Ork Kopta Force

[SotonShades]

Hey Hey

Given that I'm taking a break from working from Warboss Orguzza Veztollon and his Killakopta (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=7753) I figured I'd start a new thread for the rest of the Kopta Force.

Currently I'm working on the first of my three Forge World Warkoptas/ChinOrks. I'm planning on doing a little conversion work on the second and third, which may reult in me taking the cockpit off one of the Warkoptas, building up something else and using the cockpit bits to make a very unique Deffkopta.

Newho, to get this thread off to a start, here's a Pic of Warboss Skwardron Leada Orguzza Veztollon swooping down for combat
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs110.snc4/35880_651031458442_286105536_8229967_2196424_n.jpg

[Deretal]

i like the way the kopta is converted from a warbike, nice way of being orky.

[SotonShades]

Hey guys

This evening I've finished building the first of 3 Warkoptas/Chinorks for the killkopta force. two will be transporting boyz aroune the battle field, or more likely dropping them off and then going to clear/contest other objectives. The third will be transporting a Bik Mek with a Kustom Force Field and a unit of Nobz in to the thick of the fighting as quickly as possible. Newho, I'm sure you're all are more interested in seeing the pics than hearing me waffle about plans, so here you go;

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs101.snc4/35408_651368098812_286105536_8252711_2805015_n.jpg
Completed Warkopta

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs101.snc4/35408_651368088832_286105536_8252709_6708648_n.jpg
On the Flying Stand. I'm ordering bases from IronHalo.net for all of the kopta force (apart from the Warboss who all ready has a great base) which is why the stand isn't stuck to a base yet

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs041.ash2/35408_651368023962_286105536_8252698_6132692_n.jpg
Warkopta without blades. I've made the blades detachable for storage/transportation, and to hopefully help stop them from breaking.

Both sets of rotors are actually bent upwards the way a real helicopter blades would be. Not sure if this was intentional on the part of Forge World on the main baldes (all 3 sets of blades seem to be bent in the same direction but by massively different amounts) but it deffinitely is cast into the smaller blades at the front.

So what have I learnt from this kit? Well, for the most part it is one of the best FW vehicles I've worked on, including some of their increadibley detailed super-heavies and dreadnoughts. There is more detail than I care to mention, or noticed at the FW open day earlier in the year. Naturally this means some of the peices have to be exactly the right shape to match up, leaving little room for bodging bits together, especially on the pilot. Fortunately with resin it is easy enough to heat and bend until it fits properly.

On the downside, the chains connecting the engine to the front rotor are an absolute pain, being very very thing peices of resin. Both peices (one for each side) on all three of my Warkoptas have broken in at least one place, which was fun to repair for this model. The mounts for both sets of blades do have pins built into the model, but they are more locator pins than anything with strength, so if you are planning on making the rotors removable as I have, don't forget to drill and attach more durable pins to either the rotor hubs or their mounting points before you attach either to the rest of the model. I did forget, and it made it quite a bit trickier. As always with FW models, the instructions are appauling. I actually found the photos on their website more use more of the time than those supplied with the model, and like any good engineer I have a few bits left over that I cannot work out what they are or where they are supposed to go. Having come off what is simply listed as the "Control Gubbinz Sprue", which has several componants on it, I'm completely at a loss as to where they could even fit on the model. More bits for my Bitz Box though :D

Newho, loved working on this kit, even though it was a straight build with no conversions. I'm really looking forward to getting it painted in the next week or so (around moving house) so will hopefully get some pics up as I go along. I'm planning on converting both of my other kits somehow, possibly making one into a more enclosed cockpit/troop bay like a real Chinook, along with possibly taking the cockpit section and turinging it into a more unique Deffkopta as it comes more or less set up to do so... Either way, more details to come soon

Matt

p.s., more pics can be made availible on request

[Aldramelech]

Thats very cool.

[SotonShades]

Hey guys. Between starting my new job and moving into my new flat, I've been a bit lacking on the hobby front recently, but will be making up for that shortly. For now, here's a quick update on the first of my Warkoptas,

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs077.snc4/35237_654106555922_286105536_8381003_6588656_n.jpg
I've used a Graphite Metallic undercoat for the warkopta, something I plan on doing for all of my kopta force. It gives more or less the same effect as undercoating in black, over brushing in boltgun metal and then washing down with badab black; all in one easy coat of spray paint!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs171.snc4/37905_654106825382_286105536_8381025_5509359_n.jpg
I've gone with a messy, chipped red paint job for the blades (still trying to decide just how red I'm going to do the body) as I can imagine orks spending tooo much time making the paint neat in the first place, let alone as it gets damaged. The top of the blades is blood red streaks over a scorched brown base, while the underside uses red gore instead of the blood red. in both cases I've left a little of the brown showing through and plan on adding a good few chips in boltgun/mithril, along with a little rust. I'll probably add some other orkish decoration as well.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs017.snc4/34221_654106935162_286105536_8381029_4695309_n.jpg
For the skin of the pilot and grot gunner I've started with a orkhide shade base, dry brushed with snot green. I've then layered and blended some red around the mouths, using blood red, baal red and snot green in various compinations, and added some bruises to the pilot's arms adding warlock purple and ultramarine blue to the above mixes.
To make the pilot look like he is straining at the controls of the warkopta, i've added in some veins on his arms and around the bruises working up from a mix of mordian blue and dark angels green up to hawk turquoise.finally, to tone down the colours and make the bruises and veins look subcutaneous I've washed everything with thraka green, befor picking out some of the most promenant highlights in a mix of snot green and dark angels green.


As always there are more pics availible for anyone who wants them, especially of the bruising on the ork pilot. Hopefully I'll get some more work done soon.

p.s. Check out my commission painting company, MC Miniatures. Link to the facebook page is in my signature.

[TSINI]

Fantastic idea mate! It almost makes me want to go orky!

also iron halo bases are really nice, i've been basing my vulture/vendettas on them too.

[SotonShades]

Paintbrush has been flying. Unfortunately I'm still not used to the lighting in my flat, so pics aren't as great as they could be... Newho, I had an idea for making my first warkopta a little more unique; painting it primarily in ice blue, rather than reds. However I got bored of it really quickly and so came up with a back story to make it make sense.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs174.snc4/38043_654329239662_286105536_8390675_6843701_n.jpg
The kopta's gunner decided he didn't like being shot at (being a grot) so decided to paint the kopta 'invizbul' so it'd be the 'same kulur as da sky', forgetting that red wunz go fasta. Whil painting, he got caught by the mek and force to stop.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs099.ash2/38267_654329329482_286105536_8390677_2377387_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs179.snc4/38267_654329334472_286105536_8390678_7013039_n.jpg
To this end I've painted the grot with paint all over his hands, face and even on his feet!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs174.snc4/38043_654329234672_286105536_8390674_4253840_n.jpg
I even added foot prints where he had been standing, as well as drips from the paint tin and circles where he put it down.

[DrLove42]

Awesome idea...remember something like that in a white dwarf. Just can't use red paint job on it now!

[SotonShades]

Hey Guys. Been a while since I updated this, unfortunately because there hasn't been a lot to update (I got convinced to do a bit more work on my super heavy tank company). Still working on Warkopta/Chinork 1, so here's what's changed.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs266.snc4/39653_656769878602_286105536_8528114_180312_n.jpg

Unfortunately, a good few bits have come off the model due to being poorly glued on and badly transported. On the upside it did give me the oppertunity to get in and around the model a lot more easily.n Here is the underside of the Grot gunner on the nose of the kopta.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs275.snc4/40084_656769888582_286105536_8528115_1050074_n.jpg

Here you can just about see the highlighting I did on the fur on the grot's jacket. I'll confess, I was pretty drunk when I decided to start working on the fur, but I'm pretty pleased with the result all the same.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs255.snc4/40084_656769893572_286105536_8528116_6145308_n.jpg

I decided to do a check pattern on the underside of all the skids of the kopta. As this is the only one of 6 that has come off (so far!) I decided to start here. I used Boltgun metal for where the paint has been scratched off. As the Boltgun Metal is a bit brighter than the spray I used to undercoat the model I decided that it didn't really need highlighting, though I might shade it slightly in places and add some rust once I've done the other skids, depending on how the model looks.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs003.snc4/33502_656770397562_286105536_8528125_7775800_n.jpg

I've also done some work on the furnace. The fire is only a few colour stages, with two mixes between blood red and blazing orange and one between blazing orange and bad moon yellow. Normally for fire, particularly on banners or other freehand work, I'd put in at least three stages between each colour but decided against it for these models due to the limited space and angle at which I could get a paintbrush. Next time I'll probably paint thise before attaching the engine block to the chasis.

[SotonShades]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs285.snc4/40583_656769913532_286105536_8528117_7293083_n.jpg

The tail fin also came off during transport, so I've taken the oppertunity to paint it up a bit more before reattaching it. I also plan on taking some more time to get in and around the engine block before re-attaching it. As with all my ork vehicles I like to make them look as if they have been made from salvaged panels of other vehicles. Here you can see parts of a Blood Raven vehicle, as well as a few bits of an Ultramarine's tank.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs145.ash2/40583_656769918522_286105536_8528118_8286280_n.jpg

This is the Boss icon I plan on using across the Kopta Force, probably as a tattoo on the Warboss himself. I couldn't find any orky glyphs for deffkoptas anywhere, so decided to use the clenched fist from the codex for Boss and turn it into a Kopta-Boss glyph.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs146.ash2/40614_656769938482_286105536_8528119_3556524_n.jpg

Here is the reverse side of the fin, with a bit more rust and damage than the other side.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs146.ash2/40614_656769938482_286105536_8528119_3556524_n.jpg

Again I've used panels stolen from other vehicles, though this time with a Dark Angel's motife. I figured the Orks would like wing patterns on a flying machine (also the reason for the Blood Raven design on the other side) but would add their own crudely daubbed designs for their flying Waargh!

Right, that's itt for now. Hopefully over the next week I'll get to grips with the rest of the model, and who knows, maybe at some point I'll even get on to the rest of the army! As always, comments, criticisms and ideas are very welcome. I'm currently working on the main rotor blades, so hopefully I can get them up on here soon.

[SotonShades]

Hello to you all from sunny Southampton! The skies are clear and that is good news as the Kopta Force has it's first fully finished miniature! Yes, finally I have managed to get round to finishing the first ChinOrk Warkopta.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs629.snc4/58927_661159816132_286105536_8763452_5065749_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs614.snc4/59450_661159881002_286105536_8763456_4208241_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs314.ash2/59450_661159876012_286105536_8763455_6873759_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs298.snc4/41221_661159910942_286105536_8763457_6131024_n.jpg

As always, there are more pictures availible either on my facebook page or on request. I've really enjoyed working on this kit, and its one of the first kits I've done in a long time with absolutely no conversion work at all. I've also got one of the Iron Halo bases (BTOVL The Battlefield of Thran Large Oval Base) painted up to go with it.

Hopefully I'll get chance to start work on the first Deffkopta Skwadron this week, although I have a few bits for Games Day UK I really ought to finish first.

Comments and criticisms welcome.

Shades

[SotonShades]

Well I sem to be spoiling you all at the moment, with yet another post!

This time I've got a size comparison of the Warkopta, the Boss's Killakopta and a regular Deffkopta (albeit with a buzzsaw on the front).

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs319.snc4/41270_661402809172_286105536_8773762_2032263_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs153.ash2/41007_661402839112_286105536_8773763_2155182_n.jpg

I think I've managed to get a nice progression between the sizes of the Koptas (entirely by accident I assure you). The Killakopta does seem to fit in nicely with the rest of the models :)
Right... On to the Deffkoptas ;)

[SotonShades]

And Deffkoptas it is...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs214.ash2/47744_661402295202_286105536_8773731_5338548_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs404.snc4/46704_661402370052_286105536_8773737_4395194_n.jpg

Here's the first Skwadron I'll be painting up. As you can see, they are all Black Reach models (I have 16 in total, though one if going in to a Warkopta conversion), and in this case I've converted them all to have Twin-linked Big Shootas instead of Rokkits. To do this I simply cut the rokkits off before sticking the two halves of the koptas together and cut the back off two standard shootas from the ork boys box, placing the barrels (and sometimes a few accessories) where the rokkits were.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs638.snc4/59792_661402280232_286105536_8773730_6266524_n.jpg

Here is one of my favourite examples. For this one I put the shootas diagonally rather than side-by-side. I also kept part of one of the Rokkits and some form of crude sensor lens.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs635.snc4/59543_661402210372_286105536_8773724_1167907_n.jpg

And finally; Da Skwadron Leada!
I think fairly obviously, this guy has a Buzzsaw. Yes I know It's a little "James Bond Villain" ala The World Is Not Enough, but it was a lot of fun to make and really stands out on the table top baing such a tall and top heavy looking model. For those of you interested, its a sprue frame with standard 25mm round bases stuck to it which had had the sides cut off and the various teeth of the blades cut into it with a pair of clippers. Nothing fancy, but it works. Originally, I had a pin coming out of the sprue which slotted into the bubble of ac ut down flying base. Had to be cut down as it made the model otherwise far too tall! However, so that the base matched the rest of the Kopta Force, I clipped off the pin and added a length of brass rod, simply stuck to the leading side of the sprue which slots in to a hole in the resin base.

Right, that's it for now. Hope fully I'll be getting them painted soon.

Shades

[therealjohnny5]

love the work man. glad to see your progress. i'm in process of trying to put together a totally random ork army using only models with random rules...trying to figure out the best modeling options too once i have a go at it. But anyways, love your ideas.

[SotonShades]

Well hello again. After a short delay (mostly thanks to getting ready for tournaments) I've finally got round to finishing the first Deffkopta. Gonna keep working on the rest of the Skwadron, and should hopefully get the pics of them up later today!

[SotonShades]

Well I may have been a little optamistic with getting the pics up a few days ago, what with needing to buy vital supplies (including glue and paint you will be happy to hear) because of some unexpected snow we had around here. But without further delay;

DEFFKOPTAS!

