A. Mechanicus... Darkly

[Stray]

That's a great explanation Subtle. As someone with an interest in miniature photography, I'd devour any guides or tutorials if they were ever something you were interested in writing.

 

(I've read several that are out there, but the ability to also ask questions and converse about it can't be underestimated).

 

Thank you for the pointers and the continually impressive display of models!

[Subtle Discord]

Blargh! Ok, think I’m serious now. Omnissiah I humbly offer my frail body to your magnificence and ask that you upgrade this weak mortal flesh. *Sigh* Just as my hand was finally healing properly, which took longer than I was expecting, I came down with a nasty cold that made its way through my house. I thought I had avoided it, but noooo, Nurgle’s blessings for everyone! And it’s one of those colds that comes in waves; you think your getting better until it comes back for round two. Ugh. Yep, just upgrade me and get it over with; start with my sinus, please, because right now I think the sense of smell is overrated and I’d give it up to stop the bouts of throbbing pain.

 

So, with a lack of physical energy and mental concentration, I’ve slowly chipped away at some things that only required me to ooze into a chair and poke at my mouse and keyboard. I really hope in the near future I can get over this and get back to the studio in a serious way. With GW’s recent activity I need to get the backlog out of the way so I can dive into new things and get back to exploring my first muse, Chaos! Naturally, by extension that will mean more Imperial kits as well, but Chaos will always be my first calling and the call is becoming quite loud with everything that GW has been up to. The voices from the warp are whispering again, and they are more numerous than ever before.

 

∙ With the starting Mechanicus army collection nearing completion I needed to buckle down and get the damn decals done, so I did.

 

As I suspected I might do, I’ve decided to change the squad marking scheme to fit a more official Mechanicus structure and so squads will be identified with an icon for their Manipul and a unit number. Most of the numbers I chose initially will migrate over while the symbols will consolidate under the new system. Doing this helped me make the decal sheets a bit more straightforward and let me add a bunch of extra icons that I can use of future projects, even if I’m not sure what they’re going to be right now. Not wanting to completely abandon all of the various icons and symbols I dug up in the ‘Insert Symbols’ function of Word I collected them together and added a bunch of Alchemical symbols that seemed fitting and made long strips so I can use them as accents; the font ‘Segoe UI Symbol’ has a great selection of odd symbols and icons if anyone is interested in where I found them.

 

I wasn’t sure If I wanted to do a second sheet but I figured it was better to just bite the bullet and do it so I can have lots of decals for future projects of various scales. I do plan on creating a Forge World themed table at some point, so they’ll be very useful for some of those structures. I also know that I’m going to be doing some larger models for the Mechanicus collection in the future *longingly glances over at his half-built knight* so I’m positive they’ll find a place in those projects as well.

 

∙ With the Kastelan bits done I turned my gaze to the Onager kit and created some custom bits with the design cues I’m trying to bring to this collection.

 

As with the Dragoons, I wanted to do my take on Lucius pattern armour with subtly curved flat surfaces and some crisp/hard lines opposed to the rounder look of the original components. I also added my signature bevelled edge to the trim detail to further tie it into the look of my other kits; it’s a detail that’s actually a holdover from building in styrene, but I still really like it as a way to add a bit of understated detail to some edges. While not as challenging as the Dragoon when it comes to achieving a proper fit, I’m still unsure if these are going to sit correctly on the model until I can get a few printed and see how they look. I think they’re really close but time will tell.

 

When I first saw the Neutron Laser I was a bit underwhelmed and felt it was a bit plain. Initially, I thought I would replace the whole barrel but over time it actually grew on me so I decided to upgrade the ‘cap’ that’s on the weapon housing. Not overly elaborate I think the extra gubbins do a good job of adding a bit of a deathray vibe to it, and I think it’ll suit the Eradication Beamer if/when I chose to use them. I have plans to build several more Onagers so I’m sure some will be armed with Beamers. Naturally, everything is magnetized so switching and swapping the weapons will never be a problem.

 

Finally, since the reactor detail on the back is such a simple swap I couldn’t help but update that component as well. It’s hard to tell from the angle of the screenshot but I’ve added some coils inside the housing. There’s not much room to work with so I couldn't be too elaborate. Besides, my real motivation was so I could add some personal branding to the part, so I did.

 

Kind of a thin update this time, to fit well with how thin I’ve been feeling. My head is not pounding like it was the last few nights, so I think I’m finally kicking this damn blessing. Seriously Grandpa’, I am invigorated from your gifts *cough cough* and thank you for your attention, but please feel free to move along now and spread your gifts to someone else! *sniff*

[Magos Takatus]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you're planning for your Neutron Lasers. The Onager parts are looking good so far. How are you printing the decals? Do you have a printer that prints white? I know white decals can be a bit awkward to print out.

[Subtle Discord]

I wish I had an ALPS printer which uses a thermal transfer process similar to a Laser printer but it can do white, silver, and gold, along with all of the normal process colours. But, as I'm sure you can guess, they're very expensive and not something someone will have just for hobby purposes. A while back I considered it as an extension of the things my studio could produce but commen sense set in and I put the idea on a shelf since I'm already strapped for time with my current workload.

 

I'm going to be having a decal printing service do them for me. The place that I'm pretty sure I'll be going to is Fallout Hobbies; they do their own range of decals and I'll likely pick up a few sheets of chevrons that they make, but they also do it as a service. It's not exactly cheap (what is, in this hobby?) but it's not all that expensive if you consider that they'll last for years and I'll have enough to do pretty much every future AdMech project I can think of. I'm not sure what the turnaround time will be but stay tuned and I'll be sure to do an update when I've got them and start slapping them on my Mechanicus.

[Magos Takatus]

I'm going to be having a decal printing service do them for me. The place that I'm pretty sure I'll be going to is Fallout Hobbies; they do their own range of decals and I'll likely pick up a few sheets of chevrons that they make, but they also do it as a service. It's not exactly cheap (what is, in this hobby?) but it's not all that expensive if you consider that they'll last for years and I'll have enough to do pretty much every future AdMech project I can think of. I'm not sure what the turnaround time will be but stay tuned and I'll be sure to do an update when I've got them and start slapping them on my Mechanicus.

 I'll have to add to feedback here. My first experience with Fallout Hobbies was a really positive one. I got my Forge World symbols from them and I was asked for feedback at each step and the turnaround time was pretty good. I tried a second order and my after some confusion with me (I think) ordering using a guest account I made a new order with my existing account in January. So far I am still waiting, while the store claims the order is "unfulfilled". I've politely inquired about my order a few times and I've been thanked for my patience. I don't want to badmouth the place since my first order was fantastic, but I think it would be irresponsible not to mention the troubles I've had since. If I do get the decals I'll be able to display them in my own painting log here. I'll try to remember to keep you updated.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Flame Boy

[Subtle Discord]

Thank you very much for the information. I've known of Fallout Hobbies since the Kickstarter they did to get going. The feedback from that and what I've seen from other people who used their service seemed very good, but that was all from quite some time ago. It's a shame to hear that their turnaround seems to be really slipping; I'm not worried about super fast turnaround (I still have a fair amount of work to get done) but I also don't want to wait a huge amount of time. Can I ask, did you provide completed sheets like what I've pictured, or did you require them to create the vector graphics from provided concept art? Printing a ready-made sheet should be as simple as loading it up and sending it to the printer, but creating the vector graphics is something that's naturally going to take more time. Not that it's an excuse for it to take two months or more, but depending on workload/obligations that we have no idea about maybe they've been seriously sidetracked, or maybe they gotten too popular for their own good and are struggling to keep up.

[Magos Takatus]

The images I produced were not vector graphics (They were either in .psd or .jpg format) so they did have to be converted but that took relatively little time. In that regard the turnaround time was good. I have been told that a lack of paper was the reason for the decals being delayed, but that sounds a bit like Burger King running out of burgers to me.

