Great stuff you have here, keep up the good work.

@Cam; Klaus does that to everybody

Thanks guys!

@Vik - actually these lights are pure white - the blueish tint is from the white balance of the photo.

@Ruglund - THANKS! This is probably the best compliment I ever received - Thank You

@Camkierhi - I always hope my projects and posts can inspire other fellow hobbyists and the feedback of you guys is what pushes me on, trying new things.

@Storag -
You mean something like these 3 sailors on paint duty?

- http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.de/2009/12/athena-steampunk-airship-67.html

Well, even though my shoulder still hurts and hinders me from building as much as I'd like, I was able to make some progress.
First I build some casings for the LED strips and since I don't want the individual LEDs being visible, I decided to add some matte covers. For this I took some clear plastic and sanded it for a while, creating a nice matte finish. On the casings this looks rather nice.


For the jump deck I want red lights, so I painted them with red ink.


During daylight this isn't very visible. Next I added a light switch on the landing pad, so I can keep the battery (9V block) mounted on the inside. Another LED strip was added to the rear mural.


In the evening the lighting becomes a lot more prominent and now the red is a lot better visible.


The next section to light was the bridge and conference room. I built casings for the LED strips, added matte clear plastic, painted the casings in Tiny Tin and mounted them (looks crooked here as the cable was too inflexible, but I got that worked out in the end)


After the bridge (red lights again) and conference room, I built another light set for the ATHENA mural on the rear wall.

A nice effect I think

Before closing everything up, I quickly added a coat of Astronomican Grey to the ceiling and walls. At this stage the wiring still looks very cluttered


Before I mounted the bridge section and glued it in place I added a coat of liquid mask to the windows.

I will have to freshen it up before I do the actual paint job, but its a good base.

And then it was time for a lights test

If you look closely you may see I added another light switch to the lower side wall.


Aaaah
I think this will be great
Tonight I will bring order to the wiring and clean it up, then another set of lights on the left and right side of the landing pad (shining up in an angle at the STRIX aircraft), and then I can look into the remaining CIWS.
I'm very exited that this project is finally nearing completion.
Cheers

Klaus

Just remember to take it easy, do your shoulder exercises, and don't re-injure yourself!

Hey Klaus, I don't usually ask for much, but would you mind taking a closeup pic of the window masking coming off when you take it off? I've never used the stuff before.

You're making something amazing, even moar amazing

Oh gawd....Why did I not know this thread existed? Subbed, subbed, a million times subbed.
Also, lava boat? wut?

ah... thanks for the info klaus... see that is the stuff of perspectives... when picture taking can distirt reality that way...

and good looking lightshow there... how will you conceal those switches by the way... or will you hope that they don´t be that much seeable after the paintwork?...

Painting minis looks to me like they were inspired by Red Dwarf!

Thank you for your feedback and welcome to all the new passengers of this little journey

Today is the last post about lighting the ATHENA
Here are the last two lights, for the landing pad.


I tried to give the lights housing a kind of steampunky touch, to make it fit with the rest of the ship. The lights are slightly angled, so the should shine up to the STRIX aircraft. From top you can also see that I used one of the housings to cover the light switch


Lights out!
Spot on!

Nice!

As you may have seen, there is a slight lights "spillage" around the bridge. The reason is that the plastic warped a bit over the months in storage, so the bridge superstructure is not 100% flush against the lower section. So I've build a little border that seals everything, without looking too much out of place.

Now the bridge section is "lights tight"

I've also glued the HYDRA gun mounts in position and this face means business


Obviously this wouldn't be complete without rivets. Vik asked me if I always measure my rivet positions. And I have to admit yes I do. Especially for such a huge model like the ATHENA I don't want to come back later and discover some uneven spacing of the rivets that may spoil the whole show.
But I also have a little helper.
It is made of thin (.25mm) plastic cards, very flexible and I have drawn a 5mm and 10mm scale on the two sides. Since it is so flexible it is very easy to mark the spacing.


Some final images




And last not least I was looking at a way to cover-up the other lights switch. So I removed two of the portholes, and positioned an old console that I've built for the aircraft version a few years (gasp!) ago.

Next will be either the remaining CIWS or the engines and rotors...
and then a million of rivets...sigh...
Cheers

Klaus

It is made of thin (.25mm) plastic cards, very flexible and I have drawn a 5mm and 10mm scale on the two sides. Since it is so flexible it is very easy to mark the spacing.

that idea gets nicked... instantly... i need to make me that tool!... very useful and when you have measured the middle of any section thus you can determine EXACTYL where any rivet should be placed! genius at work... for sure!!!

that "old" console is a true gem!!! and it again shows us what a beautiful piece this athena one day will be! and what a clever idea to hide the switch too!

make no mistake...and don´t view the next comment as just sweet talk... seeing full scale shots of the athena sends shivers down my spine!...


and...

As you may have seen, there is a slight lights "spillage" around the bridge. The reason is that the plastic warped a bit over the months in storage, so the bridge superstructure is not 100% flush against the lower section. So I've build a little border that seals everything, without looking too much out of place.

not really sure what you are talking about here as i don´t see any spillage of light... but if the PC warps...that is a rather graven circumstance...!

Awesome work as always Klaus.
Looks amazing.

Good tip for riveting too.

Amazing Klaus! simply Amazing! Nice rivet tool too, I'll definitely be stealing that too!

Really stunning. I'm fairly sure you actually have Tony Cottrell chained up in your basement.

I'm simply amazed by this project, the lighting puts this so over the top, I'm all aboard this ship!

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your feedback!

As mentioned yesterday the next piece for the ATHENA is a second CIWS "NEMESIS Mk MCMLXIX CWIS Trieste Pattern".
I initially thought I could use one of the gatling barrels I had lying around from some previous project, but realized its too flimsy.


So I started to create another gatling barrel.
First cutting two disks and drilling the appropriate holes, then cutting the 6 barrels and 1 central rod to the proper length and push them through the first disk, aligning them in length. Then through the second disk and straightening everything and gluing it together.


Satisfied with the barrel I started the main gun housing.


Next were the two sides connecting the main turret body with the gun. For the proper curve I used a disk of plastic card that I used as a scale, with two markings for the upper and lower corner and then simply traced the outline.



a set of 5mm spacers to keep the sides apart.


To cover the gap and give it a nice smooth surface, I cut a 8mm wide strip of .25mm plastic card, which I glued to the sides,


and as each side cured I wrapped it around the next side, following the curve nicely.


Most of the base parts already completed!


Since I had a few minutes left last night I also started the main turret body, but only got a part of it.


That went pretty well.
Now I have to complete the main body, then the sights box and the ammo drum. And after that:
details, details, details
I hope you like todays update and look forward to your feedback
Cheers

Klaus

ach.... I always like a nice step by step update!!!

looks very promising and I like the lil tools like the disc for marking the cutouts! these are such valuable lil helpers!

and one of these days I need me to get me one of these hand drills too... my akku drill is just too quick and messing stuff up too often...

I too appreciate th step by step pics . Never know when something really basic will be a godsend to someone struggling with their projects.

This project is looking simply stunning Klaus! hard to imagine that it's scratch built, the level of detail is phenomenal and beautifully executed as usual! how long before paint? looks like it will take as long to paint her as it took to build her! :-)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ooooh wow, i just became an Ancient Venerable Dreadnought! yay for me! :-)

Keep going with the step-by-step update please...
I'm a looter and loving It

Nerd, that means old fart in High Gothic

Astounding as always! The LEDs will have a particularly stunning effect after paint no doubt.

Thank you!
Painting? well, yes....
It will definately take a lot of my guts and patience to get her painted
The plan is to do a basic "cloud" camo pattern, add a lot of weatehring, and then add slogans and banners like on the ZEUS.
So, somewhere along the lines of what I did with the old ATHENA bridge, when she was still an aircraft carrier...


So you can imagine this will be a lot of work.

I had a pretty busy weekend with lots of good weather, family and friends. So hobby time was relatively limited.
But I got to work on the CIWS a bit more. First I completed the main turret body - I had to do some gap filling and sanding.
Next I drilled the holes for the main gun axle.


and then I was able to glue the two sides in place. The gun body fits nicely and elevation and depression is like on the original NEMESIS.


Once this was verified I mounted the barrels to the gun body and started with the sights box.


I'm not sure if the weather was too hot for me, but when building the sights housing I created some rather big gaps, so I had to fill and sand a lot...


While the putty cured I started with the ammo drum. Using the marked disk as scale again, I drew the 3 sections onto the plastic card.


When cutting such rather "delicate" shapes I tend to keep the main section still attached to the plastic card (cutting the curves first).


The three sections look rather good, but they are not really identical. For this purpose I tape them together (ensuring they are aligned perfectly) and then sand them together to the same exact shape.


Once I was satisfied with the shape, I glued them together, separated by 1cm strips of plastic card. While the basic shape for the ammo drum now cured, I sanded down the sights box.


This NEMESIS will be a mirrored model, so the sides for the sights and ammo drum will be swapped. That's as far as I got.
Yes, it looks a bit warped right now, but as soon as I glued the spacers in position, the sights will align properly.

Cheers
Klaus

Once again great little steps shown like taping them together and sanding them to be the same also the fact that there's a center piece and not just spanning the whole distance with pc, which is what I would have done, gotten pissed off, and scrapped the project.

Thank you
I try to keep this build report as detailed as possible.
The weather outside is beautiful and time is fleeting...
But I still got some hobby time.

First I used my Secret Weapon, the .25mm Plastic Card to do the ammo drum


While the first section cured, I started detailing the sights box. As these little pieces set, I started to wrap the plastic card around the ammo drum housing. I also used the .25mm card for the little sight.


With rivets and details the sights box looks nice, but it is quite considerably slimmer than the original


The next item on my agenda was the ventilation grill on the rear of the gun mount. For this I cut some strips of (you guessed it!) .25mm card...


And carefully glued them in place, slightly overlapping.


Its quite a task to keep them aligned and spaced properly.


