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Thanks,

Walk Like an Egyptian:

This head is taking on a decided pharaonic appearance through no intent on my part. Hopefully once the side paraphernalia is installed that will disappear.

http://i.imgur.com/1HhFHdl.jpg


I'm rather pleased how the sensor arrays in the eye socket turned out, much better than installing lenses as if they were windscreens as was my original intent.

http://i.imgur.com/MdNAQhZ.jpg


The side view still looks sparse..........

http://i.imgur.com/l2Yw5ZL.jpg


And the top view needs a couple of Asps and Ibises

http://i.imgur.com/e7zqiX4.jpg


In a condo made of stona....

The head looks great, and I yes those eye optics work really well.

That is one angry looking Reaver face!

Thanks for the reply, I am about to leave for a week in Poland (First Prize was a Dollar) at the behest of the fabulously enticing Ms Blackadder who thought it was a good idea to celebrate Christmas in Poland this year. My alternative, St Lucia, Hurricane Hole was overruled, next year Havana Cu, I'll be back the day after Xmas; Seasons greetings to all.

The cloutless Blackadder

Those eyes look great. It reminds me of the new transformers.

I've never seen a transformer movie...........

any resemblance is purely coincidental........

Back from Poland and frustrated as hell, seems no one can make a Vodka Martini and I'm not saying a 'Bad Vodka Martini' but literally nothing resembling a Martini at all. I finally coerced the Bartender at the Krakow Sheraton to let me make my own.

On the brighter side I got some great ideas regarding Emperor Titans, it seems that every year they hold competitions to see who can make the most outlandish 'Nativity' creche Literally hundreds of paper edifices that look for all the world like The upper galleries of Emperor Titans. e.g.

https://www.google.com/search?q=krakow+chri...ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

Seems they have built a cottage industry making imperial Titans and did not even know it. Ha!

Some of these creations are upwards of two meters tall and entirely made of paper and left over Xmas wrapping paper.

As I said I got some good ideas and maybe there will be an Imperator in the offing in the coming year. TTFN E.B.

Interesting....

Oh my! That must have been a completely new concept to Poland, to dilute their "sweet little water" with gin... I wonder you made it out of Krakow alive!

Well, regarding the "Imperator", if someone can pull that, it is surely you! There is an edifice in Lisboa I would recommend to visit for everyone planning to execute this default imperial steel-and-gothic design:
the "Elevador Santa Justa". It is a 1900 elevator connecting two city quartiers, and it is a real-life example for imperial stell architecture! I am sure the designers of the Necromunda modular walls were aquainted wit hit. It might be interesting for you regarding details.

 Hruotland wrote:
Oh my! That must have been a completely new concept to Poland, to dilute their "sweet little water" with gin... I wonder you made it out of Krakow alive!

Not gin but vodka (I hate the taste of pine needles) but I know what you mean. I am very particular in my martinis and few bartenders can get it right but the Polish version is a glass of Martini Dry vermouth and a garnish and due to the language barrier I could not get my instructions across.

The perfect martini (shaken not stirred) is as follows:

6 ounces of vodka (brand doesn't matter to me) but it should be refrigerated or kept at well below room temperature otherwise the ice will dilute the vodka too much.

3 drops of Noilly Pratt dry vermouth (no other brand need apply)

and an olive.

Simple right? If made correctly the flavor will be slightly reminiscent of chocolate..........

As for returning alive we flew on A360 600, don't get me started on Airbusses.

I am not sure I can differentiate between an Emperor Titan and an Imperator which I thought was just a type of Emperor, anyone that can clear that up or provide a link to a site that defines the difference it would be appreciated. At any rate if I undertake the project I have some definite ideas on how to proceed regarding the belligerent aspect of the construct. I am given to understand that the greaves actually house a company or two of grunts and the titan itself is just a glorified troop transport. I would base my version on the height of the Warlord albeit with an enhanced superstructure to increase the height to about 33 to 36 inches, about 90 CM. The problem is while I lean towards the Lucius pattern the Imperator seems to cry out for a Mars pattern appearance so perhaps I'll make two versions of hull and carapace, one as a quick change with my basic Warlord body and the other as a straightforward ambulatory castle complete with legs. That should satisfy all contingents. One thing I definitely won't be doing is making the damned thing pose-able, that entails too much effort and time.

