Legion Rising

[JeffTibbetts]

I'm not sure how you've fallen to chaos with all the calm, collected logic you exhibit. You should be an agent of order, or at the very least an Iron Warrior (but you're not bitter enough. Yet). 

[GhostMalone]

Hope is the first step to despair

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That's my line. :(

[Evil Eye]

Well, now I wish I'd just gotten one of these kits rather than (clumsily) bedecked my Rhino and Land Raider in styrene strip. This thread is amazing and I'm jealous.

[Subtle Discord]

*Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!*
 
"Aaaarcher! Come out and plaaayy!"
 
*Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!*
 
..."Berry!"
 
 
Being someone who prefers to work at night, and having a bit of a bout of insomnia that's finally just about to fade, I figured this would be a good time  to put these right here...
 

I'm pleased to present the complete and assembled Shield Generator Tower. I'm tempted to call it a Heavy Plasma Shield Generator, but maybe that's a bit too obvious.
 
There are a few spots where the fit is a tiny bit off, but nothing a builder who's going to assemble something like this should be challenged by, if they feel compelled to try and fix them. Ultimately, they're so small really, they just get lost in all of the awesome of the whole model. Yep, I'm not going to be a bit modest about this one; it was a bit more work then I expected, but it's also turned out better then I was expecting as well, so that's good enough for me. I'm particularly happy with the even clearance of the model around the globe; almost seem like I knew what I was doing, eh? 
 

I'm shooting at a slow shutter speed so I can get a good depth of field (lots of focus) so the plasma effect is quite blurred.
 
Complete with armoured construction, full sized entrance door, and external ladder to the battlements on the top. It's 18cm from the ground to the battlement deck, and 22cm total. The base at its widest is 13cm and it expands just a bit from there for the shield emitting arrays. So the removable top can be... well... removed, the ladder is also magnetized so it can be taken off.
 

Since I carefully fused the original Plasma Globe base hardware into the base of the kit, the fit of the transplanted electronics is seamless.
 
Thankfully there are no surprises with the power switch or the access for the power cable. Of course, I was careful to get Plasma Globes that can be operated on 4 AAA batteries to avoid the cord completely. Considering this was mostly built as a 1/3rd section and repeated to complete the final structure, I'm rather impressed with myself that there's no show-stopping flaws that need to be addressed to make a correct kit. Until you've got the parts to do a test fit, I'm usually a bit anxious even if I'm confident. But, I've come to learn that It's usually a good thing when I impress myself, and this time I think I'm right. It will require some dry-fitting to ensure a clean assembly, but where the fit counts, it's very tight and solid. Once certain base components are partially assembled it starts to support itself, aiding the rest of the assembly. Even here, it's only half glued together and locked together with friction. Not half bad if I do say so myself.
 
*Subtle wanders off to eat a cookie, and then plummet into a deep sleep*

Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[Raztalin]

Wonderful work - I can see me ordering one from you at some stage!

[Augustus b'Raass]

"Classic Subtle..."

 

Dude, it looks so, so good. I am also so, so very sorry I'm strapped for cash the coming six months. I would have PMd you for one of those four first timers in an instant. Screw the cost, screw the tax. It's a fantastic mondel, and you can be rightly proud of it. :tu:

[Salamander Bob]

Wow great!

Can you make a size comparison pic with a marine?

Edited August 12, 2016 by Salamander Bob

[JeffTibbetts]

Wow, man. Even better than I thought it would look. Nothing short of stunning, my friend. I didn't mention it earlier but I love, love, love the casters that draw power from the globe and then project it outwards. Such a cool idea. This thing actually looks like it could work, somehow. There's an internal logic to the design even if we don't understand the tech. 

 

I'm curious how the dimensions match up to the limited-edition resin one (that's also rumored to be coming out soon in plastic) for the purposes of comparison. 

[Quixus]

Words cannot describe the awesomeness of that model.

 

Do the resin parts touch the globe so that the plasma is channelled into the "contacts"? I can't quite make it out in the pictures.

 

Is that 100 CAD plus shipping for the whole kit or do you still need some GW parts?

[Studio Silvernale]

That is epic work.

[disease]

The generator is absolutely incredible! 

 

on a slightly different topic, would you know if the Incursus Siege Ram would fit on the Spartan tank?

