Grot Kannonz - A Long Dormant Project.

As a moving gift to myself, I purchased a really nice glass cabinet from Ikea with the intention of displaying some of my favourite models in my new flat. The process of moving into a smallish flat also prompted me to sort through all my models and re-organise them into convenient storage containers etc... Both of these processes have inspired me to rediscover my long forgotten Ork army and have reminded me of some of my project intentions before I fell out of love with 40K.

One such project was these five Kromlech Kannonz that I've finally gotten around to painting. I'd bought them years ago as part of a deal and intended to convert them ever so slightly so that they didn't all look the same. I used various parts from the Killa Kanz and Mega Nobz boxes to alter the gun barrels and I also produced new gun shields from plasti-card for some to add variety. Then I got really bored of 40K and so they remained dormant in the bottom of a tool kit for years until a couple of weeks ago when I finally found them again.

I painted all five guns at once, which was time consuming and tedious at times. However, I am really pleased with the end results, especially after the rust dust and patina details were added. I'm currently working on the crews for the gunz, which I'll mount to the gun bases themselves (two to a gun, rather than leave them on separate bases). At a later date, I'll paint 10 more Grots up for the unit to max out their crew but for now I'm happy with the minimum. After all, I have other Ork projects to continue and finish.

As always, let me know what you think. Your criticism is always welcome.    

Big Mek Sprokit and some shooty Shoota Boyz

Hello dear readers and good evening. I felt too much time had passed since my last offering on this blog. I now find myself in the curious position of teaching 3 year-olds, which comes with its many challenges and rewards. Unfortunately, one common challenge is finding any time to indulge in my favourite hobby of painting and gaming. Fortunately, however, I have found a local club and have sourced myself a generous ride so hopefully I shall be back in the gaming saddle after an all too long absence.

Having said that, I have found at least a little time since my last post to paint some Shoota Boyz and an old Big Mek.

First up is Big Mek Sprokit, a metal model equipped with a kustom force-field. I have always loved this model and in battle it is a very useful unit. I used to use him up front in a battle wagon, providing killa kans and trucks with the save. However, under the new rules (yuck!), I'll be fielding him at the back with my five grot kannonz. Regardless, he's a brilliant model and I'm very pleased with the re-paint job.

I replaced the original base with a fresh new one since the original was covered in very course ballast and badly placed wreckage. I then updated all the colours to match my most current Ork models, lightening the skin tone and adding more Goff checks. Finally, I brightened up the generally drab Goff scheme with brass patina and rust weathering powder. I really think these little flashes of colour make my Goff Orks pop.

Let me know what you think of him in the comments below. I'm always trying to improve my techniques.

Next up is the beginnings of another 30 strong Shoota Boyz mob. I picked up an old boz of plastic/metal hybrid Stikk Bommaz from the bring-and-buy sale at the Birmingham Games Expo this year for £6!! This prompted me to get building another mob and to use some of the Armorcast muzzle flash effects I bought years ago! I really, really like the effect and I'll be distributing flashes amongst my other finished mobs at a roughly 50/50 proportion. I'll take time, but it's worth it I think. Otherwise, I painted these boyz in exactly the same way as before. Five down, 25 more to go!