Breaking the Silence: 6th Edition, Hobby Mojo and.. Alpha Legion?

Hey there, my fellow bloggers and blog lurkers! Long time no see, I suppose. It has been.. errr.. more than a month since I last posted here. A series of unfortunate events (sucky primer, a third of my paints drying or exploding, etc. etc) managed to throw a wrench in the clockworks of my hobby mojo at the very beginning, proving once again that Skarvald the Troll-faced is unable to hobby by himself.

No, seriously. Bad things happen whenever I finally sack up and start painting, folks. Add a few weeks worth of 100+ degrees and insane humidity in the Chicagoland and I think you get the picture. No hobby for Skarvald.
But not all is lost. My Khador WILL be painted one way or another. Probably not this month, because I'll be saving money for a NEW super secret hobby (Spoilers: I'll be making mead) and of course for the inevitable 6th Edition Starter Set and my next 40k Army...

But first..
6th Edition: I still don't have the book. I haven't had the chance to go over the rules too much, except for randomly browsing the freebooted .pdf. Sue me. The book is $75. I'm waiting for the chibi booklet with all the important rules innit. 
I still haven't played a game using the 6th edition rules, but I feel like I have a firm grasp of the rules. Some things I like, some things I love. Some things I dislike.. and some things I hate. But I'll get used to it, I suppose. Do I have an option? Overall I like the general feel of this new edition... We'll see if this still hold when I start playing it! :D


New 6th Edition Army:
I already have two armies: Orkz and Space Wolves.. so why a third army?
1) Orkz: Every time I look at my pile of Ork Boyz I just lose all desire to play them. They were my first army and I think I have 4 different Ork Squads painted TOTALLY different. Seriously - different greens, different shades, washes, different levels of effort. I kind of want to strip 80% of them and to start over.. but then I remember how painful it is paint Orkz. I still love painting Ork vehicles, though.
Orkz got a decent buff with how much easier it is to kill vehicles in close combat, although no consolidation still sucks. Random Assault distances are a pain. Still no Psyker support, except by allying a Farseer which is lame. Don't get to benefit from the new Psychic Powers.. at all. In general, shooty Orkz hiding in terrain and eventually counter-charging seems to be the best option and while this is a playstyle that I enjoy with my Orkz I'd rather wait for their new Codex in a coupe of years.
It's a shame. I have an unpainted Stompa, a Battlewagon, like 20 Burna boyz, Nobz, Deff Koptas.. etc. etc. etc. And HOTPanda is sending me a box of Killa Kans as well. Grrr...

WAIT. THIS JUST IN. THE MAILMAN JUST DELIVERED THE BOX OF KILLA KANS!!!
-Thanks, HOTPanda..

Robots!

2) Space Wolves - I have a Land Speeder, a Land Raider Crusader and a Land Raider Achilles that have yet to be painted. The new Citadel paint range killed me, man. I just don't have the will to start over, because it's impossible to mimic my current paintjob. I also want to repaint my Thunderwolves so badly. I dunno. I still want to play them, but I don't have a reason to expand the army anymore. We'll see..

And now for the new army that I really want to start..

Chaos Space Marines! Wooot! Even more power armor, baby!
And more importantly.. it will be Alpha Legion!
Now, I know that there will be no Legion-love in the new CSM codex, so I'll have to be extra creative with which units I pick. One is for sure, though - the list will be heavy with Allies.
Imperial Guard, to be exact.
We all know that Codex: Chaos Space Marines is already finished and it's just a matter of time until it is released. The rumor mill is already spinnin' with delicious tidbits and so far things are lookin' pretty promising for the arch-enemies of the Loyalists.

And while I can all but speculate about the things in the Chaos Space Marine codex I can at least jot down some of the more promising and thematic units from Codex: Imperial Guard, which will be playing the role of Special Operatives and various agents, indoctrinated and placed by the Alpha Legion..

The Alpha Legion epitomizes trickery, infiltration, outmaneuvering and outsmarting. While they are just as good (if not better) at prolonged, direct combat, the Alpha Legion prefers to destroy from within, to ambush and slowly chip away at the enemy and to manipulate using subterfuge and propaganda. Information is crucial and the spy networks organized by them are deep and complex. Basically, if each Legion was represented by a god from the Norse Mythology, the Alpha Legion would be Loki himself.

Next post I'll share with you some of my ideas.. Until then.. uuuh... imagine the awesomeness of the first Forge World Horus Heresy book coming out this August?

Summer of Flyers: NEW Flying Coffin Orcoplane from Puppets War

It's truly the Summer of Flyers this season, guys. The Necrons are finally getting their Doom Scythe and Night Scythe kits; Codex: Space Marines is getting its very own flyer as well, represented by the Stormtalon; Orks are getting not one, not two but three sweet-looking Bommers, all of which come in the same kit.

And just a few hours ago, Puppets War, the Polish-based miniatures company which has been churning out amazing looking models by the dozens of as of late, released their second "Orc" flying machine...

The "Flying Coffin"- Orcoplane

Set contains 1 complete "Flying Coffin - Orcoplane model which includes: 2 parts of Orcoplane main body, 2 wings, flight stabilizer, 2 very big engines, 6 bombs, 2 versions of cockpit, 2 wheels, hatch with 2 goblins playing CKM, pilot, little exhaust pipe and a barrel...

The price is a little bit less than the GW fliers - $42.30/30.00€/£26.10. It's definitely worth it!

