Category: warhammer 40k

Ork Battle Fortress – Skullhamma

This Apocalypse conversion from 2007 took the then new Imperial Guard Baneblade super heavy tank and it was converted into an Ork Battle Fortress, the Skullhamma.

Larger then a Battlewagon, Battlefortresses are used by richer and more powerful Ork Warbosses as super-heavy assault vehicles and mobile command centers. These enormous heavily-armed vehicles bristle with heavy cannons, energy weapons, and explosive launchers. As a rule any Ork vehicle of sufficient size will be called a Battlefortress by the Orks themselves and like most Ork vehicles there is very little standardization and they are highly customized, though several variants exist such as the “Dethrolla” and “Skullhamma”. Nonetheless, these vehicles are a match for any enemy counterpart on the battlefield short of a Titan. Ork Mek Boyz consider the construction of a Battlefortress to be one of their greatest achievements.

I first saw this conversion at Games Day 2007. These photographs were taken when it was on display at Warhammer World in 2024.

I do like the details on this model, the tracks have been converted and some of the road wheels have been replaced.

When this model was first shown I did consider buying a BaneBlade to copy the conversion and create my own Skullhamma. However as I wasn’t too sure about how it would turn out, also time and money, decided I would leave the idea as just that an idea. In the end I got a Battlewagon.

More photographs of the Skullhamma Battle Fortress.

Plagueburst Crawler

Plagueburst Crawler

Plagueburst Crawlers are lumbering, formidable siege tanks whose huge ram-blades, thick armour plating and daemonic energies provide them with incredible resilience. Their fearsome plagueburst mortars boast a parabolic fire arc and terrifying range, while the shells they fire combine high-radius explosives with lethal clouds of corrosive spores to inflict damage comparable to that of Imperial Demolisher cannon. The remainder of the Crawler’s weaponry is intended to slaughter the foe up close, spraying diseased slime and hails of vital shells at any who approach.

Arvus Lighter

Arvus Lighter on display in a Necromunda diorama at Warhammer World.

Arvus Lighter

The Arvus Lighter is a small, general purpose cargo shuttle that is widely used by the Imperium of Man for many tasks, both in space and on the surface of planets. The Arvus is commonly used by both Imperial Navy warships and Imperial merchant vessels, including Rogue Traders. The Arvus is just one of many types of small, void-capable shuttles used by the Imperium. The Arvus is piloted by a single pilot, and is not equipped with any weapon systems, in fact, the Arvus possesses only the most basic navigation equipment, external sensors, and proximity alarms. The Arvus has a powerful engine that allows it to carry heavy cargo to and from a planet’s surface.

This was the Forge World resin model. Since then a plastic kit of the Arvus Lighter has been released.

Arvus Lighter Miniatures Gallery.

Grot Tank

On my last visit to Warhammer World, they did have a Grot Tank in the display cabinets. They also had a box of them for sale in the shop. Now I was very tempted to get a box to add to my current fleet of Grot Tanks. However in the end I went with some Old World miniatures. Alas the Grot Tanks have been deleted from the store and are no longer available. I am a little disappointed.

This was the Grot Tank at Warhammer World.

Grot Tank

The lunatic product of the deranged imaginations of grot riggers and scavs that have spent far too long basking in the insane genius of the Big Meks, Grots Tanks are diminutive armoured vehicles made to imitate the far larger Ork Wagons and Tanks.

Grot Tank

I really liked these models and I bought them when they were released, but alas they spent many years on the Grot Tank workbench before I got some real painting done and virtually finished all four tanks.

See the Grot Tank Miniatures Gallery for more photographs of these little tanks.

Genestealer Cults Goliath Rockgrinder

Built to withstand the pressures and challenges of underground mining, the Goliath Rockgrinder is a devastating piece of equipment when turned to aggression. Surging forward into the massed ranks of the enemy, servo-mounted weaponry seeking and destroying priority targets, the Rockgrinder drives ever-forward, its sawtoothed drilldozer ripping apart anything foolish enough to stand in its path. The fourth-generation cultist standing atop the vehicle efficiently uses its industrial equipment as a weapon of war – heavy mining lasers, seismic cannons and clearance incinerators, though designed for mining and gathering resources, are perfectly suited to annihilation.

