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Hey guys.
Newbie alert, lol.
I am not a gamer at all, but i like the vehicle designs of the warhammer universe.
I wanted to buy an Arvus, but the kit is so tiny, so i decided to make one of my own in a scale that does the design a bit more justice. I normally work in 1/20 so that's the size i aimed for.
I also wanted there to be a bit more room in the cockpit(And in the back), than there is in the kit, so i streched the scale a little larger for that too.
In any case, the engines are sourced from easily available plumbing supplies, but the rest is just scratchbuilt from styrene sheet and evergreen styrene stock.
If anyone sees any detail i have left off(I am relying on web-sourced images for the build as i didn't buy the original kit), let me know(And keep in mind the engine intakes were found items from another craft, so i am aware they don't match with the Forgeworld kit).
Comments and criticisms welcomed(I've been working in it for a week now. It will probably take at least another week to get the rest done).
I'll post just a handful of the images below. The rest(In the order in which they were taken) are in my Photobucket build gallery here.
Enjoy!

Thats is cool, would love to see it and the crew painted

Okay the ship looks great so far, however the minis you added into the shots is just plain awesome. They look like your little helpers!

Where are the from?

mikeb2817 wrote:Thats is cool, would love to see it and the crew painted

Thanks. I'm not sure what scheme i will use on this one. I have seen one painted in a heavily weathered off-white with red detail stripes. I like that one.
But i am always on the lookout for a cool colourscheme. If anyone has access to pics of an Arvus in a cool set of colours, feel free to post them in ths thread.

Lord Scythican wrote:Okay the ship looks great so far, however the minis you added into the shots is just plain awesome. They look like your little helpers!

Where are the from?

Thanks. The figures in the last image are a Hasegawa 1/20 Ma.K Cold Weather Set. The female figures in the earlier images are 1/20 resin figures. If you want links, i can show you where they can be aquired.

Thanks for the comments guys!
I really appreciate you taking the time to post comments.

Looks better than the original!

I like the engines made from "stuff" you had around...

A link for all those cool figs would be nice, and maybe a size comparison standing next to an IG if you have one?

A quick question, how to you get such clean joins?

winnertakesall wrote:A quick question, how to you get such clean joins?

On the styrene parts?
I use my dremel to chamfer the edges so the joined edge is just a tight seam. I can take pics to further illustrate that if you like.

rexscarlet wrote:Looks better than the original!

I like the engines made from "stuff" you had around...

A link for all those cool figs would be nice, and maybe a size comparison standing next to an IG if you have one?

Thanks for your kind words. I have scribed the main hull nearly apart today(I had to build it all in one piece to ensure a proper fit, but it will need split so i can detail/paint the interior, and all the lighting system).
The figures are approximately 80mm high. Some are slightly larger, but all the girls are in the 80mm range. They are advertised as 1/20 scale. Sorry. As i don't game, i don't have any IG figures. If you see in the pics below, there are 10mm graded lines on the cutting mat i use. Let me know if you want pics of the figures next to a ruler.
Below are links to be able to buy the figures. They are fairly expensive. Also, see a couple of pics below of just the figures together.

http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1253_165/120-mercenaries-woman-maintenance-crew.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1665_165/120-mercenary-woman-space-pilot-a-inner-suit-ver.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1917_165/120-takako-lopez-maschinen-krieger-profile-1.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1147_165/120-mercenaries-woman-pilot-figure.cfm


And now the pics showing more of the figures:

That would be greatly appreciated, as I struggle when it comes to that.

Man, your work is amazing and that girl are soooo cute! who own them!?

sorry for my english

Okay guys.
Thanks for all the replies.
It occurred to me that i DO have some Warhammer kits in my model kit repository. None built, but still there on the shelves nonetheless. So i took a Manticore/Deathstrike and took pictures of the figures and the Arvus next to the sprues. I hope it will show how large the Arvus truly is!

winnertakesall wrote:That would be greatly appreciated, as I struggle when it comes to that.

