There was some discussion a while back about what Chaos God the Mantis Warriors would fall to... Doesn't the chaplain in the IA book give his unit shrouded... seems very Nurgle to me.
You know... I find it utterly amazing that so few people ever played the Mantis Warriors given the incredible variety of interpretations possible. From traditional to white scars, blood angels and I think all four varieties of chaos have been mentioned. Insect and Asian connections have been used too. Obviously there's a lot to work with in terms of background, imagination and modeling potential. I guess I never really considered it before but it is a bit surprising that they have so small a following.
Anpu-adom wrote: There was some discussion a while back about what Chaos God the Mantis Warriors would fall to...
Doesn't the chaplain in the IA book give his unit shrouded... seems very Nurgle to me.
That was me asking. And Nurgle is Green. xD
I'll be going through my Bitz boxes tonight and seeing if I've got something to work with.
Ah, who am I kidding, there'll be something I can work with.
Here's the opening of my entry:
Plus half a dozen sheets of plasticard of varying thicknesses.
Gitsplitta wrote:Yes, in the rules... but a big investment in an army that isn't your own.
I think it's why people are going chaotic or something.
I know it's why I am... though at the end of the day, with 3 already, and another 2-4 planned do I really need another Daemon Prince...
Stupid question really. Of course I do
This may not work, it may be beyond my ability and a bit ambitious - but then gits said the goal was to push the envolope of your abilities. Bitz shot!
Some, all, or none of it may be used... we shall see!
Awesome Ovion... and you're right of course. That's why I made the competition as open ended as I could with one basic unifying focus. I want people to have the ability to take some chances and push their abilities. That's where the real reward lies for the contestants... when you get better as a result of your participation. Maybe slay a personal P&M demon or two along the way.
Dr H wrote:Some interesting looking bits there Ovion. Is your deamon going to be doing some paperwork?
Something like that
inmygravenimage wrote:Some cool bits, be keen to see what you do with those Kroot pads!
So am I! Honestly have no clue what I intend for them yet... some sort of layered plate? ends to joints? who knows! It's 95% of the reason to have Kroot - Kroot Shoulder pads!
On a side note, have you lot seen the Mantis Shrimp? THEHOLYCRAPISTHATTHING! "Mantis shrimp sport powerful claws that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning, or dismemberment. Although it happens rarely, some larger species of mantis shrimp are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike from this weapon."
On a side note - does anyone happen to have a poor, unfortunate Guardsman they'd be willing to donate to the project? (I literally have 0 monies to put to this, hence the use of whatever random crap I already had xD)
I can live without it of course, but I had a cool idea involving a guardsman corpsical.
Ovion wrote: On a side note - does anyone happen to have a poor, unfortunate Guardsman they'd be willing to donate to the project? (I literally have 0 monies to put to this, hence the use of whatever random crap I already had xD)
I can live without it of course, but I had a cool idea involving a guardsman corpsical.
Ovion wrote: Would it be likely to arrive by say, the first week of June some time?
Going to build up the framework today I think.
I won't be able to ship it until the end of the week, say what 2 weeks so ship across the pond, that leaves you with like a week to paint it up :-\ There might be another dakkanaut that can help better than I can D:
Painting random Guardsman X (deceased) wouldn't be an issue... xD.
It's be the rest of it - posing / converting that might make it cut close, if someone else is willing get one here faster, that's great, if not, I'll let you know!
Gitsplitta wrote:Nice job on the GS work there Snrub!
And thank you. The leg was much rounder but i kinda smooshed it flat by accident and didn't realise until after the GS had set. So I'm gonna have to improvise and try and hide it somehow.
Dr H wrote:Good pose Snrub. The left arm could have been slightly further back, but is fine. Good job.
No worries Haz! Nothing says you can't hang out and watch the fun!
Automatically Appended Next Post:
So... believe it or not my local video store actually has the space marine movie, so I rented it for the boys and I.
Adeptcon proved this year how completely inadequate standard SM armor is... but it was nice to have my observation confirmed by the official movie. Power armor is clearly made of paper mâché.
And how exactly do a half-dozen novice marines take out what... 30, thousand-year-old chaos marine veterans of untold conflicts? Including the Heresy??
Any heavy bolter that can completely destroy a fortified strongpoint is something I want in MY army!
Btw, sent some bits to llamahead today, fudge me UK post's gone up a lot lately! Sending bits is essentially the same whether it be Sheffield or Wisconsin now.
Your bits are on their way to you as we'll inmygravenimage. I was going to ship Friday, but locked my keys and package in the car, had to wait till wife was off work. then Saturday got buggered. But they shipped first thing Monday .
Gitsplitta wrote: 1. Entries must NOT be started before the issuance of this challenge (May, 14th). Build progress must be shown on either this blog or your own (with a message and link left on this blog so people can follow along, cheer you on, spy on you, etc.). Take a picture of your disassociated bits before assembly if you can. You don't need to post every step here... just pre-build, build and final paint. Of course if you want to add the intermediate steps, that's fine.
1. Picture is a picture. Cell phone in my case!
2. DAM IT JIM, I'm a project Manager not a photographer!
3. That's what I had time for.
4. I accept!
5. I'll replace it when I get a better pic.
So... Further random comment. I have been working myself up to spending a ton of cash on a new Eldar army that was all wraith guard, wraith lords and wraith knights. (Sorry, I forget the craft world name)
Then I went and looked at the pics. The knight is total Gundam drek and the new flyers are rubbish on the wing. Neither fits the Eldar design ethic worth a damn. Thank you GW for saving me hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled competition.
