Converting & Painting: Leman Russ

The Gobsmasha is a classic orky design. That big boxy body, huge gun and clunky manufacture all scream ORKS. However I've never liked the big wheels. Also, I've always loved Leman Russes without turrets. They just look so primative, so much like Mk I tanks or something of a similar vintage. Hence, when it came to designing my basic Russes for my Armoured Company, I decided that a Gobsmasha with Russ tracks would be my archetype.

A trip to my local GW store saw me leave laden down with different tank models! At home, out came the hacksaw. Hulls were mounted on the wrong tracks, things were mounted backwards, everything was mixed up. The big guns are all plastic plumbing pipe with copper pipe connector bits as the muzzles.

After the kitbashing of the main tank, lots of plasticard patches were stuck on to make it look a bit more orky. Attached with really big rivets, which are actually tacks...

Then heavy battle-damage was added with an old engraving tool, modelling knives and pin vices.

Here's the first 3, which are at the most advanced stage of completion. There's not finished yet, they're are very much Painting In Progress. These guys will be part of the "Tall'un Dessert Raiders". There are still a big pile of other tanks in less complete states that need to be finished to complete my Spearhead!

Painting was spray black-> lots of Deneb Stone-> drybrush Skull White. Red bits are Blood Red, metal bits are Boltgun Metal, battle damage & paint chips are Tin Bitz. Then I liberally added Flesh Wash all over. I still need to go back over lots of details, cover them in mud, and add the crew.

From left to right they're made from:
A basilisk's hull mated with leman russ tracks, plus an engine made from an old scorcha fuel tank.
The front of a chimera with a leman russ front as the back, on rhino tracks.
A mix of classic and current rhino parts, on leman russ tracks.

Converting & Painting: Basilisks

The core of these were some basilisks and a rhino. Then everything was mixed up stuck them back together in unusual ways to make them all individual and looted. After the kitbashing of the main tank, lots of plasticard patches were stuck on to make it look a bit more orky. Attached with really big rivets, which are actually tacks... Then heavy battle-damage was added with an old engraving tool, modelling knives and pin vices.
A similar theme extends through all my vehicles.

Painting was spray black-> Shadow Grey-> Codex Grey-> Fortress Grey. Red bits are Crimson Gore-> Blood Red, metal bits are Boltgun Metal. Then I liberally added a reddish brownish wash to all metal and in all battle-damage. Sometime I may get round to adding mud to the tracks.

Army List: Spearhead 2,000pts

So, Spearhead is the big excitement this month! For Imperial Guard fans, Spearhead is obviously brilliant news. Of course I want to make an army of tanks! This army is 1,980 pts and has all my tanks: 6 normal Russes, 2 Exterminators, and 3 Basilisks. Ouch!

Tactics wise, this list is here to shoot the crap out of things and chuck pie-plates around like there's no tomorrow. Everything has Extra Armour, and most models only have 1 gun. As most guys are Spearheads, this means they'll keep driving and shooting until you get an Immobilised or a Weapon Destroyed!
All tanks are individuals not formations, so Immobilised doesn't mean they blow up.

ARMOURED SPEARHEAD [595]
The guys leading the charge, all with 5+ saves for their tanks
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour) - 165
Leman Russ Exterminator (Extra Armour, Heavy Bolter Sponsons) - 185
Leman Russ Exterminator (Extra Armour, Heavy Bolter Sponsons) - 185

TANK HUNTER SPEARHEAD [605]
Backing up the Armoured Spearhead, and taking care of enemy armour with the Tank Hunter USR
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour and Pask) - 215
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour) - 165
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour) - 165

ARCHEOTECH SPEARHEAD [450]
Because nothing's more orky than blowing yourself up: +1 Strength but a chance of exploding? Yes please!
Basilisk (Extra Armour) - 140
Basilisk (Extra Armour) - 140
Basilisk (Extra Armour) - 140

HEAVY SUPPORT [330]
A few more tanks, just for luck!
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour) - 165
Leman Russ Battle Tank (Extra Armour) - 165

Converting: Tank Crew

The first models I made as a basic proof of concept were some tank crew. They're Night Goblins with hoods trimmed down and turned into Valhallan/Red Army style hats. The guy with the beret is General Monty of Alldagrots, and counts as Pask when I want him to.

Introducing the Grots

I've long been a fan of orkoids, especially the smaller ones. It's their crazed grins, their twisted sense of humour, and their overwhelming numbers (ah, happy memories of 2nd ed gretchin with autoguns mowing down Death Companies and Terminators by having so many dice the opponent couldn't resist).

I've had 4 main 40k orkoid armies. The first in 2nd Ed was based around the horrible 2nd Ed Box Set models- lots of Goff Orks and Gretchin in the same bloody pose, all with horrible spikes on their heads. I stepped on the army in the dark once. Big mistake!

The next in 3rd Ed was heavily converted, a Blood Axe force. All the Orks were GorkaMorka models with bits of looted Space Marine power armour, and it included two big mobs of Grots. They were plastic Night Goblins converted to look like Redemptionists and Tallarn Desert Raiders, and the Killa Kans were scratch-built sentinel clones. They rocked!

Then, in a fit of enthusiasm, I made an army entirely of Snotlings, using Lost & The Damned rules... They were a bit too mad.

I then took a break from the game for a few years. But all that time I was working on a new plan. I wanted to return to my Blood Axe days, and build an army entirely based on a hybrid of Gretchin and Imperial Guard, with lots of conversions...

As well as Orks, I also really like tanks. Let's face it, tanks are cool. Big lumbering fortresses advancing over the battleground, blowing all opponents into little tiny pieces. Hell yes. So this army will combine these two passions. It'll be an Imperial Guard army, using converted WFB goblin models made to look like Guardsmen. My eventual aim is to have a tank company and a foot-sloggers army, which I can pick and choose from to make mixed armies or use together in Apocalypse battles. The armies will use the counts-as rule and only GW model bis, so that they will be fully legal in GW stores & tournaments.