Thanks Paradigm. I tried something new for a more realistic look- I used Hawk Turquoise for the cool shaded areas and VMA Hull Red for the areas of warmth.

Very nicely done mate! Very nice effect on the skin tone and the paintwork and colours sit really nicely together! You really get a sense already of a lifetime of war! ...... oh.. and I just noticed the bolt action on the rifle... very nice detail!

Cheers MB. I've to do bruising across his right eye and along with the cut to his scalp, I hoped to convey the dangers of going into sci-fi combat without a helmet (as Space Marines are wont to do now and again...)


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Just been fiddling about with my "Exodus" since the parts arrived today:

Whoops...

That doesn't quite look like the mild detergent usually recomended to wash resin with...

No but it certainly helps when coming to terms with spending £74.00 on resin-crack...

Being a Friday, I whole heartedly support both items shown in the previous post! So the lovely Sicaran has landed... begin construction straight away please!!

I'm so envious of the time zone difference right now...

Haha! I don't think I've ever had a pint as early as 11am before... But Bugman's bar at Warhammer World seemed like the ideal opportunity to just sit and be for an hour whild I supped and examined the Sicaran kit- excellent cast, hardly any flash or mold lines to be seen plus the Accelerator Autocannons are as straight as a die!

What are people's thoughts on the marksman then?

Don't paint the resin crack with beer or your shading graduations will be all over the place , if you're anything like me !!!

Marksmen is good, IMHO the stock that the butt of the weapon is a little long ( shoulder to hand length ) but nice overall look.

Ref. the cloak, why not apply small "panels" amongst the armour to break up the shape rather than a full cloak ?

Haha! Yeh I think I'll abstain from any alcohol while painting, unless it's gin (then it doesn't count).

I think you may be right about the stock- I may shorten it if doesn't interfere eith the arm positioning. Cloak wise, I'm going to try s little over the shoulder number

Loved the terminator on the last page, it was great!

The sicaran is a great tank. Although I have the habit of cutting myself when building bigger models, so I tend to avoid BUI (Building Under the Influence).

 Elnibbus wrote:
Haha! Yeh I think I'll abstain from any alcohol while painting, unless it's gin (then it doesn't count).

I think you may be right about the stock- I may shorten it if doesn't interfere eith the arm positioning. Cloak wise, I'm going to try s little over the shoulder number

Yeah , you should be right with gin, no harm there !

Over the shoulder seems perfectly acceptable !

No hobby for me at all this weekend- got an open house party all day tomorrow and Sunday me and the missus are off to her mum's... However, I did manage to get the main hull components trimmed and ready for glueing...

Take some glue and paint to her mothers and make it a useful day ! (take gin too ! )

Alas Big H, while there will no doubt be copious amounts of gin already there, I am certain that the mere possibility of taking anything hobby related with me will result in a sound thrashing using the Paddle of Rebuke.

Anyhoo, I made two small changes to the marksman: the helmet and the left arm. I tried a pair of binoculars in the left hand but it looked too cluttered and a bit daft.

Ah, and the Paddle must be avoided at all costs !

The new Helmet is a much better choice , like how this is going , now make 10 !

10?! Eh.... No. Though it would be cool to have 10 on the table.

That SM marksman looks awesome
Keep up the great work!
Grtz
Mark

That marksman is great. I really love the pose.
Keep it up.

Grtz,
Remco

Very nice work mate... its nice to see a sniper assessing his options and advancing to his strike location rather thanallready Iin the prone pose... really nice.... I can allready begin to put a story in my mind about his motivations and orders!

And I agree withBig H and yourself... gin is totally allowed!

Thank you chaps. I'm currently drinking a Badger Ale's Golden Champion- going down really well actually (my second). Might get some hobby done tomorrow.

Will be moving on to whisky later...

Merry Christmas everyone! No religious messages from me; just be happy and celebrate it however you see fit!

Opinions needed people: What colour should I paint the lenses on weapons and turrets? I'm doing the marine helmet visors in an OSL style with hawk turquoise (incidentally the same as the Terminator's weaponry).

Well I'm allways a sucker for blue lenses. Used green with the Blood Ravens but gonna use blue again with the Imperial Fists.

Grtz, Remco

Definitely thibking blue or green. Might just try out a couple of lenses and see what they look like.

I always end up doing blue or green, tried pinks and red and just make a hash of it but blue / green always seems to work !

I'll see how the hawk turquoise glow looks on the lenses- I'm thinking about doing different coloured helmets for veterans/sergeants to mark them from the rest of the Marines (maroon probably) and keep the orange for the chapter badge/unit markings. I haven't been able to do any painting or building since last weekend due to visiting family and such and I'm getting the shakes! I need to finish building 'Exodus', the Recon Marines (which will be a Headhunter Kill Team) and the Sicaran...

So I tried sculpting a cloak over his left shoulder tonight. The result?

Nothing. Absolutely NOTHING.

I just couldn't get the cloak how I imagined it so I think I'm going to have to pass on it, even though I think he would have looked more badass with one :/

maybe you could try the technique some guys use to add camo netting to there tanks i have seen it done on terrain with those green hand towels you get in public toilets because of the texture it makes a very convincing canvas once dry and can be primed and painted

I did awake this morning with an idea of sorts so I'll give it another bash with the greenstuff at some point but that will have to wait until Sunday now, what with NYE and then relatives coming to stay...

On another note, I have the main hull of the Sicaran assembled and magnets on the way for swappjng out sponson weapons.

Gave it another go...

Not bad at all. From that angle it definitely looks fine.

Cheers Paradigm, a couple of bouts of nerd-rage later and I got something I was happy with. I got the basic shape as you see it down last night- it needs smoothing out plus some extra definition and tidying up done on the folds. Also need to put a pin or badge on the left pad as a means of attachment for the cloak. Here's a shot from further round the back:

Yeah that works. nice cloak.

I like it.

Cheers. I think a very small Aquilla would act as a nice cloak pin on his left shoulder pad or just a simple stud?

An aquila would do the trick if you ask me, gives you a bit more wiggle room to disguise the join, the problem with a simple stud is it will be very obviously bolted to his shoulder armour!

By the way i've been a terrible lurker of late, just wanted to pipe up and say that although I have no time I still come here to gape in awe at your skills whenever I see an update.

Also the picture of the beer and resin goodness on the last page made me laugh, didn't even need to read on to know that was bugmans...its a dangerous environment over there in Nottingham, impulse buys are only a beer away.

J-Paint, it certainly has been a while! Many thanks for the kind words, I have to say I'm looking forward to seeing updates from you if here are any on the horizon? With regards to Bugmans, I made the trip to WHW specifically to pick up the Sicaran but thought I'd may as well try a pint, even if it was only 11am (but hey, the sun is always over the yard-arm somewhere, right?).

Magnets arrived but I have not had much opportunity to sort out the sponsons on the Sicaran, might get something done this afternoon.

Just for you I will see if I can get round to posting something later on today, I have definitely been a bit lax in that respect! As for the beer, well exactly, we did exactly the same when we visited, morning beer doesn't seem remotely as bad when you are there, probably all the fantasy paraphernalia, doesn't exactly conjure images of the slippery slope to alcohol dependence! I have to say though I have been particularly impressed by the white you achieved on the terminator armour, beautifully smooth!

Also because I enjoyed them so much, any more progress on anything guard related? the grenadiers for example?

Also also, have you been using woodland scenics snow for your snow so far? I think I remember you saying you did but when I have tried to use it I have found the grain size (for want of a better word) slightly too large, have you found something similar?

edit: also also also, the cloak so far looks perfect, forget to mention!

Haha! Excellent. Yes I reckon the beer helps you come to terms with how much money you have just spent on resin crack...
I never thought it possible but I am rather pleased with the white armour- the joys of an airbrush and already graded Vallejo greys and whites!

Nothing new on the Guard front though I should probably rotate back onto them at some point soon. I used Woodland Scenics Soft Flake Snow mixed with PVA and water to give a heavy, wet snow. I then sprinkled a bit more on top to give the illusion of a freshly fallen dusting.

The cloak will get a bit of finishing this afternoon


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Hobby updates:









Sponson weapons are magnetised

So, I'm geting closer to putting some paint down on my Marksman and I am struggling with what to do about his cloak... I was thinking some form of camouflage like A TACS or Swedish M90 desert or some kinda swirly, stripey thing... Any ideas?

Oooh, I'd like to see you pull off a copy of ATAC's !

I think any of the Multicam / digicam / ATAC styles would look sweet , its just gonna take a while !

I think the blurred effect of ATACS would suit the 'chameleoline' properties of the rules Exodus has (though bearing in mind, this is my "counts-as" Exodus). Will have a look at what paints I have but I have a feeling I'll need to order some...

Try to blur all the hard edges will be fun !

As long as the colors match the base, I think you will crush it. It always throws me when sniper scouts have forest camo on urban basing.

 whalemusic360 wrote:
As long as the colors match the base, I think you will crush it. It always throws me when sniper scouts have forest camo on urban basing.

Good point Whaley, but not an exact match or it will all blend together ( like its supposed to ! ) and loose "pop", I did this with some of my boys scout snipers and we keep losing them !

@Whaley, I'm leaning towards a concrete and slightly arid climate; less desert themed and more mediterrenean. Ish... I had visions of Monte Cassino and they've kinda stuck.

@Big H, I will do my best to avoid the model becoming too drab!

 Elnibbus wrote:
@Whaley, I'm leaning towards a concrete and slightly arid climate; less desert themed and more mediterrenean. Ish... I had visions of Monte Cassino and they've kinda stuck.

@Big H, I will do my best to avoid the model becoming too drab!

Sounds a cool idea for an environment, are you going to camo the armour too ? Or just the cloak ?

I'd do both ! And then go totally overboard with some OSL on the lens

The plan was to just do the cloak. The fluff around Exodus is that nobody knows if he is just a single marine or one of many so the more he looks like the other Headhunters the better.

This evening I shall get the Sicaran primed and possibly even get the airbrush out and make a start on painting it! Exodus will have to wait as I am yet to receive some holstered Tigrus bolt pistols and ammunition pouches.

Cant wait to see that tank painted... thats a badass machine and cant wait to see the paintjob you give it mate!

Why thank you MB, I shall endeavour to do a good job! I actually spent the evening revisiting my old Space Wolves Contemptor dreadnought- it now has a new base and will receiving some new colours too...

