Monthly Archives: October 2017

Orktober 2017 #2/WAAAAGH! Pt.6: Rogue Trader-era Kev Adams Space Ork Mekaniak (440206 – April 1989)

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Rogue Trader Kev Adams Space Ork Mekaniak Mekboy April 1989

What? Dreadtober? Yeah, I’m working on that, too. Just clearing some stuff off the paint desk first, though.. This particular Ork happens to be the very first Ork Mekboy. Known initially at the time as a “Mekaniak” “Mek Boy” and “Mekboy”, he came included in a kit with the first Wartrak and a field gun, also known around the same time as a “Hop Splat Gun”. When I sold off most of my Orks back in the day, this fellow was one of the figures that I kept, along with the pair of gretchin slaves that go with him. (I need to dig them out and paint them up!)

Rogue Trader Kev Adams Space Ork Mekaniak Mekboy April 1989

This particular Ork was originally painted back in the day, stripped, and then stored in various boxes and cases for the next few decades. As with his companion that I shared here the other day, he’s finally out and painted to a standard that I’m happy with – and he’ll be joining the WAAAGH at some stage as well. While it’s certainly true that he’s pretty basic by the standards of modern Mekboys, I’ll have a good look through the Index (or maybe Codex, if it comes out this year – fingers crossed) and see if there’s a suitable spot for him. The whip makes him a potential Runtherd, though I think I’m well covered for that spot, at least for the time being.

Rogue Trader Kev Adams Space Ork Mekaniak Mekboy April 1989

Once again, bare metal, earth tones and camo are what make up the colours of his gear. His ammo pouches seem to be modelled after the FG-42 pouches and webbing, right down to the Y-harness – which makes a lot of sense I guess, as Orks from the originals through to part of second edition weren’t shy about taking inspiration for some of their elements from German sources. (Stormboys obviously being the most egregious example.)

Rogue Trader Kev Adams Space Ork Mekaniak Mekboy April 1989

Regardless, I always really liked this sculpt and even to this day I still love it. There’s just something so impassive and at the same time brutal and threatening about it. Not a figure that needs to be overblown to impart a sense of menace.

Nârik Dreygur: Iron Warrior

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Nârik Dreygur, Narik Dreygur, Iron Warriors

Today we have the Narik Dreygur Iron Warriors model from Forge World. Nominally for 30k/HH, Narik, the “Gravewalker” was a renowned Iron Warriors commander during the Horus Heresy who eventually turned from the Traitors and became a loyalist and close confidant to the Salamanders – specifically, Cassian Dracos, the “Iron Dragon”. While my grand plan for my Iron Warriors force does include creating a decent element that will be 30k/40k compatible, I’m also realistic to know that my chances of ever playing 30k aren’t huge, so the main focus will be the 40k aspects.

Nârik Dreygur, Narik Dreygur, Iron Warriors

With that in mind, I’ve painted him following the same scheme as my 40k Iron Warriors. They’re pretty much the same between 30 and 40k, but perhaps a little more in terms of Hazard striping and in some cases copper/brass trim. I considered going brass with his right shoulder, but felt it looked good in iron – and would probably look less good if I changed it, so it remained. My 40k IW retain the heraldry of the IV Legion, so Dreygur’s power fist seemed an appropriate place to stamp that firm.

Nârik Dreygur, Narik Dreygur, Iron Warriors

I gave him a not-Iron Warriors shoulder pad from Puppetswar, in Poland. They have some amazingly great designs, but when I ordered from them they were slow as molasses and the casting quality was nightmarishly bad to the point where they ended up having to replace most of my order – but only after I kicked up a huge public stink with the photos to the extent that they stopped posting on Dakka for a couple of years. I’ve not ordered from them since, so I don’t know if their casting quality and QA have improved, and I’m not that desperate to try again. I know they do occasionally send out freebies for review, and those models would obviously be lovely, cherry-picked casts.

Nârik Dreygur, Narik Dreygur, Iron Warriors

The backpack under his feet is painted in the dark green of my Dark Angels. I considered Minotaurs, but I felt that the brass of their armour would be too much metallic to add to the model, and not distinct enough from either Dreygur or his base, while their traditional foes, the Imperial Fists wouldn’t work well since I plan to eventually have only 1-2 squads of them, as opposed to the scores of Dark Angels I’ll eventually have painted up.

While Dreygur is a named character in 30k, in my 40k force he’ll be used as an Exalted Champion, to run up alongside assaulters to help inflict those important close combat wounds (rerolling 1s to wound!) I might well keep the moniker of Nârik Dreygur, as I’m sure the IW would appreciate that kind of dark irony.