[deathspectersgt7]

So I get a free one for calling it !!!!

[GhostMalone]

Ds7 if im paying your paying buddy

[Subtle Discord]

Ok, now that I have some studio work behind me, I just wanted to do a quick follow-up to comment, clarify, and answer a few questions before getting back to work. I’m happy that it’s been noticed that I’ve tried to give this model some logic; I’ve said it before, but it’s what I call pseudo-plausible™ model design. Yes, this is a completely fictional sci-fi construction, but I want it to appear to have some rationale to how it operates. I really think it’s what elevates my designs that extra, almost subconscious, notch; I really take the time to consider how I can use details to convey the operation of the device. How does it appear to be constructed or assembled? Where are the access panels or vents? Do the pipes, cables, and hydraulics make sense? Is there proper clearance or room for something to appear to function? On a certain level, I approach the design as if it could work in order to guide the final decisions on the form and details.

 

In this case I wanted the Shield Generator to really appear to be creating/capturing/focusing some kind of energy event and then directing that energy out into the protective shield. The inner dishes don’t actually contact the plasma globe, they sit about 3mm away. Unfortunately plastic doesn’t have the same effect that a finger touching the glass has; I haven’t found a way to get the plasma streams to really attract to the inner dishes. The streams do linger a little bit at the dishes as they pass by, but not very pronouncedly.

 

I was asked if I could show the generator beside a model to give a bit of scale.

 

Needless to say, this kit is big compared to anything else I’ve tried in my studio do date, but its footprint isn’t massive; it’s a bit larger than a standard Rhino-length made square. It’s so large that making the moulds really pushed my equipment; the large base component required the biggest mould I’ve ever made (go figure, it also uses the most plastic of any mould to cast) and it only barely fit in the pressure chamber for curing. I guess I’ve found my current size limit.

 

The door was forced to be a bit of a balancing act in just how large it could be.

 

I began adding the door component after the vertical pillars were mostly finished, so they had an impact on how tall the door could be. From there the width of the door was determined by the base model. Still more than large enough to give a Marine easy, if a bit cramped, access. But, it should be just fine for a mortal human.

 

While it is tall, providing a good field-of-view, the small footprint means it’s limited in how many models can fit.

 

Being quite tall with a small footprint it seems like a fair balance to me; providing a good vantage point to the unit occupying the battlement, but not being large enough to let it hold an unreasonable amount of firepower. There’s enough space for three 40mm bases, with enough wiggle room to make sure they fit. The protective walls are meant to protect more humanoid-sized models so these Obliterators seem a bit tall.

 

These five Marines are on 25mm bases, but by the looks of it, there should be no problem fitting five 32mm bases.

 

Again, there’s no problem fitting a five-man squad, but there’s not much room for more. I don’t own any 32mm bases yet, so I can’t check those for fit. With a Marine, you can see that the armoured walls suit their height much more; low enough to fire over the gaps, and the observation slits are at roughly head height.

 

The kit includes 42 cast components (over 0.25 kg, or 0.55 lbs of resin, actually) 14 neodymium magnets, and a 3” Plasma Globe (not pictured).

 

I can’t afford the cost or the space to supply the required GW or FW models to complete the builds of my kits. Not all of my kits will require a GW or FW model to complete, but many will, for various reasons. I’ve had comments in both directions with this kit in particular, with someone saying I should have done the entire model completely, and another liking that I incorporated the GW Vengeance Battery into the build. I see both sides of the coin, but this was the original idea I had, so it was how the final model came together. I respect that the GW components will add to the cost of the build, but in this case, I can honestly say it will be about the same as the additional cost I would have to charge to make equivalent components myself. This way it blends better with the other GW scenery kits is at least semi-official, and saved me from having to build a rather tricky part. While most of the kit I created is made from reasonably flat components, (lots of awesome layers, details, and unique forms, but still essentially flat) the sloping nature of the Vengeance Battery base along with its curved elements means that it’s actually rather tricky to replicate. In this case, it really was in the best interest of the final studio kit and the window of time I have available to design this model this way.

 

Thanks as always to everyone reading and those who offer their positive feedback, input, and support. I’m always happy to give a glimpse into my humble studio and really appreciate that it is well received. The community around this hobby really does give and receive if you’re willing to take part in it. Ok, I better stop, before I get melodramatic and deep. *Subtle wanders off to bed*

Edited February 5 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Awesome work as usual, and once again, insanely jealous of your scratchbuilding skills.

