Conversion Corner: Ork Nob

Nikkit and Gorzag Gitstompa

It has been many years since I converted an Ork model; 2014 was the last time, with a Burna Boy conversion, and before that a Grey Knightz purifier. And while I did paint an old Tin Boy a few years back, it has been a while since I really did much with the orks. Recently, Games Workshop released a reimagining of a classic Games Day promotional ork nob originally sculpted by Brian Nelson. The new version, still based on some old GorkaMorka artwork, is called Gorzag Gitstompa (and a grot Nikkit). Luckily, we were able to get a copy of the model, and decided it would be a great opportunity to convert him a little, ending this long streak of not working on a Space Ork!

Gorzag Gitstompa with an improved slugga and choppa. Also notice the pouches on his waist holding additional magazines for his slugga.

The new sculpt is overall very nice, but I wanted to modify it a little to fit with our sensibilities here at Between the Bolter and Me. The first order of business was to modify his weapons, mainly downscaling them. The choppa modifications were pretty straight forward, consisting mainly of me trimming off some unwanted detailing. His slugga was much more involved, requiring significant trimming and sculpting. Using a razor saw, I cut off the pistol’s magazine and most of the external detailing on the frame of the weapon. I then added a new magazine extending from the grip of the pistol, fashioned from a piece of plastic. I added a new barrel to the pistol with a piece of brass tubing. I also carved out an ejection port on the side of the weapon and added a charging handle to the top, sort of mimicking the look of the MAC-10 machine pistol. Finally I added some iron sights to aim the weapon and sculpted on a few ork symbols. To compliment the pistol, I added two pouches on his waist to store extra magazines and a third to hold a bulky silencer.

Although the Ork was largely untouched in the conversion process, I felt the need to reduce the size of his massive boots.

Most of my conversion time was spent on converting a smaller slugga, loosely mimicking a MAC-10. Notice the extended magazine in the grip of the pistol and the charging handle on the top.

The final significant modification I made to the model was down-scaling the size of his boots. On this new sculpt, the ork’s boots are much larger than the original and I think it makes him look more comical and clumsy. To fix this, I used a razor saw to cut off the heels of the boots and the front of the toes. I then reshaped the boots carefully with a hobby knife and resculpted the folds in the leather and the steel toes at the front.

The original Games Day Nob next to the new Gorzag Gitstompa.

It was great working on an ork model again! Ultimately, I did not change the ork himself much, wanting to maintain the GorkaMorka imagery. I am excited about the prospect of creating more orks in the future, particularly if Games Workshop updates the Ork range sometime soon. Any comments or questions are welcome!

- Adam Wier