Legion Rising

[Subtle Discord]

*Subtle hangs his head*

 

I'm sorry. I just... you know... do what I do. You can blame the voices from the warp that infest my brain, offering me ideas and inspiration that I struggle to ignore. It's what I do! :)

 

If it's any consolation, should the new process work as intended and reduce the labor factor of these kits enough, I aim to lower the price on the trims to make them more affordable for what they are. With these kits in particular, labour the main factor dictating price.

[Lexington]

[Subtle Discord]

Well GIF'ed sir. Well GIF'ed.

[The Traitor]

The spiky tracks certainly look good, might think of getting some for future vehicles!

[Subtle Discord]

Speaking of the spiked tracks, I was pondering if I should shave the spikes down on the long lengths that touch the ground to emulate them sinking into the surface. It makes sense to me, but I wonder if I want to let the builder decide. Anyone want to offer an opinion?

[ElDuderino]

The new trim kits look stunning! And with a lower price I think they'll fly of the shelf, I've been eyeing your things earlier but never could afford it. Until now perhaps;) any plans for updated trim kits for land raiders?

 

As for the spiked tracks, I know I'd shave the bottom down at least. Is the material easy to cut? Then again, anone willing to buy your stuff will probably be experienced enough to do that small mod themselves. The tracks do look amazing btw

[Lexington]

Speaking of the spiked tracks, I was pondering if I should shave the spikes down on the long lengths that touch the ground to emulate them sinking into the surface. It makes sense to me, but I wonder if I want to let the builder decide. Anyone want to offer an opinion?

I think for completion's sake, leave them on - never know what people will use these things for.

 

By the by, any chance you're planning on doing a Land Raider version of those tracks? I have a bunch of Blood and Skulls Industry "Krusher" pattern treads, and while they rule, they're a tad too Orky in spots - I might could be persuaded to sell those off and go with these instead.

[Subtle Discord]

Will the new Loricatus marks for Rhino chassis include loyalists or will that still be the exclusive purview of Chaos. 

 

If so then I just might have to start a Chaos army simply to put some of this goodness to use. That is, once my inner Templar stops stabbing my visual cortex.

 

Yes! I started by creating some kits for Chaos because that is my true my muse and for me personally it always will be, but I would be crazy to ignore Loyalists now that I can really expand. As I've mentioned a few times, going forward I plan on doing different versions of most kits going forward, beyond the overly Chaos vs. Loyalist themes, I also want to consider some designs intended for different army factions/themes. Think, elegant and flowing trims and details with swirls, hooked points, and curves, like stylized smoke, that could be used for allies of Custodes or SoS, Emperors Children, Thousand Sons, or anyone wanting a more graceful design elements. Or, lightly corroded, worn, and rusted, with some battle damage; not quite full out Nurgle, but something as a good base that could do that if painted and finished that way, or paint it yellow and Marines Malevolent come to mind. How about extra wide banding with more rivets, keyed patterns, geometric patterns, and just an overall 'heavy' feel; Iron Warriors, Iron Hands, Ad Mech allies, and again, anyone who want to add a siege element to the army, perhaps. And this is just what I can come up with off the top of my head, and I'm sure I'll get many great ideas from outside sources as time goes on. I can't guarantee that I can make every single idea real, but who knows how many I can pull off. Lets find out, shall we?

 

 

 

 

So, The Dark Works is now shifting to fulltime operation...

 

 

 

I think your idea sounds excellent! I was wondering about potentially supporting the Arcis production? Will an Arcis MK. II to be coming out with the new system?

 

 

In some ways the Arcis Shield Generator was intended to be a one-off, but I really enjoyed making it (even if it did push me to the limits of my equipment - it's got some biiig moulds), it turned out better than I had expected, and it has been really well received, so that got me thinking more about the future of kits like it. I was so pleased with how it turned out that I had it sitting on my desk for several months, before it finally started to see paint. I've since come to the conclusion that I want to try to do more large scenery pieces, with a particular focus on plasma lights of various shapes, and any other unique lighting solutions that I can find or have suggested as time goes forward. I've long had the urge to add LED lights to an army, but I don't think I want to add another layer of obsession over detail to slow my army building progress even further, so I'll just surround my armies with cool scenery that lights up, glows, and emits simulated smoke, instead. By your question, I suspect there are others out there who would be interested in doing the same.

