Legion Rising

[Subtle Discord]

A Vacuum Chamber setup is going to run you anywhere from $250 to $600+, depending on several factors. It's not the Chamber itself that is costly, good ones can be purchased for around $100-$200, depending on the size; a vacuum does not create nearly the same pressures/stresses that you find with a Pressure Tank, so they don't need to be nearly as robust. The main cost will be in the Vacuum Pump, and it can vary widely depending on the speed of the pump, the size, the noise level, etc..

 

At the lower end of the spectrum ($250-$300) you're likely sourcing the parts separately to save some, and doing some final assembly yourself. Nothing wrong with that, but be careful of deals and low cost equipment; most times it will work fine but don't be surprised if there are some manufacturing quirks or reliability issues. Mid-range ($300-400) is more likely a ready-to-use setup and well built, or good quality sourced parts, and you should expect it to work well first time every time. If you're spending more, then it's for a larger chamber, even better build quality, and/or a top-notch Vacuum Pump. All nice things, but not essential to get good results. Again, low-end can work wonderfully well and get the same results as mid or high end equipment, but if you like out-of-the-box use, expect to spend mid-range.

 

Now, to elaborate a bit on this subject, I would like to say that I would first recommend a Pressure Chamber that can give you 40-50PSI for someone wanting to take their casting to the next level. By retrofitting a Paint Pressure Tank you can put the Chamber together for $100-$150 (or bit more for an even better tank) and then all you need is a Compressor that can fill it in 30 seconds or so; 1.5-2.0hp with a 5-10 gallon tank will do just fine. I got mine during Boxing Day several years ago for 55% off, so it was just $125. Even at $250 (and good enough ones are out there for less) it's a piece of equipment that can be used for lots of other things; air-guns/nailers, filling tires, paint guns and airbrush, PC dust blasting air (no more overpriced canned air!), and so on, there's lots of uses for a Compressor. A Vacuum Pump? Not so much.

 

While a Vacuum Chamber is a very useful tool during the casting process, it's more situational, and you can find ways around using it in many cases with pressure; and the things is, even if I vacuum resin/rubber, I always pressurize it to ensure the best possible cast; small annoying bubbles have a way of sticking about even after Vacuum, Pressure kills 'em dead. However, when Vacuum is an option, it's an amazing tool that can be used to improve the casting process and mould making. Both are at their best combined, but Pressure has more all-round usefulness, in my opinion.

 

In my case I used a Vacuum Chamber with a solid state vacuum pump that runs on compressed air made by Rotokinetics. With it I can get the best of both worlds and only need a single compressor in my studio for the time being. After working with it, my plan is to add a second proper vacuum pump to the chamber in the future (A reasonably easy modification, actually) so I can speed the vacuum pulling process. The faster you can apply pressure or vacuum the better, and while this chamber does just fine now, I would like it to work faster if it can.

[Forté]

Have to say those little tips for the circle cutter and for applying glue are golden :tu:

[Subtle Discord]

Oh, touché GW... touché. Now I have to start a Dark Mechanicus army. Well played.

[Olis]

Dare I ask, will we be seeing more creations from you in the future delving into the Dark Mechanicus? :)

[Augustus b'Raass]

 

Dare I ask, will we be seeing more creations from you in the future delving into the Dark Mechanicus? 

Shhht sssshhhhh! X-nay on the Admechnay, dude! Are you insane? We've just convinced him into making chaos trim for the Sicaran and Fire Raptor, and you're giving him distracting other ideas??!?!?

 

;)

[Subtle Discord]

Oh, you can rest assured that if I start a 'Dark' project of any kind that it will include cast kits on some level. In this case it's far too early to guess what those might be, but I really like most of the aesthetic of the new Skitarii and I think I've been unconsciously looking for a reason to start a second army... *Subtle shakes his Magic 8-Ball and it reads:* "Prognosis Good"

 

It all just ties in too well with what my expanding plans are for my Black Legion force, who are meant to be closely aligned with an active Chaos Forge World (Read: The Dark Works) for equipment and resupply. Teaser/Spoiler of future plans: I've chosen to expand this idea outward from the army itself, first to some Dark Mechanicus war machines (big and small), and then scenery pieces that will surround and accompany the army, and ultimately to an entire modular gaming table dedicated to representing The Dark Works in reality. I've always wanted to do a city fight table, and by adding such a personal theme to it, I think now I have no choice; the whispers from the Warp won't shut up about the idea. Think Iron Warriors meets Black Legion and decide to setup shop, and you can get a feel for my planed look. The bonus is, the table will be a place to play (someday), but it can also server as a photographic backdrop to showcase any of my kits in context. All the more reason to make it real.

 

Now, that said, Augustus b'Raass is totally correct, and I must be vigilant against the seductive mistress that is distraction. All (most) of this will most likely be many months and/or years in the future, but it shows a glimpse of my short, medium, and long term goals. Trust that before I let my hands stray I will be working on Chaos Rapier Batteries, Sicaran kits (trims and armour), Chaos/Loyalist Jetbikes, the Chaos Storm Eagle (and by extension, Fire Raptor and Storm Raven) kits of various levels of complexity and scale, and various other small-to-medium kits that I have deemed 'must-do-soon' projects.

 

But I digress, until I can get back in the studio at the beginning of May and properly turn my focus to my current crop of ideas. As always, more coming soon'ish...

[Subtle Discord]

With three weeks left of classes, the light is at the end of the tunnel for this year, and the studio is beckoning. It's been hectic, and there's still much more to come, but I've had an undeniable desire to take some of my new SolidWorks knowledge and dabble with something Warhammer 40k related. So, with a holiday Friday, I decided to take the day as a tiny bit of a break, and do just that.

 

∙ I'm quite pleased with what I was able to do in a day and a bit of work; it's not near finished, but it's a solid start.

 

This is the beginning of my take on the Land Raider 'Dozer Blade that I have plans on making. I was only able to get the chassis link, the main arm and the ram link finished before I ran out of time. Rather than making a 'blade' designed to push earth, I decided to make it more of a Siege Ram, designed to knock down obstacles and ram breaches in fortifications. Once in position, the ram can lift up as the 'Raider assault ramp opens. It will be completely modular, so I will make both Traitor and Loyalist versions using the same base hardware.

 

And with that little teaser, I must slip back into the all-concealing shadow that is higher learning. More to come, in due time.

 

Edited February 6 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[The_Chaplain]

Rather than making a 'blade' designed to push earth, I decided to make it more of a Siege Ram, designed to knock down obstacles and ram breaches in fortifications.

 

You had me at siege ram. 

Edited April 6, 2015 by The_Chaplain

[Quixus]

Well done so far. you GW for taking the dozer blades away from all but DA and CSM land raiders. Edited April 6, 2015 by Quixus

[Augustus b'Raass]

Must. Have. This. Damn your stuff is so awesome. MAKE IT.

[Subtle Discord]

Oh don't worry, this little model turned out far too well, it will be made. And think, this is just me dabbling over a day-and-a-half to see what I could come up with; the hardest part is keeping the scale right when you're building. It's far too easy to make things too large when working in the white void. But that's a story for another day...

 

Now just wait until I can turn my new SolidWorks addiction skills to something more substantial. I think the first one will have to be the Rapier Battery to see what I can do on a vehicle kit with nice (mostly) straight lines (and some interesting weapons systems), and then a Jetbike so I can really try my hand at something curved, sleek, and wicked. Both are reasonably small self-contained kits, so they should be a good testing ground; each comes with it's own challenges that will help with more ambitious designs to come.

 

This all hinges on finding a Rapid Prototyping service that can achieve a resolution I can accept (some may have noticed that I'm a bit... particular... about quality) that is also at the right price point. Shapeways won't hack it for my standards, so I'll need to do some research. Any suggestions from lurking readers would be appreciated; I know of a few, but not many.
 

Well done so far. you GW for taking the dozer blades away from all but DA and CSM land raiders.

 

Wait, what now? The most recent codex took away the 'Dozer Blade from (most) Loyalist Land Raiders? Oh, GW, now that's just not right. *Shakes head* I wanted to spread the joy around with this kit and make something both factions could make use of. It's not going to stop me from making it, but it's a shame.

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

Looking forward to your next work, lemme know when you resupply I have rhinos and tanks in need of trim!

[Subtle Discord]

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[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Don't tease me.

[JeffTibbetts]

Hmmmmm. You've got my attention.

[GhostMalone]

Hey buddy love your stuff and ive got to admit it's because of Jeff here that I'm in the process of picking up some of your bits for a loyalist land raider.

 

Any chance on some more loyalist kits in the future???

[HardCoil]

Thank you so much for all the information in this thread. I've learned a lot just from reading, especially on the plasticard techniques.

 

Shapeways won't hack it for my standards, so I'll need to do some research. Any suggestions from lurking readers would be appreciated; I know of a few, but not many.[/size]

What do you intend to use it for? I've used frosted ultra detail for guns and backpacks, and I'm pretty happy with it. They just released a new material (extreme) with twice the resolution, so that should be worth looking into. Otherwise you need to look at more expensive options for wax printing, do you know the www.resinaddict.com forum? There's a lot of info there.

 

Have you considered something like http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ for you plasticard stuff? It's for making paper models, but you can also use it to unfold a 3D object to basic planes if you want to do tank turrets and the like.

[Subtle Discord]

First, let me put my planned post up, and then I’ll reply to some specific comments/questions in a bit.

Well then, with my higher learning responsibilities finished early this week (two years down, two years to go… *whew*) and catching up on some much-needed sleep, it’s finally time to return to the hobby and my studio for the summer months. My apologies to anyone reading this who may have contacted me in the last few weeks with no reply, I’ll be sitting down to write to several people over the next few days.

The plan was to dive into some casting as soon as classes finished, replenishing gaps in my stock, but the state of my studio has forced me into a detour. College projects have a way of turning my already modestly cluttered studio space into an absolute disaster. Add to that the new equipment, materials, moulds, and stock, which I’ve added to the studio over the years, and the dysfunction has reached a tipping point. This year I can’t just clean up, I need to do a major overhaul of how the entire space is arranged. I’ve started the daunting task, but it’s going to take several more days to get everything settled in. Rest assured that once I’m done, a casting run is priority one, followed closely by much more.

For those who are interested in my actual army progress, it is my hope to force myself into some scheduled painting time this summer; wearing so many hats for the studio consumes so many hours, that I’ve come to the conclusion that I won’t get any painting done unless I literally block out time in my schedule for it. So many elements of the army rebuild (started in late 2011) are so close to finished, that it’s downright depressing to see it all stuck in limbo for so long. I’m sure I’ll still struggle to get as much progress as I would like, but we’ll see what I can manage.

Now, while I’ve been hiding under a rock for the last several days as I decompress from classes, and started to take care of the studio reorganization, I haven’t been idle on the creation front. Let me introduce the first in a new class of kit that I have plans for production.


∙ I’ve nicknamed this model The Little Snapping Turtle, in honour of its armoured chassis and the future weapon systems that will give it a bite.

The Land Raider Siege Ram that I was dabbling with earlier (that is also being re-worked and will turn up in its finished state soon) was just a taste of what I want to do with my expanding skillset; college is teaching me much, and now I want to start applying those teachings. This is the caliber of model I want to make going forward, and this is just the tip of the spear.

Don’t get me wrong, I love scratch building, but it’s become apparent that if I want to take my kits to the next level I’ll need to improve my process on several fronts. Detailing at this scale becomes exponentially harder when you’re doing it by hand, and some forms and shapes are just impossible or impractical to do with a reasonable amount of labour. My plan is to blend the two methods, using 3D models made with rapid prototyping (RP) combined with CNC-cut scratch-built styrene when each makes sense. In most cases, this will entail building the larger structural pieces in styrene, and then using RP components and panels to detail the kit.

This is completely new territory for me, and I’m still researching exactly who will be doing my printing and best practices for rapid prototyping, so it will take me a little more time to get that all sorted. I expect the turn-around time for my prints to be at least 10-14+ days, so I’m working on a few self-contained kits right away. While they’re being made I will work on other studio tasks and builds.


∙ A three-quarter view to give a better look; I added some lighting to the bottom pictures to give some depth and contrast.

While I dabbled with 3D modeling in the past using SketchUp, the software just wasn’t up to the task of producing the details I was trying to create. I got ok results, but it was a fight to get it to work on such a small scale. Learning SolidWorks has changed all of that. The learning curve is challenging, but the power of the software makes it worth every bit of effort, and I think this little model proves the point well. I’m very pleased with how it has turned out, and I can’t wait to do the weapon systems for it.

In the short term, I plan to finish off this heavy weapon platform (next up, weapons), the ‘Raider siege ram, a long-planned jet-bike, and maybe a few other small odds-and-ends. Once those are sent off for prototyping I will be turning my sights to the Storm Raven extension kit that many have been inquiring about, along with some other ideas I have brewing. From there, I want to use the Strom Raven kit as a stepping-off point to produce the full Chaos Storm Eagle kit that I’ve had waiting for far too long to start; with all of the skills and equipment finally coming together, a kit as large as the Eagle has finally started to become possible… I think.

But all of that, as they say, is another story for another day. While heavy on words and light on photos, this installment in Legion Rising marks the start of much more. I’ve taken it this far, I feel confident that I can take it further. As usual, you can expect documentation of my exploits here over the coming weeks, months, and years. Stay tuned.

And, as always, comments, questions, input, feedback, and all other general hobby musings are always welcome.

 

Edited February 6 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[The_Chaplain]

All aboard the hype train! Choo Choo!

