To start off the new selection of Ork models in preparation of the 7th edition Ork codex, Games Workshop released the Gorkanaut/Morkanaut, a dual-kit that could build one of two stompy Ork walkers modeled after the Ork gods Gork and Mork. They are the Ork army’s model equivalent (though not really rules equivalent) of the Imperial Knights: Large, imposing walkers that provide an impressive model in the center of the table. Naturally, with Orks being my favorite army, I had to get one, and I opted for the Morkanaut to start with as it has some solid AP2 shooting attacks, something that’s much needed with the 7th edition vehicle rules.
This build was pretty much stock, both because I wanted to get it on the table ASAP and I wasn’t feeling so well during the build. I have plans to get a Gorkanaut when my budget permits, and thanks to some offhand comments from people, I’m going to try to model the interior of that walker as a bar, where Orks can come to get refreshing beverages during the battle. Why? Because Orks.
You’ll also likely notice that my desk can be a bit… cluttered at times. In the background are a unit of MegaNobz that I’ve popped apart and am repainting with camo to be “sneaky MegaNobz.” Various tools and paints are wherever it’s easiest to place them for grabbing in the future. The desk is also covered in old paint and glue and damage from modeling. It’s seen some work in its days.
May 15, 2014
It took a couple of days to build the Morkanaut, and then it saw a couple of games as a bare grey plastic kit (where it did a good job of staying alive, but honestly not much else), before I was finally able to prime it on the morning of May 15. Weather conditions in Florida in the summer are often not particularly conducive to priming models, unfortunately. (Luckily, I was able to use that window to prime a batch of other Ork models for my army.) The model was primed black in preparation for an “urban camo” scheme, as it’s going to be a Blood Axe walker and one of the first models finished for my Blood Axe army.
While I did leave the model not quite fully assembled, the only pieces left apart were ones that would be left “mobile” later so the model could be repositioned in games or in transit as needed. This became a bit of an issue at times as I tried to paint a couple of details in the back of the compartment, or the Ork riding in the top, so I would definitely recommend not fully assembling the model, even to the degree seen below, before painting it.
May 16, 2014
The first thing I did with the model was apply the “urban camo” to it. Being Orks, the camo didn’t need to be exact or “clean.” I used a sponge to dab on various shades of grey liberally across the entire model, from dark grey to light grey. I used older Citadel Paints I still had on hand, including Adeptus Battlegrey (Foundations paint), Codex Grey, and Fortress Grey. You can see the paint pots in the background.
Also, at this point in the build, I realized the model needed to be off its base for me to paint it easier, so I gently pried it off the base. Thankfully, there’s not much that connects the model to its base.
May 17, 2014
Basecoating begins in earnest! Metal areas were painted with Ironbreaker, then a wash of Nuln Oil was applied to the entire model to give it shading and a bit of a “dirty” look. The energy balls on the kustom force field (KFF) were painted Mordian Blue, as were numerous lenses, and the “eye” on the head. The two mega-blasta weapons had blue painted on the inside, with a lighter blue and then finally a thin white line over that (Enchanted Blue, Lothern Blue, White Scar, in order), to produce a “glowing plasma” effect. The horns were also basecoasted with Tallarn Sand.
May 18, 2014
Things are really picking up!
Brass areas (guns, KFF, trim on the claw, “eye”) were basecoated Tin Bitz, lightly overbrushed with Brass Scorpion, and given a wash of Agrax Earthshade. The horns were brushed over with Karak Stone and a final highlight of Screaming Skull, and also given a shade of Agrax Earthshade, leaving a “striped” natural appearance. The blue glass pieces had highlights of Teclis Blue and a small highlight of White Scar applied. The central ball of the KFF had “lightning” painted with random strokes of Teclis Blue and White Scar.
The rokkits were painted Mordian Blue, overbrushed with Lothern Blue, washed and with Drakenhof Nightshade. Then “clouds” were added with White Scar. Why this strange look? Because rokkits “fly” and some genius decided they needed “sky camo” so the enemy couldn’t see them coming, of course! Because Ork. Which really should be a hashtag by now.
May 19, 2014
On a night that I wasn’t feeling so well, I feel like I made good progress. All the blue “glowy” bits had a wash of Drakenhof Nightshade applied. Various cables and wires were painted with Mordian Blue and Wazdakka Red, while others were painted with Xereus Purple. The clouds on the rokkits were outlined with Abaddon Black. (The artist was so proud of his work!)
Blood For the Blood God made its way onto the claw, showing the remains of fresh victims. Also, some was applied to the hull in a crude crossed axe pattern and, to make sure people knew what that meant, the words “Blood Axz.” They take the “blood” part a bit literally.
You’ll notice the big shootas have been removed from the top of the model, which involved gently cutting them off with an X-Acto blade so I could paint the Ork on top. See the note above cautioning full assemble before painting. The Ork’s skin was painted Waaagh! Flesh, with a highlight of Waboss Green, and then washed with Biel-Tan Green. His teeth were picked out with Screaming Skull. The clothes were painted XV-88 and washed with Brown Ink. His cap was painted with Codex Grey.
May 21, 2014
The model was nearing completion, and would be by the end of the day.
Various glyphs were painted with Wazdakka Red or Mordian Blue. After that, the cables and glyphs were given a wash of Nuln Oil to give them depth and dirty them up.
The Ork’s headset was painted Ironbreaker, and the skull on his cap was painted Sreaming Skull. Afterward, the headset and hat were given a wash of Nuln Oil for shading.
Blood For the Blood God was applied on the claws on the feet, with some dabbed on the front of the feet, to represent the Morkanaut stomping all over people.
For the base, I dug in my bits box for random inspiration. I had some Astrogranite left over after doing my Knight’s base, and felt an urban base would match the urban camo look of the model. I painted the Astrogranite across the entire base, then mostly smoothed part of it to create a road. I brushed Codex Grey over the Astrogranite and gave it a wash of Nuln Oil to add depth. I then used White Scar (in multiple layers) to paint a side stripe on the road and part of the word “STOP” to make it look like an intersection. I tossed a spare Space Marine arm with a bolter and power axe onto the base, painting the arm Warboss Green with a Nuln Oil wash. The weapons were already painted from a prior project (but never used). Blood for the Blood God was applied on the arm to show that it’d been torn off some unfortunate Marine recently, and spatters of it added across the base. Looking at the “STOP” on the road, some inspiration struck me and I decided to leave a note from the Orks, written in the blood of their victims: “We Stop For No Man!”
I painted the interior of the model before attaching it to its base. A quick brush of Leadbelcher for most of the interior, with Adeptus Battlegrey for the inside of the doors, and a wash of Nuln Oil. Dials in the back (and behind the head) were painted Evil Suns Scarlet and Warboss Green to show “safe” and “unsafe” areas (mostly unsafe, of course). The glyph on the floor was painted Mordian Blue, and assorted blood spills show that the inhabitants have been doing some serious fighting (it’s up for debate whether it’s their blood or their enemies’, but given the axes painted inside, it’s likely their enemies’).
Graffiti marks various parts of the model. The main gun has the message “Shoot 2 Thrill” on its casing. On the interior of the doors, one side reads “EXIT” (in case the Orks inside got confused) and the other has “Grimgul wuz ‘ere.”
Finally, the Morkanaut took the field for the day, participating in a match in which it didn’t do much (thanks to its slow movement and the enemy running away, plus S8 doesn’t damage armor 14 that easily), but it looked very impressive. Below the wild Morkanaut can be seen in its natural habitat: The gaming table.