Finally I have completed the Bloo Skwadron, the first Deffkopta Skwadron of the Kopta Force.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1208.snc4/156084_674073621762_286105536_9179333_4059944_n.jp g
Here's da Skwadron Leader. Buzzsaw underneath, gold teef in the mouth and a pretty little light at the front. At the moment, the rotor blades and base are detachable, but using him in a game last weekend I found that he simply spun round and fell over a lot (even on flat surfaces!) so I'll be attaching the base in a slightly more permenant fashion soon.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs611.ash2/156357_674073666672_286105536_9179336_95443_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1183.snc4/150516_674073736532_286105536_9179339_939436_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs354.ash2/63474_674073751502_286105536_9179340_6045656_n.jpg

AAAnd the rest of the Skwadron. Not a lot more I can say really. The main uniting feature of the skwadron is the blue on their koptas, as they have each got different colour coats, hats and boots (one of them even has odd boots!). The bases do all match, with some metallic rocks (boltgun metal and tin bits wetblended), brown earth and autumnal orange leaves on two of the bases (in varying hues).

As usual there are more pictues in an album on my facebook page (link below). Comments and criticisms welcome as always. Next I'm working on the first Boyz unit to ride in the first Warkopta. I've got the models, have had for a while, just need to get them painted up. Hopefully I will get some pictures of them soon... possibly :P

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9179340&id=286105536#!/album.php?aid=258559&id=286105536

[SotonShades]

Me again. One unit finished and, as promised, another one in the works! From me vast selection of unpainted Ork Boyz, I've selected the models that are going to become my first unit of Kopta Boyz.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to da ladz;

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1183.snc4/150508_674294738642_286105536_9185122_3223009_n.jp g

The obligatory group shot. Sorry for the quality of the photos again... I really should stop trying to take pics in the early hours of the morning. As you can tell the models are in various states of completion (for want of a better word) with one Boy being fully painted. He actually won a summer painting competition for me (something to do with Hawaiian shirts matching on the model and the painter).

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs355.ash2/63496_674294753612_286105536_9185123_5721543_n.jpg

Speak of the devil. I've matched the Choppa and Slugga to the shirt I was wearing at the time (only with 100% less palm tree... I'll tell you more if you really want to know) and I'm going to keep that as a theme for the unit. Along these lines, I've also chosen models with sword choppas (as opposed to the axes or various chainblades Ork Boyz have), with a couple of exceptions which you'll see later. I don't plan on them all having blue blended shirts like this guy, rather a nice variety of colours depending on my mood as I paint each model. Still each will have weapon's matching his outfit...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1215.snc4/156790_674294803512_286105536_9185127_6914860_n.jp g

... with the exception of these guys. I built these together, so essentially they still both count as being armed with a slugga and a choppa, but they've obviously shared their weapons, so I'll have each carrying one weapon that matches the outfit of the other.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs611.ash2/156334_674294768582_286105536_9185124_1807904_n.jp g

Finally, Da Boss. Powerklaw and a 'Arpoon (Slugga, to you and me...), probably a Bosspole. Not much more I can say about this guy at the moment, but people always seem to want to have a closer look at him when they notice him.

Newho, that's it from me for now. Hopefully I'll get on to painting them this week.

[rustbucket]

Thanks for posting your conversions and paint jobs! They help all of us Ork players get ideas for our own armies!! Definitely dig the buzzsaw on the Boss's Kopta.

[SotonShades]

Cheers mate. glad to hear you like my stuff.

[Tynskel]

World is Not Enough?

bwhahahah!! Awesome!

[SotonShades]

Hey peoples of the interweb.

I've slowly been working on the Kopta Boyz, and have even completed a couple of models.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs020.snc6/167046_678659591442_286105536_9337990_1014609_n.jp g

I've got base colours on all the models now, and highlighted and washed the skin too. Before I did the was I gave each of them some tattoos in Scab Red, which I've highlighted after the Thrakka Green wash over the skin with Blood Red, and even a Blood Red/Blazing Orange mix in a few places.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1384.snc4/163673_678659172282_286105536_9337965_2329337_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs771.ash1/166154_678659157312_286105536_9337964_1890671_n.jp g

I've gone with a nice dirty, dark yellow for the Nob. I've used combinations of Tin Bitz and Botlbug Metal across the metal, with Some Shining Gold on the boots. I've over highlighted the skin around bioniks to make it look like it has begun to die off. It also helped tone down the yellow of the model's clothes.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1379.snc4/163124_678659356912_286105536_9337973_3744338_n.jp g

I've added some tattoos to the guy who was finished to help tie him in to the unit.

[SotonShades]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1373.snc4/164560_678659247132_286105536_9337968_25682_n.jpg

This guy is a much brighter yellow than the Nob. I kind of see him as a bit of a suck up, second in comand type. And I say Suck up in the orkyish terms; advising the nob to do the most dangerous stuff possible so he can take over.

http://l13.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-ash1/hs742.ash1/163419_678659366892_286105536_9337974_1518950_n.jp g
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1359.snc4/163145_678659386852_286105536_9337976_7388696_n.jp g

These two pairs of Boyz are linked; the first two by the skull motif on their faces (one of which is inverted), and the others as I've mentioned before by their wepaons and now colourscheme. I've even matched the tattoos on their arms.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs027.snc6/165754_678659556512_286105536_9337987_7977870_n.jp g

Finally (for now) here's one of my favourite boyz. Eventually his clothes are going to be white(ish). I've given him tattoos based on those you can find in IA8. Not much more to say as he's only got basic colour at the moment, but he is a good example of how far the rest of the mob is at.

Newho, work progresses so eventually I'll get the rest of the squad done. Hope you've enjoyed this little update.

[rustbucket]

Think your Nob is my favorite model out of your group! Yellow is a bear to paint and weather well and you sir have done a great job of it! Keep up that great work!!

[SotonShades]

Cheers. I actually found it quite easy to do the yellow on both the Nob and the Boy. All it took was a little planning. Essentially I painted it from the inside out, rather than weathering it at the end like a lot of people tend to do with a lot of colours

[SotonShades]

Well, I've settled on these guys for my Armies on Parade entry. On the one hand, it should help me get them painted a little quicker. I hope I don't end up rushing them though. I'm currently working on the base board so will try to get come pics of that up on'ce I've finished cutting out the various foam layers to give you an Idea of where I'm heading with it.

[jwentzel]

Just love the Kopta Squadron, I have never had or played Ork's but I really like the Kopta Force. Good Job!!!:D

[SotonShades]

Hello to all you Rotorheads out there still interested in the Koptaforce, I give you the first Koptaboyz squad;

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=266291&id=286105536

As we have all ready seen some of the Boyz all ready, I will stick to the more recently finished models

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/181689_684361983802_286105536_9501158_351444_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/182681_684362013742_286105536_9501159_2012599_n.jp g

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/181612_684362053662_286105536_9501160_4615727_n.jp g

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185946_684362143482_286105536_9501163_2903780_n.jp g

[SotonShades]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/183901_684362168432_286105536_9501164_766230_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/182742_684362188392_286105536_9501165_3607275_n.jp g

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/184214_684363326112_286105536_9501210_3551293_n.jp g

Thought I might as well shopw the whole squad, including their ride. Basicly the idea behind these boys is that they are those random boyz actually mad enough to ride in a Warkopta, so have come from all different clans and mobs, so there is no cohesive uniform or colours.

As always, bring on the comments and criticisms.

[SotonShades]

And whilst I'm on a roll...

Warkopta number 2!

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/180010_684375227262_286105536_9501310_1893416_n.jp g

Very much an early WIP at the moment. As you can see, I'm much more heavily converting this compared to the previous Warkopta. I've all ready stolen the front cockpit to make a fairly unique Deffkopta (more on that later...) so I had to do something else. Simple solution for a Mek; Stick an unfortunate Grot on the front in the form of a Killa Kan body. This also gave me the bits to put a Skorcha on the front instead of the Big SHoota that comes as standard.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/180735_684375242232_286105536_9501311_2540569_n.jp g

I used the spare bits from the Deffkopta I used to convert the warkopta kockpit to give the Kan a slightly more kopta-like nose. It also worked out pretty well that the KillaKan legs worked out as about the same length as the front skids on the Warkopta model, which made things easy.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/184892_684375252212_286105536_9501312_5189860_n.jp g

I had to cover the sockets for the Killa Kan arms (although I did consider giving the warkopta a pair of buzzsaws). It also gave me the oppertunity to not have to use the chains to connect the front rottors to the back. Instead they have separate engines, which is insanely dangerous (ask anyone who's studied helicopter design) and so perfect for Orks.

Newho, that really is it from me for today. Looking forward to getting on with this and hear what you guys have to say

[SotonShades]

Hello again.

I've gone with a downgrade for the Warkopta in this case, taking Deffguns ( Range 48" S7 AP4 Heavy D3) rather than the Rattler Kannons (Range 24" S4 AP6 Heavy 2D6 and Jams on a double 1, also a 10 point upgrade) that come with the warkopta kit. Naturally this meant getting out my clippers, knives and saws to downgrade the guns and give the Kopta Force the ability to do a little damage at range.

Newho, on with the pics;

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/180729_684631448792_286105536_9507613_3250634_n.jp g

I started out with the Rattler Kannons (here with the barrels chopped off) as well as the Heavy Stubers from the old Leman Russ Accessories sprue, and a pair of shootas I had lying around.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185765_684631463762_286105536_9507614_7475432_n.jp g

I took the barrel off the shootas where they connect to the firing mechanisms, and also removed the small barrell opennings at the end. On the stubbers I only used the vented coller at the base of the barrel, so trimmed these out and drilled a whole in the end.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/179894_684631483722_286105536_9507615_2056356_n.jp g

Finally I stuck the whole assembly together (which are much straighter than they look in the picture). I tried to keep the centres of the barrels in line to look more like a single barrel, high calibre weapon, than the covered rotating barrels you seem to get with the rattlers.

I'm a big fan of subtle conversions like this (not that I don't enjoy the big obvious ones like the kan on the front of the kopta too...) and have a few more in line for this warkopta.

[Meph]

Awesome looking kopters! I'm especially liking the two Chinorks, looking forward to the progress of the second one.

[SotonShades]

Wish granted, Meph (and thanks for the compliment). I seem to have been a little more productive today than I was planning! Almost a shame that I didn't clean my flat instead...

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/182196_684668260022_286105536_9508817_3865018_n.jp g

The completed chasis, minus the Tail fin which I'm keeping off for now to make painting it and the engine block a little easier. I've used the skids from the same donnor Deffkopta I used for the front fairing under the clawed feet of the Killa Kan, in part to give it a bit more height (and match up with the height of the rear skids) but also to make the front end more kopta-ish.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/183992_684668314912_286105536_9508819_6659459_n.jp g

And here with the rotors attached and tail fin hung on its mounting. As before, I've kept the rotors detachable to allow for slighlty safer stoarage and transport. Unlike the previous warkopta I've drilled in to the hub of the rear rotor rather than adding a pin that slots in to the engine block. I've also kept the gear head assembly on the front rotors as one, rather than having just the hub slotting into gears as on the previous warkopta. To do this I had to add a small chunk of resin to the underside of the gear assembly to make it fit, which wasn't a problem I had on the previous warkopta.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/184780_684668464612_286105536_9508826_5256564_n.jp g

Here we have a quick shot of the underside of the kopta. As you can see, the extended barrels on the underwing kannons fit fairly nicely with the kit. I've also added a little bit of extra spikey extra armour on the fuel tank (something I reckon a Mek would do).

I've left a good number of bits off this kit such as the shocks on the rear skids, some of the exhausts, the chain connecting the fore and rear rotors... the list goes on. I also found some uses for bits I hadn't used on the previous warkopta, mostly the 'Kontrol Gubbinz'.

With a little luck I'll get it undercoated and painted in the next few days, depending on work and weather, as well as getting on with my Armies on Parade board (where I'm planning on using a few of the left over bits as a scrap area around my Mek). As always C&C are welcome, and I have a link to some more pictures (of both Warkoptas) here;

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=651367984042&id=286105536&aid=226635

[shrike]

wow, nice work! So this is a...chinoork?:D

[SotonShades]

Due to a temporary lack of funds, and more importantly running out of primer, I've taken a slight break from the 2nd Warkopta to work on Da Yella Skwadron; the next 4 Deffkoptas. Just like Bloo Skwadron I've done a few simple conversions, though this time not to the weapons (mostly!)

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/182769_684923753012_286105536_9514880_158706_n.jpg

Here's the Skwadron leader, armed with a Buzzsaw. I actually built this guy ages ago, soon after the black reach boxed game came out (hence the metallic undercoat). The only real convertion on the kopta is the buzzsaw, made from 25mm round bases as for the Bloo Skwadron leader, a slightly curved chunk of sprue and the back end of a large gun (not sure which... it was a long time ago and I've been to sleep since then :P). I also moved the mounting point for the flying stand and canted the deffkopta over to look like it's in a banked dive in to combat.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/183268_684923897722_286105536_9514887_4063781_n.jp g

The whole skwadron are all mounted at different heights, as with the previous skwadron. As you can see I've also tinkered with the rotors, making a tri-blade kopta, and a kopta with two massive blades (it's all about disc area, as any good aerospace engineer will tell you). I've also swapped the heads on two of the pilots for those from the Ork Boyz box. I've also given them pistols/spikey club instead of having both hands on the controls.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/182093_684923842832_286105536_9514885_3596528_n.jp g

I made one of the pistols from the back end of a big shoota and the barrel of a shoota, both from the boyz box. I liked the idea of it being on a strap so he could just drop it when he loses control of his kopta (a virtual certainty) without losing it. For all three of the koptas I trimmed the hands/arms away from the handle bars of the koptas before attaching them to the model, leaving me with the brake levers and the right angles on the forks (if it were a bike). I used various rods and poles from my bits bow to replace the handlebars, and sometimes used the wrong brake lever on purpose to change the shape of the handes slightly.

More pictures availible here;
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=684923842832&set=a.684923653212.266604.286105536&pid=9514885&id=286105536#!/album.php?fbid=684923653212&id=286105536&aid=266604

What do you guys think? Hopefully I'll get back on to the warkopta soon... if all else fails, I get paid tomorrow, so should be getting more primer soon.

