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Big Shoota Blog @CMON

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Randys Workbench.

Update (08-27-08) Lots and lots o'stuff.
Well, I've finally finished Rad Jack's battlewagon! I've a few detail things like the tusks when not using the deff rolla and a set of rokkits to replace the big shootas if i want, but other than that, it's done! Click on the image to see more shots of the finished piece.

I also had started a mob of bikers but I'm currently uninspired to work on them so I've switched to a mob of lootas instead. Talk about some complicated sculpts! These are more detailed than the trukk is, and I'v egot a dozen of them - these boyz are gonna take a while. Here's where they're at now...

Impressive, I know. Just primed and base coating of Mechrite Red.

Update (05-12-08) Construction Complete.
How's this for motivation? My wife walks into the office, I'm hunched over the workbench sanding some spikey bits. She takes a look at the deff roller and remarks..

"Oh look, honey. You've Bedazzled your Ork thingy!"

Ok, that's is, there will be primer on this thing before the day is out. In a hurry, I finished the arms for the roller and all the myriad bits I'm gonna put on it. Here's a group shot before primering...

Aaaaand begin painting! I'm sure I'll be hating the color red and metallics by the time I'm done, but eh, what're ya gonna do? Red wuns do go fasta! I'll get it all done on one long paint jam over a couple of weeks, including the new bikes. I've got some really cool biker bases from Epicast coming that I'm really hyped about - I can't wait to see them.

Update (05-02-08) Deff Rolla Demolition!
I've started a beefier version fo the def rolla to front the battlewagon. This part is taking a long time as there's a lot of details going into it. Rivets, spikes, armor plates. Idid also finish off afew thngs from the to do list - the big shoot amounts are done, the Kill Kannon base is complete as well. I want to do something with the gun barrel on it to orkify it a bit but haven't been inpired by anything yet. I've also got the grot rigger platform done in the back. Getting closer.....

Update (04-24-08) The Battlewagon Continues...
The purchase of a Morser Karl (giant German WWII railgun) for the Kill Kannon is a great source of enjoyment as it looks really, really orky. I've started building the mount for it as seen in the picks below and you can see the basics of how it's going to look.

Here's my laundry list of things to do yet before I can start painting (yah!)

Finish base for Kill Kannon and magnetize it.
Finish off Big Shoota mounts, add trigger/handles.
Make Rokkits/Mounts
Redo Deff Rolla.
Finish off drivers compartment.
Add heavier track pads.
Need to address backside and look at adding Grot Rggers.
Add smaller details like boobbox, ammo cans, extra gubbins...
More RIVETS!

Not too much eh?

Update (04-22-08) The Battlewagon Continues...
Chugging away, Red Jacks Big Meks do their best to not get whacked my their impatient boss. I've made some good progress in the last month on Red Jacks Battlewagon. I've also cut myself open 3 times so far - after nearly 20 years without a slice! I've put some blood into this one.

Update (03-18-08) The Battlewagon Begins!
Finally starting the Battlewagon. I'm using a Landraider as a starting point only because it's easy. I have at least four other vehicles taht I will be "looting" in the future. A rhino and a couple of M113's that I'll be turning into Looted Wagons. All versions will be swappable with Boomguns and 'ard Cases so I can mix and match more than one vehicle. The same will go with the two Battlewagons I'm building, one based on the Landraider and one based on the M88 Armored Recovery Vehicle.

It took me the better part of a hour to "de-chaos-ify" the LR (damn spikey bits!) and get it down to it's component parts. Hull, tracks, engine and guns. I'll start with the engine compartment and exhaust area. I cut off and sanded down the original stacks as they were pretty wimpy by Ork standards. I made new plates for the pipes to come out of and cut new exhausts. I need to drill out the vent holes in the shrouds but this give you the basic idea and layout for the new exhausts.

Update (03-06-08) Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun

Another great sculpt out of the GW camp. The newest HQ unit is a huge multipart beast. The model had more flash than one would think, being a new mold and all and took quite some time to clea up properly. As with the Kommando and the KFF version before it, the details are many and exquisitely done.

Assmebling him is going to be somewhat tricky as there are 4 floating points of contact that one would need to hold in place, all at once, while glueing to get everything to line up correctly. Since I don't have 5 hands, I'm going into this with the expectation of having to do at least one large greenstuff patch job somewhere. It's taking me a while though to figure out exactly where I want it, I'm not sure where yet. In the mean time, I'll start painting the gun arm as I know that one won't have the patchwork done to it.

