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Good luck!!

LOL Vit... I think you're the only one reading my blog any more.... think I burned people out! :-)

One way or the other I'll get it done. I really hope the dry transfer thing works as I much prefer them to waterslide transfers. They just look better, they have depth and they're one heck-of-a-lot easier to work with.

I am excited about the prospect of beginning the airbrushing of the other two pods. They'll really get done in a hurry now that the worst of the taping is complete. I'm confident I can finish them by this weekend (sans the decals) so I can then throw myself into my infantry squads.

Have you tryed the Bell of lost Souls transfer?

What's that?

http://www.box.net/shared/i09sb9qz66 from the fly lords blog.

God no... that's a ridiculous Mantis Warrior logo. Besides, it's not making the logo that I'm having issues with, it's finding a way to physically transfer it to the model that is the problem.

The drop pod is looking excellent Gits, hope the transfers work out!

Perhapes you need to get in close with a scaple

still here Git had some birthdays to attend too. good luck on the transfers

Still present here as well!

Just been rather quiet lately xD Contracted a bit of Nurgle's Rot, so that laid me out for the past 2 weeks and naturally the joys of finals followed ><

Still loving the work Gits, though Im rather surprised that the Decal system totally failed on you like that. Ive had limited experience with mine, but never have i seen that happen :/

Though I gotta say, Im rather interested in how the Dry-rub transfer kit will work out. Ive always had a fondness for them, but they seem to be something of a dying item. everything i find these days is a sticker or a waterslide!

So with that, I retreat to the shadows! Definitely gonna keep eyes on this developing.

Well, I eventually figured out why the decals failed completely and fixed that. Problem now is that they were supposed to have a white background (so I could print yellow over the white and I'd have a "solid" yellow that I could put over the green). Unfortunately they're not white as advertised but still translucent, so the yellow doesn't cover the green (i.e. the green shows through).

I have experimented with painting a white disk on the model, then putting the transfer over that, but it's really hard to get the transfer to sit right... think I destroyed 5 decals last night trying that technique to work before I finally gave up. Nothing I want to try on a real model that's already painted... that's for certain.

Sorry to hear that you've been under the weather Ramos... hope you bounce back quickly!

Decalfix?

No Dee, the issue in manipulating the decal into position without destroying it. The DIY decals aren't as robust as commercially made ones and it doesn't take too much rough handling before the ink starts to show wear. Perhaps someone more deft could do it... but I've got to work with the hand's I've got.

Meh, I still have options... the last of which is rather inelegant but I know positively will work. I'm just looking at this as kind of drawn-out, elaborate, tedious, somewhat frustrating experiment in modeling.

what printer type are you using?

still here too,
shame about the decal problems, tbh i always thought they were a pain in the hope you get the problems worked out.
Great job again on the pods, really liking all the subtle additions
keep at it and don't get dis-heartened, i know you'll get there eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later of cors lol)

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2007/07/tutorial-custom-decal-sheets.html

Does this help? (Hides to avoid slap)

Not sure, won't be able to look at it until tonight. Though I am disinclined to paint the white background unless that is the last possible option as it just gives an additional step for things to go horribly wrong. But I'll eyeball that post, there might well be something in there that will help out. Thanks Dee.

@Reiko: Thanks! It'll all sort out. Panicked there a week ago or so, but I'm good now. I just want to have an army that looks good and have fun at the con with my friends. I think I can handle that. I like the subtle touches as well. Not everything in the grim future is displayed in letters 6 feet high, and often it's the little things that make a model look "real".

Always the way isn't it. The smallest things are those that are the hardest to pull together. I wish I had some advice to give but I struggle at the best of times with those things. I would have said to put them on to plasticard to get the white background but you've already covered that! Loads of effort clearly going in to sorting this though so I hope you reap what you sow and a simple olution presents itself!

I really like the look of the pod. The thought of three of them landing on a table in any battle outs a smile on my face. I can't wait to see the latin on them too.

Well, our FLGS is having the second of it's Adepticon practice tournaments on the 19th. Solar_lion and I are teamed up for the day and I should have the pods finished and the tac squads well on their way by then. I'll do pics from the day... hopefully it won't be as frustrating a day as the last.

Hey, Git, do you have an image of your logo in the correct size of the circles you want on your drop pods?

Gits have you tried spraying the printed decal with matt varnish after you print it but before you wet it to apply them onto the model? I always thought that you needed to spray several coats of varnish on them to "fix" the ink to the decal itself and to add strength...not sure if I am thinking of the same product though.

If I had known you were going to need 3D MW logos I would have cast some up for you, as it is I don't know if I would get them to you in time.....

@ Blackhand, thats one of the items in the artical I posted the link to.

I'm going to do a rare cross-nerd-hobby, but these guys use some transfers you'd swear were paint:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutorials-how-tos/299603-video-tutorial-water-slide-decals.html
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutorials-how-tos/214451-water-slide-decals.html

Maybe provide some good ideas, maybe not. Lots of good tutorial on there for other things too, most of which work in 40k modeling just as well as TF customizing.

Briancj wrote:Hey, Git, do you have an image of your logo in the correct size of the circles you want on your drop pods?