 

I could well imagine them being a victim of their own succes since I always get the same person replying to my emails so it could be one person running the show. If I don't get the decals I think I'll try to get somebody to redraw the icon completely since the image I produced was cobbled together from Google images and could look better.

[Subtle Discord]

Ok, there could be some merit to the explanation of no paper being an issue. I know that the ALPS printers that are used to make decals are very specialized and even went out of production so the only way to get one is/was secondhand; because of that I know that getting the toner cartridges is/was hard to source and expensive because manufacturers for them dried up. I'm not sure if they use basic decal paper or if it needs to be something specialized for the ALPS printer, in which case it might indeed be an issue to get in a timely manner. Now, I keep saying 'is/was' because I seem to recall that a company did return to producing ALPS printers, but I'm not completely sure, and by extension I'm not sure how many companies might be producing consumables for it.

[Magos Takatus]

That makes sense I suppose. It is a rather niche requirement to print decals properly. It would make custom decal printing very difficult which also explains why few companies offer the service. Thanks for the insight. :)

[4ndroid]

 

I'm going to be having a decal printing service do them for me. The place that I'm pretty sure I'll be going to is Fallout Hobbies; they do their own range of decals and I'll likely pick up a few sheets of chevrons that they make, but they also do it as a service. It's not exactly cheap (what is, in this hobby?) but it's not all that expensive if you consider that they'll last for years and I'll have enough to do pretty much every future AdMech project I can think of. I'm not sure what the turnaround time will be but stay tuned and I'll be sure to do an update when I've got them and start slapping them on my Mechanicus.

 I'll have to add to feedback here. My first experience with Fallout Hobbies was a really positive one. I got my Forge World symbols from them and I was asked for feedback at each step and the turnaround time was pretty good. I tried a second order and my after some confusion with me (I think) ordering using a guest account I made a new order with my existing account in January. So far I am still waiting, while the store claims the order is "unfulfilled". I've politely inquired about my order a few times and I've been thanked for my patience. I don't want to badmouth the place since my first order was fantastic, but I think it would be irresponsible not to mention the troubles I've had since. If I do get the decals I'll be able to display them in my own painting log here. I'll try to remember to keep you updated.

 

I ordered from them and didn't receive my order for months, after repeated inquiries he sent half of it, I had to keep following up to get the remaining cash back from him. Sad really, loved the decals I got, but was totally frustrated by lack of communication, slow delivery, and especially partial fulfillment 

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks for the input. I guess I'm looking for another service. I can wait a while, but I also what to get this project done and I've got over half the army at the decal stage so I don't want it to drag out and/or be in doubt. *Sigh* Ok, more research I guess...

[Subtle Discord]

More on the progress I’ve made on the upgrade Kastelan components is going to be part of a larger update to Legion Rising in the near future but I figured adding this teaser image down here wouldn’t hurt.

 

∙ In the midst of writing an my next update with no room for this image, so I figured it would make good sneak peek. Despite a minor fit issue project ‘Kastelan 2.0’ is commencing nicely.

 

Just look at the subtle curves of the Blaster. *Subtle drools a little bit* It does take a tiny bit of surfacing with some 600 grit soft sanding sticks, but then it's just buttery smooth. Larger update coming shortly. Keep comm-link active.

[Magos Takatus]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, those custom Kastelan parts are gorgeous. That rotary phosphor blaster looks mean. Can we get a side-on view of the gun please? I'd like to see how you tackled the ammo storage.

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks! As always, Servitor Solus deserves a fair share of the credit; I can conceive it but Solus makes it real.

 

While I am doing an update where I'm talking more about the Kastelan bits, since you asked so nicely, why not?

 

∙ The ammo boxes are modeled to match the one on the Blaster that's mounted over the shoulder in an effort to tie it in with the kit.

