Tuesday 10 October 2017

Orks for Orktober

Sometimes someone comes up with a 'thing' and it sticks. I can't remember who first suggested painting orcs/orks during October (was it Erny?). I don't know who first called it Orctober/Orktober (Erny?). I don't know why Orktober continues to me an annual thing, where Slannuary isn't. I do know that about three years ago I did actually paint some greenskins in October for Orctober. I also confess (again), that I don't fully understand the attraction of all things orc/ork.

"Got any big gunz?"

This year however, with some Orktober action happening in various Facebook groups, I decided to use it as motivation to get some more figures painted from one of my 'collectible sets'. The set in question comprises the very first fourteen 40k figures released from back in March 1987. I actually have all of the figures and am slowly working my way through painting them.


Orktober seemed like an excellent opportunity to tackle the Space Goblin and the Space Orc with blaster. Both figures were integrated into the later, larger Ork range, and neither are particularly uncommon. I decided to paint them as a matching pair (a anti-hero and sidekick perhaps?), with a colour scheme loosely based on the Bad Moon clan.


I found the goblin a much nicer figure to paint than the orc - he has clearer details and a much more interested face. I preferred the greater proportion of exposed skin too. The orc is stacked with layered details, which made him a much more tiresome figure to paint.




Overall, I kept things dull and dingy on these two - grey with a dull yellow and a desaturated green. I borrowed the recipe for the skin from Stuart Bannister's excellent tutorial over at The Lost and the Very Damned. I much prefer the muted green to the heavily saturated greens that many orks sport.

A selection of the first 40k releases. I forgot to include the Dark Elf Trooper in the photo.


30 comments:

  1. I love Orks. My very first army was Orks. I was kind of pressured into them because in my little wargaming clique at school (I was 12 at the time) all the other available armies were taken (except Chaos, which had yet to be given a formal codex). Anyway, I loved playing Orks! You have to have a sense of humour though because they were utterly mad and you had to laugh as you were more likely to decimate your own ranks with hilarious weaponry (Shokk Attack Gun anyone?). I remember when playing my friend's Eldar, he used the Virus Outbreak strategy card on me and I lost four-fifths of my army before the game even begun.....

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    1. Funny isn't it? Orks leave me cold, but plenty of folks live them like yourself. I do like the Paul Bonner artwork mind you.

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  2. Got to admit. . . . If it's green it's good!

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  3. I'm totally in for that skin tone; but I didn't expect that desaturated yellow to work so fine. really interesting thing to know!

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    1. It's my favourite yellow at the moment. I nearly went for something paler, but I stuck to what I know!

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  4. Nice work on these! Aside from an ork I painted for my wife (her favorite 40k race), I have not done much in the way of green skins in 40k. Something about their very numerousness does not appeal. (I do love WHFB goblins though, so go figure)

    So with Orktober crossed off the list, next up you can handle Zombtober and Dreadtober? What is it about October that makes it popular for this sort of thing?

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    1. A full army certainly doesn't appeal to me. I might get to a dozen or so figures perhaps though.

      No idea why October - perhaps the nights are drawing in and people are spending time painting rather than drinking beer by the bbq;)

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  5. Absolutely lovely - It definitely trips my nostalgia trigger to see these old models see the light of day again. Beautifully done all around!

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    1. Thanks! Pressing the nostalgia buttons is what it's all about for me too :)

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  6. My dear chap, ignore these orcs and join us in http://thewargameaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/zomtober-2017-week-one.html Zomtober

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  7. A fine piece of work. Where did the terrain setup in the first shot come from?

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    1. Thanks! It's the Infinity Navajo Outpost card terrain on and mdf base board.

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  8. I never liked them either Jon, until I got a load of them on the cheap. The rest is history :)

    You did a great job with these two, even though you didn't much like the chunky dude he still looks ace to me.

    Stellar work mate :)

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    1. I admire your work ethic...you've painted loads of orks, and you don't even like them!!

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  9. I have a load of 2nd Edition Orks staring at me for the shelf of metal and grey, I want to paint them but my Judge Dredd figure collection is winning the battle. Maybe I could convert them for Dredd?

    Great job on the painting. Keep up the good work and enjoy Orktober!

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    1. Dredd figures would be more attractive to me too. One day I might come round to orks _?- you might too!

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  10. Jealous you've got the whole set of minis! It's interesting that as a collectible range goes there's not that much to tie them together thematically. Your photo with the five of them together painted makes me proper jolly.

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    1. One day Curis, I'll delight you with a full painted set of mis-matching curios :)

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  11. Superb effort, I love the colour palette, the 1st flyer miniatures are for the old school elite :D and you are doing them proud

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    1. Thanks Jason, you're not doing too badly with those 1st flyer figures yourself!

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  12. Excellent! I always thought Orks/Orcs were sort of the archetypal fantasy bad guys, not truly evil or malevolent but just violent and unpredictable... though I admit I lost interest after 1998 when 3rd edition 40K came out. Oldhammer/Classic40K saved the orks for me.

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    1. Orks are very anarchic - I guess they have a lot in common with the studio of the time, as well as the customer base.

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  13. Now why haven't I heard of Orktober before ... it's like duhhh, so obvious and genius. Orks are one of the very first minis I ever painted and I have a soft spot for them. You did a fine job on their skin tones here. :)

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    1. Now you've heard of Orktober, there's no excuse!

      Glad you like these :)

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  14. Nice work on the pair. I'm glad you commented on the Ork being "stacked with layered detail" – I find that with a lot of miniatures and I thought I was the only one who noticed it, let alone disliked it! It's when you have a lack of clean shapes and forms and just a succession of buckles and belts and sections of cloth and pouches.

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    1. Not just you! Some layered details are fine, but when it's layer upon layer it can get a bit tiresome, right? :)

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  15. I painted the variant of that ork in 2014 - the guy with the broad grin of visible teeth - and really enjoyed it.

    That I painted his armour dark colours may have contributed. Multiple layers of bright colours are a different painting prospect for sure.

    Those two turned out nicely, but as yet you sound unconvinced. Surely you would be able to get a squad sized force finished though, right?

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    1. A squad sized force is happening. You should take up clairvoyance.

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