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The pic with a warhound is very useful. I've seen those quite a few times. It really is a big bugger - no doubt about that.

Some links with phant pictures.

http://uk.games-workshop.com/apocalypse/collecting-troops/4/

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/Gareth_tyranids/Tyranids/SA400003.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i278/Gareth_tyranids/Tyranids/SA400325.jpg

The one of PhilKelly's is the one in WD - but this is bigger and digital - so much handier for me. Mine will be very different volumes wise, but I wan't it to look as, if not more, formidable.

Thanks Navarro.

So I've been hobbyfrontdead because of real life, but have managed to produce some really good real world work so at least not having a life hasn't gone to waste.

I'm reunited with my paints this coming weekend, so give me few days and you see something new and fully finished December should be good overall, so stay tuned and sorry for the delay.

So, finally the blog is moving again - I am with my paints and have a few hours here and there.

Here's the Ai-trooper Prototype. 20 or so to go then. There's another pic just for size comparison.






LMK what you think. I ordered some new, my first, Series 7 brushes, as the hair of the ones I've used for the past 5 or so years are too long for the kind of fast/painterly style I paint with these days. The metal also wear out brushes faster.

looks great just like the rest.. what is he supposed to be, a termagant?

My brushes wear out a lot too, I just buy cheaper ones at art stores.. I paint kind of quick too and even the good brushes got torn up after almost the same amt of time. I have a couple of good fine detail ones, the rest are more generic and not a problem to replace

Thanks Necros,

Yes, he's a Termagaunt, 10 of these in the making, and then 10 twopistols troopers, Spinegaunts

I think quality of brushes is very important. Gives such a huge advantage. I keep very good care of mine, always wash them with soap after a paint session and a few times during, so the ones I don't use for metallics last 2 or 3 years. I use Raphael Matre Kolinsky ones. But have been searching for shorter hair ones like I mentioned.

I like 'em. He fits right it with the big guys and you were totally right that once he was painted any hint of a Necron origin has pretty much vanished in my eyes.

I'm very interested to see what pistols you use.


I really need to start using better brushes. If and when you try out these new brushes let me know if they're worth it and where I can pick them up (if you don't mind).

That looks brilliant. I actually like it more than your big guys! Simple and very characterful. They'll look wonderful en masse.

Thanks gents! I'm really glad you like it. I'm happy it came out so TWAR and un Necrony - also to you. Compared to a Necron warrior, it's much more upright and half the torso diameter.

Yak - sure thing, should get them next week.

I like em. The paint (as always) has really tied everything together.

Some quick thoughts:

You have used more of the dark grey/blue on this guy, I love the color, but I would personally have used it in more of a secondary fashion. The way it's used here is making it more and more of a primary color element in the army. Especially when you've got 20 of the little bugga's running about. I understand the need/want to tie in the lictor with these guys though so it does make sense, but they seem to fit in less with their larger, less stealthy friends. My thoughts to tie them better to the main elements of the army would be to put more of the larger armor in the lighter grey, to include the head. The way it's used now feels like a 50/50 scheme, and really is even more imbalanced with only the upper body in the light grey.

The grey you've used for the weapon has me wondering if this color will be used in more of the future bots you build as well, as it's the first time we've seen it on your creations. I love the color. Is this color going to be for AI weaponry? As it doesn't seem their weapons are actually part of them as in the larger bots. I like the blue, and from other discussions understand the reasoning behind it (if the weapon fires, it makes perfect sense).

I love the base work here as with all of your figures for the army. You should expect me to be raiding my bits box for basing mats on my next one off/project (see: Not the Grey Death Legion). The different earth tones work very well and the solid rim ties it all off nicely. It looks like it's a simple series of washes for the effect over a white basecoat. The effect is great.

All told, you've really broken the necron mold very well, and the piece is extremely effective. 20 of these bugga's plodding around on the battlefield will be a sight. Especially with those HUGE bad boys behind them (btw, I didn't realize how large they really were until the comparison shot x.x).

Thanks Grey. I am trying hard to distance them from the big guys actually. So that they would look like "mindless" tools, rather than small versions of big guys. I have started to build rules on the differentiation between the Archtroni and their "robots", the colour and design of the eye and the eye lense a key factor. The Lictor is breaking/messing those some with it's round eye lenses...which really bothers me...

Mainly I want the "Brainstorm" system and the AItroops to look a coherent lot, able to act independetly so that the brainstorm unit is a command link to the Big guys. WIll happen in escalation a lot.

The grey on the weapon is the colour I use to do the markings on the dark grey areas, but there it looks slightly lighter ofcourse, because it's surrounded with the very dark grey. I decided to test it and liked it too, so it will be used more to spice things up. (lol, what does it tell about me that I introduce another grey to spice things up, maybe my Handle should be Grey Death too )

You are correct on the basing technique. I've looked at real landscape from urban, wartorn areas and then decided to emulate that feel and look as accurately as possible, rather than stick to how basing is supposed to be painted. Some people will like it some dislike it strongly, but obviously I do what I like and think suits this best.

Dead sexy, as usual. I have to admit, I didn't believe you could pull those off even with great paint, but I was mistaken. They really do look like their own little entity instead of a Necron knockoff. I would probably have never guessed where they came from without intense scrutiny if I didn't know.