 

...it only barely fit in the pressure chamber for curing. I guess I’ve found my current size limit.

 

Certainly good to know for future projects, because...

 

http://i.imgur.com/PXcZAYj.png

[GhostMalone]

Add some quarter pounder to that chief

[Subtle Discord]

Oops, I overlooked a question. Sorry disease, the Spartan suffers from Streisand Syndrom (read: it's got a bit of a large 'nose') and there's no way my Incursus Siege Ram will fit the hull. From the fit to the way it operates, the current Siege Ram is designed specifically for the stock Land Raider hull. Note that I do have plans to do kits such as these (and other variations) that will properly fit many different chassis, in due time.

[Machine God]

What a marvelous thread Subtle Discord!

 

From the showing us how to paint Messy and then Neat, then to your wonderful builds! 

 

By the way I know that you probably finished it and it probably goes at the back of your army shots,

but did you finish the Metal Daemon Prince conversion with the jet packs?

[Subtle Discord]

Edit: And thank you for the kind words and positive feedback!

 

Sadly, the Jet-pack Prince was shelved due to a bit of hobby ADD and all of the other things that got heaped on my plate as I started to show what I was up to; most notably, returning to college so I could learn how to do all of this even better, and starting my small studio to lay the foundation for things to come. It was around that time that I built my first Pressure Chamber, and after that all bets were off... *insert evil laugh*

 

At the time I was also completely intimidated with trying the next steps to 'fill out' the Jet-pack, and that helped in stalling the project. No longer! I have changed quite a bit in my approach over the years, thanks in no small part to the deadlines of college, and I have much more conviction to actually take the plunge when I hit a nervous point in a build. This summer alone I finished a Sicaran, Spartan, and a Fire Raptor along with other personal and studio projects. So... I will be returning to several of my past projects and completing them, and I even have a few projects that I never showed (or showed very little of) that also stalled and they should start to make appearances as well. Once college is finished I plan to take a 'gaming sabbatical' as a reward, to recharge a bit, and indulge in some serious building, bashing, converting, and painting to get my army/collection up to speed. The Legion has been waiting too long to start raiding and terrorizing my local city, and that will change! Expect the unexpected, and some great personal projects (old and new) updates when I can finally sit down at my bench stress free in the knowledge that college isn't looming at the end of the Summer. *Subtle's eyes glaze over as he thinks to the future*

Edited August 28, 2016 by Subtle Discord

[Nelzon]

A Subtle Discord Chaos Dreadclaw in the future perhaps? :) Your work is stellare mate.

[Subtle Discord]

*Subtle slips through an inconspicuous side door and quickly locks it behind him. The sound of… something can be heard behind the threshold… banging, scratching, thumping, clawing, and pounding… trying to gain entry. Subtle moves slowly away from the door, hoping it’ll hold*
 
Not yet you don’t! I still have one last chapter, damnit! This, won’t be complete, the voices from the warp won’t shut the hell up, until I’ve finished ‘The Ugly’! As promised, one final insomnia-fueled installment in my Tales of Interest! (Damn I miss Futurama) So, let's step right into it; the Fire Raptor. This ‘ugly’ little model… ok, so it’s not so little, and when it’s finally built it’s not so ugly, but you get what I mean. This collection of styrene and resin has a bit of a reputation; a model that induces both lust and loathing. I know I want one, but do I have to build it myself?!
 
Put simply, yeah, it’s a bit of a pain to assemble, to say the least. I know how to build things, and it drove me nuts at times; inducing such mood swings in fact, I chose to add emoticons to this write-up to show how I was feeling during different stages of this build. “Enter at your own risk ~ This is a Dark ride” The Fire Raptor is an amazing model… that requires serious consideration and work to build because of some strange fit issues and missed opportunities to add some simple features to the parts to aid in construction; getting the entire hull straight and true is just maddening. I really like what Forge World makes, so it can be hard to be harsh towards them because I really like the style, but I just don’t understand the logic of how this assembles in places and some of the very strange fit and alignment issues that crop up in this premium kit. I could write an article in itself about how I’d do things differently to create a model that fits and locks together better during assembly, but I’ll save that for when I do my own Storm Raven conversion kits in future. I have the test prototypes, I’ve perfected the casting process, I know I can do it, in due time… I promise.
 

So, we all know that Polyurethane plastic (Aka: Resin) is a toxic if inhaled; resin dust is bad for you, m’kay?!
 
Big kit means lots of pour gates and vents, many of them very large. Credit has to be given to some of the large slabs of resin that make the Raptor’s hull. So, that means lots of sawing and lots of dust. Use a respirator to avoid it as you free the many parts from their captive sprews. Unless the gates are quite small, and even then, I usually prefer to use a saw on resin to remove sprew. I’ve had clippers cause the sprew to pop free and take a chunk of the model with it (requiring later repair) too many times. The saw slices/cuts through the material, avoiding that.
 

Expect to give many parts of the kit hot water dunks so they can be bent back into alignment.
 
Resin warps. It’s almost unavoidable. Just packaging something securely for shipping will slowly warp parts over the days it takes for a kit to get from point A to point B. To their credit, FW did secure the large hull components to cardboard to provide them some extra support. Resin is also usually just a bit soft when it’s de-moulded, adding to the chances of a bit of warping as it’s tugged from the mould. It’s usually a rather easy fix to hot water dunk the part and coax it back to the correct form. No complaints here.
 

 This is where we get deep and technical; the real key to no losing your mind if you try to build this model.
 
*In a booming monotone voice* You will Pin EVERYTHING! … That is all! *Click*
 
While you can expect to do some pinning on a large resin model, with the Fire Raptor it becomes the only way to can really hold it together and stay aligned; the parts match up (mostly) but they can shift and slide making it very tricky to get it together for a proper test fit. This is where I start to wonder why there aren’t a few more simple interlocking components to help form the structure, and make it a bit easier to build. But, so far it’s starting to look like something.

 

 The struggle continues as I try to piece it together and to a dry fit to test alignments and if parts have been properly straightened.
 
Doing some test fitting is to be expected with a large kit, but this one really was a struggle to keep it together so you could really check the fit and alignment. It seemed a bit warped, but not enough that I didn’t think I could force it into shape. Again, some simple tongue in groove details and/or a few locking/fitting components wouldn’t be amiss to help the build. It’s mostly just a flat slabs of resin meeting flat slabs of resin, with one or two small details to help with alignment.
 
 
 

 So I relented, and placed some nice large pins front and back on both sides to lock the walls of the hull in place.
 
I drilled the holes with just a little play, front to back, so I could adjust the parts a little bit as I assembled the resin components of the main hull. It took a little bit twisting to get a reasonably clean alignment on both sides, and you can just make it out a bit of it in the length of the hull. I took my time and carefully added lots of Super glue to the length of the hull to really lock it in to place. It was starting to look good and feel solid.
 

 Except yeah, that ‘little twist’? Well… it was not so little after all.
 
It might not look like much, but this is the wing section of the hull, and I suspect that this little twist in the hull would have made the wings a bit warped across their span, drooping down on the left, if not corrected. With everything locked together I had no choice but to hot water dunk the entire assembly. :| I’m lucky to have a small portable electric cooking range that I can use for large dunk jobs like this; I wanted really hot water considering the thick nature of the parts. With an old pot it wasn’t that hard to fix the twist. And, I must have used enough glue, because the hot water didn’t loosen it at all.
 
*Subtle stops, noticing that it has become quiet. The ‘thing’ lurking outside having stopped its assault on the door.*
 

 This is one of those little parts that illustrated some of the fit issues in a nut shell.
 
It’s not glued together at this point, so it is a bit loose. However, Front left corner, that looks good, once it’s glued up it will be tight and clean with a bit of a seam. Front right corner, well that’s not as clean as it could be, but it’s not the worst. But the bottom… *Gets angry, grunting and yelling* why for big silly gap in bottom?! *Sigh* To the best of my ability the hull is assembled how it should be, I’m not sure why this gap is like this. Not a huge deal I guess, but not that hard to fix before mass production too. If you want to make the parts seamless, the rivets are going to make it a real pain to sand it smooth.
 

