Gonna Smash ’em – Part 1

Ever since I painted up Ironskull’s Boyz last month I’ve had an itch to paint some more greenskins. I’ve also been thinking about doing more with Warcry. I’m already chipping away at the terrain required for more varied games but it occurred to me that, with the addition of a few new recruits, Ironskull’s Boyz could themselves be the basis for another little warband.

With that in mind I had a look around for some more orcs with which to bolster the ranks. First to come to hand was this Black Orc, nowadays known as an Ardboy. Incidentally I still find Ardboyz a bit confusing because when I were a lad Ardboyz were in 40k and now they no longer appear in the Ork codex and instead the same name has been used for the heavily armoured rank and file of the Ironjaws. As for the models themselves the old Black Orcs kit was one of my favourites in the WHFB Orcs and Goblins range so I’m glad that they survived into the Age of Sigmar, even though there’s very little aesthetically to link them to the bulkier, cruder looking Brutes (more on them below). A unit that shared aesthetic elements with both Ardboys and Brutes would be a fine addition to the Ironjaws range I feel. That said I’m always amused that the Black Orcs, which used to be the biggest and ‘ardest boyz around, now look so little and desperate to please next to the lumbering Brutes.

Anyway here he is, massive axe in hand and ready to join his clanmates as they enter the Bloodwind Spoil in search of a propa scrap.

He’s something of a rescue job, I’ve had him for a long time and he’s been battered around a lot over the years, part painted on several occasions, used – briefly – in the conversion of a 40k Ardboy, and now returned to his fantasy roots. All this means that getting him to look good took a fair amount of effort, and the results are not what I like to think they would have been if I’d just started with a freshly assembled and completely unpainted model, but I’m happy enough with the way he’s turned out in the end and he holds up fairly well next to his buddy from Ironskull’s Boyz.

As if this wasn’t enough muscle I decided to throw in even more in the form of two Brutes. Back when the Brutes were released I gave them a fairly lukewarm review but time has softened my heart and nowadays they rank amongst my favourite AoS models, so including a couple of them in the warband was an opportunity not to be missed. For sheer brutality you can’t beat the imaginatively titled jagged gore-hacka so that was my first port of call.

Next allow me to swiftly retract my previous statement, it turns out there is something even more vicious and over-the-top looking than even the gore-hacka, the gore-choppa. This weapon alone would have been enough to sell me on the brutes kit and there was never the slightest possibility that I would fail to include one.

With both models I left off some of the chest armour and used greenstuff to cover over the resultant gaps. That allowed me to replace their heads with suitably mean looking alternatives, the one on the left comes from the (now sadly out of production) Boarboyz, the one on the right from the Flash Gitz.

Combine these three newcomers with the orcs from Ironskulls Boyz  and the warband is complete and ready to spread mayhem and destruction wherever they go. Chaos warriors beware!

Scattered around the painting desk are a few more brutes which I’m yet to build, plus some Ardboys and other Orc-y characters (hence the “Part 1” in the title) so I’ll aim to tackle some more green lads soon.

Iz Dat Da Dokk?

Let’s be honest, some miniatures are just a bit duff. Take the Bonesplitters Wardokk for instance (which used to be a Savage Orc shaman of some description). Let’s not beat about the bush, it’s past its best. In fact, it’s hard to say exactly when it’s best was…

For those unfamiliar the Wardokk is essentially an assistant shaman amongst the Bonesplitters. This faction of Orcs are lead by cabals of savage mystics, with a Wurrgog Prophet (the model for which, confusingly, used to be the special character Wurrzag, Da Great Green Prophet – something I still find takes a little getting used to). Each Wurrgog Prophet has a few acolytes around to assist in imposing his orders (however mad they may sound) on the recalcitrant boyz, to whip the clan up ready for battle and to perform the secret dances by which they channel the power of the greenskin god. One of these so-called Wardokks will go on to become the Wurrgog’s successor, to quote the army book, “should the Prophet fall in battle or accidentally blow himself up”.

At first I found myself wondering why GW continue to give the Wardokk miniature a place in the ranks of the Orc (or should I say Orruk) Warclans range. There’s no denying it’s letting the side down a little, when compared with some of the brilliant models that march alongside it. However after giving it some thought I came to realise that actually they made a smart move here. Keeping the Wardokk around adds another option to the range, and kitbashing your own version from the Bonesplitters set, plus a few odds and ends, is actually pretty straightforward and a lot of fun.

The key elements to capture were the skull mask (taken from the Ironjaws Brutes), the dancing pose and the bone-fetish rattle (made from bits and bobs in the savage orcs kit, rather than wire wool as the original appears to have been). The army book describes how the Wardokk will do whatever is required to get the boys in a fighting mood (surely not that hard) including, but not limited to, a quick punch in the face – something I thought the clenched fist on his free hand conveyed rather well. I might raise him up on something to make him stand out a little amongst any future boyz but otherwise I’m pretty pleased with him (although as ever I’m open to any and all feedback). In fact he was so straightforward to build that I’m now feeling tempted to make a couple more – the book does describe multiple Wardokks in each clan after all. Not sure when I’ll get around to painting him but he was great fun to make, and he’s certainly given me the itch to tackle some more green boys soon.

Ironskullz Boys

I’ve never been particularly enthused by Warhammer Underworlds as a game, I’m not that keen on card games and the tagline “The Ultimate Competitive Miniatures Game” is kryptonite to the likes of me who leans more towards enjoying myself and socialising if dice are getting rolled at all, rather than engaging in cut-throat, win-at-all-costs competition. That said the miniatures are pretty damn gorgeous so I picked up Ironskullz Boys just for the fun of painting them (which after all if the mainstay of my hobby anyway – gaming barely makes it into the top ten reasons I do this at the best of times).

Despite how much I love these four miniatures I couldn’t resist making a few minor tweaks and adjustments. Boss-man Gurzag Ironskull got a new head which I reckon makes him look even fiercer (and more of a show-off) than the original, and also makes him uniquely mine.

Likewise his sidekick Bonekutta got a new head – with a helmet, which I think emphasises his brutish power and strength.

The other two ‘ard boyz in the warband, Basha and Hakka, were pretty much perfect as is, in my opinion, so I left them well alone.

And here we have them, my first ever Underworld’s Warband, ready for action in case anyone ever decides to convince me to become a ruthless power-gamer!

I must confess that since painting these the itch to tackle some more greenskins is back. I’ve got a Blood Bowl team I’m meant to be painting, and there’s always a need for more Orks in my 40k collection so watch this space.