Da BuzzMork (or possibly BuzzGork)!

[SotonShades]

Greetings all!

This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while now, and this week I reached the point where I just had to start sticking stuff together! This is going to be a BIG project by pretty much anyone's standards and whilst I may not be going into quite the detail that Blackadder is doing with his Warlord, I do hope some people get some inspiration from it. So, what is Da BuzzMork? Here is an extract from the fluff I have written for it;


Imperial observers have had an almost singularly hard time identifying and codifying Da BuzzMork. Like the vast majority of Orkoid vehicles, it has a rather ramshackle appearance, appearing to be little more than a collection of vehicles and junk piles hammered together, though its considerable bulk certainly adds a sense of solidity to the structure. With each encounter it seems to have additional or retrofitted armaments and often entire new hull sections. Furthermore the glyphs and identifier marks change constantly; of particular note is the craft’s name. Whilst the majority of the lettering is painstakingly repainted regardless of the repairs on the craft, the ‘M’ is often replaced with a ‘G’. Whether this is in deference to some aspect of the Orkish deities or simply down to a rivalry between the Meks that maintain and repair the craft is unknown.

Referring to the class of Ork vehicles is largely folly, due to the ‘unique’ method in which each is created. However, most seem to follow certain basic patterns or sizes, such as the commonly found ‘Trukk’, ‘Battlewagon’ or the slightly rarer ‘Warkopta’. Certain Orkish creations seem to defy even these broad categorisations, along with the laws of physics, being of such tonnage and scale as to be incomparable. The BuzzMork is one such machine.

In the basest distinctions, the BuzzMork would be described as a Quadrotor Helicopter. However, such a term does not do justice to the vastness of the heretical xenos creation, being of comparable mass to small Orkoid ‘Krooza’ starships despite being a purely atmospheric craft. Additionally it serves as a mobile base of operations for the Ork warlord known as Spearsmasha and his helicopter mounted Waaagh! Capable of hangering, launching and retrieving smaller aircraft during flight potentially hints at its classification as an aerial aircraft carrier, though its formidable payload of bombs and arsenal of weapon batteries could equally mark it out as a heavy bomber. One comparison that does seem to stick is that Da BuzzMork is like an insect hive; while transporting Spearsmasha’s followers, a drone of whirring rotors can be heard for miles around as a deep buzzing. When attacked, deffkoptas swarm out of the ventral access portals to protect the mothership and larger warkoptas are ejected via a steam catapult on the fight deck. Any damage the enemy does manage to inflict is quickly filled in and repaired, often acting as the source for further expansion or adding extra armaments.

Little more is known about this mighty craft. Mechanicus Adepts have calculated that the quartet of rotors that provide both the lift and manoeuvring capability to Da BuzzMork cannot possibly produce the levels of thrust to keep such a behemoth aloft, let alone carry hordes of Orks into battle and tons of munitions to unload into their foe. This has lead to the speculation that a primitive though powerful anti-grav generator may have been installed onboard. Indeed, this theory is backed up by eye-witness accounts of projectiles and particle weapon’s beams being turned away from Da BuzzMork’s hull, even when clear of the downwash of the rotors. Like the rest of the technology observed on Da BuzzMork, each of the engine cells that powers the rotors appears to be hastily cobbled together, the result being that while they are all extremely large, none match the others. The net outcome of this is an often erratic flight profile for the craft, presumably as individual engines experience temporary increases or lulls in power output and speed, though equally this could be the result of the pilot’s over exuberance with the throttle levers.


I say extract... it's more a case of "This is most of what I have so far, more to come and this stuff needs a good edit as well!"

Well, this isn't the Background forum, so I suppose I had best post some modelling bits as well? How about a picture of this behemoth with a couple of other models for scale?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8485/8231301438_c799b2ed70_c.jpg

It's not THAT big. For scenery. This won't be scenery. In fact, once I'm done, it will actually be on a flying stand, perhaps a foot or so above the table top! It will also have 4 huge turbo prop engines on pylons coming out from each corner. And guns. It's going to be an orky super-heavy vehicle; it will have LOTS of guns.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8231299808_6324ae7c3c_c.jpg

This is the right hand side, for reference.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8230237017_863a9ff84b_c.jpg

And the back. By the way, that is a double width baneblade chassis on the top... again, mostly for scale.


Now, this is very, very early WIP. Most of the tape will dissappear or be buried under a papier mache layer/behind armour panels etc. It's mostly holding joints together while glue dries. Before I get to painting this, there will be no cardboard exposed. I hope. This really is just providing the bulk.

