Pips Deffwing
From Gobstyks-wiki
Introduction
Intro (or Why I did it)
Well, Open War is less than three months away, and I need a new army to take. I feel that Dark Eldar are less competitive against mech lists (less Dark Lances and such like), so I shall not be using them again (I think) in a tournament.
So, the other day I was just idlying away time (I really can't think what I was doing) when I hit upon the idea of re-visiting the Deffwing. I had considered it a few years back, but when I couldn't create a decent plastic Meganob, I gave up on the idea.
However, last year, I succeeded in converting some Meganobz that I was happy with, and so I am going to scratch build, convert and paint the army in less than three months. Insane, maybe? But I have cancelled my World of Warcraft account (which is the main reason for my lack of painting time) and diving into this project.
Da Background
So, who are the Deffwing? In short, Orks are very prone to imitating things. When Orks saw the first Marine Dreadnought, they thought 'I want sum ov dat'.
So when a warband of Orks got battered by the elite first company of the Dark Angels, the Deathwing, they realised that they had found the pinnacle of Orky fighting tactics.
So here is the short story I have written, explaining how the army came into being.
Gulgrim sat on top of his Battlewagon, using what looked suspiciously like a human bone to pick pieces of food from between his teeth. Satisfied he had managed to get every piece, he flung the bone off the side of the Wagon. They were racing through the desert back to the caves which they called home, weighed down from the rich pickings from their latest raid on the caravans.
Gulgrim sat there in silence. In Orkdom, he was considered a finker. Being a Blood Axe, he had crude understandings about tactics. Why face the enemy head on, when you could hit their caravans and deprive them of food, then when half of them were dead, and the rest were starving, then his boyz would mosey into the big town, and take all the loot for themselves.
One of his nobz turned round and saw the Boss staring into the distance, and yelled ‘Boss, we iz ‘ome’. Still the boss didn’t stir, so the nob flung a half eaten leg of meat at him. ‘OI, BOSS’ he yelled, as the meat bounced off of the Boss’ helmet.
Broken out of his reverie, the Warboss jumped down from his vantage point, stormed over to the nob, who was now looking a little sheepish, and grabbed him by the throat, raising his Power Klaw so it was just inches from the Nob’s face. The Nob gulped as the Warboss huffed in his face ‘Wotcha go an’ do vat for?’ he bellowed at the now stricken Nob. The other Nobz were trying to look as nonchalant as they could, which is not an easy thing for an eight foot Ork.
Forcing the words out as the Boss choked him, he croaked ‘We’z ome, boss, youze was finking agin’. The Warboss sighed, and dropped the Nob to the floor. Yes he had been thinking. While all this hitting supply lines was the clever thing to do, something deep inside of him yearned for the big victory. A bunch of Grots could have beaten those Umies who were guarding the caravan. No, he wanted a real fight, and he was thinking maybe it was nearly time to hit the city, and have some fun.
So the Boss dismounted the Battlewagon, and started ordering the boyz around, shouting at them to get the stuff in the caverns nice and safe. He felt he needed a bit of a fight, and maybe he needed to hit a small Guard post somewhere.
At about the same time, the Governor’s pleas for help were being answered. Before him, in his large office, stood Brother Uziel of the Dark Angel’s chapter. They had been returning to the Rock after a successful campaign, and had picked the call for help from the planet, and had decided to investigate. The Governor has explained of the Ork’s hit and run tactics, and how whenever they had responded to an attack, the Orks had always left the area by the time they had got there. They simple weren’t fast enough to catch the Orks.
Brother Uziel agreed that his Marines would stand ready to engage the Orks the moment that they were spotted. The Ork threat would be wiped out and ended once and for all.
No sooner had the mob unloaded all their trucks and Battlewagons, than the Boss had them mount up again. He told them that were going soft with all this raiding, and that they needed some real action to beef them up a bit, in preparation for the attack on the city. The object of their aggression would be an Imperial Guard training area in the desert about an hour away from the camp. The boyz were only too eager to prove to their boss just how wrong he was.
The trucks were going flat out, so a lot of dust was being kicked up. One eagle eyed sentry noticed this dust cloud, and being aware of the recent Ork raids, he informed his superior, who relayed the message back to central command.
