Fly me to the moon, let me crash into a tree: Stormboy Orks.

Orks are not reliable, kustom weapons will blow up, madboyz will stand around drooling. Yet nothing compares to the Stormboy Jetpack!

Oh yes the joy of being able to leap miles along the battlefield for a deadly strike ... at that large clump of spiky cactus and deal explosive death ... in midair!? Okay so Stormboys are not great but they have character, buckets of it. 

"Attention! Lads there is report of chaos activity in the mountain!"

Ditch the ere' we go mantra it's time to get professional, regimental and organised! When I think of Stormboyz I think about old time wrestler Sgt Slaughter; not the american patriotism part, but the backstage promos: "Listen Up Maggots!". Angry but ordered and with great pride in there skills and equipment which makes them feel all a bit un-orky.

Camouflage at it's finest.

Now when it came to painting these guys I didn't want the standard drab grey uniform that is found in the codex. All a bit 1940s Germany and also a bit dull. Instead I looked through a variety of military uniforms and found the Georgian Hussars. Now this is more like it for orks, bright yellow coats and boots with red pants. Amazing!

"Ready and waiting. Drillboss Displeen wat orders?"

As you can see although these minis are mostly classic stormboyz the one on the right here is a normal blood axe ork I gave a jump pack too with his axe on his belt (nicked from a trollslayer). I think he fits in quite well and brings the squad up to seven.

Dawn of time painting and the Black Orc

The year is 1992, Rhythm is a Dancer is in the charts, I get taken to see FernGully: The Last Rainforest instead of Aladdin and Ric Flair has become WWF champion.

None of these things are as important as the fact that 9 year old me for Christmas had been given Heroquest! Running through dungeons filled with orcs, claiming gold and potions of healing was amazing. The hook was in and then came White Dwarf 145! Which had so much mini goodness especially for Heroquest. (Well it did for 9 year old me). One thing led to another and one autumn day I got taken to Games Workshop in Hammersmith (child me oblivious this was the very first Games Workshop) so we could get a copy of the Advanced Heroquest Paint set.

The real tale to tell though is whilst in the shop I got to pick a blister pack of models as well. Now to child me this was crazy, new models and they would be made of metal! What to pick? Well I can't remember the thought process but I do remember seeing row upon row of blister packs beneath the colourful big box games like Space Fleet, Kerrunch & Battle for Armageddon.

The Giant Black Orcs. I own Mace 1 and Sword 1 but I have noticed my Sword Black Orc has his sword attached to his head.

Who knows what was in those blister packs I glanced through? What I do know is I ended up picking some Black Orcs. Bigger stronger foes for my Barbarian and Dwarf to fight maybe even use them as the Orc Warlord. With that and the big box paint sent money was paid and I went home a happy kid with the first lead to my name.