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*Subtle stumbles out of the dark corner that is higher education, and stands for a moment, blinking and shielding his eyes... eyes that have the crazed glare of those that have seen a glimpse of the abyss*

Thanks as always for the kind words. Questions, comments, considerations, criticisms, and all other general musings are always welcome; but when I'm busy, it might take a bit for me to reply. With the light at the end of the tunnel coming soon (the last month has been insane, to say the least) and just 2 more weeks of classes, I'll be able to return to the studio full-time for several months. I might be able to squeeze some painting time in before then, but still so many obligations to take care of before I can get back at the bench.

 

Funny you should bring up finer styrene cutting technique, matphat (Weclome to B&C) I have plans to do some more styrene building articles that get down to finer detailing and cut-work. Aren't arrows a pain in the :censored:? So, Stay tuned for a much more detailed article with pictures in the future, but for now I can give a few tips before I get back to building for school (I'm building a fully detailed 1/12th scale bus shelter for :censored:  sake! So much building!)

 

  • Need pin-point precision? Use a pin; I use a... well, needle actually (attached to a small handle) to prick the pattern through the paper down to the plastic - every corner, every rivet, every needed point gets pricked out. I then use a very sharp pencil to give each prick point a small amount of graphite. If you don't add the graphite you'll lose the points as you cut and slightly deform the plastic. Wipe away excess graphite dust and rub the cut point with a hard tool to lock it in. Once done, you have a faint but very accurate connect-the-dots pattern you can use to cut the item. Take great care that you connect the right dots - have the pattern close by to use as a reference and do larger more obvious cuts first.
  • When you cut, always try to cut away from the object - away/out from corners; even small nicks and scratches into the object will create a weak point that will want to crack if it's stressed. To keep arrows straighter and more even, do not cover the arrow as you cut; place you ruler outside of the shape for cuts so you can evaluate if it looks even or not. This will require that you rotate the styrene quite often as you cut, but that is the price you pay to get the results.
  • I prefer to cut from full sheets of plastic to avoid seams and weak points; I like to have large single object to work with if I can so this works well. It is more inefficient with materials, but for prototypes or small run hobby production it can be worth it. When you cut lighter sheet it has the added advantage of giving the object a matrix to hold and secure the item as you cut. The matrix is all of the negative plastic around the object you've cut, and it acts as a scaffold to hold the item as you work. When it's properly cut, the item should come free easily enough that it won't break. Note: I routinely ruin good parts with a slip while cutting and have to start again; care and patents are key, but accidents happen.
  • Use a stainless steel ruler that is just metal without any no-slip backing such as cork; while the no-slip is nice, and without it you need to take more care while cutting, having the ruler right on the plastic helps with precision and accuracy. You also need to have a critical eye and really evaluate if what you're about to cut is right; when it doubt, check, and line the cut up again, even if you have to rotate the sheet 180 to see the part from the other side.

 

Hope this helps, and keep an eye open for more in future. Ok back to the grind. As usual, so much to do and never enough time!

 

Much more coming soon... so very... soon...

Edited by Subtle Discord

Thanks so much for the guidance! It's much appreciated. I look forward to your styrene tutorials. Also, if you are ever in the neighborhood, feel free to check out my Ork ramshackle work, and upcoming Iron Warriors over on Dakka, to get an idea where I'm coming from in terms of modeling experience, noob though I am.

 

http://www.dakkadakka.com/core/gallery-user.jsp?u=37480

 

You da best Discord. A true gentleman.

hehe, thanks subtle, i been working on a defiler and stormraven project, but gotten stuck on the defiler build, so i remember i seen you post a picture of a stormraven here somewere, and then i stumpled upon some inspirationfor my defiler, so thanks im off to the drawingboard!

Hello SD. I'm very excited by the idea of loyalist kits for my heresy era force. I was wondering, would you consider a loyalist havoc launcher, without the 'spikes' and arrows? Just about everything can take havocs in 30k, so I will be looking for 6ish, one to sit on my fellblade, a coupe for rhinos and then some to make a Hyperios AA missile battery.

 

:)

  • 1 month later...

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++++++++++Displaying: Legion Formation Progress – 1st of the 9th Heavy Armour Cavalry

 

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Edited by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++
  • 1 month later...

Just stumbled on this thread through thamier's balefire Legion Thread.... I've gone through it all and there is just so much... so much... I seriously had to man up to prevent tears of joy forming in the corners of my eyes.

