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Hey all.
So, this'll be a first WIP blog (and first dakkadakka post actually) for me. Normally i just get on with it but since this project is, at least in part, for the benefit of the community a mate suggested i share the progress too - from start to finish (hopefully) i'll try and amalgamate this into some form of tutorial when the project is near completion, or i am close enough to figure out the remaining steps.

So here's the deal. With the new eldar release this weekend and the increasing trend towards big smashy walkers in the 40k universe, i decided i'd have a crack at sculpting a matched pair of the deliciously curvy and infinitely tricky eldar titans. but how to make it easy? and how to ensure that both titans look like quality tabletop pieces instead of lumpy, clumsy wudges of goo and plasticard?
To achieve this, i plan on making the curves out of balsa wood.

Here's the hopefully revolutionary part: Laminating!
(similar to the way current 3d printers work)

instead of carving each piece separately, the plan is to make a set of flat pieces which are then laminated together like plywood and sanded back to achieve the curves.
these templates will then be made readily available to the community, so that anyone can cut (or laser cut - that's probably easier) the templates and make their own titan
once this is done, the entire thing will be coated in fibreglass resin or some other form of hard shell, primed and painted. Simple (in theory)>



Except now i have to figure out what shape all these shapes need to be. the right lower leg alone has 22 slices , so i'm looking at a good 80 odd slices just to finish the two legs.plus a dozen each for the arms... don't even get me started on the torso.
Bear in mind that the details, such as armour on the knees, jewels and the likes will be added after assembly with plasticard and other bits, the balsa is just for the superstructure and larger details like the backpack jets, the boosters on the legs etc.

Now, all i have to work off is the pictures from forgeworld and this excellent schematic i found in imperial armour 11:


So it could take a while. At the moment i'm trying to find a 3D model of the revenant to make my job a shipload easier, but i don't like my chances (in which case i'll have to bust out the old rhinoceros NURBS modeling suite)

And here's a sketch of how the laminating SHOULD go down....



Anyway,
That's the deal for now...

Questions?
Problems?
Suggestions?

Now there's an ambitious project. I'll be following this with interest - and some apprenhension to be honest . My main concern would be getting the curves to be nice and smooth so you don't see the layers, but I'm sure you have a plan for that?

well,
once it's built up , the squade edges will be sanded, that should get me close. Next, fibreglass resin. sand that so it's smooth to the existing shape. then fill any holes with bondo (body filler) and sand back more. finish up with a coat of fibreglass resin, sand and prime.

i'll have to see how it works though.
might knock up a rough shape in 3ds max, sort the slices and do a test of the principle before i commit to making a high res 3d model.
i considered buying a revenant solely for the purpose of measurements, but it think i might already be in a grey area with regards to copyright, so maybe not.

Plus, i can't afford it. that's kinda the whole point XD

well,
once it's built up , the squade edges will be sanded, that should get me close. Next, fibreglass resin. sand that so it's smooth to the existing shape. then fill any holes with bondo (body filler) and sand back more. finish up with a coat of fibreglass resin, sand and prime.

Sound slike you thought it through properly, and I have ti say it makes me curious. I've sene people use wooden puppets for drawing as a base as well, maybe that could help you out for some parts/measurements?

Plus, i can't afford it. that's kinda the whole point XD

I know that feeling .

Good luck!

So, contrary to the previous plan i have now procured a forgeworld eldar revenant.

I know that feeling .

so much for that

anyway i am glad that i did.

there is so much more detail on there that i simply would not have been able to replicate given my mediocre skills in 3dsMAX and the resource images that i had.

hopefully i can start pumping out some body pieces. i'll do them in segments so anyone whose interested enough following this thread can make them as they're drafted and give me feedback on how easy they are to make.
The first piece is the easiest: the vanes on the back. you can expect these within a few days tops.
from there it'll probably be built from the bottom up, more or less.
it will not, however be entirely faithful to the original model. i get the feeling i'm dancing on the edge if GW ip here. i guess time will tell.

Sounds like a thing to watch this.