Plastic Praetorians + Scratch Building - scratch built BFG ships and an Ork Monowheel

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**Alaricuk**

Those vehicles are really well executed. Loving the rivet and panel detail

**Kid_Kyoto**

Love that armored car! Scratch building at its finest!

**evildrcheese**

I'missed in awe of what you can do with plasticard! The Thunderbolt is amazing!!!

EDC

**JohnnyHell**

Thank you guys, very kind. I'm glad you're enjoying the builds, as I sure am!

**Furiyen**

You ... must .... finish .... the .... Macharius!!!

**JohnnyHell**

I willlllll, sooooon, ish?

The Thunderbolt now sits on its stand.

Gorilla 5min expoxy worked where glue gun and superglue failed.

Pilot body not affixed but shown for scale. I'll likely convert him up into a pilot for fun at some point.

**Ketara**

Your scratchbuilding skills are really very impressive. Where did you learn them?

**JohnnyHell**

Ketara wrote:
Your scratchbuilding skills are really very impressive. Where did you learn them?

Thank you! Erm, around these parts to be honest. I was inspired by Blackadder's Titan builds, but didn't want to take on anything that big. But I've read his threads for years and learnt about scoring and snapping vs cutting through, plus a few things I found out myself, e.g. emery boards make great sanding/finishing equipment for adjusting or dressing parts! Bit of YouTube too.

All trial and error really. Only really the last couple of months I've decided to really have a crack at this. Elli Patoroch's templates have been a godsend, but the armoured car is my own reworking of a simple free model.

Ooh, I undercoated the Taurox...

**OneManNoodles**

Dammit, now I want to build a thunderbolt.

I'm really impressed by how quickly you put that thunderbolt together based off the paper templates, out of interest how many sheets of plasticard did that take?

**JohnnyHell**

It prints out as 6, but not well spaced, and I didn't use lots of the printed sections that make tubes/engines as I used other stuff. So probably best part of 5 sheets. For the main body and wings I used spray mount and went sheet for sheet. For smaller sections and detail panels I chose appropriate bits from my (growing) tub of plasticard offcuts, chopped up the templates and spray mounted to the offcuts. I think I'm still using the same can of spray mount I used for uni 15+ years ago!

**OneManNoodles**

Yeesh that's a lot of plastic, goes to show what a big model it is! Offcuts are always useful so no worries there.

**Furiyen**

JohnnyHell wrote:

Sheer, Utter Genius. These are awesome.

I really love that Thunderbolt. In fact, it's actually me inspiring to make a Tempestus Drop army with no tanks but loads of Valkyries. Not that I want to scratch build them, mind

Tangent time: That Taurox has been sparking off my old Rogue Trader nostalgia, the front grill reminds me of the Genestealer Cult they did with a converted transport. Here's a sight for sore eyes:

Now get that Macharius finished!

**JohnnyHell**

I started popping paint on the Taurox. First time recess washing. Slightly laborious but should look nice. Aiming for a creamy white. Think the Rolls from LXG movie.

And here's a shot of the two vehicles side by side for scale:

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Furiyen wrote:

Tangent time: That Taurox has been sparking off my old Rogue Trader nostalgia, the front grill reminds me of the Genestealer Cult they did with a converted transport. Here's a sight for sore eyes:
{snipped super-awesome image for brevity}

Oh I know. They were in my mind. And in fact I'm planning on modifying the template again and building a counts-as Goliath for my Cult. May try and make it castable so I can duplicate it instead of scratch-building several. That would be new to me!

Furiyen wrote:

Now get that Macharius finished!

Yassir! I'm gonna work on it in tandem with the Taurox so that I can do one while other is drying. Always helps keep my interest. Heck, I've got a Baneblade and a pile of men and horses to paint too!

...BUT something in me WILL make me start a new scratchbuild before they're done. Guaranteed. I might make something for my Deathwing so I actually play them. Now, why make a Land Raider when I can make a Spartan (and Geedubs kindly gave us a screencap of the 8th rules for free)? I considered a a Mastodon, but I dunno... thoughts? I'd do a Titan but I'd rather someting I'd actually use more often.

Damn though. Seeing that old Cult Limo makes me want to do an exact-shape copy and update the details. Hnnnnnggggg. WHAT TO DO!?!?!

Oh, and I still need to finish this that I started 2 years or so ago, before having any actual skills, just ambition beyond my abilities:

Biplane Vendetta to fit in with my oldy worldy British-looking Guardsmen. I'll probably revisit it and magnetise now I know how, so it can be a Valkyrie or Vendetta.

**Furiyen**

Omg, I love the Valkyrie / Vendetta idea

Will fit with the Praetorians perfectly. Please, for the love of God, make the pilot like this:

All thoughts of my eldar have fled from my head today, I've been dreaming of Valkyries and Scion Drop Troopers, but I'd need a theme to start investing it. Maybe after the Eldar

PS Just seen the new Doomhammer rules for 8th, its Vulcan Heavy Bolter is Heavy 20. TWENTY SHOTS!