 Remember, the resin parts of the hull are assembled, from what I can tell, straight and symmetrical, and still…
 
… The left corner of the hull aligns perfectly with the styrene component. *Ding!* Excellent! But the right corner of the hull is out by more than just a little bit! *Buzzer!* So sorry! There was simply no way to get both sides to alight cleanly, so I was forced to use a small sanding block and carefully remove some material to lower the resin surface enough to get the corner to align correctly.
 
 

 For better or worse, the main hull came together and was glued firm.
 
Despite all my efforts to assemble the hull straight and true there is a subtle but noticeable bend to the left. The ‘hobby OCD me’ hates it, but I chose to ignore it because of how subtle it is. :| It’s also a bit annoying that the top panel for the hull also doesn’t line up as neatly as I’d like; the right side looks good, but the left just doesn’t line up quite right and ruins what should be nice and symmetrical details. At this point there is no flex or give in the hull, and I don’t want to even consider another dunk, so I’m willing to accept these final small, but annoying, flaws. Once you step back and look the whole, you can’t help but like it, even with the odd little wart.
 


 The wings assembled easily but a few parts could have been a bit cleaner in the fit.
 
I also managed to forget to photograph assembling the engine housings, rear landing gear compartments, and rear components. In an effort to actually make progress, not worry, and overthink it, I just plowed through and realized at the end I forgot. Being beyond the point of no return, all that really matters of that process is that I pinned the heck out of it all; the engines especially received three large deep pins each to properly secure the large chunks of resin to the hull. The double-pinned wings are not fragile in the slightest. In fact, the entire build is remarkably solid, thanks to the extensive pinning; it’s quite literally brick, with no flex in the hull or the wing connections, and it simply feels solid right out to the wing tips.
 

Even the small parts, like the front vector engines got securely pinned in place so nothing will fall off this glorious chunk of plastic.
 
As mentioned, I managed to clean up the top right corner alignment with some careful sanding of the resin surface and a bit of brute force when finally gluing it in place. The bottom right corner did end up with a rather noticeable seam line that will need a bit of fixing, as expected.
 
But ultimately, the small flaws just don’t matter. If you can take the time to pin the heck out of the Fire Raptor as you construct it, it becomes less daunting to assemble than the reputation it gained, but it is still a bit of an ‘ugly’ challenging build to get it nice clean and straight, and it has a few small but ‘ugly’ flaws that seem out of place for such a wonderful final model; however, they become very easy to ignore when they’re overwhelmed by all the awesome present in the rest of this kit. But, the build does make you work for that awesome, with a challenging build. You have been warned.
 
I will follow up with further articles showing the assembly of the smaller components of the Raptor and Spartan when I can finish those final bits of the build. But even with a few things left to complete in these builds, I’m quite happy to have several key models assembled to a point that they are ready to go when I’m ready to start my planned studio kits. Tackling all of the builds I did this summer has really encouraged me to be more confident in just getting down to work and getting progress done, instead of overthinking and hesitating when I’m having a bit of doubt. Definitely a good thing.
 

In closing, a few images to show off a few other little things I’ve been up to as the summer ends.
 
I finally got a chance to get the Signum Stone markers properly painted and based to match my army. Big surprise, I went with a Black Marble look (using my black highlight greys) for the actual stone artifact shards, so they can stand out a bit from the common ground stone, but still feel cohesive. Even with a single battery (they can take one or two) pictured here, the lighting effect is very pronounced, and they produce a wonderful hypnotic glowing effect as they shift through the spectrum.
 

At some point someone had asked me if the small dishes in my Shield Generator touched the plasma globe and if the effect was drawn to them.
 
Well, that got me thinking, and it really didn’t seem that hard to add some metal pins to the center of the internal dishes that could reach the globe and touch it; the lower electrical resistance of the metal should draw the plasma effect towards it, just like touching it with a finger, only on a smaller scale. It was a little fiddly to get all of the pins the correct length on each dish, since the gap isn’t quite consistent all around the globe. But after a bit of tweaking and adjustment, it actually wasn’t too hard to achieve contact on all the points. Sure enough, the metal draws the plasma streams quite well, and it adds nicely to the ‘pulling power to energize the shield’ effect that I was aiming for with the model. Working so well, naturally I’m going to keep the modification on this studio model. I’m quite pleased… with how it… gives…
 
*Subtle’s voice trails off. Caught up in his wall-o’-text, he suddenly notices that he has carelessly wandered too close to a window!*
 
Aww crap! *Subtle’s face goes pale* Too late…
 
*The glass shatters, as the window explodes inward; a throng of appendages, each branded with the words “Higher Learning”, thrusting through the new found opening and quickly grab and grapple the aspiring designer, dragging him back into the gloom. The sounds of his desperate struggle to fight off and defeat the menace fade as he is dragged away. Faint words tumble back from The Dark…*
 
Much… more… to… come!

