Dantay VI Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Wow, those stones look amazing. Any chance you could do some with Norse Runes and such like. Would be great for Space Wolves and maybe Chaos too.. have a great holiday :) ninjasuperspy 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quixus Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 The objective markers look awesome. You probably can't beat the price of the tea lights, but I am pretty sure that youz can find more flexible LED kits in some scale modelling or model railroad shop. I'm not quite sure what the plasma globe building is supposed to be in universe but the design looks intriguing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Casman Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Void Shield Generator! :D Seeing the build take shape makes me want one even more. The colour changing rune stones look fabulous, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffTibbetts Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Both of those projects look amazing. The idea for the stones has so much potential for different factions (NECRONS) and the Void Shield Generator is just awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Always great to read your updates and about your thought processes. The current project is very inspired! My only problem is I cannot get enough of your inspiring objective marker ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) ++++... ++++++... ++++++++++Re-establishing Connection... ++++++++++Processing... +++++++... ++++++++++Interference Level Shift: 0.895 – 0.727 – 0.665 ++++... ++++++++++Communications Protocol Validate. ++++++++++Signal Lock... +++++... ++++++++++Connection Established... ++++++++++Transferring... ++++++++++... ++... ++++++++++Processing: Decrypt... +++++++... ++++++++++Opening Image Files... ++++++++++Opening Transcribe Files... ++++... ++++++++++Minor Data Corruption... +++++++... ++++++++++Recompiling... +++++... ++... ++++++++++Data Loss Minimal... ++++++++++Displaying... ++++++++... [Repair Recompile Failure]...d Warmaster. While suffering casualties higher than expected, our final raiding force has returned having secured the targeted tools, construction materials, and Shield Generation Cores. While I hope the success of our primary goals satisfies you and the needs of our current production, I am positive you will be most pleased with the additional find that the Shadowed Hand has seen fit to guide us... [Repair Recompile Failure]...e raids initial defensive resistance was much higher than expected despite the success of our planned distraction. [Repair Recompile Failure]...s unfortunate that we were forced to employ wide-field sonic resonance to speed the securing of target vessels thus rendering most of the potential additional labour spoils to only water and protein reclamation. However, in return transit it became apparent why the defensive actions had been so resolute; strange anomalies in the cargo manifests pointed to something out of the ordinary, and deeper investigation quickly confirmed suspicions. Initially thought to be a single prize, it is my deepest pleasure to inform my Warmaster that we have in fact secured two sacred war engines of the Knight classification. While the encrypted data-wards and failsafe barriers are extremely formidable, and progress in gaining complete access to all subsystems will take some time, merely having the chassis and weapon systems secure in our forges should be worthy of high praise to the Dark Lords who are forever guiding our p... [Repair Recompile Failure]...t appears after initial inspection that the war engines have been partially dismantled to facilitate their transport, leading us to believe that this was an unsanctioned operation. Further decryption of the data recovered will likely revealed a better understanding in the future, and the dismantled state should prove useful during our initial reverse engineering operations. Further positive reports returned from our other raiding and recovery operations are to follow shortly. While the addition of these glorious engines of war to our armoury has overshadowed other actions, their success should not be overlooked and more comprehensive updates of these efforts will be compiled with haste. Praise to you my Lord Warmaster and the honour of bringing this news to you. +++ ... Mechanicus Crimmins'Thoth - Disciple of the Black Hand - Taker of Names - Scribe to the Book of Thoth: Lost and Dead Returned +++++++... ++++++++++Connection Standby... ++++++++++Transferring... ++++++++... ++++... ++++++... ++++++++++Standby... Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord +++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++ Olis, Teetengee, Kythnos and 3 others 6 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) +++++++++... ++++++++++Transferring... ++++++++... +++... ++++++++++Processing: Decrypt... +++++++... ++++++++++Opening Image Files... ++++++++++Opening Transcribe Files... ++++... Efforts to recover the Relic Sicaran battle tank Obduro Risum - ‘The Last Laugh’ have met with, dare I say… humorous success. After confirmation was made that the chassis was indeed mostly intact, including the primary weapon systems, the extraction force assembled quickly to make what was meant to be a rapid retrieval operation. Shortly after planet fall, upon scouting the resting place of our Relic, it was discovered that Imperial forces were also moving on to the site; while they were ahead of our own force they obviously had also only just arrived. Further reconnaissance quickly confirmed that the Loyalists were there to ensure the destruction of this, our deeply venerated relic of our Long War. Before a more risky frontal assault was considered, council was given by the accompanying Mechanicus, and a unique diversionary plan was quickly formulated. While the war engine had been thoroughly disabled, having thrown both of its track assemblies, and despite the main power subsystems being compromised, rendering the Las’-Cannons inoperable, the communications, control subsystems, and secondary power subsystems were all still functioning. The Mechanicus went about creating a remote access link to the vehicle and silently took control of the dormant war machine. Damage and power limitations meant that the ammunition feeders to the Auto-Cannons were likely non-functional, but the Obduro Risum still had two rounds chambered and ready to fire. There can be no doubt that the Imperials were stunned when the targeting and tracking systems of the Sicaran main turret sprang to life, just as they moved to butcher our cherished Relic, and with a smooth turn locked onto the transport hauling their demolition ordinance. To be true to its name the Mechanicus controlling Obduro Risum activated the engine’s external vox, maximized the volume, and gave a satisfying bark of laughter to assail Loyalists before opening fire. Two shells were more than enough to set off the cache in a most spectacular primary explosion that in turn resulted in a series of all-but-annihilating secondary detonations. Our recovery forces were met with little resistance as they moved in on the shell-shocked remnants, and quickly secured the site. Some additional damage was suffered by the Obduro Risum in the blast, but the results of the quickly devised plan were more than worth the additional repairs that were required. Repair and reassembly transcription logs to follow. +++ Mechanicus Crimmins'Thoth - Disciple of the Black Hand - Taker of Names - Scribe to the Book of Thoth: Lost and Dead Returned +++++++++++... ++... ++++++++++Processing: Decrypt... +++++++... ++++++++++Opening Image Files... ++++++++++Opening Transcribe Files... +++++++... +++++... ++++++++++Standby... ++++++... Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord +++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++ GhostMalone, Augustus b'Raass, Bryan Blaire and 3 others 6 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 This is going to be nothing short of delicious. http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/388236/knife-man-o.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) The Good: The FW Sicaran Kit proved to be a reasonable build for the most part, except for a few issues in the fit in a few places. The ‘box’ that makes up the main hull went together cleanly, and as always I pinned the assembly as much as possible for added strength and… completely forgot to photograph the progress and results before getting on with adding the side hull components. While the side hull components seem straight and true enough, they don’t quite fit the hull as cleanly as you might expect. Being what seems to be a straightforward, mostly flat-surface-on-flat-surface connection, it’s very odd that these parts should have a strange ‘rock’ that creates an odd gap. Close these gaps at the back of the model (which never really aligns as straight as I personally would like) and they become wider in the front; close the gap in the front and the space widens at the back. I considered adding shims of plastic to build up areas and attempt to compensate for the gaps with some finesse, as it were, but in the name of my newfound effort to avoid being too perfectionist about every detail of my builds, I chose a brute force method instead. After drilling several large pins into specific locations I secured the pins (treated with my texturing technique shown earlier in Legion Rising), applied liberal amounts of Super Glue, and used several clamps that I’ve modified with soft pads for just his kind of job, to squeeze the parts into submission while the glue set. As mentioned, because of the odd fit in the back a few of the gaps are not as narrow as I would ultimately have liked, but they’re not bad enough for me to feel compelled to repair them. I can add some greenstuff to fill the gaps if I’m feeling up to it, but they’re hidden well enough I can also just ignore them. Good enough. During test fits I was not happy with how closely the turret sat on the hull; the lack of clearance caused the turret to conflict with the hull during rotation. So, using my handy-dandy circle-cutting technique, I went about adding a simple shim of 1.5mm styrene to the turret post. Happy with the results, I found it did… nothing to add any height of the turret; it was now flush with the inside surface of the hull that the post sits in. So, I went about modifying the hull component a bit to add the desired height. Adding a second 1.5mm shim to the hull inside the turret post hole, before adding a rectangular plate on the inside finally got the height I was looking for. Naturally, the center points left from the circle-cutting process are also perfect for getting magnets mounted perfectly centered. It’s a small change really, but the turret now avoids any snags so it can now rotate 360⁰ cleanly. The clearance is still a little tight at points, but it’s a noticeable improvement. The broad smooth plastic plates also give a pleasant amount of friction and make sure the turret is nice and stable, so it doesn’t rock or shift at all. Simple, clean, and effective. With the main turret and the hull assembled, I turned my attention to the sponsons. I contemplated for quite a while on a way to make the Las’-Cannons and Heavy Bolter sponsons swappable with magnets using only the supplied parts. But I just couldn’t come up with a solution that wasn’t going to create more work while also creating a weaker attachment because of the smaller magnets that would be necessary. Despite the lack of common sense of having exposed power cabling, I like the visual interest they add and they were just too fiddley to consider a way to make them work with swappable weapons. My final more straightforward solution works well in my opinion; the sponsons can be cleanly omitted from the model if I want to go without, and when they are added the armor plate can rotate with the movement of the weapon system, which also seems most plausible to me. It’s all but certain that I’ll be adding a second Sicaran to my collection at some point (there’s something about the lines of this chassis that I really like), so I’ll consider then how I can make the sponsons completely swappable when that time comes. I’m pleased to present the Obduro Risum – ‘The Last Laugh’ in its near-complete built state. For now, this is a studio asset that will need to do some design work before I can paint it and add it to my personal collection. I have three main studio kits in mind to start; armour plating sets (Loyalist and Chaos) to represent Ceramite Plating and/or Extra Armour, a ‘Dozer Blade and/or Destroyer Blade in the spirit of my Land Raider Siege Ram kit, and some kind of simple Tread Plate kit to add some interest to those bland tracks. All of these kits, and all kits in general, will be designed with Chaos and Loyalist versions, and both 40k and 30k settings in mind, when it makes sense to do so. That’s not to say there won’t be some exclusively Chaos or Loyalist kits, but that will only be in certain circumstances. As always, the order and timing of these kits are still uncertain. For now, I’m focusing on getting key official kits into my modest studio, assembled to a point that I can use them for accurate measuring, test fitting, and scale comparison, for the kits I plan to produce in the future. With that heavy lifting done I will have the ‘scaffolds’ I need to produce a wide range of kits for The Dark Works. With that, we come to the end of this, The Good chapter of my exploits in building Forge World models. Next up, The Bad chapter chronicles my efforts to assemble the Spartan Assault Tank. Followed by, The Ugly chapter where I descend into the emotional turmoil that is trying to properly assemble the Fire Raptor Gunship. Thank you, as always, for your interest (silent or not), feedback, input, critique, and all general musings about what I’m doing. Community support really has been key to me building the confidence to even consider the possibilities that I have before me, and I can’t see that ever-changing. Much more to come, and I hope you enjoy hitching along for the ride; I’m glad to have you along! Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord +++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++ Teetengee, The_Chaplain, Bryan Blaire and 2 others 5 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) Looks good! A couple things: 1. If you get a big cooking pot, you can boil enough water to completely submerge the track parts in. You can then bend them with your clamps to make the holes between the front (or back) of the hull and the track parts dissapear. You can use this technique with any big resin kit. 2. The sponsons as a whole are exactly 25mm in diameter. Which means you can swap them for a small base. If you then sand the tops of those bases, you can use them as a base form your iconography. Magnetize both the base and the sponson and hey presto. Observe: Hidden Content http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/mkruijff/Imperial%20Fists/WP_20160313_014_zpsor52cpwp.