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Nice, Brian! Hope you liked it here! Bolt Thrower's Realm of Chaos is still totally inspirational if I need to get in the 40k mood.

I managed the Yorktown, Fort Sumter, the the Hunley, as well as the downtown open air market, and a few other touristy things with my local guide. Had a good time! Even visited the game store by the Citadel mall.

 Moltar wrote:
Nice, Brian! Hope you liked it here! Bolt Thrower's Realm of Chaos is still totally inspirational if I need to get in the 40k mood.

What's cool is that somebody uploaded that stuff to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRmvZxVu1z8

You can also bring up Bolt Thrower on Pandora.

Brian, glad you had a good time. You managed to visit most the stuff I try to avoid

That game store is okay, certainly not the best in town. They always have a very limited selection of miniature merch and over priced, used, retro video games, but at least you got out and about.

I enjoyed being a TOURIST.

@ Galorn- Every project is a new opportunity.

@ Vik- I imagine a few people have that reaction reading my blog, but I'll admit you're the first to say it and it cracked me up. For what it is worth, sometimes I feel the same way while I'm doing it. As far as the sugar, I have no idea how it came out, I'll have to test it completely individually before I can offer any results.

@ Dr H- I'm not discounting your idea at all and I think it would certainly sell the idea even more, but I'm at a place in the project build where I don't want to tear apart / rebuild again, and that is what it would take for this as I'd be drilling holes through each floor. And on that note I'll admit that I'm disappointed w/ myself on this one, I could have gone for a lot more detail such as pipes, wires, etc. I have quite a few projects left and perhaps the next 'ground up' build I start will have some more advanced features. As it stands right now I'm going to be lucky if I pull a decent 'save' on this one. You'll see why I said that as you read through.

@ Dave- Adventures in Airbrushing were a complete fail, but only because the paint I tried to use was completely inadequate and the small bit of 'success' I achieved actually made things worse. You'll see what happened as you read down.

@ Moltar- I do remember, which is awesome because I discovered Bolt Thrower AND Games Workshop right around the same time but completely independent of each other, and when I found the tie-in I was pretty psyched. And regarding the OLD metal models... I wouldn't expect anything less from a Thrash Metal Noise Marine.

@ Briancj- We had a decent chat about Metal the last time you were here. I remember when Titan Legions came out and I imagined MASSIVE speakers all over the Imperator Titan blasting Bolt Thrower (or Benediction / Entombed / Unleashed / etc) to motivate the IG troops as they rushed headlong into oblivion.

@ hdbbstephen / Brian- and Spotify.



Sorry about the late update. My 'Iron Man' weekend got screwed by a series of events that I won't go into but I wasn't happy. However, I did get a few more hours in, and here's what got done.

First , a msg for Dave- the compressor is very quiet. The airbrush is louder than the compressor. It hits max pressure quickly and keeps it in that range very well. I'm looking forward to using it more.

That said, 1st airbrush adventure ended better than the average 1800's era North Pole expedition but wasn't very much fun. I need a lot of practice w/ the trigger and I really need different paint. Maybe some n00b mistakes, maybe inexperience, but this was th ebest result I could get:







Solution? Rattlecan respray flat black and repaint metallic. This was not a random decision, I've been down this path before and I know how to get decent results from it. The salt stayed on really well this time, too.









After several washes and rubdowns I still was not getting the effect I was looking for. Problem #1 was I was trying a new kind of paint, a decision I regretted not testing on a test piece after realizing how tough it was to wash and how shiny it was when it dried. Oops. Won't be using this paint for base color anymore. But I did paint up a single tile to get an idea of how I wanted to do this one. It came out ok and looks like all the other stuff I've done.







After getting sick of trying to figure out the 'save' for this project I decided to soak it and do something else for a while.



The 'something else' was the base of the Basilica. I hadn't done much w/ it since I stole it from the Manufactorum, and pretty soon I'm going to glue the Basilica to the base (after I finish painting the inside as the entire thing is a rickety disaster in waiting). Decided to get the final steps for the crater started.



Final placing and gluing down. This won't move ever again.



I always use Elmer's glue to keep my rock basing in place. I really like this stuff. Inexpensive, no nasty fumes, and works every time. Also easy cleanup if you I make a mistake.



Here I'm flocking the crater. I always use WAY more than I need, it ensure complete coverage, and the stuff that doesn't stick just falls off. The newspaper is so I can recover the unused rock. It's easy to roll up and pour back into the jar I store it in. In case you are wondering, I only did this much instead of covering the entire base becasue I need to glue the building to the actual base instead of onto the flock in order for it to have a solid connection.





