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Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Ok, let's get one thing straight right off the bat - I am no photographer. Partway through this 'journey' you'll see me testing out things on my camera (my phone actually), including, but not limited to:

1. Pointing the camera at what I'm trying to photograph.
2. Working out when to use the flash (or not use the flash in this case).
3. That photo FX do not make photos better.
4. Making the 'shutter' noise sound like a laser blast does not make photos better.
5. And many, many more.



So, a little bit of history:

I think that the Cities of Death terrain is, bar none, the single greatest thing GW has ever unleashed unto the gaming community. They are my fav kit, through and through, and I have so much of it that it is beyond reason (3 Imperial Cities, 2 Imperial Sectors and probably equal to that in separately ordered sprues from GW's olt bitz service). While I started off doing simple buildings - corners, the odd three-walled one - I quickly started experimenting with complex buildings, then huge buildings. Somewhere in all of this I made a small bunker out of 8 pieces of wall. This bunker was very cool, honestly better than all my other crazy buildings. It was just so simple. So I made another. And then another and then another. Then made a 'double bunker' that was basically two of the smaller ones tacked together. And then I made another.

So I had 4 bunkers and 2 long bunkers, as I called them. But I wanted a Command Bunker. Something big with multiple levels and towers and whatnot. Internal vision slits and firing platforms. The works. So I had just received my 2nd Imperial City, and was waiting for the 3rd one to arrive (long story), and I started doodling little plans of things I wanted to do.



The one circled in blue was my original idea. The two towers at the front would be guard towers to a big entryway, and the tower at the rear would be... a tower at the rear.

The ones circled in yellow is what became of the idea when I worked out how many actual wall panels I had on hand (I don't mix the three CoD kits ever, except for the big double eagle doors or in very specific circumstances).

The ones circled in red is a huge building idea that I had at the same time. I have built that one. Maybe I'll put up pics later.


So, after deciding what I wanted to do, it was onto the blue-print phase. And by that I mean the 'fool around in excel for an hour' phase. I have done this on previous buildings to use as a guide and to work out exactly how many pieces I'll need. I even plan what types of wall panels will go in each slot - leaving nothing to chance. It's what separates me from the other person in our group who has CoD buildings. He has the nick name 'The Mad Architect' as he just starts building with a rough idea and sees where it takes him (it's why we have a 4 story ziggarut and a building that looks like a monster wearing a top-hat). I am far more methodical in my approach. So, fooling around in excel for an hour, I ended up with some blue-prints.

This is my top-down cutaway diagram of each level:



I use this to work out exactly how many floor pieces I'll need. To the left you can see one of the completed standard bukners, and just above that is the receipt from another huge bitz order. I miss GW bitz service.


Here are some more of my blue-prints that aren't blue:




Exciting stuff.


Here are the desprued parts waiting to be unleashed upon the world:




Here's a layout of the first part I was going to make:




The first corner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:




The second corner!!!:





Now I need to go and upload more pictures. Back in a bit.

BYE

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2008/08/21 13:06:12


Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

And some more pics are uploaded.


So, I started to put the walls together:




This is my big double door entryway:




This is me... layout parts out for some reason. I'm not really sure why. Maybe I was just testing the camera - remember, this is as much an adventure for me as it is for you!:




The entryway is coming together, and I've decided that the flash is a good idea by this point. Flashes are fine in the day, right?:




Yeah, flashes are fine. They give everything that "Why the feth is it so dark in my photos?" look:




The front entryway is coming together nicley:




Now a hard part when it comes to doing completely enclosed Cities of Death buildings (ie. not a ruin) is that you have to cut off all the ends to the floor panels, and make up 'unbroken' ones from the parts. And when you make really big completely enclosed buildings, you end up going through a lot of floors. This was the latticework I made for the first level.




And that's ^ what it looks like inserted into the front of the building.


Ok, so the first part of this was done. The outter framework to the ground floor was done, as was the ceiling. It was time to start the second level.


So I started the second level:



That gives you an idea of how this will look.


Now, aside from not figuring out that the flash was ruining some of my photos, I decided that the 'bunker' parts of this Command Bunker would actually be accesible to models. Things would be able to fit inside there, and shoot out, and you could see into the bunker. That was a must. Of course, just leaving panels out and putting up some of that railing they give you seemed a bit, lame - I wanted to make it more like a very wide vision slit. So I had this idea of using the railing not only at their feet, but above them like an overhang. This was an experiment that worked wonderfully:




And then when you put it all together it looks a little something like this (note that most of this is held by blu-tac at this point):




And then eventually I stuck it all together and threw some models in there to see what it looked like:




Peekaboo!!!:






Next up - TOWERS, a structural disaster, and phun with photo FX!!