So... Further random comment. I have been working myself up to spending a ton of cash on a new Eldar army that was all wraith guard, wraith lords and wraith knights. (Sorry, I forget the craft world name)
Then I went and looked at the pics. The knight is total Gundam drek and the new flyers are rubbish on the wing. Neither fits the Eldar design ethic worth a damn. Thank you GW for saving me hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled competition.
I KNOW! I was contemplating starting Eldar, but GW has priced themselves out of money . I was planning like a full force (something to take advantage of the airbrush with), but not anymore. Looks like I'll spend my monies on other things
Pretty exited, as I started painting the first Space Marine of my life.
Truly happy It is a mantis Warrior too, Git deserves that (The above sentence is not to get more points from the judges )
I just had a look at the new Eldar, Games Workshop has completely fallen of my radar without me realising, and I see your concerns. What a pathetic and lackluster release, almost as bad as Tau, I honestly don't remember the last time I got excited about a GW release.
Hopefully I'm not coming across as one of those guys who keeps droning on about how they hate GW and how everyone should know they aren't planning to buy anymore miniatures from them. I've felt a complete lack of interest for a long time now but purposely avoided telling anyone. It's like watching a pet get old and lame, I'm sad about it I'm not angry. It's particularly poignant since I brought out the box for my first purchase to store stuff in, like having a picture of that old pet when it was young and full of life...
Just thought I'd get that off my chest a little. Sorry, bit depressing.
Casey's Law wrote: I just had a look at the new Eldar, Games Workshop has completely fallen of my radar without me realising, and I see your concerns. What a pathetic and lackluster release, almost as bad as Tau, I honestly don't remember the last time I got excited about a GW release.
Hopefully I'm not coming across as one of those guys who keeps droning on about how they hate GW and how everyone should know they aren't planning to buy anymore miniatures from them. I've felt a complete lack of interest for a long time now but purposely avoided telling anyone. It's like watching a pet get old and lame, I'm sad about it I'm not angry. It's particularly poignant since I brought out the box for my first purchase to store stuff in, like having a picture of that old pet when it was young and full of life...
Just thought I'd get that off my chest a little. Sorry, bit depressing.
I had no problem with Tau, we got some new toys, we got some old toys back, it was sad to lose Targetting Arrays though, and not to get more Kroot goodies.
Plus Sniper Drones are freakin amazing now - 2x9 drones, an ethereal and a bunch of warriors with DJ Tank Commander on a Railgun! Watch them fall. And I am happy that we can make a full Wraithguard army (plastic Wraith warriors, best part of the release!).
I will probably get the Master of Metal Spiritseer... and give him a rocking guitar! then 60 Wraithwarriors, a Wraithseer and 3 Wraithlords. Maybe Wraithknight... but I doubt it.
And lo, a horde of the moving dead is born! ETA... prolly November 2014...
Though tbh, I'll leave judgement till after I've read the codex.
That's kind of what I was shooting for myself Ovion. I was just so disappointed in the new releases (for me, aesthetics is everything) that it pretty much convinced me not to spend a ton of money on something I wasn't likely to be happy with.
I am trying to figure out if there's a way I can size-up a wraith lord though & make my own wraith knight. It's impossible of course, but I can dream.
Good points, Ovion but I have no beef with the rules. Like Gits:
Gitsplitta wrote: I was just so disappointed in the new releases (for me, aesthetics is everything)
and probably even moreso, aesthetics is my focus and I haven't seen anything exciting from GW in a long time. DE weren't abhorrent but they aren't an army I'm personally very fond of. But I don't want to complain too much. I'm more apathetic about it than anything, and as I said, a little sad.
I'm disappointed in the little I've seen from GW recent releases. But at least they are consistent. Flyer, big robot, retool of a unit, overpriced everything....glad I have plenty of plastic crack here to last a while. The looks of the knight and flyer also don't do it for me. And why have cc wraith guard? Did they run out of guns?
Back on topic... (sorry, my fault - been that kind of week... feel free to continue to bitch about the Eldar, I will)
I've been working diligently on graven's scout... unfortunately, it's not the kind of progress that makes for a good picture. Little stuff, lenses, buckles, details... some very subtle edge highlighting. With my wife traveling for work this week I'm pretty busy so my only time for painting is what I can sneak in early in the AM before the kids get up. But, I am making progress.
Quick update, last one disappeared into the warp. Got new ca glue, and it's holding rebuilt my mantis warrior minus the deathwatch pad. Too much happening with the pad on him, also narrows down the color options. Hopefully the rain stay away Ida and I can prime him sometime today to receive some paint this week.
Good news indeed Theo. I'm excited to see some paint on these bad boys.
Thing 2 decided he wanted to get in on the action, but the I had to spend the next 15 minutes trying to explain why purple and yellow weren't very Mantis Warrior like. Managed to talk him down to yellow, black and red... . We'll see if be actually finishes it. He has a tendency to take my minis... half-paint them and declare them done (meaning he's bored with them).
@Theo - Good news! I'm glad you've got that sorted.
@Gits - Yeh sorry I amped up the derailing there, just felt like a good time to say that without making a huge deal about it. I hope Thing 2 finishes his entry, it'd be awesome to get the little one in on the comp.
Alrighty then - Proof of concept - obviously done with Blutac, so not permament, and a lot of it will need bulking out / actual cutting, etc. But the idea is there.
I need a suitably Marine-y / Mantis Warrior-y name for him - any suggestions?
Also, looking at the tabletop line for this - thoughts, comments?
Daemon Prince
Daemon of Tzeentch/Nurgle/Slaanesh
Mastery Level 2
+1 Mark power
+Pyromancy? (alt are Biomancy or Telepathy)
Wings
Power Armour
Ichor Blood
Gift of Mutation
Burning Brand -or- Black Mace
Total: 310-330
I don't know how flamer-y Mantis Warriors are meant to be.
