++ AUGUSTUS b'RAASS ++ pre-heresy BRASS SCORPION p.247

[Quixus]

:cuss you're quick, and it looks spectacular too.

 

I only don't get why anyone would want to roll his chapter symbol (or the aquila) through the mud.

[Panzer]

:cuss you're quick, and it looks spectacular too.

 

I only don't get why anyone would want to roll his chapter symbol (or the aquila) through the mud.

To make a lasting impression? :P

[Ranker]

This looks amazing. I was catching up the thread and was about to respond with “this looks so amazing and it’s not even painted yet.”

 

Well, scroll down a little further and there it is, all painted up in all of its glory. I’m loving it! I smiling like a kid opening up a present on Christmas Day.

[BubblesMcBub]

Awesome dude!

Also sure ill buy an airbrush now what else can you learn me? You have teached me a bit of greenstuffing, you are gonna help me build some bigger models and you will teach me the way of the airbrush so what will be the next stap?

JK but i do want to get into airbrushing for all my larger models

(Sorry for the rather large slightly offtopic comment)

[Sagentus]

Wow top job Aug and amazing speed!

[Kierdale]

Fast and fantastic work! :tu:

[Subtle Discord]

*Mutters in frustrated admiration of your ability to get progress done*

 

Really?! Two days!? Wait... what? Twenty four hours?! ... Oh, you stink, in the most amazing way possible.

 

Ok, that's it, I've got to start getting paint on more things. I think this just gave me a mild aneurysm. Well played.

[The Traitor]

Wow, the speed at which you painted the whole tank is jaw dropping... And it also looks great... Augustus is back.

[gianlucafiorentini123]

Land raiders looking great Augustus! Great to see some of your NL's again.

 

Bit of a random question but would you happen to remember where you got the body part trophies from in your earliest NL's in this thread?

[Augustus b'Raass]

Cheers, team!

It's time for my next project: a second Night Lords Fire Raptor! This new project brings me to something I've always wanted to share here, namely a big influence on my creative process: Tom Sachs' Ten Bullets film. In it, Tom Sachs and his crew espouse their Ten Bullets system for creating an environment -or spacial structure- wherein creative processes can take place.  It's very much been an influence in the way I give structure my hobby and work spaces, and has allowed me to be as efficient as I am in painting. Even though 'structure' and 'creativity' seem like antonyms, I've found that a structured work environment is very much necessary to take distractions away and to focus on what needs to be done. Its not for everyone, but I would recommend at least watching all ten bullets in their order.

 

Here's bullet VIII (how apt, for a Night Lords project, wouldn't you agree? ) 

 

If you want to see the entire 10 Bullets film, here it is:

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Because, you know, there's a LOT of parts for this project, and they come on three plastic sprues and four bags of resin bits!

 

And with that in mind, I 'Knolled' all parts of the Fire Raptor, like they show on the instructions!

 

 

My first Fire Ratpor was build just after it came out in the Autumn of 2013, and BOY did the cast for this kit suffer from its popularity! I know understand why this kit has such a bad reputation among novice hobbyists. A lot of cleanup was required, using my hair dryer to soften the resin up to avoid bits snapping off as I clipped them. Everything is now clean and bathing in a warm soapy bath:

 

Replies!
 

@ HreyRavenC: I'M BACK BABY! lol! Thank, buddy!

 

@ Quixus: I guess fPanzer answered your question?

 

@ fPanzer: INDEED! 

 

@ Ranker: Glad you like her, buddy! Now, she needs a name!

 

@ BubblesMcBub: No worries about that!

 

@ Sagentus: Thanks for commenting, buddy! Glad you're back too

 

@ Kierdale: And furious?

 

@ Subtle Discord: Stinky is what I'll be goign for when I start my Death Guard

 

@ The Traitor: I"M BACK BABY!

 

@ gianlucafiorentini: Sure, buddy! It's from Secret Weapon, the sack o' corpses. 

