Chaplain's hobby misc. Red Gobbo!

[Vash113]

I love the boarding sergeant, the addition to the back of his left leg looks great too.

[The_Chaplain]

Those farings look great, and so does the studded strip down the middle of the fender. Can't wait to see them painted!

 

Thanks Geektom, although I'm afraid you may wind up waiting a while, haha.

 

I love the boarding sergeant, the addition to the back of his left leg looks great too.

Thanks Vash, I'm eager to see what you do with the Cataphractii terminators you got the other day. 

 

I haven't exactly had a lot of Table Time™ this week- my fiance's brother returned from university out in California, and he only has this week for vacation with all the PHD work he has to do, so we've been trying to make the most of it.  Still, I put my nose to the grindstone when and where I could. So I pretty much finished up my "Cypher" for this year's ETL, I may ultimately go back in and do some more detailing and stuff; but for right now I'm done fiddling with him. 

While this model was a return to painting for me, I took the opportunity to experiment with things I had never worked with before: Humbrol for camera/bionic/weapon lenses, edge highlighting, weathering powders, texture paint (astrogranite in this case), etc.  I don't know if I'm gonna be painting anything else for a while; but I've been reading a lot of hobby related materials: magazines, books, etc. and I have some ideas I'd really like to try-- maybe I can get a "practice box" of snap fit marines or two and try out different stuff until I find something I'm happy with.  

 

On the non- painting front, I've gotten some minor work done on some models:

Master of the Forge got a skull belt buckle doohickey from a legion of the damned shoulderpad; I tried to line it up so the hose grill would look vaguely like a lower jaw.  Now it just needs some cables diodes and doodads to fill the space where the chaos shrieking skull originally was.  Need to figure out what to put on the actual chest armor.  I think I'm going to replace the spikes on the knee pads with plasticard to make them look more like Spur gears.  If I can actually find a valthex backpack separately from the model online I can figure out the logistics of making an ammo hopper and belt feed going from the pack and into a handheld bolter. 

I removed the center portion of the Dark Talon armor plates as well as the censers.  My thinking is, I will add in plasticard to the central panel, and then add in a statuary/reliquary and use them as decorative portions of extra armor on a vehicle.  I may very well end up taking the skulls on the side out too, and turning those sections into stained glass, with the cables leading up to light fixtures inside so it's illuminated via lightbox.

And by removing the censers, I have indirectly acquired 4 kick ass mace heads, as can be seen here. I'm not 100% about using these as power mace heads, but I'm warming to the idea.  Certainly beats the boring aesthetic they currently have. 

Removed the power sword arm off of this master model, freeing him up for a future in a devastator/sternguard unit.  

The sword arm has been repurposed as a chainsword arm for a very lucky future mk4/5/6 crusader squad member.  The chainsword itself is from a sword brethren model, after the chains were removed, obviously.

Vash was nice enough to let me borrow his Dremel, which I've been using to sand down all these hacked up resin models like Helbrecht here.  The grey stuff is ProCreate, which I'm using to sculpt/resculpt the cloaks and tabards for all these models.

 

That's all for today folks, hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I'll have another update up hopefully soon. Stay tuned! 

Edited June 20, 2014 by The_Chaplain

[Squeaky]

Ummm a warpsmith you say a master of the forge I say.

 

I Look forward to more work on him. You know what, I'd leave the part above the skull and maybe neaten up the edge to make it look like trim?

 

The chest I don't really know... A cog with a skull like the norm but with skeletal hands clawing down?

 

Either way great stuff :)

Edited June 20, 2014 by Squeaky

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

I really dig the finished Cypher. 

[Vash113]

Always good to see you making progress man!

[The_Chaplain]

Squeaky: great suggestion for the chest, I'll see if I can work that out with bits somehow.

 

Madwolf Shadowmane: thanks, I'm really digging the sicaran you have in your thread.

 

Vash113: Thanks brother.  

 

   Not a lot to report- I just got back from a board game fest with my fiance's family before her brother goes back to school tomorrow.  She and I went out last night for some errand type stuff, and I wound up snagging a Cairn Wraith from the Warhammer range for use as a Cenobyte servitor for my Emperor's champion.  Right now, I'm figuring out how to tech the model out to make it look like a convincing floating servitor.  Ultimately, it'll be lugging around the sword sheath for the Black Sword.

 

No idea when I'm gonna have pics of stuff up; the battery packs in my fiance's camera are all dead and we have lost the battery pack charger.  Hopefully we'll find it, although we may have to order a replacement.  

