Alas, the official model is crap.
So of course I had to make my own.
Being that my army has a very tech-heavy slant, the bog standard "space shaman" look would simply not do. I was toying about with some high-tech ideas when I stumbled upon some fantastic concept art by the very talented Paul Jeacock. This particular picture caught my eye and my imagination:
My theory here is that the weirdboy has covered himself in batteries, capacitors, and copper plates in order to help control and store Waaagh energy. The very concept is unbelievably cool, a supercharged weirdboy.
I grabbed the bits box and set at collecting the raw materials: a plastic nob, some OOP metal nob bits, all manner of plastic rod and card, paperclips, copper wire, and various other bits and bobs.
The head was a very careful combination of bits. I trimmed the worky bits off the head of a Mekboy from the Loota kit. This was then grafted onto a suitably shaved down Black Orc Command head. I love that head, the scream is grand and feral, but the grimace hints at the pain just beneath the surface. In a pinch he'll make a great 'counts-as' for Zogwort, with the many torn, hanging power cables and arcs of electricity representing Zoggy's venomous vipers.
Of course, he needs basing. The plan is to greenstuff the wire stand to look like a cable dragging behind him. I also want to sculpt some sort of ripple in the sand beneath him, as if the Waaagh! energy supporting him is physically affecting the ground beneath him. Something akin to a water drop hitting a fluid surface.
The staff was great fun to construct. I wanted to created a rough-shod, orky version of the Imperial psychic hood, and a LEGO kit became a willing donor. The rest of the details were inspired by a mix of 1950's sci-fi and late 1970's electronics.
Once I finish my current paint project I plan to finish him up. In the meantime, here is a compilation shot showing several different angles. Click for the (rather large) full size image. Enjoy!
The million dollar question is: given his trappings, could I get away with using him as a KFF Mek? Or am I pushing the limit too far? Obvious gear like a burna would be represented, being carried by an oiler grot. What are your thoughts?
The concept art is amazing; I can see why it caught your eye and inspired you. Your conversion is also amazing! Great details, the sci-fi mix you mention is very effective. Very, very cool.
ReplyDeleteI think what marks this guy as a Weirdboy is the psychic hood element on the staff. Without that, I think he definitely comes across as a Mek. If you could change out just the top of the staff (above the gripping hand), he'd for sure pass as a KFF Mek. (Of course, I might be letting my own KFF Mek conversion flavor my opinion...regardless, you did a fantastic job on this Ork)
This is phenomenal. I love every bit you've put on this model. It just seems so orky. I LOVE the orky psychic hood. Good job. Can't wait to see him painted.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the compliments! I'm glad you like him.
ReplyDelete@SAJ: You make a great point, the staff is the key differentiation. Alas, it's fairly solidly made, with a large metal rod serving as the backbone throughout. With some fairly serious surgery I could possibly make it modular, perhaps swap the staff head for a large power wrench setup. Definitely worth thinking about, thanks!
@Skarvald: Thanks! He's on my list to paint. I'll set about it once I'm done with some terrain I'm working on, assuming the weather cooperates and it warms up enough to prime.
I love the conversion, It really looks menacing,about the mek flavor is there and ]I think you must be careful how do you paint him because it might really do him a better mekboy than a weirdboy.
ReplyDeleteamazing conversion!!! That'll be ace fun to paint!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the artwork you used for inspiration is by Paul Jeacock (I recognized the PJ icon on the image) - here's his website:
http://concept-artist.net/
Thanks guys!
ReplyDelete@simon duce: Bingo, that's it. I'll update the post to give due credit. Thank you!
So. Awesome. That thing looks like a blast, adn I agree that the psychic hood is easily the best part! Very inventive!
ReplyDeleteCan I ask what the botto/white part of the staff is from? It's a very unique piece I'd like to find for my AdMech.
ReplyDeletebottom*
ReplyDelete