Gitsplitta wrote: Announcing the First (annual?) Mantis Maker Challenge!
That's right. I've decided to sponsor an actual P&M competition. The subject? (of course) The Mantis Warriors!
The rules...
1. Entries must NOT be started before the issuance of this challenge (May, 14th). Build progress must be shown on either this blog or your own (with a message and link left on this blog so people can follow along, cheer you on, spy on you, etc.). Take a picture of your disassociated bits before assembly if you can. You don't need to post every step here... just pre-build, build and final paint. Of course if you want to add the intermediate steps, that's fine.
2. Final photos must be submitted to me (on this blog) by no later than Midnight PST June 15th.
3. All work should be done by the entrant alone.
4. The subject of the piece MUST be the Mantis Warrior chapter, however the form of the piece is entirely up to each entrant.
5. Full judging criteria are published below, in general however... pieces will be judged on build quality and creativity, painting technique and impact, basing and adherence to theme. There will also be a decent pile of points sent aside for things like humor, Wow factor, thinking outside the box, etc. Stretch your legs a bit people... time to add to your P&M toolkit!
6. Your "vision" of the Mantis Warriors and mine DO NOT have to coincide. Do whatever moves you.
7. You may submit a short paragraph explaining your work, but it is only to provide context, the back-story or to point out new techniques you've tried. You won't be judged on the quality of the narrative. However you may gain points in other categories because of it!
The prize... As I'm not exactly flush at the moment, I'm afraid big value prizes are not possible. BUT... I'll be making 3 trophies to send to the top three finishers. My idea is to make each one based on something iconic for the Mantis Warriors. They'll be little things based on models that I'll construct myself... but their size will not diminish the quality of effort that the winners would have put forth! That... and I'll do my best to direct lots of traffic to your blog. One of the few advantages a behemoth like this has is a lot of eyeballs... I'd be delighted to point them in the direction of the contest winners.
Judges Small panel. Here are the judging criteria. Might change slightly but here's how I see it. Judges will be given leeway to express themselves however, this is only a guide... but it does detail what I look for in a piece.
gee.... thanks mate... I will cobble something together... love your matis warriors for a long time already... now I need to reread the comps guidelines...
any limitations?
Viktor von Domm wrote: gee.... thanks mate... I will cobble something together... love your matis warriors for a long time already... now I need to reread the comps guidelines...
any limitations?
Must have rivets. Goes without saying Vik.
"Good Lord!" bad, evil chaosy lord. Excellent work, but definitely not a "good" lord.
(sorry... now that I'm back in front of a real computer keyboard) In essence, as long as the subject of the model is the Mantis Warrior chapter... it's fair game. I was hoping people would leave their comfort zones a bit so I didn't want to define the category too tightly. (as elegantly evidenced by Ovion's build below)
Ovion if you have a Mantis Warrior riding that ala twc style I will love you forever! such a great idea and well done so far! very creative use of those parts to get the look!
I like what i'm seeing. I'm also wondering whether i should just give up now or not.... I'm not sure i can compete with a full blown mantis dp.
nerdfest09 wrote:Ovion if you have a Mantis Warrior riding that ala twc style I will love you forever! such a great idea and well done so far! very creative use of those parts to get the look!
I have posted these pics in my blog and I should really pop them here too seeing as it's Gits comp I don't have the main model parts yet but I managed to do the base over the last couple of days, here's a couple of pics from bits to paint bits:
assembled and green stuffed:
primed and oversprayed:
and painted up ready for the Mantis Warrior:
Snrub wrote: I like what i'm seeing. I'm also wondering whether i should just give up now or not.... I'm not sure i can compete with a full blown mantis dp.
Don't give up Snrub! Just look at this as a chance to improve your painting and modeling. Besides... look what awesome company you're in! This competition is going to be LEGENDARY and YOU'RE a part of it! Don't pass up that opportunity.
I like what i'm seeing. I'm also wondering whether i should just give up now or not.... I'm not sure i can compete with a full blown mantis dp.
nerdfest09 wrote:Ovion if you have a Mantis Warrior riding that ala twc style I will love you forever! such a great idea and well done so far! very creative use of those parts to get the look!
This, do this.
Ha, we'll see how impressed folk are once I start on the milliput. XD
I haven't done 'proper' sculpting work in ages - mostly just smooth masks, cables and joins and lots of relatively minor stuff on my Defiler conversion... the organic stuff is going to be the real challenge.
And unfortunately I don't have any spare marines, nor the money to get one, it's actually a large part of why I chose to do the mantis Prince, I'm skint and have loads of milliput. XD
He'll, the half-a-marine-torso is from the remnants of a csm vehicle upgrade sprue. :p
Okay Git. Here is a picture of my bits and here is a link to my thread where you can see my progress. Due to the size of the project especially with the time limit I will be partnering up with our hermit friend Steve. Both of us will paint, model, and build parts of the diorama.
Please check out the link, much more progress has already been made.
Very impressive builds Ice, glad you could join in. (and especially glad that your "silent partner" is partaking.. perhaps one of these days he'll move out of his hermit's cave and into the 21st century where he can actually have an internet connection and join us)
Thing 2's "build". (OK, we took the easy path... he's 9, give him a break.) I figured it wouldn't be cheating too much if I pinned it on for him (he's not ready for power tools yet). Gods what a job! Getting this old, bent model onto that resin base in a way that looked natural required removing resin, leg manipulation, pinning, then building the "rock" back up with cork so his feet weren't floating. What a PITA that turned out to be! In any case, from here on he's on his own. Let's see how he does, shall we?
And my progress on graven's MW/Deathwatch scout... getting there. The gun has a name and some kill marks and the model has a lot more details scattered hither-and-yon. More to come!