 

Subtle Discord, you are the God of Creativity. You are the Master of Mold making. You are the Prince of Plasticard. You are the Triarch of Trim! The Herald of Havoc Launchers!! The Archangel of Armour!!!

 

You are also the Tyrant of Tease, because you're not selling your casts. Dude, you could make a fortune selling these products online. Like our mutual friend Rich from Green Stuff Industries, you could start your own company and have these made. Your designs are already there. Pretty please, with sugar on top, please start selling your trim, your havoc launcher, your land raider and predator extra armour, the drum and sickle magazines, the autocannon heavy bolter add-on, the vehicle combimelta, EVERYTHING! I would buy the living crap out of it, and so would every single Chaos player treading this forum. I guarantee it.

 

PLEASE!

Just stumbled on this thread through thamier's balefire Legion Thread.... I've gone through it all and there is just so much... so much... I seriously had to man up to prevent tears of joy forming in the corners of my eyes.

 

Subtle Discord, you are the God of Creativity. You are the Master of Mold making. You are the Prince of Plasticard. You are the Triarch of Trim! The Herald of Havoc Launchers!! The Archangel of Armour!!!

 

You are also the Tyrant of Tease, because you're not selling your casts. Dude, you could make a fortune selling these products online. Like our mutual friend Rich from Green Stuff Industries, you could start your own company and have these made. Your designs are already there. Pretty please, with sugar on top, please start selling your trim, your havoc launcher, your land raider and predator extra armour, the drum and sickle magazines, the autocannon heavy bolter add-on, the vehicle combimelta, EVERYTHING! I would buy the living crap out of it, and so would every single Chaos player treading this forum. I guarantee it.

 

PLEASE!

 

Erm, mate, it's not like I cannot understand your enthusiasm, but before you pop a vessel there, you might want to check out this. It's in Subtle Discord's freaking signature for crying out loud ;)

 

Now the bad news: It's all sold out currently, but I think it's fair to assume Subtle Discord will cast up another batch sooner or later.

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Praise to you Lord Warmaster.  Blessings to the Dark Gods that they have finally seen fit to calm the warp storms and permit us to once again support your efforts. Our Mechanicus have been busy with rites of maintenance and repair in preparation; production has been improved and plans are in place for further expansions and upgrades once the necessary equipment, materials, and labour can be obtained. Your plans shall not go astray.

 

During our time spent severed by the flares, efforts in exploration of the local system have discovered something unexpected. On the 7th and 9th planets in standard orbit, pieces of ancient structures, shrines, or monoliths were uncovered. Given our proximity to warp space, it is impossible to determine the true age of the artifacts and it is currently unclear who the original creators were. Though reduced to mere fragments of their original form, the shards that remain still emanate energies locked within the material. Our Sorcerers feel there could be much to gain if more shards can be recovered; securing any other fragments or associated artifacts found during your campaign should be a priority.

 

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∙ Objective Markers, made from soapstone originals cast in translucent resin and combined with a flickering LED 'tea light'; a step-by-step article on how these were made, coming soon.

 

Our Mechanicus are pleased to report that the Tutamen Pattern Siege Shields are complete and ready for manufacture; with the return of large-scale material imports, assembly lines are being equipped and will soon be ready for proper production. The design template for a front-line close support anti-air platform is also nearing completion...

 

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∙ Almost ready for production from The Dark Works; Tutamen Pattern Mk.I Siege Wall sections and Morsus Pattern Mk.I Anti-Air Cannon platform.

 

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∙ Started several months ago, the final details and cleanup are done and the Siege Wall prototypes are ready for mould making.

 

The final build and testing of the Morsus Pattern Cannon will be done soon. The armoured main chassis provides added protection to the control, targeting, and weapon systems. Currently, it can mount a single Las'Cannon or twin rotary Auto-Cannons.

 

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∙ This kit started with a straightforward idea that turned into something a little more elaborate. One more layer of detail and cleanup (mostly on the weapons) and this kit will be ready for moulds.

 

With renewed material supply shipments, construction of current production templates is resuming. Some time will be required to build significant stockpiles ready for transport. Production of new templates will start once assembly lines are online.

 

An oversight request will follow in a future communication. The Mechanicus have several promising constructs that they wish to develop. They will request your input on their research in an effort to work on projects that will meet with your approval. Details will be provided.

 

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P.S. My sincere apologies to anyone who may have sent me a message recently and not received a reply. I've been somewhat anti-social recently as I worked on sorting several things out. I will be sitting down to send out many direct messages to inquiring parties over the coming days. Thanks, as always for your interest and support. More to come.

 

Edited by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

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