Update (02-28-08) The Ork Trukk is Done - A Review

I think GW has gone too far. I mean, really. Yeah, yeah, I know. We screamed and shook our fists and banged on the tables for new models, better sculpts and something to make the orks proud. Why the hell did they have to give it to us? Honestly, they've gone far beyond what I would have expected - and I'm glad for it.

The Ork Trukk is one funky model! It's very orky and very ramshackle. The parts are well molded and had a minimum of flash and mold lines. The new plastic GW is using is darker and a bit softer than most other polystyrene, although I'm not sure it really hurts how it's cleaned up and assembled, just feels different.

The instructions, as usual for Games Workshop, is strictly pictoral and I'm pretty sure it's done using the CAD files used in the original design process. The only problem I had with them is when you put the crew in. I would have attached the crew before glueing the crew compartment in, not after, as the space between the front engine wall and the cargo compartment in the back gets pretty tight after they've been assembled. Something for me to remember when building the next one.

The level of detail on this is model is excellent. Every bolt, every knick and every scratch is well molded. Everything is made up of multiple panels and for the most part, goes together ok. If you are the type that glues an entire model together and then paints it one color or does just the basics, it's pretty straight forward.

If you want to paint all the details, you're in for one hell of a ride. May I suggest as with painting any model, start from the inside and work your way outward. I know the instructions don't show it this way, but you'll thank me for it when you're trying to glue your freshly painted driver into the crew compartment, behind the exhaust pipe, next to the incorrectly molded door, in front of the trukk bed, up tight against the steering/guages post. Do a lot of dry fitting and take many liberties with how GW shows you to put it together.

Also pay close attention to the side panels for the cargo area. They look like they're interchangable but if you want the ramps to be functional, they're not. Look closely at the diagram and make sure you match the panels - test fit to make sure - as the armor plates are ever so slightly longer on one side and this will interfere with the ramps.

As I stated earlier (front page) I wish I had more time as I have the new Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun to finish before the 15th of March. On the flip side, I learned a lot from this model and will definately use this when building my next one. I did go a bit overboard on the weathering and not in the right way. I guess I'm a little out of practice after doing miniatures for so long, vehicles are a very different breed altogether. My next one will be a black version (yeah, pretty much like the Codex: Orks versions).

On to the Big Mek!

Update (01-09-08) Finished a bunch again and didn't tell ya, again.

Here's some photos (mostly in-process shots) of what I'm working on now. Some are finished and I'll be adding them to the Army Gallery in the next week or two as I find time to bring home the good camera.

This little blighter is the Grot Oiler for my Big Mek. He's done and will show up in the Army Gallery soon. I love this guys expression.

These hard working gretchin are the crews for my big gunz squads. I'm painting up the Kannonz now and am looking into whether I want to do teh Zzap Gunz or the Lobbas after those. Not sure yet, I'll see what the new codex does with them first.

Update (11-26-07) Finished a bunch again and didn't tell ya.

As I'm currently using CoolMiniOrNot's blog software to track my progress, updates to this are have been sparse. Doesn't mean I need to ignore this area, do I?

No, so here's a better update. I had absolutely zero inspiration about my kans (sounds personal) up until the last Turkey Day weekend. In the interim I worked on the Stormboy Nob, which went well and on the two Kommando Big Shootas for my main boys mob. These two turned out fairly well, but I made a mistake in forgetting they were Kommandos and not regular boyz. Why does that matter? Because I wanted to do a better job on the metal figures out of principle. Meh, oh well.

I found a wonderful tutorial on CMON for doing paint-on metallics. Before, my metallics consisted of the usual Chaos Black dry-brushed with the appropriate metallic color. Not anymore! Sure, it adds a ton of time to the job but the results are worth it. I first tried it out on the big shootas guns and it looked good so I decided to give the "Eavy Metal Kan a try. Whoah - I think I'll give those metallics a rest after that! I wouldn't want to paint an entire Iron Warriors Legion this way....

Here's my 'Eavy Metal Killer Kan - minus the basing as I'll do all three kans at the same time. Now I have to push myself forward on the other two models. Whew - an tournaments only a mere three weeks away!