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks. 

[Argent aquila]

Lots of really nice stuff!

[The_Chaplain]

Howdy folks! Before I begin with today's small update, I'd like to apologize in advance for the poor picture quality.  I'm limited to my phone's camera until we can find a new battery pack charger for my fiance's macro camera.  

 

@Argent Aquila: Thanks brother!

 

First up, the beginnings of the cenobyte servitor for the Emperor's Champion.

The body is comprised of a cairn wraith from the fantasy range, with a fantasy skeleton torso shave to fit inside the robes.  I need to add some tech gubbins- wires, grav plates, etc. to this servitor; as well as swapping out the scythe for the sword sheath for the EC's Black Sword. 

 

I added the turret ring from a razorback to the top of the land raider:

the goal is to get a forgeworld razorback multi-melta turret for the top.  I don't know how deep that turret sits in the ring, so until I get one, I won't hollow out the ring.

 

In the spirit of the upcoming Independence day, it's only fitting that the banner biker got some work done:

The bionic arm from the commander box (and some pins) now grip the banner in a vice-like death grip!

and part 1 of the replacement banner topper arrived:

and the back of the topper (an angle FW doesn't show on their website. A ...unique choice. Not a huge fan but oh well)

 

Lucky for me, this also came with the banner! Another ancient joins the ranks of the Confessors!

Here are some shots I took of the head, again, because FW doesn't really showcase these on their website.  Certainly more interesting looking than the standard mk 4 dreadnought head they produce:

And here is what I want to do with the dreadnought (since I am not too keen on the armor plating on the front):

 

I also managed to snag a pair of Vortimer pattern frag launchers off of ebay (though they likely won't arrive until the end of the month, I've never gotten anything from Australia, so no idea what shipping is like).  For those that don't know what those look like:

 

Once they arrive, my goal is to sit down with a friend who's studying architecture/engineer drawing and scale down a template of these launchers so I can attempt to scratchbuild some at the Ironclad dreadnought level (and maybe a few other things).  But as for these badboys, they'll be going onto the landraider crusader.  

 

Okay, that's it for today-- C&C welcomed and encouraged, happy 4th of July, and try not to melt in this heat! I'm off to the pool! 

[Argent aquila]

Heat? Try comin' on down to Texas for a bit, the. You'll know heat :P

 

Dreadnought conversions are going to be awesome! Biker looks splendid, and the servitor is great! Enough good things cannot be said about the work on this site!

[Squeaky]

What Argent Aquila said :) great stuff mate and a great idea with the dread conversion sorry to hear about the camera mind you. 

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

That biker with banner is pure awesome.  Happy Fourth Chaplain.

[The_Chaplain]

 

Heat? Try comin' on down to Texas for a bit, the. You'll know heat Dreadnought conversions are going to be awesome! Biker looks splendid, and the servitor is great! Enough good things cannot be said about the work on this site! 

Ah, but that's comparing a dry heat (Texas) to a humid, muggy heat (Virginia), bit like apples and oranges isn't it? Still, heat isn't pleasant. Thanks for the compliment; and yes there is an abundance of talent here on the B&C-- which is a blessing and a curse really, because on the one hand you have a constant source of inspiration, and conversely, you always feel like a neophyte compared to the true 40k artisans.  Still, it provides something to strive towards I suppose.  :P

 

What Argent Aquila said  great stuff mate and a great idea with the dread conversion sorry to hear about the camera mind you.

Thanks brother, good news on that front-- we found a replacement on Amazon; so hopefully it shouldn't be too long before proper camera pics can return to this plog!

 

That biker with banner is pure awesome.  Happy Fourth Chaplain.

Thank you brother, hope you enjoy this pleasant VA weather today! 

 

Today's update (of sorts) is to announce that I have acquired another tank for the army!  

A land raider prometheus, donated to the cause by my best friend and his salamander army, because sadly he just doesn't have the time or money for the hobby anymore.  Seeing as how it's the 4th of July today, I felt a Red, White & Blue background for the photos was apropos. 

I remember painting the forgeworld doors on this bad boy for him back in highschool (seems hard to believe I graduated almost a decade ago, literally.) I'm doing to take extra care removing these doors so that if he ever gets back into the hobby, we can use them on a new and improved tank.

Unfortunately, he put the tank together, haha.  So there are some gaps and panels which are going to need to be fixed like the Prometheus panels seen above and along the back seen below:

 

If anyone has any recommendations/tips/helpful insight/etc. into how to dissolve glue so I can remove these doors and fix the panels; as well as advice on how best to strip the paint from a tank this big-- I'd appreciate it!