Edited February 4 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++

[JeffTibbetts]

Those stones work so, so well. And the pins for the plasma globe are fantastic. I wonder how sharp they are and if a sharp motion could crack the glass? I bet those globes are pretty strong, actually. I wonder if actual pins with a rounded head would work to spread the pressure of contact around, though... 

[GhostMalone]

Dude the plasma shield generator is amazing your work is perfect

 

Edit: one question though with the components for the globe I just remove the screws from the bottom and line them up with the main base right?

Edited October 14, 2016 by Kurama

[Subtle Discord]

With a tiny window of opportunity, I feel like writing something, and perhaps rambling a little bit lot about some future plans and other stuff.

 

Having recently picked up a few hobby supplies, I had a chance to use some of this Tamiya Putty and I think it’s worth a few words.

 

A classmate of mine was using some of this Tamiya Putty on a model a while back and recommended it. I’ve seen it in the past, but I’ve had a tube of green Squadron Putty for years so I hadn’t given it a try. I was never completely happy with Squadron Putty when I used it, but when it comes to filling and smoothing really fine seams and cracks, a product like it really does the trick; whereas other products will struggle to hold tight in such a small area, modeling putty will do a better job. That’s the theory, but with Squadron Putty I’ve found it to be too coarse and prone to chipping and flaking away sometimes. The way it underperformed kinda’ soured me on products like this, truth be told.

 

So, recently I had to do a marathon model-building session; taking a concept from a 3D model and making a 1/5 scale physical model of it in roughly 4 days. Very little sleep was had, to say the least, but I produced an excellent model and this wonderful product helped in its own way. With many layers coming together very quickly to build the required model, I used it quite a bit to clean up seams, layering, and other surface flaws that come with building something from scratch, and this stuff worked like a charm.

 

When cured it becomes very hard, resisting scratching and flaking, and with a nice satin almost plastic-like finish; I suspect it’s resilient enough to be drilled and carved/shaped in some situations. The solvents in it work really well to mildly etch into most surfaces and gently fuse it with styrene plastics to bond very tightly. When it’s sanded it will come off as a dry plaster-like powder, but any product remaining on the model will keep the tough plastic-like finish. Burnish it a little with a plastic bristle brush after you’ve filed, sanded, and worked this product, and it will be primer-ready. Scratches, seams, gaps, and all sorts of other flaws simply vanish.

 

After seeing it suggested, I had planned on tinning some of the Tamiya Putty down to use it as a form of surface glaze for particular situations where you want a very thin layer. Turns out that Tamiya noticed that modelers were doing this, and made it into a ready-to-use product, the pictured Surface Primer G. Having never made the stuff before I was happy to pick up a bottle and take the guesswork out of it. When I make better use of both of these on some hobby models I’ll take some pictures of the results and talk more about technique when using it. Put simply, if you scratch build and/or are particular about cleaning up seam lines on models, get some of this stuff!

 

Meet Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the seeds of inspiration for the first Dark Mechanicus constructs I want to create.

 

I personally still much prefer the traditional Dreadnaught model to the Helbrute that the unit has become. I had plans to pick up a FW Iron Warriors Dreadnaught and add it as a companion to this Black Legion one. With FW discontinuing the model before I could get one, well then, they’ve simply forced me to create my own alternative. In this case, I’m aiming to find some middle ground between the new bio-mechanical ‘Brute and the old-school walking sarcophagus that is the Dreadnaught. I like the curved armour forms of the ‘Brute but I want it closer to the Legion Dread in execution and style.