**JohnnyHell**

Excellent. I suppose that means the stay still / fire twice will be gone sadly. In its first outing 30 shots from my Macharius one-shotted an infiltrating Avatar of Khaine! Eldrad didn't see THAT coming!

**DJShadowcat**

Fantastic, Love it all, I think the guys on foot need Bloodstripes.

**CommissarKhaine**

Don't drop by for a bit, and the guys finishes two builds.. Lovely work as always!

**JohnnyHell**

DJShadowcat wrote:
Fantastic, Love it all, I think the guys on foot need Bloodstripes.

What are these Bloodstripes you speak of?

EDIT: Ah, looked it up... red stripe down the seam of the trousers? Maaaaaybe.

**JohnnyHell**

Lo, what CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT through yonder window breaks?

**STG**

ah yes, the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT, nothing like it to transport the men into battle.
"I've never felt safer than when i was in the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT" - trooper perkins
"10/10 love me a CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT" - IGN
"14\10" - lord Castellan Creed

the reviews speak for themselves, you must be doing the emperors work

**Scarper**

Wow, I was going to comment on how I was enjoying the creative greenstuff work and kitbashing, but these scratchbuilds in the last few pages are really something else. Creative, inspiring work. Thank you for posting! Will be watching from now on

**JohnnyHell**

Thank you, really kind. I must confess to be very lucky that a crazy Russian gentlemen made such nice plans, and that they're fairly easy to adapt/bodge for Plasticard. And that my Google-fu was strong enough to find them.

Had a TERRIFYING moment earlier. My girlfriend briefly sat on the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT. Such is the badassitude of this vehicle (and my timely shout of NOOOOO!) that the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT survived intact.

Build update:

For the most part this has been an easy build so far. Some fixes to do around nose weapons where the thickness of layers hasn't matched, but easily done. Back is just layered panels and simple boxes. Much easier than Macharius.

HOWEVER, tracks are still to come and they're same design as Macharius. Not tough, but complex cuts that need to be done slowly and carefully. Plus I want this built by midweek for a game so I can field a 3 x Superheavy detachment! Baneblade, Macharius Vulcan and CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT, with air support from the Thunderbolt. Yep, I bought the FW Index. :-)

**General Kroll**

I love this thread. You're a master of scratch building and conversions good sir!

**JohnnyHell**

Thank you!

Oh, one thing... I'm gluing the rear hatch shut. Cannot be arsed with interiors and a flappy door isn't practical for gaming.

**Furiyen**

... But did you finish the Macharius!?

PS Love the Crassus

**Alaricuk**

That Crassus is looking really good, I'm also in the middle of scratch building a Crassus, going for a heavy multi transport idea, but all stopped due to work commitments at present. Be looking back in here to see your excellent progress. Your scratch skills are awesome.

**evildrcheese**

Such mad plasticard skills. Keep up the finevitable work on the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT!

EDC

**JohnnyHell**

Furiyen wrote:
... But did you finish the Macharius!?

PS Love the Crassus

Hahaha painting is ongoing!

Here's a quirk of plasticard vs paper - gaps. And here's how I solved one gap - trial and error and a custom fit armour plate.

The curved vent is super badly made as I was impatient, but a touch of filling and filing and it'll look fine. Detail-wise, I'm working between the Patoroch plans and FW pics and landing somewhere in the middle.

And here's a detailing update:

I think I misinterpreted the door as having cutouts instead of sticky-out bits. So I've now got both! I simplified the rear a lot to save card and cutting.

Tracks are simpler than the Macharius, as adding all the road wheels made it a pig to paint AND I've run out of that diameter of tubing. So I went lazy style. I realise I could have combined first track layer too now, ah well.

**JohnnyHell**

Evening update. The space school bus is almost ready for track links and rivets. Blade approves.

Now to pray those sponsons still rotate in the morning. Not easy to fix if they don't! I'm going to magnetise all the weapon mounts. I think 4x Autocannn is the first loadout I'll make, but with the new rules I can see myself making Heavy Flamers too. 4D6 automatic S5 hits on anything can't be sniffed at...

Morning edit: they spin!!! Actually following the plans this time paid off. Damn me trying to be smart with the Macharius.

**JohnnyHell**

Making tracks. Ugh. And I'm all out of skinnier card so worried that 1mm might make it all too thick.

<wobbly wobbly timey wimey>

Tracks done and on! A touch less cool than with actual internal wheels, a LOT easier to make without.

This is really coming together now! As usual, despite all the little edits, inaccuracies and errors, it looks like a CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT and that's what counts. Materials cost will be about £6 of plasticard, £3.50 of plastic glue (need a new bottle), and £1.50 of nail art beads. Total £11 of materials, plus whatever bits I use, and a few pence worth of magnets when I fit the guns/mount plates tomorrow. Beats £115 for the FW model!

She'll get her first game next week hopefully!