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Posted By scarab on 10/07/2007 5:35 AM
The gun is a little too big and not high tech looking enough. Maybe at least add a wire cable or two? Like the 'nids, I can see the weapons having some degree of integration with the bearer. Torso and joints look good.

The gun is quite powerfful you know! S4 with a reroll to wound I will paint the vents so that they appear to supercharge or heat the solid, caselss ammunition it uses. The way the arms naturally position also requires some "weight" in the gun with the lack of long barrel. The second unit will have two pistols each, but I guess they'll be a little OTT in terms of size too. What can I say, I like big guns and the contrast it has with a skinny construct!

The army actually doesnt have any cables or wire really, some mechanical tentacles (which is enclosed/armoured cable really) and something to cheat levitation, but I've tried to stay away from external cables as semantically it doesn't make any sense for a system designed for war. But I understand your point and definitely hope to integrate the pistols more...just not with cables.

Thanks for the comments!

That looks pretty nice; sort of reminds me of the little robots from Iria sans topknot and tassles.
I am thinking the idea of more weapon/body integration is a good one. Hands are not needed if you never intend to put down your weapon, etc. Perhaps something with just legs and a torso with a gun built in would work. With a few metal tentacles for close combat of course

Don't let me earlier comments say that I don't think this isn't a really cool project. I was talking yesterday to some guys at the store, and I think my bitterness with humanoid aliens is more deepseated than is healthy. I suppose it started with the Star Trek "Every alien has naughty bits just like humans, so Captain Kirk can get his freak on with every random species encountered" thing, and is being agravated by the fact every alien in 40k save the tyranids is a human with different colored skin and maybe a hoof or some big teeth etc.

Anyway, I mean to say don't let what I desperately want (non-humanoid aliens) say that I don't like what you are doing. It may not be my thing exactly, but since my thing seems to be summed up as "If Kirk wants alien booty, he had better be prepared to deal with at least multiple legs and a thorax." And metal tentacles. I should get counseling, and you should rest easy that even someone who doesn't really love big mecha robots thinks this is a cool project.

Posted By Wehrkind on 10/07/2007 6:02 AM
I am thinking the idea of more weapon/body integration is a good one. Hands are not needed if you never intend to put down your weapon, etc.

.... I suppose it started with the Star Trek "Every alien has naughty bits just like humans, so Captain Kirk can get his freak on with every random species encountered" thing, and is being agravated by the fact every alien in 40k save the tyranids is a human with different colored skin and maybe a hoof or some big teeth etc.

... and you should rest easy that even someone who doesn't really love big mecha robots thinks this is a cool project.

Indeed! While I think they would have a secondary role on board the ships or something, even that might be just a case of going to armoury for an arms swap Loking at the Gaunt optios there's so much to do when I get the first 2 gaming required broods done.

Good one! I never liked Star Trek - Star Wars being the reason mainly I saw Luke and comp first and everything I've seen since have been affected by that saga I guess.

That's how I understood it the first time around, I'm very happy to hear that.

I think he'll fit in just fine ^_^.  The paint job is the real pull together for your entire army so far, and I think these won't be any different.  The chest and head are a good structural tie in though.  The addition of the bolts to the joints really helps break the model from the necron warrior mold too.  I take you'll be painting this little guy up before moving on to mass production?   

Thanks Grey.

Sadly this month is pure building as my paints are in finland, but then next month I am planning a whirlwind week of painting and then during December and January even more so, when I have a brake from school. Hopefully I have a playable army towards the end of Xmas holidays for a few games!

Looks great, but there's a bit too much Necron left in there. Maybe modifying the fingers and toes to be 4 digits or even 3 would be cool. OR maybe I just hate the idea that aliens seem to have 5 digits across the sci-fi board :p

Migsula, I again like what you've done. The infantry unit looks quite good, my only suggestion would be to add some sort of visible extra ammunition, like a magazine pouch or box. 

Just for semantics of course

To be sort of specific I think you've made good use of the necron parts; as someone who's done a Necron army* I can look at that and not think "oh it's just a modified Necron warrior". What I mean is that it looks like a unique unit.

Does that make sense?

Good luck with the rest of the squad, I now look forward to seeing more of these and then perhaps combat weapon units?

 

 

*I'd reccomend putting a length of rod through the lower legs if you can as I found that they snap fairly easily.

Mark, Makes perfect sense. Thanks. I have a friend who's saying the opposite and also plays Necron, but I believe in (hope) my painting will change that.

Good tip on the legs. Lets see what I can cook for ammunition

Just chimming in to say I like the prototype gaunt, and the decision to base it on a cron and keep the big gun in modified form. I do think more could have gone into making it less necrontyr and more TWAR unique, but I'm sure you've been cooking up new updates and all that to jump on us before we know it The head though I do like on this guy, and while the gun elements might be more integrated - paint will do this, I'd think - I like where you're headed with it.