[SotonShades]

Right, got some pennies together and managed to pick up some primer. halford's Red primer for anyone interested, intended for cars but work exceptioanlly well for resin models... was going to get grey and then give it a Skull White spray undercoat afterwards, but they were out of grey and I liked the colour once it had dried. I followed this with a Thraka Green wash over the whole model, which used most of the pot.

Newho, I got a little ahead of myself and painted the whole tail fin ( I only planned on doing one colour on it... oh well)

So, a little sneak peak of the colour scheme I'll have for the second Kopta... Note the KoptaBoss glyph I've used on the previous warkopta's tail fin

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189056_685316061822_286105536_9527476_336882_n.jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/188380_685316111722_286105536_9527478_5129472_n.jp g

Comments and Criticisms? Still not decided if I'm going to paint the rivets or just leave them looking like they've been painted over, so any opinions on that issue are very welcome.

[shrike]

Wow you've been busy!
I reckon a boltgun drybrush over the rivets, including the area around it to show that they've been taken off and on a lot.
nice work, keep it up!

[SotonShades]

Hello guys, girls and those of you followers of nurgle who have rotted too much to tell anymore!

Been a while since I've posted anything about these guys, mostly because it's been a while since I've had a pintbrush in my hands for more than a few seconds recently. However I do have a few more teaser shots of the Mek's Warkopta for you all to enjoy.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/198525_689354783192_286105536_9622190_6188824_n.jp g

As you can see I'm going for a much redder paintjob on the second Warkopta, with masses of weathering/chipped paint. I figured the Big Kopta Mek would keep all the nicest, reddest scrap for himself, afterall. As on the first warkopta I've got a nice roaring (or should that be Waargh-ing?) furnace burning bringtly under the engine. Still got the details/highlighting on the fuel hose to do before the engine is properly complete, but I'll get round to that when I have time to start working on the underside as well.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/200303_689354848062_286105536_9622195_2485237_n.jp g

I've tried to keep the scratches and chips in the paintwork as natural as possible, so around moving/tight parts as well as edges and dinks.

Sorry for the poor qulaity of the pics. Was trying to get them taken before I lost the last of the natural light in my flat. I am planning on breaking up the red a lot more on the rest of the kopta (mostly with other shades of red, but still) as well as a few freehand details that may have crept on to the model all ready, but kept out of shot... :rolleyes:

Newho, let me know what you guys think. More pics in the usual place, and hopefully more on the way soon :)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=689354848062&set=a.651367984042.226635.286105536&pid=9622195&id=286105536#!/album.php?fbid=651367984042&id=286105536&aid=226635

[Grailkeeper]

Looks great- but I'd be wary of posting pictures from facebook- strangers may see your personal details

[SotonShades]

Well once again I've managed to go for an age without posting anything... oops. Part of that comes down to working 60+ hour weeks, part down to playing a mahooosize Apoc game the other weekend, and part down to losing my paintbrushes in amongst the detritus I call a flat! However, without further ado;

Yella Skwadron update. I'll be honest, I've barely done more than undercoat these guys and get the base colour done.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/5818632598_bbd5d1ec05_b.jpg

As you can see I've also more or less finished the bases, just the Tin Bitz veining on the rocks and a tidy up on the edges and the poles.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/5818633656_15b1725503_b.jpg

Can you guess how I've painted them so far? Really tricky...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5119/5818638364_c1d4ee884a_b.jpg

Yep you're right! Skull White undercoat with a Gryphonne Sepia wash over almost everything.

Sorry, I'll stop being patronising now. The plan is to paint the skids (and buzzsaw) black and follow up with some Boltgun Metal. I'm also going to use Chaos Black on the skin and hand held weapons, before painting the skin the same way I did on the rest of the army (Orkhide Shade, drybrush/overbrush Scorpion Green and wash with Thrakka Green). As a contrast to Bloo Skwadron I'm going to try to make their clothes quite bright, to make the pilots really pop. I'm also going to use various shades of yellow on different panels of the koptas themselves to make them all a bit more unique, as well as a few well placed patterns and glyphs. After that it's mostly a case of picking out details and damage with metallics. Apparently adding another photo makes 6, not 4, so the other pic will have to be as an attachment.

Quick question for you all; Rokkits! Ok, that's more a statement than a question. More a word than a statement actually, but on to my point... Do I paint them a different colour to make them stand out? Part of me wants to keep them the muted yellow with the rest of the Kopta, or possibly a bright yellow so they match but stand out. I also kind of want to paint the warheads bright red (so'z dey go fasta nnnd maak a bigga boom wen dey krump da 'oommies buggies) or possibly another spot colour. What do you guys think? Yes, no, monkey nuts? Any alternative suggestions? Cheers in advance.

Right, now just to get some pictures of the second Warkopta... back in a few minutes :D

[SotonShades]

As promised, more pictures! (I really am spoiling you all again today)

The Big Mek's Warkopta is all but finished now. All I have left to do is the chipping on one of the wings and the kan/cockpit and to paint the rotors.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2323/5818767700_af806d79d9_b.jpg

As I said once upon a while ago, I've gone for the much more red colour scheme than before, broken up with panels that are other colours/shades of red, as well as some freehand.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/5818203973_ec68dbe98d_b.jpg

Speaking of which... I've added a 'KoptaMek' Glyph to the main deck of the Warkopta, so all da boyz no oo's ride dis is. And so they can call him a flying spanner behind his back ;) I've also gone with flames on the wings, cus who doesn't like a flamejob on their vehicle?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/5818776330_e402934a31_b.jpg

I've tried to keep the underside as detailed as the top, though I've put considerably less effort in to making the panels different colours. I really like how the Deffguns have come out as well. The look really nice next to the rattler kannons on the otherwarkopta (at least I think so... I'll get a side-by-side shot when I've finished painting this one properly).


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.651367984042.226635.286105536&saved

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/

As per usual, more pictures availible on facebook, and now on my flickr photostream (where you can also see some pics of my other convertions... more to come on that front soon). Both links above. As I said, there is still more work to be done, particularly on the rotors, but comments and criticisms or ideas are always welcome.

Thats it from me in the Koptashop for now. Hopefully I'll be back soon with a bit more progress on both the warkopta and Yella Skwadron.

Shades

[SotonShades]

It has been a disturbingly long time since I've posted on here (in part due to working a few 70+ hour weeks recently, as well as entering a tournament or two!) but hopefully I'll get back on it with these guys in the coming weeks!

Good news is that Yella Skwadron is all but finished! I'll get some pics of them up shortly; I've been getting some great interest whenever I take them in to my local GW, so I'm sure you guys will love 'em. I've also had a modicum of success with a KoptaForce Lite at a tournament recently, winning all of my games on one day! Unfortunatle I lost all of my games and was tabled in all of my games the previous day, but I did have some terrible luck. My list featured both Blu and Yella Skwadrons, the Kopta Boyz from page 3 (albeit with Da Floaty Trukk, again Pics will appear at some point, rather than their Kopta) and an Orranj Nob Biker Mob, Sarjunt Killjaw the cheap and cheerful warboss and a few blob mobs of around 25 boyz Last but not least I also had Da Redz; My third Skwad of Koptas. For now I'll keep them a bit more of a secret, as I've got to keep you guys coming back somehow ;). All in all a good outing for the Koptas... now just to get them finished.

My AoP board is also coming along nicely. Only 20 days until judgement day, so I really need to crack on with that, gettign Yella Skwadron done as well as painting up the Big Mek and possibly even Da Killakopta. I highly Doubt I'd have time to paint up the third kopta skwadron and Nob squads I was also hoping to include on my AoP entry, but you never know, greater miracles have happenned!

Thats me for now. I will get some more pictoral lovelyness up for you all soon. Soon is a very stretchy timeframe, so that might be another month or two :P Will see how work and painting go. Cheers for now

Shades

[SotonShades]

Right... so 5 months and I failed spectacularly to get any pictures up for you lovely people! Well done Shades :(

Well, potentially good news for you all. I've been invited to take part in a painting competition at my FLGS, with the only rules being it must be a character on a mount... What is a cooler character on a mount than a 10" tall fungus with an attitude problem riding a ramshackle, terrifyingly loud helicopter with a massive flame breathing cannon, huge machine guns and a frickin jet engine?

Yes, I'll be breaking one of my rules to start getting Warboss Orguzza Vestallon painted. He's currently getting his second spray under coat, so I'll be on to painting him tomorrow. I'll also spend some time tonight taking pictures of Da Kopta Force as it stands, including most of da Yella Skwadron, rough work on Red Skwadron and the Big Mek himself, Murk 'Kopta' Geerhed. He is still very much WIP, but it'll give you a good idea of what I have planned.

So don't despair, my threadromancy skills are up to the task of bringing the Kopta Force back from the realm of the forgotten!

See you all soon,
Shades

[SotonShades]

So, pictures!

I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos, particularly the lighting, as they are a little on the rushed side. One day I will learn to take photos at an appropriate time of day!

Somehow I managed to not take a single picture of my Armies on Parade entry on the day itself. Since then it has had to move house with me and got a little damaged. As I've yet to get round to fixing it yet, I'll only show you the bits that survived for now. First off, a few guys I'm sure you will all recognise (or might if you go a little further back in the thread...)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6695556233_a82484bf57.jpg

Yep, it's Blu Skwadron. I've gotten them buzzing around a small woods (which can be plucked out of my AOP board and placed on the normal citadel woods base easilly enough), with the Buzzsaw Boy Chopping straight through a tree. I also spread some spare leaves (a few of which were kindly donated by the manager of my former LGS) across the board to look like they've been blown far and wide by the downwash of the rotors.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6695568127_28a62fe510.jpg

I also included this little fella at the front of the board. He was quite a hit during the judging/voting and now regularly acts as one of me objectives in games. Sods odds say he'll hit a Kopta with his flare gun, but you know a cheeky little chappy like him would never do something like that on purpose.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6695550679_deea109905.jpg

I included this fortress gate on the back corner of my board to make the whole thing a little more impressive. With the landing pad (just hidden out of the top of shot as it took the brunt of the damage during moving) and the first Warkopta sitting on top of that, mine was easilly the tallest board at the store I entered it at. Something the Space WOlf entry that actually won (beating me by a single vote!) was most annoyed about. His board still had be far the most bulk, being a fairly impressive cliff-face fortress. I lost count somewhere around the 200 mark when I was adding rivets to all the metal plates that make up the side/back walls, and I hadn't even put any on the train that makes up that vertical support for the landing pad on the left, or the back wall. There are loads of little features on this gate, such as the pot of blu paint the grot from the first warkopta had been using, Waaagh! spelt out in rivets on one of the back plates, and hidden doors and shootas added by the orks occupying the formerly Imperial fortress.

Just like the woods, all the baricades and the fortress can be removed from the board, both for ease of transport, as well as so I can use them in other games. Once I have gotten the landing pad and bits fixed up I'll get a few more pictures.

I may even have another treat for you in just a few minutes.

[SotonShades]

Another model I promised myself I wouldn't paint until I got a certain way through the rest of the force... I did need him as a general for my AOP entry though, so I don't feel too guilty.

So, would you like to meet the proud owner of the big red warkopta? He's big, green and mostly made of metal;

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6695571823_d9e47156da_z.jpg

Again, quick photo and I will get some better ones later. I have a few more plans for painting this guy, despite being mostly done now, so you will have to wait for the good pics! For the most part he is made from the Nob bits from a normal Ork Boys box, along with a pair of Deffkopta rotors (for his KFF ariels), the support arm for a Valkyrie/Vendetta's door Heavy Bolters and Imperial Guard bits from the Apocolypse Command Vehicles Sprue. For anyone interested, the gears on his base come from the inside of a clock that had broken and wasnt worth repairing. They were in good condition until I decided to add them to the model. The base (one of the 40mm Southern Sand Wastes range from Iron Halo (http://www.ironhalo.net/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_26&products_id=38))
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6695575537_f41bfb2068_z.jpg) seemed a bit empty once I'd assembled the model. A lesson why you should never throw anything away; just in to your bitz box.

I tried to make the ariels (including the one made from a Chaos trophy pole) look cleaner and energised than the rest of the metal, using a slightly more heavy handed version of the blue silver technique for painting Grey Knights. I also used a little of my Blue Ink to give more of a shimmer to them. The rest of the metals started of yellow, with various blotches of rusty oranges and browns, before going over them with Boltgun Metal. I will probably go over these bits again, shading and highlighting, and make the rust a bit more obvious. I do want to leave them looking metallic though, rather than painting over them with glyphs etc. I figure a Big Mek would want to show off his Cyborky Bitz to potential future 'kustomers'.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6695576319_ae0c180fce_z.jpg

I used a Nob's Powerklaw to make his Mek's Tools. Kinds makes him a Swiss-army Mek, never without the right tool for the job. In gaming terms, this also allows me to take him with a Powerklaw or a Burna (or both). You can't really see it in this picture, but the end of the pole/gas axe/welding torch/burna finger has actually come out quite nicely and looks a lot more carbonised in real life. That's one part I won't be shading or highlighting!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6695578105_ba990b219f_z.jpg

Finally (for now) his piston powered arm. It felt very ork to give him a normal hand on the end, especially as his other hand was replaced for tools. I'm also not sure what possessed me to give him a dual bladed knife, but with the outstretched arm, the model did need something to make sense of it's dynamic.

As I said, I'll get some more, better pictures once I've done a bit more to Geerhed. Current plans include the metal as mentioned already, along with muddying up his clothes and boots a bit, and making his face and eyes in particular a bit bolder looking, making them more of a focal point for the model. A hard task given how much the KFF draws your attention lol.

As always; comments, consturctive criticism and and idea I can plagarise are very welcome. If I can get some halfway decent pics of what I have done with Yella and Red Deffkopta Skwadrons I'll get those up later. If not, tomorrow, along with a bit of WIP on Warboss Orguzza Vestallon.

See you all soon,

Shades

[SotonShades]

Hello again guys and girls

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs114.snc4/36044_650612532972_286105536_8204783_6612177_n.jpg
Just a quick reminder for those of you who don't know what he looks like :) Since this photo was taken I have undercoated him black.