 

 

If you have any plans for Guard stuff, like track guards (which GW no longer produces) for the Russ and Chimera, I would definitely be interested in adopting a kit, and as much as I want to support you and see you keep making awesome stuff, I have zero interest in spiky Chaos accessories. 

 

Guard will get some attention, whenever I can actually get to them. I've always wanted to create a 'cap' for the Chimera to improve how the weapons point out from the hull, aaand swap them to Autoguns for giggles. While I will definitely do kits with Chaos and R&H in mind, this will be no different then other plans; Loyalist appropriate kits will also be developed when it makes sense, which will be most of the time. However, I suspect there will be a few cases where I'll do a Chaos version to cover a gap that is already well served by Loyalist kits. But kits that can serve both Imperial and Chaos based only on cosmetic choices, absolutely I'll be doing both whenever time and funds permit.

 

 

 

Speaking of the spiked tracks, I was pondering if I should shave the spikes down on the long lengths that touch the ground to emulate them sinking into the surface. It makes sense to me, but I wonder if I want to let the builder decide. Anyone want to offer an opinion?

I think for completion's sake, leave them on - never know what people will use these things for.

 

By the by, any chance you're planning on doing a Land Raider version of those tracks? I have a bunch of Blood and Skulls Industry "Krusher" pattern treads, and while they rule, they're a tad too Orky in spots - I might could be persuaded to sell those off and go with these instead.

 

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking about the spiked tracks; they might get used for something scenic, or used on another model entirely... which now that I think of it, I actually saw done with my current/old track kit, going so far as to bend the straight bits to do what the builder was trying to achieve. Damn that was a while ago... Yep, ok, they'll stay 'complete'; I doubt they'll be hard to sand away.

 

Yes! The Land Raider will be getting very similar treatment to the Rhino (tracks, updated armour, weapon systems, other bits-and-pieces) once I've got some of the Rhino kits into production and most of the preliminary 3D design for the Rhino finished. I'm very pleased with the Rhino tracks, so I suspect I'll trying enlarging the designs and see how they look on the Raider. I've even started work on some Land Raider kits, but I chose to put them on hold while I focus on one thing for now, the Rhino chassis. Once I get to the Raider I'll focus on that, and then I'll see where I want to go. I'm considering the Sicaran, because it's calling to be, taunting me, begging me, to give it some attention. And if I can get the Sicaran modeled in 3D... I'll be free to paint mine! ... after I give it some Ceramite armour... and a Siege Ram... and maaaybe... *starts frothing at the mouth* oooooo... I can't wait to make something for that kit!

[TheOneTrueZon]

I'm considering the Sicaran, because it's calling to be, taunting me, begging me, to give it some attention. And if I can get the Sicaran modeled in 3D... I'll be free to paint mine! ... after I give it some Ceramite armour... and a Siege Ram... and maaaybe... *starts frothing at the mouth* oooooo... I can't wait to make something for that kit!

 

The day you make a kit for the Sicaran is the day it becomes worth buying. 

[Lord Commander Eidolon]

Fancy swirly EC style trim! Oh no, that'll bankrupt me!! But in all seriousness it'd work well for BA, UM and 1KSons so it would take off!

 

Did anything ever happen with StormRaven expansion kit?! I recall you had thoughts about that at the very start of this thread!!

[Subtle Discord]

The Storm Raven extension (It was really meant to be a Storm Eagle conversion) was an idea before its time, I see that now. To be honest, I saw the kit that's is produced by that other company, read/viewed some reviews for it, and thought "I can do something muuuch better!" I stand by that assertion, I can do it, and really well, but at the time I dove in before I considered just how challenging it would be to execute. I could do it faster, if I was willing to cut corners, but that's just not how I do things so I put it on hold until I could return to it and do it right.

 

Since then I've concluded that I want to split it into two kits, one simpler kit that is just a Storm Raven extension, and one more elaborate kit that changes the Raven into a counts-as Eagle. Now that I have much more skill at digital creation, I feel more confident I can do the idea even better now with less effort. Given the shape of the base GW model, It's still an elaborate kit idea that will be challenging, but I'm better equipped to execute it now. However, it will still be on hold for now, as I take care of some kits that will have a broader appeal. Once the studio has found it's legs, I'll return to the idea.

[Subtle Discord]

Late night (early morning?) teaser! I should be getting to bed, but I just got done 3D modeling the new Pintol Weapons Kit and it seemed worthy of a screenshot. I'm very pleased with how these turned out. 
 

Designation to be determined; Combi-Melta to the left and Combi-Bolters to the right. Renegade/Chaos version pictured, a 'clean' Imperial version will also be available.
 