Exalt! Very nice Wehr, sad I missed this line of conversation if it was during the big 40k game on saturday

- Salvage

Salvage: Yea you missed a fun game, though Dave's Titan was pretty much unstoppable. It vaporized 2-3 units just about every turn. I almost cried when my Repentia fell under 45 hits from 15 small blast templates. At once. Good times though.

Migs: If I could ask a favor, any chance of having some of your little robots look like spiders with a gun turret on their backs? I am thinking that something low to the ground and very stable is the ideal gun carrying mechanism, much better than us silly humans who hold our weapons 5 feet above the ground, and have nearly a foot of body to shoot above that. Swarms of small robots that are merely 3' tall, the apex of which would be the gun, would be a much more difficult to hit target, as well as more effective at moving unseen.
It would also be cool and not humanoid, and it would mean a lot to see you put something like that together, even if you hit it with a hammer shortly there after

Edit: Apparently I am still so distraught over my Repentia that I misspelled "any" and over used "pretty much". Sad state of affairs.

This is a great project, Migs, and I can really see taht you are excited about it. I dig everything that you've got going on so far.

The trooper here is pretty neat too. I agree with a couple points raised about it looking a bit too necron warrior, but I bet paint will help. Maybe a couple tiny additions here, if you don't mind the suggestions:

Maybe a simple change to the knees, like a kneepad, would help get a little more of your design elements across and make the necron body a bit more different. However, that will be a lot of greenstuffing to do over time.

Another minor greenstuffing thing would be to blend the four fingers into two fingers on each hand. Would take away that humanoid feel, wouldn't take that long, and it would help get across the mass-produced feel of the robots more - 2 fingers is cheaper and more efficent to make than 4!

Anyhow, thanks for the updates and letting us in on the creative process.

I too like the infantry bot but I feel like it really would benefit from some sort of shoulder pads to tie the design a little closer to the big mechs.

I think its just the spindly arms/legs that don't really seem to mesh with the big bulky designs of the rest of the army.

Remember, Necrons were designed to be very skeletal robots (undead in space, essentially) which is kind of the opposite end of the spectrum from the Gundam robot (big for the sake of being big).

I do like some of the ideas brought up here. Shoulder pads, if you can find the bits (in mass quanity of course >.&gt could be a fast and easy way to beef them just enough to tie in better.

And the fingers idea just seems cool ^_^

Good suggestions guys!

Grimteef, good to see you man!!

Many things that I am thinking of integrating into the designs. I will keep the ai's very skinny though, as they really only have the basic stats and through out the army the stats are an important design driver. Even with the big guys, so all 3+ save guys have unenclosed metal lowerlegs, 2+ are fully enclosed and 2+ T7 have visible extra, like armoured collars etc.

I think my plan for the rest of the month is to build a whole squad of these guys with a few more challneging poses and get them primed. SO working hard towards the gaming legal army and Xmas break

Coolest... project... ever...

Really happy to see your considerable talent going to something as cool as giant freaking robots in 40k.

On to the newest m.e.AI.  I'll second the motion that I was hoping for little spiderbots with guns for gaunts.  If you'd stoop to using non-gw product you could always jack the drones from Infinity.  Seriously cool models that would fit right in.





This is exactly what i was thinking of in reading your fluff of the m.e.AI scurrying around, obeying commands and generally getting blown up, which I liked a lot btw.   8)

Keep up the good work!

Those little dudes are really cool looking ^_^. I especially like the first one.

EDIT
I'm so not feeling the quote, IMG,url etc functions of this forum.
Sorry to waste space migs.
EDIT
Cheers

I also would like to support the non-human looking foot soldiers. Your big fellas are all bipeds and making the whole army bipeds would make it look like 'nother Necron army, so to say.

Going with spider bots, tripods or little mechs would make them look differant from the average humanoid robot that wants to destroy every living thing(Which is done to death already with Terminator).

What I was going to suggest was more in the line of "Replicators" from Stargate series tough those cute 'lil robots Moz suggested looks good aswell.

Went hunting those little dudes over in the warstore...and have to say OUCH. Not cheap by any means. $27.99 for TWO?! Migs is gonna need what? 40+ of these things?

Those models *are* awesome, but if he went with 'em he wouldn't be able to play this army in a Grand Tournament. . .which I think would be a shame.

 

 

Oh, and Tragic-Legend, all those features will be chaging improving with the launch of the new software (with any luck) by the end of this month, so hang tight!

 

Wow! Thanks for the info Yak! Really curious to see the new software you boys have prepared for us

Th spider bots are a little too cute for my tastes, but there will be non pibed systems and AIs in the army - there are already actually, but more and with four legs - the Hierophant to begin with. I'll do it before Xmas because I want to. Maybe I mentioned this already? am little confused at times on what I told my buddies via email and what here.

