Legion Rising

[Dragonlover]

Was glad to hear the forges are restocked, have put in a requisition order. Can I recommend adding a drop down to each item for setting the quantity to order?

 

Dragonlover

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks for the order. It's all packed up and I'll be stepping out to send it off tonight.

 

Unfortunately, my web-shop is a pre-built template that I have some control over but I would need to learn and/or commission someone who can code if I want to make major changes to how it functions. Big Cartel the host does permit custom code but you need to set it up and maintain it yourself. At some point, I will be looking to upgrade the website and shop so I can have greater control, I'm tech savvy enough to run it, but I don't have time to learn and handle it myself right now and the profits I'm generating need to be invested in a few more key pieces of equipment before I worry about improving the website. Thanks for the feedback, it's definitely something in the back of my mind but I need to get a few other things sorted out first.

[Chazzmos]

Thanks for your reply and explanation, I've been trying a few different batch painting systems, but have just been going back to whole models stuck on something in a row.  I think I'll give your setup a go and see how it works out for me.  Cheers!

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Comm-Link ∙ Active +++ Project ∙ Kastelan 2.0 +++ Preliminary STC Alterations ∙ Complete +++ Data Downlink ∙ Ongoing… +++ Status Update ∙ Standby… +++

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That looks like fun. 

[Khornestar]

A nice and messy weapon, from the looks of it!

[malika666]

Ooooooooh! Colour me intrigued!

[Subtle Discord]

Along with painting and casting over the last few weeks, here's an update from the other corners in The Dark.
 

In the spirit of the MK.IIB sponsons for the Land Raider I wanted to make armoured sponsons for the Predator as well.
 
I ran into a snag with the Predator armour plates once I got a new Predator kit in the studio, so that had me looking at the designs I was working on again… and then I got distracted by this idea… and just couldn’t stop once I got started. It pulled me away from the problems I was actually looking to fix, but this is the result so it’s not really a bad thing.
 

Always one who likes things to be functional if possible, so they do rotate 180 degrees.
 
I tried to do my take on a Las Cannon and Heavy Bolter that takes the elements that they have and tried to alter them to make them familiar but unique; I like to think I pulled it off. Naturally, they’ll be modular so the weapon systems can be swapped and that also opens the door to more exotic weapons systems in the future. Expect to see these pop up as a prototype at some point in the future.
 

This first iteration works to improve the Kastelan model (if I do say so myself) but it’s just not seamless enough.
 
It’s the right idea, but they just feel tacked on, because they are. So, while I wanted to keep these conversion bits simple I just accepted that it needed to be more elaborate than this.
 

The ammo drums (Boxes? Crates? Hoppers?) turned out nicely, but the ammo feeds met with some difficulties.
 
I modelled the ammo drums to emulate the shoulder/back mounted Phosphor Blaster. Their fit and scale seem perfect first try, so that’s one small step in the right direction.
 
The ammo feeds on the other hand… turned out to not be as flexible as I was hoping. They’re a bit thicker than the material I used to test how well the 3D prints can bend when heated, and I managed to make them far too long, so they broke as I tried to get the extreme bends. I almost pulled it off but even when heated very warm, hot even, it was almost there and then… *Snap!* I’ve since shortened them for the next try and the whole ordeal had me looking at the design completely differently.
 

The lower arms of the model attached in such a straightforward way it’ll but begging to have a complete component created.
 
Especially now that I’m much more confident in the abilities of Servitor Solus I’m not going to be intimidated by any kinds of curved surfaces.
 
So I modelled the ‘nub’ of the Kastelan arm as accurately as I could and then I created a collar around it; now I can make adjustments to that little collar that’s embedded at the start of the process if I want to tweak the fit at all. I’m getting quite good at achieving solid accurate fits but I always want to leave room for adjustments.
 
Then I wrap the overall shape of the object I want to create around that collar before I get to cutting out the form and creating the details with many cuts, extrusions, offsets, revolves, and mirrors. In this case, after many hours of all that you get the Rotary Heavy Phosphor Blaster…
 


I know that I’m a little bias, but that looks pretty darn seamless to me. Yep, that’s a Blaster that can do Protector Protocols.
 
