Magos Takatus Presents: Gortoof's Rekking Krew

[Magos Takatus]

Rise From Your Grave!

 

Yup, up to some mild Necromancy here since I've been painting a fair few non-40k models recently. I've finished a small unit of Meganobs to keep chipping away at the Ork pile of shame I own.

 

After much agonizing over the loadout of these guys I eventually decided to kit them out with Killsaws. I also went for a Big Mek because for some reason I am seemingly collecting them in large numbers.

I also went for a few group shots since they were small units I thought they would more or less stay in focus.

Whoops, guess not. I also have news to report about Green Stuff World neon paints. They are loads of fun because of the contrast and they also glow in ultraviolet light so I instantly had bionic eyes that glow in the right conditions.

 

I am not 100% happy with the photographs but I already scrapped a batch because they were so blurry. I'll have to try setting up a delay on my new phone's camera. I also need much better lighting. I might have to bite the bullet and get a photo booth.

 

As for my next project? I'm not sure, but I've got a bunch of Battlewagons glaring at them so I might start on them. I may also get sidetracked with a Culexus Assassin that I purchased on a whim recently. I am currently trying to decide whether I should get a Mega/Meka Dread before FW stop producing them. I missed out when they discontinued the Chaplain and Ironclad Dreads so the "maybe later" excuse I had is fading, though I don't know if I should buy a model like that at this current time.

 

I've also got a short video file of my Meganobs on a turntable, does anyone have a good idea on where to host a file like that?

[toaae]

I really dig those meganobs. The UV paint is a cool trick, and the whole scheme just works. Dirty but with so many spots of bright colors, really nice.

 

I've also got a short video file of my Meganobs on a turntable, does anyone have a good idea on where to host a file like that?

 

Probably just youtube. I don't believe we have any hosting for videos here.

[Magos Takatus]

Here's the current state of my Battlewagons. I spend quite a while painting the models in rust colours and then went over with chipping medium and my base colours. So far the chipping medium isn't doing that much. I'm going to paint my camo in place and the I'll start scrubbing again. If that doesn't work I've got sponge weathering as an option. I also plan to test oil washes on these Battlewagons.

 

 

Using the Vallejo rust paint set through an airbrush has been fun. It's no longer visible on the hulls of the wagons but you can see it on the Deff Rollas. Once I've attacked this with washes, dry pigments and the odd metal highlight they shouls be a bit more interesting to look at.

[toaae]

Looking good! Did you just follow the step-by-step instructions included with the set, or some other tutorial? You've got me considering picking the set up.

[Magos Takatus]

I tried following the instructions to start with, but it quickly devolved into me spraying random patterns. One thing I have learned for my own personal models is to keep the rust a bit darker since there's not much contrast with my sand/ochre colour when I went for the orange highlights to the rust.

 

The instructions in the set are handy and I also watched this video for weathering ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5BQfrDYxh0

 

Although he doesn't use the Vallejo set for the rust he does use a chipping medium and he gives some good advice for using it. I found the video after I applied the stuff, since that's how these things always go. :p

 

I'm currently painting the spot colours before I go wild with a toothbrush to scrape some paint off. :D

 

Okay, this post ended up a bit all over the place. The important thing to take away from this post is that the rust set is really helpful. Just having the right colours for the rust makes things a lot more convincing, even with my haphazard application. This is probably the sub forum that appreciates weathering products the most so I'll make a point to recommend the Vallejo rust set. I've still got the oil washes and weathering powder to mess about with yet, but I'm still in early stages.

[Magos Takatus]

Today my Dread Mod recieves some reinforcements. 

 

I finally decided on a Mega Dread rather than the Meka variant because the tow hook on the Meka Dread looked more fragile. It's probably not a priority for my Ork army since I still have 3 Battlewagons to work through, and they are progressing a lot quicker than I expected. The first one is almost ready for the ink wash experiment, it just needs a few bits like the periscope and the hatch to be brought to the same level as the main body.

 

Here's a picture of yesterday's progress with the chipping medium in case anyone finds this helpful. It also shows the tracks which I painted using the rust paint set mentioned previously.

[Magos Takatus]

New update, the first of my Battlewagons rolls off the production line. With this model I have tried to understand weathering techniques so I have been using more weathering powders and for the first time I've tried oil washing. I'm not quite sure I "get it" yet though, as the oil wash seems to spread across the model rather than staying in the panel lines like I expected, then when dry the panel line doesn't look shaded. I guess I'll have to learn how they work via some tutorials.

No big conversions, I just used a Deff Dread piece on the periscope and some etched brass. I wanted to get across that they are mass-produced on a production line (Orks do take slaves and capture territory after all). I did however want some variation between the models since I'm sure the Meks can't help but add their personal touch to make their days a bit more interesting.

This last image was edited slightly to show the contrast on the back of the wagon since it was difficult to see the rust effects under the dust weathering powder. I expect this will sort itself out when it comes to varnishing. I hear the weathering powders become less visible when sealed?

 

I've also got a short video of the model on the turntable to make it a little easier to see certain things. https://youtu.be/nK1UY6KTKkU

 

I can't get the images to focus clear enough to pick out the shading on  rivets or the metal chips sadly, I am struggling a bit with the photography. I can buy a light box and a phone tripod, but I can't buy photography experience or talent. :p

 

Anyway, I'm going to head off and varnish this rolling scrapheap. 

[Magos Takatus]

Whoah, It's over a year since I last posted in my Ork Vlog. Mechanicus and Blood Bowl have really taken a toll on my Ork productivity. I was expecting to compete in the ETL this year under the Orky banner but between my project to paint a Blood Bowl team for some of my old friends, the upcoming wave of Mechanicus toys and the big ol' pandemic have sunk that goal.

 

I have completed the second of my trio of Battlewagons now though. It was airbrush painted up to Steel Legion Drab when I left it but I've added the camo stripes, spot colour panels and then the weathering. I still had no luck with the chipping medium and the oil washes worked nicely on the metallic parts but didn't seem to sit in the panel lines where I wanted it. The wash just kinda spread across the surface of the model. I applied varnish to the model as some recommend but it still spread across the flat surfaces.

 

Over all I've getting better results with sponge weathering, Agrax Earthshade and weathering powder to give my tanks some identity. I also found Iron Warrior is a fantastic paint for faded metal scratch effects. You can probably add silver for the really fresh chips but Iron Warriors did a good enough job for me.

 

 

Just one more Battlewagon to go. Shame I'd already assembled them as my kits don't really reflect the current 3 Battlewagon variants that are in the current codex. I'll just have to count them as "'Ard Case" if I want the shooty wagons or just pull the turrets off for the transport ones.

 

As usual, click on the image for slightly larger pictures.

Edited May 22, 2020 by Magos Takatus

[Krakendoomcool]

Not checked in in a while myself. Those bionic eyes are a lot of fun.

 

Great to see your battlewagon brigade coming together. You'll crush your enemies with those. Looking good.

[Magos Takatus]

Thank you for the feedback!

 

Yeah, those fluo paints are worth the effort, they just make the orange lenses pop so much better than before. I couldn't get them to work because the pigment was all clumped in the bottom of the bottle. I had to mix the pigment with piece of wire because the agitators I put in there didn't do the job.

 

Hopefully number three won't be sat half-painted for a year but Mechanicus and their Knightly friends beckon to me since an old pal of mine challenged me to a game of 40k and that's the army I have spent the most time on. I'll have to see how many points my Orks can field, it would be interesting to know how long it takes Mortarion to dismantle a Dread Mob. Remember lads, all toys no boys! (Also known as no I am not painting another unit of 30 boys any time soon! :p )

[Kierdale]

Excellent stuff. I love the colours :tu:

[Magos Takatus]

Thank you! It was a colour swatch in the 2nd edition Ork codex but I added bone and red as spot colours since some things still go slightly faster. I think I'll invert the colours when I get round to fliers since it worked okay on my Stormboys.

[Magos Takatus]

Mega Dread you say? It would be rude not to.

 

 

 It's going to be in da workshop for a bit but I finally plucked up the courage to give it a go. I'd almost forgotten how to pin, fill gaps and despair at parts not quite fitting properly. As you can see, I'm keeping quite a few bits separate for a while. I just purchased a 130mm base from the GW site because I am not having this bad boy collapsing into a pile of rubble and scrap as soon as I try to move it. I am hoping to keep this in quite a few sub-assemblies since the nooks and crannies are many and deep. I think I will keep the body separate from the weapons for now to stop my pile of parts getting even more confusing. There's an exhaust pipe sticking out of and exhaust pipe after all. I have no idea how to make the piece stick considering how fragile the joint is and how unlikely getting a decent length pin in there will be.

 

Has anyone in the Ork forum built one of these before? I'm curious how the jaw plate is supposed to fit. It has two feeble little pegs and that's about it. I'm considering building the area inside up with green stuff or just drilling pins through and decorating them as rivets on the front face, since I doubt such a large piece will be at all resilient otherwise.

 

Anyway, it will be nice to have something bridging the gap between the Deff Dreads and the Morkanauts in my Dread Mob.

[MithrilForge]

Even though it’s a FW kit I’m still going to give you a like   , the like is for returning to the green after a long vacation to admechville !!

Look forward to seeing finished stuff before you go ....   back to bloodbowl.

Mithril

Edited September 2, 2020 by mithrilforge

[Magos Takatus]

Thanks, the draw of the Big Mek can be strong. This time my old-school modelling skills are being tested once more. Hopefully once it's finished it won't look so obvious that it's made from resin. To be fair, most of the delay on Ork and Admech projects have been because I'd leaned heavily into Blood Bowl, painting my Lizardman team and an Undead and Skaven team up for my old BB buddies. :D

 

I decided on a Mega Dread over a Mecha Dread because it looked less likely I would break all the fiddly parts with my oafish fingers. :p Had the rules allowed it I'd have experimented with a Dakka Mega Dread with two cannon arms but sadly the Ork in the kan requested a choppy arm too. Since I didn't want an angry dread rampaging through my workshop I guess I had to add a klaw too. It's a hard life as a Big Mek sometimes!