No worries. I went round by work after the gym tonight to do a little cutting with a view to explaining how to get tight tolerances and neat edges.
You just need to work out(Very roughly), the angles involved. It's not a problem if you make the angle too acute. As long as the edges line up. You can strengthen the joint from behind afterwards.
See the pics below(I also included a couple of pics of a same-scale Rebel Snowspeeder i made using the same techniques). I hope they illustrate what i am trying to say... If not let me know and i'll try again!

FantasyBob wrote:Man, your work is amazing and that girl are soooo cute! who own them!?

sorry for my english

No worries. Your english is not too bad. The figures are available at the links i posted in my previous message. They are the "Starshipmodeler" links. They can also be found on Ebay. Search for "Ma.K figure" or "SF3D figure" on Ebat and you will find most of them there.

Here are the pics.
"styrene tutorial" first. Then the sprue shots with the figures.

You are a top notch scratch builder. I havent seen stuff like that since the last time I picked up an issue of Finescale Modeler.

Mad4Minis wrote:You are a top notch scratch builder. I havent seen stuff like that since the last time I picked up an issue of Finescale Modeler.

Thanks for your kind words.
I think of myself as merely an average scratchbuilder. I can build just about anything, it has to be said, but i am far from the best.
But thanks for the compliment!

This stuff is amazing, you should build a warhound titan, i would love to see how that would turn out.

Quite frankly, your work is awesome. Was that a BSG Viper I saw up there, or do my eyes deceive me?

Looking forward to seeing the finished result for this one.

awesome mate

Where do you get the girls from?

I'm not weird..... they're a good representation of artistic sculpting..... yeah

Thanks! That was very helpful. That is probably the best scratchbuilt thing I have seen, and the quality succeeds that of forgeworld

mekbadzappa wrote:This stuff is amazing, you should build a warhound titan, i would love to see how that would turn out.

Thanks. I am not too enamoured with all the in-universe designs. Usually just flying craft. I plan on doing a Thunderbolt next in the same scale. And then maybe a Valkyrie(Or the similar one with a giant turbine behind the cockpit).

Nephilem wrote:Quite frankly, your work is awesome. Was that a BSG Viper I saw up there, or do my eyes deceive me?

Looking forward to seeing the finished result for this one.

Thanks. The Viper was made from epoxy filler and styrene sheet. I can PM you the WIP gallery images if you like. I'll gather the entire WIP stack of images and PM you after i post this message.

lesboss wrote:awesome mate

Thanks! I love the Arvus design, but the Forgeworld kit is far too small for my tastes. This has probably cost me about £15 in materials so far. So i think i am ahead of the game.

lunarman wrote:Where do you get the girls from?

I'm not weird..... they're a good representation of artistic sculpting..... yeah

I posted this above, but here are links to the figures. And as i also said if you search Ebay for "Ma.K figure" or "SF3D figure" you will also find them.

http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1253_165/120-mercenaries-woman-maintenance-crew.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1665_165/120-mercenary-woman-space-pilot-a-inner-suit-ver.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1917_165/120-takako-lopez-maschinen-krieger-profile-1.cfm
http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/1147_165/120-mercenaries-woman-pilot-figure.cfm

winnertakesall wrote:Thanks! That was very helpful. That is probably the best scratchbuilt thing I have seen, and the quality succeeds that of forgeworld

You are too kind. I do make master patterns, but i doubt if anyone could afford a kit this size...
That's why it's easier to just make one yourself. I do have molds for the engine intakes, side storage lockers and the front end. Just in case i ever fancy making another one...

