A. Mechanicus... Darkly

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks. I plan for it to be the first of many pieces of terrain that incorporates lighting and effects. I'm currently prowling for my next idea to make real, but I think I'll need some Mechnicus Sector terrain kits to do it right.

[Canadian_F_H]

Idk... something involving an actual teslacoil? To much? Or Just enough!

 

 

I've seen terrain with lights and such before but that plasma ball is just brilliant and I can't believe I hadn't seen it before.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Canadian_F_H

[helterskelter]

Do a functioning Jacob's ladder. Go onnn. Go on go on go on go on go on. Goooo on.

[Subtle Discord]

Hey now, while I'm always eager for suggestions and input, I want to make interesting models with lighting effects, not physically dangerous or a fire hazard.

 

*Subtle put an awesome terrain piece on the table, turns it on, and electrical arcs begin to leap from it*

 

"Woah, that's amazing!"

 

"Yeah, thanks. Just don't touch it without being grounded, if you want to keep your fingers."

[Magos Takatus]

To be fair, if you do get set on fire by one of Subtle Discord's pieces of terrain, it's probably because you forgot to placate the machine spirit and apply the sacred unguents anyway. 

[Subtle Discord]

Excellent. Thank you, in the unlikely event that someone should ever be harmed by something I create this will be my goto position.

 

"Oh, there's your problem right there, the machine spirit is set to 'evil'." *Flips the switch to the 'good' setting*

[Chaplain Raeven]

After the loss of the disciplinary Dreadsock, a new method arrives: the dreadshock. "Oh, I see you enjoy handling my miniatures without permission. Take a look at that nice vintage pewter dreadnought, you'll find it quite shocking."

[Canadian_F_H]

You know what would be cool... one of those rail yard turn tables... build it out of a disk on a bearing... cover with rails and mechanicus, freight, and doodads. Like a giant adeptus mechanicus lazy susan...

 

Not to mention if you make a rule in game where it is spinning from turn to turn... could be very crazy.

 

Also a free spinning display isn't a bad idea...

Edited March 11, 2018 by Canadian_F_H

[Battybattybats]

A rotating gothic radar dish might be another good way of using motion on a terrain piece. Or make an effects-smoke belching skull cooling tower based on the steam trains that expel smoke.

[Canadian_F_H]

A rotating gothic radar dish might be another good way of using motion on a terrain piece. Or make an effects-smoke belching skull cooling tower based on the steam trains that expel smoke.

They have so many different scales of fog machine for bands... the cheapest ones don't put out much for a stage but could probably obscure a table... new plan!

 

We fight thru a foggy marsh, I don't have to do as much work on the table now... hahahah

[walter h]

I think you might want to try @ party city if you have one there. I have a plastic pumpkin with a fogger it just uses water. I think you could use it if you could make the furnace water tight. Just a thought although model rail road stores might have something better.

[Subtle Discord]

Chris: "Ok, try to guess what word I'm thinking of, and it's not 'kitty'."

 

Meg: "Is it 'kitty'?"

 

Chris: "Get out of my head!!"

 

So yer just gonna' drag it out of me, eh, with all this talk? Is that how it's gonna' be, eh? (do I sound Canadian in yer head yet, eh?)

 

It's awesome that you really are on the right track, it's even kinda' creepy on a certain level. I have every plan to create a table to surround my Mechanicus army and I hope to make it something like 3 tables in 1; open Ashen Wastes with unique rock structures and some other features for terrain; half-and-half on the edge of an industrial hive sector within said Ashen Wastes; and right in the middle of said industrial sector with all the fun of a city-fight table. Yes, it will take many tiles and it's still just a shadow of an idea, but sooner-or-later I need a table; however, only after I have a complete army for it to rise up around. My Black Legion will get a daemon world at some point, but this idea suits my Mechanicus too well for me to ignore it.

 

I've got a few ideas already for structures and many odds-and-ends I've been collecting to use during construction. I actually found a kinda' tacky 1990s TV antenna that looks like a large communications dish that's been patiently waiting for this and I think I'm going to make it part of the targeting array I want to build. With the massive Gravaton Cannons for Atrum Laboris too large to put on the table, I figured an elaborate and ornate targeting structure akin to a telescope or observatory might be a good tie in to the fiction.