BYE

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2008/08/21 13:28:58


Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Ok so next up came the towers. These imposing two-story features would sit either side of the rear entrance, allowing this bunker to hold off attackers coming at it in all directions.

So I got started on building them without much thought as to how this would go together in the end:




And they came together really well and easily:



(The easter egg in the pic above is now you can see a completed small bunker in that shot as well... or... atleast you might be able to if it wasn't so damn dark)



At this point disaster struck. This was a pretty big building as far as area is concerned. And sticking together inside corners is a real bitch on CoD buildings (I have one very cool ruined chapel that makes use of several multi-level inside corners and it was a nightmare to construct). Things were looking grim as I had no way of making this thing go together. Then it hit me:

I don't have to make this thing to together - it can be like a big Lego bunker!!!

And so the two towers would remain separate pieces. I'd garnish them a little so they can be used as towers without the main structure, and leave gaps in the main body so they can be 'slotted' in when I want to use the whole thing.

And with that, I continued building:




Yar! Ph34r my l337 Autocannon dude!




The Two Towers:




Ok, so that was done, so now I had to make the rear of the building. This was really easy to do, as it only required two sets of double doors. This pic gives you a good indication of where it will go on the main body of the structure. It will sit in the middle, leaving one wall-panel wide slot either side blank, as these are where the towers slot in:




And here is the exact same shot after I worked out how to turn off the flash!!!:




God... that is so much brighter. Why the hell didn't I realise this before?


Soon enough, it was (almost done). Here is a shot from above:



Compare that to my original top-down diagram or my cutaway diagram.


And here's a shot of it from a different angle. It's still not finished yet:




Now I'e gone and added top-railing plus all the buttresses:




Plus latters and other bits of detail around the place:




And then I turned the flash back on (for some reason):





The imposing walls of Fortress Hasn't Got a Name Yet:




And now, as promised, Photo FX:




And now, Photo FX when I actually point the camera at what I'm trying to shoot:




Sepia tones... why not?:





And now a few final shots:







And here it is as part of a nice big Apoc game a couple of months later (Jan this year):






A had a great deal of fun building this bunker, so much so that I've conemplated doing other big bunkers in different shapes. Need more CoD parts though...



Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I failed at photoing it!!

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in gb
Morphing Obliterator






Bedfordshire, UK

You need to get some painting done mang!

   
Made in gb
Junior Officer with Laspistol





Sheffield, England

Wow, excellent work. Me and a friend bought the big CoD box ages ago - as far as I know it's still mostly in bits. Think we should try actually planning stuff!

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Building a titan? Make sure you pick the right size for your war engine!

 
   
Made in gb
Highlord with a Blackstone Fortress






Adrift within the vortex of my imagination.

Are those all yours, I wondered how Forgeworld were making their money.

With an army that big you need titans.


Tek wrote:You need to get some painting done mang!


HBMC and I share the same colour scheme for our armies.


n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.

It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Not the Eldar stuff, and not the Storm Troopers in the foreground or the Masters of the Chapter guarding the Monolith Crystal.

Everything else, yes. That's about *counts them* a little under half the tanks I own. Guard tanks that is.

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in us
Foul Dwimmerlaik






Minneapolis, MN

I was a little skeptical at the begiining of your post as to how good that would turn out.

After seeing the whole thing however, I am sold. Not only does it look great, but it has great game use as well. The loopholes are big enough to put your fingers and maybe your hand into to maneuver the models.

I would hate to be on the attacking side of that defense. I would go batty trying to take that as an objective.

Pretty sweet man, thanks for sharing. I still have some unbuilt stuff, I may have to use this idea for inspiration for a similar building.

These pegasus hobbies gothic buildings will work well for them also.

   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






Fantastic models! I love your buildings... I would love to see those buildings painted. I have never really been into terrain building, but I like those building kits.

My Models: Ork Army: Waaagh 'Az-ard - Chibi Dungeon RPG Models! - My Workblog!
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Made in gb
Lead-Footed Trukkboy Driver




Brighton, Uk

Great work man. Nice looking building and very playable as previously stated.

Cheers

"Get on the Ready Line!"

Orkeosaurus wrote:Yeah, but when he get's out he'll still be in Russia, so joke's on him.

 
   
Made in dk
Battle-tested Knight Castellan Pilot





Copenhagen

So.. Many.... Superheavies!!! (Brain Explosion audible just off-screen)

Seriously though, nice bunker, even nicer army. And good to see that I´m not the only one with waaaay too much unpainted stuff.

Back on the path of the Imperial Citizen

Still rolling ones...

Krieg: More wins than Losses. 
   
Made in us
Khorne Veteran Marine with Chain-Axe





San Diego.

I think your towers need some support columns in those open firing slits. They look like they are sagging and will probably break at some point.

