together and chopped it up."

 "Then i thought about how i would put it back together. Here is the result. I haven't put the tires on yet because i don't want the rubber tires to get spraypainted. Although a hovering Ork Gangster car would be cool, a la Back to the Future."

 "I modified the engine and Tesla'd it. I'll add copper wire around it once I'm done painting the model. I used platicard for the larger side runners with little nubs to keep the ork bases on while they ride "gangster style" to "rub someone out". I used plasticard liberally to simulate repair and reinforcement. Its my first time using plasticard and i'm very impressed at how it looks on a model."

 "Here is a closeup of the driver and gunner i made for the trukk."

 "I've got the gunner on a barrel that i'll paint as a whisky barrel or something. Perhaps just have three X's like in the classic cartoons. Here it is with the removable roof on."

 "I also made the Nobfather of the little gang. For him i used a bowtie and added a carnation. And a cigar of course."
" Next is spraypainting everybody black and start the painting. I'm going to try something with the car and experiment with marmite to add wear and tear features."

Less than a week later...
"Next I painted the whole car flat black then the area i wanted to show wear boltgun metal."

 "Next i applied Marmite to the boltgun metal areas."

 "I used the foam in blister packs. They have to be good for something right?"

 "I made sure i didn't get on the flat black areas."

 "I then taped up the inside and tesla coil engine so i wouldn't get tape on them and sprayed the whole thing gloss black for that 30's look. I then scrubbed, once it was dry, the marmite areas with a soft toothbrush and some warm water. The marmite areas came off and left some wear."

 "I still don't know what complementary color i'll add. Any suggestions, PM me. I got the idea for Marmite from DakkaDakka for a nurgle Rhino. http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Marmi ... ing_Method

I'm now working on painting the Ork Squad, driver and gunner."

A little less than two months later...

" Well, the "Red Tie Gang" Ork Shoota Squad project is done! Thanks to all who offered advice and verbal help. I hope to finish more off and use them in the Fall Battles to everyone's enjoyment. First, a group shot in front of Red Tie Gang One..."

"The driver is Lupo "The Leadfoot" and the gunner is "Harpo" Harry. The engine is a tesla style generator. The vehicle has a top but is considered open top so everyone can shoot out."

 "When Orks join this franchise, they have to undergo the initiation of dressing as a gangster Moll or dame. Here is "Ma", who once initiated still wore the outfit and is the longest standing member of the gang. The newest recruit is Daisy."

 "Once initiated, you get your outfit but don't get a nickname until the Nobfather gives you one. Here are Vincent and Alphonse."

 "Frankie "The Fish" and "Moth Man" Maury"

 ""Dapper" Dan and Jack 'The Clown". Jack has transferred (AKA escaped) from the Clown Slugga Boyz and is the wiseguy of the group."

 "Tommy "Two Toes" and "Lucky" Luigi"

 "Finally is the Nobfather, Carmine "The Claw" and his head enforcer "Machine Gun" Mike. Carmine keeps his boyz happy with his Gretchin's special Sasperilla and in line with Mike and his ever worn power claw."

GW Temple of Skulls

So i've had the GW Temple of Skulls kit since it was released. Since i'm trying to make more terrain this year and i thought it would be quick to assemble. It was and very quick to paint since i started it six days ago and spent an hour or so each day on it.

 Here's the "back-of-the-box" depiction.

 Here it is after assembly and a spray of Krylon gloss black primer

 Because its terrain, i use mostly dollar store paints. They're cheap, do a perfectly fine job and...

 ...you control the amount of paint on the brush. This is essential for drybrushing as you can put just a little dab on the brush, a couple of swipes on some newspaper and you're off!

 This after a coat of the darker grey. I was careful in not having too much paint near the spaces in-between the blocks, so as to keep the black, black. As you can see it makes the detail pop out.

 A drybrush of the lightest grey.

 I didn't use the middle grey because i found this looked just fine and saved some time.

 Now the earthen parts with two more dollar store paints.

 I also used the GW Darksun paint for the outer eye parts.

 Now its getting creepy.

GW Scab red and GW Skull White for the inner eye and the lighter brown for the earth.

 Details are emerging.

 The other side.

 The seam is very noticeable now with the drybrushing, alas.

 Here it is complete! I used some GW graveyard Earth for some lighter brown drybrushing, then some GW Skull White drybrushed everywhere. Finally some Skull white on the little skulls. For some plant life i used some GW and Gall Force Nine grasses to cover up the errors here and there and to add depth.

All in all an easy kit to assemble and paint. For playing it may be problematic with the one set of stairs but that can be mitigated by having it be impassable/solid terrain for show only. You could also have the terrain piece in the middle of the table and the stairs be going to the left/right table edge. A "race/fight-for-the-stairs" kind of thing.

Young Nephilium - Making Wings

When i opened my Wyrd Miniatures Neverborn Young Nephilium blister recently, i discovered that there was something missing...

...a wing!

 Not to let it deter me, i decided to fabricate one. I started with some hobby wire from BC Shaver in Victoria. I always try to have some around.

 I shaped it with my hands and a pair of pliers.

 Then using some greenstuff and old dental tools my wife gave me from her work to form it a little.

Ta Da! They are a little larger than the original wing but these are nasty little manifestations after all.

Lilith, Mother of Monsters

When deciding to tackle either the Wyrd Miniatures Malifaux Lilith Neverborn starter box or the Guild Perdida one, i decided on the Lilith one. Mainly because her terror tots and mature nephilium will be easy to paint so i can get a gang up and going quickly.

Here she was with P3 Frostbite for skin after priming in Krylon white with a spray can.

 And the back.

 Here is the starter box itself. Retails for around $35 Canadian.

 And the back of the box, showing the models you get. $7 average a model may seem like a lot but you don't need a lot to play the game. 35 soulstones is the average game for regular players. This box is 19 soulstones alone but perfectly fine to get used to the game.

Here is her statcard and a good idea on the paint scheme i'm basing it on.

 Next was GW Chaos black for the boots and corset. P3 Ironclad grey for the sword and metal bits.

 GW Scab red for the hair and GW Ashuruman Blue for the stockings. P3 Cold steel for the sword and GW Runelord Brass for the other metal bits. I must say the new GW metal paint is much better than their older one.

 P3 Meridius Bluefor the jacket and some scab red for the corset and boot straps.

 And the back.

 Some drybrushing GW Red gore for the hair and drybrushing P3 Arcane blue for the jacket. GW Shinig gold was drybrushed on the extra metal bits.

 And the back.

 P3 Frostbite touchups then GW Skull white drybrush on the skin. Then some GW Blood red on the lips.

 And the back.

 I then put a GW Devlan Mud wash everywhere. Then Scab red then blood red on the sword for blood splatter effect. Then some frost bite touchups with an attempt at the eyes with Prismacolour pens red and black.

 Right side.

 Back.

 Left side.

 And closeup.

Not my best work, in fact the closeup looks horrible, but at arms length it works. Started on a Saturday, finished on a Tuesday and spent a few hours on it.
I'll wait to base her once i finish the rest of her gang. Still haven't decided what her base theme is going to be yet, but it should be creepy.