Edited December 17, 2017 by Augustus b'Raass

[Pearson73]

Really nice work detailing the Raider with all those extra little bits and pieces.

 

Smashing paint job as usual, I must say I'm rather jealous of the speed with which you knocked it out, though I imagine you paid a hefty price in sleep.

 

Pity to see the Night Lords and Fists go, but I completely understand the motivations and look forward to your future projects.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Really nice work detailing the Raider with all those extra little bits and pieces.

 

Smashing paint job as usual, I must say I'm rather jealous of the speed with which you knocked it out, though I imagine you paid a hefty price in sleep.

 

Pity to see the Night Lords and Fists go, but I completely understand the motivations and look forward to your future projects.

Cheers, buddy! No sleep was lost at all. I painted the blue and black on Thursday night, with my airbrush and in about three hours. And I was off on Friday, so I painted for three hours in the morning, then took a two hour lunch break, and proceeded to finish it in five hours more. It's mostly because I painted sooooo many Night Lords before that I am now extremely efficient. I use each colour only once, knowing exactly the order in which I use them. That saves a ton of time. Plus, the only time I used a brush smaller than size 3 is for the lightning - so that makes things easy as well. 

[Sgt. Blank]

Great to see you back Augustus, your work is amazing and has inspired me and many others on this forum as well.

 

I know its commissioned but its neat to see your take on Night Lords again. And, I am still stunned by how quickly you achieved such high quality results.

 

Looking forward to what comes next!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Land Raider Mk IIb is most impressive.

[Ranker]

Eagerly awaiting updates /popcorn

 

Does a cast suffer because the mold's repeated usage deteriorates it? Or is it so popular that the person in charge has to produce so many and therefore doesn't have the time to take the necessary care to properly produce it?

[Lord Commander Eidolon]

Awesome to see some Midnight Clad vehicles again! You are seriously tempting me to make a start on re-kindling my NL army idea! 

The Nostalgia of both you and Heinrich doing NL's again is just too much! haha

 

I shall be be keeping a close eye on the Fire Raptor build, as the new year will see some Fast Attack/Air Support EC action!! 

[Corswain]

Looking forward to the Fire Raptor, it’s feels like a great fit into any Night Lords army.

 

Putting magnets under the Land Raider for storage is absolutely brilliant. Stealing that for sure. :)

[Augustus b'Raass]

Hey gang,

 

Here in the comments on this thread and by PM there were questions by frater asking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble the Fire Raptor 'the best way'. I'm not sure mine is the best way, and I do feel like the instructions should be followed, but I do have some tips on how to get the best result following those instructions.

 

AFter you've cleaned everything, the guide starts with the instruction to glue the bottom and the sides together. This bond is the foundation upon which the entire assmbly is build, so it has to be as sturdy, and as flawless as possible. Therefore, I suggest tons of test fits with a hairdryer and/or a container with boiled water (large enough to fit the assembly) close by. nce you're sure that those two sides each fit the bottom plate perfectly, I suggest pining those spots, like so:

 

 

After having pinned, but not glued those parts together, I suggest test-fitting in the two bulk heads, the plastic cockpit part, and the top and bottom resin back plates. Don't use any glue up to this point. The entire assembly can then be held together with some rubber bands. Not too tight. Like so:

 

 

 

Then dunk the entire assembly in boiling water and push all crevice closed and and straighten every bent art. Once you're satisfied, you then hold this entire ensemble under a running cold tap. Then leave to dry. Once it's dry, you can then glue this entire assembly in one go. I never use super glue on resin (as superglue becomes brittle over time) but instead a two component epoxy called UHU Schnellfest.

 

I'm still waiting for it to have dried. Once I glued this assembly, I'll post the next steps.

 

Cheers!

Replies:

 

@ Sgt. Blank: That's great to hear, Sgt. Blank! Thanks! 

 

@ Bjorn Firewalker: MOST IMPRESSIVE?