   
Made in us
Steadfast Ultramarine Sergeant






Love the Bunkers and OMG thats alot of tanks and men.

Hydra Dominatus

World Wide War Winner  
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

The towers are fine. They've held up with everything I've put on them so far.

Anyway, this was my big test at posting photos. Now I can start showing off my other buildings.

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in us
Phanobi





Paso Robles, CA, USA

Looks pretty good. I may have quite a few tiles left, can probably make a few of these for normal games.

Oh, and paint your figs!

Ozymandias, King of Kings

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings.
Look on My works, Ye Mighty, and despair.

Chris Gohlinghorst wrote:Holy Space Marine on a Stick.

This conversation has even begun to boggle my internet-hardened mind.

A More Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy 
   
Made in ca
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers






Well I kind of moved near Toronto, actually.

You're real!

Love the terrain.

Dakka Articles: Eldar Tactica | In Defence of Starcannons (math) | Ork Takktika Quick Tips
taco online: WoW PvP
ur hax are nubz 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

I'm real? Why wouldn't I be real?

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in ca
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers






Well I kind of moved near Toronto, actually.

H.B.M.C. wrote:I'm real? Why wouldn't I be real?

BYE


You could be a figment of the Internet's imagination.

That stuff is like lego.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2008/08/22 03:21:15


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ur hax are nubz 
   
Made in au
Revving Ravenwing Biker






Sydney, Australia

The amount of stuff H.B.M.C has sometimes shocks myself.

And I have an (un)healthy amount of warhammer stuff as well (I will have that 10 greater daemon charge soon!)

But,
yeah, it is real.

It's also very well built (these guys are perfectionist sometime to a fault (but no stone metaphorically is left unturned on these).

And if they are,
they buy more and try again.

   
Made in au
Hard-Wired Sentinel Pilot






Sydney

Thats amazing, how many COD kits did you use per bunker? And do have fun painting all that raw plastic wont you

Armies Owned: Iron Warriors, Tau


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Made in us
Thunderhawk Pilot Dropping From Orbit





The wilds of Pennsyltucky

That looks great!

Can we see some closeups of the small bunkers as well?

I don't have enearly enough floor sprues... so when making anything where the floor is partially obscured (like the more interior parts of your large bunker) I use thick paper or card...or cyberclicks.. or platformers.... It's a bit cheaper and the card can be made to fit whatever you need.

Please post more of your COD stuff... I want more ideas to steal!

ender502

"Burning the aquila into the retinas of heretics is the new black." - Savnock

"The ignore button is for pansees who can't deal with their own problems. " - H.B.M.C. 
   
Made in gb
Stalwart Veteran Guard Sergeant





Scotland, North Ayrshire

Great tower, have fun painting lol

Raven Guard W.I.P
Cadian 31st - 2000p
WAB Roman Army W.I.P.
10mm Swiss and Scottish 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

blinky wrote:Thats amazing, how many COD kits did you use per bunker? And do have fun painting all that raw plastic wont you


All the bunkers are made using this kit, as it is the one I like the most out of the CoD kits.

Each small bunker requires two sprues to make, although doesn't use every bit from every sprue. Each bunker has:

1 Double Door
2 Flat Walls (no window)
4 Windows

On top of that goes four unbroken floor tiles, enough railing to go around all but on section, butresses for every wall and corner other than the front door, and one ladder.

The long bunkers require almost double that:

1 Double door
2 Flat Walls (no window)
8 Windows


The large Command Bunker required... a lot more than those.

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

ender502 wrote:I don't have enearly enough floor sprues... so when making anything where the floor is partially obscured (like the more interior parts of your large bunker) I use thick paper or card...or cyberclicks.. or platformers.... It's a bit cheaper and the card can be made to fit whatever you need.


I know I could do that, but as Makaleth said above me, I'm a perfectionist, so I go out of my way ensure that everything is put together with the one kit. As I said, I don't even mix the three CoD kits unless I have to.

And because of this I've gone through a LOT of floor sprues. Added to all the ones you'd get in 3 Cities, 2 Sectors and 4 separate single building boxes, I've probably bits orderd 30 additional Floor Sprues, and parts ordered from Bits & Kits UK several more floors by themselves.

I still have a little over a City to build, and I'm sure I'm running out.

The other problem is my love for fully enclosed buildings has left me with many, many ruined sections that I can't use anywhere.

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in us
Bounding Dark Angels Assault Marine




North Carolina

H.B.M.C. wrote:The other problem is my love for fully enclosed buildings has left me with many, many ruined sections that I can't use anywhere.


You should make ruined versions of all of your bunkers just in case they get leveled during a game. Or you can send them to me.
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

I've started making ruined versions of my bunkers.

BYE

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
 
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