EdT Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Thanks all. @Ion, I actually bought some a long time ago, the last time I fancied doing Custodians; I've got to be honest, I found them disappointing and not especially detailed. The way that the helmet plume has been sculpted makes fitting them on to anything impossible with major surgery, but also very difficult to remove entirely. I dug one out for you though! In other news, I've made a lot of progress on the base. First, I finished modelling things onto it. Remember I mentioned those flying critters that come with the Treeman set? Well I made a nest for them and stuck it to one of the pylons; This was quite easy to do- it's actually from my garden, where a tree has formed weird spherical burrs on its smaller twigs. At first, I thought it was some sort of insect nest, but they seem harmless enough, so I chopped one off, cut it in half and stuck it to the pylon, before adding some openings using greenstuff. When the critters come I'll have at least one emerging from the nest, with another flying about somewhere. With this done, the next stage was to actually get some paint on there. Exciting stuff! Firstly I gave the whole thing a spray of matte varnish to seal; with that dried, I sprayed on some dark brown paint, and got to work. Here's where I am so far! The wraithbone is more or less done (in the narrow sense that I still need to weather it and put on vegetation) and there's beginning to get a sense of what it might look like finished, which is encouraging. Lots still to do though, most obviously detailing! My first job will be the little predators, which should be quite fun. The Guardians also got a coat; the accent colours will be black (obsidian weapons and possibly the head) and purple, to match the webway portal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrautScientist Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Your projects are never less than spectacular, mate! Brilliant stuff! And to think we've only seen the background the actual scene will play out against... ;) Regarding the Signifier, I think you're dead on the money with the honour guard helmet. If I can make one suggestion, though, I think I'd move the topknot ever so slightly towards the back of the head, as I feel it would improve the flow of the model. Anyway, awating your coming updates with bated breath! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ion Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Right, the heads aren't quite as good as I thought they might be. That's unfortunate. It's looking good so far though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratboy1664 Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I think this is my favourite thread on the site, so much modelling genius! Keep up the excellent work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 @KrautScientist- Thanks! I always try to do projects where my reach threatens to exceed my grasp... I'm finding this one particularly satisfying. Good point on the helmet; nothing too much is properly set in stone yet so will tweak a little. @Ion- It's a real shame- they looked good in the photo but in person they're distinctly underwhelming. I'm amazed nobody has done a proper not-Custode helmet really; the Maxmini ones sort of get there but don't look similar enough really. @Ratboy1664- Thank you, have a bit more to show today... So, after sorting the wrathbone, I added the detail; I don't want Eldar to have anything in metal, so instead I've gone for an obsidian effect, coupled with purple gems. I found that painting a gem in the conventional way (first time I've ever done this, actually) was all well and good, but adding a coat of interference purple over the top really emphasised the effect thanks to the way the paint has different properties over darker and lighter shades. I also painted up the insect hive and the small predators; here's what things looked like that this point... The obsidian effect, btw, is simply a black basecoat, edge-highlighting in grey, some thin lines running roughly in the same direction added in white using a detail brush, a purple wash to tie it all together, and then a gloss varnish. Next, I needed to do some weathering. At first I had all sorts of ideas for this, but in the end I decided to restrict myself to two washes, to avoid the ruins becoming a grey muddy mess; I streaked badab black from the top of the structures to simulate the effects of rain, and then streaked a green wash (half biel tan green, half camoshade) upwards from the ground to get a bit of lichen and mould on there. All of a sudden things started looking a lot grubbier... With that done, the next step was to start the long process of adding vegetation. I'll need to add the gate guardians before I do too much of this- they need to be overgrown too, of course- but I can still get a fair bit done. The first step was to add some moss. To do this I mixed up some wood glue with some green paint (I added several shades until I got something I liked, bearing in mind that it'd dry darker than it looked with the glue still wet) and then gradually mixed in some of my short static grass until I got a fairly smooth and spreadable mixture. I then gradually started to add it to the ruins, concentrating on areas where I thought moss might spread from, like in the cracks between the paving slabs and convenient niches. I didn't want to overdo it- there are other plants to go in too- but after a while I got to a point where I felt there was enough. Here's what things looked like then... At this point the moss was still wet, but you can see that it looks rather flat. That's not so much of a problem; after it dried (and it dries rock hard and with a nice furry texture) I gave