The Boyz are back in town.

Okay, after a busy evening and morning cleaning mould lines, building, and converting I have a decent chunk of regular troops ready.

The Savage Orc Boyz were completed first, so as to see what weapons and arms I would have left over to mix in with the regular Boyz. The mould lines on the bodies were pretty extensive so this was slow going, but worth it I'm sure. These are definitely fantastic and fearsome looking models. Though it is a kit with many components I did find the end result rather limiting due to the nature of the arm joints which only affix in a single pose (Note: if ever curious I have found the arms and heads with all the new kits are fully interchangeable: Savage Boyz, Boar & Savage Boar Boyz). So the end result will always be a much waving of weapons in the air, but they are Orcs and I suspect they just don't care.

The converted Boss for the unit also seems to rank up happily up with his command compadres.

Olé!

The next job was patching together enough arms and weapons for the regular Boyz that have been built. This mostly involves two hand weapons with many of the Savage Orc Boyz weapons mixed in. I do have a mix of weapon options on models in this unit so far for variety and the potential of changing up the wysiwyg front ranks. Mostly I like the aesthetic of ranked up spears and the design of the Savage Boyz spears (of which I now have plenty spare).

Additional hand weapons first which do compose the majority of the unit (There are more than shown in this example).

For the spears, I had originally attached the spears directly from the Savage Orc kit but this did not work ideally. The Savage Orc spear shaft is generally gripped too high for a normal spear pose. Instead I went about attaching only the Savage Orc spear heads to the regular Boyz spear arms. In modelling terms this does requires the two parts to have an accurately level contact point (Otherwise you'll have a wonky head), but with a careful eye, a sharp scalpel, and some testing this is easy enough.

Spear Boyz not of the Wonky Head Tribe.

I sure have lots of painting in my immediate future. Do ignore the white undercoat testers this was far from the effect I was hoping for. They will all meet the black can later today!

Savage Orc Boss progress & Boar Boyz

With green stuff at hand I keep on tinkering with my Savage Orc Boss conversion. Fur trim is probably the easiest thing I will be sculpting and adding to my models for this army, in this case it’s added to the ankle and wrist bindings. More importantly is the next stage of work for his tattered skirt/loincloth; I've added another layer to this, building onto of the basic frame work I had already sculpted. This step involves: a small ball of green stuff rolled out flat, some tattered shapes cut away from this with a sharp scalpel and then the whole piece being blended onto the first layer on the model. It is easy to curve the overhanging shapes to add further movement to the clothing.

When I pick this model up again I may be adding plenty of adornments; feathers, bones, piercings perhaps.

                                                                      

Also under way are my Boar Boyz, so far with Savage Orc Spears added and a touch of green stuffing on the boars. The standard top has been redone with some random additions for a more jungle savage vibe. Savage Orc shields will also be added, but for now these models, the Rider, Boar, and Shield will be painted seperately for accessability.

Savage Orc Boss

Now I am left with the savage orc boar boyz riders but no boars, so I will add these into my savage orcs as manic bounding individuals. This will bulk up the unit and add some extra variety and dynamic movement. In the process of posing and adding to the first model I got carried away with the topknot and it became what will be a Boss of some level. The top knot is in fact from the top of the savage orc boar boy standard, I clipped this off quite quickly as it looks goofy on the standard but looks better, I think, on top of a savage orc attached with the binding of another old orc boyz spear.

Here come the boyz!

First up, the regular Boyz. I salvaged together a few ranks cleaning up old ones and removing any inappropriate arms. The greatest fun of building a unit naturally is converting up the command models from the best bits you can find on the sprues and in your bits box. No exception here with 3 gnarled veterans filled with character I think. The Savage orc boar boy standard is rather strange being held up in the air, so I added in part of an old spear to balance the standard on the ground. I built up my first seven with a variety of ragtag weapon options, as I gain more savage orc spears and weapons the unit will be completed and added to.

WAAAGH! New Orc and Goblin army.

So 2012 is well underway! It must be time for a fresh start and a hobby reinvigoration. As such, I am here with a brand new Orc and Goblin project for Fantasy. I was an Orc and Goblin player many years ago with a world of random movement mayhem at campaign weekends and the like, fielding maxed hoppers, fanatics, and wagons. All in all the most entertaining and varied army to collect, paint, play.

Inspired by the new savage orc kits I have been driven to a jungle/Stone Age-esque theme. I love the rustic Stone Age flint weapons, bone and tooth decorations, leathers, fur trimming etc. It’s Stone Age meets jungle, meets voodoo, meets greenskins; you can’t go wrong!

IN DA JUNGLE IN DA JUNGLE IN DA JUNGLE  INA IN DA JUNGLE 

WAAAGH!

So, my over all idea for the army is a grand Waaagh that has rampaged south to Lustria. Now the ragtag bunch of veterans, still led by their determined Warboss, they survive on in the jungle bolstering their numbers by incorporating smaller native savage tribes. This background fits perfectly, I think, for a variety of units as well as inspiring a world of conversions and kit bashing.

To start the project I already had the following;

• 40-50 assorted Orc and Ork boyz, though most without arms or weapons.
• Orc boar boy riders (most weapons used for other conversions).
• 2 Orc Boar chariots converted with new boars (intended for a beastmen army).
• Assorted bits box components.
• Lastly from my local game store (with limited fantasy stock) I bought an Orc Boyz box and a Savage Orc Boar Boyz box.