Space Ork Army Project

What is Waaagh Retrork?

Waaagh Retrork is my second edition Space Ork army project. Orks were the very first army I started collecting during the Rogue Trader days, and they were the army I carried into second edition Warhammer 40,000, until the Ravenwing caught my eye. 

Da Kolonel and Da Ladz

After taking a hiatus from the hobby in 2000, I returned in 2008, at the urging of my wife. Initially, I was collecting a Chaos Space Marines army (the Forgotten Sons) but always wanted to return to Space Orks.

At some point in the earlier 2010s, I began collecting second edition Orks again. And, thanks to generous donations from friends and family (especially Shad, Dave and my late father), I've been able to amass a relatively large force dating from the mid-80s to the late-90s; basically, from Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader up to Gorkamorka. 

Waaagh Retrork represents the kind of army I always wanted to own as a schoolboy: well-painted, and full of the miniatures I longed after, but couldn't always afford due to a lack of pocket money. Besides that, I want it to be fun to play, and fun to play against. My hope is that it's the kind of force that encourages and inspires other hobbyists to engage with and enjoy the parts of 2nd edition 40K that make it a unique entry in the history of Warhammer. 

The Core 500 Points

In my experience, building an army incrementally is the best. It lets you add units slowly, and you can test out your tactics with them while you get them fully built and painted (a necessity, in my opinion). The first 500 points of Waaagh Retrork draw inspiration from the earliest days of Space Ork army lists, where the core of the force is centered around a Warboss and his household. While this list doesn't reflect that exact composition from Rogue Trader, it is the basis on which I built my army. Besides Da Kolonel, I also included a Mekaniak. Meks are neccessary in second edition 40K because they unlock every vehicle option except for Warbikes, and I knew I wanted vehicles early on. 

• Kolonel Krump, Warboss (bolt pistol, power axe, frag stikkbombz, 'eavy armour, refractor field, buzzer squig stikkbombz)
• Bodgit, Mekaniak (flak armour, bolt pistol, plasma gun, mekboy's tools, targeter)
• Da Ladz, x3 Blood Axe Nobz Mob (bolt pistols, 'eavy armour, bolters, powerfist x1)
• Sarge's Boyz, x9 Blood Axe Boyz, x1 Blood Axe Nob (bolt pistols, axes, flak armour)
• Skumbo's Mob, x20 Gretchen (autoguns, flak armour)
• Da Kolonel's Ride, Battlewagon (supercharged engine)

For 500 points, there is some light tactical flexibility (kunnin' but brutal'). Either Krump and da Ladz can roll up in the wagon to bash something together, or they can hang back and shoot while Sarge's boyz take care of things. Either way, the grots are there to provide screening to their betters while pumping out a respectable amount of massed autogun fire. It let me put 30+ bodies on the table, meaning in matchups against common armies like space marines, Krump is looking at a standard 3 to 1 advantage. And for small games like this, every little bit really does count!

The First 500 Point Expansion

The next 500 points will bring me to 1000 points. The game really starts to shine at this level, since in most armies you can start to leverage most of your options in meaningful ways. For this step, I felt the need to bring some firepower to support the infantry. This lead me to adding to key characters: a Painboy, so that I could take a Dreadnought, and a Runtherd, so that I could add some artillery. Besides these additions, I also elected to add more boyz and more gretchen. In second edition, the Green Tide was very strong, as you could put so many targets on the ground that most armies couldn't handle it. 

Grabbit oversees the runts operating a big gun.

• Fixxit, Painboy (bolt pistol, flak armour, chainsword)
• Grabbit, Runtherd (bolt pistol, flak armour)
• Da Wrecka, Space Ork Dreadnought (lascannon, heavy bolter, claws)
• Da Big Gunz (smasha gun, pulsa rokkit)
• Grimtoof's Boyz, x10 Goff Boyz (bolt pistol, axe, flak armour)
• Ugli's Scum, x20 Gretchen (autogun, flak armour)

The First 250 Point Expansion

Now that I've added a strong core of infantry, and some fire support, I wanted to introduce some mobility. In Codex: Orks, there is a very useful article about Ork tactics, which you should definitely read if you ever have the chance. It boils down to three things: boyz, big gunz, and buggies. Since I've already got the first two covered, buggies are the next kunnin' choice. Practically, a good selection of buggies lets you harry your opponent early, while your infantry closes the gap. This is important, as standard table are usually 6' by 4' (or 8' by 4'), with a 12" deployment zone. What that means, if you're running squads up the table, they are only covering 8" at a time, and you're spending two turns closing with the enemy. During that time, they'll be getting shot up. Buggies and big gunz work together to put pressure on the opposing army, so that your infantry can secure objectives and clear areas in close combat, or with massed fire. Here are my selections for fast moving elements:

Boss Dirttoof on his trusted steed, Bitah.

• Boss Dirttoof, Snakebite Big Boss (bolt pistol, power axe, 'eavy armour, warboar, kustom kombi weapon)
• Nuzzgrond's Stikkas, x5 Snakebite Boyz, x1 Snakebite Nob (bolt pistol, axe, flak armour, krak stikkbombz, x1 flamer)
• Ork Wartrukk (heavy bolter)
• Ork Warbike (autocannons)

The Boss on the warboar and the boyz in the trukk can zoom up and engage with light or medium infantry with their weaponry while the warbike can hunt heavier infantry or light vehicles. They're also fast enough that they can be placed on a flank to zip around and engage the enemy from the rear. Or, you can use them to clear small squads off of objectives. In my years of playing, most opponents will redeploy and send units after your light skirmishers when you push them close like that. 

The Second 250 Point Expansion

Now that our three core areas of focus are accounted for, I wanted to work on strengthening areas that felt week after several games against my usual opponent, a Crimson Fists player. One thing I noticed was that I wanted more punch in my battlewagon squad, and neither the nobz nor the boyz were quite cutting it. Second, we agreed to start using psykers, so I wanted an option there. Orks only have two choices in their codex, a Mastery Level 2 Weirdboy, or a Mastery Level 4 Warphead. For an army this size, a Weirdboy is more than enough. Meanwhile, some Bad Moons Nobz in mega armour would let me beef up the firepower I could deploy with the wagon.

Zappit, accompanied by Biggz and Wedgz.

• Boss Shad's Bad Lads, x3 Bad Moons Nobz (bolt pistol, mega armour, power fists, x2 plasma gun, x1 bolter)
• Zappit, Weirdboy (Zappit: weirdboy staff, flak armour; Minderz: bolt pistol, axe, flak armour)

I also experimented with upgrading the Blood Axe mob with bolters. In this edition, Orks enjoy having good Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill, and I felt that bolters would help with some mid-range firefights. As of August 2026, the results have been underwhelming. But then again, I only played one game with this loadout. For the time being, I'll try a few more games before I make the decision as to keep them with boltguns or not. 

For now, this gives me a rounded 1500-point list that covers my major bases. My next step will be to add some armour, like a looted Leman Russ, as well as beef up the Bad Moons Nobz, as they proved their worth immediately in both shooting and melee.