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 Syro_ wrote:

So I have come up with the crazy idea to try to recreate the contents of the Leviathan box using my molds and sculpting to make an old style space marines and tyranids Leviathan starter set.

that certainly is a crazy idea, and you have a great start on bringing that madness to reality. Godspeed, Syro!

nothing to ruin your sleep like those little sleep thieves ... it will get better soon... is she teething? that is a trying time for sure...

as for me, it is what it is... I try to hold my self together as best as I can, family needs me, but working is not possible right now...

@thumpingbear: Thanks! I'll keep pushing
@Viktor_von_domm: Hang in there Vik! My baby has two teeth, and it looks like two more are close to breaking the surface, so you could be right. He's not too bad about sleeping anymore except for getting up so early. It's more the constant supervision that's wearing me out

I finished the long process of cleaning all the flash off of the heads and bodies for the flame thrower marines and realized I don't have nearly enough arms for them. oops


I have been working on the mechanical arm of the apothecary. Both the arm and the apothecary are nearly done now. I also primed my terminators and rippers.

Well you have been a busy little bee, mass production and all.

You are trying a very difficult process, and succeeding! They look fantastic.

ups sorry for misgendering If his temperatureis slightly higher you can be pretty sure a new tooth is coming... there is a correlation between temperature rising and teeth that show up... a bit like hen and eggs... it´s still not clear what comes first...

extensive mold cleaning... the price for not buying the new set

arm looks very cool!

Clearly aliens have kidnapped our usual, normal, glue-bending sculptor Syro and replaced him with this original art carving, mold making, casting wargaming figure designer!

Awesome work, man. Awesome work.

Good enough to wonder when the Kickstarter campaign is going to come out to make these p[ieces available to a broader audience.

Rock on!

@Camkierhi: Thanks so much Cam
@Viktor_von_Domm: No worries and nothing to apologize for. Thanks for the advice.
@Meer_Cat: heh heh, thanks so much Meer. And no worries it's still me, the horde tyranids are being mass produced with hot glue in molds after all

I am finally done building and sculpting the apothecary! He was a lot of work, but I am happy with the result. I'm leaving his honey pot carrying arm detached for ease of painting.


I have also started base coating the terminators.


And I am working on creating the sternguard veterans.

I think I have some nice progress to show today.

Many failures trying techniques on this librarian, but he is nearly done now and will have to be good enough.


I'm having a lot of fun creating these sternguard veterans


And I am nearly finished sculpting the barbgaunt

I didn't have much hobby time yesterday, but my baby son thoughtfully left me get in some sculpting by keeping himself entertained. I think my sculpt of the barbgaunt to use as a mold master is done.

I just had to have a look at the original models.... and I think yours looks way better... the GW sculpt somehow looks very disgusting in my opinion....and not in a good way...

Thanks Vik, that really means a lot to me. I am making changes when I think I would like something to be different from the original models. I'm not a huge fan of the barbgaunt model either, I think they sculpted it to look the the weapon has taken control of the gaunt body, leaving it brain dead and controlled like a puppet.

My barbgaunt is now in a curing silicone mold. One of the largest molds I have made.


I spent a lot of time today with my beloved removing of mold lines/flash Plus, making pauldrons and removing weapon hands.


I have also come up with an exciting but time consuming and slightly difficult idea that I would be happy to hear your opinions on. I'm not sure if I will ever have a need for a team of 10 flame thrower Ultramarines, I just want to be able to try out the Leviathan box without getting it. I'm not sure if I will even like tenth edition or if I will return to playing 6th/7th. There are 9 troopers with flamers in the squad, and I was thinking it could be fun to make each one from a different first found chapter of the original loyalist space marine legions.

Excellent work.

Absolutely replicate representatives from each of the original loyalist orders.

Rock on!

Thanks Meer This is the last time the members of the infernus squad will look identical. I am I thinking about the different ways to change them to represent the different chapters. Even though I have already cast and cleaned 9 maximus pattern heads, I think a good start will be some head swaps (after all the Ravenguard marine should have a beakie helmet).

Team diversity for the win... much like order demon slayer (forgot the correct name,,,) where only the best get drawn...
That idea I get, you make different schemes and you have no abundance of smurfs with flamers...