Just a sneaky peek at what I've been doing this evening:

That tank model itself is lovely.... and the turret is a really nice design! IMHO Good choice!

It has to be one of my favourite Marine vehicles though I also have a soft spot for the Deimos Predator and Spartan

I'll see how far I get this evening but just getting to that stage took about an hour and a half! I need to figure out the markings on it too- I'm thinking about doing the barrels steel and doing flash damage on the ends. I also want to try hazard stripes on what I can only assume are the firing mechanisms at the rear of the guns (the ammunition hoppers are tucked in right next to the turret).

Yeah, the Sicaran is one hell of a tank, and it has pretty nasty stats to boot! Looking forward to how this comes out.

Sounds like a plan mate! Best of luck!

Yeh the Spartan, Macharius Vulcan & The Dracosan are my 3 favs... once I get my Mach MkI finished and then after the comp.... I might.... MIGHT... attempt a Spartan Scratchbuild... will wait and see!

Looking forward to seeing the paint updates later.

I'm thibking about where to place my orange accent colour... I was thinking an orange stripe running down the turret from the cupola and over the top of the targeter at the front?

 Elnibbus wrote:
I'm thibking about where to place my orange accent colour... I was thinking an orange stripe running down the turret from the cupola and over the top of the targeter at the front?

That could work, or do the recess in the front part of the tracks between the armor.

Unfortunately all my airbrushibg activities are on hold until I get another airbrush as mine seems to have finally died :( I've spent more time recently taking it apart and cleaning it than I have putting paint to model. Last night paint started shooting out the of the front above the nozzle and paint was coming out when the air was activated and the needle wasn't pulled back.

So I dumped a ton on a Badger Patriot 105 and some quick release bits... I was supposed to be saving money but I'd rather get a really good airbrush which comes recommended. It's being delivered to work so I won't get it until Monday. No painting the Sicaran for me over the weekend which I was actually planning on getting finished. Still, I'll get the Contemptor stripped and primed again and the Headhunters built.

I haven't been entirely idle over the weekend: I dismantled the Recon Marine I had used as a test model and replaced his bolter with a heavier one. He is now a Headhunter with Heavy Bolter and Banestrike ammo. I have come to the conclusion that these dudes will benefit from a supporting unit of Destroyers- Rad and Phosphex the target and then Banestrike/Power Knife spam...



Now I know some of you will have noticed that the back of the HB has been trimmed down in order to fit but I haven't fleshed out the cloak to simulate the HB under it. I haven't because I reasoned a HB with suspensor web would probably be more compact than a regular one, allowing it to be used as an assault weapon. Thoughts on this approach?

Hopefully my new airbrush will arrive tomorrow and I can have another go at the Sicaran though I suspect my interview on Tuesday morning may require some prep tomorrow evening (impending redundancy requires some hobby sacrifice).

So look at what turned up at work today:



Squeeeeee!

OOOOOOOOOooooooo shiney new!! Well.. get cracking on the Sicaran!

and best of luck for the interview tomorrow! Hope it goes the way you want it to!

Thanks Magos! I just need a bit of prep and to let my winning personality shine through (ha!). I'm really looking forward to using the Badger- how much prep I do depends on how impatient I get!


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So I spent an hour or so doing this:



The Badger Patriot 105 is awesome. Just awesome. What isn't awesome is my lack of photography skills and decent lighting in the house... I'll do the black areas next, followed by metallics and then onto the weathering stage: Sponge a-hoy!

Started on the AK filters this evening- I had forgotten how tedious it was pin-washing every rivet and join in armour plating! I think I may have started in the wrong order as I now thibk I should have done the battle damage with the sponge first and then done the filters and grime afterwards.

In actual fact I should have masked off the areas I don't want to be orange first. D'oh!

Looking nice so far. How easy is it to use an airbrush? I still hand paint everything lol

Ustrello, it's as easy or as difficult as you want to make it for yourself. You can do simple spray jobs and treat it like a spray can or you can paint very thin lines.

Looks pretty cool already! I guess when talking about the order of placing damage and then grime and washes or vice versa.... there is no real "correct" way to do it..... in real life they would be happening at the same time or in different orders anyway..... I got to admit I do like the flat coverage you can achieve with an airbrush! both eyes are upon you!

Magos, yes you are correct indeed. I'll get the orange bits done; a stripe on the turret, stripes on the recessed areas on the front-side sections and the second-from-front rib on the autocannons. This will first have some hipping fluid applied so I can then rough up the markings.

Not terribly sure what kinda track weathering I'm going to do... I'm tempted to just do some heat-baked mud on them (not too much though as I'm aiming for a drier climate than what my DK have been fighting in- summer Mediterranean climate rather than winter in the Ardennes).

 Elnibbus wrote:
Ustrello, it's as easy or as difficult as you want to make it for yourself. You can do simple spray jobs and treat it like a spray can or you can paint very thin lines.

Hm I will have to look into getting one once the tax return rolls around.

Ustrello, I'd definitely recommend spending a little bit more on something like a Badger or Iwata airbrush.

Aaaand auto-append...

That is looking veeeery nice!

Cheers Paradigm! The lighting is bloody awful though. Hopefully I'll get this beastie done this weekend. The to-do list:

- Seal the tank again
- Streaking grime and tidying up the pin-washing
- Dried mud on the tracks
- Earth and dust pigments on EVRYFING
- I've forgotten about the sponsons. Bollocks...

Bit more work this evening:





Should hopefully have it finished this weekend. Might make a start on the Contemptor too

That is very nice. Did you do sponge weathering for the armor?

That weathering is superb!

How'd you do the run off from the paint scratches?

Thanks chaps!

@Ustrello, I sued a sponge around the tracks but used a fine brush for the chips and scratches.

@Zambro, I used AK Streaking Grime on the scratches, waited for it to dry and then used thinner to streak it down the panels.

What brown did you use? I kinda want to try something similar with a deathguard rhino I am using, and I like the way you are doing your weathering.

I used Vallejo Model Colour Black Camo Brown- a sponge with the excess removed was dabbed around, gradually getting a bit more liberal as I became comfortable with it. The scratches were just little streaks here and there but I concentrated them around obvious signs of wear like hatches, corners and gun shields.

That tank reminds me of the Medium Mk-III in reverse!

@shasolenzabi, you've got a good point! I've still neglected the sponson weapons but I'll get round to them this weekend.

 Elnibbus wrote:
I used Vallejo Model Colour Black Camo Brown- a sponge with the excess removed was dabbed around, gradually getting a bit more liberal as I became comfortable with it. The scratches were just little streaks here and there but I concentrated them around obvious signs of wear like hatches, corners and gun shields.

Hm okay. Was trying to find a citadel equivalent but couldn't, will try with another similar color.

 Elnibbus wrote:
@shasolenzabi, you've got a good point! I've still neglected the sponson weapons but I'll get round to them this weekend.

If I bought one, I would be tempted to place the engine exhausts and bits where the driver is, and adjust the driver to the rear, and have the turret face with the sponsons the same way and make it a space MK-III

@Ustrello, the closest Citadel equivalent would have been Doombull(?) Brown? Maybe mixed with a little black.

I'm going to give Necron Compound a go on the raised areas of the tracks (got it but never used the drybrush paints before). If that sucks I'll just revert to a good ol' HB pencil.

 Elnibbus wrote:
@Ustrello, the closest Citadel equivalent would have been Doombull(?) Brown? Maybe mixed with a little black.

I'm going to give Necron Compound a go on the raised areas of the tracks (got it but never used the drybrush paints before). If that sucks I'll just revert to a good ol' HB pencil.

Oh cool, I will look into that. I personally really like the gw technical paints and have gotten a lot out of them.

A lot of my friends use the technical paints, mainly for rust/mud etc but I lean more towards the classic AK stuff for that. You also can't beat a pencil for doing exposed metal.

So I finally managed to get the Sicaran done today but unfortunately I failed to get the Contemptor started. Anyhoo, pictures:







I must confess that the Heavy Bolter sponsons aren't done but if I hadn't magnetised them and glued the Lascannons, then this would still be a complete model

Next on the list is either the Contemptor or Exodus though I should probably finish my Praetor...

Very very nice. Great job, will you continue with space marines or go back to death korp?

I really love the weathering of the tank. Very nicely done mate.
Keep up the good work.

Grtz,
Remco

@Ustrello, I'm on a roll with marines at the moment but I might get the Hellhound and Praetorian painted the next time I have the airbrush out
This evening I intend to finish the Heavy Bolter sponsons and add the grease to the bottom of the exhausts which I forgot about... I shall try and at least get the Contemptor and Exodus primed too.

Excellent work, that will make a fine centrepiece!

Really cool looking tank my man! You have certainly done the model justice... As you know I am a big fan of heavy weathering and damage and this scratches my "weathering" itch nicely! Looking forward to the contepmtor also!!

Thanks fellas, you are too kind and full of praise! What would be better is if I could take better pictures...

Not only have you made me want DKK, but also a Sicaran. My wallet resents you. Great work though.

@DeathzHellShotz, thanks! Though Death Korps and the Heresy era Marine stuff speaks for themselves!

In other news: abject hobby fail this evening as I managed to get the sum of nothing done. Job application and old episodes of Bones on NowTV took priority! I will endeavour to get some paint on the Contemptor tomorrow as well as figuring out how to tackle Exodus...

 Elnibbus wrote:
@DeathzHellShotz, thanks! Though Death Korps and the Heresy era Marine stuff speaks for themselves!

In other news: abject hobby fail this evening as I managed to get the sum of nothing done. Job application and old episodes of Bones on NowTV took priority! I will endeavour to get some paint on the Contemptor tomorrow as well as figuring out how to tackle Exodus...

I know how you feel. I gotta make a rhino for the sole purpose of sawing it down for a base piece ,and I cannot work on building the legs of my knight until I do that and I still haven't gotten around to it thanks to the new season of grimm haha

I have a Rhino waiting to be butchered too- I'm trying to get my hands on some Deimos parts so I can retro-fy it as a 30k variant but since I used proper plastic glue, I'm not overly confident on the Rhino coming apart easily! Anyhoo, I have a long boring day of work ahead of me before I can sit down to a (decent) cuppa and my paint brushes... Woe is me.