Man, what a great-looking flyer! The huuuuge engines are definitely a great addition and they just give so much character to the vehicle. It's crazy. I think that Puppets War should definitely sell JUST the engines as a separate bundle, because people will definitely want to use them to convert/modify the GW Ork Bommers. Now, I don't know my planes, but I'm sure this one is based on a real oomie plane of some kind.

This summer is truly the Summer of Flyers, folks!

Thoughts on the new Ork Flyers: The Dakkajet is da way to go!

Hey there, folks, It's me again. With some of my thoughts on the this whole ACTUAL Summer o' Flierz. Again.

Now that we know what the rules for the Ork Flierz are, it's time to sit down and play favorites.
The Dakkajet, the Blitza-Bommer and the Burna-Bommer now have their very own, special entries in the new White Dwarf and there's even a cool Fast Attack page with all of their options and weaponry, which should fit just nicely between the pages of Codex: Orks. 

Thoughts on the new Ork Flyers: The Blitza-Bommer; the Burna-Bommer and the Dakkajet!

Here's a picture from the yet-to-be-released White Dwarf in case you happen to be living under a rock/in a cave/under the sea/in China:

Blitza-Bommer; Dakkajet; Burna-Bommer

The rumor for the Ork flyers, as well as the new Space Marine flyer and the Necron Scythe variants has been all over the interwebs for the past month or so - pretty much ever since Beasts of War had a live discussion about them, featuring drawings of the models, which now seem to be basically traced images of the actual kits. That was pretty cool. A lot of people thought it was just a giant joke, especially with the outlines of the Space Marine Stormtalon er.. Gunship? It seems to be sharing the fate of the Stormraven from a few year ago - basically people are swearing that they'll never buy it due to its ugliness, only to give in to the temptation and its ruleset a few weeks after its release.
Personally? I don't care. I'm not even going to post a picture of it, since it's really easy to find it anyways, plus it's going to dilute my point..

Beasts of War's "sketch" is almost identical with the real deal... !!!!

And now, for the Ork Bommerz.. 
There are three Ork Bommer variants, all of which come in the same kit, which is nice. They should become available for pre-order on the GW website in a couple of days, cost $45.50 each and are going to come out on June 2nd..
1) Blitza-Bommer - "a dive bommer used to deploy payloads at low altitude and high speed" seems to be a hybrid flyer/skimmer with some pretty big "bommz" and a few er.. supa shootas? I'm guessing that it's going to be similar to the Dark Eldar flyers with an assortment of different bommz with different profiles and blast sizes, but it will probably have less options and will compensate with quantity rather than quality, which is da Orky way. It will probably be able to drop all of its "payloads" in one turn and then it will fly around shooting rokkitz or other similar weapons at the enemy.

Rumored stats and rules:
????????

2) Dakkajet - "a brazen dogfighter outfitted with rows of high caliber supa shootas". The name speaks for itself - the Dakkajet is all about the dakka and it seems to have at least 4 types of shootas, two of which seem like regular big shootas, while the other ones (on the wings) are probably the supa shootas. Now, I have no idea what a supa shoota is, but... Anyways, I managed to find some rumored stats and rules for the damn thing, but in it it mentioned dakka guns, instead of the listed "dakka guns". When I saw the picture and the description, the Dakkajet really struck me as an anti-aircraft type of vehicle, so here's hoping its weaponry functions similar to the Hydra in Codex: Imperial Guard.

Rumored stats and rules: 

BS 2
10/10/10
Twin-linked Dakka Guns (18'' S5 AP5 Assault 3)
Aerial Assault (Can fire all weapons if it moves at cruising speed)
Supersonic (If it moves flat out, it can move up to 36'')
Waaagh! plane - can fire twice in the turn you call Waaagh!
Strafing Run - BS 3 vs everything but jump infantry and skimmers
Fighta Ace upgrade - BS 3 against everything..

3) Burna-Bommer - "an aircraft outfitted with an assortment of volatile incendiary bombs" is also pretty unique. It replaces normal bombs and the sheer amount of dakka with incendiary bombs and seems to be a vehicle that specializes in the extermination of hordes and perhaps small elite units.

 BS 2
10/10/10
Aerial Assault (Can fire all weapons if it moves at cruising speed)
Supersonic (If it moves flat out, it can move up to 36'')
Waaagh! plane - can fire twice in the turn you call Waaagh!
Burna Bomb - Similar to a Scorcha (S5 AP4)
S7 AP1 bomb in the movement phase?
Burna Missile - S5 AP4 small blast, ignores cover, one use
Grot gunner on one weapon

A lot of people have been asking and waiting for this release. I know I have. Ork Aircrafts have always been my favorite thing, but I have never expanded on my love for orky planes. As a matter of fact, it was the Deff Kopta model from the Assault on Black Reach set that pretty much sealed the deal and got me started with Orkz and Warhammer 40,000 in general. It's just such a sweet, sweet model and I want to field lotz of 'em. ALL OF THEM. A GOTTA HAVE 'EM ALL, YOU SEE? I want at least a 100... Help me?
So anywaaay...