Imagine a huge robotic 4legged "defilerish" thing with two huge arms and giant rotator Cannons, mechanical tentacles (lash whip), and a mine releasing mechanisms at the back, with toxic pattern mines floating around it on the base (also a rule). It'll include AI controlling units similar to how R2D2 is integrated to an x-wing to help step in when the TWAR is preoccupied with shooting/fighting etc.It costs 1250pts! So If I use some allies, I should soonish get to try Apocalypse with a significant TWAR flavor.

As for the AI infantry later today or tomorrow you'll get pics of the very highly detailed bases I've built for the entire squad (so 9more). The little ones' bases will get as much love as the big ones'. I'll let the bases dictate the poses as usual, and while most will be standard, I will do atleast two proper reposing of the Necron legs, which aren't the easiest to work with.

Here are the bases. As with the entire project, I am taking my time and really enjoying and detailing them. There's lots of different effects to paint on them too, and plenty of rust which sets off the cool shade of grey blue and clean metals very nicely. Next I'll glue on the legs, some of the poses now dictated to new, more dynamic poses by the basing. I'll then add some vallejo putty and my special mix of sand that consists of GW super tiny particles sand, reals sand from dust really to small stones and small rubble slate. I find the mix ideal for urban basing.

Anyway, a pic:

Only good things can come from those bases

But my real purpose in posting is to say your heirphant ideas sound SUPERB. I'm really looking forward to that, great integration of tech versions for all of those nid weapons. Fantastic stuff.

- Salvage

I gotta wonder sometimes what kits you are chopping all to hell for your bases some times >.>...

Work continues. Slowly at times, but surely none the less.

I did three custom poses of legs. With the first I cut both legs from the hip joints, with the second one just one leg but also repositioned the ankle/feet and thrid one I built really upright cutting the legs all over the place. No GS required and three new very dynamic poses...quite careful cutting though!!  I guess it's going to be easier to work our the extra variety than I thought.

I'll then detail them and take pics tomorrow...what an update that will be. 3 pairs of legs on bases...not the most exciting update I guess

I also ripped off the proto guys rifle front after being dissatisfied with it and having a chat with Chuck. The poses are ending up quite special ops-ish, which is quite cool with the skinny robot look IMO. If I can get the rifle front clicking hightech and businesslike, it should be a neat lot. I think I might buy a box of kroot and steal their rifle fronts which I adore. I want to include some Kroot in the army eventually anyway and will replace their weapons with bionics, rag tag merc sets and twar kit anyway.

Thoughts?

Thoughts on including Kroot in the army?

I don't personally care for it. You've created a cool little idea here of an all robot army and I think you should stick to it. Including Kroot, even if they are roboticized, just wouldn't fit IMHO.

Yes, that's the opposite argument. The other one being that having a rag tag mercenary team with 40k "faces" led by a very advanced TWAR hunter system, will tie the army more to 40k universe and provide nice reference to what I have done with it. Both views have merit.

What ever I decide in the end it's WAY OFF from happening, next summer the earliest, I just want the barrels.

Ok, I suppose I will trade polypodial infantry for a multilegged monstrosity. But only because I love you Migs, and only just this once. Particularly since the very image is making my eyes jiggle.

Perhaps a good way to go for the shooty AI cannon fodder is to make the guns a little larger, so that it looks more like the rest of the body is designed to move the gun, rather than the gun giving the body extra function. I might have said something similar... been away for a bit.

Ok, a sit rep so you guys know what's happening this month:

I did another standing upright pose, so now I have 10 member squad with 4 seriously reworked sets of legs and am using the bases to create illusion of slight difference in some of the rest. I may do some different arm setups too, and a few seriously damaged looking AIs.

The plan is to finish all ten legs, fully detailed by the weekend and sort out the gun and take a pic to show progress and get opinions on the new gun. Then it's building the guns, cutting+sculpting the torsos, building the heads, putting them all together and detailing (so joint screws) and I should have all 10 finished this month. " src="http://s3.images.proboards.com/smiley.gif" /> Ironic how laborious they are in comparison to the big guys...partly it's the psychology of repetition that makes it feel so. I'll save the other 10 infantry for Xmas break.

Next month:
I'm already have the concept outlined above and I am "mind converting" and sketching a Hierophant so guess that might come next... (though the second arsenal system is also high on the desire to build list, because I have good ideas for him.) Luckily in the recent WD there's a picture of Phil Kelly's Nids that shows how huge the Hierophant is, and I should do something similarly impressive. I think I will use the Defile kit as a chassis and use aluminium tube to lenghten the legs I use and then it's serious Gundam kitbashing and plasticard. As you know, a 1/100 scale Custom Serpent will "donate" for this. So the thing will have two huge rotator cannons - as the stats imply and serious hth tentacles + everything I mentioned before.

New gun - "perfect" now and I have a nice dark grey scheme for it, with some key parts picked up glossy steel and the "charger" parts glowing blue




And 4 new poses of legs Radically changes the Necrony feel IMO, what do you think? . and these were easy and fun to do...just careful and accurate work required, but then isn't that the second name of this hobby.