MFH ninteen: Orktillery part wun - Lobba.

Well, the banner's a total lie now, what with it being the middle of August, but I'm still scratch building 40K orky stuff, so it's sticking around a bit longer anyway. I got thinking about orktilery last week - big gunz and mek gunz. Big gunz are another of those odd areas of the Ork range where the minis are still old hang-overs from 3rd edition, and metal to boot. Not as old as buggies, but pretty old. And only the kannon is still available anyway. So I decided to rectify the situation by building a lobba or three. Because that's just how I roll.

Here's Grot to explain things...

Forgot to get a shot here - I've started to use a pair of dividers from a mathematical drawing set to scribe small circles - you know the ones, basically like a pair of compasses but with two points instead of one point and a pencil. If you dig one point in at the center and spin them around several times you can scribe a line into the plastic deep enough to snap the circle out or finish the cut with a knife. These were done with a cheaper somewhat shaky example as I left my good one at home and bought a cheap replacement from a newsagents to go in my travelling tool kit. Which is a thing I have. What do you mean you don't have one?

And there you have it, Hippo Fans! It took me about a week to build all three of these, and that's working around social commitments, work and so forth. I've also started work on the other flavours of Big Gun, so keep an eye out for those. 

You'll notice that the work bench changes a few times - this is the natural upshot of my working on them at home and at The Hoodling's Hole amidst the players of Battletech and those who say 'I really should do some modelling,' glue two plastic pieces together and then go to sleep. Light weights.

MFH Ateteen: Grot Jet (Deff Kopta)

As July meanders to it inevitable end, it looks like Mek Shop Month must come to a close. Officially anyway. I plan to spend August making orky vehicles too. Because that is how I and Waaagh Snaggatoof roll. And how shall we end this most meknificent of months? With a lame pun? I say thee no! A thousand times no! (Even if both Grot AND Orks don't understand the concept of numebrs beyond three - check out the 2nd Edition Codex for more on this!) We shall end it by building tiny flying machines! Let us look upon the world, realise the official model of the Deff Kopta is a rather dated hang over from Gorkamorka, that the cool ones which came in Assault on Black Reach never got made into a kit outside a starter box and that a combination of cheapness and aesthetics prevents us enjoying the situation. Then let us recall the dusty Robogear box at the back of the cupboard bought from eBay to provide parts for conversions... and then let us UNLEASH THE HIPPO! (live from the Hoodling's Hole no less!)

Et Voila! All that is needed now is a Gretchin on Gobbo head for the pilot and basing using a brass rod for the flight stand. I am planning to build about four of these and use the Deff Kopta rules (hence the buzz saws in the wings - Deff Koptas get a serious melee attack from their rotor blades!) This is actually the second one built - I did a test to see how it went first. The first one was built over the course of about three days, this one was built over the course of two modeling nights at The Hoodling's Hole. Where all but me played Mechwarrior Online. Because Painting Night is a myth these days it seems...
The intake comes from a Robogear kit - I think it's called a Thunder. I bought the Airfix version Robogear starter pack cheaply on eBay years ago for kitbashing parts. It comes with two of the planes, each of which has two intakes. The grey plastic tube is some sort of interlocking pipe I got as part of a collection of construction vehicle toys at an opshop. It's polystyrene based as plastic glue works on it. You could use PVC pipe too (with super glue - plastic cement doesn't stick to it), but this was the right size and I had it handy. Everything else is Evergreen plasticard either in sheets, rods, strips or tubes.
Anyway, I should go and get some work in on the third one - it's got a radial engine and propellor!