Chaplain's hobby misc. Red Gobbo!

[The_Chaplain]

 

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 your Confessors.

 

 

I really ought to, another thing for the ol' christmas list I suppose. Thanks for the suggestions you guys. 

[Argent aquila]

Dremel tools work wonders for cutting things up, and the cutting wheels are marvelous when paired with after the fact sanding to get straight cuts.

 

 

On a completely unrelated note, do you plan on going to the ipms nationals that happen to be in virginia this year? There need to be more sci-fi and fantasy models to counterbalance the rivet counter tank heads and car junkies. :P

Edited July 26, 2014 by Argent aquila

[The_Chaplain]

Dremel tools work wonders for cutting things up, and the cutting wheels are marvelous when paired with after the fact sanding to get straight cuts.  On a completely unrelated note, do you plan on going to the ipms nationals that happen to be in virginia this year? There need to be more sci-fi and fantasy models to counterbalance the rivet counter tank heads and car junkies.

 

I've never heard of the ipms nationals, but it looks like they have an upcoming event down in the norfolk/newport news/hampton roads area.  Maybe it's something I could convince the fiance to go with me and check out-- we have friends from college down that way, could make a pleasant weekend out of it.   Thanks for bringing it to my attention aquila-- will you be attending? 

[Argent aquila]

Yessir, making a weeklong trip with my brother and parents, my goal is to have the witch fate tor ready to enter along with some other models for the contest. Last year was pretty fun, and some of the sit ins were very insightful, specifically armor weathering, terrain, and scratchbuilding.

 

It's quite refreshing to see the modelling style through other peoples' eyes, there are some good tips those folks can really help out with to make models look and feel more realistic!

[The_Chaplain]

Hello again folks! Posting up a small picture update today, because I will be out of town for a good chunk of next week(end);

 

Replaced the crozius head that had a broken halo with an entirely new enkomi crozius topper.  I'm debating between putting the confessor chapter symbol (via fantasy skeleton bit) where the minotaur head used to be, or to cut a metal crozius skeleton from an OOP chaplain and slap it on there (rather than press mold it, like I attempted all the way back on page 1- back when this guy had a jump pack).  Also of note; I decided to take the plunge and replace the wings on the now out of production biker chaplain farings with one from the ravenwing command squad box-- using milliput to fill in the gaps.  

Only hard part is figuring out a mounting system for these- since the slots on the ravenwing command squad bikes do not slot with the metal farings.  Still, I think they look pretty spiffy. 

 

I "up armored" the Prometheus sponsons; using the sponson assemblies from the new plastic crusader kit including the side armor panels.  I figured I didn't need the plastic sponsons since my crusader was going to rock the old metal ones, and this is the end result.  Here's a front shot:

Found this gem on ebay this last week and promptly snaged it:

Almost immediately I started tinkering with it (like removing the arrow point on the head), and I stumbled on this combination

Personally, I really like this potential red scorpion/black templar/iron warrior dread Frankenstein's creature; just because it looks antiquated and suitably pissed off.

I also stumbled on this combo, that I'm determined I can make work:

red scorpion dread head in the iron warrior dread body.  Put some cables in there, change the armor up, and bam! Ironclad in the bag!

 

Well, that's it for today- thanks for looking! 

 

 

 

[Vash113]

So how many Forge World dreads do you have and are chopping up now?

[The_Chaplain]

So how many Forge World dreads do you have and are chopping up now?

 

Currently I have: a chaplain dread, an ironclad, an iron warrior dread, a red scorpion dread and a black templar dread.

 

I'm combining the head from the IW dread with the frankenstein scorpion/templar bodies.  That is, if I can get my hands on a dremel.  Ideally I can get that done for Grotsmasha's conversion contest; if I can't-- well I'll just finish it up whenever I can.  The chaplain dreadnought will likely be getting more gubbins in the future, but I won't be chopping him up as you put it.  The primary reason I got the ironclad really was for the dreadfire arms it was sold with-- if I can find someone with another dreadnought body to trade with, I would just remove the magnets and flamer tanks and convert an ironclad out of the Iron warrior body (since I want to make Vortimer style frag launchers for Ironclads anyway).

