Rukkstud ‘Andfoot, da Piston-Poundin’ Stormboy
Modeling
Rukkstud uses mostly parts from the new Plastic Nob box. The feet were removed and replaced with a slugga and choppa hand. The backpack’s base is a plank from the Ork Trukk sprue, with a new plastic Stormboy backpack and two Castellan class missiles from the Space Marine Whirlwind sprue.
The pistons are clear plastic tubes, sawed into the correct lengths. The tubes were capped by filling the ends with putty. The rivets are putty blobs, flattened. The rod connecting the pistons is plasticard, inserted into holes drilled through the cured putty. Rukkstud is mounted on a flying stand in a normal base.
Painting
Rukkstud was dipped. Extra mud was added to the pistons, to show he usually walks on those.
Background
Orks are not afraid of injury. In fact, they live to fight. However, most Orks find being severely injured a situation of grave ponderance.
Because then you have to go to da’ Dok.
And no one wants that. Well, a few madboyz might not mind being cut on for fun, and sure some doks are good at what they do, but in Poindexta Smartyskull’s camp, Dok Gillgivva is a rightly feared icon both because of his propensity for giving a patient gills, but also because he is quite big, and strong. So, Orks injured in battle (or out of battle, as is the case with Rukkstud) often do not go to the dok, as they prefer to breathe air for what time they have left to live.
Rukkstud (who was then called Flashzagga da Reckless) chose not to go see the dok when he was injured. One of the Kans got loose again, and managed to neatly slice both of Flashzagga’s arms off. Without the arms, his Rokkit pack fell off, and nearly squished his adjutant, Runtee
Runtee, being a quick witted Grot, grabbed up his master’s arms and suggested that rather than seeing da Dok, that they see da Mek instead. Flashzagga agreed, partly because he was a quart low on blood and did not have very good decision making abilities at the time. The conversation with Manik Upzindownz went like this:
“Oi Mek! Dat kan took me armz off at da shoulder! Youse gots any bioniks dat would make it so’z I’z still a Stormboy?”
“Well, lemme see. First we gotta” *KLANG*
The next thing Flashzagga realized, he had a headache, he was on a table, and his arms had been replaced by giant adamantium pistons. Furious and groggy, he tore out of his restraints before Upzindowns could install the various power-assist systems needed to make lifting the piston-arms easier. Flashzagga limped out of the tent like an ape, flinging both pistons out, then balancing on them and jumping forward. He finally found that Runtee had been eaten by a Squighound, and that the hound had eaten most of his upper arms as well. Furious, Flashzagga attempted to smash the Squighound with one of the pistons. This proved difficult as the pistons were enormously heavy, but soon, the Squighound fled, and he was left with his hands. He awkwardly picked them up in his mouth, and finally went to see Dok Gillgivva.
“Dok, I’z in a bind. Dat crazee mek done gave me piston arms! I needs my hands, dok, and not any gills. Now do it wif no anna-stetic, cuz I wanna be wide awake.”
Flashzagga had always been known for his temper. The dok, sadly, put away his anesthetic mallet and considered the situation. The arms were gone, but the boy needed hands. Can’t go at the shoulders, the boy wants the pistons. Hmmmm….
” ‘Ow much you like dem feet?”
“Don’ care much for feet, gots pistons now! You finkin’ wot I’m finkin?”
He was.
After about a week of getting used to having hands at the end of his legs, Rukkstud (as he now called himself) went back to Upzindowns, finished the installation, and had him make a Rokkit pack powerful enough to lift both him and the pistons. Now, Rukkstud ‘Andfoot crashes into crowds of his enemies, pistons blazing. When he lands, his hand-foot dexterity makes his close combat skills a frightful sight to behold. His temper is still as violent as ever, and he routinely shoots or pistons Stormboyz fleeing from combat, or indeed anyone who makes fun of his prized piston-arms or hand-feet.
Konquata Monitors Saurus Warriors
Saurus Warriors!
Next: more Skinks for Journeymen, and then Kroxigor!
How I learned to Strip (not as hot as it sounds).