While the glue on on the base was setting I took the Basilica out of the soak and put it in front of a fan to dry. Since I was waiting on both parts of my primary project I decided to fix something I've been meaning to do since I adopted the "difficult terrain identification' for my table. I didn't want this to be difficult terrain so I marked it out and cut it w/ a coping saw:





And here it is finished w/ standard awesome display shots:





The detail is a bit lame as I built it in April 2011 and hadn't stepped up the skill level. I really should go back and bring it up to standard but for now I'm happy that I can at least put it on the table again.

After finished the barricade I went back the Basilica and found this:





The model was saltier than Pegleg the pirate. Solution (and admittedly I should have thought of this sooner... ) steel brush! And not only did it solve the salt issue, it solved the 'way too shiney problem! See pic #2 for comparison. L = brushed / R = not brushed. Not all pics are 'finished product' but I took them to show progress.













And some action shots. I really like where this is going.







Still a LOT of work to be done, but I'm at least 3/4 there. Last night I was able to paint the entire inside (I really need to get this thing on a base, I've broken it 4 or 5 times so far since it is so 'ruined' and doesn't have a solid connection anywhere) and once it is on the base (tonight if I can) I'll start painting the outside walls and then get to work on the rust. This time I'm going w/ WISIWIP (what I see is what I paint). I've put unnecessary detail (meaning completely covered after the fact) on my last few models, going to skip that this time and put my efforts into what you'll actually see.

Thanks for looking, I'll be back w/ more as soon as I can!

Skalk, somehow the crater's sides seem off to me... maybe it needs more smoothing out into the ground, i'm not sure. Otherwise brilliant build, and good experiment with the salt... did ya seal the salt with hair spray before painting?
It prevents the salt from actually absorbing the paint, allowing it to come of waaay more easy...

What pressure were you using? I use 10-15PSI for most, I never dial it above 25 (for primer)- look under the nozzle- there will be an F stamped for fine or M for medium- the finer the needle/nozzle, the lower pressure you can generally get away with. Ignore anything you read re: 30PSI- that's bullgak, and only relevant for bottom feed airbrushes.

Ooo no, don't pull it apart on my account. I just wasn't sure if you knew what I was getting at.

I totally understand wanting to do a (relatively) easier build after going for it like you did on the filling station.
Don't be disappointed with yourself, as it will be awesome when you are "finished", as usual.

Shame the painting turned into one of those "5 minute" jobs (This is what experimenting is all about. ) but I think it's looking good now, grubby, worn and just a little rusty here and there = perfect.

The barricade looks good and can fit in anywhere now with the new minimal base. You bought all the boxes and barrels for that if I remember right?

Keep it up.

@ Maus- The crater looks that way on purpose. See below:



@ Dave- was using 15-25lbs. Will turn it down a bit. But the paint I was using was not good, even w/ thinner.

@ Dr H- My only disappoint w/ myself is I know I could do 'more', but I could also lose my mind in minutia. Better that I let a bit go and finish a project that looks good and is functional. In the end it is terrain intended to be played on, not a diorama display. My fuel station was an experiment in how far I could go. I'll do another on in a year or so. Thanks for the compliment on the barricade. I picked all that stuff a couple years ago now, probably 2010?

Also, I got to be the 1,000th post on my own thread! Yay!

Congrats on 1k... It is really looking good so far.

You should be able to use GW paint with plenty of thinner. Shoot for milk (not skim-milk-that aint milk) What paint were you using?

Hey Skalk, the one thing I do with salt is due to hand brushing the "mud" onto my tanks, so the salt is in the paint but has not broken down like it would in water, I realize that the stuff would knacker a airbrush, so good work doing what you have done so far with the salt/painting

@ Galorn- Thanks on both. Looking forward to you seeing them in person so you can tell people that my pictures do not do them justice

@ Dave- Ok, will turn down the pressure and try the GW paint again. What ratio do your recc' for the thinner to paint? Also, do you mind if I compile the info you shared w/ me and posted here? I'm horrible w/ keeping track of PMs.

Shas- I spray hairspray twice, once to throw the salt on, and once to seal it in before I lay paint on it. I think my main problem this time was some of the salt I used was very fine, almost like powder. I'll try it again om some test pieces and see what the results are. On that same line of thought, I'll try again w/ sugar on a test piece. I'm sure that I'm re-inventing a wheel someone else already tried, but sometimes you just have to make mistakes for yourself.



Opps.

You can always share whatever you want anywhere bro- Dakka's PM system isn't very friendly I know.

I dunno, Ratios are too much like math It all depends on the paint really. GW Foundation (or base i.e. dense pigment) paints will take more thinner than translucent colors, just because of their consistency differences.

If it splatters or runs:
1. Pressure too high
or
2. Paint too thin (rarely the case, but then you'll notice it watery and see-through)

Ideally, you'll thin the paint, and dial the pressure down to the point where it atomizes nicely without running or splattering. I'd just focus on basecoats to begin with..get that down with a bit of practice, then your balls will unfurl for detail work later

If you want, I can shoot some tut pics for you. Tell me what paint you're using, and I'll try to use the same brand/color for ease of understanding.