 

I've also been tempted to do something with actual hobby train tracks to add some moving elements but I'm still quite vague on the idea, but a turntable would be very suitable. Since the most common HO size would be too small for mimicking 28mm transport it could easily be used to create a material conveyor system of some sort. Even if it wasn't actually functional track it could easily be an interesting element. Always an excuse to build a cool crane as well.

 

I'd also like to consider titan gantries but I can't see it being much larger than something to service a Knight; with a Knight scale I could see creating two side-by-side gantries with one that has a Knight under maintenance and the other could be empty. Servators wouldn't even care about fighting if you think about it, they'd just keep working on their programmed task, so having them populate the area would actually make sense and could look awesome by adding a few welding element. In the same vein of this, I'd like to create the end of an assembly line with something like Rhinos reaching the final assembly stage and getting the last parts added; nothing so elaborate that getting a model or two to use as props won't be too unreasonable. Or maybe a maintenance area where vehicles are being repaired.

 

To say I've been contemplating where this idea is going would be an understatement; I want to make a kickass table to have at my disposal, but I also want to showcase other ideas. I saw a city-fight table that had the streetlamps lit with other light effects and covered in fog, and I knew it was an example of the atmosphere I want to create. All the parts and components are out there and I want to see if I can bring some of them together in an interesting way. LED lights go without saying, and I want to make extensive use of them and hopefully find ways to cast 'use them yourself' components to accompany LEDs. There are also small-scale smoke generators intended for scale trains that I want to co-opt and use; it's not the kind of thing you'd use constantly, but have it push-button activated so you can control how often you want it. Sound is also a very easy thing to pull off with Bluetooth speakers of all different shapes and sizes these days.

 

So the overall vision is harsh industrial lighting and glowing furnaces everywhere and then scattered smoke generating elements to take advantage of all the lighting. Toss in a few moving elements for fun and interest. A few large ornate projects to act as centerpieces and I think I'll have a unique place to throw some dice, an amazing backdrop for images, something to provide lots of WIP content, and a great place to showcase ideas from the studio. At least that's what I'm seeing in the back of my brain.

 

Oh yeah, and the Irradial Cogitator I started that incorporates a LED picture screen. I need to have a scheming malevolent AI luring in the dark depths after all, so I'll need to get that done along the way. *sigh* almost too many good ideas.

 

*Subtle returns to painting Vanguard*

[Battybattybats]

Did you ever see GW's train they made for Macragge?

 

The malevolent AI screen is a genius idea. You could also have a techpriest showing through static. I'd seen some mdf plus laser etched plastic billboards for other games and wondered about seeing if some place could custom etch a static-y techpriest hologram.

 

Oh and remember that some laser etch plastic colour options will shine nicely under UV blacklight...

[Subtle Discord]

Of all the ideas the Irradial Cogitator is one that's actually just barely started, but I paused it to focus on more important things and it's a good thing really. I was doing this just before the Mechanicus Sector kits were available, and now I want to add some lots of them to the build. It must be much taller so it looms, and I want to create a complete dead zone around it where everything that ever got too close without permission met an unfortunate end, cut down by one of many hidden traps. There's not too much fiction or images for them, but I've got enough to go on, and researching this got me looking at many Dark Mechanicus creations that I want need to create in the future, this is just the first, the direction behind it all, as it were.

 

 

I'm not sure if the picture screen can do video, so there's a good chance it'll only be static images that scroll to change, but that still provides an opportunity to do simple animated effects, I think. An eye of some sort, peering about should be easy enough to do. But yes, lots of binary with images and symbols emerging from the fog of 1's and 0's was what I was thinking if I can pull it off in Photoshop and/or Illustrator. 

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Neural Congress ‧ Initialized +++ Comm-Link ‧ Active +++ Data Uplink ‧ Initiazing +++ Decripting Uplink ‧ Ongoing +++ Standby... +++

[Subtle Discord]

A brief building sidetrack to finish up the first Tech-Priest Dominus of my preliminary list in order to give myself a bit of a styrene fix before returning to the Vanguard to get their paintjob done. Have a look at Legion Rising to see more pontification regarding my brief building diversion.

