Wartrukk Conversion

...so one of the models I got in a Craigslist lot is the Ork Wartrukk:

I don't know when the above model came out - second edition?  Third?  Before I started playing 40K, anyway.  I've also never been entirely clear if this is an old unit that's no longer supported by the current codex, or if it's the previous incarnation of the current Trukk.  Regardless, the model sucks.  It's extremely boring, and the scale is all wrong.  You can see that I added some Freeboota touches with my Green Stuff press molds and a Grot rigger, but that was about it so far.  I decided the model needed some more attention - since my other Trukks are going to be running Wreckin' Balls & Boarding Planks, I decided to see if I could scratchbuild these to make this model a bit more interesting.

I started with the Wreckin' Ball.  I took some wooden balls I had picked up at the craft store at some point:

I randomly drilled some holes in it with my pin vise:

...then I cut the tips off of a handful of toothpicks:

...and glued them into the holes.

Next, I took a sprue of chains from a Reaper Razig weapon pack:

...and added one to the Wreckin' Ball:

Next, I need to build a mount for the Wreckin' Ball.  I took an assortment of styrene rods, plasticard, my hobby saw, mitre box & tubing cutter, and just started playing with different shapes & lengths until I got something I liked:

 Then I mounted the Wreckin' Ball to it:

Then I punched out some rivets and added them to the mount:

I added some more chains around the "spool" and mounted the whole thing in the bed of the Wartrukk:

Next, I started on the boarding plank.  I actually didn't have any craft sticks, so I took these wooded squares:

These also came from the craft store.  They're very brittle, so I just scored them with my hobby knife and snapped them off to make planks:

Then I cut two lengths of styrene "I-beam" and glued the planks across them in a haphazard fashion:

Rivets were added:

The ends were closed with plasticard:

Some "hooks" from a fantasy Chaos banner were added:

Next, a mount was made from styrene:

...and it was mounted in the bed of the Wartrukk:

(Even though the new Trukk models have a plank on each side, I thought this model would look too cluttered if I added another one on the other side, so I decided to leave it at that.  if a rules lawyer want to argue about it, I'll just say it's on a swivel).

After looking at it, I decided it needed a bit more detail, so I added some "hand cranks" for the Wreckin' Ball assembly:

A few other touches - I gave the driver a pirate hat (he is a Freeboota, after all):

(For some reason, the pirate hat with the sunglasses cracks me up).

I've also been meaning to re-purpose one of these sprues from all the Reaper bits I've been using:

It turns out it's the perfect size to use as a bumper for this model:

...and that's about it - overall I'm really pleased with how it came out - it went from looking terrible to being an interesting model.  I considered picking up a cheap toy car in a much larger scale to give it "monster truck" -style wheels and scale it up a bit closer to the current Trukk model, but I think that would be a ton of work to make it look right... maybe if I see something fitting next time I'm at the dollar store I'll give it a shot.

Tutorial: Custom Cork Bases

...for my Warmachine army, I decided I wanted them to have custom bases.  Since I was dealing with a fairly small model count (at least compared to 40k), I didn't feel it was necessary to cast my own bases.  At the same time, I've been trying to ease up on the hobby spending a bit lately, so I didn't want to buy ready-made bases.  I decided to try to make my own bases from scratch.

Since my faction of choice is Khador, the first thing I think of when looking for a style is "Siberia" - a barren, snow-covered polar desert / tundra.  I decided to try a "rocky" base, and I've really been wanting to try out the crushed glass bundle from Secret Weapon Miniatures, so I would use that for the snow effect.  I put in the order with Secret Weapon and set about making the bases.

I'm starting out with sheets or cork:

You should be able to find these at a craft store.  You can also find larger squares at the home improvement store, or rolls at the office supply store (although the rolls will be thinner, and you may have to "stack" several layers to get the desired effect).  If I was working with the flat GW-style bases, I would just break off chunks and glue them down.  For the Privateer Press/Dark Age -style bases, I try to contain the scenery within the "lip" of the base - I just feel it's a better look.  I grabbed a base, put it face-down on the cork, and traced around it with a pen:

Then I cut it out with a sharp hobby knife:

I trimmed around the edges until it fit within the lip of the base.  For doing multiple small bases, I do the above, then trace the trimmed-down cork insert from that point on:

For larger bases, I actually cut apart some areas of the cork insert:

For the smaller bases, the models will need every available bit of the surface area for footing - instead of cutting away any of the base, I used my hobby knife to cut "chips" out of the edge, and small "trenches" into the surface of the cork:

I made sure to use a fresh blade in my hobby knife - I'm trying to give the impression of slate or a rock that has chunks & pieces that break off and leave jagged edges.  The cork is also a bit "springy" and requires a sharp blade to cut easily - using a dull blade is good recipe for injury!

I used PVA glue and glued the cork inserts to the bases:

I let them dry upside down, so the glue wouldn't drip out of the slot on the bottom:

The cork gives a good starting point, but often when it's painted it obviously looks like corkboard.  To disguise them a bit I gave the bases a coat of PVA glue:

Then I dunked them in my bag of basing sand:

To really "lock down" the sand, I gave the bases a coat of white primer.  This also makes the bases a bit stiffer, and provides a better surface to mount the minis to:

All of the Warmachine minis that have been waiting for bases get pinned to their new bases:

Stay tuned for the snow effect and painting!