Skalk, I love how you not just cobbled some stuff together but thought about how the ruin was damaged. IMO that is the key to good modelling: thinking about how things work / became what they are.

Your thread is one of those I have followed for a long time as a lurker. If you ever felt a cold chill and wondered if there was a movement in the shadows in the corner of your eye while updating it was probably me. I just don't think its very creative to be the umphteenth reader to post things like "awesome" and "OMG". Although you deserve that definitely...

Having said that, I believe I understand what Maus feltt when he meant the crater looks off. The wall needs to be even more broader and higher on the opposite side than on the inner side. Think how it looked like when throwing hammer in P.E., most of the sand was pushed forward. Mind, I think what you do is awesome (HAH now I said that...!) . But as you are one of those who don't calm down until they have achieved maximum perfection I feel you might want to fix that.

Yeah- Hrou is right...gotta think about the forensics of blasts and such...

Oh and another thing is missing: radial cracks. They help emphasize the movement of the impact.

I spotted this the other day, Minitaire has a new line of airbrush paints that work straight from the bottle http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/01/hobby-next-big-thing-in-miniature.html

This is on my list for when I break down and get an airbrush!

@ Dave- I'll get those posted up here, they may assist others as well. I'll take pics of my paint and pressure. Have to figure out what to use as thinner though, I know that water doesn't work and the Tamiya stuff I had is gone now.

@ Hruotland- thanks for coming out of the lurker closet . I always wonder who is stopping by. I notice my views go up by a hundred or so when I do an update but my replies are 5-8.

@ Both- I guess I really need to take better pics to clarify the trajectory of the shell, how it impacted, and why the crater looks the way it does. The bent plates might be throwing it off since they are dislodged by the back pressure of the impact. I may have been too much. The other part of it is that I can't go much larger w/ the crater or I'm going to wind up on a completely different base. Or..... OR I could just turn the crater around so it is facing into the ruin instead of away, but then I have a huge missing wall on the back side to explain.

Gah.

I'll figure this out. It's what I do.

@ hdbbstephen- I just caught your posted before I did this update. I'll check that link later because I'm out the door from work heading to Home Depot for a supply drop, but from what I saw it's about a line of airbrush paints?

I'll be back!!!

Yeah Skalk! Before Christmas, Ken Badger e-mailed me for my address, he was going to send me samples of the new Minitaire line.
http://minitaire.com/
I think he may have forgotten though

Skalk, i understood the idea of the crater instantly... but to me it seems so... i dunno... placed on top of it... Don't know how to explain exactly, but it misses some coherency with the groundwork... It looks like the outer wall of the crater collapses in on itself before touching the ground. Never ever seen a crater do that...

Dave- You should remind them.

Maus- see new pics

Ok, here's a rough representation of what I'm saying about the crater.

my point about the crater wall is futile now that I see that picture from near - ground level, the outward rim IS much bigger than the inward rim. Because of perspective I did not catch that before. The backwards tilted floor plates are good with me, too. Maybe scatter some pieces of broken plates into the wall debris, or let some stick out of the water, in order to tie floor and crater together more? Also, as I said, radial cracks in the debris would help to make it look more like crater and less like heap of sand. I found a pic of a crater from a sideways impact on mars, and you can see there are some cracks imediatly making clear something came from left and hammered into the ground.

http://www.google.de/imgres?q=einschlagkrater&hl=de&client=ubuntu&tbo=d&channel=fs&biw=1351&bih=929&tbm=isch&tbnid=Y3IGcWjzDIkAeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/wissenschaft/Marssonde-fotografiert-ungewoehnlichen-Krater-id14110361.html&docid=Uh1Dx9XFgN9FwM&imgurl=http://bilder.augsburger-allgemeine.de/img/14110356-1299254701000/topTeaser_crop_Die-europ-ische-Raumsonde-Mars-Express-hat-einen-ungew-hnlich-langgezogenen-Einschlagkrater-auf-dem-Roten-Planeten-fotografiert-undatiertes-handout.-Foto-ESA.jpg&w=572&h=322&ei=mBgLUZ_CDc_mtQa5soGAAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=244&vpy=291&dur=2347&hovh=168&hovw=299&tx=175&ty=83&sig=106055012936700093193&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=278&start=0&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:103

(Although this only looks like the same situation, in truth this crater is elliptic because of a double impact)

Ahh yes! Lovely LOS!

@ Skalk: Yup, fixed

@ Everyone- cool, thank you. Because I really needed to get this done tonight:



I figure at this rate I'll have this done in a couple weeks. After that, who knows what I'll find myself doing?











So many choices.

All of them good ones...

@ Galorn- Yes. Yes they are.



Taking a Dakka break. I'll be back.

* edit- skalkbloodaxe@withstrengthweburn.com if I'm gone too long *