"Uncle John" has become his nickname among his fellow scouts. The stories as to how exactly he got this name vary depending on who you ask. Some say it relates to the huge family he came from where every child in the region seemed to be related in some way, others attribute it to his mentor-like nature tinged with a real mischievous streak... and then there was that unfortunate latrine incident with the Captain last October...
Well, minus a purity seal or two I think the body is done. Heads on an armature and ready to paint. (I never do that by-the-way... just goes to show how seriously I'm taking this.) Hope I feel as good about that when it's done as I do about the rest so far.
He looks amazing, and I never doubted your sincerity! The head for my entry is likewise on an armature, with a magnifier, which I never do either - an abundance of seriousness! I love his boots, the thumb, the "naturalness" of the brass =I=, the green indicator on the scope - all the little detail that make him shine. Cracking
Well, have the base color on the head. Keep in mind Casey that faces are NOT my specialty.
I did find a way to delay the inevitable and work on the servo skull this morning. Picture is a little off... it actually looks quite good. Get the lenses taken care of and it'll be ready to go.
Question of the angle he is at was raised. He is fighting inside a ship, so the typical lopping jumps of the jump packs are limited. He Mantis warrior assault squads however have become quite proficient in taking bursts of speed by boosting directly forwards onto their prey only getting a few inches off the ground yet propelling themselves forwards hundreds of feet. In imperial corridors and on rogue trader vessels this tactic is extremely effective as the considerable bulk of a marine charging into a regular human is generally enough to break bones. The amplified force of the jump packs generally makes short work of any would be defenders. Those unlucky enough to Survive the impact are usually baked by the exhaust heat as the lead trooper makes his way o he next target. Should any victim survive the initial contact and departure of he first MW, they soon are relieved of the troubles of their lives when the rest of the MW squad makes it down the same corridors.
Quick questions.
1. Should I do the shoulder trim in yellow as well?
2. Should I do yellow trim on the jump pack. I'm thinking of making the smaller jets red, not sure if hat would look like predator eyes from the front.
3. What color should the weapon be? Green in keeping with the armor, yellow for accent, red for th blood that will be shed, black for contrast, or silver/gunmetal for ???
That ^ picture looks like they're dancing on a stage, but the mantis is not up to the job and is about to be removed stage-right by the large tyranid claw.
But, good job Lazarus. Look forward to them on a base.
I'm a bit late to the party Gits but I am in! Just placed an order for a bunch ($50 worth I might add...) of Anvil Industry bits and hopefully they should be here in plenty of time.
I was tiring of painting Thousand Sons red so green will be a nice change of pace.
Welcome aboard CC! As long as you can finish by the Jun 15th deadline, you're all good.
I've finished graven's scout. But, you can't see him yet. I have something very special in mind for a final photograph and until I can work that out you'll have to wait. He turned out good through... really good. I think I'm about as happy with him as any mini I've done. He's not perfect in any sense, but he's everything I'd hoped he'd be.
"Uncle John" Grobowski enjoying leave right before being shipped out to serve as a scout specialist with the Deathwatch. John enjoys long walks on the beach, slaying heretics in the name of the Emperor, pranking his squad mates and spending time in the brig (after accidentally pranking his Captain). Pictured here on Zegama Beach with the misses "Long Tall Sally" and his wing-man "Chip". Turn ons: Caressing Sally's trigger until she goes off. Turn offs: Night fighting (nights are for loving, not fighting).
(Hope you like him graven & find him worth the wait.)
I tried a dead-on shot (which is the shot I envisioned from the very beginning of this project), unfortunately the lights wash out all the shading details on his head and it just looks like a blob of flesh with a cigar sticking out... so I had to settle for a profile shot instead.
@ WM360: sorry, missed your post there mate - yeah, aiming for that. Fits with the Preying Mantidae fluff.
@ Theophony: I'll be sure to tell him - and thanks!
@ Vik: Well, any of those who turned traitor, but Red Corsairs especially. A few of us are incorporating them, and somehow all with the same head (topknot).
GiraffeX wrote:lol Git's thats very good. I just love the size of that lascannon.
He's NOT compensating.... really... I mean it.
wyomingfox wrote:hillarious!
Glad you like it! I keep adding bits to the text... can't help myself.
inmygravenimage wrote: comedy gold there sir! First rate chief, I love him!
The opinion that really matters most! He's almost as good as the original idea I had for your GMS marine. May still do that one some day.
Dr H wrote:Good job Gits. Nice detail work all over from buckles to skull.
Thanks Dr H. I'll post some 360 shots in a bit so you can see the details all around.
Viktor von Domm wrote:lol... that pic... reminds me of somthing... charly doesn´t use lasers? (lame i know...) also... i have sorted through my bitzbox and found all the bitz i need... will soon have something to show you! by the way... do your matis warriors have a favorite enemy?
Thank's Vik. Sorry, don't get they charly reference. graven's got it right... top two targets would be Space Sharks (Badab era) or Red Corsairs (post-Badab era).
Well Mr Splitta i have a double reason to say G'day today! firstly that Uncle Jon marine is great, I love it when someone can execute a humorous mini to that exacting level, he really looks totally cheesy he's like Dakka's answer to Duke Nukem! secondly I got the rest of my bits for your comp, and started slightly re posing the legs by cutting out behind the knees and chopping the feet, then bending and gluing, when i'm back home I'll be able to really get stuck in and finish it all off! this is so much fun!
@Nerdy: I didn't really think of the Duke Nukem' reference... but man that's spot on! Glad your bits came in, looking forward to what you do with them.
@Theo: You just have to look between the contest announcement and here... somewhere in the last few pages I talk about my green formula. My yellow is linked from the OP.
