40k Buying Guide: The Meganobz Alternative

Review and Comparison of the Kromlech Orc Juggernaut in Mecha-Armour
By Pez5767

As a long time Ork player, I am always looking for new ways to provide more dakka, armor, and choppas to my Ork horde.  So, when Kromlech released their Orc Juggernaut in Mecha-Armour kit I, like so many others, was curious to see how the Kromlech models would fit in with my existing Orks.  In light of GW's release of a plastic kit for Nobz in Mega-Armour, I became all the more curious about how the Kromlech models would compare.

The Kromlech kit is supplied in 5, easy to assemble, pieces.  All of the details were very crisp, and there were very few pieces of flash or mold lines to clean.  Also pictured above are an extra set of optional heads that I considered using to replace the one the model comes with.  While my opinion of the model is overwhelmingly positive, there are a few minor critiques I have.  First, the model stoops forward a fair amount.  I understand orcs should have a stooping posture, but this guy seems almost off balance.  Second, the sculpt on the face of this model has a worried or shocked expression which seems odd for an orc in such stout armor.   

That aside, the model is wonderful. As for assembly and prep, this model really couldn't be easier to work with.  In short order, I was able to get the model painted and ready for battle.

The Orc Juggernaut in Mecha-Armour is packed with detail.  There are wires, bolts, armor plates, battle-damage, gears, and gubbinz on every surface of this model.  In fact, there is so much detail on the model that this might be a turn-off to some would be purchasers and painters.  For my style of painting heavy armored orcs (essentially, I paint the whole model silver first), the painting couldn't have been easier, and it was simply a matter of picking out the details I wanted  to accentuate and ignoring those I did not.  If you are going to hand paint every shadow and highlight on these models, you will be spending a lot of time to get them painted.  I use an easy to make, water-based wash to finish all of my orc models, and the many layers of details on this model gave the wash plenty of surface are to cling to.

But how does the Kromlech Orc Juggernaut in Mecha-Armour compare to the GW Nobz in Mega-Armour?

Well, as you can see, the Kromlech model towers over the GW one.  Now, to be fair, this is one of the old metal GW Nobz in Mega-Armour.  However; the size difference between the current GW plastic Mega-Armour Nobz and their previous, metal counterparts is minimal, so I feel this is a fair representation.  When placed side by side you can also see the real difference between the amount of details sculpted onto the two models.  Due to the notable size difference and level of detail, I think it would look awkward to mix and match the two kits, and being that I already have a full squad of the GW kit, I can't foresee picking up more of the Kromlech Juggernauts.  For me, the Kromlech Orc Juggernauts are better suited to the role of character models than that of an Elite Choice.  In my army, the model pictured above will live out his days on the battlefield as a Big Mek with a 2+ save.  Also, imagining him as Big Mek helps to justify his less-than-ferocious expression.  That said, I did try out one of the alternate heads on him as well...

In the coming weeks, I will look at some of the other Kromlech kits to see how they fit in with the other models in my existing Ork army.