The technicians at Central Command were fully aware that there was no dust storm in that region. The current conditions were highly unlikely to cause one, so the Dark Angels were informed. Four units of the Deathwing boarded their Land Raiders, which were carried down from their strike cruiser on board Thunderhawk Gunships, which rapidly dropped through the atmosphere.
The Orks had now driven their trucks through the perimeter fence, and Guardsmen were rushing around, grabbing their weapons, and manning the heavy weapon towers. The boyz leapt from their vehicles and charged headlong at the Guardsmen, while Gulgrim’s Battlewagon drove around the back of the camp, ready to create a pincer movement.
Suddenly Gulgrim heard a whine in the sky, and instinctively looked up. Four aircraft were rapidly approaching, although he had no idea what they were at this point. They quickly touched down, dropping off heavy Beakie tanks on the other side of the camp where his boyz were. Gulgrim stood on the back of his Battlewagon, watching the events unfurl. The tanks moved forward, Lascannons spitting at the Trukks and Battlewagons, and explosions were happening all over.
Then the tanks opened up, disgorging the Terminators. The site of them caught Gulgrim’s breath. Walking heavy armour with Power Klaws and huge guns. What more could any self respecting Ork want? The Terminators were mowing down the Orks in great waves, and any that survived where being dispatched by the various weapons the Terminators employed.
Gulgrim came to the realisation that the battle was lost, and any time now, all of his boyz would be dead, and then they would spot his Battlewagon loitering at the back of the compound. With a great sigh, he ordered the driver to turn around and head back for the caves.
The Terminator Sergeant strode over to the Guard Commander, and informed that all of the Orks in the raid were now dead. He also told him, that although you can never eliminate the Ork thread due to the way they reproduce, they certainly should not be a problem for quite a few years.
The Guard Commander thanked him, as the Sergeant radioed in a message for retrieval, and headed back to his brothers. Upon getting back to the cave, Gulgrim was in a foul mood. The Grots realised it was better in their own interests to stay well out of his way. He pondered on this setback for a while, when he stood up, as a great idea came into his head, a gift from the great Ork gods, Gork and Mork.
This was a sign. With only his Nobz left from his warband, he marched out to his Big Mek Gajeet ‘Can youze make me sum ov dat armer wot dem Beakies woz usin?’ The Big Mek nervously nodded agreement.
‘Gud, den all ov ma nobz wontz sum, and sum ov dose big waguns too!’
Gajeet was fully aware of what a big job this was going to be, but he would be hailed as the greatest Mek ever if he did it.
Da List
And so on to the army list. I had considered having two Warbosses, thereby allowing two units of Meganobz to be Troops, and I had also considered using Mad Doc Grotsnik to give them all in invulnerable save, but I preferred the idea of a Big Mek with a Kustom Force Field. And lets be honest, with that many suits of Mega Armour and Battlewagons, you're going to need a Big Mek to keep it all running.
Warboss with Mega Armour, Cybork Body and Bosspole
Big Mek with Kustom Force Field, Power Klaw, Cybork Body and Bosspole
5 Meganobz with Kombi Skorcha and Kombi Rocket
5 Meganobz with Kombi Skorcha and Kombi Rocket
5 Meganobz with Kombi Skorcha and Kombi Rocket
5 Meganobz with Kombi Skorcha and Kombi Rocket
Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Grabba Klaw, Grot Riggas and 2 Big Shootas
Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Grot Riggas and 2 Big Shootas
Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Grot Riggas and 2 Big Shootas
Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Grot Riggas and 2 Big Shootas
10 Grots with Slaver
10 Grots with Slaver
10 Grots with Slaver
I envision the Grots being the baggage train, bringing up the supplies behind the Nobz.
16th January 2011
So, onto some pics now. I started building stuff yesterday evening, so this is my first evening's worth of work.
The Meganobz so far.
And some shots of my first Battlewagon
The Battlewagon has been heavily pinned, so there is no chance (hopefully) of it coming apart in the midst of battle.
The driver and the gunz will be in the rear compartment.
And just one more pic of some more work on the tracks
19th January 2011
More work, including Big Shootas and Driver.