All three kits look pretty cool to me. I'll have to agree that they do look kind of similar, but there are three variants in one box, after all. Imagine all the extra bitz inside? From the pictures you can tell that there are 2-3 different pairs of wings and tails, which can be used not only to differentiate your various flyers (because, let's face it, you're going to buy at least 2 of 'em...), but you can use the extra wings to Loot other vehicles and turn them into Orky flyers. Got a spare Tau Piranha? Add wings to it, it's now a Dakkajet. AND you'll have tons of spare shootas and rokkitz to kustomize it.

One of the main complaints on the interwebz is that they are kind of simple and plain. Again - 3 kits in one box. That, and I actually like their plain profile. It means that you can easily add stuff to them - extra weapons, gubbinz, wires, wheels, wings, plates, glyphs.. etc. etc. If anything, they are going to make converting your very own Orky flyer that much easier, because you'll have the main components as reference or simply as something to built on top of. Just the release of this kit will unleash a bran new wave of Ork conversions all over the world, mark my word!

Rules-wise.. nothing too crazy. After all they are xeno vehicles, they are obviously not going to be crazy over-the-top overpowered. Aerial Assault and Supersonic are definitely cool, but are certainly now unique and every flyer seems to have them. Waaagh! plane is amazing! I don't care if it's going to be good or not, the very fact that this vehicles gets to do something cool when you declare your Waaaaagh is just phenomental and I really hope that more non-infantry units in the Ork codex get similar treatment in 6th edition. We're obviously going to see many of the typical Orky upgrades as options: Armour Plates, Grot Riggers, Red Paint Job.. etc. Probably options for extra guns or for making weapons twin-linked.

I kind of wish they can be fielded as a Squadron. Come on.. how awesome would that be? 9 Ork flyers.. just 'cause. It wouldn't even be overpowered. No, really. We're talking about AV 10/10/10 vehicles here. I just want to be able to field a bunch of them. Which brings me to yet another pondering..

AV 10/10/10 is a bummer.. 11/11/11 would be soooo much better. Oh, well. At least they are not open-topped. Oh, that would be an even bigger bummer.

No variant with transport capabilities is a bummer. Perhaps in the near future? Yeah..... right. 

Are they Fast Attack or Heavy Support?
Fast Attack seems to be the sane choice, simply because they are well.. fast. But then they are competing with a lot of fast units, which are all pretty decent in Codex: Orkz - Deff Koptas, Warbikerz, Nob Bikerz.. even Buggiez... and I definitely want to be able to run a bunch of Ork flyers... with a bunch of Deff Koptas. Dakkawing, baby!


6th Edition Caveats: 
While the vehicles ARE sweet, we have no idea how flyers, skimmers and even vehicles in general are going to function in 6th edition. Are there even going to be Fast Attack or Heavy Support slots or is the game going to adopt the percentage system of Warhammer Fantasy? Buying a bunch of vehicles right now seems kind of risky and definitely dangerous, simply because 6th can (and probably will) turns everything upside down. This is why I won't be picking them up immediately and I'll wait until the new edition rolls out. I know that I'll be picking some up for sure, I just don't want to do it right now. I think that a lot of you will agree with my fears..

So yeah, I'm pretty excited. Are YOU?

Puppets War's newest release - Orc Da Plane

That's right, ladies and gentleman's ones, it is Da Plane by Puppets War. A model that I have been expecting for a while now and honestly it is just what I needed. But I'll let the picture convince you first:

ORC DA PLANE - $26.31

Set contains 1 complete Orc Da Plane model which includes: 

Plane main body, 1 gun, rocket launcher attachments, machine gun attachments, cockpit, chainsaw, flight stabilizer and highly detailed pilot model. Designed to fit 28 mm tabletop war games scale. Supplied un-assembled and unpainted.

All da parts: Machine guns, cockpit, chainsaw, flight stabilizer and pilot

It's just such a beautiful model and it's original enough that it could be used for a myriad of Orky things. Is it a Deffkopa? A mini-Ork Fight Boma or perhaps something completely different? Too bad Deffkoptas cannot have a Nob leading them because Da Plane would be the perfect Nob Deffkopa.. Honestly though, the model is distinctive and inspiring enough that I woudn't be opposed to, you know, creating some homebrew rules for it. Perhaps a Deffkopa Special Character (Da Red Baron?) or even an Orky HQ character that flies around on his kustomized plane? 

He COULD be the leader of my 100 Deffkopas idea..

Price-wise it is going to be ~$30 with shipping, which is not a bad price. You get all this resin, a unique-looking model with a few options, which you could use on other Orky models. It's totally worth it. Compare this to Games Workshop's metal Deffkopa model, which is $33 and probably the last metal model that's supposed to be on a flying stand..  Hm. That's what's missing - a flying stand. I wonder if that's a part of the model or not? Probably not, but they are cheap and everyone has a few of those just laying around.

Da Pilot is a KAMIKAZE!!!

I'll buy one as soon as possible and will probably Orkify it a little bit by slapping some extra Ork plates, bitz and pieces to bring it closer to the current Ork range. Plus, if a Codex can get away with using 3rd party models for conversions it's the Ork Codex.... because Orkz are cool like that.

What do you guys think about this model? Would you buy one for yourself or a friend of yours?

So.. I got a Land Raider. NOW what?

On Saturday the local Games Workshop had a Secret Santa gift "giveaway"-thing!
I drew the name of a really good friend o' mine whose I.G plasmacide Chimera spam list has been terrorizing all the little kids at the store. Though to be fair, my Space Wolves are not too excited about facing his little metal boxes. Same goes for my Orkz.