But with the little frame around it, it looks great


Some more details on the gun top, and I was able to glue the gun to the central axle.

Nice

Due to my unique, unrivaled and superior calculation skills, I was able to....
...well...
...create a rather thin and flimsy ammo drum! :(

Crap on toast.
Aaargh!
I don't know what I calculated, but the drum is a good 1cm to small.
So I ripped the plastic card back off.


The mistake was that I used 1cm wide spacers instead of 1.5cm wide one. Somehow I calculated with the sections I'd need 3 spacers...
Haha, I only have 2 spacers.

So you see - I AM NOT SANTA

Well, I hope I can wrap this NEMESIS CIWS up by the end of the week.

Cheers

Klaus

What's great about your blog is not how simply awesome the end products are, but how you take us through every step of the process. Those vents were something I'd wanted to try my hand at, and you clearly show the best way to go about it. Much appreciated, and inspiring as always.

ah.... he is no god... a mere mortal...

yet... even if you make crap on toast...it still looks yummy.... i think i am feeling a bit weird now

with me, most errors happen due to me miscalculating the thicknesses wrong of the materials... somehow this train of thought so often derails me...

The detail you put into these posts is really great, Klaus! Reading the most recent one I think something just clicked into place in my mind and I might be able to give plasticard a good shot now. Thanks!

Great to see the little details coming together to make an awesome model. That's what it's all about.

Ah, easy mistake to make. I'm sure we've all been there.

Thanks again for the step-by-step!
I probably will never be able to do It in such a precise fashion tho (I do Orkz, 'cause I'm ork )

Measure twice, cut once as my dad is forever reminding me I feel the pain Klaus, I'm often guilty of falling foul to this as well...

I love the vents you make, I used a similar technique on my T-Hawk and it's a sure fire winner every time.

Agreed with others, keep up the tutorials, so many gems of wisdom to be gleaned from your explanations and processes

Thank you guys!
After the last little disaster I rebuild the ammo drum, now in the proper width
And while the PC around the drum cured I added rivets and ornaments to the rest of the gun.


Next up was the ammo feed. For this I cut a 1cm wide strip of 0.5mm PC and wrapped it around a pencil (to give it a round shape)


For the "ammo" I cut 3mm wide stips of 1.5mm thic PC


I glued these onto the strip with slight gaps between them.



Once the ammo drum was cured, I added two small stips of .25 PC for the ornaments. When the ornament strips cured I finally mounted the drum to the main axle.
One thing I realized is that the axle I used this time was rather thin (compared to the rod in the original gun) and it has a tendency to bend....


While the drum cured on the axle I prepared the connection to the ammo feed.


In between these steps is always time for some rivets
Another needed ornament is the Fleur-de-lys for the front of the ammo drum.


Finally I mounted the ammo feed to the gun body and the ammo drum.
And with this the NEMESIS twins are completed


Yeehah!

But I'm not 100% happy with the position on the deck....

I will have to wait until I have the 4 manouver engines and rotors on the central stubby wings before I can decide where I will position those two babies.
I hope you enjoyed this little build
Cheers

Klaus

I hope you enjoyed this little build

absolutly^^

as for the amo feeds... i have experimented in a diffent manner... i take a cut to size piece of PC and just score the needed amount of parts and then bend the whole piece... putting a thin fitting pice of PC underneath adds of course to the sturdiness...overall the same effect but it gets you there in a quicker time frame...

Excellent Klaus! What if you simply build two small turret decks jutting out from the sides for each gun?

As written in the last post, I'm not so sure about the final position of the two CIWS', so I decided to finally go for the 4 engines and rotors on the short stubby central wings.
A while back, I had build 1 engine that I tried to duplicate via casting.
Unfortunately I had quite some issues with it, and I finally gave up casting the 4 engines. Pondering what else to do, I remembered the CHARON's rotors and decided to give it a try.

For this I cut 8 disks out of an A4 sheet of PC and then out of these another disk.


Out of the cut disks I cut the actual rotor blades. For this I drew the lines on a sheet of paper and then it was relatively easy to draw these lines on the PC disk.


Next step was to cut the actual blades and round them off nicely.


Then they were mounted onto a central axle.


The rotor was then glued onto one of the outer rings.


Then some spacers (about 2cm high) glued to the lower of the two rings.
Please also note the larger spacer on the left, that already has the axle to mount the engine glued in place.


Then I glued the upper ring in position, and wrapped it with .5mm plastic card.


Then I had to drill a hole into the stubby wing and rudder.


Into which I can now mount the engine-rotor combo


The combo is rotatable, so it can be used for lift as well as propulsion.


I think it looks rather good on the ATHENA, don't you think?
Cheers

Klaus

I want one!

*taking notes furiously*

I think it looks rather good on the ATHENA, don't you think?

er...yes...er....yes!

working with plastic card sure has sometimes a great advantage over cardboard... seeing the angled propellers it is right there...i probably could have done my own with thicker cardboard and a wooden rod and cut some grooves, but this will serve me one day on a future all plastic airship

Nice motive power there Klaus!

That 's some nice scratch building, didn't know they have goalkeepers in 40k

That is absolutely fantastic, Klaus! I find your work both inspiring and intimidating!

The rotor is PERFECT! (I'll skip admiring all the other stuff if you'll excuse me )

And You did It again...
I'm amazed and thankful !

Perfect, looks brilliant.

The rotors looks like a great idea and suits just perfectly for the ATHENA, indeed. Helicarriers are awesome!

 storag wrote:
... (I'll skip admiring all the other stuff if you'll excuse me )

oh well.....Ooooookaaaaayyyyy


Thanks guys!

While I do like the general apearance of the duct fans, I realized I need some more decorations or steampunk elements to make them work with the overall style of the ATHENA.
So I reworked the initial duct fan, built a slightly larger rotor, added a driveshaft, and a rear ornament.


The front also got an ornament - in hindsight I realize it looks a bit Batman stylish....


Pleased with the apearance of the test rotor I build the remaining 3 rotors (they are now larger than the actual opening) and positioned the spacers.


While these cured I used my famous rivet scale and marked the rivet positions for the first fan.


I really like the look on the ATHENA.



While only the lower left one is complete, the other 3 ducted fans got their ornaments in place and now "only" need the outside cover and rivets.


Yeah!
Another item off my list.

Cheers

Klaus

Really nice fans Klaus. Very cool and fit the build well.

Amazing fans Klaus!

Thanks guys!

While the list of to-do's IS shrinking, there are still many items to do


The first thing was to complete the covers around the duct fans. And even though they were not 100% finished I couldn't resist to take some nice shoots with the 4 duct fans in position...


Also it was time to do another weight check.


I'm really proud of my little Queen, she hardly gained weight. Despite all the nice curves and add-ons she's only 2,42 Kg ( 4.8 pounds) - including two block batteries!


Well, on to the rear....
This is the "balcony" I had originally build and painted for this rear area, with an observation periscope and another plotting table.


But since I now need a good position for the two NEMESIS CIWS, I decided to rather build a new structure.


Rounded and "steampunked"


it will give the two CIWS a nice field of fire.
But to really fit the ATHENA it needs some ornaments.


I can tell you it was some tough cutting !


But I think it was worth the effort


What do you guys think?
Cheers

Klaus


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here are two Photoshop goodies for you




looks like Santa's been early

I simply do not know what to say Klaus.

Truly A.W.E.S.O.M.E

It is beyond words! It certainly is a one-of-a-kind ship!

Looks amazing.

If you're going to have the CIWS at the back there, you'll want 1-2 more to cover the front.

OR

Have those there, then an 8 tube Missile CIWS to cover the rest of the ship. Somewhere on the Bow maybe?

She's beautiful, Klaus! Truly a wonder to behold!

I'm going to be a bad man.

1) I think the beautiful but unsupported fleur-de-lis trim you made will break off easily.

2) I think I'm going to attack the Athena from the front, to be utterly safe from the CIWS guns.

THANKS GUYS!

@biancj - maybe you missed the forward quad-lasers of the twin auto-cannons on the front

Qucik questiuon:
Last night I had the absolutely crazy idea to add wooden planking to the ATHENA deck.
Like this:


Do you think this could work?


Thanks
Klaus

Oh, and there you go and make my Sprue-wood look rubbish...

Yes, do it. Very steampunk.

did you carve all that with a scriber?

I like the idea of the wooden deck those engines are looking sweet as well, I think they'll look less batmanish if you layer them one additional level of ornament though.

Each post makes me love that ATHENA more and more.

Dayum.

I saw them, but I think the CIWS need a better arc of fire.

Unbelievable. You tinker out stuff I dream of being able to achieve.

Of course the big guns on the back, because she will leave everyone in her wake.......

And I agree wit more guns.

I love the wood decking, but it needs to be polished oak, with some guys playing shuffle board on one side.


I have seen many works on Dakka Dakka, that have inspired me and many that are too good for words. But this is legendary.

Everytime I look at this I'm always taken back by the sheer amount of work you've done, It's Amazing, and I look forward to seeing more.
Also I loved the photoshop pictures, Their both great but I think my favorites the space one, It really looks like it belongs .

Hi all you patient followers and readers,
thanks for your feedback!

I think today is one of the last build posts for the ATHENA!
I'm sure that she's now 95% complete and all that is left are some gaps and then millions of rivets

But I still owe you some work in progress updates.
Last I asked what some of you would think if I added wooden planks to the rear deck, and if the carved plastic card I had made was good enough for this purpose.
Well, the response was in unison in favour of the idea
So I cut some .7mm wide PC strips as framework on the deck - it also serves to keep the bridge section in position (remember it is removable)
Some gap filling with green putty, and then I started with the wood PC.
I can tell you, carving the wood pattern is kind of meditation
I did it while watching the Formula One race in Hungary.