Inspired by the Kastorel Novem poster (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Imperial_Armour_Books/KASTOREL-NOVEM-POSTER.html) of Big Mek Buzzgob, I'm going for a dark, heavilly blueish green for Skwadrun Leada Orguzza Vestallon's skin. So far I've done a base of Orkhide Shade, washed with Asurmen Blue, Drybrushed/stippled with Scorpian Green and wached again with Asurman Blue. The plan is, like the pilot of the first warkopta, to redden around the warbosses lips. I will also be doing another set of highlights on the skin, before washing it all back down with Thraka Green. I'll also finish off with some highlights on the more promenant skin areas and around the scars on his arm and face, making it look necrotic and rotted around his bionik cyborky implants.

I may also do some tattos on him. As I said many many moons ago, I will probably go with the koptaboss glyph on his right biccep. I do want to put something on his face/top of his head as well though. Any suggestions? Also ideas for colours would be nice. I think I will be painting him with yellow mucky clothes, with plainish rusted metal armour. His kopta will primarilly be bright red, with a fair amount of exposed metal work and the like as well.

Right, typing this has given the last wash time to properly dry, so I'll get on with it now. Let me know what you think and hopefully I will get some picture of him (and Yella and Red Skwadruns) up tomorrow before going to my new gaming club.

Shades

[SotonShades]

Afternoon you lovely rapscallions who follow BoLS!

I've been busy working on the Killakopta and warboss... I've even got some pictures for you all today, shock horror. Hope you like.

So what exactly have I been up to in all this time? Not as much as I'd like as usual. I'll save the warboss himself for the second post, so Killakopta it is.

The more I work on this beastie, the more bits I seem to break off. On the bright side, it did make attaching certain bits easier and (hopefully) stronger in the long run. The wings kept coming off, as did the Jet engine.

As well as repairing bits I have been further orkifying. I may have added a couple of rivets. And a few more. Possibly a few rivets on some of the more open areas. and on the attached plates... oh, and a few rivets. Can never have enough.

So pictures?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7169/6806368091_108e5c5174.jpg

Yep, even the rotors didn't escape without getting rivets. Nothing too much, just to look like they were holding things together.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6806369835_2927248f1b.jpg

I did go a little more crazy on the rotor support column. As the Jet engine fell off I decided it would be a good idea to stick the two together. I figured it would be easier this way than when the jet engine is attached to the bike as I could more easilly get my fingers around it.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6806373577_9c121ac7bf.jpg

Speaking of which:
As you can see, I've rivetted the wings, especially where they join the mudguards-as-was. One of the most difficult bits of applying these rivets was getting them to line up on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings and rotors... that and them pinging off across the room when I tried to pick them up on the end of my knife!


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6806374963_fc409349a1.jpg

The tank on the Blunda-Belcha flame-cannon needed a load of rivets... Honestly, it's not quite as shiney as it looks in the picture. The rivets on the other side aren't quite as regular as the ones on this side.


All in all, I'm kinda sick of adding rivets. I dropped a load into my glue bottle. I keep finding them all over the house and I know I've managed to make a few fall off the kopta, but can't work out where from. Not sure if that means I have too many, or am just a good engineer (should always have a few spare parts left over lol)

[SotonShades]

and before I get, rivets, to the warboss himself, I'll show you where I've gotten to with the base rivets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6806365617_d516915ee4.jpg

Unlike the other rivet pictures, the mud actually is shinier than it looks in the picture. I've got a nice multi rivet tonal effect on the mud, which I plan on supplimenting by picking out a few of the larger rocks at the back of the base with a sandstone type colour and adding some rivet water effects near where the flying rod sticks out to make a nice puddle. I'll also rivet glue some grass on the raised ridge, both short green bits and some longer dead looking rivet blades. After that I'll paint the bevelled edge black to match the rest of the kopta force.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6806359431_4d203afce2.jpg

I think he's angry because his face is out of focus...

As you can see I've rivet got a lot further with Orguzza Vestallon. His skin is more or less complete, though I want to further highlight the scars on his face.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6806361781_dec2236efd.jpg

Again, badly out of focus (I rivet think I'm getting worse at the photgraphy rivet malarky) but you can just about make out some of the tattoos I've given him, in a nice bright yellow. I'm also going to paint rivet his clothes a dirty yellow. His teeth however arent, with the yellow that's rivet there at the moment going to just be a base. As you can see, I've also had to repair the rivet belt drive for his Buzzsaw with a bit of plastic rivet rod.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6806363541_97969a4f84.jpg

As with the KoptaBoyz Squad rivet, I've taken the tattoos from the glyphs in the ork codex, apart from the kopta boss glyph/tattoo on his right arm. Rivet As with the earlier pics, his skin isn't quite a shiney as it looks here and is actually rivet a good few shades lighter than it looks.


Right, that's about it from me for now. Hopefully I will get a bit more done on him rivet in the not too distant future. I want to get his teeth finished and rivet the kopta undercoated with a metallic paint (as I used on rivet the first warkopta and deffkoptas rivet) by the weekend. Next week I should eailly gete his clothes sorted, maybe make a start on his metallics (which I rivet want to stand out riuvet from the kopta metallics, so should be a bit rivet lighter). Who knows, I may rivet even get on to painting some of the Kopta as well.

Red, natu-rivet-rally.

See you all soon I rivet hope. Stay tuned and good rivetting

Shades









Rivet

[SotonShades]

Hey Hey

Wow, over 10,000 views. I'm flattered!

Quick update now, maybe some pictures later if you're good and eat all your dinner :)

I've managed to get the Killakopta undercoated with two tones of metallic paint (in part because the first one ran out... shh, don't tell anyone), which was lucky because as I was finishing, it started snowing. More unusually for round these parts the snow instantly started settling. It has also dropped below the temperature in our garage where the paint will dry. It'll freeze, but I don't really want the undercoat to melt off the second I bring it in for be painted.

I also managed to get my kustom battle fortress (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=19098) sprayed at the same time, but that's another story entirely.

In other Kopta news, I'm also getting on pretty well with the base for the warboss. I added the water effects puddles on a couple of evenings ago (not long after my last post actually) and they have finally dried. Apparently putting it on a cool windowsill isn't the best place to leave drying water effects, but at least it kept it away from dust and inquisitive cats. I've done a further yellowy/sandstone colour on the exposed larger rocks, as promised, with a mixture of Calthan Brown, Dheneb Stone and Iyanden Darksun (Roughly 3:3:1) and watered down followed by a light devlan mud wash. Not sure if I'll do a Gryphonne Sepia wash as well or not. What I am going to do is a reasonably heavy drybrush over the ricks and mud with Graveyard Earth to tie the base together a bit more. I'll leave aring around the puddles though, to look like wetter mud. I also still need to add the tufts of grass, but obviously can't do that until I have done the drybrush.

I have some cleaning and packing to do this afternoon while the undercoat on the kopta and last bits of the base fully dry, then hopefully tonight I won't get any distractions (other than the rugby) so should finish the base, hopefully get some pictures and maybe even get some more work done on the Boss himself and/or the kopta.

Til next time...

Shades


P.s. sorry for the nervous, rivet-related breakdown in my last post!






"Wot's faster than a warbuggy, more killy than a warbike, and flies through da air like a bird?

I got no bleedin' idea, but I'm gonna find out."
Kog da Flymek, pioneer of the Dethkopta

[Monkey Tom]

Loving the Koptas. Looking forward to seeing more.

[SotonShades]

I seem to be trying to make up for months of neglecting this thread with loads of posts at the moment.

I'm afraid it's another pictureless update this evening (does midnight still count as evening?) because the lighting here is crappy and I've still not got a decent lighting set-up sorted since moving house.

The base is finished (just waiting for the PVA glue to dry! I didn't end up putting the sepia wash over the rocks (or ricks as I may have refered to them earlier... never gonna give that up) as the Devlan Mud tonally matched them to the mud enough. I also found that the Graveyard Earth drybrush wasn't really distinct enough for the drier earth, so went a little heavier with it (and closer to the puddles) and did a light highlight/drybrush with Kommando Khaki.

For the tufts of grass, I've taken a couple of bristles from an old decorating brush (the kind you'd use for paint your house) of various lengths, dipped the ends in a blob of 50% watered down PVA, then dipped them in GWs static grass. I then dipped this tuft in the PVA blob again, making sure to not get too much on the static grass, and then placed it on the base, splaying the long brush bristles. I've tried to place them where grass would grow naturally. Seems to have worked but I will wait for the PVA to dry clear, rather than leaving little white splatches at the roots of the grass to be certain. Either way I'll get some pics up on monday for you all. can't be tomorrow as I need to drive half the length of the UK in the snow...

As I said before, I touched up the black on the bevelled edge of the base, as well as on the flying pole.

Newho, assuming I make it back (and don't get toooooo hungover while I'm away) I shall see you all soon,

Shades

[Meph]

Well, it's a photo-fest indeed! W00h00! :D

You've made some excellent progress mate. those orks are looking well impressive, same goes for the terrain.
I'm loving those serrated 'wings' on that last kopter there. Kewl stuff!

[SotonShades]

Picture time!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6832136273_9c2ef8318f_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6832150085_fd18176c1a_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6832124477_138416204e_z.jpg

Nothing's changed from what I said before (other than the PVA has had plenty of time to dry).
Enjoy :)

[SotonShades]

While I'm waiting for stuff to dry, I figure I might as well give you all an update.

I finished the warboss's teef today, working up from Kommando Khaki to Bleached Bone, with a little Skull white on the very tips of his biggest teeth. I also left a little of the yellow showing around his gums (somehow doubt that Orks would be too bothered about plaque build-up... especially as they use teef as currency, so anything that helps them fall out!)

I've also added another point highlight of skull white in his bionic eye (his left) as, with the gloss varnish, you couldn't really see the ones that were all ready there.

As I said, I'm waiting for stuff to dry. That stuff would be a Ogryn Flesh wash on his overalls to add a bit more depth and much before I start adding the yellow. On the few patches on the suit, mostly on the rump, I'll be going for a drarker, leather look, probably with a badab black wash and working up to a dark brown/off black. I may also add in a few greeny patches where the clothes have gone a little mouldy where they've gotten damp... Orks are giant walking funguses afterall.



On the bike I've also done a couple of preparatory washes on the jet engine/pylon. At some point next week I hope to be doing the same to the rest of the kopta and get on with the red paintjob.

So, thats me for now. If I get anything worht pictures done, I'll get them up. Til then TTFN

Shades

[Kawauso]

Really nice job on a thematic force.

Your attention to detail with regard to the variety of textures Ork models offer is commendable. You've done a great job making everything look suitably ramshackle - I know that the lack of uniformity with Orks is something that would probably drive me up the wall when painting in batches. Kudos!

[SotonShades]

Over 11,000 views?! Well thank you one and all :)

Such devotion definitely deserves due rewards (try saysing that when you're drunk!)

Fortunately I have just the thing; Orguzza Vestallon is looking like a very angry Skittle (or possibly three smashed together :P) after a good few hours painting his yellow overalls and starting the basecoat on his metallics. Unfortunately i haven't taken the pictures yet, but check back in a few hours and I should have a good couple of post's worth :)

Cheers for the great feedback as well.

Shades (the tease it would seem ;))

[SotonShades]

Woo, I actually kept a promise about pictures. Assuming I finish writing this post in the next 13 minutes anyway...


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6893807803_7ec299b5d8_z.jpg

So yeh, yellow! From the point I mentioned all ready I used a couple of shades of yellow in successive thin highlights. They could have been thinner and you'll see in a couple of the other pics that it is a little blotchy in places, but to the naked eye it looks surprisingly smooth.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6893808789_051383dc19_z.jpg

On the metal plates and hoops I've started off with an orange base. I'll be washing this down to a much darker orange (probably with Devlan Mud) before going over it all with Boltgun Metal and subsequent highlights. The end result should be a fairly bright but rusted look, with weathering in the recesses.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6893809553_7dd28a52ac_z.jpg

I've done a few of the patches on his overalls as rough black leather, which has a worn brown look to it. I actually used my own very worn lblack leather coat as a reference. I still need to pick out the rivets (oh no...) that are holding the leather patches in place, but I'm pretty pleased with the result, though it might be a little too subtle once he is mounted on the kopta.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6893810235_41c95173d1_z.jpg

Last and quite possibly least is the stitching. Nowt fancy, just a quick flick of Kommando Khaki over the brown/yellow/wash stages. Just enough to stand out without breaking up the overall appearance of the model.


You may have also noticed his teeth being much brighter than before. Unfortunately, trying to take pictures at close to midnight doesn't lend a hand in being able to get great pictures of facial detail of models... aka I couldn't get my camera to focus properly and make the theeth look anything other than pure white... another time then. Gotta keep you coming back for more some how!

Right, I have 7 more days to get this guy and his kopta finished for a painting competition... 5 really given that I am travelling to London and back on one of them and have the finale of a campaign tomorrow. Less given the rest of life getting in the way.

Excuses, excuses. More work needed, see you all soon

Shades

finished at midnight... just kept my promise :P

[SotonShades]

Good news!

I've finished Da KoptaBoss! Fully painted, fully assembled (rotors and base can be removed and spun for easy storage and dynamic, moving pose for game play :P) and ready to rock your socks off!

Bad news; flickr doesn't want to let me log in to my account, so I can't upload the pictures I've taken of him. I would stay and fight it to make it work, but I have to finish getting ready for a party... something about some small game system celebrating the 25th anniversary of it's launch?!

I'll try again later on. Hopefully by the end of the day you will all get to see Warboss Orguzza Vestallon (although he has a new name now, which shall remain secret until my future career prospects a more secure) in all his orky, filthy, kopta-mad glory!

Have a great 40K day everyone. Hope there's plenty of cake for you all,

Shades

[SotonShades]

Woot! Finally got some pictures to upload. They aren't the best pictures ever, but the model is now sitting in a display case at my local GW for voting in a painting competition (feel free to pop in and give me a few votes!) so it'll be at least a week before I can get any more. So, without further ado...


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6782883424_04609899d7_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6782884758_7b491899be_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6929006615_b6986c7525_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6782886192_3a6d4797ae_z.jpg

As you can see, plenty of red to go fasta, a good amount of yellow, matching the Boss's overalls. Plenty of rust, a good few orky glyphs (including the KoptaBoss glyph of course). When I get him back I'll try and get a few better pics for you all, especially of da Blunda-belcha's fuel tank and the mud guards as well as I'm quite proud of those.