 

That wraps up this 4th of July update, have a safe and happy holiday!  

Edited July 4, 2014 by The_Chaplain

[geektom]

Congratulations on all the new work-- it looks great!

 

How do you take apart a tank like that without wrecking it?

[The_Chaplain]

Congratulations on all the new work-- it looks great! How do you take apart a tank like that without wrecking it?

Thanks! To answer your question: calmly, and carefully.  

 

   I generally put on some music before I undertake a task like this-- in this case it was the band Pelican, and their instrumental post-metal sound.  Here's a good example of their work:

Sets a good mood for the task at hand, without getting me too pumped.  Next, I see how snuggly the parts are attached- I was fortunate that my friend didn't use a very good plastic glue; so I removed the doors using a gouge like a lever.  I used a table edge as a vice, separating the front hatch just enough to remove the assault ramp door. I then dipped the entire model in Non-Acetone nail polish remover (which was recommended to me by Marius Pedro), rotating the model's face every 5-10 minutes and scrubbing it with a toothbrush.  The nail polish remover really stinks, so if you try to strip paint with it; work outside where it is well ventilated.

Here is the model after a first run through the remover cycle:

An added benefit of this non-acetone polish remover- is that it also softened the glue in a lot of bad spots.  So, I can clean them up and reglue them with minimal effort.  The remaining paint is actually pretty thin; I will probably give it another bath and scrub before sanding the surface and resurfacing it with Mr. Surfacer 500 grade.  I experimented using the acetone-free nail polish remover on models I had had soaking in Simple Green prior to this time.  Results were varied:

The landspeeder will need another run through the cycle, the paint was really thick on it.  Ultimately, it will be "wrecked" on a flyer type base- possibly with an apothecary harvesting the progenoid glands out of the dead crew.

Formerly a predator, this rhino chassis will become the basis for the Reclusiam Command Squad's mandatory Razorback. 

 

Got some new shin armor (and feet!) onto the biker chaplain:

Donated by another Gabriel Seth body I had lying around. Might add some various purity seals and such to them so they don't look stock.  Unfortunately I had an accident removing one of the former leg armors with clippers, and had to remove the scarred foot pedal on the left side.  I'm going to try and replace it with one from a dark vengeance biker I'm not going to use. This picture is a bit technical, but there was a bad gap I had been trying to fill between the thigh and the shin, and I'm glad to say it's finally done.

 

That's it for today; thanks for looking! 

[geektom]

Awesome! Thanks for the tips- and the musical suggestion!

[The_Chaplain]

Awesome! Thanks for the tips- and the musical suggestion!

No problemo! Thanks for looking and commenting! (Looking forward to more updates on your Storm Brothers!)

 

Got the Vortimer pattern frag assault launchers in the mail yesterday; here is how they look (before I strip the paint off of them), on my land raider crusader:

 

And a size comparison next to the ironclad dreadnought body:

Now I am pretty keen on the idea of making Vortimer style frag launchers for Ironclads; I think visually it could look fantastic.  The trick would be either resin casting them and cutting them down to fit <with one frag launcher per side, and about 3 to 4 barrels per as opposed to 5), or scratchbuilding them by shrinking the measurements down to fit the chassis-- and building them with plasticard and beads for the frag canisters.  What do you guys think? Too out there an idea, or is it something worth pursuing?

 

Been an extremely long day, but I'm going to see if I can get some work done on the Prometheus after a much needed siesta. 

[JeffTibbetts]

Def worth pursuing. I quite like the idea of them on a dread. I think scratch-building is the way to go. Honestly the design would be SIMPLE to implement with plasticard and either tubes cut to shape or long barrel beads, as you suggested. Go for it! 

[Argent aquila]

I'm a mold junky myself, resin casting is fun if you got the patience and money! (Love having parents to pay for stuff ;) )

 

It looks easy enough to do a one piece mold, plus you could easily make them over again after a mold is made, depends on if you plan to use the launchers more or not. If it's just for those 2, scratchbuild it.

 

 

Can't wait to see a Prometheus painted in your colors!

[The_Chaplain]

@JeffTibbetts: Thanks brother! I think I will pursue that option, might take a while to hammer them out, but hey-- I'm not under any time constraints with this army

 

@Argent Aquila: as always, thanks for taking the time to comment brother.  Yeah, I haven't been fiddling much with the Prometheus of late-- mainly because the last time I did, I lost one of the dang headlights down the sink drain! (Not a very common ebay item, land raider headlights. Curses.)  Yeah, scratchbuilding for the dreadnought scale is the way to go-- but nothing is stopping me from making a mold of that in the future necessarily.