 Elnibbus wrote:
I have a Rhino waiting to be butchered too- I'm trying to get my hands on some Deimos parts so I can retro-fy it as a 30k variant but since I used proper plastic glue, I'm not overly confident on the Rhino coming apart easily! Anyhoo, I have a long boring day of work ahead of me before I can sit down to a (decent) cuppa and my paint brushes... Woe is me.

I know that feeling, I use testors so whatever I glue usually stays that way .

Some progress on the counts-as Exodus. I'll now be calling him Actaeon after the archer and hunter from Greek mythology.

Started on the Contemptor too...

What arms are you going with?

At the moment I have the standard Kheres Assault Cannon and CCW/Heavy Flamer combo. They have been magnetised so I can swap out for a Lascannon Mortis.

 Elnibbus wrote:
At the moment I have the standard Kheres Assault Cannon and CCW/Heavy Flamer combo. They have been magnetised so I can swap out for a Lascannon Mortis.

Very nice, good combos.

Looking great mate! I really want to get myself one of these! Really gives off a "mid battle" feel!

Really enjoy seeing your work especially when I dont get much time at the hobby it gives a real sense of inspiration!

Thanks folks. I don't know why but I'm not very happy with my marksman... I think it's the cloak- I'll have another bash at it tomorrow, might try sponging a disruptive pattern to break up the shape.

Random message... but seeing as you have the contemptor there...... have you seen images of a contemptor dreadnought that has 2 circular saws as weapons!? Looks amazingly brutal!

http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/1495

Just thought I would throw that in there...

Ah yes I have seen that and had a think as to how they did it... Model saw blades? Like a model lumber mill as opposed to the type you would use to cut models?

Cloak is getting a repaint tonight as I'm sick of looking at it. No idea what I'll try.

I like how you went about making the Exodus and the Sicarian is just plain awesome, It's a fantastic looking model and you've really done FW proud on that beast.

For the cloak I'd go with whatever you basing colour is going to be, or something neutral ... like grey, although that may blend too well with the rest of the model.

A saw blade shouldn't be too hard to make, cut a disc, drill holes a set angle apart and a certain distance in from the edge, cut outwards at an angle then file. (he says having just come up with it on the fly...)

back to lurking

Thank you OMN, I'm glad you've been lurking

I have been footering about this evening and this happened:









I added scuff marks and handling damage to the rifle, reflected highlights to the armour, modified the camouflage on the cloak into a pseudo 40k 'oakleaf' pattern and did some damage and oil effects on the Contemptor. While watching Bones season 8.


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Just out of curiosity, does anyone have a tutorial for painting worn clothing?

Excellent stuff, the rifle especially!

Thanks Paradigm

I tried to use the same technique on Actaeon as I did for the vehicles- use a dark brown base colour, seal with satin varnish apply the chipping fluid and paint over the top. By the time it came to brushing the paint off though it was really thick, even though I had done some really smooth blending on the armour with thin layers! It would seem it ain't designed to be used like that.

So from now on, I'll be doing the sponging technique on infantry and leave the chipping fluid to vehicles!

Thats some nice work there matey !

Marine sniper cloak is very nice, and the rifle looks very good now too.

Sicarian is just beautiful, I downloaded a couple of pics for inspiration when I start my DeathGuard hopefully next week !

Thanks Dr. H, I'm flattered! There are some better images in my gallery than the ones presented here though

The cloak needs a bit of fettling- I need to add dots of the darker brown colour on the tan and in between. (Plus loads of pigments around the hem). I have just realosed I have omitted the orange entirely from him so far...I didn't want him to have any marking or insignia at all to fit in with the original Exodus background. I might sneak some in somewhere...

Beautiful work here sir!

I really love the way you do weathering EInibbus

@timtheheirodule, many thanks!

@Ustrello, again thank you! The method I mentioned above is much easier on vehicles, I wouldn't recommend on infantry. However, it is easy to do (I think I did a tutorial for a winter whitewash earlier in this thread which I modified for this scheme). Sponging is the way forward for me.

Anyhoo, almost there; he has a head now and the miscellaneous bits are done now too

Great work buddy! Very nice effect! And totally agree... sponework is the path! I REALLY need to get some models topaint! I feel my wallet may soon resent you!

Amazing how you get the armor looking old and beaten a biyt, scuffed and rusted.

Truely jelous of your ability to make armour look worn and gritty. Got any advice? The chipping effects I'm painting on my imperial fists look a bit too artificial.

Also, that cloak is great. How'd you come up with that scheme?

That looks so f#cking awesome. Keep up the amazing work sir.

Good work on the sniper. Looks great.
Good call to change the paint on the cloak and good choice of scheme.
Like the use of an eagle as a pin for the cloak too.

What colors would you suggest for vehicle armor chipping? Like an eshin grey or a metal like leadbelcher?

MagosBiff90 wrote:Great work buddy! Very nice effect! And totally agree... sponework is the path! I REALLY need to get some models topaint! I feel my wallet may soon resent you!

Sponges FTW! Your wallet can resent all it likes, it won't change anything! MOOHAHAHA!

shasolenzabi wrote:Amazing how you get the armor looking old and beaten a biyt, scuffed and rusted.

Cheers! I much prefer the armour of marines to look "lived-in"

Zambro wrote:Truely jelous of your ability to make armour look worn and gritty. Got any advice? The chipping effects I'm painting on my imperial fists look a bit too artificial.

Also, that cloak is great. How'd you come up with that scheme?

Less is more when it comes to damage (something I'm still getting to grips with myself!). Concentrate any damage around the backpack, hands/forearms, knees and feet.

The cloak scheme is based (loosely) on WW2 era German Oakleaf pattern. I used this as a guide:

http://www.timelinesforum.com/index.php?page=oakleaf1

RBeijers wrote:That looks so f#cking awesome. Keep up the amazing work sir.

Thank you, I shall definitely try!

Dr H wrote:Good work on the sniper. Looks great.
Good call to change the paint on the cloak and good choice of scheme.
Like the use of an eagle as a pin for the cloak too.

Thanks, the pin was the only form of insignia I felt I could give him since he's based on a faceless killer (though I've changed his name to fit my own Greek-styled naming system, he's still an Exodus at heart )

Ustrello wrote:What colors would you suggest for vehicle armor chipping? Like an eshin grey or a metal like leadbelcher?

I personally prefer to go for a non-metallic colour to make it look like the chips have gone down to the primer, rather than the bare metal. I actually use a 2B pencil for the bare betal areas on tracks and the edges of armour.

I think a nice little tutorial on how you achieve your armour look would be most appreciated!

MagosBiff90 wrote:I think a nice little tutorial on how you achieve your armour look would be most appreciated!

Haha, is that right? Well I suppose I could do a simple step-by-step:

INFANTRY

1. Depending on what colour your actual armour is going to be will determine what colour you use for the base coat- you want something complimentary. For my white armoured marines, I used VMC Black Brown as this provides a colour which isn't black but appears so. It is also important to note that if you are wanting a similar effect to white armour that I have achieved, my marines aren't "white": they are just off-white with pure white used as a highlight colour. Anyhoo, after you prime your model, painted the armour, highlighted it and done all the fancy bits, you need a sponge and a fine brush.

2. Grab your trusty sponge and tear it up! It can be a make-up sponge or you can grab an old dishwashing sponge like me, because I'm Scottish and tight (supposedly). Different sponges give different effects. Tearing up the sponge will give you interesting shapes and will affect how much paint adheres to the model in different places. Take your chosen contrasting colour, dip the sponge in and dab the excess paint off on a palette or some kitchen roll (paper towels to our American people). Now you need to think about where damage will occur- usually on the hands and forearms, feet and lower legs and on the backpack in the case of marines. Carefull dab the sponge onto the edges and raised areas.

3. If you want to add in extra details like longer scratches from grazing shots or knives/swords/claws, take your detail brush in the contrasting colour and apply. Because of the more deliberate nature of this type of damage, it will be deeper and so you will need to highlight them- take your armour highlight colour and apply around the bottom edge of the scratch to give the impression of depth. This can be done on larger areas of the sponged damage if you so wish.

4. You can leave it there if you like or you can add a bit extra in the form of grim and rust. I use AK Interactive Streaking Grime and Streaking Rust. Before applying, you must seal your model with varnish- satin is best for this process. Take the streaking effect and apply a small amount to the area of damage and allow it to dry.

5. Once dry, take a flat stubby brush (not a nice new one, old and manky will do), dip it in some thinners (I use Tamiya thinner), take off any excess and drag the bristles from the area of damage in the direction you see fit.

6. Grab a cup of tea.

7. If you want to go even further, you can add pigments. I have a couple from AK Interactive and a few from basecraftsupplies (who I think have gone bust but never mind...). Take an old brush (I have a minging old GW Standard brush I use for this purpose), lift out your pigments and dab them on the area to be affected. You will immediately notice them go everywhere. Manipulate the powder any way you see fit. You can then use pigment fixer (again, I use AK) or thinners to fix them in place.

8. Grab another cuppa and maybe a chocolate digestive (Hobnob if you like to dunk).

That step by step is very helpful, thanks!

Will be putting that to use on the Fists.

Much obliged to you good sir!

No worries! I hope you all find success with it


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Finished. Sorry for the bad pictures- I suck at photography...

After an epic bout of NERD-RAGE, I have decided to return my airbrush. Air escaping from the front, bubbles in the colour cup and intermittent spraying regardless of how clean the bloody thing was made me call it a day. Rather miffed about it all to be honest especially when two of my friends have the exact same AB and haven't had this trouble. Will see what the store says, no doubt they'll recommend new nozzles and various other stuff that I don't really need to buy but that's life.

Anyhoo, hobby is on hold until I can stomach looking at it again. In the interim I'm going to try and source a new lamp and daylight bulb. Rymans have a swing-arm lamp that takes ES bulbs so I'll see if I can get a daylight bulb from Maplin up the street.

All in all, not terribly enthused to do anything at the moment.

Hey mate, Sorry to hear that about the AB... that's pretty s$%&*y! Even if it is a one off "faulty" unit It can really put you off the whole thing...

hope ya get back in the groove soon!

Take it easy,

Sounds faulty to me, I'd take it back and insist on a replacement/refund. If it's an actual gaming store you got it from, rather than just a craft/hobby store, see if you can take it to the store for a quick demo of how wrong it's going, and either they will replace it or know what the fix is, so it's a win-win.

Hope you get it sorted.

Oh, and forgot to say, the Marine is epic!