Naturally I am also working on rules for Da BuzzMork, which I'll post later somewhere. For now, think Tau Manta, but slightly worse in many respects, better in some others and far, far more Orky!

I have a ton of ideas for detailing for this model, as well as what guns I want and where I'll put them. I'll make up some plans using the pictures I have taken soon, so you can all get a glimpse of what's going on in my head. However, there is such a huge surface area for me to cover that I'm sure I'll need some help. So any ideas or suggestions are very welcome! If anyone wants to donate some Orks or Gretchin to populate and crew this huge vehicle, they'd be more than welcome too! Lol.

For those who don't know, or haven't guessed, this is to go along side one of my other projects, Da Kopta Force (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?7897-Ork-Kopta-Force). I won't be neglecting them while I work on this. Hopefully one will inspire me with the other and vica versa.

Right, I should get some more stuff up soon. Let me know just how insane you think I must be to attempt this, and/or anything else you want to say of course.

Shades

[alshrive]

in my mind i am seeing an Orkoid version of this....
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/instruction/2012/10/2658-08-709962.jpg

[SotonShades]

Yep, but a hell of a lot less streamlined, bristling with guns, flaking armour panels and miscilaneous scrap and hopefully swarming with Orks and Grots!

[fuzzbuket]

oh my i cant wait to see this finished :D

[Zac78]

Awesome idea

[olberon]

oooh i love those plans!!! these prjekts make me always want to start my own oks army and go to town with it, just for the hell of it :P

Hmmmmm, maybe next army will be orks since my wife loves them...................

[SotonShades]

Evening Gents, Ladies and Orks!

Like any good Mek, I have managed to come home with a bag full of materials for building (along with a few Christmas presents...) and have most of the rest of the weekend to myself so hopefully I will be able to crack on with this and get some pictures up for you all!

And just so you know, the bag that was so full of stuff is almost entirely for Da Deffarsenal. I'm still not sure I have enough plastic tubing for all the barrells I want to add. We shall see.

[SotonShades]

I ran out of styrene tubing quicker than I thought...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8276382900_7c856d0a95_c.jpg

So, let's start at the very beginning(ish) as it is, indeed, a very good place to start. I started roughly forming the housing for the Deffarsenal by cutting the back plate off the styrene sheet and then a second identical plate (again, ish... unlike Blackadder's Warlord, I don't have to be too neat!) I then used the sedond plate to size up the armoured cowling, which I glued to the edged of the back plate with the brackets you can see here providing more stability/strength, as well as somewhere to glue the second plate too...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8275322419_a5179f16f0_c.jpg

This gave a good thickness to point where the many barrels will be attached to, moving them away from the hull of da BuzzMork. The Stormboy is there partially to hold the deffarsenal up for the photo, but also for scale. The gunner is actually a Deffkopta pilot I built years ago (I had an idea for a skwadrun riding what were essentially jet engines with wings and guns, but gave up on that when I started buying Black Reach ones cheaply on bitz sites) but I only assembled his seat for this project.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8276387980_03de645642_z.jpg

Can't believe I never thought of this idea before, though I guess it was because I never had the bitz lying around in front of me. Can you tell what it is made of?

I felt it looked suitably mechanically (and surprisingly reminiscent of the Harrier Jump Jet seats they had in the flight simulator at my old uni) and sized about right for the gunner controlling such a big array of weapons. I'll be adding more control levers and the like, as well as some kind of armoured platform to raise him above the upper cowl slightly.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8277609092_dde3d0ed24_c.jpg

Only thing left was to start adding guns. And missiles. Those two supa-rokkits are actually hollow. If anyone is interested I can eplain how I made them, but it is a lot of very samey pics, so I won't go into it now. The barrels where just various diameter styrene rods, cut to length and cleaned up or made rougher and placed semi-randomly.

[SotonShades]

As I said, I ran out of tubes far too quickly;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8277611916_999b4b5a4c_c.jpg

While I have kept the place ment of the barrels fairly random, I have generally placed the shorter ones closer to the front/bottom of the Deffarsenal, though kept a greater variety in the calibre across the whole array.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8277612494_fb21ba9b51_c.jpg

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire 687856 shots or only 687855?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as theere is probably a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, which would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
-: attributed to Orky 'Arry

There is still space for a few more guns. It deffinitely needs more guns. This thing fireds 33D6 shots right? Only 3D6? erm...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8277611260_ce02e04705_c.jpg

So, name them bitz time! Who can spot all of the GW weapon's I have used so far?

Shades

p.s. if anyone wants to send me a few more guns to add, they'd be greatly appreciated!

[SotonShades]

Hi Folk, Folkettes and those less into folk music...

