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TAU EMPIRE: ORCA DROPSHIP
The Orca shown here is
one produced by Forge World as an exact Epic scale replica of
it’s larger 40K cousin. The kit is very straightforward to
assemble, however there are a few tips worth bearing in mind if
you want to get the most out of the model.
Engines.
The Orca has four main
engines located along either side of the wide fuselage. As the
Orca is effectively a VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) entry
vehicle, the engines can be positioned in a number of ways from
horizontal for level flight to vertical for take off and
landing. TIP: If you use some care when assembling the model it
is possible to allow the engines to rotate, such as those shown
here. It’s not essential that they do and you can of course just
glue them in place, however for those that want to make the most
out of the kit, here is how.
Each engine consists of
two parts; the main engine itself and a shaft around which it
rotates. Once you have decided where each engine goes, select a
shaft and one by one, remove any waste resin from the pouring
channel at the end of the shaft. Dry fit the shaft through the
hole on the engine and into the hole in the Orca’s hull to test
the fit. The disk at the end of the shaft should be just flush
against the engine without pressing on it too tightly. If the
play between the engine and the disk is too much so that it
moves loosely, just file the shaft down a little more until you
get a perfect fit. When you have the shaft at the perfect length
push it through the engine and apply a small blob off super glue
to the end. Carefully insert the shaft into the hole on the side
of the Orca and hold the engine and disk against the hull while
the glue sets. If done carefully the glue will hold the shaft
firmly but not stop the engine from rotating around it.
Note: The panel lines on
each disk should face diagonally back at 45 degrees, so take
care when gluing them in place.
 Flight
profile.
If you intend to have
your Orca in full flight, then there are a number of things you
may want to consider when assembling it other than just the
engine position. The drop-down burst cannon turret in the belly
of the Orca is designed for clearing landing zones prior to the
transport touching down and deploying its troops. In the case of
my first Orca (shown here), I have the guns operational and the
landing gear extended to further give the impression that the
ship is about to touch down. With the second ‘in-flight’ Orca I
have modelled the turret in the closed position and retracted
the landing gear into the belly to streamline the ship. If you
want to do this you will need to clip off the landing struts
from the feet and glue them flush against the underside.
Additionally the three spacers on the underside of the burst
cannon turret will need to be cut off and filed flat so that the
turret can be glued flush as shown in the picture here. The
separate cover will also need to be glued in the forward
position to cover the cannons themselves.
Landing profile.
One extra detail on the
Orca which I haven’t featured in the first two examples, is the
separate rear ramp. In creating the Orca, Will Hayes has
additionally added a Crisis Battlesuit to the inside of the rear
door. The rear ramp can be glued either to cover the back and
hide the Battlesuit figure or stuck in the open position to
allow it to be seen. As this will be how I base my third Orca
(not shown here) I thought I would mention it as part of the
‘landed’ profile.
Painting the Orca.
I decided up front that
I wanted my Orca’s to match the Manta
already featured
previously and so duplicated the same pale brown and grey scheme
used earlier. After undercoating the model with a black spray
primer I then sprayed the entire model with Bubonic Brown before
additionally spraying the underside Space Wolf Grey. After
tidying up any areas where the grey over sprayed, I then mixed a
little bleached bone into bubonic brown and lightly dry brushed
the top of the Orca and the engines. After several increasingly
lighter coats adding more bleached bone I then used a small and
very old paintbrush to stipple the Vermin Brown patches over the
armour. For the canopy and panel details I mixed 50/50 scorched
brown and red gore to which I added increasing amounts of blood
red for the highlights. The engines and intakes were then
repainted black before being highlighted with fortress grey
along any edges. The final task before picking out any details
or markings was to mount the Orca at an angle on some brass rod
over a base made from a few ruined buildings and textured with
heavy gravel. The angle was deliberately added to show both the
top and underside of the model when viewed from either side as
well as give it the look of making a final turn on its approach
to landing in a hot LZ.
Overall, the Orca is a stunningly dynamic model with a wealth of
modelling possibilities making it a real favourite of mine. In
partnership with the gargantuan Manta, I am sure plenty more Orca’s will be finding their way into my invasion force in time
for the armies launch in a few years.
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