Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Da Grey Knightz - Making Grey Knights with orks

Daemons beware! When I get my arms, things will turn ugly for you!
Amidst my hobby efforts this week, I came across a conversion I had started close to two years ago. A friend of mine started a conversion project to build a Grey Knight army using ork models as substitutes. The effort was partly to pay homage to mighty Tuska the ‘Daemon-Killa’, an ork warlord who ventured into the Warp to hunt daemons (detailed in the 4th edition ork codex). To aid in the project I decided to try and convert a Grey Knight with a psycannon. Unfortunately I never quite finished the project. Now having a few more conversions under my belt, it seems like there is no better time to revisit the model and finish the conversion (and maybe make a few more!). First I thought people might be interested in seeing some pictures of the ork.
The first of hopefully many Grey Knightz is well on his way!
The model was based around the plastic Black Orcs, their bulky armour a crude mimic to the fine silver plate of the Astarte Grey Knights.  With this basic aspect decided upon, I started considering how to represent the Grey Knights’ arsenal of weapons in a more bestial light. Representing the psycannon proved to be pretty challenging. While I was deliberating over what I wanted to use as a foundation for the weapon, I realized I did not even know how the ork was going to hold the psycannon. The Black Orcs are not really positioned in a way to hold a two-handed firearm. This was when my thoughts drifted back towards my first memories of the psycannon. In Games Workshop’s Inquisitor (combat focused role-playing game), Inquisitor Covenant had an awesome shoulder mounted Psycannon. I decided that mounting the Psycannons to the ork’s shoulder/backpack was the solution I was looking for.
Inquisitor Covenant acted as a key inspiration for the conversion.
The psycannon was largely created from a Space Marine Hunter-Killer missile launcher. 
Thus far I am pretty pleased with how the model is turning out. I have made an effort to modify the model’s legs such that he does not look so much like a Black Orc with guns. Further, I am working on converting his left hand such that it is empty, using a Chaos Marine powerfist as the foundation.
The start of the Grey Knight's left hand, fashioned from a Chaos powerfist and plasticard. 
Although I still have a lot to do before the model is finished, I thought I would post some pictures and hopefully get some feedback. Any suggestions of things you would like to see on this model or future Grey Knightz? What do you think I should do about the model’s right hand? Is there a particular type of weapon you think he should be holding?

-Harlon Nayl

2 comments:

  1. Hah! Nice - I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this! Good stuff, mate!

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    1. Thanks for the comment! I am glad to be working on orks again; a nice change of pace from the other Imperial and Dark Eldar stuff I have been working on.

      This ork is to represent a Grey Knight Purifier, so in game terms he would not be carrying too many more weapons. They do have grenades, so I am considering having him throwing a stick bomb.

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