I gifted him the joy of having to put together 20 Cadian Shock Troops and then a Lord Commissar to lead them. ;D

And then he gave me a Land Raider! 

Turns out we drew each others' names!! ;D

I love Land Raiders.. but unfortunately I don't get to use them very often. I actually already have one - it's a Land Raider Crusader. And I'm pretty sure I've used him only once in a normal game of 40k to transport a bunch of angry Blood Claws with Arjac Rockfist. It's cool and what not, but I guess I don't like fielding it because it's not painted. I don't really remember how I sprayed my other vehicles.. hehe..

Now.. where I've used my Land Raider a bunch is in games of Apocalypse.

As a Land Raider Achilles. 

Yeah.. yeah. I know. Cheese. But it is so AWESOME to put something on the table knowing that it can actually survive despite all the scary templates, lances, meltas and other anti-tank shenanigans that are being thrown your way. I mean, come on. A THUNDERFIRE CANNON. And two twin-linked multi-melta sponsons :-O! Honestly, the Thunderfire Cannon is the only thing that I would gladly steal from Codex: Space Marines (okay, maybe the Land Speeder Storm school bus for our sweet Wolf Scouts to ride in..).
It has the word "thunder" in it, people!

So that's why I put the Land Raider kit in my list. The plan was to order the Forge World kit for the Land Raider Achilles and then convert it. But it wasn't until I sat on my computer all ready to order some resin crack until I realized that the only way to purchas the LR Achilles from Forge World is.. as a COMPLETE KIT. Basically they are selling a plastic Land Raider kit plus all the resin conversion parts that I actually need to make an Achilles. Well that sucks. Now I'm "stuck" with a Land Raider until Forge World decides to release only the conversion kit like they have done with all the other Land Raider variants. <_< I'm not spending all that cash in one big lump sum, you know? And I definitely don't want another Crusader or a Redeemer..

There's always the Orky option, though. Instead of waiting I could just unleash the Big Mek inside me and convert the Land Raider into (or is it "to"? Any Grammar Nazis out there?) an Ork Vehicle of some kind. Maybe a Battlewagon.. or something of the super heavy variety? Any ideas? 

Maybe you guys could help me with this decision?

Do I.. 

A) Wait for the Forge World conversion kit to come out and then make the Land Raider Achilles?

B) Convert it into/to an Ork vehicle?

Help me out, bros!

Slapa-a-da paint, mon! Painting Da Silensurz!

Some of you probably still remember the conveted Ork Kommandoz I was building for eventual games of Killzone - you know.. Da Silensurz? Eight models, each with their own.. charm and back-story.

Well, after sitting in my new Battle Foam case for a month or so I decided to prime them.. and after priming I really, really wanted to start painting them. I got this surge, this need to do it.. 

You see, after Adepticon 2011 I had lost my mojo (if I even ever had one). I was sick of painting, building, even stopped playing games for a while, because I was just tired of it all. Not in a negative way, mind you - I was just tired of hobbying after painting 2,000 points of Space Wolves and playing so many game in such a small period of time. But I've been a "busy" bee these past few days and finally have some pictures to show. 

I know that I haven't really been showing my stuff as much on this blog. It has to do with the fact that I just never really had anything special to offer to the community. I'm not saying that by showing you my WIP Silensur Kommandos I am doing you a huge favor, but I feel like they are going somewhere. You know? You've probably noticed that the last handful of posts were either by Frozencore Joe or interviews/guest posts from 4chan. I guess you can say that they have inspired me to start slappin' some paint on models..

Da Silensurz!

I decided to paint my Silesurz kommandoz like I painted my orkz for Adepticon 2010. I really like the brighter, slightly irradiated/glowing skin tone for my Orkz. I also like highlighting and heavy dry-brushing to give ork shin that weathered look. After all they don't really use any lotion. 

This is my WIP so far:

All models are primed with Chaos Black primer. Too much of a pussy to try a different brand. 

Orkz always look like shit, before you start washing and fixing things. Keep that in mind.

Skin: 

"Ugh! I'm kovur'd in paint!"

First, the models are base-coated with Knarloc Green foundation paint. After the paint dries a heavy, slightly wet dry-brush of Goblin Green is painted all over the skin surface, followed by a light-to-medium dry-brush of Scorpion Green. This will give the skin a very bright, almost glowing look. The dry-brushing gives the skin a rugged, "tough" look. A very generous wash with Thraka Green bring everything together, tones down the brightness. Then you will apply a cautious, light dry-brush of Scorpion Green when everything is dry - focus on the facial features, top of the muscles, the fingers, etc. A glaze (very watered-down wash) of Devlan Mud is then painted in the recesses of the skin and also where the skin is too bright. Remember, we are painting Kommandos, so then need to be dulled down. 

Metal Bitz:

Simply base-coat Tin Bitz, then drybrush Chainmail and wash Badab Black. This is it for now.

Shirts:

Notice Killface's bandana. See the painted-in recesses?

Decided to do blue shirts, which was two parts Mordian Blue and some Chaos Black, If I am not mistaken. Then, instead of washing the blue I mixed some off same color with a lot of Chaos Black and started painting in the recesses, the folds, etc. Where there were no folds in the shirt I simply created some by painting them. What you want to do then is go around the folds that you painted with Mordian Blue, thus creating some depth.