I think they sculpted it to look the the weapon has taken control of the gaunt body, leaving it brain dead and controlled like a puppet.

totally that... it is a hive force... but something makes me cringy about that to such an extent...

@Viktor_von_Domm: Yeah, I was thinking of something similar to Death Watch too. My head cannon is flamers are so useful for clearing nids that each chapter has sent some flamer specialists to help the Ultramarines finish clearing the area of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

I started painting the apothecary today


And as we have been talking about, I started converting the all going to be the same infernus squad into a squad where each marine is from a different chapter.
Official art and models for them:

How they started with plans to make the official squad:

The progress from today:

Deatch watch of course....!!!! can you make some shoulderpads that reflect the special flamers watch...

Excellent idea! Some already have plans for both shoulder pads, so I'm thinking they can all have a special knee pad to show they are part of this special flamer force. What do you think? I've put it on the Raven Guard's knee as a test, but it's hard to see.

I think I've finished both the librarian and apothecary now. (I had hoped to finish the entire space marine part before July, but still a ways to go)


And the progress on the special flamer watch force of each first founding chapter

I think I know what you want to do... the red circle with the white bolt? creative idea...

looking at the lower pic i think you either need to thin extremly the paints of yours or try to fix loss of detail with fine highlight... both disciplines i suck on too

Thanks, but that's GW's idea. That one is a squad or company marking for the White Scars that I looked up. And you're right I do struggle with thinning my paints and edge highlighting. I've painted the special unit badge on the Imperial Fist, thinking it will be easier to see.


Added some more arms on the squad


And am mostly done building the sargent, just need to sculpt on some detail.

ah... now I could see! It is really tiny!

Sarge looks great bud. Love the pose.

Thanks Cam!

I thought I already posted this, but it looks like I forgot. I'm calling the white scar marine done (And wow, the camera is always good at picking up sins that my eyes don't notice).

Iron hands marine is now done (sorry, it's blurry)


I've also decided to join the Dakka monthly painting challenge for the first time. It seemed perfect to revisit my daemon prince Mamon sculpt for the Siege of Vraks. I think this is one of the earliest minis I sculpted for use in 40k, but after all these years, and having improved as a sculptor, I still really like how it turned out. Only people like Camkierhi who have been visiting my blog from the very beginning will probably remember this guy.

now I feel guilty of low commitment...:( for me he is a new one... but a cool one... how did you achieve the sugar coated look on those barrels?

Nothing to feel bad about my friend, he is from the very first page pf my blog and hasn't appeared since. You certainly don't have low commitment. I think you and Cam have commented on this blog more than anyone else, which I really appreciate.
As for the sugar coated gun barrels, I just used a flocking technique of brushing on some glue and then sprinkling sand on top. I'm hoping that it will look like some extreme rust once painted.

I wanted them to stop taking up so much space in my painting area, so I finished up the terminator squad for Leviathan today.


I've also touched up Mamon a bit, by adding some flesh to his gun barrel arm, shortening his claws, and smoothing the transition of his horn. I'm trying to decide if I want to sculpt in extra detail to his face.

I'm trying to decide if I want to sculpt in extra detail to his face.

hard to decide... it is already quite detailed...and the Picasso-esque features might totally overflow then...

what I would consider tho is to, once the cannon arm is fully cured... go over it with a rotary tool or a wire brush and make little groves lenghthwise...if I made myself clear ...hopefully... to get a more organic look... a bit like stretchmarks and so on...

Thanks for the advice Vik, but I'm terrified of using a rotary tool on my sculpture. I don't know how much control I would have.

Dark Angel flamer is done except for the backpack


Progress on some of the other flamer marines


And my sternguard are done and ready for painting.

but I'm terrified of using a rotary tool on my sculpture. I don't know how much control I would have.

quite understandable... maybe just the bit or an old fashioned wire brush would do the trick too...

pink arms....?

 Viktor von Domm wrote:

pink arms....?

I've heard many times that when painting yellow on miniatures you should undercoat with pink. I think it's supposed to make the yellow look better, or be more vibrant or something. Hopefully it's true.

ah.... now I understand... pink or sometimes brown ... yes!!