Why Ork Freebooters?

I've been playing Orks since Rogue Trader, and really fell for them in the era of the 3 great books Waargh Da Orks, 'Ere We Go, and of course Freebooterz. I particularly loved the artwork of Paul Bonner in each of these books, full of energy, clean lines and humour.

I tend to love the Orks most because I see them as the only happy race in 40k. Lets be honest, 40k is fun to play but you wouldn't want to live there. Even the bleak motto of the Space Marines: "hope if the first step down the road to disappointment" shows that the elite troops of the Imperium are pretty depressed. And the other races are not much better.

GW has in recent years darkened the feel of 40k, which is mostly good (although I like many others mourn the loss of the Squats - they were after all another excellent enemy to stomp), and they darkened the Orks quite a bit initially, turning them into cruel psychopaths for a while. I feel Orks have turned a corner again now, and have come back to the lovable rogues I first played way back when...

What really kicked me into gear to get rolling on my freebooters project was the computer game DOW2: Retribution, and the wonderful Kaptin Bluddflagg. I felt the tone set by the Ork campaign in this game was just right: No particular malice from the Orks, they just don't understand that the other races don't find war as fun as they do.

Thats the feel I want to get from my Ork army. Less of the scowling angry Orks we are still seeing in the current range of GW miniatures, and a return to the Orks with that happy look of an Ork with a huge (and preferably loud) weapon in his hand!