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Opinions needed people:

I'm thinking about plasma gunners in Veteran/Special Weapon Squads and will be using the Melta Squads as a base (since they already have correct arms/hands etc). Now, I don't want to use the big round bases in the Veteran Squads so I was going to use cavalry bases.

Do I use the 60x35mm bases or the 70x25mm bases for my prone troopers?

It's very tempting to spam Special Weapon/Sniper/HWT Squads for Deep Strike denial and start with those but I think I need to flesh out the army first... Or buy another Vulture...

 Elnibbus wrote:
Opinions needed people:

I'm thinking about plasma gunners in Veteran/Special Weapon Squads and will be using the Melta Squads as a base (since they already have correct arms/hands etc). Now, I don't want to use the big round bases in the Veteran Squads so I was going to use cavalry bases.

Do I use the 60x35mm bases or the 70x25mm bases for my prone troopers?

It's very tempting to spam Special Weapon/Sniper/HWT Squads for Deep Strike denial and start with those but I think I need to flesh out the army first... Or buy another Vulture...

I actually took 25x50 square cavalry bases and cut then down on each end and used a 25x25 round base cut in half for the ends. Smaller is usually better when it comes to bases, unless you want to make small dioramas.

Hope that helps,

CB

I think the new cavalry bases have rounded edges so work out a similar size to what you've described.

In other news, a buddy said he had some old bits and bobs for me:



An absolute butt-tonne of Elysian infantry, Tarantulas, Cyclops and Tauros! The infantry are a bit battered but there's plenty to salvage.

Happy Monday morning to all...

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to go about sculpting smoke? I've seen smoke effects made from clump foliage for the likes of vehicle markers and such but I'm not sure it would be appropriate for my purposes: I want to create an Officer of the Fleet lobbing a lit smoke grenade...

 Elnibbus wrote:
Happy Monday morning to all...

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to go about sculpting smoke? I've seen smoke effects made from clump foliage for the likes of vehicle markers and such but I'm not sure it would be appropriate for my purposes: I want to create an Officer of the Fleet lobbing a lit smoke grenade...

You can either sculpt the flame/smoke and using bits from tzeentch kits, or use smoke/flame fibers; I like the latter, I use a small piece of tack glue at the flamer muzzle or tuck in on desired areas. I got mine from flames of war, but you probably can find them all over.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/918580-Cadian%20Veteran%20Squad%202.html?m=2

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/909782-Catachan%20PCS.html?m=2

Your stuff looks amazing!

Big Mac wrote:You can either sculpt the flame/smoke and using bits from tzeentch kits, or use smoke/flame fibers; I like the latter, I use a small piece of tack glue at the flamer muzzle or tuck in on desired areas. I got mine from flames of war, but you probably can find them all over.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/918580-Cadian%20Veteran%20Squad%202.html?m=2

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/909782-Catachan%20PCS.html?m=2

Thanks Big Mac, I have since found a good tutorial for sculpting smoke - but I will definitely keep the smoke effect you have linked to should I run afoul of the greenstuff Gods! (Nice Guard by the way!)

Sgt. Oddball wrote:Your stuff looks amazing!

Cheers!

Great work on the flesh. I've always loved Elysians. Happy to see them getting some love.

 Strombones wrote:
Great work on the flesh. I've always loved Elysians. Happy to see them getting some love.

Thanks. The face probably took up most of my time on both minis so far. This evening I put a bit more paint down on the command squad and stripped the paint from the Cyclops and Tarantulas. Will get the Tauros stripped down tomorrow and maybe prime everything I have ready so far.

I've decided going forward that my vehicles are going to be green, so I'm going to pick up some AK Interactive was for dark green vehicles (I do love Mig's stuff!).

someone posted the elysia audio drama on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkZH38tygY

Might give that a go at some point Big Mac!

So I know I had said that I wouldn't be posting any pictures until the whole squad was done, but I've already posted up the Commander and the Medic... So here's the WIP on the vox operator:







I'm really happy with how his face has turned out and I'm hoping to get a similar level of detail on all of my infantry. I Still got to finish almost everything els on him (lasgun, armour, hair, bandage etc). The fatigues are done but the lighting has washed them out and they're really shiny: nothing that a coat of matt varnish won't sort out!

The two plasma gunners are in very much the same state: fatigues are done on both as is the armour. Just need weapons and webbing done.

Once the command squad is out of the way, I'll move on to the Cyclops and Tarantulas. I'm waiting on an AK Interactive Olive Drab modulation set from SnM Stuff and will.be using that on my vehicles.

Comments welcome!

if i were you id listen to that video quick, they usually get taken down fast.

face looks awesome on that trooper!