Pants: 

Urban camo! Fenris Grey foundation paint all over! Then, grab some Chaos Black and start drawing pretty thick lines all over the paints. Don't be too smooth and fluid, be harsh and angular. Think of rubble. Then I grabbed Astronomicon Grey and started to paint little clusters of dots all over the pants. And then you wash the whole thing with Badab Black.

Othe Gubbinz: 

Leather is painted Calthan Brown - which means gloves, shoes, belts, straps. etc. Then wash Devlan Mud. 

Backpacks for now are painted Catachan Green, I believe. Later on I will paint Jungle camo on them.

 Naturally there's a lot left. Orkz are really hard to paint when you focus on a few models. The details never end.. I need to dirty-up the skin, paint more camo on weapons, skin, backpacks and then highlight it all. Of course basing the bases is also needed, but it will be the last thing I do. I need to go over some of the places where I slapa'd-da-paint too much.


Obviously very much WIP, but I figured some of you might find the process interesting enough.

Next time I will show you my Ogre Kingdoms models, but before that I have something else in store for you..

Forecast with Finecast: Foreshadowing my Adepticon 2012 Team Tournament Army!

I know you like to guess and I know it's been deader than a Thunder hammer'd Necron too far away from a Ressurection Orb in here, so here it is.. --> My next army and more importantly - a glimpse of what I will be bringing to Adepticon 2012 for the Team Tournament! It's something new, something old.. something bold..

It's..

What the..? Orkz AND Dark Eldar?

What could it be? I'm sure you have it all figured out by now.
Is it Orkz? Or perhaps.. Dark Eldar? Or maybe both.. or neither of 'em? Gah!!!!
But wait.. what is that 'urty gubbinz down there? It looks painful.. Let us take a closer look.

Silensurz Kommando #8: Deffgrin Gargleblasta

DEFFGRIN GARGLEBLASTA

Carrying not one but TWO big shootas is Deffgrin Gargleblasta: Da 'eavy Wepunz Boy.
Deffgrin got the idea for his shoulder-mounted big shootas at the battle for Juglans Regia, after he witnessed more than fifty orks recklessly charging an Imperial bunker get annihilated by a pair of automated machine guns. Fortunately for him he was carrying a big shoota and was out of the turrets' range and with some persistence and luck he managed to destroy both weapons, allowing the rest of the Ork Horde to advance forward and to pillage the entire hive city. After the successful conquering of the planet Deffgrin traded all of his loot to a Big Mek for two shoulder-mounted big shootas that would lock on with the help of his bionik eye. A simple trigger device is enough to unleash a torrent of dakka at his foes from afar, turning Deffgrin into a moving heavy weapons platform, which is essentially what he does for the Silensurz. Able to effectively use his big shootas without the need for line of sight, Deffgrin Gargleblasta can just hide behind obstacles and let his guns do the hard work. 

The Big Shootas MOVE!

Silensurz Kommando #7: Psyklopz

PSYKLOPZ

What some accomplish through marksmanship, fire volume or brutality, Psyklopz achieves with the size of his gun. Fortunately for him, jokes about overcompensating for things are lost to the Ork "civilization" and the fact that Psyklopz carries around a big shoota bigger than a Nob is seen as a feat of strength.

When a lucky lasgun shot nailed the Silensur in the eye in the battle for Punica Granatum, the ork refused to get a bionik replacement, instead preferring to spend all of his teef on a bigger, better shoota. Psyklopz' philosophy was that if his gun is da best, he'd be able to kill all of his enemies before they get to respond to his dakka. The ork's gun is easy detachable and carrying it around is pretty easy, as is putting it back together or clobbering people to death with the huge chunk of metal that it is. The one-eyed Silesur prefers to advance slowly but surely, thus out-ranging most of his foes.

Silensurz Kommando #6: Grimjaw

GRIMJAW

The tale of Grimjaw is always spoken in hushed tones..
With Waaaagh! Gorfist's premature end*, Grimjaw and his clan of Orkz found themselves "advancing in the opposite direction", eager to fight whatever it was, as long as was willin' to put up a good fight. Da boyz didn't have to wait long. Weeks into its voyage, Grimjaw's krooza was hit fast and hard by dozens of Dark Eldar raiders. Their superior weaponry quickly went through the primite Ork defenses, disintegrating entire sections of the spaceship with their dark lances. The orkz fought well, but so did the denizens of Commoragh who were systematically eliminating any resistance with precise strikes, ambushes and assaults. Despite their numbers, the Ork crew was getting slaugthered and its numbers were dwindling.

The final battle was in the krooza's "kontrol room". Grimjaw, his Warboss and a handful of other boyz and Nobz were fending off the Dark Eldar, but the cruel blades of the space elves and their poisonous aresenal proved too much for the crew. When the Archon of the Cabal chargd towards Warboss Gorfist, it was Grimjaw who tried to stop him only to find the end of an Agoniser protruding from his back. As the sadistic nature of the blade worked its magic and every nerve in Grimjaw's body spasmed in burning agony he couldn't look away from the sight of the Archon and his Warboss fighting the final battle.
Although Gorfist was three times the size of the Dark Eldar and his skin was absorbing many of the brutal nicks and cuts it was the Archon's speed that ended it all. Swiftly dodging a deadly power klaw blow, the Archon stabbed the Warboss in the throat and drove the blade towards the Ork's brain.
But when the remaining Orkz were squabbling and trying to flee the battle scene, Grimjaw did not falter. His body was numb and his limbs were limp from the pain, but in that time of need Gork (or possibly Mork) smiled upon the paralyzed ork with a sudden burst of energy. Finally able to stand up, Grimjaw's agility surprised even the Archon when his left hand grabbed his thin, pale throat. The ork could have extinguished the Dark Elf's life there and then, but he opted for something else! He stabbed with his big shoota, bayonet first, between the Archon's legs impaling him until Grimjaw's trigger finger ended in his stomach. He then pointed the dark panzee's head towards his retinue and pressed the trigger. The deadly salvo crushed the Archon's head like a ripe melon, sending grey matter across the room and the brain-soaked bullets mowed down the shocked Dark Eldar in the room, sending the rest of them fleeing for their lives.