@Nerdy: I didn't really think of the Duke Nukem' reference... but man that's spot on! Glad your bits came in, looking forward to what you do with them.
You need to be careful when talking to NF09 about his bits, you could end up with a total derailment of your thread
@Nerdy: I didn't really think of the Duke Nukem' reference... but man that's spot on! Glad your bits came in, looking forward to what you do with them.
You need to be careful when talking to NF09 about his bits, you could end up with a total derailment of your thread
Lol Oh you know me too well, but I held back due to Gits thread being such a family orientated place!
er... gits? i think i overread that you asked for a pic before assembly...?
well... here is me hopeing i am not already disqualified...but i would understand it if you say so...because fair is fair...*looks sheepish*
i worked quite a bit on my take on the mantis warrior...
and this is how far i came for today... i ahve also planned a quite a cool looking base that i plan to show you tomorrow... all still without any lick of paint!... so all rough and WIP still...
It's the beginning of the repenting hundred years after the traitorous Badab War.
In a bare world filled with xenos scum Brother Ahoky and his brothers are battling in the name of the Emperor.
They're like the plants growing in this wastelands, hard to defeat and full of life, they'll survive the fight or die, but the bodies that will fall will bring new life and hope.
"Let's show our foes the meaning of our beliefs, may them die in the name of the Emperor trough our swords"
well... i promised to show the parts i used... and a bit how to...
well here goes:
Spoiler:
these are the ogre fist weapons...(i really don´t know the name for them...) i got rid of the big spikes on the wrist guard... and then cut out the ogre fist... what a bloddy work, mind you... then i realized that i only needed a small part of the wrist guard and got rid of most of it...as you saw already in the model...
then i used these big tyranide plates i still have, together with some ornamental decoration from some elves i got in a bitzbox (how i love random bitz boxes!!!! conversion paradise!) together with some bigger "rivets" this creates my version of the mantis warrior shouldpad icon...
and these nid guns... i can´t recall atm their name provided the spikes for the mandibles on the beaky marine helmet...
and this is the base...
the motto will be..."preying mantis..." get it plan is to make it look like some avatar movie terrain...cross your fingers for me^^
Been a busy few days, so not much done - but a bits-update shot as it's been whittled down:
Now with a shiny guardsman sacrifice courtesy of inmygravenimage's generosity.
If it were Greenstuff you'd be right, and it'd be expensive.
I prefer the cheaper, easier to work with Milliput (£3 for 113g)!
'course this'll still take prolly better part of half a pack...
mabye you could get even cheaper? what´s with dry air clay for the basic structure? i had quite some good outcomes with that material... you could glue the first bitz on with superglue to the wireframe...to get a good bearing...then you can build up from there until you reach the point where you want crisper detal...then change to milliput as its also watersolvent when fresh...should stick well together...
If you're talking of saving putty, I've had good results bulking out a shape with sprue. It is also another use for sprue and leads to a lighter final result as plastic is lighter than putty or clay.
SelvaggioSaky wrote:Ovion, that beast is scary... well done already, now transform It from "stick bug" to proper Mantis
That's the plan over the next week or two! Here's hoping I can pull it off properly
Viktor von Domm wrote:mabye you could get even cheaper? what´s with dry air clay for the basic structure? i had quite some good outcomes with that material... you could glue the first bitz on with superglue to the wireframe...to get a good bearing...then you can build up from there until you reach the point where you want crisper detal...then change to milliput as its also watersolvent when fresh...should stick well together...
I will have to look into that for later projects!, Unfortunately, I have exactly no money at the moment (which as I said before, it's part of why I'm doing it this way! xD), so I'll be doing a sort of... Papier-mâché thing with toilet roll (possibly bits of sprue here and there) to bulk up the basic frame + give something for the milliput to purchase on properly, then go from there.
Dr H wrote: If you're talking of saving putty, I've had good results bulking out a shape with sprue. It is also another use for sprue and leads to a lighter final result as plastic is lighter than putty or clay.
Papier-mâché thing with toilet roll (possibly bits of sprue here and there) to bulk up the basic frame + give something for the milliput to purchase on properly, then go from there.
i am a big fan of Papier-mâché !!! i think by doing this you can go a long way! also... most peeps use wallpaper glue for Papier-mâché ...i do it differently...i use dilluted PVA... works like a charm and makes everything lots more sturdy! and toiletpaper is for the win... i often saw peeps using newspaper and other hard paper... rubbish i say... serviettes or tissue or toiletpaper are easier soaked through...thus you can work quicker... it just takes the same time to dry out... whick you should take... also it can be sculpted... almost not to be beaten by any other material!
Dr H wrote: If you're talking of saving putty, I've had good results bulking out a shape with sprue. It is also another use for sprue and leads to a lighter final result as plastic is lighter than putty or clay.
I'm way ahead of you.
Cool. I love sprue. It's so useful. It's almost as brilliant as Duck/Gaffer tape in the number of uses, in fact, with them together you could do anything...
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh yeah, and Papier-mâché is also very useful, especially as you can't really use Duck tape at this scale.
Dr H wrote: If you're talking of saving putty, I've had good results bulking out a shape with sprue. It is also another use for sprue and leads to a lighter final result as plastic is lighter than putty or clay.
I'm way ahead of you.
Cool. I love sprue. It's so useful. It's almost as brilliant as Duck/Gaffer tape in the number of uses, in fact, with them together you could do anything... Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh yeah, and Papier-mâché is also very useful, especially as you can't really use Duck tape at this scale.
Sprue is useful - my other work with Sprue includes:
Spoiler:
Talos (Sprue Frame, some sprue outer-work), Counts-as BFG / Generic Cruiser, Talos/Chronos (Sprue Frame, + Some outerwork) models.
