MikeW: Warhammer 40K Ork WarBoss x 2, Sci-Fi (30 Points)

So here it is AHPC XIII, I always struggle to get figures painted in the lead up to Xmas and the Xmas / New Year period its-self, there are just too many other things going on at the same time!

This year one of my mini-projects is to raise a Warhammer 40K Ork Army, I have been toying wit this for ages, collecting the figures and dusting off the few I had in the Garage and loft. Now I did have an Ork Army until about 20 years ago, mostly metal ones and a few of the new fangled plastics as they began to be released. These were sublimated by the Gorka Morka range that was released by Games Workshop around that time.

Two completed Ork Warbosses

This venerable army was sold (as was an Ultramarines army) as I refocused on other more historical periods at the time. However the 40K Orks were fun to paint and to play.

This time around most of the figures are plastics, with a few metals, all found on eBay in various 'job lots' that I have gradually collected. I like getting these types of figures from eBay as they are relatively cheap, often come pre undercoated and offer a few modelling challenges to fix and repair other people's work in building them. I have restrained from starting to paint these figures as I wanted the who army to have the same look and feel and I have been planning the paint scheme and the basic composition of the Army.

Now I have never followed the GW Codexes slavishly, I prefer to use them as a base for my own campaign worlds, as such and because I'm, also a fan of the concept of the 'Red Gobbo' - a rebellious Goblin that leads a revolt against his Ork overlords. I have taken this a step further and the premise of this army is that the sneaky, sly Goblins are in charge of the brute force Orks.

The symbol of the Red Gobbo gangs is the 'Red Star' so I wanted to get that worked into look and feel of the army as well. So these guys will be predominantly red, because everyone knows that Red Orks go faster! Something to do with the science of Red Shift - I believe! and they will be a mish mash of Red Sunz and Red Gobbo Iconography.

The business end of this guy,
Steel claws and missile enhanced heavy blaster

That's the idea, now the execution... 

Most of this army will be on foot, so I'm going to paint them in batches of 10-12 figures, with one or more of these batches on the go at once, I'm pretty sure I can get most of these guys done in between other work that I'm doing.

And his 'softer' side, showing steel jaws and the edging
I tried to get on the armour plates

Because most Warhammer figures you get from eBay are undercoated Black, I have gone with this, but then applied a grey, then white primer form rattle cans to give some quick highlighting to the models.

So next step is to block in the skin tine - Army Painter Goblin Green, then do all the metal work - Vallejo Oily Steel. Clothing is then added in what will be a generally limited palette of dark blue, dark brown and burgundy red with a few getting other colours for variety.

All leatherwork is painted grey and when dry I use a watered down artist's Paynes Grey ink which in my opinion gives a nice seemingly black finish, with shading coming through from the grey undercoat.

The business end of the other guy, with circular saw

Next step is to upgrade the armour to being Red - the concept being that this plate armour has been stripped from vehicles, spacecraft or similar or simply painted red. The aim is to make the armour 'pop' but also to have the oily steel showing at the edges and where damage and wear & tear has occurred.

Guns will be predominantly oily steel but taking a 'steam punk' ethic, delicate or important bits will be brass with other bits red. I will try and keep this approach consistent across all figures in the army.

As a challenge to myself, I have tried to give these guys eyes, lips and nails, to add extra detail to these mouldings.

I went back and fix all the painting mistakes that I have made!

Back view, with trophies of War on Display,
my additions to an eBAY figure that had a big hole in its back!

Next my favourite bit, I add the washes - Army Painter Green on all flesh areas, Strong Brown on all Red areas and Dark wash on weapons and everything else. Once dried I go back and highlight skin and armour as required.

Figures were then given a coat of Matt Varnish and when dried I add on the black & white chequered pattern, I paint a white stripe and when dry use a black permeant marker (v fine nib) to add in the black squares.

Another view, of the completed figure

Bases were then completed with fine sand and an electrostatic grass. All in all I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and I'm already working om the rest of the batch for my first Squirrel point!

The rest of the batch awaiting completion when
I can grab time in the next few days

Now for this submission I picked out two guys from my first Ork Batch, just to get points on the scoreboard, I'll complete the other 10 in days to come, below is my calculation on points

POINTS

2 x 28mm Orks  @ 5pts each        10 Points

Sci-Fi Studio Bonus                       20 Points

TOTAL                                            30 Points

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This is great stuff, Mike! I really enjoyed reading your history with the figures and the methodology you're using for your work.  These projects seem to follow a common refrain, where many of us have sold, sometimes regrettably, armies from our salad days to which we are now painstakingly rebuilding, with figures from far and wide. 

Your figure modifications on these two Warbosses are inspired and the brushwork on-point (I think I need to pick up some of that Oily Steel). Well done! I look forward to seeing this force slowly come into being over the next few months. Waagh!

- Curt