That scheme and it's execution is fething orgasmic! The things i'd do to see some of those beauties in real life... awwwhhh

MagosBiff90 wrote:Hey mate, Sorry to hear that about the AB... that's pretty s$%&*y! Even if it is a one off "faulty" unit It can really put you off the whole thing...

hope ya get back in the groove soon!

Take it easy,

Thanks Magos, I'll spend the weekend building stuff rather than painting

Paradigm wrote:Sounds faulty to me, I'd take it back and insist on a replacement/refund. If it's an actual gaming store you got it from, rather than just a craft/hobby store, see if you can take it to the store for a quick demo of how wrong it's going, and either they will replace it or know what the fix is, so it's a win-win.

Hope you get it sorted.

Oh, and forgot to say, the Marine is epic!

I'm sure I'll find out what's wrong with it soon enough. Thanks for the comment, I just wish my photography was better!

lipsdapips wrote:That scheme and it's execution is fething orgasmic! The things i'd do to see some of those beauties in real life... awwwhhh

Haha! Well he will be joined by a Headhunter Kill-team just as soon as they are built and painted

Received a Master of Signal yesterday. I plan on using the Alpha Legion Rite of War, using Iron Havocs with Autocannons as an Elites and outflanking them in a Rhino with the Master of Signal... Could make for a funny (if expensive) unit.

 shasolenzabi wrote:
That tank reminds me of the Medium Mk-III in reverse!

Exactly the Vickers Mark Three could be remade as Leman Russ if it has bigger main gun

If you look at Sicarian. look at anything abit more fictional. the GDI Predator MBT from C&C3

A bit of hobbying on the base this evening:

Breaking hobby news:

Airbrush is now fixed and should be back with me tomorrow. The reason for the bubbles? Apparently the air cap wasn't on tight enough. Now I don't doubt that they have managed to fix it however I think that the instructions of "finger tight" in the manual are highly subjective if this is the case. I used pliers to tighten the air cap and still got the bubbles (even when I PTFE'd the bottom of the nozzle to create a better seal).

Anyhoo, here's hoping it's good to go. I highly recommend The Spraygun Company, Tim has been exemplary in tackling the issue and I will definitely be using his company again.

In other news, I will endeavour to get the Dread finished this evening and start work on the Recon Marines and Master of Signal- I have some OSL work I'd eventually like to try out on him.

Glad ur airbrush is fixed mate , I'd be lost without mine !
You really do need to use them all the time to learn all the tricks that keep you painting rather than dis-assembling !
Took me ages cos I kept going back to the brush till I got curious to see what you can actually do with one !

I like your weathering method, very realistic rain/rust runs !

The dread is looking good so far!

Big H wrote:Glad ur airbrush is fixed mate , I'd be lost without mine !
You really do need to use them all the time to learn all the tricks that keep you painting rather than dis-assembling !
Took me ages cos I kept going back to the brush till I got curious to see what you can actually do with one !

I like your weathering method, very realistic rain/rust runs !

Thing is I tried pretty much everything suggested on forums and such, sending it back was a last resort so I don't know what to do should it happen again (which knowing my luck, it probably will as soon as I ulgrt it back). Anyway, glad you like the weathering!

Ustrello wrote:The dread is looking good so far!

Thanks

Good morning Dakka! After a wee hiatus I'm back on the Hobby Train on the way to Paintsilvania... I got myself a swing-arm lamp for my desk and some daylight bulbs plus I dug out and dusted off my Death Korps- they've been languishing in cardboard box purgatory for a good few months now and I decided they needed some attention.

So, I started off doing the white armour on some of the infantry models. I still have a ways to go:

- Assemble 14 and paint 20 Grenadiers
- Paint an Infantry Squad
- Paint Praetorian and Hellhound
- Paint Command HQ, Quartermaster and Artillerist
- Paint 3 Heavy Bolter Teams

I'm going to attempt to blast through the stuff I have already started painting. I'm going to add to the heavy weapon teams with more Heavy Bolters and Lascannons and I'll bung in a Thunderbolt if I'm feeling flush enough.

Glad to see the krieg coming back. Also daylight bulbs were the best investment I have made.

Really nice stuff in this thread. I'll be following this closely from now on. I love Actaeon and your bits of fluff are just brilliant. The weathering is awesome and not unlike the look I would like to achieve on my Alpha Legion. I may have to swipe some of your techniques.

Also looking forward to seeing more guardsmen. I love your SM, but the Kriegsmen are something really special.

Ustrello wrote:Glad to see the krieg coming back. Also daylight bulbs were the best investment I have made.

Thanks Ustrello. I'm happy to be working on them again- they make a nice change of pace from the Marines. Daylight bulbs are awesome!

Darth Bob wrote:Really nice stuff in this thread. I'll be following this closely from now on. I love Actaeon and your bits of fluff are just brilliant. The weathering is awesome and not unlike the look I would like to achieve on my Alpha Legion. I may have to swipe some of your techniques.

Also looking forward to seeing more guardsmen. I love your SM, but the Kriegsmen are something really special.

Many thanks Darth Bob, glad you're on board. I am thinking about some more fluff to accompany the updates of my Krieg, this time perhaps from their perspective? I'm going to paint the Hellhound and Praetorian together for the purposes of speed and consistency.

I managed to get two Heavy Bolter teams done:

Those are awesome! The red there really works as a spot colour, and the whole ensemble just comes together really well!

Thanks Paradigm I have one more to go and then I have a squad! Woop! Won't get anything done this evening as I'm at the ice hockey (Blaze vs Cardiff).

That marine stuff is pretty sweet but Im glad to see you are back to the Korps. Those guys look cold.

As always... impressive work! Love the white helmets and the bolters themselves are sweet!

Green with envy as always!

Cheers! I'm glad they have the desired effect. I'm not spending a great deal of time on the infantry (as you can probably tell) which is proving to be difficult- I don't have the time to spend hours painting individual Korpsmen and I'd never have a playable army so, as painful as it is, some corners have to be cut.
I will however be spending a little extra time on the Grenadiers and the HQ

Love the heavy bolter squads. I agree that the red is a good contrasting color against the relatively muted and dark scheme. You may have mentioned this before and I just missed it, but how exactly do you achieve that snow effect? It looks incredibly realistic.

 Darth Bob wrote:
Love the heavy bolter squads. I agree that the red is a good contrasting color against the relatively muted and dark scheme. You may have mentioned this before and I just missed it, but how exactly do you achieve that snow effect? It looks incredibly realistic.

There are two different types up above- the one on the right was done by mixing water effect with soft flake snow from modelscenics and thenone on the left was with pva glue and the same snow. The one on the left has come out looking icier and will look better with another layer on top. The one on the right looks REALLY white and clumpy- I'm not as happy with it.
I've ordered some 1/35 scale red bricks and assorted turned brass gubbinz for scenery and such: there is a massive scenic base in the works.

Good mornin' on this fine sunny Monday! Made a start on the tanks this weekend. They are noticeably different from the first tank but there is a reason for this: I figured the first looked more like an originally white tank which got dirty rather than one that had some white-wash applied.



Bit difficult to tell but it has worked a little better this time around. Pin washing is done on the Hellhound and partly done on the MBT. Next to do is the barrels and glass, grime, some spots of rust here and there, mud and then snow.

Looking cool mate! Really nice... Glad it is sunny for you as I needed my willies this morning to get to work!!

I do very much like those Praetorians!! They sit very well with the actual GW models!

"If it wisnae fur yer wellies, where wid ye be?"

Thanks very much Biff. Another evening or two should aee them both completed. Then I can get cracking with more infantry! Woop!

HHHmmmmmm your lack of updates is disturbing!!

I hope all is well with you! Take it easy!

 MagosBiff90 wrote:
HHHmmmmmm your lack of updates is disturbing!!

I hope all is well with you! Take it easy!

Yeah, as above. Where you gone matey ?!?!

Good afternoon on and all...

I dropped off the radar there for a bit, mainly because I became absolutely disillutioned by GeeDub and the plethora of ridiculous rulesets and extortionate prices. Also I found myself not having much free time and when I did manage to get a moment, I couldn't be bothered to pick up a brush.

Needless to say the miniatures sat on my desk have gathered a thin film of dust. A friend of mine came to stay this weekend and, being a Marine player, gave me a kick up the bum to get some work done. I will see what I can do.

Ah ha!!! Good day to you sir!!

Good to see you back! Was beginning to think a mighty catastrophe had befallen you!

Glad to see you back on the radar & hope you feel back in the swing of it again soon!

Cheers,

Thanks MB Indeed I hope to feel a bit more inspired than I previously felt. Perhaps I might write some fluff so get me in the right frame of mind...

Lately I'm the same , too little time too little interest !
I enjoyed seeing your work matey , glad you're back !

Big H, it has definitelt been a struggle where enthusiasm is concerned. So much so that I've flogged the Sicaran and I'm putting the DKoK up for sale too (so if anyone wants anything, give me a shout).

I'm keeping the rest of my Marines and will keep it small so that I can concentrate on doing the best job I can.

You...flogged it? What?

Haha, I forget that this is an international forum sometimes!

"Flogged" in the UK can mean "whipped" or "sold".

So I sold it

Shame to see the DKOK go, but glad to see you'll keep on hobbying, even on a small scale.

If it's disillusionment with GW that's killing the fun, have you looked at any other games? Theres plenty out there, many of which only have a small startup/pverall cost, so it might be worth dipping your toes into some other lines if anything takes your fancy.

Thanks Paradigm. I've looked at doing others but the aesthetic appeal of GW stuff is too strong- I grew up on it and I suspect I may have been subliminally brainwashed into never giving up on it in its entirety...

I'm planning a small force of MkIV marines to go with what I have. Zone Mortalis and allying in bigger games will suffice.

 Elnibbus wrote:
Thanks Paradigm. I've looked at doing others but the aesthetic appeal of GW stuff is too strong- I grew up on it and I suspect I may have been subliminally brainwashed into never giving up on it in its entirety...

I'm planning a small force of MkIV marines to go with what I have. Zone Mortalis and allying in bigger games will suffice.

Sad to see the dkok go man, if they are still up for sale can you PM a list of what you have? Also try dakka's maelstrom edge, the kickstarter is going and its 90$ for the two player starter set.

No more DKoK D: I know what it is like to loose enthusiasm like that, I've been pretty close to getting rid of my genswick once or twice.