The wood sections on deck and also for the actual landing platform/elevator piece.
With the deck sections it looks just great


As Eyescream on WIP suggested I definitely need some railings to keep my drunken sailors on board
This build was a bit fiddly, as I couldn't glue it in place (it has to be removable for painting), but once the top railing was glued onto the wooden posts it got very sturdy.
The upper railing with the corner was a challenge - I cursed a LOT


But now that it's complete I am absolutely proud of it!


As said, the sections are removable


Then I had to add "a few" rivets


Top view


Side shot


The next to last item on the to-do-list was this access ramp on the underside of the body


And the final item was the support frame for the lower gondola


It now keeps everything aligned and in position.
Well, that's it!
Oh, I have a "little" video of her again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbA4l7-HQ8U&feature=youtu.be

And now its
RIVETS, RIVETS, RIVETS
and a bit of gap filling and
RIVETS, RIVETS, RIVETS
and then some
RIVETS

I hope you like it.

I'm all with Atreides that its a funny moment, realizing that this project is coming to an end.
Its with one crying eye that I look at her.
But hey, I'll have plenty of hours painting her ahead of me
Cheers
Klaus

Love it, love the video, my jaw is on the floor. I really want to take on a project of this scale now, so much detail to get lost in!

Force Majeure...how does anyone top this?

I am in love with that ship! it's not right if i want to marry her is it? I promise i'll treat her good!! .......unless she wants me to treat her bad?! ;-)

whoa... a bit creepy to see her stripped apart... it felt a bit like a sacrilege...

the way you steampunked the detaillevel is very cool...

and the wooden decking... yes!!!!!!

if i had to add something it woulld concern the lower sections of the prow... i think some more posh details would be nice...

other than that... you shocking well know we love that big femme fatal!!!

Wow! Haven't been on Dakka for a while & just popped in to your awesome blog and just wow! Amazing work! I can't imagine the amount of time this must have taken! Can't wait to see it finished.

Cool, cool, cool blah blah blah, (insert any form of sincerest flattery and admiration of choice). No, really, we should start inventing new words to express the ever growing awesomeness of this project

I've not checked back with this PLog for a while but wow - looking very nice

Thank you guys!

With the build and masking complete, I moved all the pieces into the garden for priming and initial painting. The first can of black got me through the gondola and bridge, as well as half the body
After the initial black priming I added streaks and dots of light grey to create a kind of cloud pattern.


Some blue, a bit of white, and some more black completed the basic camo pattern. Then all the small pieces and items received a black base coat. Some of the turrets, the rotors and radar bridge also got the camo pattern.


After 3 hours with spray cans in the garden she was ready to go back onto my desk. First I added burn marks on the damaged sections.
Then base colored the port holes. With the airbrush I added shadows and basic light areas to the port holes. And then I painted the brass-colored rims of the port holes.


The armor patches were painted with Astonomican Grey. And I started to paint the steampunk ornaments with Tinny Tin (from Vallejo).


And then disaster struck!!!
I took a short break, setting the ATHENA to the side and leaving my little man-cave.

About an hour later I came back, and when returning to my desk I knocked the ATHENA over and she fell off my desk to the ground!
I was so shocked I didn't even take pictures, but believe me, it wasn't a sight I'd ever want to see again.
Broken pieces on the floor and the ATHENA on her side...

After some initial cleanup and first repairs I remembered to take photos.
Here the rear section.
As you can see the body was cracked open, some of the plastic card ripped - I already glued some armor patches onto the major damage. The rear balcony broke off the support, but was generally undamaged.


The very tip of the nose chipped and some of the glue lines broke open.
The right forward wing broke completely off (actually it broke out of the body, leaving a huge hole). I glued everything back in position.


Some of the supports for the railing broke off (really minor damage)
And in the bridge section several items rattled around. With the windows masked I couldn't see what exactly was broken.
So I decided to cut her open and see to it.


In the end one of the ceiling lights and the admiral broke loose.
This was an easy fix, and I decided to take the entire top section back off. This will now give me the opportunity to get at the windows in case the masking didn't work out properly.
With the initial shock overcome, I continued with painting the ornaments.

First details for the bridge section.


And the radar bridge.
With the slogan "Semper Paratus, Semper Vigilans" - Always ready, always watchful"


The lower section of the bridge completed
Well, of course without any real details and without any weathering yet.


The next section I will paint is the forward section with the KERES launcher.
Gee! I forgot how many details I added here - and they are sooo hard to get to....

As usual you can see all the details (30 images) in my blog:
http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.de/2013/08/athena-steampunk-airship-100.html

Well, I hope you like this update.
Cheers
Klaus

WOW.......some colour at last! Klaus, being able to see the Athena near to complete, it's a wonderfull dream|!

Extreme way of adding battle damage!!! No way would I have the guts to do that......

Looks awesome with colour.

I would have cried! Amazing that you pulled it together, repaired the damage and kept going!

While the page was loading the red letters "and then disaster struck" flashed passed my screen, and I think my heart stopped for yours for a minute as I quickly read through skipping the pictures. That's a first because I'm so visually oriented that always look at pics first then usually just skim through posts if its blogs I don't frequent. I think the not designed "Battle damage" will only make this grand lady of the fleet even better makes it look like she's being rushed back out to the front lines of battle after getting the critical repairs fixed because she is urgently needed for the cause.

WOOW!!!! incredible work! i am struggling to even imagine the time that has gone into this wonderous lady!

The mix of Air Ship / Battle Cruiser is amazing. Really fite the whole 40k "it shouldnt work, but it DOES!" kind of idea! Love it!

Really going to be keeping a keen eye on this beaut as she progresses to full battle readines!

damn....(i spoke a more ruder word in RL when reading this...)
man... i have every respect for you... you didn´t kneel on the floor all weeping like a six year old girl...(believe me... i would have done so!!!)

at first, when looking at the primed and started painting work on the athena i thought...:an era has ended... a new world has begun...

and then you knocked it off... oh my!.... but you have pluckered up courage enough to mend... the ship and probably all our hearts as well!!!...

by the way... painting work looks very promising!...

no get some insurance for that beast!

Horrific! I dropped my gargantuan squiggoth a few months back and haven't been able to face going break to it. Your work is as inspiring as ever!

I've been following ("haphazardly lurking" would be closer to the truth) the construction of the Athena for quite a long time, and am so sad about that disaster... Hopefully she'll get better soon

Thats always the last thing you want to happen when working on a long term project,
but you seem to have it well under control, plus the painting looks great, looking forward to seeing this one finished .

Glad you are persevering Klaus and didn't just put the broken hulk on a shelf to slowy die... She deserves the restoration to bring her back to her former glory

Mate, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger! You're a manly-man now! a real manotaur!



I bow to your resolve and self control!

LONG LIVE THE ATHENA!

But I would really look for some way to reinforce her...

Thanks guys!
Thank you for your well wishes

@storag - I'm proud to be a real Minotaur! Thanks mate

Well, I continued painting the ATHENA, and since she now has some real damage, I decided to see how I can paint her to incorporate the real and "fake" damage together.

As stated in the last post, I worked on the forward section.
The deeper damages are hand painted, while the minor damage is done with a sponge.


I also painted and remounted the wooden chests. I think they fit nicely


The actual detailing and damage is complete for this section, but in the end everything will get another coat of dirt (usually a wash of Devlan Mud and some Badab Black) and then lots of stains and grime.


The forward banner received its slogan:
"Sans Preur, Invictus Maneo" - "Without Fear, I remain unconquered"


I was asked how I draw the deeper damage (since I don't use the "Salt technique").
So I start off with the damage in a dark grey-brown.


Then I paint the shadows of the damage in Terracotta (simulating the rust resilient paint) and the highlights with Shadow Grey
Some of the really deep grooves also receive a bit of Boltgun Metal and to even things out, I add some minor damage with a sponge (using the first dark brown-grey again)


Its a bit more work than using the salt, but I feel more comfortable this way


It also works for bigger damage, like this patched up blast damage.


Well, it's been a long and hard campaign, and the Orks on Dencara 5 proved to be a worthy enemy. There was hardly any time for maintenance or cleanup.
Now that "Operation Redeemer", the battle campaign against the Orks on the southern hemisphere, is over and the ATHENA on its way back north, to Xanthium, there is time.
And with free time comes boredom - to keep up discipline the first work details are assigned by the officers. Some of the not-so-fortunate (or not-so-brave) sailors are grabbing their paint buckets and paint rollers and start their dreaded imposition...



That's as far as I got over the last two days.
I hope you like today's little update.
Cheers
Klaus

Wonderful stuff!

The athena sees paint - its the end of an era. And the beginning of a better, full colour era! Do be careful not to bump into it again. I love your work.

Fantastic work Klaus. Congratulations on finishing such an epic build and not going lala when it fell off the table. Really nice painting (as always), good battle damage and I really like your painted banners.

Its a little bit extreme when you try to replicate battle damage.... by causing actual damage!!! haha!

Phenomenal work!

Love the guys painting will you have someone in a sling over the side of the ship scrapping off rust/pounding out dents?

 Theophony wrote:
Love the guys painting will you have someone in a sling over the side of the ship scrapping off rust/pounding out dents?

Absolutely!

Amazing Klaus! I agree, the salt technique never looks as good as hand-painted and highlighted chipping.

 Klaus, not Santa wrote:

 Theophony wrote:
Love the guys painting will you have someone in a sling over the side of the ship scrapping off rust/pounding out dents?

Absolutely!

Perfecti missed that photo, but know I've seen it somewhere, probably in amongst all your pics. I'd hate to be THAT guy, but its the price you pay when the Admirals daughter looks that good.

Just realized he's in front of the fan... Not good, I think his career may be "cut" short soon.

Just everything about this is amazing.
It's the attention to detail that makes good things great.
Keep up the good work!

oh... we knew we had to accept the awesomeness of this once it hits the painting stage... but i couldn´t remember the lil dio´s you had implemented... those painting crews looks very good and with such a hulking ship... a bit of comic relief is helping us mere mortals to keep in the hobby... even if they are too awesomely painted soon... it eases the feeling of envy

I... I want to have it's children...

