Is kitbashing as easy as it seems?

YouTubers make it look easy but is it true? Unfortunately the answer is paradoxically, both yes & no.

I have tried to kitbash several figures (everyone's favourite plastic toy soldiers) with limited success. My lack of sculpting ability made it difficult to produce even half decent results. I have managed to create one successful piece which I am happy to put on the table top, but this was done by hiding cut marks rather than by than any real skill level.

Of course, this is just a question of consistency of practice over time, but I wanted to try & fast- track my skill level which inevitably weakens any skill set we may already have. Racking my brains for weeks trying to figure out how to produce more satisfying results felt useless. Then I found a Revell 1:24 scale model of a Beetle Limousine 1968 in a charity shop & 40k came to mind instantly.

I have a small force of Orks, about 900 points, & when I got the Beetle home I immediately started thumbing through a 9th Edition Codex looking for something to kitbash.

Like every good hobbyist, I obsessively collect as many spare parts as possible, keeping Orks, Marines & Necrons bits in separate boxes for easy for use. Looking at what I had collected & staring at the Revell box, I started to formulate a plan to kitbash an Ork Trukk as I didn't have dedicated transport in my Ork army.

Taking a more traditional approach to design & loosely sketching out my idea, I set to work.

Influenced by Hot Rod culture in the US & knowing that 'Ork magic' was a thing, I felt far freer to build, a very different feeling than I had when working on figures. This was great, I didn't have to think very much when cutting, glueing or painting: I just got on with it.

The only exception to this was chopping & sectioning the original model to fit into the Hod Rod aesthetic. It isn't something we do in the UK, however, I am fascinated with any TV programme that involves building things, car shows specifically. Many don't go into the full process & simply show us the starting & end points with a montage inbetween, but there is one show: 'Full Custom Garage' with Ian Roussel!

Ian comes across as a very chilled out guy, taking everything he does step by step, without fear. He just gets on with it & is very good at explaining what he is doing & how he is doing it.

Being used to working with metal, wood & glass, I had Ian in the back of my mind telling me exactly what I needed to do & how. It proved to be far easier than I first thought & the process of kitbashing this Ork Trukk was very different to kitbashing figures. The process was less restrictive & less reliant on having specific skill sets.

So is kitbashing easy?

It can be. Working with vehicles is much easier than working with figures & we can make that process as easy or as difficult as we want it to be. My suggestion is starting with things like Ork Trukks & other objects that are made up of basic shapes. Then slowly but surely working your way to more complicated & organic shapes giving your skills time to develop & mature. If you want to see the full process of kitbashing this Ork Trukk, the video is below & not hidden behind a pay wall.

I hope you enjoy the build, the editing & I look forward to seeing you in the next video!

Wulven