it a green wash and then drybrushed a couple of highlights on it to bring out some of the detail. Here's how things look now... It's already looking a lot more ruined. My next step is to finish the Gate Guardians, get them in place and then start adding the proper vegetation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Lots of progress to show today! First off, I painted the Gate Guardians. This was fairly simple; I used exactly the same palette as I did the ruins, just with a bit more of the obsidian on there. Here's one of them finished; With them painted, I then added a wash on the same basis as the wraithbone (streaky black on top, streaky green on the bottom) and attached them to the base. Now for the fun stage; the vegetation. FIrst off, working in stages, I covered everything that needed to be grassy and added a coat of watered down PVA. Then, using my static grass applicator (don't buy an expensive one- I got mine home-made for a tenner off somebody on ebay) I sprinkled huge amounts of static grass over the whole base, trying not to wince at how at this stage all my hard work was made to look like a haystack. I then wandered off for a bit; when I returned, a few hours later, I picked up my base, turned it upside down and shook it gently over some spread out newspaper. To my massive relief, the majority of the static grass fell off (I carefully poured it back into the bag for reuse); only the stuff that has been applied over the sticky section had remained, and was looking quite grassy. Then I got out my tufts. I'd bought two or three different types; putting a dot of pva on the underside of each one (not that I really needed to- they're already sticky) I started randomly placing them around the place, hopefully in a realistic way to give a variety of colours and textures. Here's a closeup of the result, half done. You'll notice that on the right there's some ivy. This stuff is amazing; it's basically tiny ivy-shaped leaves fixed to hair, meaning that you can tear or cut off little strips and then stick them on to things using superglue to simulate it climbing. Obviously one of the things I needed to do was to blend the guardians in with the background. Here's what it looked like before I added anything; And here;'s after. More pictures soon, when the light is better. I've also been making progress on the interlopers which've just materialised in the ruin. Here's how the first of the Custodian helmets is looking; still lots of work to be done and it needs to look less blobby, but it's beginning to gradually get there. I've also made a Sister of Silence to join the group; here's Yolande Behati, Null Maiden of the Ice Serpent Cadre. I'm rather looking forward to painting her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Pheidias Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Normally not too hot for Custodes, but this is turning out great!Huge fan of the ruined portal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 The base is amazing - if you'd stopped there it would still be a super diorama! The Custodes is looking good, and I can't wait to see what the SoS turns out like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemon2027 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I really like the Sister of Silence. The ruins are coming across nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Thanks all- it's been a while since I sat down and painted a proper model, so I thought I'd do the Null Maiden today. Quite pleased with her- and the new GW gold I used for her armour. Here she is fresh from being painted; I need to dull it down slightly to blend in better with the head, but the thing on her forehead is my best attempt at an Imperial Eagle tattoo- it honestly looks rather better, and more subtle, in person. In terms of colour scheme (and the overall look) I was basically going for this, which as well as being canonical has the advantage of being broadly similar to the Custodian scheme while having a bit of white in there too to be distinct. Here's a picture of her in situ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helterskelter Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Your stuff is epic. I have a strange need to perform garden maintenance on the gateway :p really inspired to make my basing better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Blank Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 You've outdone yourself with this diorama. It really tells the story you set out to tell and all the little details (the overgrowth on the ruins, the webway portal) are a great backdrop for your models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemon2027 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Those ruins look quite picturesque. I would happily have a picnic there, if it was'nt for the creep alien killer statues that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thanks all! Doing this base has been great fun; I hope it shows that it's quite possible to do these things with a minimum of fuss and artistic effort. I have a few bits of progress to show. FIrstly, I've been adding a little bit of fauna to the ruins. There were already the predators, of course, but I wanted some insect life as well- so first off, here's a little moth. The idea is that it's evolved to be perfectly camoflaged against the grey stone of the planet on which it lives- but this, of course, leaves it a little obvious against the lighter-coloured wrathbone. Next up, some insects. These come from the hive on one of the pylons; it's not so obvious in the pictures, but their wings are iridescent. With this, the base is more or less finished with the sole exception of the webway portal itself. This will have a Custodian emerging from it; here's