Hey guys. I was pottering away at this today at work.
First off, mostly done with the exterior detailing, i split the main hull into halves and built up the inside rear bulkheads that the ramp will attach to. After that, i added the panelling/armour onto the upper wings. With this in place, there is only a small amount needing done to the upper wing area. Just a couple of greeblies and the flat panel armour that holds the wings to the engines. I have to say i am REALLY enjoying this build... This is one of the coolest designs i have ever come across, and the sheer scale of the size of the Arvus never came across to me till i started this.
If you ever thought the Arvus looked crappy, check this out...(This image is also attached inline further down this post).
I also added the cargo/troop bay floor in place. It's wild at the moment, but will be attached soon. The roof is also roughed up and added in place. I needed to make sure there was enough room for it. I will be running lighting around the roof for interior lighting of the Arvus. Nothing too bold. Just enough to give a bit of atmosphere when you are looking into the craft.
I mocked up a set of small steps to lead up to the cockpit. These may be discarded later if i make something cooler. For the interior, i need to make the bulkheads that line the bay. These will serve a dual purpose. I will have them attached to floor and roof(So the floor and roof can be inserted in one piece), and they will act as a conduit to run the lighting from under the floor to the roof area.
Anyway. Enough talk. Here are the pics. Enjoy!
And if anyone has any questions on the build, don't hesitate to ask.

Seriously great looking stuff in here. The mini is looking so incredible clean and accurate. Keep it up, cant wait to see more.

Hits_the_spot wrote:Seriously great looking stuff in here. The mini is looking so incredible clean and accurate. Keep it up, cant wait to see more.

Thanks.
I am trying my best!
But this is a labour of love. I liked the design before i started, but now i really love it!

Extremely nice build. Also love the crew girls

Just a shame they are not 40mm

SilverMK2 wrote:Extremely nice build. Also love the crew girls

Just a shame they are not 40mm

It wouldn't be too hard to make them 40mm.
Not hard at all.

That is FANTASTIC !!!!

I wanted to get the Arvus myself but realized it was too small for what I wanted. Do you have templates for yours that you'd consider sharing ?

Ok so this is probably a silly question...but whats are Arvus? Where does this come from?

Looks really stellar, where ever it comes from

PraetorDave wrote:Ok so this is probably a silly question...but whats are Arvus? Where does this come from?

Looks really stellar, where ever it comes from

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Imperial_Navy/ARVUS-LIGHTER.html

Myrthe wrote:That is FANTASTIC !!!!

I wanted to get the Arvus myself but realized it was too small for what I wanted. Do you have templates for yours that you'd consider sharing ?

Sure. I had a paper model i used as a starter(It's not totally accurate), but it was good enough to get the angles together. The rest was just Mark One Eyeball from pics i have of the Arvus i have found on the net. When approaching a build like this, if you don't have the original kit in your hands to take measurements from, you have to accept you might be off ever so slightly from the exact sizes. In the real world, military craft get constantly updated, so you may find that an F-22 built in 2005 might differ significantly in equipment and software from one made in 2006, even though externally it might look the same. I am applying this rationale to my Arvus.
It might be from a different construction block to the Forgeworld version...
Here is a download link from Rapidshare for all my Arvus reference in a RAR folder(Password is bar and the folder is just over 16mb in size).

PraetorDave wrote:Ok so this is probably a silly question...but whats are Arvus? Where does this come from?

Looks really stellar, where ever it comes from

Lol. I think we have a spy among us guys...

Seriously, though, if you download the file i posted above, you will find all my Arvus reference images and the PDF paper model file. Of course, you'll have to scale that up to build one like mine.
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
This is one of those great projects that just snowballs as soon as you start.
I am really enjoying it.
I am glad everyone here also enjoys it.
Thanks for posting replies guys. I like reading all your comments. If anyone here has an Arvus and spots detail i have missed, don't hesitate to post and let me know.

Super modelling

Did you crash mould the bubble canopy please?

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Super modelling

Did you crash mould the bubble canopy please?

Hey. I am not sure what you are asking here. I haven't got a mold for the canopy if that's your question.

That'll be a no then!

Was referring to the black two seater thing. Assume it was a kit rather than scratched?
Sorry if missed the relevant text