Painting is variable. Usually you get better over time. What happens, then, when you look at old models and say “that’s not good enough anymore”? Or, what happens if you buy some bitz or models off of ebay that were painted by a blind idiot with a toothbrush? You need to get rid of that paint.
Stripping models is important for any model gamer. There are several methods, some of which work better than others.
The first models I stripped used a high pH liquid soap called Super Clean. This was incredibly inconvenient, and only worked after repeated soakings and scrubbings. The next thing I tried was pure toluene. It worked fine, but only for pewter minis. It ATE a plastic base I threw in by accident. Plus you need to do it outside as toluene has awful fumes. For a while I tried Isopropyl Alcohol. This worked almost as well as Super Clean, and with less hassle but more scrubbing.
Then I was stripping some Necromunda gangers I bought at Gen Con. I used undilluted Pine Sol. The painte FELL off the minis when I barely touched them. It was the greatest success I’ve had stripping. Lexington said he tried Pine Sol on plastics and it lost a little bit of detail when soaked overnight, but it stripped the old pewter Land Speeder he’s had for decades.
For a final verdict, I choose Pine Sol. If I need to strip plastic, I’l try diluting it 50/50 with water and scrubbing after a few hours rather than letting it soak all night. But on metals it works WONDERS.
Space Marine Battlefleet Gothic Fleet
My Azure Flames Battlefleet Gothic fleet. 2 Battle Barges, 5 Strike Cruisers, 6 Nova Frigates, 6 Gladius Frigates and 10 Hunter Destroyers.
Jelnac, Master of the Forge of the Azure Flames with Conversion Beamer
Modeling
Jelnac’s torso is the Blood Angel Techmarine with Jump Pack torso. Standard bike and legs. Modded left palmtop to be textured like the right one, from Torquemada Coteaz with the Thunder Hammer. Backpack is a standard old Techmarine Servo Arm.
The Conversion Beamer was based on the old Conversion Beamer (see pic above, the blue gun). The Sidecar was a standard pewter attack bike sidecar. I used a Chaos Defiler Battle Cannon mount for the hinge. It is attached to the sidecar with a filed piece of Defiler armor and some putty. The Chaos star was filed off, and a seven-toothed cog sculpted. Into this cog, I pressed the filed down skull from a Servo Skull which looks like the Ad Mech logo.
The central plasma coil is a Gene Seed canister from the Battle For Macragge box set. Sprue and plasticard rod made the rest of the body. The lower cable is guitar wire. The dish is a Tau Battle Suit Shield Generator, filed and puttied to be a smooth dish. Part of a Space Marine Radar Dish antenna (the small one from the new sprue) comes up from the bottom. The antenna is an old antenna from the 2nd ed Space Marine Vehicle sprue.
Painting
The only painting flourish I’m proud of is the screen on Jelnac’s bike. I painted a Matrix-code-like pattern of falling green characters, blending from Scorpion Green to a mix of Snot and Dark Angels green.
Backstory
The Azure Flames are barely 400 years old as of the end of M41. How, then, did they get a Pre-Heresy weapon in their arsenal? This conversion beamer belonged to the Myridian Suns Space Marine Chapter. When they fell to Chaos, the Azure Flames cleansed their homeworld of Myridia and destroyed every last Myridian Sun. Their Geneseed was quarantined and their wargear studiously poured over by the Techmarines and Librarium of the Azure Flames to prevent the taint of Chaos from touching the chapter. Few artifacts were salvaged, most were corrupted beyond hope of salvation by the traitors, but Brother Jelnac brought forth the remains of a Conversion Beamer taken from the Master of the Forge of the Myridian Suns. The Beamer was damaged, as Jelnac had smashed part of it with his Thunder Hammer during the fight.
After being declared free of taint, the Beamer was given to Jelnac. The old power source was damaged beyond repair, and the matter inversion coil was totaled. Jelnac modified a plasma coil to replace the matter inversion coil, and mounted the beamer on a Space Marine Attack Bike to provide power. Now, one of the most ancient weapons of mankind is at the disposal of the Azure Flames.