GRIMJAW'S KUSTOM BIG SHOOTA

 With the mutilated Dark Eldar body still around his arm, Grimjaw blacked out. When the brave Ork finally woke up weeks later, he realized that all of the nerves in his body were forever gone. He could move and act as normal, but his senses and all traces of pain were non-existent. This also stopped his growth, which was what prevented him from becoming a Warboss after his heroic feat.

One day the Ork in agony was simply gone and as per usual, his name was quickly forgotten due to often head traumas. Left is the legend of the ork who impaled and shot his big shoota inside an Archon's body.
Some say that he is currently part of a Blood Axe clan and is earning his food as a silent but deadly mercenary. And who knows? They could be right..

 

Silensurz Kommando #5: Da Ledbelcha and Corki

DA LEDBELCHA and CORKI

What Zodrukk da Gitfinda accomplishes through his unorky aim, Da Ledbelcha accomplishes through sheer amount of dakka. It was during a mission deep in the jungles of the Exenos death world that this Silensurz member got his nickname. Famous for carrying nothing but extra ammunition and his grot servant Corki, Da Ledbelcha didn't plan on the mission lasting several months or on all the vegetation and wildlife in the area to be extremely, extremely poisonous.. even for an Ork. Stuck without any food for his entire stay on Exenos he eventually had to start eating his own precious bullets... which somehow managed to help him avoid starvation. Thus the nickname.

On the battlefield Da Ledbelcha brings the definition of "dakka" to a whole new level. Through a practiced rotation of reloading he is able to shoot constantly with almost no downtime. One arm holds his big shoota as the other constantly reloads the weapon with ammo clips handed to him by Corki who is in charge of reloading the clips themselves.  

Silensurz Kommando #4: Daggur Bludsnagga

DAGGUR BLUDSNAGGA

Wearing a fancy gas mask outfitted with the latest Ork tekknology, Daggur is just one of the many hard core Kommadoz. Like many of the Silensurz, Daggur literally has the words "kommando" and "low cunnin'" written on his DNA and because of that he always makes sure to look and behave like a true Blood Axe. Other than that he's really not known for much. Because you just can't see him most of the time. He's a Kommando, you see?

Silensurz Kommando #3: Zodrukk da Gitfinda

ZODRUKK DA GITFINDA

 

 

Zodrukk was born almost deaf and years spent surrounded by noisy dakka completely punctured his eardrums. Many Painboyz offered the young Ork various bioniks that wound fix his hearing and "den some mor", but Zodrukk never agreed to any "surgeries". The loss of the ability to hear was probably what improved his vision and therefore - his aim. Eventually Zodrukk realized that he could shoot far better than any of the other boyz, even the Flash Gitz!
When da Silensurz heard of a boy who could actually shoot the wide side of a barn with his big shoota they traveled across the galaxy, landed on his little backwater planet and offered him a place among their ranks. At first Zodrukk was mighty suspicious of the Silensurz, especially because he enjoyed the vibration his dakka made. When the intricacies behind the name of the Blood Axe clan was explained (very, very slowly and carefully, mind you) and he realized that the more noise - the merrier, Zodrukk agreed to join the crew.

He specializes in Surprise Suppressing Fire and always carries a big shoota around.

Silensurz Kommando #2: Skumfang da Abombination

SKUMFANG DA ABOMBINATION

Recruited from a Tankbusta squad shortly after its entire Bomb Squig herd became a mile-wide crater, Skumfang is the "wild card" of da Silensurz. Too unstable to wield a rokkit launcha he was given the simple duty of lookin' after the Squigs, simply because he smells just like them and loves to bite. Also he has crazy eyes. You never give explosives to someone with the crazy eyes..  Unless you need an expendable guy.. which is what Skumfang is for the Silensurz. Often behaving just like a Bomb Squig, Skumfang will bite into a stikkbomb and just charge forward, throwing grenades and various explosives at his enemies without thinking about his safety. The noise and clouds of dust and smoke that his little act of insanity create are the perfect distraction that his ladz need. You could say that he is the ork giving cover to the orks who are giving cover. 

Silensurz Kommando #1: Killface

KILLFACE

Before joining Da Silensurz, Killface was a dead killy Stormboy with many battles behind his scarred back, but It wasn't until his entire mob of boyz, his Warboss and every other ork besides him got wiped out of their planet by the hammer of the Inquisition that Killface decided to play it cool and think for once. Sneakin' around like a grot he hid underneath an Inquisitorial Chimera using a magnetized tankbusta bomb and waited patiently until the vehicle returned to the ship. There Killface lurked in the shadows, killing and eating unfortunate passengers until the day Mork (or possibly Gork) smiled upon him and sent an Ork Krooza straight into the hull of the ship. Long story short, Killface managed to reunite with the invading Orkz and after revenge was served he decided that some thinking and patience were pretty cool as long as they led to some blood on his bladez. Silent - even when not on a mission, Killface always wears his Stormboy bandana around his mouth and nose unless he's eating or drinking and even then he stays away from others. Da Silensurz were the first Blood Axes that he stumbled upon after his "imprisonment" and despite their noisy big shoota raids, Killface enjoys the company of the other Kommandos. They are a nice distraction, allowing him to move and strike unnoticed.

