Orks, Orks, Orks, Orks...

So with the Crimson Fists as complete as they're going to get, and some Guard finished off to stave off my guilt, it's time to turn my goldfish-like attention back to Da Boyz. They will be serving a dual purpose: One, the Rogue Trader campaign I'm running is going to be taking the players into Ork-held territory in the near future, and I'll need some minis for that, and Two, they're just so much fun to build! While the Imperial Guard is hands down my favorite army, I have to say I have the best time building and converting the Orks. The seed of the new Waaagh started with the new Ork Deff Dread and Killa Kan models. I resisted for a while, but I knew eventually I was going to have to submit to the will of Mork (or possibly Gork) and so I finally picked up a box of each and got stuck in. At the moment they're just assembled, primered and have had the first drybrush of metal applied prior to blocking in the colored plates:

I am sticking to my plan of setting out with a clear idea and army list in mind for any new project. This go around with the Orks I'm planning on a core army centered around a Bad Moon Mekboy and his various 'Kontraptions', with some allied units from other clans - Evil Sunz warbikers and a Trukkmob, Blood Axe Kommandos and Stormboyz, and some Deffskull Lootas. So, the planned Waaagh Mo'Dakka Gutzmek looks something like this:

My FLGS was able to get a hold of one of the old Ork Megaforce box sets which is a fantastic deal, possibly one of the best GW has - For $200, you get about $285 worth of Orks (if you bought them separately). While that box set will provide the models for a good chunk of the army, there's still a bit more to be purchased. I intend to pick up the new Big Mek Buzzgob from Forge World to represent Mo'Dakka Gutzmek, as well as the Ork Warboss on a Warbike to lead the Evil Sunz contingent, one of the absolutely gorgeous Mega-Dreads and the Mekboy Stompa Head and Lifta-Droppa arm. Of course, it's going to require a bit of time and saving before I place that order!

In the meantime I've been rooting around in the bits boxes left over from my previous foray into the Orks to see what else I could come up with, and I was able to crank out a pair of models to represent some Big Gunz, using leftovers from the Battlewagon sprues. There is one more Kannon in the works, but somehow I've managed to run out of 60mm bases so the last one is on hold. Curses!

While I'm definitely looking forward to the frenzy of building all these models, I have to admit I'm somewhat apprehensive of painting another 60+ boyz. Ah well, it'll be back to the assembly-line method when the time comes. Whee.