This is a good generalization for the main Titan classes.



From the 40K wiki;
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Titan

In order of size (from small)

Knights
Warhounds
Reaver
Warlord
Emperor

It is said that a company of Imperial guard reside in each leg of the Emperor.
I've never seen this model done well, and you are just the builder I would love to see do it.

Walking Cathedrals, Some Thoughts on the Construction:

Never having taken any courses on art or design I probably have no business making this compilation of what I perceive to be construction errors that seem prevalent in many of the Emperor Titans 'Imperators'.

First of all regarding size there is a limit of practicality where while a two meter tall Emperor Titan may be impressive it is hardly a playable piece unless the titan itself is the game board. Rather it will be relagated to the store window of your local Gamesworkshop where when that one is closed will subsequently be consigned to the dumpster behind the soon to be renovated store.

Because who has the room for such an outsized monstrosity?

So I set my limit at 33 to 36 inches (0,83820 to 0,91440 meters).

Next problem is the slab sided blockiness of the greaves, hull, carapace, and cathedral appurtenances; with out being specific by showing images of others work I will demonstrate with a minor area of my own construction.

Back in the days of my initial Warlord build I happened to make the rear bulkhead of my Engineering compartment too square.

http://i.imgur.com/nZH84.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/hN7XM.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/o9kIR.jpg


The subtle tapering of the lower rear panel and the angling of the lower edge of the carapace rear differs from the square lower edge and panel of DS's exceptionally fine 'miniature' and to me is much more aesthetically pleasing.

Next post, please interrupt auto append............otherwise this post will be pages long.

Carry on BA.

Carry On Blackadder, now there's two of my favorite series' combined. I'm a big fan of the fifties' 'Carry On' movies, the black and white ones, not so much the colour movies although Carry On Cleo does have it's amusing moments. Hard to believe there were 31 of them, I've only seen about ten.

Materials:

I've seen styrene foam, cardboard, Foam filled posterboard, wood, plastic paneling, & etc. used and I made the mistake of using foam filled posterboard on two of my constructs; the Warhound Lucie and the Thunderhawk and I have to relate I have always regretted not using styrene sheets throughout the construction.

The problem is getting everything to hold together, the different materials require different glues which usually incompatible with the other surfaces. You spend more time, effort, cost, of resins and epoxies plus hours of drying time and sticky residue on everything including fingers, clothing, furniture, computer keyboards, and whatnot than it would be to just bite the bullet, spend a few bucks and go full styrene for the whole project. I purchase my sheet styrene from commercial plastic wholesalers usually found in most industrial parks. I buy small 3 foot X 6 foot sheets for about 16 bucks each in 3 thicknesses 0.020, 0.030 and 0.040 because that's what my local supply stocks and they're only a half hour round trip from me. I purchase about three sheets a year give or take.

I find it more economical to not use thicker styrene 0.060 and 0.080 except in special areas where excessive strength is required because it's too hard to cut with your standard utility knife and it's about 3 times more expensive than 2 sheets of thinner styrene sandwiched together but that's your choice.

As a point of fact I only used 2,0 MM sheet styrene on the soles of my Warlord's foot pads and nowhere else in the entire construction.

I do have quite a collection of 'Evergreen styrene strips, tubes, and rods, and i spend about $20 bucks a month on it including glue and paint which when you think about it is pretty cheap for the amount of recreational fun you get from scratch-building. Granted the initial outlay is daunting, probably two to three hundred dollars for everything you need as far as materials but if you keep up with maintaining your inventory that is the only major outlay you will have to make.