So have at it! Comments, criticisms and general insults welcome.

Shades

[bloodangel 83]

Looks good. BA83

[SotonShades]

Welcome back fellow BoLSers. You are such lovely, smart, creative people...

No I'm not trying to butter you up. Not at all. Would you like a cookie?

Ok, so maybe I am trying to butter you up a litte. As I mentioned in my last post, Da KoptaBoss is currently sitting in a display cabinet for a painting and modelling competition with only one stipulation; the entry must be a character on a mount. Well, if an Ork Warboss on an oversized, up-gunned Deffkopta doesn't fit that description, then I'm a Squigg's uncle's butler.

Now, this is the reason I've been so pleasent is that voting for this competition is online; on that most terrifying of forums, Facebook, in fact.
Games Workshop: Leicester (http://www.facebook.com/GWLeicester)

I would greatly appreciate any votes you would consider casting in my favour. That said, if you didn't feel my entry was the best, it'd only be fair for you to vote for the entry you thought was. See, I am a nice guy. Not trying to rig the voting at all...

If I win, I solemnly swear that I will start work on another KoptaForce unit next; quite possibly finishing the Yella Skwadrun of Deffkoptas or maybe even getting on and working on a Nobz mob that have been sitting undercoated in my figure case for far too long now... someone needs to look after the Big Mek!

[Meph]

Corrrr, that looks real nice it does!

[SotonShades]

Cheers very much Meph.


Ok, so voting is going on now. All you have to do to vote is 'like' the picture (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=277889935616430&set=a.188228117915946.46006.129242433814515&type=1&theater) on GW Leicester's page. I seem to be doing reasonably well so far, but any and all support is deffinitely appreciated :)

Shades

[SotonShades]

:D Smiley Shades this morning!

Just heard back from my FLGS, and KoptaBoss Spearsmasha (that's Warboss Orguzza Vestallon's new name btw) has won the painting competition I entered, and may have mentioned once or twice :P

Won't be able to pick him up for a few more, better pictures until Wednesday evening , but watch this space! Apparently the WD team will also be there when I pick him up (although for completely different reasons) so who knows, he may just grace the pages of that hallowed periodical as well.

As promised, that means it's time for me to be getting on with another KoptaForce unit. I've got Boyz, Nobz and Koptas of both varieties to come, so in the spirit of competition, what would everyone like to see?

[damnthevalley]

I love how you're doing this army. Orks have so much potential that I rarely see brought out in an army.

[dulesjoe]

orks orks orks!
So orkish this post turned me green :D

[SotonShades]

Good News Everyone!

Thanks to the glorious weather here in the UK today I've managed to get some great pics of Spearsmasha. And by some, I mean around 30. As soon as I get them editted and uploaded I'll put them up here.

Don't forget to vote for BoLS's Next Top KoptaForce Model (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=20049) to help me decide what to work on next. Only 1 more day, so make it count!

Shades

[SotonShades]

As I said earlier, KoptaBoss SpearSmasha is ready for his close-up.

I've created a set of him on flickr here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/sets/72157629197203078/) and I'll do you all a few of the highlights here as well.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6972969735_b63b1cf931_z.jpg

Start off at the beginning? Oh, I think so. Full frontal shot of Spearsmasha swoopping down on some unfortunate. I'm really pleased with how the dynamic of this model turned out especially as turning it around so it is facing the other way on the base, with the kopta pointing up into the sky rather than diving, looks equally good but has a completely different feel (much more of a powerful leader rather than just an increadible combatant... if that makes any sense!)


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6972977181_a41cf06bd9_z.jpg

Now that's a close-up that'll be hard to forget!


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6972978319_90c3f1f5ef_z.jpg

I think, and I hope you'll agree, that the overall colourscheme of the model works quite nicely with a good balance between the tone of the yellows and greens of the Warboss and the reds and metallics of the kopta. I'm also quite proud of the contrast between the metallics of the kopta and the boss's personnal armour, without either looking clean and new.

Next post will look at a few more of the details... I do love my weird details!

[SotonShades]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6972973627_a94d8cf188_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6826857814_08ed6322a9_z.jpg

Yes... I managed to sneak in a few more KoptaBoss Glyphs around the model. See if you can spot a few others.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6826856488_16c742ea91_z.jpg

A Biel-Tan shock absorber/bright lance, which comes from his first Waargh! where he discovered his love for fightin', kopta-in' and smachin' 'eads! In fact the first thing he did after being spawned was grab an Eldar Jetbike out of the air and smash it in to the ground. I really wanted to get a bit of this background into the model, and figured the helmet/head/skulls of deafeted enemies is... well, not played out, but I wanted to do something more than a little different.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6972978689_10a636d405_z.jpg

Brown and Gold boots. Cus, what Warboss doesn't want a bit of bling? Still better than Uggs. Honestly, those purple blotches aren't so obvious in real life. You can't see them at all and I think they've only appeared because the model was in direct, very bright sunlight.

Wings and Da Blunda-belcha tank next.

[SotonShades]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6826855226_b0c4f7fb5a_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6826855828_178a8b1d43_z.jpg

Who wants nice, neat chevrons? Well, maybe the Iron Warriors. Possibly a few Imperial forces... either way certainly not the Orks! Also, they are a pain in the proverbial to do on an irregularly curved cylinder. With bits such as rivets and panels in the way. behind other things like auxillary tanks and landing skids... Ok, so I'm making excuses, but I still like the end result.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6826859640_74efd833ae_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6972976585_88b0f95923_z.jpg

On to wings! More Chevrons. Yay. I used them really to tie in the yellow of the KoptaBoss's clothes to the kopta itself without their being too many large blocks of gaudy colour (although that would have been perfectly appropriate for Orks too). I've also gone for a bit of red, to go fasta, but with variety. As with all the paintwork on the kopta, I wanted to make it look like it had been daubed on by grots and then chipped away from use, rather than the comparitively neat works of art you'd see on the vehicles of other races.

Nearly there, just a couple of other bits I want to show off.

[SotonShades]

The most important part of any Kopta; Da Rotas.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6972979431_7f60f74545_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6972981733_9ed49bcd4f_z.jpg


Lots of daubed on paint again. I tried to keep the weathering directional, so scratches and rust streaks happenned in the direction the rotors would be spinning. I also tried to keep them looking individual, possibly like they had been pulled off of multiple helicopters, and just plugged on as often as they broke.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6826863422_31146aa565_z.jpg

I couldn't have a big Orky model like this without some checks. Pretty chuffed with how they turned out.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6972975157_a3d3e2ebcd_z.jpg

And the Buzzsaw. Dull, rusty, coated in gore from it's most recent victim... you may also be able to see a little blood splatter on the Warboss's knuckles. What more could any self respecting Ork want?

[SotonShades]

Lets see if I can't crowbar in a couple more pics, eh?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6826865990_6d71d135f6_z.jpg


Slightly better pic of the base than before. You can more clearly see the difference in colour between the wet and dry mud areas.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6972984271_9ed7e003f0_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6972983685_c64aeb9d88_z.jpg

And a nice picture of rocks. And grass. You get the idea. I've tried to tie the rocks and mud together tonally, while still keeping a distinct colour. I think I've said that before, but I wanted to say a bit more than juts what the picture was of!


Right, so that really is it from me for now. As always, comments, criticisms, orkishgrunts and the likae are all welcome. Don't forget to get your voted in for what I work on next for the KoptaForce. Spearsmasha needs a few more cronies, that's for sure.

Shades

[splnes]

Really like the conversions here. Not to sure on the colors but... The idea behind everything is spot on.

[Ignatius Grulgor]

nice

[roncarlin2002]

Man, these are fantastic! Very inspired upgrading that you are doing!

[Vralka]

Doing amazingly lad! This stuff is awesome :D

- Vralka

[dzer0]

I am really liking how this army is coming together, especially with the mud bases like that. I think the best part of this is how you really pull together the scraps of gears and misc metal pieces to make it perfectly orky.

[Narcissus]

Those mud bases are great. Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but what product did you use for the water effects?

[allenacity]

Nice work, looks like a lot of fun.

[SotonShades]

Nothing to forgive; I used GW water effects for my puddles :)

[dave1032]

That. Is. Awesome.

[RFHolloway]

Just excellent - makes me want to get my brush out.

[a94marbo]

Exellent idea, and lovely executed!

[Meph]

Oh yeah, good stuff. The kopter looks really great.:D

[Grrmpf]

Want to see more. :)

[SotonShades]

Don't worry, more is on the way. The past couple of weeks I have had to concentrate on job interviews (including for a job we would all love to have... shhh), as well as getting my SM army ready for a tournament in April. That said, more Koptas are on the way. Yella Skwadrun are part done so just need to find the time to get one with them!

[splnes]

Yeah, I'm not doing any modeling so you ave to do it for me! I need my fix man!

[Spartiatis]

Really hate it when people's bases alone look better then my entire model, nice work

[Deus_Morte]

Nifty. Looks good.

[SotonShades]

Really hate it when people's bases alone look better then my entire model, nice work

Lol Cheers very much. I really do believe that bases make the model, not to mention being as much a part of the finished miniature as any other part. Give them the same time and attention as the rest of the model, same as you would the weapons, the head etc and the model will instantly look ten times better. Especially if you can get a coherrent theme across a unit, or even the whole army!

[Jokemaster87]

Get to da choppa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DeffHeadDice]

Great work... love how you include 'looted' space marine pieces in your paint job.

[SotonShades]

Good day to all, especially the creepy little fellow hiding in the corner. Yes, you over there. I saw you sneak in...

Two part post today. Firstly a little teaser of what I've been working on and then... well another teaser and a little rant.

Ok, so teaser number 1; YELLA SKWADRUN!

Yes, I've finally got a bit of work done on them. Well, enough to make it worth showing. Still very much WIP. So without further adu;

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5454/7196462356_abf0949d51_z.jpg

As you can see, they've come a decent way from 'white with a wash'. Lots more splashes of colour and two are all but finished.


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5038/7196454798_889ea4ed2e_z.jpg

Da leeeda. Nice bright warheads, big Buzzsaw and Da KoptaBoss Glyph. not the best pic to shot it, but his coat has tiger strips on it too.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7196459398_b3daa59e88_z.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7196457644_e577884b3f_z.jpg

And the other mostly finished guy. I want to do something a bit more with the hoses under the koptas, but other than that I'm fairly happy with these guys.

Barrelling along with the other two. I wanted to add in some other spot colours, probably some flashes of red on the three-bladed kopta, maybe a bit more blue and green on the one wearing the blue coat. As you may or may not be able to tell, I still have to do the skin and a lot of the details on both of them, but getting there after a long hiatus to concentrate on my tournament SM list. Hopefully (that dreaded word again!) I'll be finished with these guys soon. After that I should move on to the Nobz who are supposed to ride in the second Warkopta with the Big Mek (so 9, including a pain boy). I've now got a decent selection of Nobz to choose from, having recently converted a ton from Black reach and my Bitz boxes.

Part 2 in just a bit. While I was building Nobz, I got carried away and ended up converting another 'flying' unit type from Codex Orks...

[SotonShades]

Stormboyz!

Not in my original plan at all. In fact I only bought the box set originally to use bitz for a deffkopta squadron I was going to try to pretty much build from scratch, with the only GW bits being the riders and a few details. Well that plan went out the window a loooooong time ago. I recently wrote a list using as many of the random elements from the Ork Codex as possible (of which there are quite a few; random strength weapons, random number of shots, random AP etc) and realised these guys get an extra D6" to their 12" movement and 3D6" fall back moves. The downside being that when you roll 1", one of them dies. And they don't get fleet, but they've all ready essentially got it, so who cares?

Newho, lazy montage time!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7196602336_75b9a8b2d7_b.jpg

I have a ton of other, bigger pictures on my flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/), with a load from different angles. I may post some on here, but not until I get round to painting these guys. That could be a while off, so your best bet is to have a look. Not a single model is built with just bits from the Stormboyz box, although in one case that is just using a normal Boyz head I think. Maybe the arm too... Either way there are three that use only a head and/or an arm from the set and the rest of the model being built from stuff I found in my bitz box. Not to mention a few that have slightly more bitz mixed in with Stormboyz bitz.


Right, I promised a rant. And a rant I shall deliver!

So, I was chatting to a friend earlier today about a Wraithelord convertion, and I suggested having it batting a Deffkopta out the air, as that's pretty much what it'll be used for when we play. Although I may have a spare kopta or two at the moment unbuilt (not for tooo much longer hopefully) he put a bid in on one on eBay before I got the chance to suggest the offer. As we regularly do, this led to us flicking through some of the eBay lots on offer, even consider getting a couple. Of course there was all the usual tat; pro-paint armies, 'rare' models that you can walk in to any GW and pick up... blah blah. But then I came across something that just annoyed me. Not sure why;

http://www.tabletop-universe.eu/images/produkte/i11/11650.jpg

Nothing too bad about that right? Ok, so it isn't on the flying stick. That isn't so bad. Paint job is a bit... I'll be polite and say 'meh'.

But it is selling at a very decent price. Just shy of £30, plus p&p. Now I could understand if this was the ONLY Deffkopta model on eBay. maybe if it was the only painted one. But seriously? WTF? There are loads. Unassembled, assembled, unpainted, painted to more or less any standard you'd wish. How in the hell is that model worth nearly half the price of the box it came in when so many of the rest were going for under £5?

I honestly have no idea why this particular model has gotten me so angry.possibly because at the time I have 4 very similar models painted to a much higher standard (well, I'd like to think so anyway) sitting in front of me and I could do with £120 right now.

End rant I think. Sorry. That was actually quite pathetic for an internet rant. I may have come over all British and restrained.

Now, not that I am offering to paint up models or sell my stuff, but you have to wonder; if that kind of pap can sell for that kind of price, what would people pay for my stuff? I would genuinely like to know what you guys would offer for my koptas, or for me to paint/convert up models to the same standard.