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@ Ranker: Cheers, buddy! Glad you like it. About your question on the decaying molds: repeated usage decays molds for sure, and your theory of the popularity of the kit leading to less time for the FW staff to demold new casts, I'm not sure. I think FW quality control is pretty strict as it is.  

 

@ Lord Commander Eidolon: DO IT! And yeah, it's pretty cool that Brother Heinrich and I both sold and restarted with Night lords again. I hope my step-by-step is helpful for you.

 

@ Corswain: Cheers! Steal away!

Edited December 18, 2017 by Augustus b'Raass

[Augustus b'Raass]

Did a little more work on the Fire Raptor. The second part of the build tips is as follows. after constructing the wings according to the instructions:

 

 

You pin the wings in place using two small pins, which are enought to keep it straight enough for the epoxy to grab a hold of the surfaces:

 

 

Hope this helps.

[Subtle Discord]

Are you having 'fun' yet? *Subtle picks up a glass, takes a bite out of it, and starts to chew* Isn't the Fire Raptor an... interesting... build experience?

[Augustus b'Raass]

Lolz. Actually, this Fire Raptor, even though it's a far worse cast than my first one, it's not that bad to build. The oly thing required is a big ol' pan of boiling water and everything will line up fine. Some sand paper is pretty nice too. It's just that I never start building a kit with the expectation that everything will fit smoothly (not saying you do, btw, SD ). Part of the fun of building FW kits, for me, is that they're more difficult, and require problem-solving skills. I like the challenge!

 

I also like to cheat, in that when I can't solve a problem, I make it go away by hiding it. In the Land Raider I finished last week, the power pack for the meltagun part of the combi weapon had a huge gap between it and the original bolter casing it as glued one. INstead of fixing it, I just stuck a piece of flesh on it, so no-one would see. Done!

 

With that in mind, I went and magnetized the ball turret hatches, using 1mmx2mm cilinder magnets:

 

 

And of course the landing gear. We want this baby to be able to fly as well as stand in a docking bay (for that game of Zone Mortalis)...

 

 

The back landing gear doesn't require magnets: they will just fit through sheer friction. 

 

 

Notice how these landing feet have their aquilas scraped off? Guess why that is... ;)

 

I hope you like - but comments are even more appreciated, guys! They keep this thread, and by extension, me going!

Edited December 19, 2017 by Augustus b'Raass

[Subtle Discord]

Oh, this is your second time building one. I see, that changes the perspective considerably. Yeah, I'd be far less intimidated by it the second time 'round having figured out the more challenging bits; yup, you gotta' dunk it all as one large part to get it anywhere close to true. You're also completely right in that pinning is essential to preserving your sanity. I agree that it's not as bad as it's made out to be by many people, but it was still the most challenging FW model I've assembled... errr... mostly assembled. FW really could have made it a bit easier with some interlocking bits in key locations.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Oh, this is your second time building one. I see, that changes the perspective considerably. Yeah, I'd be far less intimidated by it the second time 'round having figured out the more challenging bits; yup, you gotta' dunk it all as one large part to get it anywhere close to true. You're also completely right in that pinning is essential to preserving your sanity. I agree that it's not as bad as it's made out to be by many people, but it was still the most challenging FW model I've assembled... errr... mostly assembled. FW really could have made it a bit easier with some interlocking bits in key locations.

True, true. I will say that because the first one was over four years ago, most of that experience is lost. I'm just building on my entire repertoire of tricks here. ;) I don't agree with your last remark though: everyting interlocks fine on the Fire Raptor. I think it's a very smart kit - far better designed than, say, the Spartan.

[Honda]

*cough, storm eagle, *cough

[Dantay VI]

I think a lot of people mak the mistake of believing that because the Storm Eagle was a complete pig to build, that the Fire Raptor will be the same.

 

I wish this tutorial had been around a few months ag, such good ideas about the magnets and pinning.

 

Btw, I already used your tip for the boiling water on my Mastodon, I remembered it from when you dd the Kharybdis/ dreadclaw build a while back :)

 

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20170329_202511 by Danny Taylor, on Flickr