I wanted to embed the barrels more into the arm but I didn’t want to take away from the look that they’re supposed to be air cooled and they were just too large to fit neatly. So as a compromise I shortened the length of the upper part of the arm and added the armour plate to offer some protection for the weapons (and something that could be used the swat and bash in a pinch) while still leaving them exposed for looks and quasi-functionality. 
 
I even think I managed to split it up in such a way that it should be easy enough to cast. At least there are several spots on surfaces that are hidden when it assembles that are good candidates for the main pouring gate and vents. The Kastelan bots and Onager walkers are the last units I’m working on in my current list so you can expect to see these given physical form in the very near future *Crosses fingers for the fit* and I think you can guess what you can expect to see not too much longer after that. The changes I’ll be doing for the Onager won’t be too elaborate but they’ll still be lots of fun to make and should really tie them in with the Dragoons I’m working on.
 

I really planned to paint last weekend but then I fell down the rabbit hole with this project and came out the other side with this!
 
Punchy, snippy, and choppy, all in one! While this is a small version for the Kastelan bots I fully intend to do larger version suited to other appropriate chassis. This interlocking counter-spinning blades with a scissor action has been an idea bubbling in the back of my brain for quite some time. I thought it would find its way into reality on a Knight (Yes, that will happen, I promise) first but after how well the tiny little buzz blades turned out for the Dragoons I figured the idea could scale down easily enough. 
 

Wait, did he say scissor action? YES! Now open up and say ”AAAWWWWW MY GAD I’M GETTING CHCHCHOPPED IN HALF!!! BLARAARRRGGH!” *Gurgle sputter squirt squirt squirt*
 
I’m quite pleased with myself and how all this comes together. Again, I think the components have goods spots to attach casting vents and it’s all articulated so the builder has complete control over the pose of the weapon. Oh, and it looks frightening and utterly menacing; I can easily picture at least 5-or-6 ways, singularly and in tandem, that these could be used to brutal effect quite suitable to a 40k battlefield.
 
I don’t even have any Fist Kastelan bots in my list but these turned out so well they might just force me to get a few boxes just so I can build some. To say I’m eager to see these new bits go from digital to physical would be an understatement but I’m going to hold off until I’m using Solus for more studio prints. These are still a personal project that will come together as a line of kits I’m going to add to the shop in the future once all of the kinks are worked out and the selection is large enough. Once I’ve got a few more Mechanicus components complete I should also have more of the current backlog behind me, but time will tell how it’ll all pan out.
 
As always, thanks for reading and following along. Comments, questions, considerations, and general hobby musings are always welcome. Now go build and/or paint something.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Yes, yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss! DAMN those guns and sawblade-fists look amazing. It's funny how the first look at those orange guns made me think 'these need some sort of protective armour plate on one side' and then BOOM you added them in a fashion I hadn't even envisioned. Fantastic work, SD. Bravo!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Predator's armored sponsons are a good idea, well-designed. The war robot's guns' barrels are too long, ruining the proportions, in my opinion; better design a bulkier forearm that can enclose half of those gun barrels.

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Processing Input +++ Parameters  ∙ Acceptable +++ Revisions ∙ Ongoing +++ Omnissiah Bless Your Data Input +++ Update ∙ Standby... +++

 

See, this is why I post. Thanks for the feedback and input. I didn't even notice it and it was right in front of my face.

 

I had a bit of an issue with the length in the first tacked-on version and the digitally redesigned ones are shorter, but now that I look at the model there's actually room to spare and it won't even take that much alteration. Give me a few minutes and I'll post a before and after. I think you're right and it's going to make them more compact and even slicker.

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

I'm with Augs on this. Those blade fists look amazing! Possible use for a hellbrute? DO YOU HEAR THE VOICES, TOOOOOOOOOOO?!

[Subtle Discord]

Ideas and concepts for future Chaos kits are warping my mind, body, and spirit even as I work on other projects. To be perfectly honest, I'm biding my time a bit with Chaos in hopes that GW plays a few more cards from their hand. When I turn my gaze back to Chaos it will be with a vengeance and plans to make many Dark ideas real. Momentum is starting to build but it's still slow, but it is building.