In closing a couple of images of my plastic stock mounted with push pins on corrugated cardboard.

http://i.imgur.com/xfbZKCN.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/A0MYFTk.jpg


Someday I'll find some cubicle wall dividers and do the set up properly. It saves a lot of time mounting your stock like this instead of rummaging through a couple hundred bags for the strip you need.

Next; Tools of the Trade...............




Automatically Appended Next Post:
I just realized I'm posting these on the wrong thread.

go to:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/628769.page#7470780

Nice plastic workshop you have going!

I'm happy to have caught those tips about mixed media. Before beginning my next project I wanted to review some of your blogs to read up on things like styrene acquisition and techniques. It's like you knew it and posted the information beforehand!

I have styrene envy...

Well That's Interesting?

I am trying to improve the overall look of the 'head' of the Reaver but the new work looks like a Puddytat in the image below.

http://i.imgur.com/VJJonRh.jpg


Well not having seen this before as a 2D photo perhaps it's wrong or it may be a photo distortion.

http://i.imgur.com/nSxXd82.jpg


Nope, it looks like a puddytat...........

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!

Well Archimedes had his Eureka Moment and The Blackadder had his 'stupid stupid stupid season of stupidity' where having been agonized over how to work the chest armour of this damned thing being neither able to come up with a satisfactory chest armour nor a suitable attaching mechanism when it came to me in the middle of the night in a flash of latent inspiration so embarrassing in it's simplicity that I did not think of it before.

At once I shall have the attach point and the armour and it all will fit together as if it were tailor made for the Lucius Reaver.

Gone is the bourgeois double neck Mars armour and in it's place an elegantly simple angular Lucius replacement that I do not begrudge my loss of sleep or the countless sleepless hours tossing that this problem had me vexed with.....For tonight I have the solution!

Eureka!

So here is the problem:

http://i.imgur.com/GjMPQ7T.jpg]http://i.imgur.com/GjMPQ7T.jpg


Solution to follow........

Lucius Reaver revisited

Well off and on for the past month I have been wracking my brain trying to think of how to exhaust the rocket pods on the wing carapaces.

With the news of my nephew's impending operation I cast all aside in a fervent effort to be with my family in Florida single minded in the motor trip south.

On the drive down and back Epiphanies abound;

All that I was searching for on the LandKreuzer, The Reaver and the T'hawk gelled and I knew the direction to take.

I started with the Landkreuzer because that was the hardest; those road wheels had perplexed me for literally years.

The Reaver solution was so embarrassingly obvious that I hesitate to present it in completed form so in the next few days I shall be doing a step by step of my solution.

In the end you may well be wondering how could the Blackadder have missed something so obvious!

It may seem callous to some that I was thinking of anything other than the 13 months old's pending operation but when driving long hours many things cross your mind. Who knows that he when he's a bit older may read these very words and realize the part he played in this progression.

I completely understand. The human mind only can take so much stress before it has to seek solace elsewhere. Rejoice that your outlet is art, there are many who suffer the tyranny of no hobbies at all.

Their ignorance must be bliss!

Reaver Madness:

During the fifties a public service film circulated in the US School System condemning the drug Marijuana called "Reefer Madness". I'm not going to link to it but I'm sure it can be found on Youtube.

I have my own personal dementia that I call 'Reaver Madness' and it is much more debilitating in that for the past months I have been losing sleep trying to come up with a viable solution how the rocket pods will house in the wing carapaces and be deploy-able without changing the overall pleasing shape (IMO) I have achieved thus far..

Well the solution is two hinged panels and five horizontal louvers and so simple I cannot believe I couldn't see it before.