I'm fully aware I am no commission painter and that several people on this site have skills far, far in advance of mine. And that who ever is buying the above Kopta is most probably not in the hobby (or that computer savvy I guess...) but if that level of painting could sell for that reliably, I think I could make a half decent living :P Really important for me as I'm currently unemployed lol.

So, comments, criticisms, commission offers.... blah blah blah. You know the drill. More pics on Flickr. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/) As always.

[SotonShades]

Bored and apparently unable to use a paintbrush properly today. So as a substitute for actually doing some painting and modelling, I'll just post a few more pics of a few of the more converted Stormboyz;

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7240/7196551352_b89e3bb79e_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7196553666_6ef070fb23_c.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/7196555996_1251b724a2_c.jpg

I really liked the way this Rokkit Pack came together. It possibly competes for the 'most componant going into a single piece of wargear' award (I made the certificate myself and printed it off on my printer...) .

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7196546256_804a7eac08_c.jpg

I also really like the expression on this guy's face! I know it's a stock componant of the Stormboyz sprue, but still makes me chuckle.

[SotonShades]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7196564142_97acc4030b_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7196566538_5b812441b8_c.jpg

Another of my Kustom Rokkit Packs.Well two really, if you include the one on the grot. To be fair, he is only there to add a bit more weight to the fron of the base and because I had a metal grot to use up!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7196532178_6cc7e031fb_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7196528764_3d1275456d_c.jpg

The other guy wiv a grot. I wanted this'un to look like he was out of control, rather than purposefully holding on to the Stormboyz's Rokkit Pack to keep up with the squad. Hopefully the Ork looks like he is trying to turn round to see why his pack is being pulled about, while shouting at who ever is doing it to GTFO. I'll leave it up to you guys if i succeeded or not.

[SotonShades]

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/7196586476_098f952d63_c.jpg

The final Kustom Pack on the Nob. I figured one Rokkit wouldn't be enough for the Nob, so bolting on more seem the orky solution. Naturally he had to have the head with the peaked cap and shouting :p


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7196598662_67ed41f541_b.jpg

Lastly for now is a slightly bigger, better pic of the full skwad for your appreciation.

So comment, criticsms, small monkeys drunk on brandy?

[Brakkart]

Nice looking squad there, very dynamic poses and I love the Grot hanging onto one of them, poor thing's about to get roasted by the jet from that Ork's jetpack it looks like.

[SotonShades]

Pics are just uploading to Flickr. Seems to be taking a while, but hopefully I will get them up here asap.

I seem to enjoy being a tease at the moment, so I'll let you know that this one is far more converted than the 2nd Warkopta. Much more Chinook like, with a rear loading ramp and nearly equal sized front and rear rotors! Also, there is only one componant from the Warkopta cockpit in the on the cockpit of this one; the pilot's left arm. I'll leave that you your imaginations!

I've even got it on a lowered, angled flying stand so it looks like it is landing to drop boys off/pick them up. Once again I have gone a little OTT with rivets. Even better, they were a lot smaller than those on the fortress gate!

Pics up soon. There are 30 odd I believe, so will most deffinitely be several posts :P

Shades

[SotonShades]

Well they uploaded quicker than expected! Got to love the jump from 2% after 10 minutes to 76% in 2 minutes...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7179551851_c9c1fc30bf_c.jpg

Still open topped, but a lot less so than before. If only these could take Armour plates... Not that they get the opportunityto use them before going pop in most games! As you can see, to put the rear loading ramp in I've moved the engine/furnace block right to the front. Fortunately turning it sidways fit perfectly, with a little plasticard to give the engine a flat bottom rather than fitting around the locator key at the back of the chasis plate. I also used it to mount the Rattler Cannons, and used the spare muzzles I cut off when converting the 2nd Warkoptas Deffguns (never chuck anything away... even the tiniest bits!) to make some more unique, double barrelled Rattlers.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7179549911_2e474614c5_c.jpg

The basic structure of the cockpit was built around the spare Deffkopta body I had left over from converting Da Red Skwadrun (more teasing... I'll get on to them soon. I promise). I also used a load of the spare resin blocks/sprue that the Warkopta componants came attached to. Unlike the Sprues for plastic kits, they are rectangular and don't come with round bobbles at semi-regular intervals. There are also some pretty interesting 3D shapes in there for some of the componants, so I got a fairly nice cradle out of it. The Pilot's head came from the new Bommer Kit (one of the reasons I justified getting the Bommer when I still had this kit to build!) along with the front armour plate, which is actually an air intake that goes on the top of the nose of the Bommer. Other componants included the Landing Skid Shock absorbers that weren't used and the ammo hoppers for the Rattler Cannons. Finally I added one of the rear flaps (left over from the 2nd Warkopta and the clipped off end of one of the rotor blades (I'll explain why later) as a bit more armour plating for the pilot.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7179546893_9c95717c05_c.jpg

Along both sides, roughly following the edges of the deck plate, I've added armour panels, some made from plasticard, others from offcuts of other componants (again, you can see more bits from a rotor blade and another spare rear flap). On the far side I even used the majority of the tail fin, which obviously wasn't going to fit around/behing the rear loading ramp. I tried to make panels with a similar aesthetic to those found in the Trukk kit, without directly copying anything, so all the edges are roughed up/chipped, I've made reinforcment bars from strips of plasticard (both inside and out, but not necesarilly matching up) and added rivets all over the place; some clustered, some in rough unneat rows, and a few just randomly. I also really wanted to give a bit more structure to the stupidly delicate chain drive system, especially as I needed to extend it to cope with turning the engine block and moving the rotor mounting points further apart. I used I-beam sections as guide rails, with smaller I-beams and strips of plasticard forming supports/enclosure for the passenger section.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7364750026_fbc4cc8ba1_c.jpg

Rather than just flying high and level like my other two Warkoptas (and every other one I've seen on the web) I wanted to add a bit more dynamic to this one. I cut the flying stand down to about 2 inches and angled the cut to tilt the warkopta back about 25 degrees. Net result, with the added height of this compared to a normal warkopta, is the highest parts of the model are only about half an inch lower, so really shouldn't have any LOS problems (of course assuming True LOS is still in use in 6th). Either way, it is still very clear that the Kopta is flying and not just on the ground. Like the others though I've used an IronHalo.net base (http://www.ironhalo.net/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44_83&products_id=210) to add further great detail and a good amount of weight. Fortunately though the centre of mass of the Kopta apprears to be roughly over the point were the flying stand meets the base, so it is reasonably stable. Odlly though, without the kopta on it, the flying stand always falls over...

[SotonShades]

Still hungry for more?


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/7179541159_e7e33e1e1a_c.jpg

As I said earlier, I altered the chain drive quite a bit, and completely turned the gearhead around; putting the engine block at the front and the front gear block at the back, backwards and upside down! I may still add some more rivets and detail to the underside of the rear rotor mount, although I really like the sack of stick bombs tied up by the ramp. Here, probably better than in the rest of the pics you can see just how roughed up the plasticard panel I added are. Hopefully it matches up well enough with the resin pieces.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/7364772440_665ee2579c_c.jpg

As the front rotors were a lot higher (being mounted as high as the rear rotors usually are, sat atop the engine) I had to add quite a bit of extra height to the rear rotor mounting so they would clear the front rotors. Fortunately I have a bitz box full of industrial looking bits that make a wonderful gearbox housing, even if I do say so myself. I even found a Bad Moons glyph to fill out the plasticard wall wwith a bit of different detail... guess I'll be doing a very yellow paint job on this one then. Well, the other two were blue and red respectively!


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/7179542677_423ab6076a_c.jpg

Apparently the gearbox needs a lot of cooling. Or manages to provide thrust... I dunno, just looked cool and has been sitting in my bits box since the SM vindicators came out. Not all the panels are a perfect fit, especially those up at the top, but they are close enough that it looks like Orky craftsmanship rather than a lazy Shades. Doesn't it?


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7364773340_d76dc62ed1_c.jpg

Finally, for this post at least, I just wanted more of a top down shot showing a bit more of the structure behind the guard/guide rails for the chaind drive. To make the longer chains I used the broken bits from the 2nd and 3rd warkoptas (they really didn't survive moving house 3 times, perhaps unsurprisingly as they barely survived being delivered) and so having the supporting structure to glue them to really helped. That said I added the small I-beams taking the load downward to the armour panels after the chain drive, so it's not all functional. This pic also gives you a good idea of just how little clearence I gave myself to work with on these rotors, and why I had to clip some bits off the long blades.

[SotonShades]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7364759732_82cfd80c58_c.jpg

When I first dry fit the engine to the deck plate, it really didn't look right. It took me a while to figure out why; the Jet engine exhaust looked stupid pointing sideways. Even by Orky Standards... just no. Fortunately it was a fairly easy fix. Carefully cutting it off with a Jewlers Saw, I replaced it with the front plate from the Original Warkopta cockpit. Nice and Orky, simple solution. I also kinda imagine the eye lense as some sort of fuel readout, ammo count or maybe some sort of landing/navigational light. I'll decide when I get round to painting it. I also had a bit of a challange putting in new exhausts as the none of the original ones eitheer pointed in a sensible direction or would have to have interescted with other parts of my conversion. Really didn't think it through when planning out, but I think these two worked as a decent compromise. Really really glad that the upper one fits under the rotors...


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7179532693_45b34b3fae_c.jpg

You all know I love my fun little details, and couldn't resist adding this guy when I found him in my bitz box. The idea of having a grot on overwatch while all the boys unload out the back tickled me, and seeing the expression on his face (again, another bit from the Bommer kit) just sealed the deal for me. It also meant I didn't have to put in armour panels all the way around, helping retain a bit more of the open feel for the open-topped vehicle.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7364763992_aef168de19_c.jpg

The sharp-eyed amongst you may have spoted this chap earlier. I really wanted to use him, as he usually sits on the front of the cockpit of a warkopta (go have a look at my earlier posts, possibly the first or second page, for an idea of what he usually does), and the idea of having a crows nest seemed appropriate. A crows nest right next to the rotor blades seemed stupidly dangerous and therefore orky! The original plan was to cut off his trigger finger and reposition it so he was pointing at something in the distance. Then I lost the finger. It is really really small and my carpet has many shades of grey. Not a hope of finding it. New plan, he had his finger lopped off by the rotorblades! I am sooooo looking forward to painting him!


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7179528679_ebba4de7b7_c.jpg

Just to give you an idea of what I did inside the cabin in terms of detail. I have a feeling I am going to regret my decisions later when painting this beasty. Still, with it being a open vehicle, it would look seriously wrong if I'd left the insides blank.

[SotonShades]

Just a couple more pics to see you through, the rotors;

Front
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7364754830_61a4212e7a_c.jpg

Rear
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/7179525173_3f80055be4_c.jpg


I wanted to make more equal rotors, though as I all ready mentioned, the front rotors had to be shortenned slightly. Easiest way to do it was to use two of the original front, short rotor blades and two of the longer blades for each. Something I didn't realise until I started sticking them together was the ForgeWorld actually made the mounting points the same size on both the front and rear rotors. I was really thankful for this as it meant I didn't have to do any pinning or converting to make them fit, just the regular clean up. Happy Happy Shades :D

Right, that is is from me for now. Tell me lovely things about my models please. Or constructive negative things too. Is all good and welcome. If you can believe it, yet more pictures are availible on my flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/). Any questions, don't be afraid to ask.


Yella Skwadrun are coming. Just number 4 to finish (mostly detail stuff) and then I shall get some lovely pictures up for you all!

[Cpt Codpiece]

the fingerless grot sounds great. and very orky

loving the work..... damn it im feeling all orky now LOL

that kopta is great, makes me really wanna get the tools out and have a go... but FW ork stuff is wayyyyy pricey.

loving the grot jump pack too :D

[SotonShades]

Hey Hey Guys, Girls and Lurkers of BoLS,

Once again, I've entered one of the Kopta Force in to a painting competition and would love to have the support of the BoLS community. All you have to do to vote is follow the facebook link (https://www.facebook.com/GWLeicester) and 'like' the photo you think is the best. There are 5 entries and I really do urge you to vote for the one you think is best, and not just mine because you like me (although I won't complain if you do :P)


https://www.facebook.com/GWLeicester (https://www.facebook.com/GWLeicester)

In the interest of fairness, I won't directly link to the pic of my entry, though I am sure you are all bright enough to work out which one is mine!

Cheers in advance! If I win, I may even get Yella Skwadrun finished and post them up, just for you lovely peoples :)

[SotonShades]

Hey BoLSers, Lurkers and those who've gotten here by accident!

Once agaiin I have spectacularly failed to post anything kopta related in a while... Sorry. The last guys of Yella Skwadrun is nearly, so nearly, finished. I just keep drawing a blank on some of the details. Rest assured I shall be working on him this weekend (around a couple of small games in GW and reading this month's WD very carefully!

I have something a little more quirky to present to you today however. KoptaBoss Spearsmasha has a facebook profile now! (http://www.facebook.com/koptaboss.spearsmasha)

I promise I haven't gone comepletely mad. Gone being the operative word there... My FLGS is starting a 40k campaign to kickstart 6th Ed (with a small game today and bigger games leading up to Apocolypse scale just before Christmas!) As a way of recording what's happenning, I decided to give Spearsmasha a virtual voice. I suppose I could have used Twitter, but Orks don't understand character limits ;)

So add him as a friend and listen to his tales of woe and Victory as he tries to lead the Kopta Force to victory across Temperis in search of the Dark Sphere.

Also, I'll be posting pictures of Da Kopta Force as they grow from 500 to hopefully 3000 points, as well as in-game shots. So, you know, more reasons for FB love!

[SotonShades]

I promise I have nearly, nearly, nearly finished Yella Skwadrun! Just the last few bits of weathering on the last guy. Seem to have painter's block everytime i pick up a brush though at the moment, and don't want to rush/ruin him.

Those of you who've befriended Spearsmasha (https://www.facebook.com/koptaboss.spearsmasha) will have noticed a lack of gaming as well. Blame that one on the British Grand Prix. That said, he did get up a text only report on his last fight which is fairly descriptive. Unfortunately the Picta-kopta didn't get involved, so no pics... Next week maybe. Camera is all ready packed with the rest of the kit.