I have nothing to say... apart from, I LOVE THE ATHENA

Thanks guys!

with the first section more or less complete I thought about if, where and what kind of freehand to add to the ship.
There is already the large "Vade Retro Xenos" window mural in the back and Athena herself on the back of the superstructure wall. Also I was thinking what kind of freehand to add. On the ZEUS I had several different freehand with mixed topic and styles. But I think for the ATHENA I will try to limit the topics to Athene herself.
One obvious spot for a large freehand is the top of the MOROS triple Earthshaker turret.
Most images of Athena one can find on the Internet show her standing gracefully, with her Owl and a spear in her hand. Since I already have a similar image for the rear wall mural, I was looking for a more combat-style image.
I found an image on deviantart.com by Paul Renaud ( http://www.deviantart.com/?q=paul+renaud#/art/Athena-issue-4-cover-141612075?_sid=59b1c335 ) in which her pose seemed just right.
So I drew a quick pencil sketch onto the MOROS roof.


Then I started with Bubonic Brown as base color for the gold


A kind of fiery background and grey as base for her hair. And then I started with the face. Since its framed by the helmet it is hard to get a really good look.


But I think I managed a decent result...


After that I did some cleanup and added another layer of Bubonic for the gold areas


Then I added shadows and highlights to the gold.


And as I needed a slogan as well as I wasn't really happy with the chest area, I added a parchment with the slogan "Imperator misit me!" - The Emperor sent me.
Special thanks to Vintersorg at WIP ( http://z11.invisionfree.com/Work_In_Progress/index.php?showtopic=13822&hl= ) who helped me again with the translation


Since it was still very brightly colored and comic-styled I added a thorough layer of Devlan Mud and some Badab Black


And this is how it looks on the ATHENA


So, what do you think?

Also, if you have some idle moments, help me identify spots that can do with a freehand
Cheers

Klaus

Personally I think it is too colourful still. I would hit it with some thin grey wash to give it a faded aged look that will fit better with the generally grey hull. I love sloshing a bit of grey wash onto things to make them subtle and aged

But you are the boss here. I'm not the one who has built a flying battleship!!

Absolutely gorgeous Klaus, Weety may be right about further weathering, but it still looks amazing to me...

Beautiful job! As weets said, maybe it stands out a bit too much against the rest but otherwise it's awesome.

Great job on the turret top I don't have any ideas for freehand, but maybe a little graffiti on the triple tube launchers, saying something to the extent of "to green skins with love ", or at least a spot on the launchers or gun barrels where the graffiti got painted over.

Klaus, the freehand could do with some chipping... There's no way the enemy avoids hitting that while ruining the rest. It will tie it all more together...

looks gorgeous but I agree with weety that the artful piece needs a bit to look like blended in with the rest of the paintjob...

You faithless Thomas' !!
Did you really think I would't chip and damage the murail?
C'mon you should know me better
Cheers
Klaus
P.S: Since you were so faithless, I won't post Images till Monday

*sulks*...

understood Klaus.... understood...

quite right to punish the faithless but why do the rest of us who believed and kept the faith in silence suffer so?

Hi guys,

time for the ATHENA to continue - and an end to your punishment.

Once I was satisfied with the ATHENA image on the MOROS turret, I added the obligatory scratches and chipped paint - to the image and the rest of the turret and barrels.

See, you unfaithful bunch?!?

Just kiddin'


And then it was finally time to paint the wood on the rear deck.
I gave it a good paint coat with Vallejo Earth, but making sure to leave many of the deep groves dark.


After that I gave it two washes of thinned Vallejo Smoked Ink. To give it a worn look i added some black soot and scratch marks - like leaked oils and hydraulic fluid as well as tire marks.


Then a final wash of the thinned Smoked Ink and complete it was


I'm really pleased with the result. It almost looks like real wood.
And even in daylight, without artificial lighting it looks great.


With the wooden deck out of the way I started painting the steampunk ornaments and the portholes on the port side of the body and after that it was time to start the damage.



Its a lot of work, but the result is worth it


That's it for today's update.
I hope you like it and I look forward to your comments, feedback, criticism, suggestions.
Cheers

Klaus

That wooden deck made me want to strap on my sneakers and go play some basketball, nicely done this keeps getting better and better as all the little ornamental work keeps getting pulled out.

the wood....oh my.... very good looking!

and yeah.... how could we loose faith in ye.....

Very nice work Klaus. The wooden deck is brilliant, very lifelike with the colour and wear and weathering.

Beautiful work as always.

Need to put a shuffle board court on there though.

Fantastic job on the wood planking.

This really needs to OWN a Golden Daemon.

Thanks guys!
@Briancj - thanks, but I don't thinks she's GD level But an eye-catcher for sure

Well the current work is very repetitive - add damage and scratches.
It is slow and a bit boring. Thus not much to update.
But one of the little scenes is at the rear balcony, in front of the stained glass window and between the two NEMESIS CIWS'


Two of the crewmen use the spare time after the campaign and hit some golf balls


On Wednesday I took a little break from painting and cleaned some of my hobby stuff away.
I then realized with the 3 painters on the ATHENA deck ( http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5r3EUlU26c/Ugs_adtAUbI/AAAAAAAARoc/XsQZk9ZuKpo/s1600/IMG_5270.JPG ) I will no longer need/use the old ATHENA bridge.


So I took it apart and tried to see what I can salvage from it.


These items here will definitely be used in an upcoming project. The rest will most likely end up part of some scenery....


I was actually hoping that I could use the little shrine and the "Vade Retro" image on the ATHENA, but both pieces are too big to be of any sensible use ....

oh well...

Thanks to DavidXD and etiennerondeau for pointing out that my front banner slogan makes absolutely no sense.
I went back through my notes and realized I goofed up big time
I mixed some notes from an older project, references I had, AND made a spelling error!
lol, how bad can it get?


So I updated the slogan to "Sine Timore - Invictus Maneo!"

It should now make sense

The starboard side's upper level is now prepared and ready to get the damage paint.


And I prepped the scene for the paint duty scene...


I think this will look nice once completed.

Greetings from Red Dwarf

I hope you like today's update.
Cheers
Klaus

Great as always Klaus, I was wondering what are the Athena's max length and height?

the two golf players remind me strongly of hawkeye and his friend trapper john...tho they then need a glass of martini at least

the paintjob inna paintjob looks stunning as it seems the fella only makes a sloppy droppy job^^...

and it always pains me with what ease you take apart already painted parts...*shudders*

Man I feel sorry or the guy painting. He doesn't have a paint tray or bucket , each time he runs out of paint he has to hoist himself back up to refill the roller. I hope he gets hazard pay, or at least an extra scoop of slop at mess time.

Also the folders are perfect it's also practice time for the gunners as they try to aim the Gatling cannons at he golfballs, like a military version of skeet shooting

Sir, I think you have attained legendary status, or you will have when this is done at least. I absolutely adore your work!

Thanks guys!
sorry for the lack of updates, but I was plagued by a series of strong migraine attacks over the last two weeks. Seems the re-organization at work is stressing me more than I imagined.
Oh well.
But I was working on another small freehand for the ATHENA. This time on the top of the bomb chute.
As mentioned before, I will try to keep the imagery limited to Athena herself. So this time it is a kind of portrait.
I started off with some raw pencil lines.


Then the first basic colors with very limited shading.


Skin color


Then detailing it out a bit more. More shades for the face, shades for the metal of the helmet and a bit of highlighting for the golden parts.


The finished portrait.
I wanted her a bit "cold" maybe even frowning, and I think it worked.
I know she's a bit lopsided, but that's from being left-handed and the wing on the left limiting my workspace.
You can also see that I messed up the helmet on the left, smearing some of the yellow color.


But hey! That's what we have damage and scratches for, right


I like the way she now looks on the bobm chute cover.


There will be a coat of Devlan Mud and later with the rest of the ship there will be more soot and grime.
I hope you like todays update.
Cheers
Klaus

Incredible!!! That is all!

I cry!
Are you really not Santa?
I wish you were, then I could wish some of these for me for Christmas
And at least I wouldn't feel so small looking at you work...

Mate, I stuck at drawing, so I don't mean to criticise this painting by any means, but I have to ask, why are her eyes and cheekbones on a different levels and of different shape?

Hi storag,
as I wrote below...

 Klaus, not Santa wrote:

.....I know she's a bit lopsided, but that's from being left-handed and the wing on the left limiting my workspace.
You can also see that I messed up the helmet on the left, smearing some of the yellow color.


But hey! That's what we have damage and scratches for, right


...

So, being left handed nad having the wing on the left, really hampered my drawing skills

Oops, sorry, it's easy too miss text among pics on a mobile screen

Impressive freehand, as usual... You must be cheating !!!

Awesome work Klaus. actually the slightly "misaligned" eyes make it look BETTER most peoples eyes are not exactly level...

You really should do a freehand tutorial - or even just write some of this up as an article. Immense work, as ever.

Classy work as always, Klaus!

I hope you're clear of those migraines!

Faces are not symmetrical, contrary to popular belief. Damn Klaus....just..Damn!

Hello patient readers,

unfortunately it's been a while since I last posted. Glad you're still around

September had many issues and problems in its luggage. Lots of trouble at work, some private stuff and my shoulder still acting up. And this saw me getting burned out with the ATHENA.
Actually with all of the hobby (again some of you may rightfully say).
Everything is packed away, the ATHENA safely on her shelf, the paints in their box, and the bits neatly sorted. The desk is empty and deserted and the cleaning lady finally had a chance for some serious cleaning action in my "office".

But as arts classes started back up I begin to feel the "itch" again.
And you all know that there is one special person for which I always do neglect my nickname and become Santa

So this year I will create a small dragon for the garden as Karin's Christmas gift.
A funny dragon.
Smiling, making a face, sticking his tongue out.
I started with a wire frame, added some Pappmachéand then finally began to sculpt, using "Fimo Air".
That stuff is pretty neat. Easy to work with, can be smoothed and deluded with water, dries rather fast, and feels like clay.