 

While the whole set of bits is still a work-in-progress with a few final tweaks needed for the fit on the arm, the ammo feeds are the last part/s that I'll need to experiment more with to find a solution I'm happy with. I can't reliably heat bend the 3D prints so I won't know if I can get away with doing them flat and heat bending them as polyurethane or if I'll need to model them with more bend and/or curve so they can cooperate. Check out my update in Legion Rising for a deeper look at the progress.

[Magos Takatus]

That is awesome. The additional effort to make the Phosphor weapons look more consistent really pays off. Having Heavy Phosphor Blasters that aren't even consistent on the same model does bother me slightly. The extra ammo storage looks better. The standard Kastelans can't reload themselves so they would need the Datasmith to keep running around with magazines to replenish ammo. At least with these ammo feeds it looks like they can last a skirmish or two without running out of ammo.

 

Though this thread is dangerously close to invention, I fully believe you are doing the Omnissiah's work. :) 

[Subtle Discord]

Oh, there is much that Atrum Laboris undertakes that would be considered unsanctioned and while this is absolutely an example of such it's but a mild deviation compared to some of the more inventive ambitions of certain enclaves within The Works. Even now, things lurk in the shadows and the corners of my mind. Dark things. Warped inspiration. Beautifully terrible ideas. With grim resolution to claw and carve their way into reality. Now that GW is finding their stride with Mechanicus and Chaos, things are going to get interesting.

[MithrilForge]

i wonder if you just(for now) circumnavigated the problem by simply making yourself at least 3 size variants of the feed belt?...

 

lovely stuff here though(i have said it before) your heads are waay better than the STC ones...

 

Cheers, Mithril

 

Subtle Discawl  

[Subtle Discord]

∙ Servitor Solus has received blessings of the Omnissiah; initial components created with a new resin compound are very favorable. Update to follow shortly…

[Magos Takatus]

Those are so good them make me want to break the arms off my Kastellans. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, those are excellent. Are those images without the ammo feed or have you given up on that issue and replaces with with an ammo box?

[Subtle Discord]

I'm dialing in Servitor Solus to work with a new 'Art' resin and these are some of the first prints with it to test it. To say I'm happy with the results would be an understatement. I'm not sure if it's just the nice neutral grey colour of this resin providing better contrast but it really seems to have make the surface quality even better. Again, Solus is a gift from the Omnissiah so that I might make my ideas real. I would be a shadow of my current ability without Solus.

 

The ammo feeds are still part of the design but I needed to print the other side and now I need to make a mould of them to try bending them to shape when they're cast in polyurethane resin opposed to the brittle 3D printing resin. I'm reasonably confident they'll cooperate once they're cast and I'm really hoping they do play nice since I really want to print the part flat so it's easy to mould and cast it; all the other parts of this kit will be easy to cast so I hope the feeds can be the same. Being able to bend the 3D prints really is only good for me, since the whole idea is that the kit will offer the freedom to pose the bot how the builder wants. I'm not adverse to including some different lengths of feeds in the kit so the builder can choose what works best, but I want them all flat for production.

 

The ammo feeds on this kit really are a small proof-of-concept that I'm using this kit to test. If they work well here it opens the door to other ideas I can make flat and leave it to the builder to add the shape they want. I don't plan on doing anything elaborate with the concept but sometimes it's a good option to have for a design, such as this case.

[Subtle Discord]

∙ I’m sorry that I keep posting similar images of the Kastelan ‘bots, but the new 3D printing resin combined with this design really have me smitten over the last few days.

 

I took a bit of the time to make a ball-joint for the shoulder mounted Phosphor Blaster. The clunky rectangular one was a strange aspect of the kit that seemed really lazy and it was really easy to replace. After a bit more testing and the feedback I’ve also modeled three lengths/radius ammo feeds for the arm Blasters to help facilitate the fit. I tried once again to heat-bend one of the 3D prints and it simply won’t have anything to do with it, bending at first, but inevitably snapping. Once I’ve got the moulds made I’m sure it’ll get sorted out with polyurethane casts. This kit was more involved but I’m so pleased with the results and the further proof-of-concept for a few things I was testing here (like the ammo feeds) that I’m glad I took the time to work the kinks out and take the design all the way to replacing the whole arm.