Sprue on the Mantis Prince will mainly be bulking up the abdomen. Never throw out sprue - too handy!
That looks cool Ovion.
I usually use sprue for modifications like extra bulk or framework for a piece of wargear.
I made a couple of weapon mounts for my warwalker out of sprue and carved a sword for a DA from a piece.
And done some modification to my current Wave Serpent; new nose, lowered the chin turret and carved a rear spoiler...
I have a ton of sprue, and alot of it came from model aircraft that I built way before getting into 40k.
Anyway, back to Gitsplitta's Mantis Making Challenge.
Owing to the construction of the Minotaur and my clumsiness, he is now deceased. I had to bend that Bionic Bolter arm substantially and that had weakened it, so when I dropped him he exploded into and array of bits and disheartened me quite a bit. From his ashes, and the existing Mantis Warrior I present Battle Brother Einherjar
uncle john looks good i like that smug smile of his really brings out some character. sorry i have been away for very long been really busy and life in the way and what not. glad to see your still trucking along i love your contest idea.
i wish all the contestants good luck with their builds and paint jobs. and the judges the best of luck when choosing a winner!
oh i been following for the past few days so far my two favorite entries are gravens and the guy doing the daemon prince. but in third right now is the banner bearer. but that is my personal opinion. it may change when i see more paint and actual composition for the other participants
Speaking of Mantis builds here's a little update for mine, i had a chance at work tonight to try my hand at some GS work on him, I've slightly adjusted his legs so he fits on the dead Space Shark and sculpted a chapter symbol on his pad, should look good with paint! still some more tidying up to do to sharpen it up but not too bad
Everyone is doing such an amazing job on there projects. I'm having an absolute ball watching the magic you're all making! Very inspiring and impressive.
Everyone is doing such an amazing job on there projects. I'm having an absolute ball watching the magic you're all making! Very inspiring and impressive.
I wish you didn't have a chapter that had yellow in it I've been painting yellow on my Iron Warriors, and my Dreadball Orx (They're based on that horrible football team from Pittsburgh), and I hate yellow with a passion. Also I found two awesome bits to use, but they're too big for even a Terminator D: (Which is why I haven't entered yet).
Work was/is quiet tonight and I'd hoped to be able to finish the green armour on my entry now i wish i had more paints with me, I managed to do the armour as best I can under these lights and lack of sleep, but tomorrow I'll revisit it as well as do the other details I didn't bring paint for
This is related to this project, and sort of my determining factor of getting an entry into this contest, but does anyone know of a webstore/ebay store/etc... that makes Truescale terminators?
Alfndrate wrote: This is related to this project, and sort of my determining factor of getting an entry into this contest, but does anyone know of a webstore/ebay store/etc... that makes Truescale terminators?
whalemusic360 wrote: I've only seen such a thing once, and they never shipped, so I'm going to go with no.
Woe is me D: I've got these awesome WM bits, but they're just a little too large for regular terminators (well the shield isn't)
if the scale gives you problems...why not go bigger still and do a dreadnought?... i bet with a bit of steampunky look and all this could work very well?...
Oh don't you worry Gits, he has just spurred me on to bigger and better things!
I really want to share all my ideas but I figure it would be best to wait until I actually have some sweet, sweet Mantis Warrior goodness in my hands...
O.k guys I'm done! here's my finished entry for the comp!
The shattered city was cloaked in a roiling smoke, though not from fire but gunfire, while the acrid tang permeated even the filters in sergeant Artamus helmet, runes flashed where he had taken hits and with a grimace he unclasped his helmet and removed it, mag clamping it to his armour and exposing his naked face to the city. Flashes of orange and bright white lit up glassless windows high up in the structures and the shrieking of ordnance was near deafening to his enhanced aural senses, brother fought brother amongst ruins that once had been a proud city it's denizens through their architecture proclaimed to all the light of the Emperor shone apon them, now, nothing shone nor gleamed, all was destroyed riddled and pock marked by bullets spewed forth from two chapters of mighty space marines, these brothers once united in the protection of the imperium now turned against each other as savagely as the animals they bore their names from, the Mantis Legion & Space Sharks locked together, now entwined for eternity in the recorded history of the ages......
That would be wonderful Alf. It can be a nice reminder to everyone of the competition... the "spirit entry" if you will.
OK.... for all of you that are just watching the fun (like me), I have a favor to ask. Whenever anyone posts their final pic, I want to you go vote on it in the gallery. Why?? Because how things get on the front page of the gallery is a combination of the votes and the traffic on the blog they're posted on. Right now, this blog is getting a TON of traffic... so all that's missing to get these fine contestants some face-time on the front page of the gallery is YOUR VOTE.
Please take a few seconds go back a couple of pages and vote on each of the final entries. You'd be doing their creators a BIG favor and it's the best way you can honor them for the work they've put in. I will eventually be linking the final pics in the OP of the contest (which you can reach through my sig), but at the moment, a little leg work is required on your part.
For everyone that has finished their marine entries, please remember to upload them to the Dakka gallery. Two things are served by doing this, 1) We can vote on the entries like Gits is asking, and 2) It allows those of us who are work blocked to view the images. Like right now since Nerfest's picture is hosted at photobucket, I can't view it. While if you go back a page, Graven's WIP is hosted on Dakka, so someone poor soul (me) can see it.
OK guys, I've started linking the final shots from the competition OP. From this point on, you should be able to look at the list of contestants at the bottom of the post (get there from my sig) and if there is a "final" status listed... it'll be a link to the post with their pic and story. I've only found two completed so far, but I'm sure more will start trickling in over the next week or so.
