Four Ork Bosses Add Character to a Growing Warhammer Army

Four named Ork characters give this latest Orktober update its shape: a long-awaited Weirdboy, a stitched-up Painboy, a bruising enforcer and a Warboss in mega armour. Each miniature has a place in the army, but the names and bits of backstory make them feel like more than a row of newly painted models.

The painter’s main goal for the month was to finish the new Weirdboy miniature, released in the summer. Zaggablag da Mad now joins an army whose magical duties had mostly fallen to an older metal Weirdboy. That older figure remains a favourite, but somehow tends to get passed over in the collection. There’s also a finecast Weirdboy waiting for paint, though the painter regrets buying that version and describes its resin quality as poor. With Zaggablag finished, the army has a new spell-slinger ready to take the spotlight.

The Orktober painting challenge continues, and Zaggablag’s arrival also keeps up the friendly rivalry with IRO. The painter had set several goals for the month, so completing this long-planned character is a satisfying marker of progress. The new model’s name gives him an immediate identity within the force, while his place alongside the older Weirdboy makes the army’s collection feel like it has a bit of history behind it.

Lumberin Lurgrob’s borrowed arm

The next character is Lumberin Lurgrob, a Painboy with a stitched-together look to match his job. The painter likes giving Ork characters names, a small bit of hobby work that can make a whole force more memorable. A name gives players something to call out at the table and helps distinguish one peculiar boss from the next.

Lurgrob’s jagged needle-gun arm has been sewn on, which suggested an appropriately grim bit of colour for the paint job: pale, whitish-green skin. The choice is also a playful nod to IRO’s albino Orks. Perhaps the arm once belonged to one of them, until its former owner lost a fight and no longer needed it. Or perhaps it’s simply the unhealthy complexion of an undead Ork. Either explanation suits Lurgrob, and the uncertainty is part of the joke.

Two different kinds of boss

Big Bludgeoner Wurmek comes from the Armageddon box and fills the role of enforcer. He’s the bully who keeps the rambunctious Boyz in line, a simple character concept that fits a miniature the painter liked as soon as he saw it. Wurmek’s appeal is direct: he looks brutal, with no need for an elaborate backstory to explain why the other Orks listen when he shows up.

That clarity gives the four models a useful range of personalities. Zaggablag brings the army’s strange magic, Lurgrob supplies the grisly medical work, and Wurmek handles discipline through intimidation. Their roles are easy to read, but the names make them feel like individuals rather than interchangeable pieces of an army.

The final addition is Brug Badrekka, a Warboss in mega armour painted as a mean-looking old Goff. His usual grot companion has been moved to another miniature, with the painter hoping to show that model next week. It’s a small change, but one that leaves a hook for the next hobby update: Badrekka is here, while his shoulder-riding sidekick has gone elsewhere.

Boss Week tally

The four bosses are worth three points apiece. Added to the shaman painted for the painter’s Warhammer Fantasy Battle Orcs earlier in the week, they bring the Boss Week total to 15 points. The month’s running tally now stands at 67. That’s recovered some ground in the contest with IRO, though the rival painter still holds a significant lead.

The point total tracks the challenge, but the stronger payoff is the growing cast of characters. Zaggablag finally gives the army a new Weirdboy, Lurgrob arrives with a suitably dubious origin story, Wurmek has a clear job among the Boyz, and Badrekka leaves room for a returning grot in the next update. There’s still ground to make up, and another miniature already waiting in the wings.