And, as I have a painting night with some friends planned, I needed something to paint, so lo and behold, my first finished model, one of the Mekboyz who shall be leading my Grotz.
20th January 2011
I'm using Gnoblars, as they look more downtrodden, and I like the big noses.
Anyways, time to put some colour into this thread. Had a painting night last night, and managed to get my first model finished. This is the Mek for one of my Grot squads.
I have made some further progress with my Meganobz.
22nd January 2011
Well, got the camera back after Jo has been away for the weekend, but this has provided me with the time to get some work done. And so that is exactly what I have done.
It is now 8 days since I officially started this project, and I have hit a milestone. A fully built Battlewagon.
I have also started work on the second Battlewagon, along with the engine. I intend having the back hatch so it can be lifted up to show off the engine.
And some more progress on my Meganobz. They now look like evil walking television sets (thinking Evil edna from Will O' the Wisp).
I also have most of the models I need. I shall need to buy another box of Gnoblars at some point. I have also started on a second unit of Meganobz (but these aren't worth taking pics of at the moment), and if I did, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the first unit and the second.
23rd January 2011
And after a discussion over on Da Waaagh forum, I have done a little more work tonight.
I was concerned that the Meganobz wouldn't be able to get off of the front of the Battlewagon, due to the Deff Rolla (i know, it's not real, but hey), so I have put a ramp in to cover the Deff Rolla, and also to act as some extra armour when not needed.
I also felt the exhaust needed a little more detail, so I put a muffler on it.
24th January 2011
I've done some painting on the Battlewagon, and I have tried to give it a battered paint job. What do people think? Is it too battered?
28th January 2011
I have now got my other two Meks finished, which I was painitng at the club last night, plus the driver for my Battlewagon, so that is now finished except for some weathering at some point (when I feel confident enough).
1st February 2011
Not been able to get a great deal done in the last few days, but I've been slowly been plodding along. First up, my first mob of Grots are ready for some paint. I didn't realise how much smaller the Gnoblars were compared to regular Goblins, so I will not be going to convert these like I was planning on doing, however, they are full of character anyway, so that's not a problem.
And then I've got some work done on the second Battlewagon, the Deffrolla is built, and the frame is attached, just got to detail it up now, and get some big metal teef stuck to the front of it. I have also been working on the Big Shootas, but I'm not happy with them at the moment, my Big Shoota-fu is not as developed as the rest of it.
And then on to my Meganobz. I realised I needed to get some serious work into them, so their weapons are built (needing details, especially the Power Klaws) and the gunz are nearly built, meaning they are now a lot closer to completion.
The Meganobz are my primary concern, as I have four squads of them to build. I have done some more work on the second squad, but still nothing worth taking piccies of yet. I also need to do a little more filling in of details on their backs.
6th February 2011
Well, I have fallen slightly behind my schedule. Friday was the end of the first three week period. By that point, I should have had a fully painted Battlewagon, five Meganobz, three Meks and five Grots.
Unfortunately, while the Battlewagon and Meks are finished, the Grots are ready for painting, while the Meganobz needed a little more work.
Well, today I have just finished building the Meganobz, so hopefully I can get them painted in the next few days, while working on the next five.
10th February 2011
The first unit is now complete [/drumroll]. The meganobz, along with their battlewagon, are finished.
12th February 2011
And some more work done today. Got pictures worth posting now of the second squad of Meganobz
And their accompanying wheelz
And the Ork that made it all possible, the true power behind the throne, my Big Mek.
17th February 2011
Another update.
The second Battlewagon is nearly finished, just got to build the front doors , exhausts and some detailing on the rear.
I have also got a fair bit done on my Big Mek, the servo arm is almost done, just got to decide whether to build the Power Klaw as an adjustable spanner or as a Grabba Klaw.
And finally, every army needs a reason to fight (even Orks) so I have built my first two objectives (well, the ammo dump was originally for my Blood Axes, but I never got around to finishing it).
20th February 2011
Thanks to being able to get some painting in on Thursday night (and I appreciated the company guys), I was able to finish off my first five Grots, and the finished look of them as given me some much needed impetus to get the others finished.
