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Guys, after working on PVC foam sheet for some time, I almost forgot how hard it can be to cut small surfaces out of 1.25mm plasticard.

I've been working on the replacement for the external bulkheads since yesterday, here is the result (it's not finished, but at least I finally know where I'm goingwith these)




Any advice or opinion?

Ooh! Very cool! Those totally need casted up!

Very nice, reminded me hat I have a bag of aquilla from marine drop pods that I needed to find a use for.

The buttresses are especially great! Something I thought about doing, with the multi-layers, you nailed it!

Great use of that weird little circle of brass from that basing kit!

You definitely gained in skills with plasticard... They look great !!

Can't wait to see the whole thing finished !

@Dave: The butresses took quite some time and blades (the first side layers were made out of a too thick plasticard). I'd really like to be able to cast such things and make some resin copies, but I'm affraid it's far above my actual skills (plus the resin and silicon I'd need are not so easy to find around here...). Since you've posted the necromunda bulkhead plans on my ork terrain thread, I kept in mind that one day I should try to build my own bulkheads and to cast them, but the problem would be casting it.

@Theophony: If only you had some bastion plans to use them on

@Inmygravenimage: I'll use as many elements from this etched brass kit as I can. There are so many possibilities with it!

@Yggs: Well, I have more time and room to practice, which is helpful if you want to practice I hope you'll like the final result.

Here's just a test assembling of the left side of the bastion:



More to come soon!

Wow Joe, you're just leaping forward with skill. The arches aren't an issue, you can simply use a molding to edge the windows (which really, you should do anyway). The stone effects that you CARVED BY HAND is stunning. The railing and walkway makes me jealous, and your arches are so detailed that I am going to have to copy them once I start working on my platform detail.

This really is great stuff. I'm always impressed w/ your skill and your imagination.

Does it mean you moved ?

@Skalk: Thanks man! I would really like to see your take on the arches.

@Yggs: Yep, I've moved into a house in January, after nearly three months at my parents place. I now have a gaming room in the basement, and a permanent painting and modelling desk (plus enough space for all the terrain I was dreaming of).

Here is the latest progress on the bastion.
I've made another bulkhead replacement (the HJ Pattern Bulkhead Mk3 )



There is still much more work to do, but now that I've solved the bulkheads problem, I feel it's far easier to work on the bastion.

mate...? I like your rivets.... just saying^^

the bulkhead looks terrific!

If you send them to Galorn, he could cast them up!
That door is so badass, I'd like to have about 50 of them!

^Seconded. Although technically you'd need to make your own aquilla to go on it.

skip on the aquilla and come up with a fully righteous own design hyenajoe! really!

Technically, GW can kiss your heiney if it's only for your own personal use and it isn't being sold. If you're not taking it to Games Day or another GW/Nazi event, who cares?

well...I think one riveter like hyenajoe could come up with a better idea of a good looking icon ...that was my train of thought

I love how this is coming together, that walk way section looks great.

@Dave: Galorn is an option and I'll probably try to contact him, but soon or later, I'll have to find a way to cast my own stuff myself (especially considering cost of shipping to and from the USA which recently increased)

About the Aquilla, keep in mind that the bulkheads I've done until now are just prototypes made for the bastion, and while I could sculpt an icon of my own as Vik suggested it, when I'll build some more definitive versions, for casting purpose, I think I'll avoid any determined symbol, leaving blank spaces to allow people to use the symbol of their choice (aquillas, chaos stars, or a symbol I'll make).

To build more precise bulkheads I need to find sone new cutting tools, to make straight and precise cuts. Any recommandations?

Blank spaces is a great idea! Foamcore is really your problem, The stuff naturally fights you and dulls blades, not the tools, a sharp blade and a straightedge are the best tools you can get.

A straightedge? What kind of tool is it?

a steel ruler for preference... but anything with a...wait for it...straight edge... would work...

I have built me a quite complex setup with many different sized wooden rules that I can put together to make straight cuts ... I really should be taken some pics of said setup to enlighten you all... but that would need cleaning up everything first...

Preferably one wide enough to hold onto without getting your fingers in the way of the blade, a cork-backing also helps it not to slip.

Stainless steel also lets you mark measurements with a pencil or pen which you can easily wipe away when not needed.
For measuring, it is important to get one that starts with 0 on the edge
I use 2 of them, an 18" (45cm) and a 6" (15cm)
A Thin-beam square is also infinitely useful for this type of work, especially when working with scraps with no factory edge

Vik's method with wood strips also works, but wood is soft and will dull your blades almost instantly.

well... the wooden stuff i use is just a way of measureing and keeping my cuts in line... i am terrible when it comes down to measuring stuff... and for some weird circumstances we only have cheap unthrustworthy rules from older schooldays at home... you never know for sure what you just measured...

so i let my wooden rules specially sawed at our hardware shop... and even tho they cet sometimes cut or roughed a bit due to my work... they have boosted my productivity no end...

will try to get some pics of the whole thing tomorrow...

I use such a steel ruler, but it's not as wide as those you've shown and my main problem is that it's constantly slipping... I had never thought of adding some anti-slipping material beneath...

I'm curious to see you're device Vik.

This was a crappy week-end, both my daughter and my wife were sick and I had no more than an hour for me.
However, I managed to start a new and more precise bulkhead using the same base as on the bastion side entries:
(which looked like that)


The new one has been more precisely cut and I've started to work on the stripes and layers of plasticard which will give it its texture.
I've no pic of this new bulkhead yet but you can expect one during the next days.

well.... we have some cases of flu here too... hope we get it over with soon...best of luck and health to yours too!

and for that setup... soon...soon... on my top of my to do list^^

Thank you Vik.

As promised, here's a first WIP pic of the bulkhead I wish to cast:

I've cut enough small rivet to glue between thin stripes of card all along the edges.

Here's also the rear side of the first bulkheads (those with the butresses)

Any idea of what I could add to the bottom to make it less...empty?

you can always add a thin strip of PC as a rim... that adds easy detail...or a small hatch for maintenance?

also... I took the pics... but these need some work... probably tomorrow I am able to share... (made my first own tutorial then...yey^^)

You just need to ensure you eliminate any and all undercuts when designing for casting, it's difficult, but you have to think like liquid..lazy as well as being able to get the casting out of the mold.

er... hyenajoe? about that tut... I have it in my thread now...

Guys, I had a long and productive modeling evening!

First, the 'to-be-casted' bulkhead has evolved since you've seen it the last time.
I've added smaller stripes of plasticard on it, but I wasn't happy with the door (not straight enouh)


So I've removed the door and replaced it with thicker plasticard before adding rivets and some thin stripes to build a small metallic structure at the top of the bulkhead.
Now it's looking like that:


After that, I've decided to try somehting similar on the two side doors of the bastion:

But after that it was nearly midnight so I've left the rest of the riveting job for later (tonight if possible).
You'll notice on this last pic that the wall on the left is not straight. It will be covered with a L shaped piece of plasticard.

Now it's time for my sunday breakfast: Bacon, eggs, molten cheddar and coffee, me voila!