Just a wordy update for now while I wait for some gun barrels to dry. Not on the Deffarsenal though... I'll be adding more to that later!

I haven't been sitting idle over Christmas (well, not all of the time at least) and have built the raised platform for the Deffarsenal gunner and am Currently welding together the first of the Flakka Gunz. Boy, are these things burning through plasticard! Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end though. I'll try to get some pictures later this evening/tomorrow (though I'm sure by now you are all aware how likely that is!)

Until then,

Shades

[SotonShades]

So... The Deffarsenal Gunner;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8505/8351468924_ac3d0f2518_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8351466874_c851ebe074_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8350399861_1bd9478dca_c.jpg

Not sure 'gunner' is really a suitable word for what this guy does...

Newho, about the model. Most of the podium is actually welded together, rather than using glue. Before I attach it to the top of the Deffarsenal, I'll be adding in a load of cabling snacking in, around and under both sections, particularly in that exposed void. I also still need to add in something connecting the handle in the Ork's left hand to... something. Not quite worked out what/where yet. It's only a choppa hilt, so I don't think cabling would be appropriate but I'm not sure I'f I want another lever going into the floor, especially as it will again go into the void.

[SotonShades]

First Flakka Gunner

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8213/8350397883_6cb0634f27_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8351460260_ef1b2d33a6_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8351458226_2eeb304251_c.jpg

Still more to add to him (like a massive ammo hopper and feeds, some sort of gimble-esque mount to attach him to the deck of Da Buzzmork with and something connecting his handle to the gun in some way) but this certainly gives you an idea. Again, it is mostly welded together, which is particularly handy when you can't be bothered to cut the plasticard so that it butts up perfectly with the other three or four bits.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8351456198_d936d5c2dd_c.jpg

Finally for today I will finish with a comparison with the FW Flakka Gun. Very different style obviously, but pretty close for the lengths of each individual gun (and spot on for the barrel diameters) So I'm pretty chuffed. Just got to get this guy finished, then I can get on with the 5 or 6 others...

Comments and Critique welcome as always,

Shades

[SotonShades]

Done a little more on the Flakka gunner. Was going to say I'd finished him, but even as I'm typing this I've noticed a fairly massive mistake that even an Ork wouldn't make. Can anyone guess what it is from these pictures?

On with it then;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8354964917_ea7b9e56f8_c.jpg

As you can see, I've bulked out behind the gunner with the ammo hopper and added the mount to attach the gun to the deck.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8356026330_bce71b2b9c_c.jpg

The mount is fairly simple, with a raised dias and a powered pivot (though hiding the mechanisms in the box on the right of the pic

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8356024408_91b187e0f2_c.jpg

Lastly, I've built the hopper with a top just below the lip of the gun. I need to pop to the shop to get some thin styrene rod that i can cut and shape into bullets to randomly fill the top of the hopper with. Nice and disorganised; orky style! I'll also do the ammo feeds to the guns when I do that. (Sorry about the picture quality, it was the only way I could actually show the white-on-white inside of the hopper)

That is it from me for tonight. So what mistake (besides deciding to build 6 of these beasties) have I made? Answers on a postcard to...

[Brakkart]

An Orky Helicarrier is a very cool (and more than a bit crazy) idea for a large scale project, but it should look pretty cool when done in support of your flying Waaargh Shades.

Hmmm as for obvious massive mistake, I'm gonna go with the gun not (apparently) being able to rotate/mounted on a turnstile. It looks like it can go up and down fine, but not side to side. Am I right?

[SotonShades]

Spot on Brakkart. It should be a simple case of adding a giant cog wheel under the base, and some more on/around it on the deck of Da Buzzmork, but it is just a bit of a shame that I missed it when putting it all together.

Got to make sure I don't forget it on the others!

[Brakkart]

Woot! I've just spent the weekend rebuilding the chin turret of a Stormtalon to use the Ravenwing sprue Assault Cannons and have full side to side and up/down rotation so I I'm currently very aware of how fiddly getting all of that to work is.

Out of curiosity, where on your vehicle does the Deffarsenal go? Is at the the prow? It just seems a bit massive to be a turret.

[SotonShades]

Spot on again. Front and center, right under the flight/launch deck for the Warkoptas. Having that thing on a turret would be overkill, and restricting it's field of fire helps balance it out (like have the really big guns on the Baneblade Chasis fixed.)

[SotonShades]

Long time no see! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten this thread; my mind has just been occupied with a few other things recently!