I've not voted on images before (couldn't really decide if I was going to be too harsh and whether I was "qualified" to gauge others work. I'm very harsh on my own...), but I will break my voting virginity on your recent dude and then use him as my yard-stick for any and all future voting.
wow nerdy..., that looks awesome....I don´t know how you did those claws.... must´ve over read that in your thread....?
also...some progress of mine :
Spoiler:
note, the pics are auto adjusted... in person the green looks very leaf- like looking... which I actually totally love! thanks gitsplitta for making me try that color... also the shoulder pads I realize are still not fully seen...I need to take tomorrow some better pics all around the minis to better show my self made paddesign...
and here the khorny adversary...
and this is the primed and then two first layers of color on the base... hopefuly I can get the look of the base to look like the glowing plants in avatar...:
if I do something wrong here then please help me get it right as I never did such effects before...!!!!!!!!!!!
OK friends, your bit 'o Gitsdum i.e. "Gitsplitta wisdom" for the day.
For those of you who use an airbrush and like Vallejo Air paints... I have the formula (well... such as it is... I eyeball everything) for GW's color "Scorched Brown" (that might be the old name... not sure). I love this color... warm, deep, slightly reddish brown.
3 parts Vallejo Air "Dark Earth" #71029
1 part Vallejo Air "Mahagony" #036 (give or take)
Maybe more like 4:1... I can never be sure. But, you get the general idea. I just whipped up a mix for a couple of flying bases I'm working on and it really looks good.
Making good progress there Vik! That base is really starting to come together nicely, isn't it?
Well, today I have a tournament to play. I'm really looking forward to it. It's got some quirky FOC rules that I think will make it a bit more fun for a casual gamer like me than the standard tourney (you can't have two of any one unit with the exception of troops, and then only two).
So... I'm fielding a goofy grot-based ork list with a very small Necron air contingent as allies. I've never played with allies or flyers before so it should be interesting. I pulled some of my favorite grot or pseudo-grot units following a couple of basic principles. While the whole thing is painted well is't quite a motley assortment of figures. My orks are an assortment of things I painted myself and things I purchased painted when I first started building the army and things I contracted out... so everything doesn't exactly go together perfectly. Add in the Necrons and my Mantis Warrior Aegis Wall and you have a rather comical combination of colors, races and painting styles.
It was a good excuse to work on a few things though... I painted up the big guns for Thing 1's Scythes, painted and flocked their flying bases, painted the normal choppa army for my Big Mek (which before this was always wielding a PK) and began the process of re-painting a modern Gazgull (sp?) meganob figure that I picked up used into something more closely resembling a Bad Moon. Turns out I didn't need him, but I'll go ahead and finish him off just to be thorough.
Nice to be taking a break from my marines. I love them, but variety is the spice of life. Besides... who needs to see yet another Gitsplitta Mantis Warrior when there are so many fine competitors turning out fantastic work like Vik up there!! I'm "off the hook" for two more weeks... I'm going to enjoy it!
Gah! , if I had the time Id totally join this JUST so I could paint the little Mantis that could in that god awful yellow armor at least he'd be different
Good luck to all the entrants because so far these all look rather nice
That sounds like an interesting tourny Gits. Lets us know how it goes.
Gitsplitta wrote: Add in the Necrons and my Mantis Warrior Aegis Wall and you have a rather comical combination of colors, races and painting styles.
Also this sounds suitably Orky.
KingCracker wrote: Gah! , if I had the time Id totally join this JUST so I could paint the little Mantis that could in that god awful yellow armor at least he'd be different
There's still 14 days left KC. You should totally get in on it.
Well guys, I tied for 6th out of 30. Would have had 5th but in my second game I brainlessly moved 3 different units OUT of my opponent's deployment zone, costing me a line breaker point. This is by far the best I've ever done in a tournament out my highly competitive FLGS. I'm not sure I've ever finished in the top 2/3 before. I played all 3 games very well, including game one vs. Tau where I eventually got tabled. I never felt better about getting tabled than I did in game one. I was trying things and had a plan the entire game and all the way up my last turn (turn 6 I think) I was making a play for primary and secondary objectives... my dice just weren't there and everything collapsed after my last gambit failed. He was fielding a "Farsight Bomb" with an allied marine libby w/ gate and it was wiping out one unit every turn. I almost pinned it in CC with my meganobs on turn 3 by charging it with my grots first (the herder even survived) but my meganobs rolled double 1's for their charge movement... such is life. (actually, my grots were charging everything all day... it was a blast!)
Game 2 and 3 went much better though and in the end I'd earned very respectable number of points in each of the latter games. Enough to have won the "most improved" prize... (for the person who did the worst in round 1 then got the most points afterwards). I took a ton of pictures, though I don't know if I got enough in any one game for a cohesive battle report. I have decided that I'm much better playing my orks than my marines. I just seem to be able to use them to best effect... something I've never been able to do with my marine armies. The orks are just a more "natural fit" for me I guess. Go figure.
I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to post things... especially if I can't do full battle reports. Perhaps in my ork blog. I'll link it from here in any case, I think you'll find the photos and stories rather amusing. I had more fun than I think I've ever had playing the game... at least since I got back into it a few years back. Opponents were great, armies were quirky as were the scenarios... I liked it!
By way of a teaser...