 

+++ Name ‧ To Be Determined +++ Designation ‧ Warlord [HQ] +++ Wargear ‧ Omnissian Axe, Eradication Ray, Macrostubber, Solar Flare +++

 

The mission is simple; make use of the plethora of Dominus models that start accumulating as a Mechanicus collection grows, and try to change things up enough so that each miniature will feel at least somewhat unique. I also don’t want to spend a huge amount of time on every conversion (some, yes, but not all of them) so anything I can come up with to create the desired variety with less work will be preferred.

 

Stan: “We need to talk. Do you know what this about?” … Joanna: *Sighs* “My uh, flair?” … Stan: “Yeah. Or your uh, lack of flair, because I’m counting and I only see fifteen pieces.” ~ Office Space

 

I wanted to do something to represent the Solar Flare Relic on the model and I think attaching the Infiltrator/Ruststalker backpack in the manner I have does a good job. I know WYSISYG isn’t nearly as important as it was in previous editions, but I don’t mind adding appropriate details if I can find some way to manage it. Heck, who am I kidding, it’s why I’m compelled to convert in the first place.

 

Tactically, I’m thinking I’ll try to hold this Dominus back in a support role until I place whatever unit I plan to teleport onto the table and then use the Solar Flare to shift the Dominus over to support the newly arrived unit. I’m thinking it would work well with the Kastelan Robots in my current list; let the opponent advance a turn or two, then place the ‘Bots in a nasty flanking/backfield position, and teleport the Dominus over to provide more firepower, rerolls, and repairs. At least that's how I see it in my head.

 

Ok, enough distraction, back to painting highlights.

 

http://i.imgur.com/efVyfTc.gif

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Submitting Progress Report ++ Recruit Selections 3440-3460; Implantation Process ‧ Ongoing +++ Production Expedited +++ Completeion Imminent +++

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Submitting Progress Report ++ Recruit Selections 3440-3460; Implantation Process ‧ Ongoing +++ Production Expedited +++ Completion Imminent +++

Edited April 14, 2018 by Subtle Discord

[Magos Takatus]

I am still impressed by how clean your Skitarii turn out.I really like the Omnispex you have built. It's a good way to cut down on identical models in the army.

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks! Heh... yeah, if there's one thing I've discovered that I'm good at, its precision. I may not do the most technically complex paint job/s but I tend to be very particular about my execution, avoiding and/or cleaning up mistakes. It can be very tedious since the AdMech models are so damn fiddly with all their little details (a blessing and a curse, really) it's no wonder it takes so long to complete a squad. Additionally, painting them in subassemblies is also a big factor that helps with my painting style. I'm so glad I'm forcing myself to deal with the Troops first; painting this many Skitarii in a row has been a bit daunting but I'm sooo glad and satisfied that it's behind me now.

 

The clean outcome has put me at a bit of a crossroads, however. It was my plan to weather them and dirty them down considerably, but I'm liking them with this clean freshly deployed look as well, so I'm still contemplating just how much weathering I'm going to apply. Decisions decisions.

 

Yup, I hate blatant repetition so I tried to do something to make the Alpha and the wargear operator look somewhat unique in each squad. The Omnispex is tricky in that regard; what the heck does the operator do with it when they want to use their weapon? Since Mechanicus seem to have an affinity for letting hoses, cables, connectors, and other devices just dangle when not in use, it seemed like a reasonable solution to just let it dangle loosely.

[Prot]

Yea I can appreciate your style here. I really l8ke it I think in part because I’ve worked so hard on being a more random, flowing painter. That said there is no denying your fantastic, technical feel to this army. Even the colours suite the entire look. It’s a great looking army.

[WarriorFish]

Great to see some more troopers coming along :tu:

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Recruit Selections 3440-3460; Preliminary Implantation Process ‧ Complete +++ Production Queue ‧ Awaiting Protocol Downlink +++ Progress Report to Follow +++

[helterskelter]

These are nothing short of gorgeous

[WarriorFish]

Not just that, the blistering pace of completion is worthy of a Forge World itself! Fine work as always :tu: