Kustom Konvershuns and bolting on bigga gunz wiv more dakka... what could be simpler right?
Ah, the classic "Buy toy, Add driver, Add gunz" approach. When done well, toys can be a great chassis for Ork conversions; the same applies for scale model tanks and aircraft. Most of the time though, they simply look like toys with GW bits attached. I know the dumper truck doesn't have anything added or taken away from it yet, but I have honestly seen models like this with a big shoota superglued on and a thick coat of primer or metallic spray paint applied and used regularly "because it's crude and Orky." It's not. Neither is the aeroplane. Simple does not equal crude and that is the mistake a lot of converters make. These kind of models lack the detail of GW kits and that makes them stand out on the table top. Ironically, adding GW bits only increases the contrast between the cheap mass produced plastics and the detailed components, generally making them look even worse. The lines marking the edges of panels (if there are any at all) are usually very shallow, rounded and result in panels that are much smaller than those you find on most GW models. It doesn't sound like that should make much of a difference, and it is essential when you have a single mould pumping out thousands of these a day for a long run (sharp edges on moulds wear away very quickly), but when you then place your customised toy car next to a GW Trukk, the effect is very stark.
These three have the same problems, although their creators have clearly gone to far more effort than the first two. Subtly odd differences in scale, especially when next to the GW version on the same model, just instil a wrongness to the model which is a real shame as it detracts from what has obviously been a lot of effort from the modeller to create something unique. As I said, it certainly isn't impossible to use toys as a basis of conversions, but it does require a slightly unusual sense to determine what will and won't work.
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These three, particularly the Stomp-Tatta, are much closer to what you should be aiming for in my opinion. They do all still have problems though. For the first, I am not quite sure what irks me so much, which in itself irks me! The side armour panels don't look quite right, possibly because of the size and number of rivets. Orks should have loads of rivets of course, but that staggeringly neat, well space row of very tiny dots just doesn't fit the rough aesthetic of the Ork driving it or the looted Assault Cannon, nor does it bridge the gap between. It also doesn't help that the Krew-Ork's legs just stops, but that is a general conversion complaint, rather than something that specifically detracts from the orkyness of the vehicle.
The second still looks an awful lot like what it originally was. The tracks, the armour plating, the weapons all fit the scale of 40k quite nicely (though I think the missile heads are lacking in detail and form) but the neat curves and perfect circles still belie the aesthetic, especially when the GW components are butted up against them. I know Orks loot things, this could have come from an alien race or some backwater Imperial world with unusual tech, blah blah blah... It doesn't feel like a 40k model and seems out of place with an Ork at the helm. Covering a lot of the main chassis of the vehicle with plates of plasticard would have been a cheap, elegant solution that could have kept the size and scale of the vehicle while bringing it back in line with other models. I'd even leave the missile launcher mechanisms (including the arm) and tracks as they are. Some of the details, such as the mesh, engine etc could also be left exposed, further adding to the crude Orkery of the model. Missed opportunities, eh?
And the Stomp-Tatta. Well this has done it's rounds on the internet numerous times, usually with quite rapturous support, so I guess I ought to be careful what I say here. It has great armour panels, the rivets are great, the GW components don't jar against what is there, naturally... But it still looks like a Mr Potato Head. Some people like that, but for me it just becomes a parody of 40k. I think further adapting the feet (especially altering the sneaker laces) and bulking out the main body so it lost some of that rounded silhouette would have greatly improved the model. Maybe that is just me though; let me know if you think I am just being a prat in the comments.
Lastly I want to talk about Orkifying GW models. This is probably the thing that makes the most of that opening Demotivator. It should be relatively easy to get this right; for Orky players to actually loot vehicles, as Orks would, and repurpose them for their own use. Yet time and again, I see this done badly. I was going to say wrong there, but that would infer my opinion is the 'right' opinion, and I'm not quite that big headed. A quick look at all six of the images above should make my point. The models are simply normal models with Ork bits slapped on. Most of them look like they were looted fresh from the factory, rather than a battlefield (I suppose that is possible, but I would imagine that most Forge Worlds are defended to the point that at least some damage would happen to recently/un-finished vehicles are the defenders were overwhelmed by the encroaching Ork horde). Most models that fit in to this category I have seen in the flesh are normal vehicles with an Ork sticking out the top hatch rather than a Space Marine or Imperial Guardsman, and maybe a slightly more Orkoid paint job. To me that has never felt right. I would expect Meks to loot a Rhino from a battlefield that was covered in damage, strip some armour panels and systems out for other projects, add new armour that roughly fit, perhaps even remembering to fill all the holes, and replace the gunz with ones they know how to work and can actually supply with ammunition. Not to mention bedecking the new hybrid vehicle with glyph plates, totems and fetishes to please Gork or possibly Mork so that the thing will actually work.
Right, so that is it from me for this part of the discussion. A lot of the complaints I have made above could equally apply to many of my own converted Ork vehicles, so I shall show you a few of them another time; you can all rip the proverbial out of me then for being a hypocrite then. For now I will leave you with a couple of pictures of one more model. Post in the comments below why you think this particular beasty annoys me so much.
Matt
Once again, another Tuesday rolls around and I have a bit of a rant bubbling about in my head. Ork conversions are often dismissed as being easy; that no matter what you do, how badly you mess up, it will be fine because Orks are crude. The Demotivational Poster above sums up that opinion perfectly but, as you might have guessed, I don't fully agree with that statement. I actually believe it takes a lot of skill to get them looking right. Don't mistake that for saying it takes more skill, or even as much, as getting the angular, stark look of Imperial vehicles right. I am certainly not saying that you need to be as adept at converting to do an Ork vehicle well as you do to scratch build the compound curves on an Eldar or Tau grav-tank. I just think there is a misconception about the level of detail and thought that goes in to making a great looking looted vehicle, matching up the precision our 28mm models need to imply crude but surprisingly solid construction.