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/mkruijff/Imperial%20Fists/WP_20160313_013_zpsw0il2alj.jpg 3. Don't be too afraid of the spartan and fire raptor kits. There's a lot of poo-haíng on the interwebs about how dreadful they are to build, but if you use the boiled water technique to straighten things out, pin things like you already do, and use a two component epoxy glue to back up the super glue, you won't have any serious problems with them. Will you be doing a Chaotic trim kit for the Sicaran? If you will, I will postpone buying my second Sicaran until that kit of yours comes out. Edited July 19, 2016 by Augustus b'Raass Machine God 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) Thanks! Yep, I'm very pleased with the model in general. Even with the few nit-pics I have, it's an awesome solid model; you could literally put this in a pillow case and use it home defense, and the same can be said for the Spartan. To me, the Sicaran is reasonably 'progressive' design by 40k standards, but still retains enough of its heritage to 'feel' Warhammer 30/40k. Trust that I considered 'the big dunk' to try and bend the side hull components, but two things stopped me. I was a little worried that to get that huge mass of plastic up to a consistent temperature so it would bend, it would have all of the lesser details (mostly the tracks) so warm and soft that they would be easily distorted and require further repair. And, when I checked the part it seemed true and flat and it didn't want to the overall outside lines of the model. Given your suggesting it, I was likely being too cautious and should have dunked it. I was forced to do just this during the later Fire Raptor build (another tale for another day) and feel more confident considering this in the future. That 25mm base swap is a nice and simple solution, but what I've done is locked in now, and it's about the same effort for me to make a simple plate from this point. Mine will 'float' more, but that's not a big deal to me; it might even be an opportunity to add a bit of extra interest to the model. And while I can agree with your sentiment about the Spartan; it's not a bad build at all, as long as you concede defeat on a particular problem in the kit that is impossible to reconcile otherwise; even FW can't build it as-is out of the box, I've noticed. I just can't agree with you on the subject of the Fire Raptor. I've chosen the names for these articles very intentionally, because I'm already done the builds and I had very different experiences with each. The Spartan gets tagged with The Bad mainly because there is one blatant flaw in the kit that I really think they could have fixed reasonably quickly, but for some reason they still put it into production and/or really dragged their feet on fixing the kit. I was under the impression that it was already fixed when I ordered mine, but still received the older flawed version. Maybe I was unlucky and got the last of old stock, but I'm not that hung up on it. I'll explain my experience and rational in turn with each of the kits during their build articles, but the Fire Raptor really was an Ugly build. A gorgeous final model, that was a pain to put together straight and clean. Even assembled completely correctly, there are some very odd idiosyncrasies in the final form of the model. Nothing that detracts too much from this amazing model once you get over the build hurdles, but still a bit frustrating given the price tag on a premium kit such as the Raptor. Edit: Trims in general are being seriously considered because there were plans to update some earlier this summer but they hit a snag and needed a rethink. Development ongoing, and I'll be informing more once I know more myself. Edited July 19, 2016 by Subtle Discord Eldrick Shadowblade 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Now I'm looking forward to your stories about them even more! :D :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOneTrueZon Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 For now, this is a studio asset that will need to do some design work before I can paint it and add it to my personal collection. I have three main studio kits in mind to start; armour plating sets (Loyalist and Chaos) to represent Ceramite Plating and/or Extra Armour, a ‘Dozer Blade and/or Destroyer Blade in the spirit of my Land Raider Siege Ram kit, and some kind of simple Tread Plate kit to add some interest to those bland tracks. All of these kits, and all kits in general, will be designed with Chaos and Loyalist versions, and both 40k and 30k settings in mind, when it makes sense to do so. That’s not to say there won’t be some exclusively Chaos or Loyalist kits, but that will only be in certain circumstances. Then I am most certainly waiting to get my Sicaran, no point in building one until I have all the (right) parts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldrick Shadowblade Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Looking foraward to your new builds! I want a subtle chaos knight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Now, when you say armor plating for the Sicaran, might that possibly be something like... this? http://i.imgur.com/SLIXxQY.png DuskRaider, Raztalin, Aubéron and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) In a dark corner of southern Canada. The sound of crickets in the night? *Rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet...* *Rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet...* Oh, nope. Subtle is just finishing his detailing. Almost... finished... the... Shield... Generator... *Rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet... rivet...* And Kage, that concept is much more 'flush' then what I have in mind, but it's the right idea. Mine will be armour plates that 'bolt-on' in the manner of the other kits I'm producing, but it'll have a similar effect on the lines of the model. Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord +++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++ deathspectersgt7, DuskRaider, Biohazard and 7 others 10 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Looks good, so far. Rivetting is a pain in real life, but miniature rivetting is even suckier. And Kage, that concept is much more 'flush' then what I have in mind, but it's the right idea. Mine will be armour plates that 'bolt-on' in the manner of the other kits I'm producing, but it'll have a similar effect on the lines of the model. I sure hope you'll restrict the extra armour on your Sicaran Extra Armour to covering the open tracks on top. I love how smooth Kage has added the extra bits on the front and the back of the tracks, and I'm sure it would be a more practical design in terms of protection, but it messes with the Imperial/Astartes design way to much in my taste. It doesn't look like an Space Marine tank, or even an Imperial tank anymore, imho. Fenbain 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffTibbetts Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 The detailing on that looks superb. Can't wait to see this finished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostMalone Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Looks good, so far. Rivetting is a pain in real life, but miniature rivetting is even suckier. I dismiss that notion! I love riveting high tensile steel and hot spot welding rivets in fact it's quite..... riveting! Augustus b'Raass 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 I love how smooth Kage has added the extra bits on the front and the back of the tracks, and I'm sure it would be a more practical design in terms of protection, but it messes with the Imperial/Astartes design way to much in my taste. It doesn't look like an Space Marine tank, or even an Imperial tank anymore, imho. http://i.imgur.com/62Z4nYP.gif Augustus b'Raass 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus b'Raass Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 I love how smooth Kage has added the extra bits on the front and the back of the tracks, and I'm sure it would be a more practical design in terms of protection, but it messes with the Imperial/Astartes design way to much in my taste. It doesn't look like an Space Marine tank, or even an Imperial tank anymore, imho. http://i.imgur.com/62Z4nYP.gif An apt GIF for the remark, indeed. However, I'm not saying I don't like your tank, BCK. In fact I do like it very much - which I already said in your thread. What I said needs to be read in the context of this thread: I tried to convey my hopes that SD will make trim for the unaltered Sicaran kit, and that the Extra Armour kit he will produce for the Sicaran tank only overs up the exposed trank. :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 A few little comments before my article: I too find riveting (on a model scale, at least) very satisfying, actually. When I first started doing it it was a bit daunting, but I have since started doing many other processes that are much more fiddly and/or nerve wracking. When it gets to the point of rivets, it's usually the last step to be done before the part is complete. It's a bit meditative to do, and once done the part gains so much personality. Actually, I find that rivets are one of those details that really make something 'feel' Warhammer 40k, and until they're added the project is just lacking. As for the lines of the Sicaran and more specifically the gap in the armour around the tracks at the front; I'm stuck in a love-hate relationship with it. The designer in me who likes things to be pseudo-plausible (yes, it's something sci-fi, but it's should appear reasonably plausible to be a successful design, in my opinion) can't see why they gap in the armour makes any practical sense. But then there's the artist in me, who likes how the gap breaks up the lines of the model adding some visual interest. I think I may end up making two different kits; one that works with the gap and leaves it visible and one that covers in some way to close it up. But for now... must not succumb to the temptation of being distracted... for now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) Since first showing it, I've had quite a few people show interest in the Shield Generator and its progress. I'm happy to say that all of the prototype components have been completed and mould making has begun. For production it will need several moulds, so it'll take several days to get them all completed; but I should be able to have an assembly update once I have the first set of moulds for repeating parts finished. I'm very eager to see it in-the-round, as it were. I'm feeling very good about the fit, but I won't know for sure until the parts are in hand and test fit together. *Crosses his fingers, legs, toes... and eyes* Now, over the years I've been asked on more than one occasion how I manage to get such clean lines, sharp corners, and smooth corners on my builds. I've talked about my technique here-and-there but college has forced me to become much more practiced in my building technique, and it seemed like this build would be a good place to show off my three main methods for dealing with corners when scratch building with styrene. How you deal with a corner really depends on just how much material and/or structure you have to work with. When you have a single piece of plastic with a few bends or a delicate structure, most times it's best to add some strength to the corner/s. The great thing about styrene is how well it snaps along a cut line, even if it’s not deep, and if you’re careful it will break while keeping a thin ‘hinge’ of plastic that holds the parts together if so desired. The simplest solution to easily strengthen a corner like this is to add a rod of plastic and then lock it in place with some extra thin solvent glue. Once the plastic finishes fusing the structure becomes much stronger and can handle the stress of the next steps. With this method I want to achieve a clean single edge that’s as seamless as possible, so I’ll add extra greenstuff (greenstuff + brownstuff mix in this case) to the corner so I have extra material for the next step. Once the material added to the corners has cured, it’s a simple matter of sanding it down until it becomes flush with the parent material surface. Depending on how much material I’m trying to remove, I’ll start with 220-to-320 grit sandpaper and use that until I get very close to the surface; from there switch to 400-to-600 grit to remove the last of the corner material. Take a little care as you reach the surface and it will become seamless and smooth and you sand it down; as long as it’s even, on a broad flat surface the sandpaper will remove virtually no material and just buff the surface to perfect smoothness and give you a crisp corner. Now that I have more structure there’s enough strength to handle creating a clean single-edge corner with nothing but styrene. With this next layer, I start by gluing the side pieces into place and sanding the edges down so they are flush with the center surface. Then I close that gap with strips of plastic that also extend further than needed, so they can be sanded back flush with the sides surfaces. When gluing these parts I’m careful to be liberal with the solvent along the seams and add a bit of extra pressure so that there is just a little extra material to be sanded flush. Before I start standing I use a razor to remove as possible to speed the process and minimize the dust made during sanding. As with the first method, now it’s just a matter of sanding down the extra material until it’s flush and a clean corner is formed. One key thing you need to do with corners like this is to wait until the solvent is completely evaporated and the plastic is completely hardened. If you rush the process you’ll sand down to a nice smooth surface, but the slightly softer seam of uncured plastic will leave a faint-but-noticeable seam on the surface; if the plastic is totally cured you may be able to see some faint colour variations, but the surface will be completely smooth and true. Again, as with the first method, start with a heavier grit sandpaper and as you get close to the surface you’re aiming for, switch to something lighter. This simple ‘build over the edge and sand it back’ method can be used to create super clean forms out of styrene as long as you're patient enough to let the solvents evaporate before you start sanding. This is my preferred method to produce really clean and even beveled edges that wrap nicely around corners. The simple trick of this method is to use the corner of the parent material to help get the shape you’re after. Simply roll out a nice thin rod of greenstuff and lay it in the ‘crook’ created by the two layers of plastic. Then use a simple flat tool (a few of different sizes/shapes are usually helpful in different locations) to force the greenstuff into the edge and let the styrene do the work for you; as you press it down and rock the tool over the greenstuff the corner of the styrene will ‘cut’ its way through the material. Once you can see an obvious line through the greenstuff caused by the styrene corner and the surface is reasonably