 

Really though, I have barely been at home let alone at the hobby table for several days.  I was out of town last week getting transcripts for a job application, and visited friends while I was at my Alma Mater; I did pop in to the IPMS finals while I was down there, and took some time to gawk at the dealers room as well as all of the fantastic showpieces.  Now that I'm back in the area however, I'm taking care of things like tracking down people for reference letters and dealing with some bank related errors and other boring adult, non hobby stuff.  It consumes a lot of time.  

 

I should be getting a replacement set of land raider lights from ebay this week, so with any luck I'll be able to strip some more paint off the Prometheus and have it reassembled for next update.  

[Vash113]

Dang dude, I'd just be happy if I could get my hands on the Space Wolves Forge World Dreadnought. You'll have to show me what you're working on tomorrow.

[The_Chaplain]

Hello again! Managed to get some time in at the table yesterday, and got some pictures taken this morning for you all to peruse at your leisure.  Enjoy!

 

The apothecary got a new bike faring, as well as a new shoulderpad.

Started the same process on the banner biker. However, the big progress on that model was on the banner...

Combining the Red Scorpion dreadnought banner and the Red Scorpion honour guard banner toppers, I managed to make a replacement topper for the Sons of Horus banner, before filling in the gaps in the banner with milliput.  Once the milliput cures, I will sand it smooth and then begin the process of sculpting the banner fabric and general touch up work (like hiding the exposed pinning wire).  Here is a shot from the back:

I actually purchased 2 of the banners off of eBay, so I have an untouched 2nd banner to look at and reference when I start sculpting the new cloth section.

 

Snagged some ravenwing command squad bike chassis and parts off of eBay for really cheap, so both the 2nd special weapon member of the squad (who is getting a complete overhaul), as well as the company champion, will be riding on nicer bike sculpts than before.  I managed to get a hold of some exhaust vents off the ravenwing box too, so the apothecary and banner bikes; which are from the dark vengeance set, will be getting those vents added to their rides.  Hooray for unit and model cohesion! Here's a look at the new special weapon biker as he is now:

Sternguard head, command squad company champion torso, ravenwing command squad arms, and veteran sergeant haas shoulderpad.

 

The Emperor's Champion progressed in that he now has a set of arms:

I removed the stock hands from this set of MkIII "Iron" armor, and have made a pin join for the Castellan Crowe hands.  I want to sand the gauntlet plates on both arms thinner before gluing the hands into the join, and filling in gaps.  I will need to figure out how best to heat the resin and bend it into place, to achieve the desired sword charging pose.  I acquired a set of iron armor legs as well, and I'm debating whether or not to add the bulky leg plating of those legs onto the champion or not.  It would add some real heft to the model and make it look more imposing for sure, but it also runs the risk of him looking like he has a serios case of thunder thighs!

 

Last up, progress on the biker chaplain!

For starters, he now has a powerfist! Taken from the forgeworld character conversion set, I cut the arm at the shoulder joint and rotated it, since the default orientation of the arm would have it dangling at his side.  Last time I checked, you needed at least one hand on the handlebar to steer a motorcycle properly!  Unfortunately, in doing so it left a nasty gap-- but that was easily remedied with some milliput.  I also started work on the catholic priest style Stole vestment, using robes from the fantasy empire wizard box; cut to fit and pinned.  I need to find a new Rosarius necklace bit, because the chaplain, inexplicably*, was knocked over-- and the rosarius broke off and disappeared.  But whenever I do find a replacement, I have 40 link per inch chain to connect it to! 

 

*Maybe not so inexplicably, we have a new member of the family and she's very curious about all things tinier than her (and is obviously interested in warhammer because of that).  Allow me to introduce JINX!

 

That's all for today folks!  You know the drill-- comments, criticism, critiques, etc. are welcomed and encouraged!  Likewise, if you have a recommendation for a suitable rosarius bit, please feel free to share it with me!  Have a great day, I am off to work on wedding paperwork! 