 

Seriously though, I am very interested to see what you come out with in the next few months.  

[Forté]

Oh wow. Next level stuff now SD :tu:

[Subtle Discord]

And this is why I like B&C so much. Energizing feedback and interesting insight. First, let me just reiterate that a casting run will be happening shortly, once the studio gets organized, and I hope to have some new trims to add to the offering around the same time. At least one will be for the Rhino chassis (hopefully two; one Chaos and one Loyalist), and then I want to do some work on some bulk trim kits intended for general use. There are so many vehicles that could have trim added to them that there is no chance I can do made-to-fit kits for all of them, but I can do bulk selections of trim that a builder can use how they see fit; cut to length, add to model, file/shape the end smooth, repeat until complete, and greenstuff any gaps or seams. It's an idea I've had for a while, but it wasn't until I got Servitor Zing that it really makes sense to make them.

 

∙ In fact, I remembered that I've already got one design near finished, so here's an example of a Bulk Trim sprew. (Note: this is a bit larger then 1-to-1 scale)

 

So, as I mentioned earlier, I want this to include some clean (read: no arrows, points, or stars) kits for loyalist use, and this will be a theme going forward. Where it makes sense, I will be doing Loyalist versions of many kits, but I will avoid blatantly stepping on the toes of GW if they already have something in place. The Rapier is a good example; GW has plenty of Loyalist versions on offer, mine will strictly be Chaos to fill that niche. Most future armour kits (*Subtle looks endearingly at his Sicarian model* it so deserves Ceramite Plating) will swing both ways, to give an example of where I'd do both.

 

And thanks for the feedback and insight HardCoil. Don't get me wrong, ShapeWays offers a great service with great quality, but even the Ultra Detail seemed to have a bit too much obvious layering when I was looking at examples and researching. As usual, I could have been too critical, and it was a shame because it seems like the entire process they have is well thought out. I'm sure I would have tired them just to get first hand examples, but now that you've mentioned their new Extreme Detail (which must be very new, as I was looking just a few weeks ago) I think I'll give it a try. Looking at some examples of how others have setup multi-part objects has me thinking it will suit my builds perfectly. And, while I haven't had a chance yet to check out pepakura, I have learned of it since studying SolidWorks. I'm positive it will come in handy in the future; flattening a 3D form can be a major pain, so it's a great tool to have.

 

Thanks again everyone for the positive feedback and input. I'm a little nervous about this evolution of my modest studio, but I'm positive it's the start of me being able to make some really amazing stuff, all while cutting down on labour which is my biggest cost at the moment. That will mean good news for me and my customers.

 

Edited February 6 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[Forté]

Think I may have to but the bullet and order from you soon. Just hope the delivery and import costs aren't too painful for the UK.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Oh, scatchbuilding god of the Warp, the Heresy needs you to make some tracks for Marine Legion vehicles. They're so bland and... awful.

 

I am glad to hear that you'll be doing some loyalist stuff, too. :)

[The_Chaplain]

And this right here is why I love supporting your Dark Works store SD--

 

Generic trim kits for loyalists/chaos that would allow you to cut and fit it onto whatever you want to be festooned deals with the, quite frankly, bland design of a lot of GW vehicle surfaces.  A perfect example is the armor on top of the heavy bolter/assault cannon primary turret on a land raider.  Almost completely flat, sans some vents on the side and the same GW skull they put on every flat panel they can (either that or an aquila).  These are venerated war machines that have seen hundreds of years of service, and ten-fold more battles; pain stakingly restored, and bordering on worshipped each time.  It needs to look the part.  Get some nice trim on it, and bam-- problem solved without being too over the top!

 

Armoured ceramite for a Sicaran, eh?  Yeah, that's something I'm sure many people (myself included) would be interested in.  The sicaran is a popular tank but it doesn't exactly look the 13/12/12 part.  Some ceramite bulk would definitely convey that better!

 

Have you considered adding any round/shield decorative pieces for use on doors and other flat surfaces?  I think it'd be a good detail for people with DIY armies that want to display their chapter/warband symbols without just painting them on the door/panel/etc.

 

What sort of loyalist kit are you thinking of doing for the rhino? This is extremely relevant to my interests, as I have a razorback I need to paint for my reclusiam command squad.

Edited May 4, 2015 by The_Chaplain

[Olis]

The sound of a ceramite armour kit for heresy vehicles boggles my mind. It's such a simple idea and yet would be massively useful to modellers of the Heresy era. Regardless, the sound of you putting still more effort into this is great to hear. The Dark Works has a promising future, I think. :)