Anyone who knows me well will tell you something to the effect of, "Sean?  Yeah, he's a 'project kind of guy'".  I certainly will not deny this, as I've had dozens of wargaming related projects over the years.

Awhile back I attempted to stem this by selling all but one army for Warhammer 40k(I've only ever really had one FB army, and I mostly dislike the game as a whole).  My sales were largely successful not only in terms of profit, but also in leaving me with a feeling of boredom with the game.  I left myself with my Chaos Space Marine army and I certainly began to make headway on painting it, but I would get bored with both painting and playing it 100% of the time.

Then one day I picked up an Assault on Black Reach boxed set with the intention of teaching the new edition to a buddy of mine who was on leave from active duty in Iraq.  We played a game, in which I played as the Orks and I found myself having an absolute blast.  It was then that I made a pact with myself: I would build a cheap Ork army that was not a project.  I would resolve to never paint it, and to only break it out once every few months against close friends to break the monotony of playing the same, fairly boring codex.

I set to ebay to pick up cheap parts: AoBR boyz, nobz, some Trukks, and parts to make a bunch of Killa Kanz.  I had a blast converting Flash Gitz and building custom Meganobz, and later even went crazy and went wild on buying a Valkyrie to turn into a battlewagon because "looted vehicles are cool".

I've learned that Orks go one of two ways: they're either incredibly easy to run, or fairly challenging depending on your build.  It's easy to build 20 nob bikers and some warbosses on bikes, but that doesn't necessarily make the game fun for me.  What does put my proverbial "buns in the oven"?  Using the units that no one talks about, even if/when they fail miserably.

Flash Gitz.

That's right, Flash Gitz.  I've actually had local players ask me "Huh?  What are those?" when confronted with the name.  It actually makes my inner-ork cry slightly when I hear this sort of response!  The most common complaint is that they're overpriced for what you get, but in a game dominated by MEQ armies I cannot understand this argument.

At its core, a Flash Git is basically an Ork nob.  They come with all of the same upgrades available to a unit of Nobz, however they occupy a Heavy Support slot in the FOC.  Also, they cost 5 more points than a Nob due to their special weapon: the Snazzgun.  This is what, in my opinion, makes the unit.

The Snazzgun is an Assault 1 gun with an impressive 24" range.  It is Str 5 and has a variable AP of D6.  Furthermore, the Snazzgun can be upgraded in up to three different ways:

-Shootier: Simple enough, this upgrade makes the Snazzgun Str 6.  Suddenly, we can open light transports and insta-kill T3 characters!

-More Dakka!: The absolutely 100% necessary upgrade, this makes the Snazzgun Assault 2.  The low Ork BS makes this a required upgrade, along with considering maxing out on Ammo Runtz(for when you really need to kill that unit)

-Blasta: This upgrade is easily the least desirable of the three, but still has its' uses.  It allows you to subtract 1 from the roll to determine your AP, but also makes the Snazzgun "get hot!".  I typically stay away from this one, but against 3+ and 2+ armor armies it might be a necessity.  I'm not going to go into the Special Character upgrade for this unit because well, I'm not a fan of Special Characters in general.  Needless to say, Kaptain Badrukk is pretty decent if you're willing to shell out the points, and he's a pirate Ork!

You end up with a unit that has a large volume of long range firepower, that has a 50% chance to be AP3(higher yet, if you invest the points).  They come with a 4+ armor save, and can get both a 5+ invuln and Feel No Pain by adding a Painboy to the unit.  Place the unit in an open topped Battlewagon(dedicated transport) built to keep moving(Armor Plates, Grot Riggers) and if you've got the points to burn consider a Killkannon for added punch.  Typically, I like to field Big Mek's as my HQ selection, so in most cases there will be a Big Mek with a Kustom Force Field attached to this unit, giving a 4+ concealment save to the Battlewagon and you've got a decently protected, mobile Marine frying machine.

Is it expensive?  Sure.  Is it a blast to field?  Undoubtedly.  Do Orks giggle?  If they are flash gitz who just threw a 1 or 2 on their AP roll, you bet they do!

Anyone who knows me well will tell you something to the effect of, "Sean?  Yeah, he's a 'project kind of guy'".  I certainly will not deny this, as I've had dozens of wargaming related projects over the years.

Awhile back I attempted to stem this by selling all but one army for Warhammer 40k(I've only ever really had one FB army, and I mostly dislike the game as a whole).  My sales were largely successful not only in terms of profit, but also in leaving me with a feeling of boredom with the game.  I left myself with my Chaos Space Marine army and I certainly began to make headway on painting it, but I would get bored with both painting and playing it 100% of the time.

Then one day I picked up an Assault on Black Reach boxed set with the intention of teaching the new edition to a buddy of mine who was on leave from active duty in Iraq.  We played a game, in which I played as the Orks and I found myself having an absolute blast.  That day, I made a pact with myself: I would build a cheap Ork army that was not a project.  I would resolve to never paint it, and to only break it out once every few months against close friends to break the monotony of playing the same, fairly boring codex.

I set to ebay to pick up cheap parts: AoBR boyz, nobz, some Trukks, and parts to make a bunch of Killa Kanz.  I had a blast converting Flash Gitz and building custom Meganobz, and later even went crazy and went wild on buying a Valkyrie to turn into a battlewagon because "looted vehicles are cool".

I've learned that Orks go one of two ways: they're either incredibly easy to run, or fairly challenging depending on your build.  It's easy to build 20 nob bikers and some warbosses on bikes, but that doesn't necessarily make the game fun for me.  What does put my proverbial "buns in the oven"?  Using the units that no one talks about, even if/when they fail miserably.

Flash Gitz.

That's right, Flash Gitz.  I've actually had local players ask me "Huh?  What are those?" when confronted with the name.  It truly makes my inner-ork cry slightly when I hear this sort of response!  The most common complaint is that they're overpriced for what you get, and in any other tabletop strategy game that is not dominated by T4 3+ armor units, I might actually agree with you.

At its core, a Flash Git is basically an Ork nob.  They come with all of the same upgrades available to a unit of Nobz, however they occupy a Heavy Support slot in the FOC.  Also, they cost 5 more points than a Nob due to their special weapon: the Snazzgun.  This is what, in my opinion, makes the unit.

The Snazzgun is an Assault 1 gun with an impressive 24" range.  It is Str 5 and has a variable AP of D6.  Furthermore, the Snazzgun can be upgraded in up to three different ways:

• Shootier: Simple enough, this upgrade makes the Snazzgun Str 6.  Suddenly, we can open light transports and insta-kill T3 characters!  Also very important is that suddenly those few hits that you do land are almost guaranteed to wound most units in the game.
• More Dakka!: The absolutely 100% necessary upgrade.  Never, ever, ever do not take this upgrade.  This makes the Snazzgun Assault 2.  The low Ork BS is what makes this a required upgrade.  Also consider maxing out on Ammo Runtz.  Sometimes those three re-roll will make or break your turn.
• Blasta: This upgrade is easily the least desirable of the three, but still has its' uses.  It allows you to subtract 1 from the roll to determine your AP, but also makes the Snazzgun "get hot!".  I typically stay away from this one, but against 3+ and 2+ armor armies it might be a necessity.

You end up with a unit that has a large volume of long range firepower, that has a 50% chance to be AP3(higher yet, if you invest the points).  They come with a 4+ armor save, and can get both a 5+ invuln and Feel No Pain by adding a Painboy to the unit.  Place the unit in an open topped Battlewagon(dedicated transport) built to keep moving(Armor Plates, Grot Riggers) and if you've got the points to burn consider a Killkannon for added punch.  Typically, I like to field Big Mek's as my HQ selection, so in most cases there will be a Big Mek with a Kustom Force Field attached to this unit, giving a 4+ concealment save to the Battlewagon and you've got a decently protected, mobile Marine frying machine.

I will say that Flash Gitz are situationally useful.  Are you playing against Imperial Guard or Eldar?  If so, this unit might not be so useful.  Are you playing against Tau, Space Marines, Necrons, Chaos Space Marines, or Sisters?  You might want to consider these guys.

Is it expensive?  Sure!  Is it a blast to field?  Undoubtedly!  Do Orks giggle?  If they are flash gitz who just threw a 1 or 2 on their AP roll, you bet they do!