 

Ok, bed ways is right ways. Stay tuned for further updates in the somewhat near future.

[Subtle Discord]

+++ Compiling Data +++ Kastelan STC Alteration ∙ Ongoing… +++ Displaying Iteration ∙ 3.3 +++ Reviewing Hard Data… +++

+++++++

+++

Revised Assessment ∙ Displaying…

++

+++++

Optical Input Array ∙ Improved ∙ Visum Pattern Wide-Angle Broad-Spectrum Optical Unit ∙ Integrated 

+++++++

Onboard Ammunition Supply ∙ Enlarged ∙ Increased Ammunition Capacity ∙ 800%

++++

Rate of Fire ∙ Enhanced ∙ Tria’Telum Pattern Rotary Blaster Installed ∙ Fire Rate Increase ∙ 200%

+++++

Close Combat Weapons ∙ Iteration Subroutines ∙ Ongoing…

++++++++

+++

Correlating Data Points ∙ Ongoing…

+++++

Generating Authority Request ∙ Active Combat Testing 

++++++

+++++++++

∙ As hoped, casting the ammo feeds in polyurethane and creating three with different radii/radiuses solved the fit issues.

 

They are a bit fiddly to bend into the exact final position (I still want to tweak one of them a bit more) but polyurethane is a very forgiving thermodynamic plastic; not only can it twist and bend significantly if you warm it in boiling hot water, it also returns to its original shape very easily if you want to reset an effort.

 

My son was fascinated by the long piece of polyurethane sprew I was using as a test strip, repeatedly bending and twisting it into the most extreme shapes he could manage and then dunking it to watch it relax back to the original shape. He did it so much more than I would have it really illustrated to me just how much you can torture poly resin and it really holds up well. I’ve learned to take my hard data where I can get it.

 

∙ I was forced to partially complete the build to make the model stable enough to facilitate the fitting of the ammo feeds.

 

I had planned on doing a set of the close combat arms to see how they’d turn out but my current AdMech list doesn’t have them and this assembly was just being too frustrating without locking some parts in place. I guess I have no choice now but to get some more Kastelan ‘bots to make this squad a bit bigger and to add another for a bit of punch. Pun intended.

 

For anyone who might be wondering if/when these kits will be making their way to the shop, yes I do plan on putting the Mechanicus components I’ve created in the shop at some point in the future. However, I want to put some other projects to bed first and I also want to complete one-or-two more Mechanicus builds, with the Onager being the obvious target, but there might be more some inspiration to add to that. The upcoming AdMech transport/tank kit has me itching to get my grubby hands on it to see what potential might lay in the kit.

[Magos Takatus]

I like how the disc on the ammo box has the small rivet-like details similar to the rest of the Kastellans. That attention to detail is always nice. Is the lens array on the front of the head a separate piece that can be rotated or is it two different sculpts?

 

I can imagine these being popular conversion kits when they become available. 

[Subtle Discord]

Thanks for the input!

 

It's really easy to rotate the details in the 3D sculpt for the array so they're two separate sculpts with a really simple rotation of the 'face-plate' to change them up. It could be made loose easily enough but in this case the encasing armour that wraps around and up in the 'chin' area touches/overlaps the array disk, so it would be a bit harder and not really worth the effort since I don't think these will need to be two parts to cast well; the cone-like shape and the orientation of the details should have them de-mould reasonably easy... I think... I hope.. :) Yeah, I'm still learning what I can get away with in moulds so sometimes my optimism requires a bit of adjusting when I need to rethink one.

[Subtle Discord]

+++ … still waters run deep … more updates coming soon … +++