Off the Top of My Head: Boss Zagstruk!

On September 25, 2013September 24, 2013 By James CastroIn Art, Games, Random Fun4 Comments

This week i present more Orks!

I love the rules and fluff behind Stormboyz. I’m hoping the rumors are true that they can be used a anti-air units in 6th edition.

Boss Zagstruk is a terrific addition to a Stormboyz unit. His high-initiative powerklaw, deep striking, and commissar abilities make him worth the points to me. An extra bonus is he has a great mini, and is fun to paint!

I give you my Boss Zagstruk. Again one of my earliest painting attempts but still loads of fun!

SONY DSC — I like dry-brushing fur details. This was my first attempt at that.

If you’ve missed my other orks:

Black Reach

Dreadtrukk

Warboss with Attack Squig

Off the Top of My Head: Painting My Waaagh!

On September 19, 2013September 19, 2013 By James CastroIn Art, Games, Random Fun5 Comments

I mentioned in one of my very first painting posts how much I love orks. Though I still consider myself an imperialist at heart, orks are so much fun to paint and play that I knew when I got the Black Reach starter set I’d be able to make use of both sides.

I’ve gotten a bit better than I was when I first painted that Black Reach warboss. I’ve been able to do some layering, and I’ve gotten into basing (I really enjoy basing) and making some custom additions to each model.

This was my first warboss after the Black Reach guy. His attack squig and armor left plenty of room for customization. I gave him a spike with some space marine helmets on it, but it was metal and it ended up breaking the resin pole. I just glued the hell out of it to make it stick in the end.

I gave him a couple of helper grots (both metal) and ammo crates. The Ultramarines bomb is actually from a Trumpeter 39(H) French military tank set I had. The rocky base is terra cotta (which I highly recommend, it’s light, breakable for customization, and can be painted and textured to provide any look!) with some extra bits around to give it character.

He got a little dusty and he was hard to clean without snapping resin pieces off. It adds a bit of character 😉

My favorite part of painting this guy were the human heads hanging from his belt. I gave each one a different wound. Obviously, basic rudimentary stuff (I’m not ‘Eavy Metal!) but they were a lot of fun!

Off the Top of My Head #12: Warhammer 40K Orks Dreadtrukk

On May 8, 2013May 7, 2013 By James CastroIn Games, Random Fun5 Comments

If it wasn’t clear from my previous posts, most recently the one about Dreamlike Gaming (congrats on the new store guys!) I’m pretty well into the Warhammer/Warhammer 40k hobby now.

Over the last couple months I’ve built two 40k armies. One went along with the release of the new Dark Angels codex. Dark Angels are troubled and all about smiting chaos (with their own flaws so that makes them interesting) not to mention a super-cool robed look. I love my Dark Angels army and pics of them will be coming soon. However…my favorite 40k army is orks.

Orks are a great horde army. All movement and weight of fire. They have a terrific all-id attitude and slight regard for personal survival; it’s all about the good fight.

One of the tragedies of the orks is their slightly humorous persona. Orks ARE funny and I do love that about them, but their cockney slang accents and brutish attitude usually make them difficult to tell entire stories for. I’d hate to see them lose their sense of humor but I’d like to see some good, long narratives from Black Library about them. Like Rodney Dangerfield….they get no respect. Except Ghazghkull.. If you don’t believe me read Chains of Golgotha and see how menacing this guy is.

My favorite tabletop aspect of orks is their junkyard tech. They can make things work just be believing they work, and can “loot” vehicles from other races, make ’em orky, and use them under the “looted wagon” codex profile (btw orks REALLY need a 6th edition codex…c’mon Games Workshop!)

Keeping this in mind I was able to get my hands on a Chaos Defiler for a discount price and, as I truly despise the traitors, I knew I’d never use it in a chaos army…but I could loot it!

Since it’s half Deff Dread and half Trukk I dubbed it the “Dreadtrukk.” It has parts of a Chaos Defiler, Battlewagon, Trukk, Land Raider Crusader, Wartrakk, Dakkajet, and Warbike to name a few.

Attached are pics of my looted Chaos defiler. It was a challenge to build, but I created it under codex rules and gave it:

DredTrukk	Points	Number Taken	Total
Original Points: 35			35
Skorcha	15	1	15
Big Shoota	5	2	10
Red Paint Job	5	1	5
Stikkbomb Chukka	5	1	5
Armour Plates	10	1	10
Boarding Plank	5	1	5
Wreckin’ Ball	10	1	10
Reinforced Ram	5	1	5
Grabbin’ Klaw	5	1	5

Total			105

The lower “jaw” is obviously the reinforced ram from the battlewagon. Believe it or not it is held in place with the left “arm” weapon of the Chas defiler left in two pieces. It worked remarkably well.

The Skorcha is actually the Flamestorm cannons from a Land Raider Redeemer. I made the Crusader variant but liked the look of the flamer so I was glad to use it. The turret still raises and lowers slightly which means the jaw actually “works.”

Inside the “mouth” is a ram head from a warbike.

The boarding planks I attached to the back of the trukk bed rather than the sides. Since the legs are on the sides it gives a bit more range, plus they can board whatever is “grabbed” by the Grabbin’ Klaw. For the Grabbin Klaw I used the claws that came with the Defiler and laid the trukk bed on top of them.

The “commander” is a nob with a stormboy head in a cupola made of Killa Kan shoulder pads an a vision slit.

The left side gunner is from the old Wartrakk set, I made a skorcha out of that too so I had him left over.

The right gunner is a “big shoota” boy with a nob head (no laughing!) I was very please with his posing, the big shoota held wildly in one hand and the human head held high in the other. I gave him a bloody chain axe just for fun. His “turret” is made of left over parts of the Dakkajet, a bike tire half, and Killa Kan parts.

I admit I like my orks “dirty” and scratched up even when bright and flashy. I had it painted in a nice pristine color scheme but didn’t like it until I scratched it to kingdom come with Necron compound.

I have another looted wagon I actually like better. A typical Leman Russ wth a boom gun. Pics of it and my custom warboss, Grimskragg Defftrigga, coming soon!

Click the picture below for a 360 view!

Off the Top of My Head #3: How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Painting and the Balrog of Moria

On August 22, 2012August 21, 2012 By James CastroIn Art, Games, Projects, Random Fun1 Comment

I posted in my second “Off the Top of my Head” some of the 40k figures I painted. While I started painting with the five “came with the paint set” marines, the second model I painted wasn’t a Black Reach Ork but a Games Workshop, Citadel Balrog of Moria. I love the Lord of the Rings movies, but I don’t have much interest in the game (I like the grim darkness of the 41st millennium). This model was given to me by a friend I work with. His son loves the Lord of the Rings figures. He found this particular to be a little too advanced for him and offered it to me as a thank you for locating some hard-to-find movies and toys online (he calls me “the finder of lost items”). The weekend before my vacation I decided on a weapon for the Balrog, primered him, glued him and started painting him.

After painting it I decided, since I don’t collect the LOTR figures, I would return it to the young man who gave it to me. He was very happy to get the completed Balrog back and I received the ultimate kid compliment for my work: I was invited over to view his collection of Lord of the Rings miniatures and play video games. I take it as high praise!