Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Ork Dreadnought Time!

 So, Toby, how's that project to repaint all your old Brettonians going? Well, it's not really started yet. In fact, I'm still not entirely sure how to spell Bretonnia. On the other hand, I did rebuild and repaint an ork dreadnought that I scratch-built many years ago. The best laid plans of squig and man, as they say...

The main body of this thing is some kind of broken toy that I was given by a friend. The legs are landing gear from a marine flyer. The guns come from a very cheap walker from (I think) a Russian wargame (again, I bought these a decade ago, so my memory isn't great). The rest is stuff from the bits box.

I tried to give the dreadnought a wonky, awkward look like a clockwork toy. The clockwork key at the back was a late addition, made from plasticard and a bit of rod. I did wonder if it was a bit too silly, but you probably can't overdo it with old fashioned orks.





Just in case anyone's wondering (which I doubt), the yellow was painted over several thin coats of pink. The metal is done with a base coat of dark brown, onto which dark grey is roughly drybrushed. Then increasing amounts of plate metal and silver are added to the dark grey, all the way up to pure silver for chips and scratches. I find that the dark brown gives the metal a tarnished look that suits orks and heavy machinery.

I don't intend to make a big force of these old orks. For one thing, the metals are expensive and the early plastic orks aren't that great (and are expensive). But a small skirmishing group would be fun - and very Rogue Trader, where twenty men, one dreadnought and a converted shampoo bottle constituted an entire army.


8 comments:

  1. Ha, love it! More of a robot feel than the usual dread, and those Space Marine lander feet are prefect.

    and you even put it on a square base...

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    1. I felt the square base was the appropriate amount of Oldhammer! Thanks, perhaps it actually is a robot. Hmm, now I need a guy with a radio controller!

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  2. Great creation, I'd buy that for my orks if it as a kit. Lovely buttery yellow was a good call, cool miniature, I imagine it with a group of tinboys wrecking havok.

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    1. Thanks Ellesse! I'm really pleased with the yellow - the pink undercoat really helps. It's Tau Sept Ochre if you're interested, highlighted with a Vallejo lemon colour. Now I just need a horde of tinboys!

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  3. Oooooohhh! Seriously, I do LOVE this one! This is everything an Ork Dreadnought should be, it has the perfect Rogue Trader vibe, this could perfectly have been an original set from that era. Congratulations, it looks great -and that yellow looks ace, I must try that yellow on pink trick...

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    1. Cheers Suber! I've got a few old conversions that were a good idea at the time but could do with some sprucing up. I'm glad it fits the rest of the orks. I'm fighting the urge to make some kind of oldhammer ork army now!

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  4. Absolutely brilliant work on the Orky mek! The colours, composition and mad pose absolutely screams old school Ork tech!

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    1. Cheers dude! From an expert robot-maker like yourself, I see that as quite a compliment!

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