Orks have one of the coolest super-heavy model kits for Warhammer 40K Apocalypse and the new Apocalypse rule book again has rules for a Big Mek version of the Stompa.
Here’s how I converted a Big Mek Stompa using only plastic parts.
For those seeking ready made Big Mek Stompa parts Forge World makes a cool Big Mek Stompa conversion kit. However, they are expensive and being fairly large dense resin pieces they outweigh the Stompa kit and make it top-heavy. The Forge World upgrade kits are a fine option, but if you’d like to explore alternatives this article is for you. The only glue used on this conversion was Testor’s Model Masters plastic glue.
Why build a Big Mek Stompa? The answer is simple, they are wicked cool! Their Gaze of Mork death ray is a D weapon, they can have a Mega-claw D close combat weapon or a strength 10 AP1 Deffgun and they can have a second belly mounted Deffgun. They are walking super-heavy deff, er..death! It’s also a fun alternative to the basic Stompa. Since I’ve already built and painted a regular Stompa adding a Big Mek Stompa to my collection seemed like a fun bit of variety and creative conversion fun.
The Stompa kit contains tons of optional bits for personalizing and customizing your standard Ork Stompa build. Though the Stompa kit contains no parts specifically intended for building variants the huge variety of optional bits in the kit provides plenty to work with and I took full advantage of this when converting a Big Mek version.
The main challenges in building a Big Mek Stompa (BMS) are the arms. BMS’ have a Lifta-droppa arm that fires a “traktor beam” and a Mega-claw. The BMS datasheet makes it possible to substitute a Deffgun for the Mega-claw. I found this desirable both from a rules and a converting standpoint as the Stompa kit already comes with a large Deffgun, so my only big challenge was building the Lifta-droppa.
I wanted to have a cool energy projecting looking part as the basis of my Lifta-droppa and so I turned to the Skaven Plague Catapult kit for just such a bit. The Warp Lightning Cannon bit in that kit seemed perfect for the job. In the photo below you can see the two main parts around which I constructed my Lifta-droppa. One is the Warp Lightning Cannon part, the other is an optional turret from the Stompa kit.
This next photo shows the arm under construction. I’ve attached the gun housing directly to the end of the arm meant to hold the large chainsaw weapon that comes with the Stompa. There’s a bit of plastic tubing used to extend the length of the beam projector. The supporting beams are all cut from parts that come in the Stompa kit. The skull face bit is from the Ork Deff Dread kit.
Here is the finished Lifta-droppa. All of the pieces used in this converted arm come in the Stompa kit except for four small parts.
Next I tackled the belly gun. The distinctive optional belly mounted Deffgun is an iconic part of Big Mek Stompas. Fortunately, I’m working on the new Lord Of Skulls model which provided me with a nice belly gun bit. The muzzle on this gun is conveniently the same diameter as the Deffgun that comes with the Stompa. I cut a hole in that cool Orky skull plate that comes with the Stompa and mounted the gun right through it. An inverted GW 25mm round base helped bring the gun out just the right distance from the belly to show it off nicely through the decorative skull plate.
The normal Stompa has a Super-gatla gun mounted on top of the Deffgun arm, but there’s no such weapon on the BMS. To fill the space I top mounted the Super Rokkits on the Deffgun. This also gives it a different look from my regular Stompa.
The next task to tackle was the head. I wanted it to look different than my normal Stompa. I also needed to create a lens or projector for the Gaze Of Mork weapon. Fortunately, the huge searchlight bit that comes with the Stompa kit makes for a great massive goggle eye. The addition of a ram from the Ork Battlewagon kit also gives the head a suitably impressive massive lower jaw.
With all major conversion work and construction done I’ve already begun painting. The photo at the top of this article shows the nearly finished Big Mek Stompa head. I’ll cover the painting of the BMS in another article here soon. Be sure to check back to see the fully assembled and painted Big Mek Stompa. Waaaagh!
There’s an “Iron Gamer” ALL NIGHT Apocalypse 40K event at the Games Workshop Bowie Battle Bunker in Bowie, Maryland on September 14 during which the Apocalypse Warzone Armageddon battle scenarios will be fought. Come join in the fun and check out my Stompas and my Ork horde in person. The gaming tables and the event will be massive!