However, it has been a while Since I showed you any KoptaForce WIP pics. To try to get back in to the pattern of Warkopta, Deffkoptas, unit, I have started on the guys who wi'll be riding in the third Warkopta (seen as that has all ready been built and undercoated. Even before 6th Ed. rolled in I realised this army was lacking much in the way of firepower. With the arrival of said might tome, even orks benefit from having a few more guns (snap shots? who cares, we'll still hit about as often!) So I decided the 2nd Kopta Boyz squad would be Shoota Boyz. I also needed 20 for a recent "good bye to 5th Ed." game, which meant I had to build another 10 as the vast majority of Boyz I'd built so far were armed with sluggas and choppas. I promised myself I would build them straight and not do any convertions in the interest of saving time. That went out the window when rummaging for the relevant arms, legs and heads I required. Unfortunately an idea started to bubble through my head; pirates, orks Koptas... Kopta PirOrks! Also I had a pair of legs that was missing a boot, so a peg leg seemed the only logical response!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7563346298_798516ba1a_c.jpg

Ok, so not the most piratey so far, but remember they will be Kopta PirOrks. So there will be more than a little sci-fi/steam punkyness, mixed with a little Orky madness. I won't show you individual pics of each for now; just a few of my favourites.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7563373280_cff697c8d4_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7563366370_3ee749dea0_c.jpg

Ok so this guys is the defacto leader of the uniit. In the second pic you can see his peg leg a little clearer, just under his choppere and stick bomb. Didn't really fancy putting a Nob in with these guys, so The guy with the most ammo can fight hardest and longest, making him the most powerful? Well that is my 'logic'... Either way I shall be making him a Tri-corn hat out of greenstuff. One one of the other, very unconverted boys will also get a nice piratey bandana.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8291/7563349798_c66a9d8b6f_c.jpg

What PirOrk band would be complete without a Jolly Roger? Not something you see very often in 40k, a banner for an individual unit, but I felt these guys deserved one. Also, I have a ton of Fantasy bits from a Lucky dips at my local GW. The head is one for the Runtherd you get in the gretchin box. Combined with the fantasy Orc torso, I thought it looked fairly pirate-y.

I'm planning on adding a sewn on patch (again with GS) so the banner will have a traditional skull and cross bones (possibly with a orky jaw to make it a Waagh! glyph) with a separate KoptaBoss glyph to show their new alleigence. I'll probably also have a parrot squig at the top. just not entirely sure how to do that at the mo...

[SotonShades]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7563354008_120f3efef9_c.jpg

Every pirate band needs to have someone with an axe and/or an obsession with knives. This one has been sitting in my random collection of boyz for a while, so figured he deserved a paintjob by now. You may also have seen the other undercoated guy, who has a slugga and a shoota. can't quite remember if it was on purpose, but the sight on his pistol actually lines up perfectly with one of his eyes... the one that is just an empty socket lol.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7563365258_2ec95720a9_c.jpg

Here is one of the guys bordering on steam punk, with extra armour plates and lenses. I might paint some extra cogs and bits on to him, I'll see how things go. I used the ammo carrying hand from the big shoota that comes in the boyz box set as well, just to add a bit more menace.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7563356898_485c300f1c_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7563355528_33dc722545_c.jpg

Also steampunk-ish i guess, but more Kopta-y. These guys are soimple head swaps from the Bommer kit. Really helps tie the squad in to the Kopta theme (I hope, feel free to say if you disagree!) and just makes them that bit different from the hundreds of thousands of Ork boys you see on so many other gaming tables out there!


Right, that is it from me today. Unless I get a long way with greenstuffing. That said, I'll probably wait until I have finished it, and I want to do several layers for some of the effects I want to achieve. Does anyone have any good tutorials for sculpting feathers? I've seen a few, but the more you know...

As usualy, there are more pics on my Flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/) and all comments, criticisms and recommendations are very welcome.

Shades.

Ps. I honestly will try to get the last guy on Yella Skwadrun done, along with some pictures of the lot of them!

[SotonShades]

I feel like spoiling all you lovely BoLSers today (also I reached a natural stopping point before dinner, So I might as well post some more pics!)

As I mentioned earlier today, a few of my models were going to get some GS treatment before I started painting them. Well I have done the first (and in some cases second) layer, so I figured I might as well share.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7569388438_4256af175f_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7569386364_b4de2608c4_b.jpg

First and foremost I startted work on the banner. As some of you may be able to tell I am not the most proficient person in the world with GS. Practice makes perfect though, so I started off with a nice flat (relatively) piece to get my eye in. Once I had pressed out a rough rectangle for the sewn on banner glyph, I cut it with my sharpest sculpting tool to give it straighter edges and cut out a few rough triangles from the bottom to give some basic form to the tattered lower edge. I then lifted it gently and pressed it in to the folds of the plastic banner with my fingers and sculpting tools (mostly to smoothe out the finger prints!)

After that I used my soft sculpting tools to mark in the thick threads used to sew it in place. It took me ages because I kept accidentally pushing out the other details I had all ready sculpted in lol. Lastly I added a couple of thin loops around the edge of the platic banner. I might paint them as metal rings rather than threads, but I'll see how I'm going at the time. Once this is all dry I'll further enhance the tattered lower edges by carving into the GS a bit more to give a sharper edge.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7569385910_93a3c1df6a_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7569385364_e6786276bd_z.jpg

And the most important member of the Kopta PirOrk Krew; The SquigParrot Mascot. First I did the blob that makes up it's body and tail (the slightly darker grean bit). Once that had dried I added the flat disc in the middle of the head that will eventually be an eye. I'm planning on sculpting an upper and lower lid, very similar to the targetting squig on the finecast Flash Git. Naturally I need the disc to set solid first though. After I had attached that I added the blobs to the left and right wich are it's legs. before I stuck them on I teased out the bottom to make a tadpole (flatter and longer tail than a tear drop) to form what would become the feet/claws. I folded the flat section onto the Banner cross-bar and pressed the thighs in to the body. I reshaped the legs slightly with my tools and then smoothed the back edge of the thighs into the body. Finally I used my sharpe tool to divide the flat feet into three distinct claws (which you can't quite see in the unfocussed photo...) and then did some horrizontal lines on each toe to create knuckles (... which you deffinitely can't see on the pic!)

As well as the Eye lids I mentioned, I want to sculpt some feathers on to the upper surface of the tail and put a beak under the eye. Skwaing and wide open naturally, but that might be a bit too ambitous. We will see.

[SotonShades]

I did say models, not model, so on with the other guys. Don't worry I wont go in to quite so much detail on these.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/7569391542_0e2201c64b_c.jpg

Da Boss. Tri-corn hat. Nice and simple; big blod in the middle, roughly triangulised (not a real word, but I bet you all know what I mean) and then added each side, squeezing together the covers and then smoothing everything over and gently reshaping the edges with my soft tools. The back corners have bcome a bi elongated, but I'll just clip them off once dry.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7569392734_3e3eff6d0c_c.jpg

This guy wan't converted at all (on of the few straight builds I actually managed to achieve!) so he looked a little left out. I did the bandana first, pressing a small disc of GS on to the head, and using the tools to press a few folds into it too. Once that's dry I'll add a little ball (again with sculpted folds) as a knot and 2 small tabs at the back as the ends of the bandana. I've also added an eye-patch, with will later get a strap. What Pirate band would be complete without at least one eye patch? and this was the easiest head to do it on.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7569390294_b09907b51d_c.jpg

This one is a bit of a "spot the GS" competition. It's not a difficult competition, but still. I'll give you a hint, it's not on the model...
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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/7569389018_9a96a79790_c.jpg

I know it's crude, but I though a bit of toilet humour made sense on Ork models lol. Also, I had a small amount of GS left over and couldn't figure out what to do with it until the other stuff dried, by which point this would be dry too. It had to have a foot print in it too. Just cus...




Right, I'm sure that has put you off me for now. If not (or after you have had a good break) I'll hopefully get the rest of the GS stuff finished, especially the SquigParrot over the next few days (how many times have you heard that from me?) and maybe even get some pic of Yella Skwadrun up too!

Flickr stream, comment, criticsim, blah, blah blah...

Cheers much folks,

Shades

[SotonShades]

Wow! Over 17k views! You guys are all far too kind! I really ought to reward you all with something... Unfortunately it can't be Yella Skwadrun yet. Still can't quite get the last guy right. I'm beginning to understand why certain people think I am a perfectionist!

How about I spend most of the rest of the evening preparing a pitcure of all of the finished/fully painted Kopta Force so far? I'll even get it set up on my AoP board (still a little batterd but mostly looks decent.)

Cheers again guys, you flatter me far too much!

[SotonShades]

Hello again Kopta fans!

I know I keep saying I'll get some pictures of Yella Skwadrun up. Over and over. And over. with a couple of subtle hints at other times. Yeh. Sorry about that.

But in the spirit of the day, being the official start of the London 2012 Olympics, I've gone for gold! Well, yellow. Shhh, I finished something for once, just be thankful!


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7652776396_e843a7af0f_b.jpg

Yes, those magnificent Orks on their garish flying machines are done! I'll do a post for each of the four. As an extra special treat, I've even got a ton of pictures of the whole Kopta Force so far to finish! Although I did notice a few breakages during the shoot...

[SotonShades]

Da Skwadrun Leeda! Probably needs a better name than that, possibly along the lines of Tigga Klaw or something, but newho...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7652761748_87582d603f_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7652739650_658c5a8772_c.jpg

Not too much has changed since last you saw him, but I'm going to go into a bit more detail about them all now. This guy has more glyphs than any of the other koptas (mostly on the nose plating). As you can see I have also painted the clothe hose-ties to match his coat.

I've added a lot more paint chips to his Kopta than last time you saw him as well, but tried to keep it fairly subtle, like he has a few grots who keep it painted, rather than letting it get too damaged. It's a subtle thing to denote him as the leader of the unit (which deffkoptas can't actually take in the game) especially when compared to the whacking-great buzzsaw having off the front, but it is those kind of little touches I really like.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7652736350_5bc1753d7b_c.jpg

Naturally, he has a full speed freak grin! Unfortunbately this pic does seem to have washed out some of the shading, and given his skin a wierdly painted texture, which you don't really pic up on when looking at him in the flesh.

[SotonShades]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7652733776_b2f751cd5f_c.jpg

This shot shows just how banked the Kopta is, as well as being in a dive. It also shows just how canted the Buzzsaw is. One thing I might do is paint some sprays of blood on the underside of the kopta where they've come off the buzzsaw. Can't believe that has only just come to me actually!


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7652732352_c6fd274d5d_c.jpg

Speaking of which; Here's a glyph on the underside of the tail. 10 Shades points for whoever is the first one to correctly identify it! (Mostly because I have forgotten and can't be bothered to go look it up in this heat!)
Since I took this photo I have realised I forgotten to drill/black out the ends of the exhasut pipes and have rectified it.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7652730864_c465550640_c.jpg

Slightly fuller view of the underside. You can also see where the old flying stand snapped off. This was the inspiration for banking the kopta as I didn't fancy simply redrilling the same hole. When you have as many slightly different variations of only two sculpts in an army, it's important to add in as much variation as possible. Simple little things like this can really make certain models stand out.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7652735430_7ae8db707a_c.jpg

The new mounting point was the junction between the engine block and the chassis. This gave me a good hollow box to drill into without fear of damaging detail on the far side, as well as ensuring the brass rod would sit in the right place so the kopta wouldn't fall off or slip round too easilly.

[SotonShades]

The high flyer!


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7652726946_9f4630249a_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7652720566_c9700dfb8f_c.jpg

Two bladed rotor, much more utilitarian look, with bare metal rokkits, a glyphless kopta (more or less) and the flatish grey storm coat, gloves and trousers. This guy is all about the fight. He's also got a very obviously two tone kopta. I'd imagine it was a cut-n-shut job that he didn't bother to get repainted because he probably had to kill the other pilot to get it. Nearest thing to ornamentation he has, aside from...


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7652715482_7280af126f_c.jpg

... a very bright yellow slugga! As I said, this guy is ALL about the fight, so his slugga and choppa would be top notch!


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7652714624_605fa5f70e_b.jpg

And the reason he is the high flier. The height of this stand makes him a little taller than the buzzsaw kopta from Blu Skwadron. Some people could say I was abusing TLOS with this, though he is also quite difficult to hide behind anything smaller than a bastion. That said I have yet to come across an opponant who has complained, and turbo boosting and being out in the open is as good a defence as cover anyway, so it isn't much of an issue.

[SotonShades]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/7652710664_7cc1acf5dc_c.jpg

This guy is possibly (with one exception who you don't know about yet... shhh) my most converted Deffkopta so far. The biker's pipe-wielding arm worked really well, only just fitting lowere than the rotor head. The extra Ork skull missile works fantastically as a weight to ensure the kopta points in the right direction on the base as well as being (I hope you'll agree) a really characterful decoration. I'm also quite chuffed with the way the three blades worked out, but more on that later.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7652705774_5e3585c437_c.jpg

Unlike the last guy, this pilot is all about the brighter, more garish colours. Not quite sure where he got Ork sized, armoured washing up gloves, but that's Orks for you; resourceful to the last. He also has a very paint chipped bike. I guess waiting until he can find a bright enough can of paint to re-do it.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7652700114_7b2e76478c_c.jpg

With all the really bright yellow, the model really needed a strong counter point. the few points of red on the engine and blades really helped tone down the whole thing, as well as tieing in to the gogles. As I said, I'm really chuffed with the way the Rotors worked out. Whiel the glu was drying (for the umpteenth time) the blades slipped slightly, so the rotor disc isn't flat. Quite far from it infact, with the only blade that didn't get cut off the hub being level, one blade sticking up and the other pointing down. Fortunately, anyone who has studied helicopters in the real world will tell you that this is often the case when a helicopter makes a sudden manouevre to climb and increase forward velocity from a dive. Sometimes it is good to have a Masters Degree in Aeronauticas and Astronautics! It also gives the model a nice dynamic (so long as the rotors are seated in the right orientation on the kopta!)


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7652699302_391665b7d9_b.jpg

No real reason for this picture, other than this is 40k and therefore everything needs skulls!

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Koptas are my favorite ork model, so obviously I enjoy this army :P Looks to be a collection of straight-up orky fun.