Ork Shanty Town

This Imperial assault on the Ork Shanty Town to rescue a downed Valkyrie of the Militarum Tempestus.

Flakkatrukk
Taurox Prime of the Militarum Tempestus
Megatrakk Scrapjet
Ork Battlewagon with Killkannon
Flakkatrukk
Ork Battle Fortress
Gorkanaut
Orks
Ork Shanty Town
Taurox Prime of the Militarum Tempestus
Ork Shanty Town
Ork Shanty Town

More photographs of the diorama over the years, it started off as an Ork diorama at GamesDay 2009.

Orks at Warhammer World

At Warhammer World there were lots of great and beautifully painted Ork models.

Battlewagon
Ork Battlewagon
Battlewagon
Ork Battlewagon
Flakkatrukk
Flakkatrukk
Mek Gunz
Mek Gunz
Gorkanaut
Ork Battle Fortress
Ork Battlewagon with Killkannon
Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy
Deffkilla Wartrike
Mega Dread
Megatrakk Scrapjet
Megatrakk Scrapjet
Kustom Boosta-blasta
Kustom Boosta-blasta
Kustom Boosta-blasta
Ork Trukk
Ork Trukk
Ork Trukk
Ork Trukk
Squighog Boyz
Mozrog Skragbad

More photographs of Orks.

Ork Miniatures Gallery

Ork Speed Freeks Miniatures Gallery

Various Ork models on my workbench.

Feral Orks Workbench

Grot Workbench

Ork Workbench

Plaguereaper of Nurgle

This conversion of a Baneblade into a Plaguereaper was done for Apocalypse from 2007. It took the then new Imperial Guard Baneblade super heavy tank and was converted not just into a Chaos Baneblade, but a Plaguereaper of Nurgle.

Plaguereaper of Nurgle

A Plaguereaper of Nurgle, also known as a Chaos Plaguereaper or more simply as a Plaguereaper, is a Chaos-corrupted variant of the Baneblade super-heavy main battle tank used by the Imperium of Mankind’s Imperial Guard.

Plaguereaper of Nurgle

The Plaguereaper is used by the forces of Chaos affiliated with Nurgle, the Chaos God of plague, decay and corruption. The Plaguereaper has been distorted beyond all recognition by the “gifts” bestowed upon it by Nurgle, and has been transformed into a gurgling, fortress surrounded by a cloud of pestilence and disease.

The vehicle features large vats of virulent slime distilled from rotting, plague-ridden corpses mounted on its sides. These large vats are used to feed the tank’s main weapon, a massive Pus Cannon. The weapon is connected to the corpse vats via large bulging pipes which fill the weapon will a horrendous concoction of disgusting toxic and corrosive slime.

A living chaos tank, still a great conversion.

More photographs of the Plaguereaper of Nurgle.

Tyranid Hierodule

The Hierodule is a type of Tyranid Bio-Titan, but stands smaller than its more massive cousin the Hierophant. This class of bioform is brought into action only against the most determined defences. Hierodules are immense creatures, towering over the battlefield and bristling with spines, claws, tendrils and apocalyptic bio-weapons.

The Barbed Hierodule (Uncus hierodule domitor), is a mutation of the Scythed Hierodule it, has just two scythe-like claws but now has two massive Bio-cannons. The acidic symbiote creature was gone, and the Hierodule’s frontal chitinous armour plates had grown and thickened for extra protection.

Barbed Hierodule

The Scythed Hierodule is armed with four huge razor-sharp claws, each capable of slicing clean through a battle tank, and heavily protected by chitin plates, in places up to 30 centimetres thick. A Hierodule is far larger than a Carnifex, a monstrous-killing machine even by Tyranid standards.

Scythed Hierodule

I have always liked these Forge World models, especially the paint scheme of the Scythed Hierodule. Sadly these models are no longer available, replaced with new plastic beasts, but not the same as the Hierodule.