 STG wrote:
if i were you id listen to that video quick, they usually get taken down fast.

face looks awesome on that trooper!

Thanks STG. As for the other two troopers with plasma guns, I'm in two minds over whether or not to paint their eyes... On the one hand, their heads are positioned in such a way as to make their eyes a) hard to see and b) leaving their eyes in shade makes them look all moody and atmospheric.

On the other hand, it feels lazy not to paint them!

What say you, Dakka? Perhaps I should post a picture up when I get home to show you what I've done so far...

Yeah so the stupid season has meant that I have done sweet F A all weekend besides wrap presents, put up our tree and the mother-in-law's (both bought from the garden centre in miserable weather) and generally having to make merry. First world problems eh?

Currently got the Cyclops and Tarantulas on the desk fresh from a methylated spirits bath. They will be painted using the AK Interactive Olive Drab modulation kit and since they are quite simple models, they shouldn't take me long at all, probably an evening.

Then all I need to do is paint the Taurus before cobbling together some of the salvageable infantry from the box o' doom pictured above... Wish me luck.

So I broke out the AK Interactive modulation kit this evening when I got home from work. Revisited my Vulture and also applied some colour to the first of my Taurus.

First attempt at this modulation malarkey, think it turned out alright-ish...




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also got a bit of paint down on the first of two Tauros:







Quite pleased with this so far. There are a few imperfections that are a bit annoying but since the model is already assembled and rather fragile, I'll just hide them with weathering.

Merry Christmas folks and happy holidays to the various other beliefs around the globe!

I do hope you have a good one and the Fat Man brings you what you hoped for. I got, among other things, a voucher for Forge World so I have a quandry: another Vulture or a Thunderbolt?

So today I visited Warhammer World with my two buddies and played my first actual game in... Five years? It has really given me the desire to get an army together because I really enjoyed the atmosphere and being able to roll some dice with friends!

I bought myself a Thunderbolt but have to wait as they are on back order. Until then I will have to console myself with finishing the Tauros, Tarantulas and Cyclops. Speaking of which, I also picked up a couple of bases for the Taurus but I'm not terribly sure what to do for them...

Bit of progress on the vehicles...



AND THIS ARRIVED!

More progress:







Done some freehand on the tarantulas with the star of Elysia on the lascannons and on top as a form of recognition for aircraft.

Did some fiddling with the tarantulas this morning, added hazard stripes as a rotation warning type thing (i.e. watch your head) and made the unit markings yellow.





At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I think they're starting to look good. Just need to do the sponge weathering and details on the bases. Don't want to do too much more to them as I'm trying to get things finished to a good standard but quickly.

yea man they'd definitely look a bit plain without those markings, very tastefully applied. noice!

Cheers! Now finished them. 1st Division, 7th Battalion field artillery guns Alpha through Charlie (pictures are guff but then there's not much point in taking really good shots of these as they're pretty dull):

Those are looking very neat. Excellent texture work and they give off a real sense of being proper, solid pieces of military equipment rather than sci-fi models.

Thanks Para, I have tried to make them look more like proper military kit. I think keeping the colour palette to a minimum is key to achieving a realistic look.

Tomorrow's objective is to finish the Cyclops and get as much done to the Tauros as possible. When all of that is done, I can start on my Thunderbolt

Choo-choo, all aboard the hobby train!

Cyclops are done and got a better shot of the completed lot so far:



Thunderbolt assembly is progressing too:

Evenin' all. No pictures this evening as I've only finished the construction of the Thunderbolt (not much change from the previous picture really!).

However, I have been thinking about the base. I have already installed the threaded insert to accept the spoke stand (something I find much nicer looking than the clear plastic flying stand) and is like to do a ruined building, similar to that of the first one I did on the Vulture (which was practice really, after all a small corner section with a bit of sand does not a proper ruin make!).

My quandry is whether to do an explosion or not... Similar in style to this except with masonry and not a truck:

I say go for it. It'll really give a sense of dynamism, especially if you can angle the Thunderbolt to be pulling up away from the blast as if it's just delivered its payload and is moving out for another attack.

And it looks cool, of course!

OK... My next question is whether or not to do a blown up bunker with the debris erupting from the fitting slits or to do a corner section of a building with the debris coming out of a doorway and windows...

PLEEZ HALP.

Bunker definitely more appropriate there, I think. You wouldn't bring in a Thunderbolt for an airstrike on just a regular building, you would to crack a fortified bunker.

Hmm... You may have a point there Paradigm. Though it could be reasoned that the house formed some kind of OP/HQ...

I might just see what I can feasibly build!