Squaduary Week 3 Update

It's a good thing I am ahead of the game with this challenge since I lost most of the weekend playing 'Oxygen Not Included' instead of cracking on with my Primaris. Still most is not all and I got some more work done.

Here are the bases before...

...and after!

I used cork and plastic skulls from the GW Box of Skulls for embellishment. I thought since I'm painting some Ultramarines that the rims be Goblin Green.

All that's left really is to get my marines mounted and the transfers applied.

Cheers!

CJ

Imperial Space Marine 001

A little over a year ago I ventured out to secure my little plastic piece of 40k history. Huzzah!

Well I finally got him put together this past weekend.

This, like all the other one sprue GW models I've seen, went together with ease.

For the base I went with some resin embellishments from the 40k Basing Kit. You can still find these on eBay (if you're willing to pay for em). I got two over the last six months and not too pricey so I lucked out.

This guy will be painted up as an Iron Hands Astartes. I sort of have an idea of how to ruin this perfectly good model to make it a bit more thematically appropriate for the marines of the X Legion.

Cheers,

CJ

Technobridge Bases 001

With the Witchhunter warband being ready for paint, I thought about what I wanted for the bases... technobridge bases sound good.

I started with these basic materials. All the bases got scraped clean with a stencil knife and then scribed so the glue will have a bit more to adhere to.

Then I went to work with my tools and this is what I came up with. All the bases I worked out for this fit somewhere on the deck of the Technobridge. The little black rivets are microbeads. I made sure to seal all the plastic canvas with superglue.

The next step in the process is to build a mould box and pour a mould. If the weather says nice I hope to get it done over the weekend.

Cheers,

CJ

DREADTOBER 002: Building?

So I'm calling it now, this Castellax is a recast. The multicolour resin is the giveaway. I got it in trade, and some other models. I have no regrets. I'm not actively buying recasts or advocating it. But from eBay or the internet, well, you get what you get.

This model is in rough shape, so I've set about to remedy that. I did a little deconstruction work.

I'll do some filing, trimming, and greenstuff work to this model before I pin it back together and get it based.

Speaking of, I decided on a basic layout for the ZM board and the Mechanicum teams bases. I'll use thin card over plastic canvas, and use dressmakers pins for rivets.

I'm going to get Humpty Dumpty put back together.

Cheers,

CJ

DREADTOBER 001: Planning Phase

I'm excited to take part in Dreadtober 2016!

I'm wrapping I've wrapped up my Deathwatch Contemptor for the September challenge. Now is the ideal time to begin planning my DREADTOBER entry.

I got a Castellax and some Thallax models on a trade last summer. They need a little love, but that's okay. In fact it makes that Castellax a perfect project for DREADTOBER. I know I want to build up a small Mechanicum force for Zone Mortalis, so finishing this model will give me some more motivation to get the rest of them done sooner rather than later. And the pile of grey shame shrinks a little.

Since this model is already assembled I need to clean it up a bit, and more importantly I want to base it for a ZM board. So I need suggestions for cool ZM style industrial floors that I can simply reproduce not only on these models but on four square feet of board.

That's my plan. If anyone has any suggestions for floors and basing please let me know with a comment.

Cheers,

CJ

Necromunda Bases 001

Somehow the discussion of appropriate bases for Necromunda came up and I decided I ought to make some. Since I scored that box of Necromunda terrain back in 2013, it was a snap to pull out a few deck sections and go from there.

I picked a few details from each design and drew them out 1:1. Then I did a lot of careful cutting, gluing, cutting, trimming, filling, filing, more filling, filing, then paint... none of which I managed to photograph. I really suck at stopping to take photos.

These two bases are made of layered .020" plasticard sheet. The base and the plasticard were both scored with a stencil knife prior to glue being applied, and the same was done with the subsequent layer. After the plastic cement set I used a precision curve shear (toenail clipper...yes, new ones!) to trim the edges. Liquid green stuff was applied to hide the seams and then filed smooth with #1500 & #3200 Flex-i-Files.

I can take photos of the finished product, though. The hazard chevrons came out okay. I will have to work on getting them more even in the future. As for the shade of blue and the weathering, I wanted more rust and wear. The card walkway looks more like it's from a desert outpost than an underhive sink somewhere.

Four more bases are planned. Now I just have to find some Arbites to mount on them...

Cheers,

CJ

Orks: Deffkoptas 002

Not much happening on my work bench these last few days. I've spent them mostly helping a friend of mine get his stuff packed up for a move out of state.

Snow-monster

Deacon

One of the consequences of him moving out of town is he needs to board his cat here. This is great since now my cat Snow has a fuzzy playmate.

