Kitbashed EM4 space orcs - and orkish work in progress

A couple of months ago, I kitbashed some EM4 Fantasy Warriors orcs into space orcs through the tried-and-tested route of "stick a gun on a fantasy figure and call it a spaceman". I painted these up for a game in June but forgot to record them. There are many more to come. 

Since playing One Page Rules: Grimdark Future then, I've been putting together some multi-based orks for that game and similar sci-fi ones (e.g. Xenos Rampant). I like the 3/2/1 basing system that some people use for the Rampant games, and I've realised that it would work just fine in Grimdark Future. Here are some WIP bases, both for primitive orks ("berserkers" in GF) and more tech-savvy ones:

I really like this style of basing and might extend it to include some 4s and 5s. For games that involve large groups of figures, it makes movement so much easier and avoids the unsightly spectacle of lots of individually based figures crammed together and falling over each other on the table. 

Edit: a size comparison with first-edition 40K and Gorkamorka orks:

 

Kitbashed space orcs!

A friend of mine who used to play a lot of 40K suggest that we give One Page Rules' Grimdark Future game a tryout in the summer, so that he can use some of his exquisitely painted armies. I haven't played 40K since the first edition, but the OPR rules look nice and streamlined: a bit of Song of Blades and Heroes (with the Quality stat); a bit FUBAR (with the alternating activations); and a bit Kings of War (the general streamlining): all good things, and the rules and list-builder are free to boot.

I was planning to paint up a lot of first-edition 40K space orks for the summer session, but I'm aware that time and work commitments may limit what I can do (and I don't want to rush those old treasures). But I have no qualms about speed-painting kitbashed EM4 plastic orcs (wonderfully cheap and readily convertible). I converted one to sci-fi a while back, along with an associated metal Nick Lund Grenadier orc, so I thought I'd convert a few more. 

One welcome discovery has been that the new Frostgrave cultists have bulky arms and gloved hands that work nicely with the EM4 orc torsos. The arms (and chainsaw) of the figures in the first photo come from that kit. Stargrave scavenger arms and various other sci-fi bits make up the rest. 

As far as I can see from the Grimdark Future rules, the orc profile is all about aggression rather than toughness (as in the original 40K, where T4 was an ork's main advantage). So these smaller, rather simian orcs should look the part so long as they're armed to the teeth. 

 

Thorin, Dain and their dwarves

 These are some Blade elements for Hordes of the Things, to represent Thorin and company and Dan and the dwarves of the Iron Hills in the Battle of the Five Armies.

In the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, Dain is described as wielding a red axe (though whether that's the haft, the blade or just its bloody state is unclear). Here (much later on at the Battle of the Five Armies), he's upgraded to a red spear. 

These ex-Grenadier EM4 dwarves are the best fit for Dain's dwarves, I think. They don't quite have mattocks, but their axes are sufficiently mattocky to count. And they're suitably grim and tough-looking.

That's the dwarves done. Next up are the Men of Laketown (Spear elements) and Thranduil's Elves (Shooters).

Kitbashed orcs (part seven)

 And on they march! Here's the latest batch of kitbashes. I'm most pleased with the axeman and the spearman in the centre. The former benefits from repositioning at the waist while the latter has a repositioned left arm and a new fist to add a bit of dynamism.

Kitbashed orcs (part six)

 And a few more orcs to keep the dwarves in the previous post busy!

Dwarf kitbashes in progress

 

Painting time has been scarce (though, with the current weather, who's complaining?). But I've started to explore kitbashing possibilities with the EM4 dwarves. Along with lots of spare Oathmark heads, I've got quite a few GW bits and bobs of a dwarven nature. So, having bought a bag of EM4 dwarves on a whim some years ago, I have an opportunity to use them up. The plan is to make a few Kings of War-style multi-based units. I also have some painted Oathmark dwarves that may very well find themselves rebased for KoW, and I have lots of old Citadel dwarves to use for characters.

We do most of our rank'n'flank gaming in 1/72 scale, but with fantasy games, it all becomes a bit slippery. Because of the Warhammer-legacy basing in Kings of War, orcs have to be significantly bigger than humans to justify 25mm base sizes. Older orcs - like those from Mithril, 80s Citadel and EM4 - fill the bases nicely and look suitably imposing next to 1/72 humans. They're still sufficiently muscular and brutish-looking to justify their KoW 'Crushing Strength' in 28mm, though. So they work at both scales.

And happily, that means that 28mm dwarves like these chaps fit in fine too. Actually, we wouldn't balk at fielding them with 1/72 humans - the dwarves are still a head shorter than the humans, even if they're twice as broad!

Kitbashed orcs (part five)

Here are yet more, including a kettle-hatted axeman and a fur-hatted archer. There's something peculiarly satisfying about converting an archer to be ... an archer. The spearman on the left was also pleasing - a sliced-off spear-arm fitted seamlessly onto the torso of a swordsman.

I'll assemble these in Kings of War 'troops' - eight to ten figures on a 125 x 50mm base. When they're fielded as larger units, the front element can designate the specified troop type if that's in short supply.

Kitbashed orcs (part four)

 Three more kitbashed EM4 orcs - a couple of scouts/archers and a swordsman. 

Kitbashed orcs (part three)

 Another couple of kitbashed EM4 orcs. These two have three arms from Mantic ratkin, helmets from an Oathmark dwarf and human, and an old GW orc shield. I'm particularly pleased with the conversion of the archer on the left - he's ended up in quite a dynamic pose. 

Kitbashing orcs (part two)

 A quick lunchtime session means that the unit is ready for basing and painting, barring some green-stuff repairs.  

Kitbashing orcs

 

This is the start of an orcish unit for Kings of War - and possibly for Impetus too. I suspect Impetus may be fairly forgiving of minor variations in frontage, which would mean that the 125mm frontages of KoW orc and cavalry units won't matter too much alongside doubled-up Hordes of the Things bases (so 120mm) for most units. 

Kings of War's Warhammer legacy in having 20mm and 25mm bases for various humanoids is a slight annoyance when basing for maximum versatility. For the most part, I'm now basing regular infantry units on a mix of 60mm and 40mm frontages, which allows the two to be used together to create a KoW 100mm frontage, and then two of the 60s or three of the 40s can form Impetus units. Meanwhile, the 60s and 40s can be used in Hordes of the Things in 28mm and 15mm respectively; we tend to use 1/72 figures for regular humans in massed-battle games, which means that they work in both 15mm and 28mm HotT. 

These orcs are based mainly on the EM4 monopose plastics, with bits added from Mantic orcs, GW Skaven, Frostgrave demons, Fireforge Mongols and Oathmark orcs and dwarves. The leader is a Frostgrave demon with only a minor conversion to lower his head into his shoulders for a more orcish look. The fellow with the two-handed axe is a Frostgrave demon with a Fireforge cataphract head. He'll probably end up in a different uinit.