Here's my army:
Here's the story explaining how this motley collection of units got together:
“Allies of Convenience”
lluminor Szeras stood motionless, observing the data from the scout drones. He had arrived on this sparsely populated feral world with a small guard of warriors to awaken a long-lost crypt. However the process had only just begun when a small contingent of human warriors made planet fall and began setting up a base. The force was too big for them to assault directly… but if he struck now, they might be able to cripple it long enough to awaken the bulk of the tomb, in which case the incursion could be expunged. With only two operating scythes however… the raid would have to be carried out with extreme precision. A light flashed on the panel indicated a second probe had detected something, Szeras brought the video feed from the second probe onto the screen. A sizable contingent of orks was bearing down on the human base from the North East. Likely not enough to eliminate the base, but enough to cause a significant distraction. Proper timing of the Necron air strike would guarantee that the humans would have their hands full fending off the orks while his scythes came in undetected. …. Szeras monitored the probe feed as his Night Scythe accompanied a lone Doom Scythe towards the target. He noted with some satisfaction that the orks had already overrun the outer defensive wall of the human compound. The humans were fully engaged with the tenacious orks and would have no idea what was about to hit them until it was too late. “How convenient.” he thought.
And finally... a battle shot. Orks surge through a gap in terrain lead by an intrepid grot tank (rokkit buggy) and it's spotter:
I really love your orks... colourful but that makes them way more characterful as busy looking as one might think... a loony bunch that you almost have to cuddle^^
One more bit o' eye candy. One of da boyz in the tournament had an exceptionally well painted Tau army. Really beautiful and striking. Things I don't usually say about Tau.
I went through my pics. I won't be able to give my typical blow-by-blow battle reports... but I think I have enough from the first two games at least to walk you through it. I'll work on it later today.
Also - holy crap, so many people so much further ahead!
The last week went very quickly (I'm sure there's some sort of fever dreams and sleep-deprivation-induced hallucinations along the way...), so today I finally got to sit down again and make some progress!
Applying the bulking material in the form of sculpted toilet roll, PVA and water! My sacrificial mreen is done too. More later today when it's dry and I can do more!
Thank you gents, it was indeed a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday. And yes, that Tau army is quite beautiful.
Nice progress on that mantis demon Ovion. The only thing I can do with toilet paper is well... the obvious.
I finished a major re-paint on a Ghazghkull Thraka figure I picked up off e-bay years ago. Turned out pretty nicely. Much more Bad Moon like now. Also figured out a new bronze formula that I really like using some of the new GW paints. Link to the figure pic is here if you're interested.
You don't have to like me Casey, just keep posting so my ego gets massaged. I'm needy that way.
My orks are a very different kettle of fish than my marines. A mish-mosh of tabletop and better figs. Some I've painted, some I've purchased painted off the net, and some I've commissioned Ifalna to paint for me. Kind of a random, mismatched assortment that seems to work together on the tabletop... very orky I guess. I have begun doting on them lately though... see the checkered kan, grot tanks and big guns for examples. Ghazzy will probably qualify too once I address the latest set of comments. I plan on several special ork projects this summer so it should be a fun year for the greenskins.
I was aware of your other ventures but hadn't got round to them yet, based on the Ghaz I'm really looking forward to it. I'll go through it was soon as I get the chance.
My Entry - At the end of the hundred year crusade The Mantis Warriors sought out the their once former allies the Astral Claws. Taking their revenge in their new form. A Red Corsair Hellbrute.
Hive Fleet Lazarus wrote:The mantis warrior part is finished. Hopefully I should have the base and red corsair finished in the next few days
Good job Lazarus. I like the mantis on the shoulder pad. He's very black, are you going to highlight him a bit?
and I think the green could do with a little depth, maybe a dark-ish wash?
Yellowbeard wrote:Finally built:
Lagging a bit. Not sure I'll finish by the deadline, but I'm having fun anyway! YB
Looks good YB. The mandibles work well.
Commander Cain wrote:Huzzah! I finally have... a pile of bitz to show. Hopefully I can get an assembled shot today after I have cleaned all the resin up a tad.
Sorry to drag up something from a few pages back, but since he fell and has been remade, would you mind if I borrow a bit from this model Medium? I got my hands on some iron hands bits recently and absolutely loved this build
An actual model shot is needed I guess! Built the guy and added some bits but it doesn't really seem like I put enough effort in? Thinking I might add some GS details and something on that plain bit of torso.
I also ended up with three whole days off work in a row next week so I plan on being finished soon!
Really digging the Anvil model. Might have to check them out. Giraffe Xs' model is beautiful. Love the gritty look.
And YellowBeards is totally badass! I'd fill my trousers if that guy came running towards me Good work all round
Mrs. 'Splitta has decided that my "mini-trophy" idea is just way too pathetic for all the time and effort you guys are putting in. So she's going to throw in three batches of home-made chocolate chip cookies for the winners!
You lucky dogs.
I'll have to up my game... hmmm... *scratches head*.
Mrs. 'Splitta has decided that my "mini-trophy" idea is just way too pathetic for all the time and effort you guys are putting in. So she's going to throw in three batches of home-made chocolate chip cookies for the winners!
You lucky dogs.
I'll have to up my game... hmmm... *scratches head*.
SIX DAYS LEFT!
OHNO, here's hoping I can finih in time... there's still the wings, some detail work and the final carapace to do + painting :(
Got the scene all laid out anyway and also had a little play around with some green stuff which worked rather nicely if I do say so myself!
Still have to add some details to the base as it is still incredibly bland but I will just post the rest in my own blog so as not to clog up this one.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Hmm, that may not have been the best angle to shoot it from, one of the drones is shooting and another is being blasted apart anyway. I'm sure it will look better when I can get my hands on an actual camera...
)
bad, evil chaosy lord. Excellent work, but definitely not a "good" lord.
comedy gold there sir! First rate chief, I love him!
. But someone should tell the mantis warrior not to take his head off with his helmet 
before I could fix! Ovion, thread-ninja.
I've been painting yellow on my Iron Warriors, and my Dreadball Orx (They're based on that horrible football team from Pittsburgh), and I hate yellow with a passion. Also I found two awesome bits to use, but they're too big for even a Terminator D: (Which is why I haven't entered yet).
Nerd, that's cool.
