Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

MacPhail,

Does that mean your three Sisters Rhinos might be ready for the plastic surge that is supposed to come?

Cheers,

CB

Yep, just in time to get them airbrushed by a friend. They'll be green, not white, and I just posted a 2000-point list with three Rhinos, three Immolators, and three Exorcists in the Lists forum. At this point I have zero unbuilt vehicles, and it feels okay!

I'm going to need some space to finish up the LoER contest terrain piece (which is 12" x 24"). Things had been getting a little sketchy in the hobby space, so...

Bench cleanup before-and-after:

Isn't post-cleanup workspace a magical time?

 Briancj wrote:
Isn't post-cleanup workspace a magical time?

It is indeed... and it helped me make a ton of progress.

Major army milestone: every single Sororitas infantry model I own-- 137 suits of power armor-- painted and based. It took about 4 years.


Also some headway on the LoER terrain project, namely some serious riveting:

<hssss> Clean workbench!

<throws some plastic shavings >

Nice work on that milestone. But remember, no army is ever truly finished. And while impressive, foam pics don’t count as army pics.

 Nevelon wrote:
<hssss> Clean workbench!

<throws some plastic shavings >

Nice work on that milestone. But remember, no army is ever truly finished. And while impressive, foam pics don’t count as army pics.

Thanks... both true points. A full army photo will have to wait until I get the last few tanks done. I've got three about to be painted and all nine needing some details. Then we'll stage the family photo.

Now that I'm done painting Sisters for a few months, I got back to work on the LoER terrain contest entry. I finished the construction of the upper deck, which meant a hell of a lot of handmade rivets. My thumb is sore from pushing blunt straightpins through styrene card.


I also grabbed a couple of old, recently stripped, rebuilt, and primed Space Marines and hit them with Apothecary White contrast paint over (I'm pretty sure) Corax White spray. I'm generally quite pleased, although I need to paint up a few details like the chest icons and add bolters (which I've already painted). I think I'll start with a small Battalion with 3 MinMaxed Troops, a handful of HQs, and a bunch of Bikes and get them ready for experimental play.

Well, the salt weathering experiment has progressed to the point where I can see that it has gone poorly. Not a total failure, but well below expectations. I took the simplest route, just water and salt, no hairspray or any fancy weathering effects. I think I went wrong in one of two ways: 1) I used a paint & primer combo that may have penetrated too deeply and/or 2) I used a few drops of flow aid in the water I used to adhere the salt and it drew the paint through the salt. One way or the other, I got way less of the chipping effect than I had hoped. Thank goodness I chose white for the sake of high contrast, or there would ne nothing to see!

I'll see if I can recover the effect somewhat with some judicious application of techniques I have used, namely sponging and GW technical paints. It will all come good, I'm sure, but I'm disappointed and I want another shot at it!

All feedback, guidance, and suggestions welcome!

Step-by-step photos in spolier:

I like that look- the rusting spots look very realistic, great effect- the crystals that didn't release look like rust pockets forming under the paint.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
I like that look- the rusting spots look very realistic, great effect- the crystals that didn't release look like rust pockets forming under the paint.

Thanks... I think it's not bad as shown, and I've already tested to see whether I can match the look with a sponge, and I can with a bit of fiddling. They'll be fine, and I'll do better next time.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
In other news, I did one last test with Apothecary White contrast paint before I commit and start cranking out White Scars. I wanted to see if I could get by without any of the Contrast base sprays and just work with what I own (and have already based with). I did two models with Corax White and two with 2X Paint/Primer. Here's the basecoat:


And with a single thick-ish coat of Apothecary White contrast paint:


I actually like the cheaper paint better... it's less even on the flat surfaces, but it takes to the details better and leaves the model brighter overall. I feel like one looks gray and the other white:

One on the right is the obvious winner of that comparison.

Very interesting comparison! What's the "cheap" paint brand?

Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X Paint & Primer... I usually hit everything thing I do with that first because it's cheap. I put white under Corax and gray under Leadbelcher to stretch my $20 per GW can. But I think 2X gets the go-ahead as the lone base layer under Apothecary White.

Thanks! I absolutely adore the entire 2x line as my basecoats.

--B.

We had an out-of-town trip for the (US) holiday weekend followed by some outpatient surgery in the family, but I still got a bit done over the last several days.

I got all the magnets fitted to make the terrain piece for the LoER contest fully modular. It has a 12"x12" central component flanked by two 6"x12" side pieces. All three can click together for a 12"x24" monster, sit separately, or combine in a few different ways. The magnets are recessed into the foam and protected by a thin strip of card that keeps them fixed but allows them to bind the components reasonably well.

I carefully cut the recesses into the foam a half-inch from the corner of each foam base.


I made little sandwiches of two sheets of card (based Leadbelcher) and two magnets. I labeled them to keep the polarities consistent.


I used wood glue to lock each magnet into place behind a thin, smooth surface to allow the magnetic field to bind the pieces together.


While the glue dried on the magnets, I worked on finishing the construction of the ramp in the vehicle bay. I've had it designed for a while, and the parts arrived weeks ago... just slow to get around to it, I guess.

Cutting strips and angle stock to glue into place. I'm really pleased with how snug I was able to get the back corner.


The styrene diamond-plate sheet I bought is a great fit. Next, some weathering and assembly.

MacPhail,

Congratulations on the Army milestone.

Yes, magnet reversal can be a real pain if not caught early.

LoER contest build looks nice.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, CB... LoER updates coming soon.