Edited August 22, 2014 by The_Chaplain

[Kizzdougs]

Great looking conversions! The Chaplain biker and Emperor's Champion are particularly good. It's great to see an Emperor's Champion mini with a sense of dynamism and movement :)

[Dark Rage]

Would have to agree, those are some very nicely converted characters you got there, really like the conversion work you done on the bike chaplain it looks awesome.

[Dragonkin Arenis]

As I'm currently dealing with two bouncy little miscreants myself, I can relate to the feeling of losing bits of a model due to them inexplicably* and suddenly falling off the worktable.

 

*definitely explainable thanks to kittens.

 

It's good to see more progress on the Champion, he's coming together nicely :)

[Vash113]

I like the stols on the biker chaplain, they look great, that model is really coming together. Keep up the good work man!

[The_Chaplain]

Thanks a lot brothers Vash, Kizzdougs, Dark Rage and Dragonkin Arenis!

 

Thought I was gonna have another update for you all today-- but there was an accident during the paint stripping of the land raider and the plastic melted.  Still scratching my head about how that happened considering I was using acetone-free nail polish remover; but long story short I am now out an engine block, front ramp, sponson doors, and top armor panel for the Prometheus.

 

Hopefully I can find replacements online without having to buy a whole new landraider.  This really bites. 

Edited August 25, 2014 by The_Chaplain

[Slips]

Oh man that blows hard. Knowing how Popular Land Raiders are and Ebay, I don't think you'll have much of a problem.

[oldschoolsavant]

By "engine block", are you referring to the interior panel or the exterior exhausts ?

 

If it's the former, there's one sitting here somewhere.......maybe even doors.....

[The_Chaplain]

Oh man that blows hard. Knowing how Popular Land Raiders are and Ebay, I don't think you'll have much of a problem.

Yeah, although finding the individual parts will be trickier.

 

By "engine block", are you referring to the interior panel or the exterior exhausts ? If it's the former, there's one sitting here somewhere.......maybe even doors.....

Unfortunately, it's the latter; the actual exhaust part of the engine.  I haven't glued the one on my other raider, so I could use it for this one-- making lemonade out of the lemons this situation has given me; it would provide me with the incentive to track down a mk iib engine block and complete the "pre-heresy" crusader-- or fabricating my own.   In the meantime, it's being moved to the back burner.

 

 

 

[Vash113]

This is why I recommended using Simple Green instead of nail polish remover. It may not be quite as quick or effective but it's a lot safer.

 

Speaking of I do have a couple jugs of the stuff laying around here, you could have one if you want next time I see ya.

[Nutty]

There is some truelly inspirational stuff in this thread Brother.

 

Sorry to hear about the raider though, that's got to sting.

[The_Chaplain]

There is some truelly inspirational stuff in this thread Brother.

 

Sorry to hear about the raider though, that's got to sting.

Thanks Nutty!  Yeah, it does sting but hopefully I'll find replacement parts soon(ish)  Thanks for looking through the thread-- your Star Phantoms are off to a great start by the way! 

 

 

This is why I recommended using Simple Green instead of nail polish remover. It may not be quite as quick or effective but it's a lot safer. Speaking of I do have a couple jugs of the stuff laying around here, you could have one if you want next time I see ya.

 

Appreciate it amigo. 

 

Well, got a little work done this week-- been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to finish up a significant job application before coming down with another respiratory bug.  But enough yammering about boring crap, here's some pictures! :

Using a clamp vice I bent the warped forgeworld vindicator down to be more flush with the chassis. It isn't 100% flush, so I filled the gap with milliput.  Once the milliput dries, I will sand it-- hopefully it turns out all right!

From the rear

filled the warped gap in the cannon as well.

 

The second vindicator got a very different milliput makeover:

After pinning the siege shield (which isn't level, I will deal with it later), I put milliput on the shield on areas I had to remove bad paint splotches, gummy weathering glue residue, etc. after hacking and removing them.  In an ideal world, once it's sanded it should provide a smooth surface to apply weathering powders, pigments, etc. when it comes time to repaint the vindicator.