Don't have an army shot do you, so we can at least see what once was for posterity's sake? are they still for sale?

Oh well, at least you are keeping up with the marines (which are amongst the best that I've seen anywhere). Especially as you seem to be doing what I've dreamed of doing which is a small ZM force, except mine would be yellow.

Anyway, looking forward to your next update mate.

Thank chaps. AFAIK 6 of the Grenadiers are assembled but not painted so I think I'd just sell them on at half FW price. The tanks I don't think are worth that much due to the custom nature (and their shoddy construction, haha!) but perhaps they could go for £15/£20 a piece? I really don't know.

Anyway, on an actual blog note, I want to get the dreadnought and terminator blokey finished and then get the recon marines back on the go. I would like to replicate the camouflage from the sniper onto the cloaks of the recon marines. After that I will think about what I'd like to get... Possibly Arnillus Dynat and smooth out the scales? Then stump up for some moar Muhreens.

Hey mate, sorry tohear your DKoK are bound for pasture new.

Whats happening with the Praetorians!?

But glad to hear that you will be continuing on mate!

Cant wait to see more of the MkIV marines!

Magos, I'm selling them. £15-20? Hellhound conversion can go for about £15..

I want to do some cool poses for the Marines that kinda reflect the way they did the DKoK stuff- I have in my mind an image of Marines cleaning kit, eating etc which is something you never see and only read about rarely.

That sounds like an awesome idea! would love to see some marines like that! Field maintenance would be a huge part of any "downtime" they would experience and your right.... it is almost never represented! I can imagine that even in the most barren of warzones they would have a meticulous level of detail and order when prepping their gear!

OOoo.... I am sure you will get those prices no worries! They are really awesome pieces! If I had the pennies I would 100% love to take one off of your hands!

Best of luck.... and I cant wait to see these new marines!

Afternoon all...

Marine cleaning a bolter idea:

Having a small amount of knowledge about how firearms work, the bolter has always annoyed me somewhat. Early fluff and artwork often contradicted one another as to whether or not the weapon was caseless. With the introduction of the multipart SM Tac squad (3rd ed?) we had bolters with ejection ports but annoyingly the bolt pistol had no such thing.
Now we have the new (old) patterns of Boltguns/pistols, all with ejection ports for spent brass (or whatever the grim-dark equivelant of brass is, brassemantium or whatever).
Without a doubt, spent brass flying all over the place wins the Rule of Cool. Fact.

So to come to terms with it, I have deemed the Bolter to be a SABOT firing weapon i.e. the firing pin hits a primer and ignites a small charge which propels the bolt (self-propelled warhead) from the barrel. This charge then serves a secondary purpose which is to ignite the rocket motor (very tightly packed propellent like the inside of a rocket firework) which speeds the warhead to the target.

Thus the bolter, while not using truly caseless ammunition, can be said to fire rocket-propelled warheads AND make use of brass casings.

ANYWAY, those familiar with the Armalite family of weapons (M16) you'll know that the upper receiver is free to pivot at the front when the take-down pin is removed from the rear. And this is my plan for a needlessly over-complicated bolter. What do you think? Madness?

Also, do we think Marines would eat sandwiches? Bearing in mind I envisage Marines to be a wee bit more realistic than those daft things GeeDub has such a massive rager for... I think yes. Plus they probably drink coffee (or recaff) and smoke.

Don't they eat some sort of nutrition paste while on deployment? I know space puppies drink copious amounts of beer, so non uptight chapters may eat and drink real food.

If I were a Space Marine, I'd live on Irn-Bru, Scooby-Snacks (burger, black pudding, haggis, square sausage, egg, tattie scone, bacon and cheese in a roll), tiramisu and chips.

But seriously, I'm just trying to think of things that they would *realistically* eat/drink in the field which would stand up to my mediocre sculpting abilities... Ultramarines are probably succeptable to the odd cheeky olive or slice of pizza I'm sure.

MREs possibly, all you would have to do is sculpt a rectangle shape.

I have a fantastic idea for a diorama... I'm thinking about doing some poses which would look good on a scenic base. I'll do some sketches and see if they'll scan/photo well enough.

Basically a dude peering out from behind a sand-bagged wall with some kinda optics while another marine eats some chow and another cleans his bolter...

That sounds awesome, very realistic sounding.

I hope it will look good. That's only for 3 Marines though, will have to think about the other 7...

sounds good mate! could easily increase the size of the piece to include all 10..... couple of marines at chow.... a couple practicing some new hand to hand combat skills they saw in their previous engagement... a couple cleaning bolters.. (that super intricate mechanism you were talking sounds like it would be pretty sweet).... and then a couple of guys keeping watch on their brothers.....

I suppose with the super metabolism of the marines... they could pretty much eat anything they wanted... some local wild life or ration packs.... .. endless possibilities.. cant wait to see how you tackle this one...

I say give the ration packs if they are in the field.

Actually... I just thought.... there is a scene in the "Ultramarines Movie" where the young squad of marines are ont he strike cruiser waiting to arrive at their destination.... they are doing kinds of drills and weapon checks etc..... one of them is carving "Burn The Heretic" into each one of the bolt rounds of his bolter before he loads it...... Like you can see sometimes in WW1 & WW2 pictures....

Would be tricky to do... but that might be a nice pose if you could recreate it....

Wow. Setting the bar high then? Lol. I'll see what I can muster

You can dooooo it!

"C'MAAAN, GO NAOW! GETTOOOO ZEEE CONVEAHSHUNS!"

A mix of MRE and sandwich could come up with an interesting space marine pastie !!!!

I think I may start off slow... I'm looking at what legs and such I should be usig and the most laid back posing is probably the Legion Mk.IV heavy support squad, albeit the poses are a little more upright. Still, if I butcher them adequately I'm sure I can cook up something: repose the kneeling legs into a sitting position, have one standing straight with bolter slung casually, another leaning against a wall...

Daedelus carried the two children out into the street past Artis and Demeter either side of the doorway, the mother close behind.

"Hydra base? This is omega-33: message, over."

"Omega-33, the is Hydra: send message, over."

"Hydra: sector 1-6 is clear of enemy forces. Zero-contact. I say again: zero-contact. Sweep complete. RTB with three civilians in tow. How copy?"

"Received Omega-33. Storm Eagle pickup en-route for pick up at LZ 4. ETA 16 minutes. Secure LZ and mark with green smoke. Over."

"Understood. Omega-33 out."

Daedelus formed the squad into a loose column formation and moved out at pace: they had 2km to cover with the 3 civilians they had discovered back through the area they had just cleared. They hadn't said anything as yet but he couldn't blame them: they would be debriefed back at base and no doubt they would divulge whatever they knew when they felt safe.

Nice story! Glad to see you back man

And he is back!!

Nice little teaser story there... looking forward to hearing and seeing where it leads...

The Marines approached an open plaza at the centre of a crossroad, littered with splintered trees, broken benches and the remnants of statues and kiosks. Bullet casings rolled is the cross-breeze and dust floated on the air. This was the LZ. Daedelus scanned the far side of the plaza, searching windows and holes in the walls for any threat. Finding none, he signalled to his squad to occupy each corner of the crossroad. He stayed with the civilians and watched as his men took up their positions. Demeter was approaching the east entrance when a single shot rang out, incredibly loud after such a long time of relative silence. The shot hit him high on the temple and he collapsed after running a few more paces.

"SNIPER!" All the Marines ducked into whatever cover was available and immediately fired their weapons at wherever they deemed the shot had come from while Daedelus positioned himself to cover the civilians with his own body. Deafening gunfire engulfed the plaza as the Marines employed a suppressive fire pattern of constant shots. A second shot rang out and clipped the wall an inch from Daedelus' head. He had been fortunate enough to see the flash of the weapon being used by the sniper.

"Artemes! West side of the plaza, 3rd floor, 2nd window on the left!"
"Roger that."
A thunderous barrage of shells erupted from the heavy bolter and chewed the wall of the building to dust. The Marines positioned under the window kicked the front door in and ran up the stairs.
"Cease fire! Entering now!" Artemes ceased firing and the plaza waited. Two shots rang out.
"Sniper team disabled".


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, thanks! I haven't done any hobby for an absolute age. In fact, I have a confession to make...

My fiancee and I have bought a house and, while sorting out our stuff, I might have binned all of my Guard...

But not to fear, I have decided to move in a completely new direcrion which will become clear in the future.

Loving the fluff mate! Really nice setting of the scene!

Congrats on the house buy & move mate! good news!! .... but.... your mental..... you threw it out?!?! lol.. na in all seriousness... good luck with the move and look forward to seeing which direction it is you take!

Yeh I binned the lot... Just got really p*ssed off with the Age of Sigmar stuff so binned all my Dark Elves. My Guard were going absolutely nowhere so they went too (I kept the tanks but I don't think they'll survive much longer...).

I kept the Marines because I thought they were the coolest of all the stuff I had done. I have more ideas for them and they are more readily playable than anything else.

Thanks for the congrats on the house! We're still trying to finalise the move date- it's looking like next Wednesday!

NNNNOoooooo..... I mean... YYEESSS for the house move.... but NNNOooooo for the tank destruction... lol.... Hope it all goes well for ya!!

Afternoon ladies and gents. It has been over a year since I last posted anything or even picked up a paintbrush (for hobby purposes anyway, I've been doing a lot of DIY and room decorating!).

So where did I leave everything? I believe I sacked off and binned a load of stuff during the house move but I still have my airbrush, compressor and all my other modelling supplies.

I think due to my lack of ability to finish an army of any kind, I will no doubt focus on single projects that I can visit whenever I feel like it.

Anyway, I may be back: who can tell?

Right, so, yeah...

I'm going to do something completely different. Something that I've never tried before.

Guard. In the desert. Playing BF1 has made me think of the war in the Eastern desert and such: I'm going to combin my love for orange and white armour with Guard. Plastic Cadians which will be converted to make them more interesting. Scarves/shemaghs etc.

Need to order some models because I have zero!

So getting back onto the hobby-wagon has proven fruitful as I have purchase a load of sand, shrubbery (that word always makes me laugh), airbrush thinner and cleaner plus plasticard.

I'll be making slings and modifying las guns using the plasticard. Might pop down to the local GW at some point and pick up some greenstuff.

