Ork Air Waaagh! Complete

This past week, I finished up two more Ork Fighta-bommers.  This brings my Ork Air Waaagh! to roughly 330 points before any upgrades, aces, or crew.  It also means I have fully painted the Ork
range for Aeronautica Imperialis.

Da Air Waaagh!

This collection was a pleasure to paint.  Using Contrast paints and allowing the paint to flow some only helped with the "Orki-ness' each model.  A shout out to Le Blog de Kouzes and Da Gretchin Army that inspired the color scheme (from 2014).

Four-ship of Fighta-bommers

For the Aces, I decided to paint one as the named Black Vulture, another that can stand in for Da Big Burna (above and after the break), and a final one that is a reverse of the overall Air Waaagh, but that is so he blends in more with his Imperial prey (who are also blue).

Dakka Dakka Dakkajets! and Update

All the Dakkajets

Fourth Skwadron Boy

This past week I finished up three more Dakkajets - two aces and a fourth "normal" fighter.  I enjoyed the departure from the Skwadron Ace the most.  It gave me an opportunity to really play with the color pallet in a different way.  The Skwadron Ace is intended to be inspired by my Imperial Navy Thunderbolts and "copying" their yellow and blue scheme - so he can blend in.

 I also decided to paint up one of the Dakkajets as the named Ace - "Da Black Vulture."  I like the idea of an Ork list running multiple Aces and the scheme is an easy option as well as making it clear who "Da Black Vulture" is if I or my son decide to run him.

Skwadron Ace

Da Black Vulture

I am already most of the way done with the last two Fighta-Bombers, one of which will be a third Ork ace that will be able to stand in for the "Big Burna."  And with those two, I will round out my Ork Air Wing.  Following that I have two Marauders to assemble and paint.  At that point, I will be waiting for Taros to be available (ie once COVID restrictions are reduced) to expand my Imperial Navy Air Wing as well as add a Tau Expeditionary Air Wing!

It has been roughly a month since my family and I began self-isolating.   I think it is fair to say that I am lucky being a relatively introverted geek.  I think I have an argument that my schedule has gotten more full, between a backlog of plenty of miniatures to paint, no-more excuses from a geographically separated D&D group, and possibly adding another digital D&D game (for my son and his friends).

Thus far, the biggest negative impact for me is my kitchen-table is also now my work desk, in addition to being my hobby space.  There are some nights where I just can't stand being in the same 5 sq ft (0.5 m2) any more and land on the couch, away from the painting setup. 

Grot Bombers Complete

Grot Bombers from Above

Being sick mid-week really cut down on my progress miniature wise this past week, really only ending up with completing the Grot Bombers by Sunday evening.  I did get some small additional efforts in on two Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights.

After painting up a second set of the Ork bombers, I have decided that Orks are more difficult to paint than Imperial Navy planes.  The Imperial Navy planes are fairly flat and uniform and lack the exposed detail of the Orks.

Grot Bombers from ahead

Up next: Cleaning some Necromunda Van Saar gangers and diving into another gift project over the next few weeks/weekends.  I am aiming to have it done for a February birthday!  This also includes having two complete forces of Aeronautica done by the end of February for a campaign day event I am running.  A busy next eight weeks of assembling and painting, not to include getting back to work.

Grot Bombers In-Work

This weekend and Monday, I spent some time working on Grot Bombers and their dangerous payload.

Assembled Grot Bombers

I have magnetized the Grot Bombs on the wings, which will be neat I think.  The biggest question I have as I start to paint the bombers is whether to reverse the color scheme from the Eavy Bombers to make them stand-out as being very different.

For Christmas, I also received a second Wings of Vengeance box.  My plan is to paint-up a pair of aces, one Dakkajet and one Fighta-bomber.  On the Imperial aircraft, I may also paint up one of the Thunderbolts as an ace.

Completed Eavy Bombers

'Eavy Bombers

Straight-forward post, finished the 'Eavy Bombers this past week.  Disappointingly, they did not see any air battle this past weekend.  I have also started in on painting up the Ork Ground Assets.  Like the aircraft, these are filled with details and are blast to paint.  I completed the two objectives and estimate I half-way through the guns.

Ground Assets

After these, I am thinking either the Imperial Navy Assets or spending some time on Titanicus, Necromunda, or a unit for my Kharadron Overlords.  My FLGS is talking about diving into a Age of Sigmar league for Jan-Mar and it may be a good push to get the Kharadrons up to a fully painted 2,000 points. 

Holiday Slump

Bombers in Work

This past week, I was far from productive when it comes to painting minis.  Long days at work and Thanksgiving festivities meant that I just did not find much time to paint.  This past Sunday, I did finish up painting one of the two Eavy Bombers.

While my brother played a game of 40k last Friday, Two and I played another game of Aeronautica.  We played the Straggler scenario, with nightfight rules in play.

I played the defending Imperial Navy against a horde of attacking/chasing Orks.  I managed to do enough damage to the attacking Orks to barely achieve a victory, but did lose the straggler bomber to the Orks.  A single Thunderbolt escaped without any damage, leaving a pair of damaged Dakkajets over the desert.

Deployed for Straggler

Eavy Bombers

In Work Ork Ere Powr!

I have been steadily working on painting my pair of Ork Eavy Bombers.  They are fun to paint and have tons of little details to pick out.  Next step is really adding the orange color and then picking out some details with non-Contrast paints.

I also assembled all the ground assets and threw some paint on them.  I like all the assets and I think they could be fun to replicate at 40k scale for Kill Team or even 40k terrain.  After I finish up these bombers, I have some decisions to make painting wise.

I think the priorities are either a second gift Necromunda gang, enlarging the Ork Wing with a second starter box*, or shifting to rounding out the Kharadron.  There are lots of other small projects I could jump on as well.

*I will want the Imperials eventually as well.

Earlier in the week.

Slightly off-topic, I picked up the most recent White Dwarf after not really reading them in years.  They are definitely a solid publication again, with some interesting articles and features.

Aeronautica Orks

Dakkajet Flight

Last weekend, I picked up the new Aeronautica Imperialis starter set, Wings of Vengeance.  The minis in it are great and it seems like a great game to play with my son as well fairly quickly in store.

I have slowly been working through the Orks.  I talked through the colors for the Orks with my son and he wanted to do something a bit different and mentioned orange and cyan.  After a few days thought, I remembered a glorious orange and turquoises Gobbo army by the guys at Le Blog De Kouzes.  This led to picking up Contrast Aethermatic Blue and Gryph-Hound Orange., and the color scheme at the right.

I also spent some time on a plane this past week and wrote up a sketch of a campaign league rules and hope to setup the necessary Google Forms and Spreadsheets to track everything.  Images of the assembled Wings of Vengeance box after the break.