 

The chaplain got some milliput added to his confessional stole, solidifying the bond between the stole and the model to prevent breakages; as well as serving as a "canvas" to sculpt flowing cloth on top of with ProCreate later:

I try to use reference photos whenever I sculpt cloth- so to get the stole just right for draping under the weight of the rosarius' necklace chain- I'm probably going to be making a trip out to the hardware store in the next week or so, purchasing some chain and draping it over a scarf and selfie the crap out of the combo.  The neighbors ought to get a kick out of it, that's for sure.

 

Last up, a combination of bits from various odds and ends that's resulted in a basis for a better looking counts-as Androcles model

Master of the chapter body (whose legs I removed for the Emperor's champion knee pad armor), chaplain with powerfist powerfist, and chaplain Cassius' combi-flamer with the flamer nozzle removed.  

I severed the cassius arm at the elbow, and pinned it into place.  Some more cabling and a fresh sculpted forearm will round that arm out.  I'm not 100% keen on the stock shoulder pad decoration though.  

And from the back.  You can see there is a nasty gap between the shoulder and the torso- but that can be addressed with some cabling I'm sure.  (I heard the version 2 tentacle tool box is now available, this may be a prime opportunity to add it to a birthday wishlist haha).

 

That's all for now guys- until next update! 

[Argent aquila]

strong work as ever!

[The_Chaplain]

strong work as ever!

Thanks Argent Aquila!

 

Not gonna bore you guys with pictures of the state of vindicators post-sanding; but I am pretty proud of this solution to the chaplain needs a rosarius dilemma:

Taking a bit from the new Sternguard box-- I removed the plastic gubbin where it would normally join a backpack.  Instead, I inserted two small pins- one in the back to pin it into the chest armor so it doesn't break off, and the second near the top of the skull.  I looped this diminutive HO scale chain (A-Line 40 links per inch) around the halo pin, so it had something to catch on.  At that size, looping chain was a lot like threading a needle-- something I haven't done in a dog's age; and it kept slipping out!

 

Working on some other odds and ends; hopefully I can get some more pictures up shortly.  Until then, have a good one! 

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

Looking good. 

[ephrael]

That power fist that you used on the MoC body is pure gold! What were you planning on replacing the Combi-Flamer nozzle with?

 

I think that the chain for the Rosarius looks like it's about the right size and "scale" for the mini. I would recommend that you consider relocating the Rosarius to hang from the chaplain's belt or wrist or possibly a shoulder pad. The problem with its current position is that it almost completely obscures the beautiful detail of the chest armor. That sculpted ribcage is too perfect to hide from view in my opinion.

Edited September 3, 2014 by mikhail

[The_Chaplain]

Looking good. 

Thanks brother!

 

That power fist that you used on the MoC body is pure gold! What were you planning on replacing the Combi-Flamer nozzle with?

 

I think that the chain for the Rosarius looks like it's about the right size and "scale" for the mini. I would recommend that you consider relocating the Rosarius to hang from the chaplain's belt or wrist or possibly a shoulder pad. The problem with its current position is that it almost completely obscures the beautiful detail of the chest armor. That sculpted ribcage is too perfect to hide from view in my opinion.

Howdy Mikhail! Haven't heard from you in a while!  

 

Well, in an ideal world where finances, scale, patience and time aligned-- I'd wind up doing something like this to the top of the combi-weapon (taking great care to remove the scope so I could reattach it after some delicate cutting work):

A big change being the removal of the Furrer LMG-25 style side magazine of the "stock" combi-flamer and the addition of a belt feed.  Maybe I can find skeleton parts small enough for the job? Are there any companies that make flexible belt feeds for bolters?

 

I'm inclined to agree about the rosarius and the obscured chest detail.  It's something I will need to give some serious thought to and fiddle with for sure.  Lord knows I've spent enough time on these models, might as well make them the best that I can.