Reinforcements Arrive: Kromlech's "Ork War 2" Goodness!

Just a quick reminder: Only a week left until the Wolves for the Wolf God Giveaway. You can still join the fun for a shot at some awesome Forge Wold goodness. For FREE! 

Today is a good day for my lungs as some more precious resin found its way to my doorstep. With the "MYSTERY" conversion set I got from Forge World I decided to also invest in some other variations, this time from the glorious Kromlech Conversion Bits and Accessories website. According to the website "Kromlech is a small company located in Warsaw, Poland." Hey, I've been in Warsaw! On a connection flight... for 2 hours.. 

Kromlech Blister Pack

I ordered the Kromlech bitz a few days before the Forge World purchase, but it makes sense. It's an independent company and I bet everything is made on demand. Everything I ordered came in a nice, fancy blister pack that had my entire order in it. It was sturdy and more importantly - incredibly easy to open. That's a huge plus, especially if you're opening a pack of resin bitz!

From Kromlech Bits and Minis' eBay store I ordered: 
- A set of Kromlech OW2 Large Backpacks (Orc War 2, ork, post-apo) for $9.29
- A set of Kromlech Orc "Running" Legs (Orc War 2, ork, post-apo) for $7.90

Kromlech: The Opening

Above is the picture of all the things that came in the package: the legs, the backpacks (you get x2 of each kind) and... waidaminute.. Wut's dat, Boss? There an 'ead and a cyborky hand in it. We didn't pay for 'em! How nice of Kromlech to include some related products to show off their line of resin models! Definitely a nice deed, Kromlech! I got one of the klaw bitz from Kromlech's Kromlech Mechanical Crushers and an officer 'ead from their Kromlech Orc Officer Head. The head is trully awesome, but I'll have to think how to include the power klaw in my army. When I was cleaning the little flash it had one of the fingers became too wobbly (I'm afraid it's the actual design of the klaw itself..) but nothing some green stuff cannot fix! Hey, I'm not complainin'. When life gives you power klaws, make WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHmonade.

"Karpe Diem, ye git!" - Kommando Offisur Killahand

Da Legz:

Dey see us WAAAAAGH!-in', dey'z runnin'..

Each "running" set of legs is unique, allowing for different poses, which is pretty cool. The Kromlech legs definitely match the 40k Ork design, but also have a touch of Polish innovation and creativity in them as well.

They came with barely any flash or mold lines and had a very plastic feel to them. Easy easy to clean, no traces of mold release agent whatsoever.


Da Packz:

Dun forget to pack yer lunch!

The backpacks come with plenty of grenades, stikkbombz and are very bulky and very orky! Had more mold lines that the legs, but it is understandable. With great detail comes great responsibility... or something. You can even see the release rings on the grenades. These should add some variety to the items from the "MYSTERY Forge World conversion kit" I already own for my "MYSTERY Killzone Army".

You know, the ones soaking in the "MYSTERY CLEANING SOLUTION"? Hurr, hurr, hurr..

Also, the Kromlech pieces are heavier than the Forge World ones and the majority of them sunk on the bottom of the cleaning solution. Just in case there is any mold release agent on them.

But yeah. Definitely happy with Kromlech's items and would love to buy from them again. Also, what are the chances that the day I order stuff for my Kommandos they release these?

After few orc headswaps releases for Orc War 2 Free Germany now we have something for Brits.
Orc Commando Heads in woolen caps.
Sculpted by Michał Sosnowski.
Painted by Edwin Smolinski.

Volunteer Orcs form Unit 53 serve as infiltrators in North Africa and Middle East. There are few Orc serving in British Army but these from Unit 53 are most loyal and worthy allies.

Blood Axes Orkz Killzone team in da making!

To temporarily appease some dude's sweet toof for all things Orky here's a Killzone list in progress: 

Killzone upgrades:
Crack Shot - Re-roll rolls To Hit or To Wound in the Shooting phase.
Stealth Suit - Grants Scout, Stealth and Move Through Cover

Da Silensurz

Kommando Orkz have always been a weakness for me. A nice, hefty unit lead by Snikkrot always does the job and strikes fear into the hearts of even those who know no fear. I'm looking at you, Space Marines. The models, although metal, are sweet and gas masks are too classy to say "No" to. This list is supposed to emulate the more "Elite" part of the Blood Axes - A gang of mercenaries with lots of tuff and 'uge unz. Sure, Blood Axes are supposed to be sneaky, silent and dead killy, but don't let the five big shootas fool you. When they jump out of their hiding spots and start shooting you'll never be able to hear anything ever again. Because you will be dead. Or deaf from the noise. 

6 of the models are Nob variants with 2 wounds each, 5 of which have Stealth and an effective 3+ cover save from shooting, which is pretty neat. They don't have any other fancy special weapons or upgrades, counting on the mobility that Move Through Cover and Scout gives them to get the charge on their enemies and hopefully win through sheer number of wounds, attacks and brute strength. 