Here is my "little orange garden dragon" - maybe one of you can provide me a nice Latin nomenclature?


I still need to finish the front paws.


"Huge" wings


Seems he finds plenty of food in the garden, at least his waistline appears a bit "soft"


Face close-up


And the obligatory WH40K content.

Funny Titan you say?
Next I will paint him orange, maybe with some reddish pattern and a brown base - this way he will stick out in the garden (hopefully).

Well, this is all I have.
Hopefully this will now re-spark my hobby itch (especially when I start painting the little guy) and we can see ATHENA back on my desk early next year.
Fingers crossed.
I thank you all for your patience and sticking with me.

I wish you all a happy holiday season, MERRY CHRISTMAS, Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr.

Cheers and ALL THE BEST for you!



Klaus

But Dragons don't have navels! They're hatched from eggs!

Anvildude wrote:
But Dragons don't have navels! They're hatched from eggs!

It's the first of the three nurgle pustules to form , chaos dragon Titan, usable in fantasy and 40k

Great work with the dragon sculpt, I love the pose, and those tiny little wings.
I'm sculpting one myself at the moment, but I guarantee yours will be finished before mine .

Fantastic Idea (I'm going to do one too)! I used to sculpt dragons when I was in Uni. It's been a long time since I did one. Thanks for reminding me - I hope she likes it.

-j

ps
Welcome back!

Anvildude wrote:
But Dragons don't have navels! They're hatched from eggs!

Ah, I see!
This noble Gentleman surely has some profound knowledge of our dragons!
However, I'm afraid you're mistaken this little bugger for a member of the Draco Minimalis species - actually a rather common mistake - looking at the 5 fingered front paw and the shape of the tounge, you will most certainly realize that it belongs to the Stellio Dracona family. Contrary to the Draco Minimalis family which are hatched from eggs, the Stellio family are hatched from the trunk of a lillium plant, connected via a umbilicus.



Well, here is the little boy!

I hope you like it.
Cheers
Klaus

Wow. Stunning !

Very nice. Think he'll keep stray cats out of your garden.

Very nice, love the color scheme .

Amazing camoflage work.

looking brilliant.

Very nice garden drake. It reminds me for some reason of the dragons from the dragon orphanage in Ank MorPork of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

I hope you all had some enjoyable holidays and spent a lot of time with the family and friends.
Maybe you even had some hobby time?
Yes, I did
But, after the completion of Hobbs, the funny dragon for my wife's Christmas present, the ATHENA didn't make it back onto my desk. I just couldn't muster the energy to continue with her.
But the hobby itch was back

So I decided to start something new.
For this I (and hopefully some future projects) I need some new, large (tank) road wheels and tracks.
In the past tried several road wheels and tracks, and while they worked for the ZEUS, HERCULES, and PONOS, I wasn't really satisfied.

Again, I used a soda cap as base and created the inside from plastic card.


It is a large road wheel *lol*

But I'm confident it will fit my purpose rather nicely.

So I decided I will build a mold and cast some more road wheels.


To make this work, I also need some new tracks. Probably not as fancy as the ones for the ZEUS or PONOS, but almost 2cm wide tracks.
So I cut the basic shape from plastic card.
Made sure they all fit together nicely.
Then I added some details.


And another mold


So now that I had my basic items for a new tracked vehicle shaped out, I looked at the actual project.
The idea is an urban combat scene, with Imperial Guard fighting Orks in the streets of a Dencaran city.
Most likely it will be a kind of ambush setting at dusk (so lots of potential for cinematic and light effects).
None of the tanks I have created so far are really suited for urban combat.
Well, most tank fans will argue that no tank is suited for urban combat - Syria seems to prove this point on a daily basis.
But it is a good setting, and the image of a tank in the streets is quite strong. I still remember the scene of one of the Arnheim movies where a Tiger tank rumbles through the street.

With this said, you get the idea. I'm looking to build a special Urban Combat Vehicle.
With the Grozny lessons learned the Russians have designed such a special vehicle, the BMP-T - "Terminator" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMPT
I also like the idea of the Israeli heavy APC Achzarit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDF_Achzarit , based on captured T-55 tanks.
These two vehicles will be the base of my little tank.

I used the road wheel as a base for the plan.


And quickly cut the first pieces.
The hull is taking shape.
With fenders in place.
But ugh....


Not what I wanted :(
It is too narrow and too high.
I had the lessons from the HERCULES in mind when I built this one. The HERC is actually too squat, with the body itself being quite nice, but with the added width of the tracks, he became almost square. So I wanted to build this one slimmer.
But not that slim.

Oh well, back to the drawing board.
But that's a story for tomorrow
(The second build is already very well onderway and progressing quite swiftly )
Stay tuned.
Cheers
Klaus

I like the new project...very promising... the made from a cap wheel is a cool idea... I never yet had the idea to actually build it that way...thanks for that hint

about the dragon... looked nice raw...but the paintjob while smooth and very good in execution still didn´t reach me...I guess it reminds me too much of more aggressive kinds of tattoos...

merry Christmas (belated) and a happy new year matey

Looking forward to this. I look to some of the anime, when ever I think of "urban" tanks, exsisting tanks don't cut it, but the anime ones seem to fit.

Happy new year and may it bring you happiness and good fortune.

Nice to see you getting back into the swing of things.
Hope the Misses liked the dragon. I liked the colour gradient from the orange to the belly.

I like the detail on the road wheel and really like the tread detail.

Happy Holidays.

Lovely looking tread parts and great idea for the road wheel!!

Love the moulds also..... REALLY might have to give this a try for my current project...

really enjoy your work... picking up a lot of tips and pointers!

Keep it up

Thanks guys
@Vik - thanks. Well I'm sure Hobbs will look great in the garden between the Lillies. But for that he needs a flashy paint job
We'll see in spring, when he's in his natural habitat.
The Missus loves him, so too late anyways

After the initial failed design I went back to the drawing board and started anew.


By now I also have a name for this vehicle, in good old Dei Greci fashion.
The POLEMOS is named after the divine personification of war.

The pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus described Polemos as "both the king and father of all", with the capacity to bring all into existence and to annihilate.[8] For Heraclitus, Polemos "reveals the gods on the one hand and humans on the other, makes slaves on the one hand, the free on the other".[9] The fragment leaves it unclear as to whether Heraclitus thought of Polemos as an abstraction, a god, or a generalization of war, and this ambiguity is perhaps intentional.[10] Heidegger interpreted the polemos of Heraclitus as the principle of differentiation or "setting apart" (German Auseinandersetzung).[11]

I think this fits the bill, doesn't it?

The hull is now a lot lower than in the initial design

And about 1.5cm wider.

Here you can see the build-up of the fenders


Well, I guess I'm all out of practice, as I never had to use that much putty before...
but you can also see the deck layout.


Ah, nice!


I'm quite pleased with the new design.


So I started to work on the weapon system.
It's a multi-purpose weapon system (similar to the BMPT's). And it will consist of an Auto-Cannon, an automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL), and a missile launcher.
The AC and AGL will be mounted in one gun housing.


In addition, the POLEMOS will have two machine guns for rear close in defense.
These will be remote-controlled.
Scratch built MG's.


And the mounts for the main weapon system.
As you can see the two turrets will be able to operate independently, enabling the POLEMOS to fight several enemies at the same time.


The missile launchers are mounted on the outside of the gun mount, and here you can see the re-load position.


And that's already it for today
I hope you like this new member of the DEI GRECI family.
As usual I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Beautiful work, as usual. Your guns are amazing.

Amazing Klaus! Your trial and error work with the design makes me feel extremely lazy lately and inspires me!

This looks great so far, I like the overall design, and the attention to detail on those guns,
Excellent work.

I love watching you work, Klaus. You are such an inspiration. When I retire and move to Vegas my projects will be just for me and I will then design and build my own stuff as well. I want to build an air ship so bad after seeing the Athena. I am even working on methods to make a colored yet see through stained glass window for it......

 mxwllmdr wrote:
I love watching you work, Klaus. You are such an inspiration. When I retire and move to Vegas my projects will be just for me and I will then design and build my own stuff as well. I want to build an air ship so bad after seeing the Athena. I am even working on methods to make a colored yet see through stained glass window for it......

Wow, Thanks! This is quite a praise
I really look forward to see how you work out the stained glass windows - keep us posted please.

Happy New Year!
I hope you had a great time and a wonderful start into 2014!
Miss (not) Santa and I had a great 5 course Italian dinner with a lot of Champagne, and despite a very annoying cold we had a good time and enjoyed the fireworks.

Well, the blog is still about 3 days behind the actual building.
So despite many of you may experience a hangover, lets see how the POLEMOS is coming along.

To add more details I created ammo belts for the two weapon stations.
This here is the auto cannon belt. and the ammo for the Automatic Grenade Launcher.


And both belts in position on the gun mounts.


After I installed the mounts for the two remote-controlled MG's I started to work on the engine deck.


And added hatches to the top plus some searchlights And the headlights. As you can see I try to partially resemble the look of the PONOS.


Here on the side I added the exhaust and the box for the Infantry Phone.


On the rear is also a ramp.Like on the Israeli APC's


The Infantry Phone


And the facial expression.


I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Looking great.Happy new year.

Thanks guys!
today I'm finally catching up with the actual build

As the weapons and ammo belts were completed I built two sights for the main turrets.
These are mounted directly on top of the gun mounts.


The rear ramp received a looking window (again, similar to the Israeli Achzarit APC)


Since I'm trying to build the POLEMOS 100% scratch built, I created vision ports - tiny little buggers.


But positioned on the POLEMOS, they look really nice.


Rotatable Smoke Grenade Launchers.


And ammo cans for the two remote-controlled MG's


Still 100% scratch-built


With the first 4 road wheels casted, I decided to mount them.
Yeah! They look exactly as I wanted them


The forward wheels (can't remember their name...)


And scratch built drive sprockets.