So to begin with the three images below show were I stand with the construction and over the next few days I'll show how to replicate what I've envisioned in my mind's eye.

http://i.imgur.com/aCj7OlQ.jpg


Below are two of the three pods showing the exhaust slots approximately 15 MM in height easily divided into five louvers and five 2 MM gaps and that is where I'll begin.

http://i.imgur.com/sO7Yi9r.jpg


The last image shows the stowed rocket pod and the gap that must be bridged to fair the pod into the carapace. It must be displaced so the pod can raise out of it's well and turn 90° to the firing position while the bridge flap hinges as the pod rises and hinges down after the pod clears the well.

http://i.imgur.com/t5dh7xM.jpg


Mind numbingly simple.

After this is done I can proceed with the fine detailing of this project.

The Louver Shop

Well They Don't Like Much, just five scrap pieces atached to the exhaust end of the rocket pod but I have a feeling I'm on the right track.

I had originally thought to make them flush with the end of the troncated casement but as I was cutting them I thought why not make them longer and have the edge extend to the outer casement ............

http://i.imgur.com/s5Ch9xY.jpg


so I made the adjustment and if it doen't work out I can always cut it off flush.

http://i.imgur.com/UoWCGir.jpg



I left the top final piece off so the shelving structure can be seen.

http://i.imgur.com/ZXpYuIF.jpg


I rationalize that on the "real" pod the louvers would be hinged to direct the exhaust away from the skin of the carapace but for our purposes that refinement won't be necessaryas the rocket pod only angles to 45°.

http://i.imgur.com/4rXgZPw.jpg

Pure Sex:

Oh Yeah;

That's what I'm talk'n 'bout.

The basic louver prototype on the first pod is done and it already looks like what precisely should be on a Lucius Reaver.

http://i.imgur.com/Qv2PZt5.jpg


I take no credit for the design as My Celica Hatchback had exactly the same thing on it's rear window and the Cylon Spacecraft had virtually the same design as well.

http://i.imgur.com/DsCcvdC.jpg


What I do take credit for is the inordinate amount of time wasted that it took me to rediscover that futuristic design!

http://i.imgur.com/UuIFFlz.jpg






Automatically Appended Next Post:
Can I get a triple A please?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Screw this I am not going to have my posts appended together for whatever nonsensical reason. My posts are valid entries that deserve to stand alone and if not then I SHALL QUIT POSTING ON THIS FORUM!

My apologies to the readers of my threads but after almost 8 years of posting on dakkadakka this will be my last post.

I have grown tired of contending with arbitrary and capricious rules dating from the days of dialup modems and of having to cajole my readers into running interference to circumvent these amendments. There are plenty of other forums that I shall continue to post on daily or hourly if I so choose without contending with archaic daily posting limitations.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.................................................

It is a dark day for the acolytes of the Blackadder..... We will miss the inspirational work! All the best when and where you chose to continue your great works!

Not much more to say sir.. Real shame.... You've been one of the more inspirational builders on this site.....

That's a pity.

That's a shame Blackadder, we'll miss you! I've always found that it helps to wait a day or two before posting my next update (lest it be auto-appended to the end of my last post and not get bumped to the top). In this way, it helps to spread the updates out over a few days.

Yes, it is undesirable, but I personally think that it's Dakka's way of preventing people from spam-posting and getting all of the attention (as Dakka receives a lot of traffic, and this would only drive people away). At least we don't have to pay to get our posts noticed (I'm looking at you, Facebook).

I hope that you change your mind, or this is just a fantastic troll. As everyone has said: you really are one of the best scratch builders on this site - an inspiration!

Oh God D*mn!

I'd just about given up trying to come up with a satisfactory solution to the carapace/rocket pod conundrum but it seems this is a simple but best way

http://i.imgur.com/DmjaIYe.jpg


The installation is clean, functionally sound and neat.

http://i.imgur.com/rPVCAD8.jpg


Even in it's un-embellished basic state it has a no nonsense look to it in keeping with the Lucius genera.

http://i.imgur.com/yyvlmS6.jpg


to have the wing open and the pod rise out of it's well

http://i.imgur.com/JW3VOhZ.jpg



Turn, train, and fire.

http://i.imgur.com/ijKUbT6.jpg


Sweet............