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Oh dear. My focus has been wrenched completely recently and I apologise if anyone is getting annoyed with a lack of focus.

To explain:

I was taking a short aside to start painting my MEdge Hunter over in my MEdge blog temporarily with a plan to return to Anrakyr very soon.

Then I discovered some fan-made Lost Patrol tiles with a "Space Freighter" (*cough* Space Hulk *cough*) theme and have Photoshopped some fireballs on to enhance the Tumbleweed tiles a little (Mark Nuttal's tiles are brilliant, but it wasn't clear what was Tumbleweed to me).

I was then all set to mount them on thick mounting board and then laminate in an attempt to try and play some form of miniature game (33 years old, last played when I was 14, only ever played 3 times and the guy I played with didn't make the experience fun, yet love painting models and really want to use them in something).

Then happened to Facebook message my local GW store to find out their plans for Saturday's 30th anniversary of Power Armour events only to discover that among other things they are holding a squad (+/- dedicated transport) vs genestealer games along with painting competitions.

And I thought "oh for goodness sake!" "Just give it a go". Hence I started trying to work out how to transport what I would want to play with/enter.

Then when chatting to Januine he effectively gave me a kick up the proverbial and I am now making a Rhino that I had in the cupboard

I PROMISE I will get back on track soon!!!!!

I am quite excited by the prospect to play some sort of game on a big event like this. Just because I hope my inate uselessness may be overlooked. I am stupidly nervous though . But even more so I want this bad boy painted now just so I can take it along with the tactical squad I finally managed to complete when I returned to the hobby just over a year ago and use them

So here is the progress from box contents to current build state. The gunner got shot down so one of the marine passenger got out of his place of safety to take over gun-duty. Got a bit of fluff around how the Rhino came to be like this but need to get it built and painted then fiction later. Would love to hear what you guys think

The angle of the lying guy is perfect. Just aces.

Thanks so much. I've actually got you to thank for the lying marine Graven. I used a BA assault marine set of legs that you sent me way back.


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Ok. All primed and basecoated with Dark Angels Green spray (groan! I am one of the old crew)

Might actually manage to get this done by Saturday

well I am a troublemaker looking sharp, now jump to it!

Nice!!!!!looking forward to hearing how the tourney/event goes on Saturday. Give 'em hell. In the grim dark future (of the Valleys) there is only war!!!!!

I like all the character you put into this project. Never see driver casualties with marines.

Nice idea for the rhino diorama. Looking forward to seeing come together.

EDC

Interesting idea, looking forward to seeing more work done.

Didn't manage to get the Rhino finished in time for the event. Stood outside local GW store now. This is how far I got

Looks good, particularly the interior!

Cheers Para. Top hatch magnetised should I ever want to get a Razorback turret and so I can see the inside better

Pleased with Gunner, but he's blu-takked on for now


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Had to be in store within first 15 minutes to get one of the 50 of these they had (well I got 2 - one for Januine too). 2 left at 10:15. Nuts!

Necron Scarabs......

They are a bit......

.....you know.....

......dull. Aren't they?

Bear with me on this. I came to planning my day and decided I needed to finish off Anrakyr for Para's competition. So I thought I'd chuck in 4 Necron Warriors too to keep my mini painting count up for the month. And then my eyes fell on the Scarabs.

I actually like the sculpt of the GW scarabs, but the base looks pathetic with the 4 on their stalks. I actually put one together a few months ago and have ignored it ever since because it was rubbish. I don't even like the FW versions. They are interesting in appearance, but don't look like a swarm. Swarms should like in The Mummy

So this is my verdict on scarab swarms, but I feel a sadness for the little scarabs because I think they are quite cool as a model.


So I started to have a mind wandering moment, which turned to a Google search (ahhhh the hobbyists friend) and found these:

The top left was found first, and was good, but then I found the top right - oh baby But how to get that many scarabs. eBay did not provide the goods for the right cost. And that's when I saw the "How to" guide for that base and realised that the majority were press-moulded.

Now I am not a fan of press moulding as a way to scam companies out of money, but I have paid for my scarab bases and I am dissatisfied with their appearance as GW would recommend, in my opinion they need an extra element to their base. I would use green stuff for any other model if the base needed to be unique, so it's really no different. I will never be selling these and the mould material will be reused after I have finished these. I will not be making any scarab bases that don't contain the four scarabs that belong on it as bought with green stuff versions beneath.

So using blue stuff from greenstuffworld I made the mould using the 12 scarabs I have. I estimate I will need 6 or so extra per base. Green stuff is now in and it is about 3 more hours before the curing is complete.


I'll post pics post-curing if anyone's interested.

I quite liked the ForgeWorld ones, the plastic kits not so much.
The resin ones look genuinely frightening. Another option would be to buy as many Nightbringer scarab bases as possible lol. That base is pure awesome the way they're erupting out of the ground.

Nice idea. That model is perfect for press moulding. I would have made the whole swarm and press moulded that, though.

Lol. Yeah, but imagine if he were on the crest of a wave of scarabs.........

The Forgeworld ones are fine and the sculpt is far more detailed than the resin, but it comes down to numbers again. Now the FW ripper swarm bases are very cool and if they had done the scarab bases with the same number we would not be having this conversation


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 corpuschain wrote:
Nice idea. That model is perfect for press moulding. I would have made the whole swarm and press moulded that, though.

Would have been far less time I admit, but you lose detail then or have to do multipart mounds. This way the swarms can all be different and it won't be an amorphous blob

You make a good point!

Whoops! Forgot to post these.
Was given these as a Christmas present by my wife. I started Dsrth Vader's fighter but got irritated by how difficult it was to get parts off the metal sheet. But since then bought better edge cutters and now it was way easier! So have finished these two:


You definitely need these to make them:


And here they are together:



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 corpuschain wrote:
You make a good point!

Don't get me wrong, I'd have preferred one big mould for time reasons, but my perfectionist nature would have caused me to go insane!

WD on getting the LE marine. Very cool Star Wars models as well. I do like the scarab solution. I'll definitely be doing the same if I ever get around to building up my necrons...

Tidy idea on the scarabs. I've made a few press moulds for admech stuff - still need to actually make the pieces mind. Those star wars models are awesome. Wives are great eh?!!

And here's the final result. Very pleased

And comparison shots. Bit 2D (as in the feet and undersides are non-existent), but will serve my purposes for the swarm

Good stuff!

Those Star Wars models are very cool. Are they a mecanno-type thing, or more of a model kit with metal parts?

 Paradigm wrote:
Good stuff!

Those Star Wars models are very cool. Are they a mecanno-type thing, or more of a model kit with metal parts?

Basically it just slots together. You have to bend pieces into shape as well. I had a Forerunner Guardian ( From Halo V that is frustratingly difficult to assemble)

As AoV said. Hence the need for the pliars!!

All trimmed (arduous is not the word) and base gravelled. When it's dry we're off

Now THAT is a swarm!!!

Good stuff!

Nice work with the Scarabs.

EDC

How many on that base, mate?

12. 4 original and 8 GS