Blood Axe Boyz (Part 1)

Some time last summer I Spelled out my intention to create separate Ork detachments based on the clans. You can see some of this progress over on the Orks page. The Goffs have the biggest collection so far but the Bad Moons are starting to catch up also. The only work done so far on the Blood Axes has been a single Rogue Trader era Dreadnought. I linked the first part of the project because I described my intended vision, and inspiration, for my Blood Axes in detail there.

Blood Axes assembled!

Due to the size-creep on the Ork range my original RT-era Orks are looking very small these days. But the details on these old lead figures, and the character, is just unsurpassed by the later models, good though they still are. However I do think the older miniatures look so much better on 32mm bases. It will take me a bit of time to transition all of my Orks to the new bases, but for now this is a good start.

...yeah.

In a recent comment on our FB Group regarding Rogue Trader era miniatures, we talked about using RT era models in Kill Team but also in trying to get a squad of RT era miniatures painted in a timely fashion. It got me thinking about my oldest unpainted miniatures, which are my Orks. I realized it was 30 years ago, almost exactly, that I got my first Citadel miniatures. I bought five random Orks from a kid at school for a couple bucks. Back then, each ork was highly individualized and unique, and crammed with details. A bit ironic considering their size vs. their modern counterparts, yes? These details intimidated the young painter in me and I never attempted to paint them.

Where it all began for me.

But, to the best of my recollection, these are those first few orks! Definitely the one with a splotch of black paint on his face (in the middle of the group) as he came to me that way with that first purchase from a kid at school.

Later that summer ('89, indeed 30 years ago!) The Dr and I went on a bus tour around East Anglia and I greatly expanded my metal orc collection. I don't recall the name of the shop in Colchester, but the one in Ipswich was called War and Peace. This fellow below came from one of those blister packs. We always loved the character of this chap, and dubbed him "Da Mad Thunker" at the time, as he seems very much mired in contemplation.

"I wonderz if dat fing ov'a dare can blows up big?"

A few months later, the first multi-part plastic Space Orks box would be released and these would become the first Orks I would paint. I cut my teeth on those miniatures more-or-less teaching myself how to paint in the process. It took me a few years though and I didn't finish that set until '94 when I was living with The Dr in New Mexico!

Fast forward to 2019 and I decided to first prep a few of the Orks, four regular Boyz and a Nob, just to see if I like how they would look on the 32mm bases. Not much really to say at this stage other than I like them on these bases. Even these old miniatures seemed to spill off the old 28mm bases so the 32mm is a refreshing improvement.

Accept this guy, he still looks small. Da Yoof gone wild?

Don't know what he's thinking, but it looks menacing.

They didn't make enough "Foreign Legion" style heads.

I love that serrated blade...wicked looking huh?

And finally the Nob: this model was originally released as a Blood Axe Warboss. He was very big at the time of release and absolutely spilled off of the 28mm base and still does a fine job filling up the space on his 32mm one. But with the size boost that the Warboss models got back in '99, this guy is now more fitting as a Nob.

Da Nob.

And here they are with their bases gritted up and with additional bitz added on. One of the Boyz has a classic Dark Eldar helm on it. One of the blades was bent which reminded me of battle damage, so perhaps this was discarded during the fight? Or, maybe there's a head in there...?