Further updates to follow soon, including a showcase on how these and other kits will assemble. Both of these weapons are built from exactly the same parts. The choice to have the weapons to the left or to the right is made during assembly, and everything is magnet ready (will be included in the kit) so the weapons rotate and tilt, as well as permitting the owner to switch-and-swap the weapons anytime.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Meltas to the left of me, bolters to the right

 

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

[Subtle Discord]

Oh, very clever. As long as you don't start dancing around while brandishing a straight razor, I approve of this humor.

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

Is it too fanboy to say i cant wait to support your new lines? No... no it is not. Right?

[Subtle Discord]

Second verse! Same as the first! How about another late night (early morning) teaser. Who needs sleep. All my late nights in college have given a pseudo-superpower, I can resist the urge the sleep when properly motivated, and indeed I find working late at night my most productive hours. As time goes by, I'm seeing that the choice of studio name seems appropriate on a few levels. "We like the dark. Dark for dark business." as Tolkien once wrote, if I recall correctly, just before a particular Hobbit went off, there and back again.

 

Interitus (Aka: Havoc) Missile Launcher 2.0 is almost finished. Here's a look at the at the leaner 10 missile rack in a clean line Imperial style. As shown earlier, there will also be a slightly larger 12 missile rack in the same style, and of course a version with Chaos/Renegade elements.

 

Top Left: Proximity Incendiary. Top Right: Impact High Explosive. Bottom Left: Proximity Fragmentation. Bottom Right: Impact Armour Piercing.

 

Pick your poison. I'm particularly happy with the swappable missile component that I have devised which will let the builder choose their preferred loadout for the missile rack, all while sharing the base components. Again, I'll showcase how it actually assembles in the near future as the entire batch of kits gets closer to absolutely complete. The Interitus Missile Racks are very close and then I'm going to focus on the spaced armour to finish the first batch of ideas that will be presented together and put up for production adoption in my shop. Thanks as always for following along.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Looks great. I'm not a fan per se of the Havoc Launcher as I would prefer a lower, wider profile than the high, lean one you made, but I can see the appeal it has for sure!

Will the missile component be magnetizable?

[Chaplain Raeven]

I have the same opinion as Augustus, especially after seeing your awesome low-profile Pintle weapons. Big fan of your Frag missiles though, those look wicked!

[TheOneTrueZon]

If the face plate with the missiles is interchangeable as SD says, then that also leaves the door open for many other conversion possibilities as well. I would happily turn these into sponson mounts - in particular I'd like to use something like this on my upcoming Mastodon project as I find the FW assemblies to be lacking.

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks as always for the feedback and input. Unfortunately, as with most (all?) things in life, you can't please everyone all of the time, but this is still food for thought that I can consider in the future. I had started the Havoc redesign before I did the combi-weapons, and then returned to the launcher to finish it. Had I done them in a different order there's a good chance I may have considered some of the design elements in the combi-weapons, and if they could suite the launcher, but that's not how this turned out. However, trust that I do now see how I could do a launcher that's lower, perhaps with the ammunition feeding up from inside the vehicle, by taking cues from the combi-weapon design. Making it much broader would be tricky, however, if I want it to remain as flexible and suited for mounting on a broad range of vehicles.

 

My choice to create a 10 missile version of the kit was mainly to offer a lower height option but admittedly it doesn't lower the height by that much; being a 'twin-linked' missile launcher I didn't want to lower the missile count any further because I wanted to create a rack of missiles intended to fire several volleys before running out. The missile plates in these kits are not designed to be magnetized; given how thin the components are and other details involved the idea didn't cooperate well with this design. However, there are still a few other tricks hidden in these kits thanks to how they're designed so I hope it will more endearing once you see what I've done with this kit.

 

In general, there are a few reasons why the design ended up with this taller profile. The first being simply that the original kit I produced had a similar form and I was updating that design so I stayed somewhat true to it; the original kit was trying to emulate the official Havoc Launcher model, so it took many design cues from that. Second, my kit will be supplied with the larger mounting plate pictured here, but will also provide a small mounting plate that fits in the front cupola rings so the builder can mount in where they want on several different GW models; being a larger weapon system, it's harder to make it as compact and low profile as the combi-weapons and if it sits too low as it rotates it would be prone to interfering with the neighbouring cupola hatch ring and/or other details on whatever model it gets added to. Also, since it's meant to mount in several locations on different models I wanted it to look like it can fire missiles up-and-over the vehicle itself, creating a low arc trajectory to the target. And finally, as mentioned, there's one more trick in how it can assemble to give it a bit more versatility and this design allows that trick to happen; again, it will be clearer when I can showcase how it actually assembles.