That's as far as I got.
I hope you like it
Cheers
Klaus

Like the view ports, fiddly work!, nice detail work, those Spigot wheels look incredibly fiddly.

And you just knock out some great cast wheels, no problem!!, Keep thinking of casting, but scared of resin.

POLEMOS - Urban Combat Vehicle (4)
Hi my patient readers,
today is my first day at work this year

Maybe you remember from the last post that the return roller for the POLEMOS was at the front and the drive sprocket planned for the rear.
Well, due to the rear ramp and passenger tunnel, I had to switch things around, and now the drive sprocket is at the front.
This messed a bit with my measurements, so everything is a lot tighter than planned, but it still works.
While I still had to cast the remaining tracks for the other side, I started with the base.


Since it is to be an urban combat scene, this will be an Imperial road between houses.
The story is that Orks have captured (at least parts of) an Imperial city and the Guards troops are fighting in the streets to re-capture the city.

While the plaster for the base cured I looked at the design for the track skirts.
This is the cardboard mock-up.


Next I started to engrave the plaster stones and Imperial symbols into the road plaster.
Here you can see a sample video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYUn32_7_MM
The POLEMOS in position.


One final step on the POLEMOS was to add the hinges to the hatches.

Still need to add all the rivets.

And then it was time for my Hirst Arts molds (http://www.hirstarts.com/).
Plenty of stones to cast.
The next day I added rubble and the Ork barricade which the POLEMOS is breaching.


Finally I had all the tracks cast to complete the other side.


And to add the second track skirt.


And this is how the scene looks as of today:


Ready for some street fighting action.




So, what do you think?
I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Really impressive work mate! And the speed of development...... awesome!

I don't think I could achieve such level of details with an existing kit... And you make it come out of the blue, with plasticard & casting !

That is awesome mate

that polemos tank is probably the tank that looks the best in terms of convincing us that this might be a RL tank... I think you recently get closer to RL scenic than actual sci-fi scenic...which is still amazing...just another taste...(I am not complaining here in any way by the way )...

the amount of detail is brilliant...and one of these days I need me to get me some of those molds from hirts arts too... the stuff I could/would do...

the scene itself currently looks like a british or US tank breaking through some kind of makeshift barricade in a rural Iraqi or other Arabic conflict area...only totally whited out^^...a sort of color in dio so to speak...just add the numbers on crucial spots and you could set up a totally new business^^


all that crazy talk just means one thing...you blow my mind^^

Over the top impressive as usual Klaus!

The diorama master is back to full strength.
Looks brilliant, Klaus.

Amen and halelujah...... Fantastic as usual.....

So awesome, and brilliant and pretty and perfect and I want to cry now.

Amazing.

I thought the tank was great just on it's own, but when added to that diorama, it all comes together beautifully,
amazing work as always .

Reminds me vaguely of Fallujah....

 mxwllmdr wrote:
Reminds me vaguely of Fallujah....

Actually it should be more Homs or Aleppo, as I've been watching a lot of images on the Syrian conflict for this one

Wow guys, LOTS of positive feedback!
Thanks

Now that the basic scene is done I started to position the first actors.
The ambushing Orks


The story is that the POLEMOS and its accompanying squad just broke resistance and captured this section of the road. While consolidating gains behind a former Ork barricade some sneaky Orks attack out of the ruins...

Most likely the dio will be called "Ghosts in the Rubble"....or so

The two main Ork characters are these two guys, throwing Molotov's - lots of potential for light effect painting


I sculpted the flames with Pro Create Putty (http://www.kraftmark.biz/kraft.procreate.html)
What do you think?


Good enough or room for improvement?


So here's the attacking gang in position.



And then I started to position the surprised IG squad.


One guy will be dead on the ground behind the vehicle. 2 troopers at the barricade, one kneeling on the side, turning around surprised, 2 troopers firing back from the cover of the POLEMOS, and centrally the captain at the Infantry Phone with a wounded soldier at his feet....



What do you think?
Will this work?

BTW, some asked what molds I use for the building.


These are the Hirst Arts molds ( http://www.hirstarts.com/ ). As far as I remember the ones I use most are these two:
Should be "Basic Block - Mold #40" and "Gothic Dungeon Builder #45", but I also have" Gothic Additional Accessories - Mold #44", "Gothic Dungeon Accessories - Mold #41" and "Gothic Panel Accessories - Mold #43".
They serve me very well. As plaster I prefer "Stewalin"

I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your C&C - especially on the Molotov effects.
Cheers
Klaus

The Molotov effect looks great, even without any paint on, you can recognize what they are straight away.

I hope you know this is AMAZING. so I will stop saying it for 2 minutes.

Thanks for info on moulds.

On Molotovs, look great as they are. Totally a personal thing, I think of Orks as dirty, so these would have a fair amount of smoke trailing away if it was me doing it. As well as those great flames I mean. They wont be burning Vodka, or even probably petrol, it will be nasty Orky Fuel.

Just my view, I know your models and they are so awesome I can't believe I have dared to suggest anything.

I think the one that's in the act of throwing the Molotov should have the flames swept down some more. To give more of a sense of motion as the arm arcs from down low, to high and release.

As seen here

Denua is right. The flames need to be the motion defining part of the model. Good pic, Denua.....

You work is simply amazing. This must be the third or fourth time I've just gone through your thread and mumbled wow incoherently.

Keep it up!

And let me know when you take commissions! I could use a nice tank for my chem-dogs!

Now that the POLEMOS is pretty much completed (needs all rivets and maybe some cables) I decided to name the posts after the scene rather than after the vehicle.
So going forward they will be labeled "Ghosts in the rubble".

 Denua wrote:
I think the one that's in the act of throwing the Molotov should have the flames swept down some more. To give more of a sense of motion as the arm arcs from down low, to high and release.

As seen here

Spoiler:

Thanks Mate!
I considered some of the feedback in the forums and decided to rework the flames for the Molotov's.
I'm very glad I did


This looks more realistic and it was actually rather easy too.


While the ProSculpt cured I cleaned up the Captain and the wounded soldier.

He's now kind of protecting the downed guy.

While looking at the available arms I realized that I have tons of standard firing arms...
maybe I should start using them, or consider trading them in for some of the more "exotic" arms :-P


This is the "surprised" trooper - turning to the new sound of gunfire.


And the dead trooper.


For the heads I decided to use the helmet design I used for the "Orkalypse Now" troops. I used the heads from Mad Robots ( http://madrobotminiatures.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9_10 ) and sculpted the helmets with ProSculpt.


The scene is coming along nicely

I think it gives a bit of the dramatic feel I'd like to show.

Then the weapons received a once-over, got sights and flashlights.


And this is the scene as of today


I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Ye ol show off...so many arms...
Your scene leaves not much to add...damn...very goof looking...the guns look very good, and I only spotted some sneaky moldlines...the new flames look way better...the first had too much spiky feel to them for my taste
As o am in no position to sculpt hands for more variety for ig arms I found that standard bearer have long outstretched arms and the artillery bitz of fantasy empire kits are of great value for customising in the hand department... just saying this in general as you ate an apt sculpter for sure...

The Helmets look like the MX series from Almost Human

Really impressive work. I'm stunned.
Incredible scratchbuilding and conversion skills, mister.

Your next project could be a straight up Napoleanic/Civil War style diorama, with the IG in a firing line. You know, to use up those shooting arms.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

A.W.E.S.O.M.E

You truly are a god of scratchbuilding

All fantastic, but I am rather anticipatory of all the dynamic lighting effects those flashlights will require in the paint job.....


I know you won't dissappoint.....

Your work rate is fearsome mate!

Those guardsmen are looking awesome! and the AFV is epic!

Well done sir!!

THANKS GUYS!
Thank you for your feedback.


On Friday the scene was pretty much complete, so mainly a lot of "cosmetics" to do

First I added some cables (for the two smoke launchers and the rear ramp) as well as rivets to the POLEMOS.



The first cinematic effect is for the automatic grenade launcher.


Since it is a low velocity weapon I had to create a different muzzle effect that with the auto-cannons.
You can actually still see the projectile and a bit of a flash.


Then all the sights and flashlights received their lenses as well as the troopers got some personal equipment and knee pads.


Spent cartridges on the deck of the POLEMOS.


Cable for the infantry phone.


And cinematic effects for the spent cartridges. The top one is for the auto-cannon with the longer cartridges and lower rate of fire, the lower piece is for the machine gun.


Also I finally drilled open the barrels of the Ork weapons.


Once the glue for the ejected cartridges had cured properly I mounted them to the weapons.


I think this looks rather nice


Well, the desk looked pretty messy, but this was it

DONE!

The final shots before priming (today or tomorrow).




Closer shot of the Imperial squad,


and the Ork attackers.


I hope you like it


I look forward to your C&C.

Cheers

AWESOME.

Nuff said. looks perfect. Love the flames, and the granade effect is brilliant. Inspirational.

Fantastic

That is amazing.

I love Dioramas like this, there's always so much detail and so much to look at,
plus the flying bullet casing effect is amazing, looks like it was fiddly work .

Really epic.

All the small details mark you both as a genius & a madman... But that's too awesome to let go ! (infantry phone, added gear on the soldiers, spent shells, etc...)

This is going to be a blast !

Thank you!!

Today's update covers the POLEMOS painting.
I was out sick last week with a bronchitis - pretty annoying, lots of coughing - but at least I had some time (when the medication was actually working and I stopped coughing for a few hours) to work on the POLEMOS.

I had already everything prepared and primed on my desk.


So I started to paint and weather the street, ruins and rubble.


As I had mentioned it will be rather dark and grimy.


Here you can see that I dry-brushed some areas with white - these are the areas that will be illuminated by the muzzle flashes and Molotov's.


And then it was time for the POLEMOS itself.
So far I had no vehicle in my arsenal with an urban camo pattern. Instead of re-inventing the wheel I decided to simply convert the standard Dencarian "Tiger Flash" pattern into grey tones.