how he currently looks like. I'm sanding him down so he can fit flush up against the portal with parts of him still within. There's progress on the other Custodians too. The Shield Captain is more or less finished now; after dithering over it, I've decided to keep the hammer on his shin as an honourific rather than cover it with a greenstuff design. I also have a new Custodian to show- he's the first recipient of an almost-finished helmet, which to my mind really makes him look the part. The Signifier is also almost done, though not photographable at the moment; I'm waiting for some dangly bits on his signum to dry, and for that matter his helm to cure. More soon- then I can get painting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Dallo Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 That first photo of the webway pillar is amazing. How did you get such a realistic texture? The Custodians are looking pretty dapper, but it's the base itself that blows my mind. I can't wait to see it finished, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Keep up the good work. Dallo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castellan Maximus Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Amazing modelling skills! What a great thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malika666 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Hmm, where are the Warp Spiders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizzdougs Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Amazing work, as always! The level of detail on the ruins is incredible :tu: Just one question. The etched brass on the vexilla, where is that from? It would be perfect for adding some detail to my Emperor's Children vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noserenda Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Hehe used my daily likes all in here! Amazing work as always! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdT Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 @Dallo, thanks, I've loved doing the base and it's really taken on a life of its own. I'm pleased with trhe texture too, but I can't claim any particular skill there; it's just the natural texture of the balsa foam, which not only hardens up perfectly after a coat of wood glue but also takes paint perfectly. I really can't recommend it enough (and no, I'm not on commission- sadly ). @Malika666, the Warp Spiders have long since died off/retreated into the webway- I'm assuming this is a relic of the pre-fall Eldar Empire. @Kizzdougs, good point- can really see the etched brass on your III. The "Invictus" is from the FW Ultramarine etched brass set, and the other bits are from a wonderful set of Roman-themed etched brass by Nimix that I bought several years ago. There are some big bits on there designed for 1/35th scale shields that would jazz up the flat surfaces of a vehicle rather wonderfully. Now, a spot of progress. I've got some paint on the Custodians; the gold aspect of them is done, and I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out. No mistaking who these guys are, which is brilliant. Still a way to go, but it's nice to see them coming together. And now for something completely different! I've been fiddling around with the Kastelan kit, which I was initially a bit iffy on but am growing to like a bit more. I've always liked the animalistic aspect of the Cybernetica and looking at those big guantlets inspiration struck; so here's a very tacked together initial attempt at a Gorilla-styled battle-automata. Everyone loves robots, everyone loves monkeys, so robot monkeys should be best of all, right? Loads of work to be done of course; what's completely stumping me is what to do with the head. There seems to be a distinct lack of mechanical simian-styled faces out there. I was wondering about one of the masks on the Knight Paladin set- does anyone have a picture of one that lets me see how it scales? All other suggestions welcomed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemon2027 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Hmmmm robot monkeys. I imagine designed by a Jokaero. Got to be careful they don't star some form of planet of the ape style uprising! The custodes look fantastic, what's your recipie for the gold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slips Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 YOU'RE MAKING OPTIMUS PRIMAL!?!? How about using a Jokaero and maybe having him inside of a Glass Bubble in the socket Kinda-But-Not-Really Dreadnought Style? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizzdougs Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Thanks for the info regarding the etched brass! Did you order them via email? The website seems a bit unusual. Great work with the Custodes. The helmets turned out really well. Using the new Ultramarine helmets as the base was an inspired idea :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMan Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Those ruins are incredible man, would love to see a whole board done up that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomus Sardauk Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 YOU'RE MAKING OPTIMUS PRIMAL!?!? How about using a Jokaero and maybe having him inside of a Glass Bubble in the socket Kinda-But-Not-Really Dreadnought Style? Never really cared for Beast Wars (more a G1 man myself), but Transformers are still awesome. ;) That Jokaero Exo-suit idea is pure genius, I honestly want to see that become a reality soooo much. Bonus points if EdT paints a HUD of some kind projected onto the bubble dome's interior. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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