 

So the Dreadnaught is going to tag along with the Decimator as it’s completed because it’s been half-finished for far too long. To show that there really is paint involved, I’ve included a small progress shot; I was hoping to get a little more done on it before I was forced to stop, but you know how it is. *Shakes an angry fist at life*

 

Since I was considering the build of a smaller Dark Mechanicus construct and painting the Decimator, it got me thinking just how straightforward the Decimator is, in reality; it’s just a large central tube/cylinder plastered with hoses and wires, with some armour plates wrapped around it all, really. Not that difficult a concept to adapt and refine, I should think. For me, as with the Dreadnaught, the Decimator is the look I prefer in a Daemon Engine construct; a mechanical brute monstrosity forcibly infused with a daemonic entity to give it purpose – not fed and/or grown in any way, but coldly manufactured and assembled product. Well then, I might just have to explore something on a medium scale as well, yes? … Yes!

 

Do you hear that? … Yep, that’s the sound of another can-of-worms cracking open.

 

While I’ve picked up several models from GW/FW over the last few years, most are carefully planned to have a long road of service in my studio as ‘scaffolds’ for future kit designs, before they become personal projects that I can actually finish. So, to celebrate my most recent complete revolution of our sun, I choose to pick up something that is purely a personal project that can proceed without delay, once the demands of college are finally done.

 

Meet TweedleDEAD! The Kytan Daemon Engine; a very suitable (starting) centerpiece model for the Dark Mechanicus element of my collection.

 

This is the first time I’ve received something from FW packaged like this. Usually, the parts are simply in a bag surrounded by plastic packing pillows. It’s such a pleasant surprise to get the kit this way, it seemed worthy of note. When you’re purchasing a premium product like this it’s nice when it’s packed accordingly. After closer inspection I can say that this is what an FW model should be like; the quality and execution of the parts are very good; reasonable mould lines, very nice surface quality, no noticeable warping, and an acceptably low number of bubbles. Well done FW, I hope future kits will continue this trend.

 

A tiny bit of subtle layering noticeable in the toe of the Kytan hints at the 3D printed origins of the master model used for this kit.

 

Just look at those legs, and compare them to some of the new Mechanicus line and tell me they don’t share a similar design aesthetic; yep, this is going to work. I’m not really a fan of the FW Chaos Knight kit; too much teeth, horns, and splitting armour for my taste, and combined with such a clean base model, it just doesn’t work for me. Naturally, I have my own plans to create some suitably ‘Renegade Knight’ style kits in the future, but that’s another story for another day. So, for my money, as with earlier examples, I personally prefer the mostly mechanical esthetic that the Kytan has for a unique knight-scale Chaos Daemon Engine model.

 

One only need look to this kit to see that GW/FW are well aware of the state of 3D printing technology, and taking full advantage.

 

It was a very high quality 3D print used to create the master for this model, and the accuracy of the entire model is very tight because of it; the perfectly symmetrical and wonderfully smooth curved elements especially benefit from the process. There’s a few tiny spots where the 3D print process of the original model can be seen, but they really are few in number and very subtle; very easy to ignore or to clean up at your discretion. The fit and finish are so nice it’s almost begging to be put together right now. Soon, you wonderful psychopathic-daemon-infused-murder-bot, you! Soon!

 

As with the Decimator, I’m torn with what to do to personalize the Kytan; it’s such a nice model in its own right there’s nothing wrong with it being built as-is (basically what I did with the Decimator), but in this case I think it’s going to need something to make it more Dark Mechanicus. Removing and replacing all of the Khorne iconography will be the obvious place to start, but I have a few whispers from the warp in the back of my mind suggesting that I should remove the cannon from the left arm and mount it on/over/behind the shoulder. Then both arms can be armed with combat weapons of some sort, to emphasize the Kytan’s combat proficiency; perhaps matching weapons or maybe purposely different for some variety; either could work really well. Considering how common of a design element it is on Mechanicus robots in both 30k and 40k, I think shoulder mounting the ballistic weapon would go a long way to tie it into the Dark Mechanicus theme I’ll be going for with this build.

 

Sooo… I guess I’ve also got my (first) large scale Dark Mechanicus construct concept on the drawing board, as it were, to go along with the small and medium concept ideas that started me down this Dark path to begin with. You see how the worms start to get out, and everywhere, if I let the ideas have too much freedom? Buuut, the image is beginning to take form in my mind, I don’t think I have any choice now, but to make it real.

 

Please, stand by… more to come. Soon'ish.

Edited February 4 by Subtle Discord
+++ Image Data-link ∙ Repair +++