BTW: Is anyone else seeing a problem of late with Testors Dullcote? This latest can has a sheen to it, nothing like the usual dead flat. Hmmm.

Update (9-11-07) Done with Stormboyz Mob

Whew! Finally done with the stormboyz. Although I did my normal paintjob on the boyz themselves, I wanted to give particular detail to each of thier jump packs to make each on a little unique. It's hard to come up with 16 different designs that aren't exact copies/rip-offs/inspired by versions of other work out there. I'm happy with some of them - the grey shark, the flames (both red and blue) and the Big Bomb Bullet face from Super Mario World, there are a few that fell a bit flat and didn't quite end up like in my mind. Still learning what skills I do and don't have (or need to work on!).

There were two ideas that I thought were really great but I just couldn't execute them correctly and gave up, hoping to use them in the future. One was a Mr Yuck to match the Smiley Face, the other was the idea that the rokket pack looked like a giant squig strapped on it's back, launching it's self at the intended target, teeth bared and snarling, carrying the ork underneath it. Maybe somday...

Now on to the Killer Kans. I want to give each Kan a different, but still unified color scheme - not like my Dreadnoughts which are all identically painted for the most part. This will also give me time to think about how want to paint up the Stormboyz Nob.

Update (8-28-07) Finished Ork Big Mek and took a bunch of new photos of my army.

I was reluctant to start the Ork Big Mek model as I wasn't sure I could give it the kinda paint job this fantastic sculpt deserved. Although I'm not huge fan of the face he was given, he didn't look mean enough, I ended up liking it overall. The level of detail just continues to rise on these orks and I hope (fingers crossed) it continues for the new releases.

I also borrowed our work camera (I work at an adverising agency so there's a nice perk there) and reshot my army for the redesign adn posting on CMON.com. I'm a huge fan of the new digital format as I can take six hundred shots and not worry about developing. It also helps having rudimentary photographic knowledge and a $5,000 camera to work with. :)

Update (7-17-07) New pic of Kommandos and Looted Leman Russ

Here's a pic of my newly completed Kommandos squad and the new looted Leman Russ. Click for larger pic.

Some weekend, in the near future, I'm going to borrow our work camera (a very NICE camera) and a couple of studio lights and set up a small studio in my basement to take better pics of my army. I've added so much in the last year (since a real photoshoot) so everyone can see what Red Jack's added to his Waaagh! and quake with fear!

Speaking of work, I'm pretty excited as I've started painting my Big Mek (fantastic model, almost better than the kommandos) and I've also begun the cleanup and assembly of my 16 Stormboyz. I like the idea of coming up with unique designs for each rokkit attached to thier backs. I'm also in the initial design stage for the Stormboy nob. I'm not sure what I want to use as a pack yet (I wish I hadn't sold all of my Pulsa Rokkits...)

Update (7-13-07) Finshed a bunch and never told you.

I've come to realize how difficult it can be to discipline yourself to stop yourself every step of the way, take photos and write up what you did. I seem to start with the best intentions, get half way through and then lose all control. I ended up getting excited (and a little rushed due to a Rogue Trader Tournament) and finished up the boyz mob without any more pictures. Maybe another day I'll teach myself some control and take pictures every step. Oh well.

With the apologies out of the way, I can announce that I've finished the mob, looted a Leman Russ, based the Dreads, converted a nob (added a powerklaw) and I am nearly finished with the kommando mob! I think the kommandos are the best models ever sculpted for the ork range (besides maybe Gazghkull). My only complaint is there's too much detail! Just when I think I'm about done I look over and see 5 backpacks staring me in the face. Sheeez, now I've got to finish those. (marches off to the paint cabinet).

The sudden rush to finish a bunch of models and not let you know was (is) due to a local gaming store starting up officially sponsored RTT events. This one was only 1000 points and I didn't have that much to finish off. Basically two nobs, loot the Russ and specialize some heavy weapons boyz. I took second place with winning two out of three matches and most of the apperance points. There's another slated for October and this one's going to be 1850 points. Time to hurry it up and convert and paint.

I'm looking at making a proper battlewagon, two boxes of Stormboyz and maybe finishing up the bikes. That should do it. If not, I've still got mega-armored nobs up that wazoo I could paint...