[SotonShades]

Cheers Rev.

Right, unfortunately I got interupted yesterday by some little, local sports day called the Olympics... quite the distraction...

Newho, the last member of Yella Skwadrun;


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7652692236_917a31c1c0_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7652686232_5e0deb50d4_c.jpg

This is the guy who I just could not make myself do the chipped paint effects on; the sole reason you have had to wait so long to see these guys! As you can see, I've tried to add a lot more variation in colour to this model, especially on the kopta itself. His blue outfit is a nice big splash of colour that helps break up the quite solid block of yellow when you see the unit as a whole. He is also very light on conversions; really just a head swap, a different arm and a 'special' handlebar. More on that later.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7652679526_31119d7430_c.jpg

I really wanted to make this kopta look like it was scavenged from bits of different koptas, hence the dark brown rotorblade most obviously. Something you can't quite tell from this photo though is that I used a variety of metallic paints when doing the weathering along with areas of heavier or lighter weathering to show newer, more recently scavanged parts.

I really wanted to include the 'Attack' glyph somewhere in the skwadrun. Having the brown nose cowling gave me a perfect opportunity to do it in yellow; further intensifying the theme of the unit without it dissappearing on the normal base colour.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7652677532_328001cece_c.jpg

"Special" indeed, or should that be 'Speshul'? I recently acquired a ton of Necron bitz and lost the handlebar I had original put on here at the same time. I love the idea that necron's phase out, leaving nothing of themselves behind, that the Imperium tries everything they can to capture necrontyr remain for study but are constantly thwated, but the Orks? It's just another shiny bit of metal that they managed to loot like anything else. And happens to be bleading repairing energy into the rest of the more mundane materials of the kopta! Also, what ork wouldn't love a glowy green handle bar?

[SotonShades]

Finally, as promised; a little gift for getting this thread to Seventeen THOUSAND views! Current total is 17,573 views. At most only about 200 hundred are me posting and checking your replies, so thank you all so very very much.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7656385032_dacf956b59_k.jpg



http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7656388144_26d38de57f_k.jpg



As usual, there are a TON more photos on my flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/), especially of Yella Skwadrun, but also looking in more detail at each of the Kopta Force units on the AoP board (along with some pics of the detail on the AoP board itself!

As ALWAYS, comments, critique and questions are very very welcome! Please leave some feedback. My fragile psyche depends on emotional support from all you strangers :P

Shades

[newtoncain]

Finally, as promised; a little gift for getting this thread to Seventeen THOUSAND views! Current total is 17,573 views. At most only about 200 hundred are me posting and checking your replies, so thank you all so very very much.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7656385032_dacf956b59_k.jpg



http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7656388144_26d38de57f_k.jpg



As usual, there are a TON more photos on my flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/), especially of Yella Skwadrun, but also looking in more detail at each of the Kopta Force units on the AoP board (along with some pics of the detail on the AoP board itself!

As ALWAYS, comments, critique and questions are very very welcome! Please leave some feedback. My fragile psyche depends on emotional support from all you strangers :P

Shades

How many hours to create that master piece?:eek:

[SotonShades]

I never counted, but as an estimate I'd say far too bloody many :P


And there are still many miniatures to come and probably many hundreds more painting and modelling hours to go!

Might try and do some more of the GS on the PirOrks later. If not I'll be working on my Bastion (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=23305) because Toby the ServitOrk is getting lonely sitting on my windowsil.

Also, check out KoptaBoss Spearsmasha's Facebook Profile (https://www.facebook.com/koptaboss.spearsmasha)later today for a picture battle report against the Blood Angels!

[SotonShades]

Hey Hey!

Im afraid it's not a real KoptaForce update today, but something that may end up appearing in the KoptaForce in the not too distant future!

Sitting at my desk I found myself staring at my FW Runtbot;

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/FW/runtbot.jpg (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Info/Games_Day_Figure.html)
Stolen shamelessly from FW's website. If only I could paint that well!

Inspiration may have struck, but not to paint! FW never gave us any rules, so I've created some (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=24017). I modelled my runtbot without the grot sitting on it's shoulder. He got his own base, so I gave him is own set of rules!

Most people seemed to like the rules I wrote for Koptaboss Spearsmasha, and these (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=24017) are very much of that ilk. So let me know what you think, either here or better yet on the rules thread itself (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=24017)!

Just in case you missed my subtle hints in this post, here is the link to that thread (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=24017);

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=24017

Shades.


P.s. I will hopefully be working on the PirOrks again soon

[SotonShades]

Wow, six more views and the KoptaForce will have hit 19,000!

I really need to get some more stuff done for you guys to look at! I've been in a real hobby slump over the last few weeks. Bad news is I'm also getting my Guard ready for the upcoming UK GT heats, so it may be a while before I get more stuff done for these guys. On the positive side, a professional photographer friend of mine wants to practice on some more unusual subjects (her usual fayre is weddings, parties and modelling shoots where it is actual real people models, not toy soldier models...) so hopefully I will be getting some very high quality pictures soon to tide you all over for a while.

Once again, cheers for the support. If you want to see the KoptaForce in the flesh, I usually have them with me at Vet's Night at GW Leicester on a wednesday evening. However, I WILL be taking them along to the BoLS UK Playdate (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?24156-BoLS-UK-Playdate-2013-The-Official-Thread) at Warhammer World in the early part of next year. Come along and you might just get to face your army off angainst Spearsmasha and his Buzzboys!

[SotonShades]

My brain has gotten ahead of me, with a little help from DrLove42 and Night System.

What I mean by this is this; I've come up with a rather nifty idea for, as per The Avengers and a host of other Sci-Fi works, a flying aircraft carrier! Naturally, mine will be powered by massive kopta rotors!

Basic idea is to create a super heavy flyer transport. About 2' long by about 1' wide. Probably at least 8" deep for the main body with a Kontrol Towwa standing proud about the flight deck. Probably a load of the anti-air guns on the top deck, a Deff-arsenal at the front and a few bombs and the like at the rear/on the belly. Even a couple of large hatches in the side for deffkoptas to be launched from. And most importantly, a steam kat... strike that, an ork-a-pult to launch warkoptas from! I have a rough idea of the rules forming, which I will post up shortly. Somewhere between a Thunderhawk and a Manta. What ever it turns out to be, it will be 100% Orky ;)

Materials are beginning to gather in my room, plans are starting to form and the name... well that is where I'm getting stuck. So far I have a few possibilities; The OrkSS Nimwitz/Dimwitz, the WAAARGH!k Roy-yul, Da BizMork (or possibly BizGork)... I think you're getting the theme here. Do we have any more suggestions? Let me know in a reply.

Newho, I'll get some pics up shortly of whats happenning. Hope this is getting some other people's creative juices flowing!

[SotonShades]

I really am not keeping up with these promises I keep making am I?

I do however have some pictures for you all today! Nope, not Toby the ServitOrk and the Bastion. No, it isn't the PirOrks... Wow, I really am building up too many projects to work on. No, not Red Skwadrun... Your memory is far too good! I could show you the pictures of the superheavy I mentioned before, but at the moment it is still a collection of boxes and componants (see? I do get on with some projects. Sort of)

BLACK-SkWadrun is ere!

Yep, the infamously deadly Kustom Mega-blasta Deffkopta skwadrun has arrived. Deadly because they are almost as likely to blow themselves up as they are the enemy, infamous simply because I just said so!

These boys have been sitting on the sprue in my bits box for a while so looking for a simple build, I thought I'd chuck them together and let my mind of the reigns for a while. I'm fairly pleased with the results. Hopefully it will let me get on with some of the other stuff I've got in the works now I've let off some creative steam. Pictures, shall we?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8102832971_23c60f2355_c.jpg

Only three of them so far. Not entirely sure whether I'll add another one or two to round out the skwadrun or not. I might not actually run them as a Skwadrun; possibly adding them to other skwadruns instead. It's not overly easy to get AP2 weapons into Orks lists now, other than Power Klaws, so it will kind of come down to whether I want a dedicated Terminator hunting unit or to have that ability spread throughout my list.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8102841754_2427d1bbdc_c.jpg

This guy is significantly longer than your average Deffkopta. For the whole skwadrun I wanted to use more exotic looking weaponry than I've used converting the Big Shoota Skadruns, so I've used a fair bit of Eldar stuff.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8102840422_ca4dc6658e_c.jpg

I didn't want the Kustom Mega-blastas to look too advanced though, so I used a spare exhaust from the Bommer kit and a biker exhaust as some fairly basic cooling. I think it adds something to the weapon really, as well as tweaking the silhouette of the Deffkopta.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8102828581_fa7c62ec7d_c.jpg

As you all know, I love small details, so couldn't resist keeping the hanging skull from the Bosspole I used to fill the gaps from chopping off the nose and Rokkits. With KMBs being the Orky equivolent of Plasma weapons, I wanted to have something similar to the glowing veins you see in the imperial stuff. This ammo hopper from from a Predator Sponson heavye Bolter jumped right out at me while I was rummaging through my bits box. I can just imagine a Mek piling looted Plasma Cells together for a bigger bang, heedless of the overheating effects!

[SotonShades]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8102828581_fa7c62ec7d_c.jpg

For this guy I wanted to change the layout of the Deffkopta a bit, so mounted the gun at the rear, more like on a bike. The only sensible thing was to change the nose to match, giving it even more bike like controls. I imagine this guy as having been a biker boy, but wanting to go even faster, so added kopta bits to his ride until it started to fly.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8329/8102826859_da894a28ed_c.jpg

The arms and handlebars are the proper deffkopta bits, with the forks being random bosspoles that had lost their glyphs, the barrel from the big shootas on a very very old Orc Bikes (yes, with a 'c' not a 'k'... something I inherited from a guy who quit the hobby when his voice broke) and the muzzle of a Lascannon. The Glyph is actually from some Orc Shields I picked up last time my FLGS was doing a bits giveaway. Wasn't sure what I was going to use them for, but it fit nicely over the fuel tank (and the hole I had accidentally made in it...) Again, it nicely changed the silhouette of the Deffkopta while still looking functional. Well, as functional as any ork vehicle ever is!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8102839112_ff24ab62b3_c.jpg

The KMB is made up of Necron bits, the rest of that old Orc Biker Big Shoota, the rest of the Lascannon (left over from a Valkyrie), more Eldar bits and the ammo feed from a modern Ork Bike. Again, that will be playing the roll of the plasma coils. I love the idea that the barrel of this weapon will be misaligned, changing diameter and even shape... all to get a bigger bang, even if it just when the KMB overheats :P

[SotonShades]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8102831905_2a21590064_c.jpg

More Eldar bits! This one is possibly my wierdest Deffkopta conversion so far, which you can only just get a hint at why from this photo.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8102830879_9a74ee80e8_c.jpg

Firstly the weapon: I've actually based it of an actual plasma weapon this time! Ok, so a Starcannon isn't exactly the kind of tech orks are usually going to be dealing with, but I just though it is such an unusual shape to see on an orky vehicle I just had to use it. I've also added part of a Sentinal's leg as mechanical gubbins. There was also a hole between the Starcannon and the gubbins, so I filled that with the glyph from the top of a Bosspole. Fortunately it sat just right so that it didn't block the sites on the nose of the Kopta... not that I can really imaine the pilot aiming much. I also added the canopy from an old Catachan Sentinal, so it looked like some kind of net stopping leaves getting sucked into an air intake or, more likely, the pilot's way of showwing off how he can crash through trees without crashing.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8102842588_bb3fb58f85_c.jpg

Deffkopta wierdness time! Who needs a poxxy tail rotor when you can have a jet engine? This would have to be horribly inefficient or woefully overpowered to just stop the Deffkopta from spinning around (probably both knowing Orks) but I realised that all my Deffkoptas apart from Spearsmasha and his KillaKopta all essentially had the same tail assmebly. Nuts to that! Chopped of the wings, rotor and exhaust and used some Necron bits, a Jet nozzle from a drop pod and the base of a quad gun to put something wildly different on the back. For some reason it reminds me of a snail shell. If nothing else, it is a nice little quirk for this guy.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8102842096_8e1f4def17_c.jpg

For thos who hadn't noticed, I've used the head from the Kommando Nob for this one as well (another freebee from the FLGS giveaway). The goggles, Speed freak grin and general angry expression just seemed too good to pass up. I also love the idea of smoke coming off his cigar in billowing clouds being whipped up by the rotor downwash when he's hovering. I had to cut all of the neck off of the body to get this head to fit, and take quite a chunk off the neck attached to the head! Still, nothing too difficult with a sharp hobby knife.


Right, that is all from me for the time being. As always, I'm always willing to read nice things you say about my models. Questions, criticsm and other comments are also welcome lol. Until next time,

Shades

[SotonShades]

Hey Hey Kopta fans!

My brain is kicking back into painting mode now, so I'm getting on with some stuff. Currently I have a paint brush in one hand and a Kopta in the other (how is he typing? Magic!)

I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise of which one, but hopefully over the next few days I might make some progress worth showing (and not bounce back to one of my other projects...)

Until then;

Shades

[SotonShades]

There may be a few crossed wires in my brain. I started painting a Kopta (don't worry, still sort of working on it) and started thinking about the superheavy flyer I posted about back in September. Next thing I know, I've written half a page of fluff, three quarters of a page of rules and there are several boxes scattered around my room partially glued together! I guess assembly has begun on Da BuzzMork (or possibly BuzzGork!)

This thing will almost certainly be a slow burn project while I work on other bits, so I will probably start a new thread for it. Now, how in Gork or Mork's names am I going to supersize a flying base...

[SotonShades]

Hi Folks!

Just to let you know that, despite my many other projects at the moment, I haven't forsaken my smaller Orks!

In fact, I have spent a small while basing both the PirOrks Kopta Boyz and a full unit of Flashgits (Including Badrukk) ready to be sprayed and painted. Hopefully I will get some pics up soon, if the wind lets up enough to use spray paints. Until then...

Shades

[Brakkart]

An idea for a supersized flying base would be to pop to a local supermarket and pick up a circular wooden chopping board, should be sturdy and weighty enough to do the job, especially if you then add weight on top of it with a scenic base display.