I also have an idea for weapons teams under fire: I've seen some scale model dioramas with explosions in them and apparently the way to do this is with bathroom sealant which I have plenty of since I have to reseal the bath (AGAIN. I think I need better sealant...).

I might have a bash at finishing and painting the Hellhound I started over a year ago (if I find a spare moment this weekend- decorating the bathroom).

Nice to see you back! I look forward to your new project, it definitely sounds interesting!

Don't get GW Green Stuff though! Search Kneadatite on EBay, it's the exact same stuff but without the GW branding and thus about a third of the price.

Thanks for the heads-up Paradigm! I'll have a looksie

In addition, I have had a thought regarding the look and feel of the minis. I would quite like to replicate the FW DKoK approach to having squads 'at ease', 'firing' and 'advancing' maybe even using some of the poses for inspiration...

Right, so I managed to find a squad of OOP Kasrkin on FleaBay for £30. They are probably my favourite guard sculpts and I wish they would release them again, even in FineCrap. They have been primed using black paint but a quick dip in paint stripper should see them fresh.

POA is to remove the base tags, make some suitably desert looking bases (think Suez map for those who own Battlefield 1) and make slight modifications to them, like shemaghs and the like.

Additionally I will be appropriating my Praetorians (the tanks, not the Raj/Zulu inspired minis) for the new army. I'm not terribly sure what the best approach would be to remove the snow effect from the tracks and hull of my Punisher variant: any ideas?

Right, so, I've got a load of plasticard and green stuff plus a set of pretty dubious quality sculpting tools and some cool AK Interactive airbrush paints. AND my Kasrkin turned up but need a soak in some paint stripper.

I am going to have a go at stripping the white wash and such off of my tanks ready for a desert paint job. I also aim to do some sculpting on the plastic Cadians I have managed to find in a box in the study.

I have an ACCA professional exam coming up next week so I should probably do some studying this weekend but you never know, I may actually be able to post some pictures of something shortly!

Look Dakkadakka! I've been carrying out hobby related shenanigans!



So what am I up to here? Well, I've taken apart the old scratchbuilt Hellhound which I had started to despise (there were lots of things bugging me about it so it got 'looted').

I've long had a bee in my bonnet about the apparent lack of any kind of suspension system on Imperial Guard tanks. So, I'm modifying the Chimera track units to look a bit more 'real' by not using the side pontoons and leaving the tracks and roawheels exposed. This will also have the added benefit of differentiating them from the LRBTs which I'ved based on the Chimera chassis.

I'm also planning to rig out the interior with benches, stuff and a commander's turrent cradle.

So progress on this has been hella-slow. Breaking up my Hellhound has resulted in a lot of badly damaged parts that I can't salvage so I may just go and buy a new Chimera after my exam tomorrow (commisatory/congratulatory to be decided).

My Kasrkin are taking a second bath in paint stripper: I'm going to let yhem soak over night and give them a good rinse tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, a proof of concept for my new track units:

So I didn't pick up a new Chimera today: I decided to have a pint in the pub instead (the exam was alright but still, any excuse for a swift one!).

I had a quick bash at doing a shemagh/scarf thing. Apologies for the potato picture but I only have my phone at the moment

Looks convincing, should be pretty seamless when painted. Do you have a scheme in mind for these guys yet?

Thanks Paradigm. I do actually: inspired a little by the uniforms of the Ottoman Empire in Battlefield 1, I'd like to do a light tan colour on the fatigues and white armour (I'm obsessed with white armour and I'm not sure why!). Tanks will be painted in WW2 DAK colours with my usual weathering techniques.
I aim to make the tanks a bit more realistic in terms of additional equipment attached to them, so extra road wheels and links of track here and there plus jerry cans and tools.

Just remembered my Kasrkin are still in a jar full of paint stripper...

Hey mate,

Looking good there and intrigued to se what will become of the new tank / tracked unit!

And really like the look / sound of the proposed scheme for the troopers..... looking forward to seeing where it progresses!

Hey MB! How's it going fella? I wil have to wait until I get a new Chimera kit to finish anything.

I'm a little stuck trying to decide how my Las Rifles should look: I initially wanted to just stick a carry handle onto the top of the standard pattern of Cadian weapon however I have since seen Rawson's idea of using Ad-Mech guns. I am also thinking of revisiting the idea of using Empire Handgunner parts and modding them...

I should probably do a proof of the carry handle idea to see what it looks like first.

The AdMech guns are pretty nice, but unless you're using the AdMech arms as well you might have some trouble, as the grips are different and possibly wouldn't work at all with Cadian arms Most also have the hands sculpted on (so do the Cadians, but most of the AdMech hands are cybernetic so would look a bit off). I reckon modding the Cadian guns is the way to go.

You're probably right Paradigm... Given that they're going to be actual Cadians (yet to have a name for the regiment, Desert Dogs or something like that?) I guess I'd better stick with the Cadian-type weaponry! That and, as you say, it'll be waaaaaay easier!

Welcome back!

Did a bit of jiggery-pokery with a Las Rifle that I had already cut down, not sure I'm a fan:







It was a monumental pain in the arse to do. However, I am a big fan of the rolled-up sleeve look!

Kind of Elysian-y looking. Rolled up sleeve is definitely cool. Might be easier to add sleeves to a Catachan arm and add the FW gun though.

I think I'm just going to go with un-converted Las Rifles and do the rolled-up sleeves: much easier, less time consuming and fits in better with the Cadian look.

As for the arms, the Catachan ones are just obscenely huge and would need shoulder pads sculpting.

I've had a somewhat fruitful evening: I stripped a load of paint off of the Kasrkin that I bought from Ebay (got 6 out of 10 done) and tidied all my hobby crap in the study.

I'm going to attempt to do some sand dune bases for the Kasrkin: they will be my test minis for the colour scheme.

 Elnibbus wrote:
I think I'm just going to go with un-converted Las Rifles and do the rolled-up sleeves: much easier, less time consuming and fits in better with the Cadian look.

As for the arms, the Catachan ones are just obscenely huge and would need shoulder pads sculpting.

The rolled sleeves are definitely cool. Paired with the scarves that you were showing earlier:

I wouldn't give up on the lasguns just yet; it would be a shame to put so much effort into each model only to have stock guns. What if you chose one part, either the handle on top (which I think could be done easier with the natural shape of the lasgun) or the shortened stock and longer barrel.

Yeah you may be right there Rawson... I could just lay a strip of plasticard along the top of the gun.

In other news, I have a tonne of plasticard on the way and a slightly improved method of doing the road wheels on the tanks. However, I will beed to get my hands on another Chimera as the Hellhound suffered a catastrophic disassembly accident.

Nice. Really digging those Las guns with the extended barrel.

EDC

Thanks EDC but I think I prefer the standard lasgun casing over the shorter one with the long barrel. I'm going to get a few more vehicles built and painted before I start on the infantry: at least I can play some small games with an armoured list first.

Perhaps Santa will bring me an armoured column of Chimeras for me to chop up over the holiday period...


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Fresh from their date with paint stripper and an old toothbrush:



They didn't come out too badly at all! This has to be one of my favourite sculpts of all time:



Looking forward to getting some paint on these guys.

I've just posted a question in the painting and modelling section but I might as well put it out here too:

Does anyone have any other good ideas for cutting cylindrical styrene rod? I have a mitre-box and use a hobby saw (the small tenon type) but I still end up with wonky cuts. Not ideal when I have to cut a tonne of 10mm diameter rod to make the road wheels for my tanks...

 Elnibbus wrote:
I've just posted a question in the painting and modelling section but I might as well put it out here too:

Does anyone have any other good ideas for cutting cylindrical styrene rod? I have a mitre-box and use a hobby saw (the small tenon type) but I still end up with wonky cuts. Not ideal when I have to cut a tonne of 10mm diameter rod to make the road wheels for my tanks...

If you're already going to that much effort, the only other thing I could suggest would be sandpaper to straighten things out afterwards. Good luck!

Have you tried a plumbers pipe cutting tool??? Think you can get a 10mm pipe cutter from Wicke's or home base. Very handy especially if you can find an adjustable one that can do a variety of diameters.
Quick search n eBay found this.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311732938872

I resorted to getting out my DeWalt cordless hammer drill and chucking up the rod with the saw siting flush with the edge of the chuck mouth: spinning it up gives a really nice starting point which I can finish off by hand (it's not 100% square but it's better than I was getting with that w*nky mitre box!). I knocked a few road wheel units up this evening:





I also made myself a sanding board using a small piece of wood left over from some project, coarse and fine sand paper:





Kinda like a hobby emery board

Just checking in as I have been quiet over the past few days. I must confess that since the silly season is almost at hand, I haven't been able to hobby as much as I would have liked: house parties and all too frequent visits to the pub have been putting a jolly spanner in the Guard works...

Still, I managed to bugger about with some 1/2" styrene tube and some thin plasticard to make a sprocket wheel for the front of the tracks (I won't post a picture until it and the rear drive wheel are done).

I'm also going to try and paint over the Crimbo break which leads to a question: what colour to prime my minis? Black, white or grey? I am aiming for white armour and light tan fatigues.

... damn those pesky pubs and their tempting wares... a jolly spanner is right!

Looking forward to seeing the progress though!

And for me... with my highly dubious painting / priming skills... I would go for grey.... just feel like it can give a nice matt / almost dusty and dirty look when painted thinly over....

Had a bit of an 'accident' on Tuesday night as it happens...

My gut was telling me to use grey primer given the light colours I will be using and such. Plus a lot of the good painters on Dakka seem to use grey primer to great effect: if it works for them, it *might* work for me

I will do my utmost to get something painted but I'm still trying to figure out the scheme somewhat. I will have a play about with the Kasrkin and see what happens.

What grey primer do people use? Is Army Painter stuff any good?

UH OH! lol.... hope it wasn't too severe!

Ye I would definitely say Grey is the way to go.... and speaking for myself.... a big can of Grey Plastic Primer from Halfords is an excellent choice! Really nice finish and priced well!

I use the halfords stuff everytime. Grey for most vehicles or their white primer if I want a vibrant top colour. Probably buy two of the big cans in each colour over the year but then I'm not painting every day.

Read through this whole thing, some amazing work and real inspirational stuff, can't wait to see more.

Halford grey, just make sure you do not buy the one with filler in it.

Final hobby post before Ascension Day!