 

Been extremely busy since the last update- so I'm only now really getting back into the swing of things.  (Un)fortunately, I got some table time in today because I was attacked by a nest of bees! I was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time mowing the back yard today-- and walked away from that escapade with about 2 dozen stings.   Needless to say, it kind of put a damper on any outdoor plans I had for the day, haha.

 

So, here is what I've managed to get done so far today:

gap filled the knee pads and belt buckle, and began work on the cape for this bad boy!

I removed the mk 4 backpack that comes on the stock enkomi cape, and replaced it with the one from Helbrecht. There were a couple of spots that opened up after replacing the backpack, or looked thin to the point of practically being see through, so I went over them with two part putty, like I did on the banner.

Used an Xacto like a gouge and continued the line on the Helbrecht pack that was obscured by where the candleabra used to be.  Did the smaller vents the same way.

sanded a grey knight reliquary down paper thin, and added it to the shoulderpad.  Still need to gap-fill it; but I think it's a convincing looking locked Triptych detail. 

Removed this from the 2014 web exclusive #1 captain.  I will ultimately make my own ropes out of putty I think, but the cloak clasps are exactly the detail I need to connect the Ivanus Enomi cape to the torso, and have the cloth look a little more organic in terms of flow.

 

Added a combat shield (from the fantasy Empire general plastic kit) onto the Company Champion.  Trying to figure out how to make a convincing looking clamp for the shield to the vambrance.  Still, for right now- I think it looks quite good.  Certainly more interesting than the standard combat shield.

 

This guy took an unfortunate tumble off my desk, and broke his beakie schnozz!  Good thing I had this plastic head handy and decided to make lemonade out of the situation! 

 

Hopefully I can keep this momentum going, and get another update on here for you all soon!  Thanks for looking!  C&C (as always) is welcomed and appreciated!

Edited July 22, 2014 by The_Chaplain

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

Looking good.  I am a big fan of your conversions.  As I continue to paint through my first company I hope to start some major conversions myself.  Keep up the great work. 

[Vash113]

Liking the progress, the Empire shield looks sweet, might have to steal that idea myself. The cloak is also coming along, keep up the good work man!

 

EDIT: BTW my Praetors arrived so I've got a couple new bare heads for ya.

[Dragonkin Arenis]

The new work looks awesome The_Chaplain! The Emperor's Champion is coming along nicely, and the shield on the Company Champion is a lovely touch as well.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Dragonkin Arenis

[The_Chaplain]

Madwolf Shadowmane: I'll do my best.  I will definitely check out the conversions in your thread when you upload pics, shoot me a pm when they're up!

 

Vash113: Thanks amigo, looking forward to our next hobby day.  ;)

 

Dragonkin Arenis: Thank you brother!

 

Okay, well a bit of news; got this bad boy off ebay this week:

(he came with the head, banner pole, etc. I just forgot to take pictures of them).  Over the weekend, he'll most likely be getting a bath in acetone-free nail polish remover to get the paint off.  

 

Sadly the Red Scorpion Dreadnought head doesn't fit the chassis as well as I had hoped:

The scale difference is quite significant.  I will need to figure out an alternative head solution for this franken-dreadnought.

 

Starting hacking off the red scorpion torso portion of the dreadnought, and mapped out the cutting order for how to remove the BT dread front plate (red followed by white in terms of order):

 

Unfortunately, I managed to break 2 drill bits on the dreadnought work so far, and the pumpkin carving tool is proving relatively ineffective as a cutting tool.  Does anyone know of an alternative tool that won't break the bank?  I would imagine a Jeweler Saw might work-- but had absolutely 0 luck finding one as I was out doing errands today.

 

That's all for today folks-- another update up soon (hopefully).

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

A hacksaw blade might work.  I usually do my cutting with a dremel. 

[ephrael]

A hacksaw blade might work.  I usually do my cutting with a dremel.

 

Madwolf is correct, a hacksaw blade would work as will a jewelers or keyhole saw. The problem is that it will be a real pain in the behind to get a nice, simple, easy good looking cut with either of them your best bet is to get a Dremel rotary tool and some cutting wheels and grinding bits for it. It's easier to work with and you can get much better looking results with a lot less work and profanity with the Dremel. You should have one anyway with the amount of conversions you do for yourConfessors.