[Subtle Discord]

 

The change is subtle, but I really like it. The original three barrels tacked on the model was 41mm from the tip of the barrels to the back edge of the armour over the elbow, the first digital version shaved that down to 37mm, and this final iteration has it down to 33mm. I want these to have proper long barrels because the weapon does have a 36" range and the derpy little barrels of the original just drove me nuts, just as much as the silly curved magazines. But yeah, I like them much more shortened even further and I didn't even need to make the radius any larger, I just 'pushed' the barrels into the housing as far as the component will permit and trimmed about a millimetre from the length of the barrel. As I said, it was right in front of me and I didn't even see/consider it until I got the feedback. It's refinements like this that take a kit from good to great. Thanks, B&C!

[Augustus b'Raass]

Wow. I read Bjorn Firewalker's comment and thought he was on to something, but decided to let it sink in a bit. I come back to your thread to tell you I agree with him, and here you go finding the best of both worlds; trimming the barrels down 14 mm! I still would need to see this on the miniature, though, as I fear they might still make the proportions somewhat awkward. Would it be an option to create the barrels so that they seem to 'sink in' the forearm a bit? This would create the illusion that the barrels are longer - thus alleviating your just cringe about the range/barrel length ratio - while also giving the arms more human proportions.  

[Maarten]

Killing it as always discord!

The shorter barrels are a massive improvement, looking forward to seeing the prints on the model.

 

That head design is the best 3rd party one I've seen so far, great work.

 

Just a small point of critique on the predator sponsons. Having the gun end at the hinge just looks unbalanced. The MK-IIB works because the rest of the lascannon is inside the sponson.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Maarten

[marine7312000]

I think those scissor spinny blades would look awesome sized up for a dreadnought.

[Subtle Discord]

Damn the weakness of this vessel of organic flesh! Again, I find myself sympathizing with Mechanicus logic and the idea of replacing and/or enhancing the fragile bodily tissues that we are confined to. A moderate injury has tossed a crimp in my studio work the last few weeks and wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could just remove and replace the ‘defective’ hand with something useful?

 

At the end of last year my household took in a new cat and he’s easily the largest feline we’ve ever owned. Oakley has had a bit of rough life so when he arrived he was rather aggressive but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with over the years. A combination of firm-but-fair boundaries (using isolation as a primary punishment when required) and lots of unconditional affection will transform most aggressive animals into well-adjusted pets. However, it’s a process that takes time and it’s not perfect.

 

Long story short, after being with us for a few months and making great progress Oakley had a bit of a relapse and my attempts to coax him out of a room were met an unexpected attack and he gave me a deep bite on the outside edge of my hand near the wrist and he’s a big cat so he got me good; three of the fangs got nothing but soft fatty tissue but the fourth manage to get right in the tendon for the pinky finger and managed to hit a nerve and/or nick the tendon or something because damn it’s messed my hand up for several weeks. To add to the injury Grandpa’ Nurgle decided he’d add his blessings and naturally within a day it got infected and that even resisted the first round of antibiotics.

 

After two days of (mostly) solitary confinement and several more of giving him the cold shoulder Oakley and I are on good terms again.  He really is a nice cat and I don’t hold it against him, he’s still adjusting and continues to mellow. But damn, for two weeks I lost my strength grip and could barely make a tight fist and I still can’t twist anything without pain so it’s stopping me from casting since I can’t properly close the pressure chambers. You’d never think you use your pinky finger that much until its injured and you discover that it’s involved in lots of lifting and manipulating actions. Seriously cat, my hands are important to me, I really don’t need them damaged.

 

However, I was spared my precision grip so I was able to hold a paintbrush so that’s what I’ve been doing damn it! 

 

∙ Finally, something looming dark and bio-mechanical to stand at the front of the small throng of troops I’ve got going.