So what do I have for you today? Flakka gun number 2! Are you ready?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8433685906_01cf2f0e1d_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8081/8432600049_88d4a4fe1f_c.jpg

Same basic recipe; 4 barrels with an ork pointing them in roughly the right direction and a very very crude gimbal mechanism. Aside from that, they don't have much in common. But that is what I was going for. Unlike the first gun, I actually remembered to add a way of making the gun traverse, so that was good. Speaking of which;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8433683186_faa3fa7d4c_c.jpgp

Side by side comparison (and so you can see the traversing gear on the first one). Still need to add bullets to the hopper.

Lastly, a little sneak peak at Flakkagun 3

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8433686858_985c9f3cd3_c.jpg

Quite a way to go still, but gives you a decent idea at least. For this one I will have a pair of barrels sitting just above each of the Gunner's shoulders. I might also make it so that the traverseing mechanism is attached to the gun body which the elevation mechanism is attached to the deck...


Let me know what you think as usual. Don't have any other pics yet, but if anyone does want anything else, pop your query on here and I'll break out my camera again.

Shades

[Fizzybubela]

Your plasticard skills are amazing! :D

[SotonShades]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/64856_533043403394250_735309977_n.jpg

Ok, looks like some one has beaten me to an orky KoptaKarrier... Fortunately, theirs is tiny, mine is huge and mine will be a Kopta-KoptaKarrier. Erm, maybe that acronym needs to be changed a little. Still; work must go on.

Seriously though, that is one amazing piece of work. If Da Buzzmork is half as good as that I'll be over the moon!

[SotonShades]

More of my stuff then. Flakkagun number 3;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8489720113_d26b0ebd50_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8489721281_a050634aea_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8522/8489722489_f04fe8c37b_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8489718879_b56a3a1d9c_c.jpg

Again, fairly similar in that it is completely different. The gimble mount equivalent is done the other way; the rotate-y/traverse-y bit is attached to the gun with the uppy-downy bit attached to the deck. I'm sure I could give a clearer/more accurate explanation than that, but I can't be bothered!

As always,let me know what you think. Hoipefully I'll have more to show you all soon.

[Fizzybubela]

Awesome! :D

[SotonShades]

Hey guys and girls. A quick no pick update today.

To get me started on the engines, I've bought a kids playset Chinook. I'll be hacking off the rotors and a few details this evening, might even get some pictures up for you all. It also has belts of ammo for many of it's guns that look exactly the right size for me flakka gunz, so that is going to save me quite a bit of work.

If I don't post anything later, I shall see those of you coming at the BoLSCON meet-up at Warhammer World on Saturday. Still need to write my army list, but be prepared to face off against the KoptaForce in all it's glory!

Shades

[SotonShades]

Greeting guys, girls and aspiring Meks!

Well, few days later than I said, I have got some early WIP pictures of the first engine, as well as a pic of the rotors I'll be using (though they need a LOT of Orkifying from what they are now) and how they will compare in terms of scale to Da BuzzMork's hull. So where to start? Front/top of the engine; the intake.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8511037066_e51a3f27bb_c.jpg

I started off doing the fan blades of the intake/compressor by cutting out a circle roughly the size I wanted the final intake to be (about the size of a tin of baked beans... mostly because that was what I used as a template!) I then used a metal ruler and my knife to cut across the diameter of the circle several time and roughly equal intervals (very roughly. I didn't want an orky engine to be too uniform) so I had a number of segments. I also cut out an extra pair of segments, for reasons I shall explain in a moment. I then cut the pointed ends off, about half a centimeter from the point, to make them easier to arrange and join.

I took the first two segments and overlapped them by a couple of millimeters, making sure that the leading edge of the one on top was parallel with the trailing edge of the other. I then welded them together, much like I have explained before, and repeated the process to get the effect of overlapping fan blades, tucking the last one under the leading edge of the first segment. I actually had to tuck the second to last under slightly as well due to the width of the blades, but obviously didn't weld that directly to the first. The idea was to use the two extra segments to make up for the overlaps between the blades to maintain the size of the original circle. Turns out, I slightly misaligned the blades and simple shrank the circle, having two segments left over at the end. I was reasonably happy with the resulting size though, so didn't bother re doing it. Finally I used a hair dryer to soften the plastic slightly to relieve any strain on the welds from twisting the disk to make the last blades fit under the first. It also made the blade disk flat (or at least as flat as my desk) which would make it easier to build on/around later on.

Next I made the ring around the edge as I've described before (although that may have been on the Terarr-Attak Stompa thread (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?28414-Terarr-Attak-Stompa-aka-quot-Utter-proof-if-ever-it-were-needed-that-I-am-insane!-quot&highlight=terarr)), placed it in position on the blade disk and welded it on the outside only, so it still looked like the blades could spin. I used a bead cut in half to make the cone and attached the spindle from the toy chinook's rotors to that using superglue. I then superglued that assembly to the center of the blade disk.