The five big shootas are awesome assault weapons with enough range to reach anything on the board as long as it is in sight, while still allowing the Orkz to move around and even charge. Crack Shot lessens the failure that is BS2 by making the Big Shootas pretty much twin-linked. It's not like I'll ever choose to re-roll To Wound.

The leader of the bunch I decided to be something... else. A Flash Git. Again, a less subtle mercenary. Imagine an Ork who has realized that not only can he kill as much as he wants but he gets paid for it AND get to keep all the teef he loots. His model and his actions are supposed to mimic Rambo's and I'll be converting him to shoot a rokkit-arrow with a fancy bow. Need some Orc Arrer hands... Anyone? 

Leader

Flash Git with More Dakka, Shootier, Blasta, Stealth Suit and Crack Shot

Kommando Nob

x2 Kommando with Big Shoota, Crack Shot

x3 Nob with Stealth Suit, Stikkbombz

Nob with Stealth Suit, Stikkbombz

x3 Boy with Big Shoota, Crack Shot

Painted Grot Tanks!

Hey there. Super excited to share some pictures with you guys. Today I finished painting two Grot Tanks for a friend's birthday gift and it felt really good not having to paint space marines, power armor, fur or anything Space Wolves related. I know, I know, this blog is "Wolves for the Wolf God" after all, but even the greatest Wolf Lord of them all needs to kick back and let some servitors give him a foot rub, right?

"Oi, wut is dat flashy fing??"

Jack's birthday is today, so me and a few guys from the store decided to surprise him with a painted squad of Forgeworld's Grot Tanks! Now, the reason we decided to give him Grot Tanks was pretty self-explanatory: Jack loves his shooty metal coffins. A lot. He even rides in one from time to time, pretending to be a German officer or something. Very surprised he doesn't play Flames of War.. But! Jack plays Imperial Guard. Jack hates Orkz just like any I. G. player should... and thus the Grot Tanks. It is funny and now Jack will have to use them in the Apocalypse games he loves so much just because the lil buggerz look so darn kool and deadly.

I know I don't show you guys a whole lot of painted models on this blog, so now you'll get to see my painting skills in action. I really like using many watered down layers of paint, so painting with "washes" and glazes to create verdigris and rust is one of my favorite things to do. It is easy and fun and you can always walk around and watch people play while your models are drying. The first model I painted was the "French" Grot Tank. I don't know my tanks but from what I've heard all of the Grot Tanks are actually based off of real old tanks?

"French" Grot Tank

Decided to go nuts with this one. It had been a while since I had the opportunity to paint an Ork vehicle and I had forgotten how much fun it is to drybrush, wash and then do battle damage. Decided to do plenty of rust and paint some sections blue. For my rust I water down Vermin Brown and apply it where it makes sense for rust to form. Using water I control its flow and transparency. Second layer is the "fresh" rust achieved by watering down Blazing Orange and going over the Vermin Brown.

Grots, like Frenchmen have low Ld values..

One of Jack's tanks has "Will break for beer" or something like that written on it, so I wanted to reference it on the side of this lil tank. "Stopz Fer Wine" is both Frenchy and Orky, don't you think? Also, the obligatory DAKKA. The verdigris (the patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater) is simply watered down Hawk Turquoise over Dwarf Bronze that was previously washed with Badab Black. Telling you, washes = liquid talent.

The French flag was then painted on one of the side plates. Blue, white and red are important in Ork kultur, so it only made sense! And there you go, a French Grot Tank!

The second Grot Tank was to be more simple. I wanted to paint some more verdigris and definitely wanted to have tons of blood on the front. I mean, with them spikez this vehicle was just askin' for it. The first layer of blood is supposed to be the coagulated, scab part of the massacred victim, so Scab Red it was. To make sure the first coat was thick and had texture, a standard brush was dipped in Scab Red (no water was added) and then brought a few inches away from the model. You want to get close to the brush and then blow on it, almost like you are spitting. You won't have a lot of control on the splatter and even I got a little more blood than I was looking for... but in the end it looked great!

The second layer of blood is the older blood, but not as old as the first layer. Here we use Red Gore. This time a tank brush was dipped into a 2/1 Red Gore and water mix and then using your fingers you gently flick the bristles of the brush, splattering blood on the vehicle. Let it dry and then it is time for the fresh blood. This time we are going to be using a 2/1 Blood Red and water mix and do the same thing.. Apply a generous amount of Gloss Varnish to make it shiny and nasty.

The tank got a quick freehand of the Bulgarian flag.. just because. The grot driver was then given a white hat and red pants to match the tricolor of the Bulgarian flag. No silly slogans this time, just lots of verdigris and rust allowing for a simple, yet charismatic tank.





Here ate the other two Grot Tanks that were painted by the store's manager.

The Führer's Grot Tank.

The uncanny resemblance to Hitler is uncanny.

Unaffiliated Grot Tank..

... with jungle AND urban cammo. You never know where you're going to fight!

So.. Grot Tanks. Fantastic models with tons of cool little tongue-in-cheek details and a lot of ways to paint them. Definitely a great addition to any Ork army as long as your opponent lets you use them... And if he does not, then he is a mean jerk who cannot appreciate the killy powa of da Grot Tanks!

All of 'em!