 

I’m quite satisfied with how he’s turning out and I’m particularly happy with the glow effect I managed to pull off on the Eradication Ray. I’ve completely fallen in love with the Transparent Vallejo paints I picked up a while back for doing really light staining of surfaces perfect for quick OSL colour build up that’s nice and subtle. It works well thinned with water and I also like adding a bit to some GW glaze to create nice bright stain with a little more body.

 

He’s still not quite done this first preliminary paint job since now that he’s assembled I need to go and add some OSL effects in a few logical locations and there are still a few final details I want to finish and/or get right. The glass globe on top, in particular, is something that I’m still trying to pull off; I want it to look like it filled with swirling/roiling smoke or vapours rather than a liquid and it’s close but not quite there yet. Not to mention I’m still not sure of the best way to pull off glass effects so I’m nervous I’ll muck it up once I get it to a point I’m happy with. Oh well, it’s not like I can stop now.

 

∙ I had planned on getting to these later but I’m happy to add some more close combat bite to the list if GW is going to give me the points to work with.

 

Happy to paint something that isn’t a Vanguard I’ve had no problem getting down to work on the Infiltrators and they’re very close to finished their preliminary paint job in these images. Figuring they weren’t holding weapons across their torsos like other models I glued the arms in place for the painting and if I had to do it again I think I’d keep them separate and assemble after; like too many models in the AdMech line there’s just so many nooks-and-crannies at odd angles that minimizing what you have to deal with is a good thing. I still want to add a few electrical spark effects on the ends of the Taser Goads, but beyond that, these are pretty much done, for now.

 

∙ The original plan was to have two Plasma Caliver Vanguard squads but they were toned down to Arc Rifles to trim some points.

 

But now Plasma’s back on the menu and I can take another full squad of Calivers and even keep the original Arc Rifle squad in the list for more bodies to push into the midfield. I guess it’s a good thing my pile-of-shame was up to the task of quickly filling the gap GW was so kind to provide. While I’m happy to have more points to work with I’m glad I’m close to caught back up by getting these new additions finished. The end was in sight and then GW just had to go and add to the workload. It’s a good thing I’m so taken with the Mechanicus line so it’s not too difficult to be forced to paint some more for a list.

 

Ok, it’ll be a few more days and then I’ll get back to casting to get some more stock back on the shelves, and then I’ll turn my focus on getting another round of new kits prepped for production. I still have a few more kits I need to get done for the Rhino and Predator before I get to work on the Land Raider and start reverse engineering the Storm Raven. And those who are keeping an eye on the Mechanicus bits, don’t worry, I’ll be turning my gaze to the Onager soon and then I want to start looking at the Armiger and Knight kits; once I’m at that point I’ll start considering how they’ll all come together to create the starting of a line for Mechanicus.

 

Thanks as always for reading. More to come. Stay tuned.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I too have an adopted stray cat who's quite large (13ish lbs, down from 14 and change) and can be bitey at times, though he's never gotten me as bad as yours did. 

 

Your AdMech marches on in that (deceptively) simple, clean style that I've never been able to pull off. 

 

Also, 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Beautiful work on the Magos and his Skitarii escorts.

[JeffTibbetts]

Wow. Crazy to hear about that cat incident, but I'm glad to see some solid paint progress. That green glow really is working out well, and even the blue looks better/more intense. I understand a bit more weathering might tone it down but it's looking very nice right now. 

[Pearson73]

Crikey, he sounds like one hell of a cat; I work on and off with a cat rescue charity and I've (so far) managed to avoid anything that bad. Props for taking him on with a rough background, too many folks just go for the easy kittens.

 

The blue really pops and the glow is nicely done too, still managing to stand out, even against the bright background of the blue.

[firestorm40k]

Lovely painted Mechanicus, sorry to hear about your cat related injury. Very noble of you to adopt the cats, especially when they come with emotional/behavioural issues.

[Midnightmare]

I like the vibrant blue you have achieved, and your OSL is great mate :tu:

 

Good luck with the Oakley, he sounds like a handful!!

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

::FLESH>>>ISSSSSS....<<<<SIGNAL LOSS>>>> WEAAAAAKKKKK.....::