The Unnamed Gorkamorka Site

I recently got hold of a large number of second-hand Gorkamorka models, a find I am still very pleased with. However, in the majority of cases, second hand models are painted. Sometimes the paintjobs are excellent, other times atrocious. However, I prefer to paint my own miniatures, so I usually strip them.

There’s a variety of different ways to strip paint, but my preference is Dettol. It’s not too expensive and doesn’t take very long. It also works on both plastic and metal, which is more than can be said for lots of the other methods I’ve heard of. Brake fluid, for example, apparently takes a week or two to strip the models. Seriously? A few days is too slow in my view. Thankfully Dettol strips the paint in a matter of hours.

There are a few caveats – Dettol will not dissolve superglue, which may prevent paint coming off in some areas. Remove the superglue and then try again. This may well be a non-issue if the models were assembled then painted, but it does come up.

The Rebel Grots in the photo were left in nail varnish remover for a few days as an experiment – it removed some of the paint, but wasn’t particularly effective. So, they’re going in the Dettol!

Step one: Fill a receptacle with models to strip

For individual figures and components I use jars, for vehicles I use ice cream tubs.

Fill the jar as much or as little as you like with pieces. In the photo the larger jar is for metal vehicle components (there’s most of a Big Lugga in there, for example).

Once you’ve got the stuff you’d like in the jar, cover it in undiluted Dettol. It doesn’t need to be immersed to any great depth, just enough to cover the bits will be fine.

Cover the top with clingfilm (“Plastic wrap”) and leave overnight. Or for a few hours, really. You’ll be able to see the paint coming off, so it’s easy to gauge how things are going.

Step two: Safety Gear

The next bit isn’t essential, but given that Dettol is kinda poisonous, it’s probably best to be careful. I wear gloves when dealing with the models and for preference a gas mask, but as long as you’re in a reasonably well ventilated area you should be okay, just don’t treat it like a sauna.

If you do get a little Dettol on you don’t worry, the problem comes when your fingers spend several minutes covered in the stuff. You’ll get numb and your skin will prune. Then it’ll stay that way for a few days, which gets pretty tiresome I can tell you.

As there’s going to be bits of paint everywhere, I recommend you strip the models over a sink or bathtub, something that is easy to wipe down. The stuff gets everywhere, so a sink is ideal.

Step three: Scrubbing

Fish out one of the models in the solution and grab an old toothbrush. Holding it in the sink, gently scrub at the model. The paint should come away in stringy, sticky chunks. It’s a little hard to describe, but you’ll see what I mean when you try it.

Most of the paint should come away easily. If it doesn’t, put the model to one side and continue on. You can then stick the models that weren’t stripped enough in the jar for a second round of stripping. It’s worth mentioning that you can reuse the same Dettol for this.

Step four: Rinsing

Once you’re certain you’re done scrubbing at the models, rinse them in warm water. You can scrub at them as you do this, if you feel they need it. However don’t use the same toothbrush to scrub at them during this as the paint flecks will stick to the model.

Leave the models to dry somewhere and they should be ready to paint. Those that didn’t get fully stripped should be put through this process again, perhaps with a fresh toothbrush. I bought a big pack of them at a rather tatty discount shop for this very purpose.

…and you’re done.

As you can see, the result isn’t too bad and the plastic isn’t warped.

I’ve got a whole load more to strip, so I’m going to get back to work!

As you probably know, we’re big fans of Ramshackle Games here at tUGS and we’ve just noticed that they’ve released something new that might be of interest to our fellow GoMo players.

As there’s no date on their new releases page we can’t tell you how long it’s been out, but it can’t have been more than a week or two. Either way, we think it looks rather good and would look great on the board alongside any other vehicles.

It’s a multipart kit made entirely from resin and the individual parts are available separately if you don’t want the whole model. If you need a decent set of wheels for a scratch-build you can find the wheels used on the pickup truck here.

It’ll set you back £10, half the cost of a modern Ork trukk, which isn’t bad.

Ramshackle Games Pickup Truck

Have a look around their site as they do a lot of other awesome stuff. Our playtesting vehicles for the Dust Rats use a lot of their parts for example (Speaking of those, another one is due to be unveiled as soon as Flamekebab has finished painting it).

The images in this article are taken from the Ramshackle Games site but are used with permission. Thanks, Curtis!

If you want to talk about Space Marine chapters or discuss the new Warhammer Island of Blood set then there’s plenty of likeminded people to chat with all over the ‘net. However, if you want to talk about Gorkamorka there’s not many places where there’s still active discussion.

This post is to draw your attention to The Waaagh’s Gorkamorka sub-forum, which has seen quite a surge in activity in recent months.

The sub-forum isn’t as active as some of the main sections of their site but as Gorkamorka-related topics go, it’s doing pretty well.

You’ll find topics debating how rules should be implemented, pictures and stats on mobs that people have put together, some nice terrain, and of course, friendly people. If you’ve got any questions about the game, need advice, have some tips, whatever, it’s welcome.

Even if you’re not interested in Gorkamorka itself, check out the rest of the site as there’s all manner of awesome stuff to be found.

The Waaagh’s Gorkamorka Forum

It should be noted that tUGS is not affiliated with The Waaagh and we have no control of what gets posted there. We just think the site is awesome and want to increase awareness so we have more people to talk to.

Noshrok Grimskull has been in touch and shared some of the rules he used in his campaign of Gorkamorka detailing how a mob may hire squigs. As with most things the tUGS team writes, this document is licensed under a Creative Commons license, so feel free to share it.

Without further ado, here we present the rules as a PDF for your enjoyment:

Download PDF

Edit: A new PDF has been created using the more modern template.

These rules and artwork are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike license.

Well hello there!

The site may seem a little quiet at the moment as most of the team have just started the academic year, whether undergraduates, masters, or PHD. Others, such as Depiff, are working full time away from tUGS HQ.

We just wanted to post to say that our silence is due to the work taking place on Ere Be Stuff. The Dust Rats are sitting at 90 – 95% completion and our other faction has gone from 10% to 45 – 50% in the last couple of weeks. We’re still writing at a feverish pace, we’re just not ready to publish lots of it yet!

There’s also models being worked on as Flamekebab recently acquired a large collection of original Gorkamorka stuff, including a Rebel Grot Big Lugga and a Cutta and is in the process of stripping lots of paint using a variety of methods. Midnight is working on some grots which she plans to sell, along with some of her other extra models. Matt is working hard on Ere Be Stuff, in between preparing mead for the 19th. The rest of the team have their various tasks, but we’re sure you’ll hear from them in good time.

Once things are a little more settled there’ll be more articles, battle reports, the usual really. Or perhaps one of the team will post something out of the blue. It happens every now and again, you know!