[tentagil]

I have both a Mega and a Meka Dread. Love them both, though they are a bit fiddly to assemble. Only one of them if painted so far, though. Been neglecting my hoard as I experiment with a big beakie army of Raven Guard.

I'll have to take a look at them when I get home and see if I can lend you any advice on those thin joints. Is very possible that I added bits to provide strength as I'm apt to add additional gubbins anytime I work on Orks.

[Magos Takatus]

Thanks, I hadn't heard anyone mention them around here. I tried to undercoat the body and legs today but my airbrush/primer just were not playing nice. I got clog after clog and even thinning the paint didn't help. Add to that the hard to access nooks and crannies and I think I'll be under coating this one by hand. Not looking forward to it. It'll be worth it when it's finished though.

[tentagil]

As far as I can tell I think I just added a bit of green stuff around the two pins to give a larger contact surface.  Its a little hard to see behind the plate now. I know I didn't add to much though. And that plate has stayed stuck tight for the last five years though.

 

 

Its a really sweet model once its done though. I'm curious to see if the rules on it change any with 9th edition.

[Magos Takatus]

Thank you for the picture, I think I'll be getting out the green stuff too, that's not a very secure join otherwise. Interesting to see you went with the same loadout as my Mega Dread. I decided to abandon the saw idea because I didn't like the idea of trying to remove warping on a saw blade so I just went with the claw too. I don't even know what the current rules for it are but since my army started off mostly as a Dread Mob I hope there's a way to shoehorn it in there.

 

I got a 130mm base for it and pinned each foot in 3 places so it will hopefully be okay on the base without falling off. :p

[tentagil]

Yeah, I have a Dread Mob, and then I've been working on the new buggies and have a ton of bikes and some old custom buggies and Deff Koptas that were my Speed Waaagh!!. I've never been much of a green tide fan.

I also have a Meka Dread and I put the saw on him. At least on mine there really wasn't any warping. As of the Forgeworld Index when 8th started they just combined the two into a single unit with customization loadouts and the saw doesn't actually have rules anymore. So its just an asthetic choice.

Basically stock it has a pair of Rippa Claws, but you can replace one with either a Big Zzappa, Shunta, Rattler Kannon, or Kill Kannon. All three of which I think can be useful. The Rattler is good against large groups, and the Kill Kannon can actually be decent agaisnt groups with high toughness. The Shunta is good against vehicles, and the Big Zzappa can be great against characters, though the random strength makes it unreliable.

And then it can have either Rokkit-Bomms, the Mega Charge Ability, two big shootas, or a Kustom Force Field. Honestly the only one of the three that is really worth anything is the Kustom Force Field in my option. But the Mega Charge is free if you are trying to keep the points down.

 

[Magos Takatus]

I liked the idea of the Rokkit-Bomms but I would have liked to model it and I couldn't think of a way of doing so that I've be happy with. I was thinking of a rack similar to the old Katyusha rocket launcher but I thought it would either interfere with either the exhaust pipes or the crew hatch. Having them mounted on the shoulders seems a bit fragile for my liking. I agree that the KFF would probably be better but being able to put them on Morkanauts does make that option seem less unique though. I'v not tried to field my Dread Mob properly before though so I honestly don't know what guns would be most useful. I suppose the lower model count would mean some anti-horde weapons might be more useful than I was assuming. I built my Killa Kans back when Grotzookas were good so half of them are armed with those. I did have a Kustom Force Field on my Stompa back when rules for that were a thing. I don't think that's an option now that formation perks are no longer valid.

[tentagil]

Yeah, I only ran it a few times in 8th and while fun it wasn't super effective. Not a clue how well it will work in 9th. They made some changes that make the walkers a bit more effective, but their overall price does mean you have a very small force in a game that relies heavily on taking and holding objectives. I do intend to put together to test out in the near future.

[Magos Takatus]

My big chunky reinforcements for my Ork army.

 

 

Click on the images for (hopefully) larger images.

 

Here's a 360 degree rotation as well, sadly a bit blurry this time.

 

 

As for the next step, I really don't know. It might well be for my Ork army but I'm not certain. I'll post a Dread mob image a bit later hopefully.

[Brother Sergeant Tiberius]

That is one nice looking tin ead. Weathering makes it look proper orky

[Magos Takatus]

That is one nice looking tin ead. Weathering makes it look proper orky

Thank you. I discovered that Skeleton Horde contrast works quite well on those corrugated iron parts. I put the odd spot of Reikland Fleshshade on them but I've officially started experimenting with Contrast paints now.

 

Just because I felt like it I assembled my Dread Mob together since they are coming along quite nicely now.

 

 

I forgot to dust off my Stompa properly so apologies for that.