I think it looks rather convincing

Next I added details like the view ports and ejected cartridges,


as well as all the lights and lenses.


They look like brothers, don't they?


More details.


And then it was time for some serious weathering...
Say goodbye to the new paint job...


...and hello to the real look


Quite a difference, eh?



But with all the details and lenses painted it looks really good.


Then I painted the cinematic effects.
First the low velocity grenade launcher,

then the AC,

and finally the rear MG.


But the real fun was adding the illumination effects!
Enjoy






I am very pleased with the results.
What do you think?
I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Hats off my friend! Hats off! Awesome paint skills! And those firing light sources are great! Really interesting way you do the armour too!

Cant wait to see it all together!

Show off!!!

Absolutely brilliant, we can not say it enough. Excellent effects, perfect painting, thing looks like a photograph. Amazing.

Man, its amazing how weathering can bring a piece together. For a minute I figured that tank stood out too much, and then BAM, fits in like a piece of a puzzle.

Truly amazing work.

As per usual it has been well worth the wait! WOW!! Where to begin? I love it all!

Wow, those lighting effects bring the whole thing to life, very well done .

I'm amazed at the OSL... I suppose this is all airbrushed ?

Weathering is also top-notch... Pigments ?

Great job, Klaus... But we aren't really surprised

while i liked the mint paintjob on the production line tank... the weathered and darkened one is of course way more convincing... the FX looks super sweet and the OSL looks very cool...wow...wow indeed!

I've been following this for long but never commented before, time I do, even there's not much I can add to what's already been said many times: Truly amazing, outstanding work all around.

Creativity, conception, building and paint, all top notch.

Just keep it coming!

Yes, not really surprised at the awesomeness...


still waiting for the soldiers to get painted so their OSL ca be done....

Wow Klaus! The paint is seriously great! Most people just give their Hirst Arts blocks a quick drybrush, but you've really captured the look of a drty, war-torn, burnt-out ruin there! Absolutely fantastic! You know I'm a sucker for grime and more grime

dsteingass wrote:Wow Klaus! The paint is seriously great! Most people just give their Hirst Arts blocks a quick drybrush, but you've really captured the look of a drty, war-torn, burnt-out ruin there! Absolutely fantastic! You know I'm a sucker for grime and more grime

Thanks Mate
Yes these Hirst Arts are great, but they have so much more potential, than just a little dry-brush.

mxwllmdr wrote:Yes, not really surprised at the awesomeness...


still waiting for the soldiers to get painted so their OSL ca be done....

Ask and you will be given
See below

Yggdrasil wrote:I'm amazed at the OSL... I suppose this is all airbrushed ?

Weathering is also top-notch... Pigments ?

Great job, Klaus... But we aren't really surprised

The base for the OSL is actually a white dry brush to brighten the background and then with airbrush the actual (mostly transparent colors).
For the weathering see below.
So far I have not used any pigments on this build.

xXWeaponPrimeXx wrote:Man, its amazing how weathering can bring a piece together. For a minute I figured that tank stood out too much, and then BAM, fits in like a piece of a puzzle.

Truly amazing work.

Well, I have to admit that I was pretty scared after the first brown wash.
I used the same brown wash that I use on the standard Dencara Tiger Flash pattern. But man! on that light grey color scheme...wow.
I'm really glad it worked out in the end

Camkierhi wrote:Show off!!!

Absolutely brilliant, we can not say it enough. Excellent effects, perfect painting, thing looks like a photograph. Amazing.

Thanks mate!


Hi all,
Malevengion at my blog asked:
How did I weather the POLEMOS?
Well, first I gave it a very thorough wash with a brown wash (similar to Devlan Mud or the new Agrax Earthshade). Once this was dried I gave it another wash with black (similar to Badab Black or the xxx oil - the replacement for Badab). Once this was also dried I gave it another go with the black, but this time accentuated on the darker area, picking out recesses or things like hinges on the hatches.
Then I applied a very dark brown-grey mix with the sponge around the most used/damaged areas.
Followed by Boltgun Metal with a brush on larger damages or exposed corners.
Finally I used a pencil along most corners - this give them a nice metallic shine.
I think that's all

So I started with the attacking Orks.
Since I want them to be like "Ghosts in the rubble" they needed special urban camo too and I decided to give them simply a grey-scaled version of their Flecktarn pattern.


All the base colors applied


Even with these simple colors they already fit nicely into the diorama.


Then they got a nice and thorough wash with black and brown.


While the wash dried, I made some more images of the POLEMOS and the base on a neutral background.




I also want to make sure the (living) Orks eyes are glowing in the dark.


The finished Orks and light effects on the board.


You may notice the light effects of the Molotov's are darker, more orange, less flashy than the effects of the muzzle flashes.


And finally last night I started on the Imperial troopers.
They use the same urban camo pattern as the special forces in "The Ork with the Golden Missile" - http://fischers-design-shop.blogspot.de/2013/04/the-ork-with-golden-missile-13.html


Well, that's all I got for this week.
I hope you enjoyed today's update and I look forward to your C&C.
Cheers
Klaus

Fantastic, can't wait to see this complete, great work. Love how you have them dark because it's a night seen.

Hi all,
I made good progress over the last few days and since I had a day off today, I was able to finish the dio!


After applying the base colors I looked into a symbol for the shoulder patches. I'm not really sure why, but I wanted to do something with an eye - like the Egyptian Ra or the all-seeing eye on top of the pyramid. After a lot of doodling around I came up with this abstraction.


I really like it, so I decided to draw it onto all the shoulder pads and on both sides.


Here are all the Imperial troopers with their base colors.



Then they got some washes.
First a wash of Devlan Mud or Agrax Earthshade,
then a wash of Badab Black or Nuln Oil,
then a wash of Seraphim Sepia for the skin areas,
and another go of black for the shades.


Once the washes dried I applied the highlights.
Here are the first four troopers


And all of them!


DONE!



I'm quite happy how they look in their new home.



Later today I will post some more high quality images in the lightbox.
I hope you like how this little scene turned out.
I look forward to your C&C
Cheers
Klaus

Awesome work, Klaus. Another masterpiece.

Masterfully done. Very impressed.

Really fantastic job, I love a diorama that tells a story. Lighting effects are really well done.

Simply amazing and inspirational.

I know that my work has improved because of you, and others like you. Things like this really stretch the envelope for us all.

Thank you guys!
As promised here are some HQ images done in the lightbox with a bit of cleanup.
I hope you like them
(remember if you click the image you get to a scalable version in the gallery)










Cheers
Klaus

Beautiful work, and it looks great in your glass cabinet along with all your other pieces .

Klaus....what should I say: Das ist sowas von geil!! :-)

http://www.coolminiornot.com/350268

Unbelievable....... and full to the brim of detail both in the modeling and painting.......

Thought for a minute i was loking at stills from a CGI game or something........

WE ARE NOT WORTHY!!!!

Bravo! Bravo!

You're an inspiration to us all Klaus!

Amazing stuff! Hard to even think of anything negative to say of this latest outstanding piece of work Klaus! Bravo!

Absolutely stunning piece of work again Klaus - I bow to your mastery of the ancient art of scratchbuilding...

That's truly incredible. Your work never fails to astonish me!

Beautiful....




ok, next......

 mxwllmdr wrote:
Beautiful....




ok, next......

Hey Vik!
Check the description:

Just as the 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon of KG "von Domm" is breaking through an Ork barricade under the cover of their POLEMOS urban combat vehicle, they are ambushed by Orks in their rear. Hidden in the rubble they waited for the Imperial troopers to pass them before appearing in their back and attacking them with Molotov Cocktails.
As CPT Rittersberg later describes it "They caught us completely off guard. We were concentrating on the last resistance in the buildings in front of us, when they appeared out of nowhere. Camouflaged in the dark they sneaked up on us and sprung the trap. They moved through the shadows like ghosts - only their eyes were visible"

This diorama is depicting an Imperial Guard attack in the rubble strewn streets of an Ork captured city. While the guardsmen break through an Ork barricade, they are suddenly attacked from the rear, out of the rubble by some Orks armed with Molotov’s. The vehicle is 100% scratch built.

 Klaus, not Santa wrote:

 mxwllmdr wrote:
Beautiful....




ok, next......

Whats wrong, Klaus? You know you pop these things out rabbits having babies.......

Great job, as always!

oh, Klaus....I am honoured and flattered to the max...


I am still crawling through my backlog and I am so glad that after getting through the last two pages you showed us the portfolio pics of your polemos...er...the von domm platoon^^...
the first done pics were very dark and I quite had a hard time to see all the beautiful shades and details you worked so hard for... but now with the right lighting this is (again) a beautiful scene of carnage and drama! wow indeed!

there is just one thing... if you need a hand with photoshop for clearing any brushstrokes to even the background... gimme a call... I think the current streaks and strokes of your retouched pics drag your work down a bit...(which still leaves it in the realms of golden demon mind you )

and I am with max here... I bet you have some cunning plan already for what comes next... you like to keep us breathless... such sweet torture...^^

Dear (not-)Santa,

for next christmas I'd like to get at least a part of your building and painting skill as a present.
And I promise to use it as nice (or naughty) as you allow me to be.

Yours
an admirer

Hi all,
thanks for your feedback.
@Vik - yes, I was quickly doing this with GIMP.
Can you PM me your email address?

On to something new then, shall we?
During the building of "Ghosts in the Rubble" Fireball at "Work in Progress" wrote:

allright, now you'll add 3 more of these displays, join them and then you'll have your entry for this year's GW 'Army on Parade'...

To which I replied:

@Fireball - I like your idea, but I have a hard time figuring how to include this dio. It is pretty centralized. If I was to continue to the left or right, it would show Orks - on the left in the opposite building, on the right on the street.
A scene "behind" this scene wouldn't really be visible....
For an "Army on Parade" scene I'd have to think of something else..

and his suggestion:

Well, your guys could be on the way to a crashed imperial Dropship. That way, you could have 2 fighting scenes and be able to build another big fat giant Dropship, yay! Nah, i know what you mean and i wasn't that serious when i dropped that idea wink

Even if he wasn't serious this idea got stuck!
It is really tempting to try something like this - even though I will never enter a "Army on Parade" contest, but the idea of some (more or less) linked diorama scenes is something I really want to try.
So what kind of other fights could be happening in this Ork infested town?
Who would the Imperium send to rescue a crashed (say) Ambassador?