You get a 9 of 10, docked a point for lack of tentacles.

PS. I am really interested in your new brush finds too. My old reliable is starting to get a little frazzled, and since I am not as careful with brushes as I should be, I need a good source of tools.

Got my series 7 brushes today - looking VERY good, perfect point, and much shorter length hair that is nice a springy and still very soft. I hope to give them a go this weekend. A review will follow.

I slurged on some series 7 brushes myself quite a while ago. I baby them, but they've lasted a good long time and would certainly recommend them on.

Your AI really doesn't feel very Necron-esque at all, Migs, great job. A whole unit of them will be very impressive to see.

Thanks Teef!

I begun working on the Doctor "TWAR" yesterday. He'll be much more organic in feel and using parts from this kit, but heavily converted, with scratchbuilt, sort of integrating operating table to the doc itself, and get two or three AI nurses to help him do surgery...I am playing with the thought of modeling the patient too, a badly wounded/exposed Archonite. The doc and stuff will get a cream/lightgreen scheme, with some gold and silver and some metal/pearl like (car paint like finishes) or so I hope.



keep your eye on the wip Gallery for updates. I'll post a proper update here when he and the staff are ready for prime.

I've also begun working on the second Heavy Carni This one will be quite different to the first, but the collar, and to be built powerpack will be tie ins. It will get even bigger legs (from a new kit I am getting for Xmas) that will house small jets, to rep a "parachuting" mechanism...or "mycetic spores". The base will be very industrial in feel, so I am adding mesh etc. and mainly metallics and warnings chevrons paintjob. I will try something different in the paint too, new weathering tricks and a slightly different scheme.

Looks like you already have quite a few of the little uns halfway done.
I'm looking forward to seeing the pics of the carni.

This second heavy carni sounds cool. Are the legs going to be bigger in the sense that they have more mass or that they are going to be longer too? The earlier one seems long enough. It would be fun if you got to look even heavier. The land beneath his feet could have gave in because of his weight and so on.

They will be shorter, but even more stockier - so seriously massive I'll show them when we paint again.

The idea on the base is really good! I'll see if I can pull it off somehow.

Looks like you're making nice progress Migs. Please post more detail about the rapid prototyping stuff. There's a mechanical engineer sitting here frothing at the mouth. (and his name is Marcus )

Drake_Marcus wrote:Looks like you're making nice progress Migs. Please post more detail about the rapid prototyping stuff. There's a mechanical engineer sitting here frothing at the mouth. (and his name is Marcus )

I should post some stuff a friend did. He has this plugin for rhino that calculates gears for you and he printed them for a tuning mechanism. Amazingly easy and works!

BIG PETITION FOR WARWALKER FEET!!
I have a new, massive Carnifex ready apart from the head. I need some more warwalker feet! A few people were kind enough to offer me some, but then the packages never arrived :( This the only really "weird/rare"part I need repeatedly, but 3 come for each WW, so people should have extras lying about. I can pay for them.

I've also done a set of 3 bases, one 60 and two 40mm for the Doctor Twar and his two helpers/tools. Avery hightech, mechanical looking floor grid/sections that should reinforce their identity. I am still finding myself a little stuck with the direction of the doctor, whether it's a emergency type of thing that goes to the patient or a surgeon in his own environment. I am leaning towards the latter.

I'll post pics after a few more sessions of work.

Some wip pics of the doctor bases and Ai-assistants. As soon as I find suitable wire and can finish the detailing, I will paint these. The scheme will be white/yellow/green/gold, but with lowsaturated palette. I am quite happy with the bases particularly, the AIs will take some more work and the paint to really show what I am after and how the structure makes sense through the materials/colors.





I've also almost built the heavy carni - so please if anyone has WW feet!!!

Migs, your work is a great inspiration. Keep it up!!

Looking good mate. I was on my net browsing and found a very handy tool for plastic carving, people that model plains etc use this for carving lines on fuselages wich gives a lot of freedom on carving details on plastic surfaces,you probably know it already but if not google the word "Plastic scriber".
I'm going to get one

Just an update to not hold your breath for updates. My life has been completely highjacked by my studies and work, so the TWAR are very mch in the backburner for the time being. I have not lost interest, it is simply impossible to fit in my schedule at the moment. I intend to finish all the Doctor things during my Easter brake, then have a nother break before fully getting my life back in June

So untill Easter and sorry for the delay - the second half of 2008 will be TWARtastic

well, I really want to see how the rest turns out, unfortunatly, my second half of 2008 will be dominated by a plumber and a hedgehog beating the cr** out of eacht other

There are a lot of amazing things to be said about this project.

+ You kept it GW-oriented for tournament legality purposes.
+ You merged two areas of sci-fi that fit so nicely together it makes people legitimately jealous.
+ You've got crazy skills at this kinda thing.

I guess I'm seconding things that've already been said. But maaaaaaaaaan, what a project!

Thanks for your kind words. I'm quite happy how well it has been received. As usual though, the main finnish hobby forum concentrated on arguing that I should use dreadnought rules and I got a fraction of replies that other army blogs did...so the appreciation has been truly down to dakka and warseer.

I really hope to finish this lot to tournament ready size and then go show it to the locals live