Thanks for the kind words Cam: I judt need to learn to actually finish things! I shall give the Halfords primer a go and see what happens

Also, I made an alteration to the road wheel trunion things and I think they look much better. I had thought of doing all sorts of hydraulics and what not but since these are going to be made for a lot of tanks, I decided on the KISS principle.

Hi folks! I hope everyone had a merry whatever-mas!

So I've been thinking over the lasguns and I want to revisit the ones I did for my previous plastic guardsmen: the conversions using the Empire Handgunner guns. Problem is, I can't find the spare guns anywhere! Is this kit on its way out or something?

After looking at the trunions, I decided to make another version:



I'm much happier with this. It's a bit fiddly but now that I have all of the components figured out, it should be more straightforward.

I was also trawling through pictures of converted Cadians and came across this:



This was exactly what I had in mind with my first botched attempt so may just copy the above (sans buttstock pad and the extra detailing: looks like he has somehow managed to carve out the gun with an amazing amount of precision).


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Just spent an hour knocking these up:

Just took a shot of the trunions with the front sprocket wheel (left) and the rear wheel. Should look alright when they're all on the tank!



Anyhoo, it's currently too cold to prime any of my Kasrkin and I don't have any other infantry to build/paint so I'll be making a start on repainting my tanks.

Happy New Year folks! I hope everyone had a suitably festive period filled with booze, food and merriment?

Did I get anything hobby-related from Santa? No. I did however receive an idea for a Marbo-type person in the form of a 40k equivalent of a pseudo-Lawrence of Arabia using parts from the plastic Cadian command HQ that I found in a box... Essentially, I'm just going to use the commander's torso, arms and legs and make a karambit/janbiya type knife along with a suitable pistol. Adding a scarf and a backpack should finish the desired look.

In addition, I have ordered two armoured fist squads as the basis for my Mech-Vets. They will probably be with me next week which will give me enough time to determine how to arrange the road wheels on the tanks... It will also allow me some extra time to decide on what conversions I'm going to perform: like I said in an earlier post, I'd like to add in some characterful poses like someone drinking a brew or smoking.

Any suggestions?

So while I'm waiting for my armoured fist squads to turn up, I've been rummaging around in boxes which have lain undisturbed since we moved house in October 2015. I've pulled out some of the Command HQ models I built yeeeeears ago and have decided to take part in the unofficial Dakka monthly competition with a Sly Marbo type chap, the basis of which follows below:



I also felt the need to take a picture of my new workspace which is in 'the study': that's right folks, we have a 'study' (it's basically a spare room with a desk and bookshelf). But it's tidy (for now at least).

So what's better than a Mauser M712 Schnellfauer? A futuristic, drum magazine-fed, suppressed version!



Also tried a bit of carving for a jambiya styled knife:



And a some views of the arms tacked on:





Thoughts?

Looks like he's going to be quite the badass, those are some cool weapons!

Cheers. I didn't have a plan for them, I kinda just messed around with plasticard until they looked ok. The pistol turned out bigger than anticipated though (but this is 40k and everything is XBAWKSHUEG). What about the pose?

On second review, the pistol needs reducing in size- comparing it to FW laspistols it's excessively huge (As it is, it's bigger than a bolt pistol). I'm hoping my armoured fist squads turn up this week which means I can get cracking next weekend!

I may order some more FW parts this week too... I'll post a picture of the modifications to the pistol later this evening.

I do have a question regarding my 'Marbo' and the rest of the infantry: all helmeted/mask heads or a mix of open face helmets and bare heads?

I reckon mix in some bare heads, just to add some variety and personality in there. Rule of cool and all that.

Aye, I'll scatter a load of different heads throughout the army. Not sure what dkrection I'm going to take with the command HQ squad: I'll probably be using the 'Marbo' chap as a commander, the weapons representing a Hellpistol and a power weapon.

I have some ideas for heavy weapon teams as I really like the thought of support weapon units giving covering fire from dug-in positions. With the help of MagosBiff, I'll be constructing ruins and such and also trying to create explosions...

I'm still umming and arring about these road wheels for my Chimeras... I guess I'll just have to mock one up and see what it looks like.

Road wheels are looking good.

Your detail work is brilliant, that pistol is excellent.

Looking great there buddy! that knife looks brutal ... and I LOVe the idea of a proper drum fed pistol!!

Also can't wait for more on those road wheels.. and the vehicles they are going to be attached to!!! ... and the buldings.... and the heavy weapons teams!! Properly inspiring stuff!

Thanks Cam!

I have actually reduced the size of the pistol to make it slightly more feasible/believable: I'm actually thinking about scratching all of the infantry portable Bolter-weaponry to look, well, portable! The DKoK Heavy Bolter is probably the most realistic representation of the weapon that is available so I'm tempted to use the sizing as a template (or just buy the bits from eBay). I won't have that many in the army as they will be relegated to HW squads.

Anyhoo, I'm away with work this week and had the intention of bringing some stuff with me so that I could hobby in the hotel room in the evenings. However, I completely forgot to pack my Tin O'Doom... Still, the armoured fist squads I ordered should have turned up at home by now so I'll have more to occupy myself this weekend!

Sooooo... I've made a few changes to my original idea. Though I liked the thought of the robes a la Lawrence of Arabia, it wouldn't really be practical and the legs aren't really dynamic. As such, I chose a better pose:



I also decided to reduce the size of the pistol and twisted his torso. I need to finish off the green stuff tunic on the torso and do some extra work on the arms to reposition them.

While my armoured fist squads turned up this week (hooray!) I only got home from working away on Thursday (booo) so haven't done as much as I would have liked. I have however started on the basic pose for the arms on my officer:



The pistol is still MASSIVE but I think it fits ok. The plan is to sculpt rolled-up sleeves and a shemagh. Other details will include some DKoK style binoculars (like the tank commander has), a watch, backpack, pouches and grenades etc.

Nice pose. The pistol may be big, but not ludicrously so given 40k's weapon scaling, just enough to make him look badass.

Thanks Para. I've actually started on a Chimera today but have had to stop and pass my workspace over to my fiancée while we make wedding invites (getting married in October this year!).

I've decided against the road wheels: it was proving to be a massive pain in the arse just to line up the wheels and tracks. But, I have decided to detail the interior of each of the Chimeras and do some jiggery-pokery with the turret placement. So far I have replaced the silly looking lasguns with wire mesh (there will be lasguns stored on the inside of the troop compartment).

As for the infantry, I'm going to try and convert every single one of them, even if it's as simple as reloading or drilling out the poucjes to make them look empty.


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And as if by magic, inside detail of the Chimera turret:

No more hobby updates for the weekend :( I did however put up a set of shelves and coat hooks so it wasn't a totally unproductive day!

What are people's opinions on interior detailing? Less-is-more or as much as you can fit in?

You can never have enough detail, What you have there is looking brilliant, logical and nicely detailed. Making the interior of the tanks believable is the biggest battle, they are so small before you start to add oversize weapons etc.

Interested to know the issues with the road wheels?

I somehow knew you'd say that Cam... I'm approaching the turret as a manually operated machine gun, similar to an up-armoured .50 M2 on an M113: 'basic'. So I will remove the box magazine from the storm bolter receiver and put an ammo tin on the right side of the turret with a belt feed entering the right. I will stick a spare ammo tin to the rear of the turret and a small radio and medi-pack on the left. That should provide enough detail for the turret at least.

For the troop compartment, I'll run two benches along either side of the hull with lasguns above them. Underneath the benches will be all manner of crap, I mean, equipment. Will use something as an interior light and run cables along the roof. Since the engine is likely located towards the front of the tank, I'll run some cables along the underside of one of the benches to door controls at the back.

As for the road wheels... They're too fiddle-arsey! Because there are a number of imperfections in each section, they aren't identical and so don't quite line up properly. Plus I can't seem to orientate them correctly on the hull with the tracks either, making it difficult to get each side looking the same.

Something I do need to source is some ammo-boxes and jerry cans...

As always... nice job mate.... really like the machine gun... looks brutish and will definetly add a lot to the internal detail!!

When you say interior light..... are you hinting at LED... actual lighting??

I wasn't going to use an LED but now I'm not so sure...


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So I've been doing a lot of sculpting and messing around with mesh this evening:



Base of the turret cradle. It's just a disc of plasticard with a mesh base and a strip to surround it. There will be four struts connecting this to the bottom of the turret.





I also sculpted a bunch of cushions for the troop benches in the back compartment. Because the turret is being relocated to the middle of the hull, the benches will be 4 seats long on either side of the troop bay. I figure 2 guys will be stood up, ready to fire from the top hatch if needed. As such, I'll be putting grab rails either side of the hatch.

Made a bit more progress this evening:



I think that might be enough for me this evening. Since I'm staying away with work this week, I've had to bring my stuff with me: I've actually left some bits at home! I still need to do the detail on the inside of the roof and finish the benches.

Looking pretty awesome so far.

Looking good..... the "burst couch" look of those seats is sweet!!

Thanks MB, it's definitely the look I was going for so I'm happy it comes across I'm hoping that now I have the process down and the dimensions of parts for doing the interior of the tanks it'll be a relatively easy process from now on.

I will be going back to doing a bit of sculpting on my officer model so hopefully I'll have something else to show by the time I get home tomorrow.


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Done a bit of sculpting:





Sorry about the picture qaulity but the lighting in my hotel room is poop.

N.b. His arm isn't going to be sticking out that far from his body!

My photography skills leave a lot to be desired...



I've positioned his arm and attached the pistol: the limb is still separate as the forearm needa a bit of attention. I'm actually considering having the arm at rest by his side however this would obscure additional detail like the binoculars I want to add. Or should I bother with the binos? I could just opt for a couple grenades or ammunition pouches? I'm going to sculpt a backpack for him in a similar fashion to the DKoK ones with the addition of a helmet strapped to it. I was considering adding backpack straps to his torso: would this be a bit OTT given that he will have a shemagh around his neck?
As for a head, I'd like to sculpt some wavy hair with a high parting after all, this will be my commanding officer "Lorenz of Cadia".

(Bonus points if people connect the dots of the name and desert setting!)

I guess he will be blonde then.

Looking brilliant, especially for work done away from home.

Cheers Cam. The lighting in Premier Inns is always garbage so I had to hold the parts up to a desk lamp while I sculpted.

Now that I'm back home though I can get the rest of the inside detail of the Chimera done, including the grab rails along the length of the hatch, ammo boxes, fire extinguisher and lasguns mounted to the sides.