So, the blades, ring and hub assembly were THEN welded onto a 'D' shaped base (don't worry, I am nearly done with this part of the description...) which was a little wider than the blade disk. Working from the flat side round, I used rough cuts of plasticard to give an 'aerodynamic' fairing for the engine, at least by ork standards. Each plate was dry fitted and trimmed a few times before being welded in to place, often forcing the plate into a natural curve. I only burnt my fingers a couple of times doing that on the smaller plates. Honest.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/8511035892_dc4b124da6_c.jpg

Told you I was almost done...

This is the rotor-head assembly from the Chinook toy, simply slotted into place on top off the spindle. It is all ready fairly detailed, at a scale that works fairly well with 40k models. I'll probably still add some glyph plates, maybe some extraneous pistons and levers... the Orky usual. On the toy, these were held together with a screw; unfortunately, gluing the spindle in place makes that kinda impossible (at least, I am not willing to try drilling out the bead, the blades and the D base!) It will however mean that the rotors can be removed. Transporting Da BuzzMork is never going to be easy, but making it easier won't hurt. The KoptaForce has very much taught me the lesson that making rotors easily removable is very, very important. If only to make it easier to repair them when they brake every other game...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8511039264_171a42911a_c.jpg

Speaking of rotors: As you can see, these ones are all ready pretty damn big. I might just make them bigger still, but we shall see. You can also see the baked beans tin I used as a template, which really does help give you an idea of scale (assuming your tinned goods come in about the same size tines as we have in the UK). If not, that 12" metal ruler should!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8511038450_31c950940b_c.jpg

Last but not least for today, I positioned the bean tin/rotor assembly combo near Da BuzzMork's hull to give you an idea of what I plan on doing with it. That ledge is actually going to be a walkway of sorts for the Orks... I'm thinking of having the rotors overlapping it slightly, so anyone walking along it would have to duck (except grots) or risk the certainty of being beheaded. I just find the idea of that to funny and orky to pass up! Alternatively, I'll place it slightly further out, but still within arms reach of an Ork brave/stupid enough to 'giv it a go'.

So that is is from me for now. I am going to keep cracking on with this engine, extending the nacelle down, hopefully working on the turbine end of the engine, as well as starting on the mounting arm that will attach it to the hull.

Comments, criticisms, etc are welcome as always, as are idea for the other 3+ engines this thing needs, as I do not want them all to look the same!

Shades

[SotonShades]

A little more engine stuff and a slight update on the flakka guns before I head off to a tournament (well, a lot of drinking and then a tournament...)

To the engine!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8090/8518108621_017af29014_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8234/8518109261_cbfe0b6aec_c.jpg

Still needs a lot of details adding to it, glyph plates especially, but it is coming along nicely. From the back of the D-plate base of the compressor blades to the bottom of the engine is about 4". You can also see that I have started extending beyond that for an exhaust cone that will hold some form or turbine blades. Not entirely sure how I am going to go about that yet, but I am sure it will come to me.

[SotonShades]

And for the Flakka Gunz;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8519221828_81228394c5_c.jpg

Back to the very beginning... As I said this guy needed some ammo, and when I picked up the toy Chinook, It had strings of it the exact size I wanted. Problem solved!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8519219316_f6414f55ea_c.jpg

For the hopper I literally just cut off and cleaned up individual rounds before supergluing them in place. Nice and easy really. Some of them didn't want to go quite where I placed them, but I am reasonably happy with the end result. There are a few gaps, but I don't think you'll notice them too much once this is all painted up.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8518109987_573b1ba804_c.jpg

Didn't forget the bottom gun either (though the one between the gunner's legs is attached directly to the hopper, so didn't bother giving that one a belt). I even gave a twist to this belt to be a little more interesting. Of course, I still need to add some plasticard to look like hatches where the belts feed out, rather than them just butting up to the hopper. That shouldn't take too long, so hopefully I'll get round to that soon. It will be blooming fiddly, but I can't leave them as they are.

Ok that is it from me for today. Wish me and my Orks luck at the tournament this Saturday. I'm going to need it!

Shades

[Brakkart]

Looking really good Shades. I love the flak guns, they look a bit like the ones on one of the ships in Waterworld, the gunner in that film even looks kinda Orkish with the goggles on.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoSLZP0e-M4

The ammo hopper is a neat idea! What you need now is some grots near it with shovels collecting up the discharged casings.

[SotonShades]

Hehe that clip was awesome. Yeh that rag-tag scrap look is exactly what I'm going for, and I love that Grot idea... will have to see what I can do once they are attached to the hull!