One iconic element of the most memorable 40k armies is a lovingly converted command squad. There's something about an elite retinue of hardened specialists accopanying an army's commander that catches your eye, ignites your imagination, and provides endless opportunities for narratives and conversions... so I obviously had to make just such a unit for Da Ironbullz!
(Note: skip over this section below to get straight to work-in-progress pics of some Nobz).
I'm planning a max-strength Nobz unit to accompany my Warboss into battle.
This won't be any average Nobz mob, though: each model will have a unique role & theme within the squad. My goal is to have a centerpiece unit of extensively converted models that is bursting with personality.
Here are some of the Nobz I've already outlined:
| Nob Name | Description |
|---|---|
| "Da Lootennunt" | The Warboss' right-hand Ork. No nonsense, heavily armored Nob in a commanding pose clutching a cigar (from the Flash Gitz kit). |
| "Kommissar Yarrork" | An Orky Commissar Yarrick lookalike with Power Klaw and looted storm bolter. |
| "Da Berzerka" | A reckless, savage melee fighter weilding brutish dual choppas, limited armor, and perhaps a cybork arm or leg. |
| "Da Exekushuner" | A hulking, heavily armored Nob holding a massive Big Choppa like a headsman's axe and proudly displaying other skulls and trophies. |
| "Da Gunslinga" | A dakka-crazed explosives specialist toting two kustom shootas/kombi-weapons and loaded down with ammo & demolitions. |
| "Gork's Champion" | Why do only the Black Templars get to have a heroic sword-toting Champion? Not anymore! This nob will be modeled after the pose of The Emperor's Champion model: hoisting a massive Big Choppa gloriously into the air, with some other honorifics (and maybe even an Orky Iron Halo) to match. |
| "Da Strategist" | A tactically-minded Nob whose job is keepin' the boyz heading in the right direction, this Ork will be posed similar to a Space Marine Devastator Sergeant/Sternguard Veteran: legs spread wide, pointing at the enemy, with a scoped kombi-shoota slung across his back and holding the pommel of a large Choppa stuck point-first into the ground. |
| "Da Tracker" | The top Kommando in Da Ironbullz, this Nob will be toting a gigantic knife choppa, kombi-burna, night vision goggles, Ghille suit/camo cloak, and holding an Orky auspex. |
| "Da Gearhead" | A Mek-influenced Nob with heavy armor plating and weilding a giant double-sided spanner/killsaw as a Big Choppa. |
Eventually, the plan is for this unit to have a souped-up transport of their own. I'm tentatively thinking of scratch-building a Chinork Warkopta but am also considering a Trukk or Battlewagon.
In addition to the Nobz fielded as a part of the above unit, there will be a few independent characters that tag along with this squad (from a storyline/narrative perspective, not necessarily in gaming terms), including
As described in a post from last year, each unit in Da Ironbullz will have some subtle unit-specific themes in basing, modeling, and painting that will tie them together within the broader scope of the rest of the army. The Warboss' bodyguard unit is no exception: in terms of painting, I'm going to stick with predominantly red body armor and yellow iron jawz/shoulderpads, and the unit will be based as if they're occuping a strategic overlook made of poured concrete by the side of an urban canal.
The first Nob I converted for my Warboss' bodyguard unit was the Boss Nob himself.
I wanted this model to have a serious, brutish, no-nonsense feel, so opted for an extra layer of armored shoulderplates, a menacing Power Klaw, and the cigar arm from the Flash Gitz kit.
To make it more obvious that he was the Boss Nob, I gave him a dual bosspole (also from the Flash Gitz kit) and opted for bosspole glyphs typically found on Orky HQ choices: a skull and a clenched fist.
Here's how Da Lootennunt turned out:
The second Nob on my list was a conversion I had wanted to try for quite some time: an Orkified homage to the legendary hero of Armageddon, Commissar Yarrick:
Given that the backstory for this entire project is closely tied to the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon, I thought it would be extremely fitting to imagine that one of the Nobz in Da Ironbullz had heard legends of the fearless 'umie who was able to fend off Ghazkull himself and decide to emulate this Imperial Hero for "good luck".
I sourced bits from several sources for this conversion:
That last component (the Orky Aquila) didn't exactly work out on the first try. Here's a comparison of my initial concept sketch, my first attempt (which frankly looks more like some kind of crude butterfly), and the second attempt (which was closer to what I had hoped):
After smashing all of these elements together while trying to match Commissar Yarrick's pose as much as possible, here's what I ended up with:
