Utgardian IG (DIY Halo-style vehicles - Flyer)

[Nostromo]

With the exception of the under side of the hull and the tracks, the basic structure is finished - in some areas i am even done with up to 3 layers of details

The plan is to have the whole tank covered with between 1 to 4 layers of details.

 

In this stage i have compensated 2 stupid measuring errors. First, the section behind the front-hatch. A height difference of 6mm is QUITE embarrassing. Hiding that error made me add a couple of unplanned details - like a bay for a sensor array. Visible on the first photo, on the second i had already added additional protection for that array.

You noticed that the hatch sits too low for the sensors surrounding it actually making sense any more?

Grrrr.....

The second measuring error is a consequence of increasing the whole tanks height to make space for side-sponsons above the doors. The little rectangular areas. I needed to add height to the center to allow the turret to pivot. Magnets added... works.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Are the rectangles on the hull meant to be blocks of reactive armor?

[Nostromo]

Are the rectangles on the hull meant to be blocks of reactive armor?

yes.

I place them only on the center of the hull - but for no specific reason.

Actually, it does not make THAT much sense to just place them on the central hull.

At first i wanted to use it just to make a difference between the Leman Russ and the Chimera chassis (which are the same in my vehicle range) - but i liked it so much that i included it as a general design feature for all tanks.

 

On the Macharius, i am drawing more of them for the turret.

[Nostromo]

The turret has received a few more details - far from finished, but clearly a visible progress.

 

A few more details of that kind, rivets, sensors, maybe an antenna... the end is visible on the horizon. Of the turret - the whole tank will take much more time (and expect a 3 week break. Vacations!). And before the end, the e is still the hell of wheels and tracks.

[Naryn]

Looks spectacular, I love the reactive armor detailing.

[OtherKharon]

It smells of techno-heresy in here. But the sheer madness of it all has to redeem you.

Looks extremely good, especially the Basilisk.

 

I wish you all the strength you can muster when it comes to the tracks. Maybe hide the upper part of it in imperial style side-skirts?

[Nostromo]

soooo... you think you smell techno-heresy?

I tell you what... if you open your eyes, you will see techno-heresy jump right in your face 

 

Of course you're right - this is no imperial technology and has never even seen a STL even from a lghtyears distance.

 

A few updates from the week (and the last for the next 3 weeks, i'll be on vacations)

 

First, some progress on the Macharius

 

If you have followed the evolution of the design, maybe you also have noticed that for some elements, it is a constant development. I have again tried something new with the hatches and the fire points on the rear. Many tiny parts - and even worse: many bent tiny parts. Gluing alone took hours, but i think it paid off.

The track guards and the area above the front hatch received the second level of armor plates and the front was worked on a bit more.

It already looks almost done, but there is still so much to do:

• details on the rear
• wheels and tracks
• stowage, tools....
• more details on the rear track guards (looks a bit naked)
• more sensors
• maybe a radar dish
• RIVETS

Regarding the tracks - half of them will be hidden in the track guards anyway like on the other tanks. The tracks are always the worst part on all the tanks so far.

 

On a sidenote - here is a preview on the infantry color scheme for the first part of the Utgardians. Again, nothing Mars will approve of...

 

And a last thing: The background story is almost done, just a few things need to be tidied up a bit.

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/347218-utgardian-armed-forces/

 

Thanks to all for the feedback. That's what i need to continue with the next 40 tank tracks and wheels.

[Nostromo]

No, the project did not die in the meantime- it was just the hardest and most boring phase. The worst part is done - the "Macharius" finally has wheels and tracks.

... and the first aproximately 200 rivets on the hull.

The next steps will be more details: tools, stowage, more rivets, antenna - and the sponsons (magnets for those are in place above the doors)

Do i really want to make that phase 5 more times - or even more?

Seriously- the wheels and tracks alone took longer than everything else in total... and everything else produces much more visible results

[Nostromo]

besides a few dozen additional rivets (i assume i am about 80% done with those now) now i have

- side sponsons. Magnetized and pivotable - but not very impressive as that was to be expected.

- Sensors/spotlights (not decided yet what they will be... maybe both) on the turret (and as well magnetized)

- a radar dish on the turret (magnetized)

[Naryn]

Outstanding work. I’m in awe of your skills.

[Nostromo]

Thanks Naryn, that‘s very kind of you.

But if i really were that good, it would look less sloppy. I am quite curious how it looks after painting - only a matter of weeks now. Months at worst...

Progress comes so slow. The time i invested in those tanks shows one thing... this kind of scratch building is no alternative if it is only about saving money - maybe if one has extremely MUCH more time than money.

 

This project only pays off because of the following:

- the challenge. Can i do it?

- the fun in building - though, in the phase of building tracks and wheels, that fun is ... limited

- to get a really unique army

- feel like a rebel. Eat THAT, GW!

 

However, comments like yours help me keep up the motivation

[Nostromo]

The end of the Macharius building phase is in sight!

You may also notice a hint on the beginning of priming of the other two finished tanks.

I would like to ask you on your opinion on what i could still do to improve the Macharius.

I plan to add

- some more stowage (just a mockup on the rear track casings) and

- a few more greeblies especially on the rear side

- a rope

... and now i am out of ideas. And maybe that is also enough.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Impressive. I like the rails for tying down supplies and other cargo.

[Nostromo]

The Macharius has moved on to the painting bench.

I have forgotten to add the rope... but the crate turned out nice (enough)

The empty railing on the back is occupied as well now. I added a rolled-up camo-net there.

In parallel, i am still working on a small recon vehicle as a replacement for a Tauros/Venator and Sentinel.

I am still in the test building phase and doing the 3rd build now.

This photo here is from the 2nd build, the wheels from the first and second generation (i am working on a 3rd generation of those as well).

The difference between the 2nd and 3rd generation of the vehicle is not design-related - i have only amended the construction to allow a much cleaner build with less gaps between the parts. It is still far from easy to assemble... but it gets better.

A few surface details are hinted at on the photo - but there is still some way to go.

[Naryn]

Love the progress on the storage, this project shines in the attention to little details like that. That little car looks pretty cute as well, is it going to be open-topped? Or closed off?

[Nostromo]

Thank you :-)

The cute little car will be closed off - if you look hard, you may see where the side doors will be.

The roof will get a nice heavy weapon and there is still enough space for a HKM and... stowage.

[Nostromo]

A few finishing touches - and of course the interchangeable main weapon on the roof - are still missing.

But essentially, it is done.

For the moment, i call it "bullfrog".

[Nostromo]

Slowly the shock wears off...

Since last week i have begun painting the first three tanks. Priming with a rattle can in 3 steps, then applying the base color - again with a rattle can. Alwys the same procedure... spray, wait for the color to dry, reposition and repeat.

Everything worked fine: smooth, even layers of color after each step. Until the third layer of base color.

 

Now i have... a dense texture of small dots.

It might be a result of temperature or air humidity... but no matter the reason - for what i wanted to achieve, the paintjob is ruined even before it really started. And now the material decision fires back at me with full force...

Stripping paint from paper WON'T work. I tried sanding in a half-hearted approach - but that won't make a real difference.

 

Discouraging, but let's see how much i can rescue with late stages. At least those are still the prototypes.

The only REAL issue comes from me being unable to wait. Because now i did not stick with the idea to test ANYTHING prior to working on important models. And now i have ruined the Macharius as well.

Stupid, stupid me...

 

But could i really have anticipated two layers of a paint working nice and messing up the last without doing anything different?

 

What did i learn from that?

Do not rush things, stay with the plan.

Use rattle cans only for priming - and stay with the brands i made good experiences with.

 

Crap.

[Nostromo]

What a difference some color makes...

Some good news is that i could rescue some of the damage inflicted with the spray paint.

Less good is that the damage was larger than i realized at first. So: No more of that color used on anything else than terrain.

The Next catastrophe occured when i tried masking tape to simplify painting the camo pattern. Either the tape was crap, i was too stupid to apply it properly or that technique is only usefull in combination with an airbrush. I do not work with an airbrush... so back to painting the pattern free-hand.

So i spent a few more hours repairing the ruined camo pattern on the first two tanks.

Later, i tried pin washes ... and learned much about that. ... and I am not done with learning. Ahem...

But: the intermediate result is ok and improved with each tank. But they’re FAR from finished.

On the Macharius, I have not begun washing yet.

On a sidenote, i have quickly painted a draft for a regimental banner. I HAVE the Eisenkern command squad with a standard bearer... BUT: the motive is predetermined. And that motive is the wilhelminian Reichskriegsflagge. For some reasons obvious for most Germans, that flag is not useable.

So instead I made something different that incorporates the iron cross (which is visible on all Eisenkern models) and the colors

Edited October 14, 2018 by Nostromo

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The camouflage pattern is well-applied. I commend your work.

[Nostromo]

Bjorn, thank you for the appreciation.

I think it is apparent which tank is the first and the last in the painting row.

With the hard edges typical for a M90-like scheme, using a brush works nice enough (and forgives mistakes to a certain degree).

I wonder if I can produce airbrush-like, soft-edged pattern with a brush as well... can‘t be that hard with glazes... no, stick with the plan!

... but maybe with the vehicles for the Ranger-regiment...?

[Brother Christopher]

I'm a fan of your work. The custom Macharius is a great and brave design. I'd say that it is somewhat not very warhammery, leaning more towards your "generic sci-fi stuff" (like obviously Halo, but also C&C or Starcraft series) but thanks to that (as well as integration of some Imperial design solutions) looks very 'fresh' and exciting. I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've had. Problems arise, but you also learn a lot by overcoming them. At least you managed to manage the situations very well and prevent noticeable damage to the tank. I'm a particular fan of your weapon design - they look very good and I know how time-consuming work on such small bits may be.

 

PS: I didn't realise before taking a look at your gallery that you're the author of that "minesweeper" Vindicator. I came across pictures of the tank in Google search a long time ago and thouth that it's a great idea. Too realistic for my BT Crusade, since the chains actually make sense and perform a function and I prefer a more nonsensical approach to 40K (e.g. who'd want cammo if you can paint extensive heraldry and attach banners and candles to your tank for the yolo factor), but still.

[Nostromo]

Now that is really great to hear

Thanks for that very kind feedback - and for browsing the gallery. Actually, i stumble every few years about someone who knows that vindicator, and it feels good every time.

Google image is quite weird for me now... it is quite strange to find my own pictures as top results when looking for examples of scratch-building.

But compared with guys like you, blackadder - and many more, there is still motivation and room to catch up.

 

My IG vehicles ARE different - and must be so! I thought: If i use a (or better: two) completely different miniature ranges for my infantry, i can just as well keep it consistent and make the vehicles as different as the infantry is. I fail to understand why the different IG regiments have such variance in their infantry design... but not in the vehicles.

At the moment, i definitely put much more emphasis on the aspect of credibility (no, not realism... BIG difference). Maybe one day i will build an ork army as well, and that will be VERY different. But the design for this army is linked with the story - and the narrative plays a really big role here. After all, that is one of the major motivation factors to design one vehicle after the other - and then go to mass production. Kind of...

 

But i honestly see no reason why you should not make a mineclearing-vindicator for your BTs. I would fit in, and who (besides you) says that making sense is a bad thing?

[CommodusXIII]

The rivets, in particular, go a long way to linking these designs with the GW models.  It's a subtle cue, but smooth armor would break that immersion.

[Brother Christopher]

Now that is really great to hear

Thanks for that very kind feedback - and for browsing the gallery. Actually, i stumble every few years about someone who knows that vindicator, and it feels good every time.

Google image is quite weird for me now... it is quite strange to find my own pictures as top results when looking for examples of scratch-building.

But compared with guys like you, blackadder - and many more, there is still motivation and room to catch up.

 

You are mostly welcome. I share your experience and feelings. I find browsing other people's works oddly satisfying. Also, you never know when you'll stumble upon something truly amazing and/or inspiring. That's another reason I'm thankful for you taking the time to respond in my thread. Now I'm able to put a 'face' to the model I've seen.

 

 

My IG vehicles ARE different - and must be so! I thought: If i use a (or better: two) completely different miniature ranges for my infantry, i can just as well keep it consistent and make the vehicles as different as the infantry is. I fail to understand why the different IG regiments have such variance in their infantry design... but not in the vehicles.

At the moment, i definitely put much more emphasis on the aspect of credibility (no, not realism... BIG difference). Maybe one day i will build an ork army as well, and that will be VERY different. But the design for this army is linked with the story - and the narrative plays a really big role here. After all, that is one of the major motivation factors to design one vehicle after the other - and then go to mass production. Kind of...

 

But i honestly see no reason why you should not make a mineclearing-vindicator for your BTs. I would fit in, and who (besides you) says that making sense is a bad thing?

 

You are so right about the difference in infantry and vehicle! I mean, it probably has a lore explanation (the Imperium using STCs and having limited designs and whatnot), but it stands to reason that there should be more variance than just the odd chimera/leman russ pattern. At this stage of my hobby, I really take issue with much GW does and this ties to limiting people's creativity. I feel that the company wants people to have quite uniform armies - an argument in support of this claim are the recent model releases (e.g. Primaris having one mark of amour and limited diversity) and rules which do not support models that aren't availible in GW's portfolio. A completely different design of a tank is heresy - both in lore (the Mechanicus would probably have a thing to say about your work!) and in the primary world (since GW doesn't encourage creativity). Back in the ancient times, we even had rules for making custom vehicles and/or monsters - can you imagine that now? That is why your own lore is so important. Custom designs, supported by a (credible) backstory are in defiance of GW's policy :P It's also fun to take your time and devise reasons why your plastic or cardboard tank is so different than expected.

 

There is no reason why an IG regiment should not have a recon vehicle based on a wheeled chassis, such as your Bullfrog, which I find to be a superior design to the Taurox which should use wheels instead of the funky tracks. To me, the Bullfrog could also act as a police/riot control vehicle in hive cities. By the way, the wheels you've built from scratch are hugely impressive - they appear to be a simple design, but the result is phenomenal.

 

Ah, I probably should also give more thought to what I'm typing. Regarding the 'making sense' aspect of vehicle design, I don't really have anything against it. I just probably don't want to take such an approach for my Crusaders. Back in the day, I've chosen an approach to painting and modelling my troops following the instructions of Codex: Black Templars and How To Paint Space Marines and have made a commitment. I simply want my stuff to be consistent in being 'plain' Space Marine stuff with some knightly adjustments.