I have also been able to get the second Battlewagon finished, although I can't get it painted until the middle of the week due to having no black spray paint.
Just under seven weeks to go, and I am struggling to stay on target, although I have started the next Battlewagon and Meganobz earlier in an attempt to get them done in time.
22nd February 2011
And as soon as I have finished the second, it is on with the third.
Well, in fairness, I had started it a few days ago, but I have put some extra effort in today, and it is starting to take shape.
25th February 2011
Finished off my second batch of 5 Grots tonight (again at club, must be something about the atmosphere), so I now have my first grot Mob finished.
Work continues apace on my Meganobz, and they should be finished this weekend, while I now have the spray pint for my Battlewagon, so that should also be finished in the next few days.
1st March 2011
And that is the second Battlewagon now painted, along with the Meganobz ready to paint (if it ever stops raining at any point).
And a further update (which is why you shouldn't update your plog early in the day).
The final piece for my Big Mek came in the post today. I took me a while to find one, but I did, and it is now attached. Say hello to my Big Mek's Power Klaw (actually a Deff Dredd Power Klaw in disguise).
As you can see, I have also added up a few other bits, and made a start in painting him.
Well, this is now the end of the second period. Last period I was down by the Meganobz and Grots. This time around, the Meganobz are ready to paint, and the battlewagon was done (and now painted), but the Grots are done and caught up, and the next batch are well underway. So further progress has been made.
I feel the important part is to get stuff built this period, ready to paint, and then make a start on next period's stuff, as this needs to be all finsihed by April 8th.
3rd March 2011
Another bunch of 5 Grots done.
Open War insists that all units must be distinguishable from each other, so I shall be painting an Ork glyph on the back of each one, to represent which Mek they belong to. Reminds me of Mechanics at a garage wearing overalls with the company logo on the back.
4th March 2011
It seems like I am almost posting every day (which can only be a good thing). Last night at club, and after club, I managed to get a lot of work on my Big Mek done, but I also got my first objective finished.
Still need three more though. The next one I think is going to be a standard pole speared through a dead Ork body. After that, I am fresh out of ideas.
6th March 2011
Got my Big Mek done today, took a little time to get the Plasma Globes done, but I am fairly happy with them now.
I have also got some further work done on my third Battlewagon and my Meganobz.
I have also started work on my final Battlewagon, Meganobz unit and my Warboss. I hope to have them in a suitable condition for Thursday, when I shall be taking them up to my club for their first run out. I thought it would be a good idea to get some practice in, and now I have started work on everything, the task isn't quite so daunting.
19th August 2011
Well, the project got delayed. After some serious consideration, I realised that I was sick of painting them all, and the tournament was ever looming closer, so I took an executive decision, and concentrated on getting my old Ork army finished ready for Open War.
Now, as the next Open War is coming (I do have a few more weeks than before) I have once more dusted them off, and with a fresh surge of enthusiasm, have set out to finish up the army.
So, anyways, I have done some work in the last week, in the hope of having them done for the next Open War.
First off, I have got the basic Mega Armour on my Warboss, now needing to do the details.
And then my Battlewagon. In the intervening time, I have managed to lose the side guns, so I am busy building some new ones. Otherwise, I have detailed the interior, the armour plates and the Deff Rolla.
Hopefully, now I have found my camera (on the floor under the computer desk) I can keep some more regular updates.
24th August 2011
I have been busy painting my second unit of Meganobz (who are nearly finished), and I have finished my third Battlewagon, and my Warboss all but for a few more details.
25th August 2011
And the second unit of Meganobz are finished.
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looking at these pictures though, I think another coat of paint on the Iron Gobs of the first and third meganobz are in order.
21st December 2011
Well, it's been a while (nearly four months) but after having had a game with them last Thursday, I was ready to get some work done on them.
What with work, family and college getting in the way of the fun stuff, I have found the time today (which is rather ironic, this being the busiest week of the year) to get some painting done.
So here are the next batch of five Grotz (only ten to go now)
And finally, in all his splendor, is my Warboss, Gulgrim, with his very over the top kustom shoota.
And with the next Meganobz nearly built, and my last Battlewagon on the way, hopefully there will be further updates soon.