I was about to suggest you call him Lawrence before I even saw that! Very cool pose.

Thanks Para! I think I'll tackle the shemagh next: I quite like the rolled effect I achieved on the sleeves so may emulate that on it.

As for the tank: does anyone have any ideas on what to add detail-wise? Or have I covered the basics?

Done a bit of work on the interior of the Chimera today. I think I'm going to call it there (aside from the benches of course!). I made a little fire extinguisher and two mounts for the lasguns which will sit above the benches on either side.

Couple shots showing the grab rails.





Shot of the fire extinguisher:



Made from a cut up grenade launcher barrel, the guage part from the side of a vox caster and some bits of styrene.

Finally, a shot of the lasguns ready to be painted.




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Nuts: Just realised I might have to move the fire extinguisher to get thr benches in properly...

Thats looking pretty fantastic bud, maybe the extinguisher can be ceiling mounted. Are you using that bit at the back as a light, if not I would suggest an interior light, possibly a couple bulkhead lights, to indicate say maybe a red and normal light. Gives the chance for some nice lens work or maybe some OSL. And lastly just to take it to the rediculous, you could run in the cables to these items, could be conduit or wiring, but adds a realism. Looks perfect as is, but you did ask for suggestions.

Cool conversion, looking forward to seeing it finished

Thanks chaps!

@Cam, I was plannijg on using the object near the door as a light as the cradle for the turret would obscure a bulkhead light. I'm going to run some cabling to it.

Toniggt I'll try and get that done and then drill a hole for the turret (a prospect I am NOT looking forward to at all!).

So yesterday I managed to get absolutely nothing done: emergency pints in the pub with a mate put a stop to anything productive taking place!

I'm hoping that I might get the final bits and pieces of the Chimera finished and the sculpting done on my officer (which needs to be finished by next Tuesday for the January Dakka competition).

In terms of interior colours, I was thinking of a light green similar to the kind found in the American M113 AFV instead of the more common white (the infantry are going to have white armour anyway so there would probably too much).

Nice work on the gun racks, a great touch.

EDC

Cheers EDC. I figured I needed something to represent the lasgun arrays after removing the silly looking ball-socket guns!


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Turret is in place. Had to move the internal bulkhead forward a few mm to accommodate the cradle.

Thoughts on track guards?

I'm thinking about making a frame and sticking mesh in there as an anti-grenade type thing:Adds to the lightweight, desert-reconnaissance type vibe that I'm going for.

Or should I just cowgirl-up and do full-on track guards a la the old-school Forge World ones?

Didn't quite get it finished last night:



STILL need to finish the cabling on the roof panel and make a driver's hatch...

Mate..... that's class!! Pure Class.... so much going on and lovely wee details... but it still looks and feels like there is enough space for the troopers themselves! Awesome job!!!

Cheers buddy!

I was going to make a hatch for the driver on the inner bulkhead however I think it would be lost behind the cradle (if you look in from the back anyway). Besides, I have some graphics I'd like to print off as 'motivational material' for the troopers.

Painting has begun on the Chimera using my airbrush. I haven't picked up the airbrush in about 18 months and boy does it show! Luckily all the splatters have been covered with camouflage stripes and will be masked even more so when the weathering takes shape. For these tanks, I'm going to opt for the sponge-chipping technique.

Colours used are from the AK Interactive DAK set and Vallejo interior green for the, well, interior! I'm not convinced on the interior though... Pictures are to follow when I have something decent to show.

Doooooooooooooooooies anyone have any ideas on how I could make the Cadian Heavy Bolter look more portable (besides replacing it with the Elysian/DKoK one)? I have thought about leaving off the gunshield, shortening it and cutting a good portion of the top/bottom off...

Bit of progress:

Excellent progress, love the weathering.

Cheers Cam. The weathering didn't take all that long actually: I've since spent longer painting the lasguns mounted on the interior!

Need to paint the tracks and glass sections then pigments can happen!

This is some mighty fine work. Just flicked through the previous 19 pages to catch-up and now sub'd

Thanks Ruglud and welcome aboard!

I should probably be able to get some more done to this on Friday and *hopefully* I can get started on my Leman Russ conversion.

But I have a confession: I may have screwed up my Punisher variant in my attempts to re-purpose it and remove the snow and mud from the tank. I might just have to go crazy with the earth pigments to cover up the bits I can't get off!

Right folks, question time: what can I do to make the exterior of the Chimera more interesting?

I have thought about making my own track guards for it and attaching jerry cans (supplied by the wonderful MagosBiff) along with other miscellaneous items. The reason that I didn't do this earlier is because I am still waiting on some bits to turn up and I just wanted to break out the airbrush and actually paint something for a change!

Additional markings on the track units? I have tried to simulate a hand-painted unit marking to the turret but think I will add red to the interior of the numbers to replicate the type of decals on DAK vehicles in WW2.

Lights on top of the tank tracks? Do I bother putting guards on the entire length of the sloping surfaces of the track units? I'm thinking that having only the horizontal track surface covered would suit the light weight/desert reconnaissance look I'm going for... Maybe...

I think extra baggage and stowage is a good way to go, maybe stuff like entrenching tools or spare parts as well as jerry cans and such. Basically anything the guys would need with them on deployment. With the rugged, desert theme you're going for, resupply might be sporadic at best, so having the tanks loaded down with all sorts of gear might help with the 'lived in' feel.

(Unless of course you were to do a dedicated logistics/cargo Chimera, which would be awesome and fit with the theme of the force so well....)


And since I forgot to comment before, the weathering on the Chimera is lovely!

Thanks Paradigm!

Funnily enough, I was contemplating doing a Chimera that was heavily laden after having a skeg at Goat Major's DKoK mechanised column... Perhaps the Command Squad's transport?

Anyhoo, hopefully the Elysian plasma guns and other bits have turned up from my buddy while I've been away and I can start building some infantry next week

Personally I like to throw loads of stuff on the outside, but then thats not necessarily "battle ready", mine tend to sit on a shelf. I would cover most of the tracks, and Tank boys being what they are you often get "added" bits, like chains for towing, or spare track links, acting as extra armour.

Excellent progress. The weathering is especially good and the interior is looking brilliant.

EDC

@Cam, yes I reckon that if I put guards on the top, I can use the spare lengths of track as extra armour on parts like the turret/glacis.

@EDC, thanks buddy! I have templates done so I *should* be able to replicate it easily enough... I need to print off some motivational material for the interior bulkhead to make the flat surface more interesting. I have some 40k posters that I need to size.

Well I have failed miserably to get anything noteworthy done this weekend. I did manage to drop by Halfords and pick up some more primer but apart from that, all I managed to do was spray the tracks for my Chimera!

I am working away this week (again!) but this time have remembered to pack my hobby supplies.

Question regarding the tank track guards: I was thining about making them with a mesh section so they aren't solid all the way along. So the sloping sections and the front half of the horizontal will be plating with the rear half mesh. Thoughts?

Nooooooooo! I've left my zoggin' cutting mat and clippers at home! Zogger-ation...

On a different note: I'm persevering with what I have and it's not going well. I may jist have to go with horizontal guards because anything else I come up with looks awful.

Ah well, I should probably get on and build some infantry...


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Didn't build any infantry. Instead I soldiered on with the track guards:







Comments?

Looks absolutely brilliant to me, like the panel, though not sure of practicality of it, it definitely looks the part. Though surely you have that on the bottom at the moment? Hope its not glued!

Yeah it's just a dry fit so it's not glued on

Do you mean the hinged panel at the front or the mesh? I saw the mesh as a weight saving thing and an homage to WW1 tanks. Plus it's a way of adding an extra feature by allowing observation of the tracks underneath.

The hinged panel is a reference to the mudguards(?) on more modern tanks and also as seen on some Baneblade and other Guard superheavies.

The mud guard looks spot on, and perfect. The mesh looks brilliant and you have done a great job, it may even be more practical than I am thinking, but can just seeing it getting clogged with mud in no time, but then you are in a desert so maybe that is the reasoning, please don't get me wrong, I really like it, just something niggling me, not sure why really.

I get what you're saying matey. I also thought about how the old Forgeworld track guards had the sunken ammunitiom crates so I might stick some extra bits on top of the mesh at some point.

Stuff is amazing. Love the conversions and the paint schemes.

Thanks ghostmaker. It's slow-going (to say the least!) but I'm trying to make the effort with these guys, even if they are 'just Guardsmen'.

While I sit here on my lunch break, I'm thinking of ways to make desert bases more interesting to the point of making bullet impacts in the sand and walls as if they're happening. I am actually contemplating a little diorama at some point and entering GD (though I don't fancy my chances!). Still, you never know unless you try.

Deserts are generally not just sand, most have dried scrubby bushes, and dried grass, easily made from cheap paint brush bristles. Also the bullet impact idea is good, you could also have track marks running through, tank tracks wheel tracks and footprints. All sounds good though, and you have a good chance for a GD, you have an excellent eye and good patience, go for it.

Thanks Cam, I appreciate that.

I have been doodling ideas for bases: broken walls of an ancient human city, scrubs, pillars etc. Basically any of the maps from BF1 based in the desert!


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Quick update: done some sculpting...

Didn't get much done today. Managed to slice my thumb open so have called it quits...



I need to sort out a right hand. Was thinking the vox operator one from the HQ squad so it would look like he's ducking under fire.

Cracking work my friend! Realy looking good! I like the look of the track guards! Nice change and added detail!

I know its still really early doors... and I seem just to have a thing for damage.... but I think the front of the mud guards would be pretty cool to be slightly warped or twisted... from the rocks / stones being kicked up... and also some bullet damage as you suggested would be cool too!

Loving the details though buddy and I agree with Camkierhi ... with your level of detailing... and good paint skills... IMHO... have a crack at GD!!

Thanks Magos! Funny you should mention warping and damaging the mud guards: I've already done it but haven't taken any pictures of them

I still need to make a mounting frame for the jerry cans you sent me AND make head/rear lights of some fashion... Probably something quite basic like Panzer IV headlights on the main hull of the tanks.

ah ha... you pre-empted my thoughts! lol... cool... look forward to seeing them!

Definetly a good idea to go for something utilitarian and basic for the headlights ... on kind of non related point... IMHO the form of the German WW2 tanks including the Panzer IV were pretty awesome! so that's a really cool base to draw inspiration from for the details!