close to how you want it, stop right there and let the greenstuff cure. It wastes a bit of material, but I find it much easier to clean up the excess once it’s cured rather than trying to scrape it away while it’s still soft. Once the greenstuff is cured you can simply scrape the excess away with a fingernail with no worry of harming the material you want to keep. I find the greenstuff will bulge on corners and across some stubborn areas; again, this is fine and exactly why you get the greenstuff filler close to the final shape and then you do the last refining work once it’s hardened. Here, I find using sanding sticks very useful for removing any offending bulges while still giving me control to keep the surfaces smooth and the edges clean, sharp, and true. It is possible to make your own sanding sticks with some double-sided foam tape and strips of styrene, but when you use as many as I can when I’m doing a lot of building, it’s nice to have a good pre-made product. Alpha Abrasives has been a favorite of mine for many years, (shameless plug for a local Canadian company) not only for their abrasive products but also for the Abrasive Cleaning Disc you can see pictured to the right of the sanding sticks. It costs $6 CAD, but mine has lasted me for about 10 years now, is still going strong, and it’s saved me a fair amount of time and money. Simply put, greenstuff is a great modeling material, but it quickly clogs sandpaper and files when you’re trying to shape it. Using the cleaning disk, with its strange rubbery and slightly sticky nature, you can rub clogged sandpaper and files clean of greenstuff residue with relative ease. Sandpaper and sanding sticks that would normally be garbage can be reused several more times after a cleaning with this simple tool. So, there you have it, all of the necessary components for the Shield Generator are complete and mould-making has commenced. I’m particularly happy with how close to invisible the join is for the removable top of the structure; buy taking advantage of the form I created and using some detailing to further hide the seam, the join all but vanishes when the parts come together. Six reasonably large magnets (two per pillar) will be provided in the final kit to secure the top battlements to the base and I suspect it is strong enough to only come apart with deliberate intent. This will help with transport and make it easy to replace the plasma globe should it be necessary. Stay tuned for more updates on this project as it progresses; it’s the largest model my little studio has produced to date, and while I’m confident that it’s going to be great, it’s still somewhat new territory for me and I’m eager to see this proof of concept prove itself. Other musings about other topics are also on the way; I have another article worth of pictures, (on a few different subjects) already finished and just waiting for the copy to get written. That article will shed some light on the projects I have coming up over the next several weeks and how they’ll impact what’s coming up beyond that. Thanks for reading. As always, more to come! Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord +++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++ DuskRaider, Noserenda, Raztalin and 5 others 8 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Silvernale Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 What size plastic rod do you use in the gaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 The thickness of the rod used all depends on the thickness of the flat sheet that you're creating the corner with. Over the years I've collected the range of solid styrene rod available; 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, 2.4, 3.2, and 4.0mm, so I'm lucky to have options. In the pictured example that's a piece of 2mm styrene sheet and I'm using 0.75mm rod in the gap. With 1mm sheet I would use some 0.5mm rod, and for something over 2mm sheet I would aim for 1mm rod. However, I tend to avoid trying to cut anything complex with styrene sheet over 2mm unless it's absolutely necessary for the build. You can also try for a similar corner creation method by using rod that is slightly over-sized for the gap but still small enough to sit well in the gap's grove; in a case like that you glue the rod in place so that the radius is well outside of the gap, and be sure to be liberal with the solvent cement. Let the solvent soften the rod and surrounding material some and then use a metal ruler edge to apply even pressure along the rod to really fuse it into the gap and surface. Once completely dry the styrene can be sanded in the same manner to achieve a sharp corner. This method can be a more prone to leaving a slight seam line if you don't take the proper care to choose the right sized rod, and get the rod really fused with the gap edged you're trying to close; it is faster and produces a 100% styrene build, however, which is nice. Studio Silvernale 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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