I am going to start off with a few converted Ork models and explain why I don't think they really work. At some future date I'll have a similarly critical look at a few of my own conversions and some of the best examples I can find on the web, so you can see the difference (don't worry, I am not saying mine are some of the best examples... though feel free to say otherwise!) I don't mean to put down the people who have made these models, nor do I want to stifle their creativity. They are easily better than a lot of my early conversions, and with experience comes improvement. Many are also only WIP pictures, but do represent what I have seen as 'finished' models far too many times over the years. So, without further warning;
Ah, the classic "Buy toy, Add driver, Add gunz" approach. When done well, toys can be a great chassis for Ork conversions; the same applies for scale model tanks and aircraft. Most of the time though, they simply look like toys with GW bits attached. I know the dumper truck doesn't have anything added or taken away from it yet, but I have honestly seen models like this with a big shoota superglued on and a thick coat of primer or metallic spray paint applied and used regularly "because it's crude and Orky." It's not. Neither is the aeroplane. Simple does not equal crude and that is the mistake a lot of converters make. These kind of models lack the detail of GW kits and that makes them stand out on the table top. Ironically, adding GW bits only increases the contrast between the cheap mass produced plastics and the detailed components, generally making them look even worse. The lines marking the edges of panels (if there are any at all) are usually very shallow, rounded and result in panels that are much smaller than those you find on most GW models. It doesn't sound like that should make much of a difference, and it is essential when you have a single mould pumping out thousands of these a day for a long run (sharp edges on moulds wear away very quickly), but when you then place your customised toy car next to a GW Trukk, the effect is very stark.
.JPG)
These three, particularly the Stomp-Tatta, are much closer to what you should be aiming for in my opinion. They do all still have problems though. For the first, I am not quite sure what irks me so much, which in itself irks me! The side armour panels don't look quite right, possibly because of the size and number of rivets. Orks should have loads of rivets of course, but that staggeringly neat, well space row of very tiny dots just doesn't fit the rough aesthetic of the Ork driving it or the looted Assault Cannon, nor does it bridge the gap between. It also doesn't help that the Krew-Ork's legs just stops, but that is a general conversion complaint, rather than something that specifically detracts from the orkyness of the vehicle.
The second still looks an awful lot like what it originally was. The tracks, the armour plating, the weapons all fit the scale of 40k quite nicely (though I think the missile heads are lacking in detail and form) but the neat curves and perfect circles still belie the aesthetic, especially when the GW components are butted up against them. I know Orks loot things, this could have come from an alien race or some backwater Imperial world with unusual tech, blah blah blah... It doesn't feel like a 40k model and seems out of place with an Ork at the helm. Covering a lot of the main chassis of the vehicle with plates of plasticard would have been a cheap, elegant solution that could have kept the size and scale of the vehicle while bringing it back in line with other models. I'd even leave the missile launcher mechanisms (including the arm) and tracks as they are. Some of the details, such as the mesh, engine etc could also be left exposed, further adding to the crude Orkery of the model. Missed opportunities, eh?
And the Stomp-Tatta. Well this has done it's rounds on the internet numerous times, usually with quite rapturous support, so I guess I ought to be careful what I say here. It has great armour panels, the rivets are great, the GW components don't jar against what is there, naturally... But it still looks like a Mr Potato Head. Some people like that, but for me it just becomes a parody of 40k. I think further adapting the feet (especially altering the sneaker laces) and bulking out the main body so it lost some of that rounded silhouette would have greatly improved the model. Maybe that is just me though; let me know if you think I am just being a prat in the comments.
Lastly I want to talk about Orkifying GW models. This is probably the thing that makes the most of that opening Demotivator. It should be relatively easy to get this right; for Orky players to actually loot vehicles, as Orks would, and repurpose them for their own use. Yet time and again, I see this done badly. I was going to say wrong there, but that would infer my opinion is the 'right' opinion, and I'm not quite that big headed. A quick look at all six of the images above should make my point. The models are simply normal models with Ork bits slapped on. Most of them look like they were looted fresh from the factory, rather than a battlefield (I suppose that is possible, but I would imagine that most Forge Worlds are defended to the point that at least some damage would happen to recently/un-finished vehicles are the defenders were overwhelmed by the encroaching Ork horde). Most models that fit in to this category I have seen in the flesh are normal vehicles with an Ork sticking out the top hatch rather than a Space Marine or Imperial Guardsman, and maybe a slightly more Orkoid paint job. To me that has never felt right. I would expect Meks to loot a Rhino from a battlefield that was covered in damage, strip some armour panels and systems out for other projects, add new armour that roughly fit, perhaps even remembering to fill all the holes, and replace the gunz with ones they know how to work and can actually supply with ammunition. Not to mention bedecking the new hybrid vehicle with glyph plates, totems and fetishes to please Gork or possibly Mork so that the thing will actually work.
Right, so that is it from me for this part of the discussion. A lot of the complaints I have made above could equally apply to many of my own converted Ork vehicles, so I shall show you a few of them another time; you can all rip the proverbial out of me then for being a hypocrite then. For now I will leave you with a couple of pictures of one more model. Post in the comments below why you think this particular beasty annoys me so much.
Matt
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