For now, I'm distracted by a budding White Scars project. That is, I've dug out every bike I own, cleaned them up and based them, and assembled enough riders for a solid little force (closing in on 2k if I run some infantry alongside). Here's 15 ready to paint:


Here's about half of the riders. Not shown: eight grav guns I had built and begun to paint as 7th was winding down... I only sampled them a few times before 8th dropped and made most of what I'd built pretty weak.


The contrast Apothecary White will definitely speed the painting... it looks great on everything I've just primed, but unfortunately there's a handful that were primed and half-painted a few years ago... they didn't take the contrast paint as well.


Here's everything that will go into this force of 22 bikes, nothing fully done, but with a good start on a half-dozen of the bikes and as many riders.


I'll update the list linked in my sig ASAP if any want to see what I'm building.

That’s a lot of bike. Good luck with them. Hopefully the contrast paints will help. When I was painting my bikes they got VERY tedious near the end. And I was working on less than you.

MacPhail,

You really are going assembly line.

Cheers,

CB

Good luck with the bikes, White gets hard over time, like many colors. Especially with the same middle sized model (bikes).

I use the Rustoleum 2x spray for everything.

Ditto on the Rustoelum 2x- sticks to everything, covers well and isn't so thick you lose a lot of detail.

Thanks, y'all... I really think 2X + contrast paint is going to unlock this whole project for me. Theophony is right about white... I'm sick of it after my Sisters and I'm kicking myself for choosing another white army, but here I am. I painted a bike with Apothecary White last night and I think it looks somewhere between good and great, especially for what I put into it. I'll add a pic later tonight once I've been back to the bench.

Here's a few photos of what's underway. My goal is to get everything pre-painted (contrast layer, chest icons, boltguns, bike tires and seats) and assembled so I can play with 2k... painting individual models will progress more slowly.

Company Champion, Company Ancient, Korsarro Khan:


Chaplain, Librarian, and Captain:


Veterans (thunderhammer, 2 power swords, 2 chainswords, storm shields all around):


Apothecaries:


Two triple-melta squads:


Scout bikes with a stormbolter:


Infantry, Landspeeders, and two Razorbacks with Assault Cannons will round out the list:


Also, the list in my sig is up to date: Battalion / Outrider / Vanguard at 2000 points.

Those two Razorbacks make this list totally OP, you should be ashamed of yourself.

LoER update: pre-assembly and basic painting done!

Everything is cut from 1/2" foam, trimmed with styrene strips, "riveted" with straight pins, and "welded" with green stuff. The paint is Leadbelcher spray and cheap gray acrylic, the upper deck is painted window screen, and the ramp in the vehicle bay is textured styrene card. I magnetized the corners so the side pieces can split off for LoS blocking elsewhere on the table, or connect to form a similarly sized second piece of terrain. The tanks, support posts, and other widgets are being painted separately... I'll save final assembly pics for the contest.


The three components of the base plate:


Detail on the trim of the vehicle bay:


Detail of the green stuff "welds"... I'm quite satisfied:


The upper deck, with "rivets" and "welds" on painted styrene trim:


So, it's off to paint and final assembly, plus there's a few trim pieces that I really want to include that I haven't begun yet, so I better get moving! Contest deadline is in a week!

The welds are excellent- I'm stealing that!

The upper deck though- holy smokes that's good painting! The colors work perfectly with the weathering- great effect!

I can't wait to see the finished piece.

Thanks! The welds not only came out okay, they saved me from having to make flawless corners with the styrene, which would have been a real pain. I'm hoping to carry that color scheme from the upper deck-- Rhinox, Ryza, and Nuln, mostly-- over to the trim on the corners to tie the whole thing together, so I'm glad you think it works!

It’s been a long time coming… here’s my entry for the League of Extraordinary Riveters “Food for Thought” terrain contest (favorite photo, more in spoliers below).


I conceptualized this project as a fuel storage facility… since I play Adepta Sororitas (promethium for the flamers), White Scars (fuel for the bikes) and Imperial Guard (tanks), having a fuel depot on the board makes sense for any battle I might fight. I designed it to represent a big complex, but I magnetized the components to split into a centerpiece and two satellites for LoS blocking and/or area cover.

My family’s no-longer-needed breast milk pumping and storage system provided most of what I needed. The "food for thought" components include 8 breast milk storage bottles (tanks), 8 flapper valves from the milk pump (valves), 6 flanges (support pillars), and 8 milk bottle caps (risers for the walkways). Here’s the last photo of all those things pre-assembly (I didn’t end up using the three drinking straws).

Non-food materials include pink insulation foam, lots of styrene card, straight pin “rivets”, green stuff “welds”, ModPodge/wood glue/CA glue, sprays, acrylics, GW paints, and homemade washes. I took a first-time shot at salt-chipping for weathering the tanks.

Required photos: top, front, left side, right side, back.

Modularity:

Details:

With primed models for scale:

Thanks to the organizers, contestants, and commentators! This was an ambitious project and a good challenge with lots of learning opportunities, success, and a few mixed results. Regardless of the outcome, I'd do LoER again in a heartbeat.

In situ photos to come later... I've got a game tomorrow!

Great work and a most cunning use of materials to achieve the theme.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, CB... much appreciated!

The voting is now open for the LoER 'food for thoght' contest... there's a bunch of really cool entries, so I can't even suggest you vote for mine. But do please check it out and consider a vote for something!

Edit: voting link: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778635.page#10523538