And in the mean time I did manage to get the bases for the first three Deffkoptas done. Rhinox Hide base over sand and crushed slate, drybrushed with Kommndo Khaki and Bleached Bone. Washed with Agrax Earthshade, repeat drybrushing after painting rocks Codex Grey. Wash again. I added scorched grass to the bases with PVA glue.

Next post should show some paint on the Deffkoptas.

Cheers,

CJ

Tutorial: Basing and Real Rust

The Girl and I went on a walk today, and our adventure took us to a park with crushed slate walks and an iron heavy river that happens to be running low. Seeing opportunity in the low state of the water, I gathered up some chunks of bark that had nice deposits from the receding waterline. I also took the time to gather some handfuls of crushed slate that had escaped the path proper.

The crushed slate is going to be used to add some variety to my selection of basing materials. I think the rust powder left behind on the pieces of bark will be good for adding rust effects to whatever needs it.

Using a sculpting tool helped get the rust off the bark with out taking off too much of the bark surface with it. The piece I scraped is roughly 1.5" square, and I got a nice little pile for my work. You can see the difference between the scraped bark and the one with rust still there.

I decided I needed to experiment with this rust powder right away, so I fished out one of my miscast industrial bases. I added some sand and crushed slate, then painted it up.

Then I added some of the rust powder. I used some acrylic floor wax (Future) to fix it in place, and while it was still wet I added a bit more powder. After the Future dried the powder was pretty much set. I pained the raised bits of the diamond plating and washed all the metal with custom rust colored wash. The outcome is pretty nice over all. I think it will take a couple tries to get process down. I have a few of these miscast bases; the product of a rushed mould. I'll kick out a few more and get it all worked out.

Stay tuned. Until then, cheers.

CJ

Paint Table Saturday no. 14

Not too much going on this week. I finished up the three remaining flamer/lasgunner pairs for 1st platoon, and am just working on their bases... plus one for a Tempestus Scion that found his way into my queue this week.

By the time this posts, the models should be plugged into their newly painted bases; stay tuned for that update.

Cheers,

CJ

Company Command Complete

A couple of days ago I posted my completed Not Quite Creed model. Featuring prominently was the model's base; stylized tarmac with dividing line. Along with the photos of the complete figure, I included a photo with both my versions of Creed and Kell. Almost immediately, Redditor /u/bobbothegobbo called me out on the disparity in bases between the two heroes of Cadia.

He was right.

Tonight I set out to set the difference right.

Having established that Not Quite Creed would be in the relative center of this unit when on the display shelf (someday...), I then loosely based the rest of the scene around him: the liaison officers behind, the special weapons and lasgunner to the fore, and Kell of course at Creed's shoulder.

After whipping up three simple bases, I started trying to vary the bases just a bit. On two of them I added wider cracks, another I cut through the base and then glued some half round plasticard in place as exposed lines. On the final base, I remembered a detail from the old Forge World roads, beacon lights in the center of the roads of the Imperium.

I set to make a border light for the tarmac the Company Command are standing on. I decided that the unit might be moving across an Imperial air strip or landing area, ringed with these beacons.

I think I pulled it off. I kept the tank tread from the original base in a small homage to this model's original purpose: Armoured Company commander on foot. Way back there were a set of rules which allowed for your tank crew to bail out in the event of vehicle kill. If you didn't get the crew, you only earned half points for the vehicle.

And here is the lot. In the end I have to thank /u/boobothegobbo for giving me the push I needed to get these models truly finished.

Cheers,

CJ

Tempestus Scions Completed

Last week I had mostly finished up the Tempestus Scions platoon command squad, except for the bases. Today I finally got those done, too, and the models attached.

I cast three bases, and then built up the other two I needed from blanks I had. Using sand, brick bits, cork, and corrugated card I was able to quickly craft a pair of unique bases for this squad that still fit the basing theme of my army on the whole.

Once they were painted, I assigned figures to the completed bases and set about attaching them. I carefully removed the Scions from their painting bases, one at a time. I set the model on the base in the best position offered by the base. I drilled all the pin holes in the bases by eye, then held the model in place and marked the bottom of the boot with a dress makers pin. Once marked, I used my pin vice to drill the holes in the boots. It seems like a bit of work, but as usual in my opinion it is worth the end result.

Completed Squad

The sergeant's arms are magnetized to allow more options in list building

Have I mentioned how much I like these models? They really strike a balance in paying homage to the original Stormtroopers and their replacements (which are some of my favorite models in 40k). I think I'll be picking up more boxes of Scions in the future.

Speaking of the future for my Scions, I have found the vehicle to replace the Taurox for me:

I found this bad boy over on Admiral Drax's blog. If you haven't been before, I suggest giving him a look. He runs an awesome IG blog, complete with the original Wyvern conversion (completely serious) and the painting chart.

Cheers til next time,

CJ