Manik Upzindownz, da Mad Mek
Modeling
Manik uses the Assault on Black Reach plastic Warboss. His Big Shoota was cut out of his hand, and his hand was cut off and turned 90 degrees to hold the handlebars of the bike. The wrist was joined with putty. The legs were modded to fit a bike, which included destroying the tabard. The Arrows are cut from plasticard.
The Trike Conversion entailed using a regular Ork Bike wheel for the third wheel and a Trukk wheel for the front wheel. The third wheel was held on using the ammo belt as an extension. The guns include two Ork Bike guns and an Imperial Guard Autocannon. Extra Ammo canisters were added. The Front shocks of the bike were sawn apart, and the main bars replaced with bent brass rods. The Plasma Cannon comes from the old pewter Chaos Space Marine Dreadnought. The bit was sawed apart using a jeweler’s saw which was INTENSELY PAINFUL to do. The jaws are standard Ork Bike fronts.
Painting was done using the standard dipping method. Extra care was given to the reds and yellows to make them pop. Boltgun metal was added to edges on the back banner to make it appear worn.
Background
Never challenge a Weirdboy to a Staring Contest. Not even if the prize is the tastiest squig you’ve ever seen.
Mag da Mekboy made this mistake. For two years he hung out with the Madboys, making as much sense as a Grot Warboss, until he attempted to open up his head to fix his broken wires. Amazingly, he succeeded, and put his brain back in, half upside down.
Ever since then, he has managed to be at least coherent on good days, alternating with barking mad on bad days. Some boyz say that he even talks different when he’s gone off the deep end, like a different Ork altogether. This earned him his name, Manik Upzindownz.
Years of madness honed his imagination, and he is responsible for Smartyskull’s one Gargant, a massive smoking monstrosity called “Da Gentul Teddy Bear.” Do not ask Manik why; he will shoot you in the kneecaps.
In battle, Manik is rarely seen without his Shokk Attack Gun (on “stable days”) or his souped up Dakkabike 9000 (on less than stable days). He fights for Smartyskull because a half super-ork-brained, half humie-machine-brained hulking warlord who enjoys tea and smashing stuff is the obviouschoice for a leader. He is the only one of Smartyskulls Lieutenants that requires absolutely no bribery.
Often, this forces Smartyskull to put Upzindownz in command of raids he cannot attend, though Smartyskull is often afraid Upzindowns will not follow orders and instead lose it entirely and orate about the beauty of the squighound’s bark for hours on end, as he does bi-weekly at scheduled speeches attended by the bored or stupid.
Cozamalotl, Skink of the Konquata Monitors
Painting
Cozamalotl is my test Skink for my new color scheme. He was painted with an undercoat of Games Workshop Ice Blue. His scales and crest were given a light coat of Vallejo Hawk Turquoise. He was then given a full body wash of P3 Turquoise Ink. His skin was then highlighted with Vallejo Jade Green. His shoulder pads are GW Mechrite red with a Blood Red drybrush and a Blazing Orange Highlight, finished with Skull White for the numerals. His claws are Snakebite Leather with Bleached Bone and Skull White highlights. His eyes are Sunburst Yellow with Chaos Black pupils. His mouth was very carefully inked black. The base is Goblin Green with static grass, Chaos Black and Skull White for the Name and Number.
Cozamalotl is an authentic Nahuatl name, and the numerals on his shoulder pads read “32” in Mayan numerals.
Gotz more trukks, boss! Job’s a good’un!
Here’s my other three trukks. The first you saw before was an Evil Sunz Trukk, so it was red. Other clans are more subtle with their red paint job.
The Goff trukk with the black and white checkers has some red panels. Red’s a good Goff color too! For extra combattyness, this trukk has a wreckin’ ball!
There’s a yellow Bad Moons trukk with a wicked red racing stripe. Added black flames for more style.
Then of course there’s the Deathskull trukk. The red paint job is UNDER the fresh blue paint job that was put on minutes before the battle started. So no one will know it’s stolen.