Yes.

BLACKHAND wrote:Gits have you tried spraying the printed decal with matt varnish after you print it but before you wet it to apply them onto the model? I always thought that you needed to spray several coats of varnish on them to "fix" the ink to the decal itself and to add strength...not sure if I am thinking of the same product though.

Yes, you have to spray the decal or there's no chance of it working as the actual film is super thin and totally flimsy. i.e., if you didn't spray it, there would be no chance of it working.

If I had known you were going to need 3D MW logos I would have cast some up for you, as it is I don't know if I would get them to you in time.....

Naah, it's OK Blackhand, I'll get this sorted out. Been a while since I had a good modeling challenge anyway... and besides, you've done so much for me already... you just won't get to see it until after Adepticon when I can relax and model free-style again. Not that I wouldn't love to have some 3-d badges... but for the nonce they can wait (and I might try modeling them myself & then casting them).

whalemusic360 wrote:I'm going to do a rare cross-nerd-hobby, but these guys use some transfers you'd swear were paint:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutorials-how-tos/299603-video-tutorial-water-slide-decals.html
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutorials-how-tos/214451-water-slide-decals.html

Maybe provide some good ideas, maybe not. Lots of good tutorial on there for other things too, most of which work in 40k modeling just as well as TF customizing.

I'll be sure to check those out WM, thanks. I've actually had very good luck with waterslides in the past when I was doing model railroading... things you'd swear came on the model rather than were added afterwards... but none of the DIY transfers work nearly as good as the real, commercially available ones. Guess that's just common sense.

Keep in mind that if my transfer color was darker than my background, I wouldn't be having any of these problems... it's the light transfer on the dark background that's really kicking the *ss of this little venture.

I'm just about to start my airbrushing of the other two pods... look for an update (probably an append) later this evening (or morning depending on your part of the world).

There is a place in the city (I'll be there next week) who sell a quality printable transfers I'll get the info off them when I'm there, they have shown me some examples in the past (I
was thinking about doing flame transfers for the Legion of the Damned vehicles) it was only the price that stopped me.

Otherwise you can always look at normal clear printer stickers you buy them in A4 sheets and are used to lable products like coke bottles etc only on a home/diy platform.
The quality is good, though they are glossy so you would need to matt spray or coat them after applying to remove the shine.

I hope you do nut out a solution I would love to do some custom transfers for my units.

Well, 2 beers, 1 coheba, several episodes of Family Guy and American Dad, and 1.5 bottles of zinc chromate later.... I have two green pods! (Thank God for "Adult Swim".)

Not much to look at yet so I'll postpone a pic until I get the gradients done... but the worst is over. Brush is stripped and cleaned and ready for the next step!

@Santobell: Thanks, I'd be interested in checking them out. Issue right now is time, but long term I'd like to find a reliable source for professional quality transfers.

i find any kind of freehand a real pain to do.

This might be a bit simplistic or too in elegant, but this is what I do. Feel free to try it or not

What i did for my Land Raider is to measure up the area i want to put a design on, or if its a small area skip this stage.

Draw out my designs on paper, the paint it, cut it out & stick it on.
If its quite elaborate then draw a larger image, the use a photocopier to scale it down.

If you scale it down i do not recommend painting first as scanner/photocopiers tend to dull the colours down.

If you can get the glue to the edges without going on the paint the seam is almost un-noticeable.

I have been reading and keeping tabs but a total lack of internet has turned me into a lictor style lurker

Hey Gits, still following your every post like a crazy little Mantis lurker

I have to say I really dislike transfers. I physically can't keep either of my hands still, so even using commercially available transfers, 90% of them rip or they end up stuck on at an odd angle. That's why I hand paint every single thing on my models. It's not as nice as being able to have the same image on every warrior, but in my mind each of the Marines maintain their own armour, rather than having the servitors do it. Thus each warrior's chapter symbol will vary according to taste and skill with whatever they apply paint with.

And on my Orks it is perfect

Gits,

Have you considered just making the emblem out of thin plasticard or carstock? You could make a template for one, then use it to cut others out and then place them on the model. I would be pretty easy to paint it in then.

Alternatively, you could make a pair of cardstock templates. One for the yellow circle, and one with only the non-yellow bits cut out. If you start with two cards (I'm thinking 3x5 index cards), you could cut the circle in one, lay it over the second and cut out your Mantis Warriors logo.

Make sure you cut the initial circle out so that you could line up the edge of the card with a specific edge of the drop pod, then just press it down and/or tape that end while you airbrush in the circle. This would let you line up the 2nd car to go over the yellow circle just how you've cut it out.

Alternatively, do you think you could hit the decals with a varnish before applying? That would prevent them from tearing, but could also prevent them from sticking.

At the moment I appear to be having printer problems as well... which I don't understand at all & pretty much precludes the decal issues. I've thought about making 3-d badges but I suspect lack of time will prevent that (remember I need 10 of them. I might be able to make one & then press-mold copies, but whooosh... that's a tall order for something so small.

For the nonce getting the pods painted will be my major focus, I'll noodle around with the badges on the side.