 

I'm in the home stretch now with this first batch of kits, so all will be revealed soon. It takes time to 'explode out' the parts in Solidworks to show each individual part and give an idea of how it all comes together, so I'm saving that effort for the end when the parts are totally complete and I can properly showcase the finished kit exactly as it will be manufactured.

 

Edit: P.S. Yes, I tend to think very hard (overthink?) on designs as I'm working them out. :)

Edited December 8, 2017 by Subtle Discord

[Subtle Discord]

Speaking of the 10 missile rack compared to the 12 missile rack, here's an image of the latter to give an idea how the larger/taller version will compare.
 

Very similar (as intended) to the other version of this design, you can also see the smaller mounting plate I've created to give more flexibility to where it can be added.
 

Aaand because I I got the itch to show it off a bit more completely, here's a quick exploded view to help show how the kit will assemble.
 
I'll ramble more about all sorts of features, options, and design philosophy for all my work when I can show more mages to better illustrate what I'll want to explain, but this image can give a quick-and-dirty (*Gasp!* I can see the under bits-and-pieces! Shameful!) idea of how the kit comes together.

[Dragonlover]

So I had every intention of keeping all my Chaos armies 100% GW because I was getting annoyed at not being able to use them in official Warhammer World events. Then you went and showed off those combi weapons, and I've changed my mind. I'll use the Genestealer Cult if I want to go to something official, those combis are too damn cool not to get.

 

I've lost track slightly, are you planning on redoing Predator trim kits, or are you just doing Rhino ones?

 

Dragonlover

[Subtle Discord]

It's such a shame that one small 3rd party bit on a GW model would invalidate it. It is a GW Rhino model comprising most of the miniature, after all. You know, this is exactly the type of thing that I wish I could have some impact on. I know I'm probably dreaming and it will never happen, but I wish I could start a dialogue with GW in some way and present a case for good 3rd party manufacturers. I've mentioned it in the past so I won't go way off into the weeds with it, but I really think there's a strong case for someone like me, who wants to produce top quality (GW/FW level of quality, as many of my customers have told me) products that complement and enhance their current line of models. I want to help GW succeed so I can also succeed. But I digress... thanks for your vote of confidence by expressing your interest in my work, even if it limits your use of the models.

 

As for Trim Kits, I do want to expand on the idea and offer different versions of the kits. One of the main things I want to do is simple bulk Trim Kits offering many long strips and corner bits that the builder can use as they see fit on whatever model they choose. Trim Kits that fit specific models are tricky, since some models lend themselves much better to the idea than others, so time will tell how this product evolves. For example, the Predator and Land Raider never received actual Trim Kits, but Armour Kits that have the same trim detail added to them; and yes, those Armour Kits will be re-mastered and updated, but it's hard to say if I'll do actual made-to-fit Trim Kits; the Predator would need many little confusing bits to be able to trim the turret, and the Land Raider really doesn't have good lines to accommodate trim alone. Armour plates for kits like those simply make more sense. All that said, again, time will tell how the idea evolves, and maybe it will change in future.

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

Subtle, for those of us who dont have the time (or abiltiy) to make out own platicard mods... I'd gl;adly forgoe GW world (5000$ USD trip from wher ei live for some cool models in my display case. I look forward to your new work, and will support your studio finacially however i can. Keep going! you inspire many of us!

[Subtle Discord]

"And so he says to me, 'you wanna be a bad guy?' and I say, 'Yeah baby! I wanna be bad!' I say 'SURF'S UP, SPACE PONIES! I'm making gravy without the lumps! ' AHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

 

~ Evil Midnight Bomber ~ The Tick

 

Almost reaaady. They're small bits, but the connectors/spacers for the armour plates to attach to the hull took a little more work than expected.

 

It may not look much different beside earlier WIP images, but there have been many small adjustments, not the least of which in spacing the rivets over the entire model to feel uniform. As before, this late night early morning update leaves me no energy to write something more extensive, but I'm so pleased with the progress I wanted to toss up a few images to share it. I'm in the home stretch for completing the first batch of kits. It's going to be so great to finally start seeing them become real. I'm getting anxious and eager to get to the next step. Soon... so soon. *maniacal laugh*