In the descriptive text for "Ghosts in the Rubble" I already mentioned "KG von Domm" which leaves me all the flexibility I can have. In a Kampfgruppe I can throw whatever I like (or rather what's available).

Hmm, I have a new urban combat vehicle, I have troopers in urban uniforms, what else can I throw into the mix?
Walkers?
Urgh!
My personal nemesis...

Some of you may realize that so far I haven't successfully built a walker for the IG.
I do have some Ork walkers, like
Boz 'o da Dakka....


Cut'n'Crush


or even the mini-titan "Green Minnah"


But nothing really for the IG.
The only thing that comes close were these IG walkers I based on Kinder eggs....


Well, they weren't really bad.
Maybe I should try to re-build a walker along these lines?
So I tried.
Looks a bit like a tiny Zeppelin


Lets see about some legs then....Aehm...well....

The pose is OK, but .... no.

It simply wouldn't fit the "Ghosts in the Rubble".
So lets try something more...substantial
OK, THIS looks like a substantial shank
And a slender little foot


OK, so the typical chicken-leg style then....




Climbing over some rubble or debris. Well, not a small walker for sure.
Though not a Titan, but at least a heavy walker I'd say.


Once the legs were glued in position I started with the body platform.


And the base for the cockpit. I want it to be rotatable like a head.


Then some kind of engine stuff....


And shoulders.


Next I created a little cardboard mock-up for the body.


With this as template it was rather easy to cut the necessary plastic card pieces.


Of course its not glued in position, so it looks a bit wobbly...


And a "fender" on the side.
Please note the legs and hips will get armor plates of their own - so this "fender" is just an additional piece.


And for the scene I have in mind (still a bit secret) the walker needs a rocket launcher.


With rockets


The process so far convinced me that this could work out I may finally have a good concept for an Imperial walker.
But for the scene I will need at least two...
And once you know how its done, the second is a lot easier


And he's a free standing one too!

Different pose though.

Two brothers

Looks like these two will put up a decent fight against the Orks.
What do you think?
Cheers
Klaus

Oh Wow! This is going to be fantastic! the feet and servo systems are already impressively built!

Great start. Good overall shape and concept. Keep at it.

Just remember that walkers can have just as many little gubbins on them as tanks. And try almost completely covering the legs in cabling and armour as well- it'll give them a better look.

Lovely Work! The legs look great! Really interesting concept! Going to keep my eye on this one....

and there we are...who was it that stated that you pop out awesome scratchbuilds like rabbits pop out new babies?... guess this was max ´n´me , eh?

walkers....YESSSSSS! and imperial ones too! be sure that I will watch with the utmost interest!!! (you can clearly see how the project affects me due to the intense use of exclamation marks ...)

and isn´t it funny how scratchbuilds so fast turn out way bigger that anything GW ever came up with?... story of my hobbylife too^^

by the way... seeing your historical walkers based on kindereggs...we all seem to forget that you are no god...but these show how your own prowess developed too...(don´t take that for any second as something as an insult against your boreas walker....if there ever is a remote chance of possessing one to paint and cradle each day would be a blessing^^ ) but the current imperial walker sure is of a complete other kind ... way more in line with your recent other styled creations that are far closer to what a real fighting vehicle would look than a fantasy one...


also...PM sent^^

Channelling that Sentinel / ATST vibe very nicely!

Klaus,you really are kicking ass and taking names.
I salute you.

I'm a huge fan of sentinels and those fellows got the same ugly charm to them.

Feeling inspired again, might have to try something similar...

Brilliant work.

See, told ya you can knock em out quick.....

Those are looking great, will be watching this keenly, and like everyone else has said you really do work quick .
I tend to think too much about my projects, which is probably why they take me so long,
that and I have a tendency to keep over complicating my ideas .

 hk1x1 wrote:
Those are looking great, will be watching this keenly, and like everyone else has said you really do work quick .
I tend to think too much about my projects, which is probably why they take me so long,
that and I have a tendency to keep over complicating my ideas .

Me too..... Klaus just says screw it and makes it work, and work well, as he goes.....

Thanks guys
Seems like you all agree with the basic design of the THANLOS walkers.
Lets see if I can maintain that trend

I decided to name the two walkers Pollux and Castor - the two brothers from Greek mythology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux
First thing was to build POLLUX's carapace, using the same template as for CASTOR.


With some of the lessons learned on the first built, it went together quite smooth.


While the carapace cured I started the "close combat" weapon for CASTOR.
Its a huge sword.


Do we have something like this in the WH40K arsenal?
A huge power blade?


I think it looks good


CASTOR with the sword and the left arm that will take the long range weapon (maybe a Bolter?) and POLLUX with his carapace.


POLLUX's close combat weapon will be a huge fist with a flamethrower in the palm


Fingers attached.


and the arm mounted (with quick tac).


What do you think?
What should be the ranged weapons for POLLUX and CASTOR?
Thanks
Klaus

Nice. I like the subtle curve to the sword's edges. and good hand.

How did you do the groove down the centre of the sword?

Love it Klaus! The shape of the housing is pretty much spot-on for a guard vehicle too. While I am sillied by the concept of walkers with swords, it DOES look good, and will work as long as it has a gun too. What are you using for the ball joints?

Once again, awesome. You just can't argue against a walker

As for the weapons, Gatling guns. A walker, with Gatlings, how could it get any better?

I'd suggest to keep with the Imperium/Sentinel theme, you not use an arm for the ranged weapon- either mount it directly to the chassis, or at least remove the lower arm, so the shoulder is the only joint.

And on the actual arms- have you tried making your own struts instead of using tubes? The roundness kinda clashes with the shape of the main bodies- I think a square, I-beam or box construction for the arms (and maybe the legs, though I know you've worked on those enough already) would make them look less 'Noodly'.

Plus, elbows don't need ball joints- try making those into hinges (another place where having square limbs comes in handy)- it'll make it look better than the round bulge on a round tube- which is a little too Raygun Gothic for the Imperium, I think.

The pits, though, are awesome, and I like the CC weapons- the sword's waay too overlong, which is great. If you're looking for other GW bits like that, the DreadKnight has a superbig sword too.

Klaus, you are the resident mad scientist!

Castor and Pollux look amazing! I can't wait to see them all painted up with some crushed Orks under foot.

Like McDonalds, dude......




I'm lovin' it.....

 mxwllmdr wrote:
Like McDonalds, dude......




I'm lovin' it.....

But I hope better quality and not fast food, huh?


Cheers
Klaus

I'd say you have the speed of McDonalds but the quality of the greatest restaurant ever.

Maybe more like the best Chinese take out ever. You have never tasted anything so good, you have no idea how they do it, and an hour later you want another one.

Loving the "Thanlos" walkers.

Weirdest thing- there's an Arby's in Charleston Virginia that has a gourmet restaurant's menu. Filet Mignon, prime rib, rotisserie chicken (alright, more like a mid-level steakhouse/deli, but still, it's an Arby's).

And they even bring your food to you- after you've order after waiting in a fast food line.

Anvildude wrote:
I'd suggest to keep with the Imperium/Sentinel theme, you not use an arm for the ranged weapon- either mount it directly to the chassis, or at least remove the lower arm, so the shoulder is the only joint.

And on the actual arms- have you tried making your own struts instead of using tubes? The roundness kinda clashes with the shape of the main bodies- I think a square, I-beam or box construction for the arms (and maybe the legs, though I know you've worked on those enough already) would make them look less 'Noodly'.

Plus, elbows don't need ball joints- try making those into hinges (another place where having square limbs comes in handy)- it'll make it look better than the round bulge on a round tube- which is a little too Raygun Gothic for the Imperium, I think.

The pits, though, are awesome, and I like the CC weapons- the sword's waay too overlong, which is great. If you're looking for other GW bits like that, the DreadKnight has a superbig sword too.

Thanks Anvildude
Well unfortunately the design as I planned it is asking for arms - close combat weapon, ranged weapon, moving head - actually it is to be the missing link between the Sentinel and the Knight
As for the "noodly" look I totally agree, but these pipes are only the skeleton - once I have everything in position and added cables and hydraulic hoses I will add armor plates. Hopefully this will "Imperialize" the look
And you may see in todays update that some of the ball joints received covers - also alterning the look.


Good morning!
During the initial design phase I planned to add some Machine Guns/Stubbers to the cockpit/head.
So I quickly built 4 MG.


However, when mounting them I wasn't really convinced.


What do you think? Too much?


Or maybe an alternative position?


Would the MG further back on the side or even under the chin look better?
Or should I remove them completely?


I recall someone asking me what kind of balls I use for the joints.
They are pretty no-name wooden beads 12mm - I got them in a local hobby store.


After I put the MG to the side to see what your feedback will point me to, I began to work on the ranged weapons.
I decided to give CASTOR some twin-linked Lascannons.


A rather simple mount, with an extra central sight.


POLLUX' multi-purpose power fist with the flame-thrower also received a small belt fed bolter.


Truly multi-purpose


For his right side he's getting something bigger.
It is a special low-velocity drum fed Grenade Launcher.


With its 9-shot magazine it can dish out some devastating fire. The 80mm grenades with High Explosive warheads have a large blast radius and are excellent anti-personnel weapons - speak Ork Splatterer


Before I will apply armor to the arms and legs I started to add cables and hydraulic hoses.


And here's the final question for you
I want to add lights - like I used on the PONOS and POLEMOS.
Which version looks best?
Version A


Version B


Version C


Version D


Version E


So what do you think?
I look forward to your feedback on the machine-guns and on the lights.
Thanks

Klaus