Mandragola’s Legio Astorum (and Mortis and stuff)

[Mandragola]

I've made a start on the armour panels for my Psi-titan. Lots more work to do.

 

 

I've used some more Custodes bits - in this case their storm shields. I've cut these up to get some wings and other pieces like eagle heads and stuck them on. I'm then using GS to finish the wing shapes and add lightning bolts, as you can see in the panel on the right. Not sure I nailed the feathers this time so I might try some different approaches. I've had to curve these ones and I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with the result. I'll try a different pattern on the next panel and see which I like best.

 

I'm going to try and modify the Titanicus emblem to be the Ordo Sinister symbol. So far all I've done is remove the upper portion of the emblem, to make room for the new bits that I'll have to somehow GS on.

[schoon]

Impressive project! Can't wait to see the results.

 

I'm doing some custom Carapace work on my Legio Lupos stuff as well...

[Mendi Warrior]

What are you planning to use for the Lion's head? Pure GS or using other bits? Have you seen Atia's thread? If not, check here http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/291212-atias-thread-adeptus-titanicus-warlord-sinister-wip/?p=5473714 I have also come across a conversion using a banner top from the High Elves Lions of Chrace if not mistaken.

[Fajita Fan]

Wow, that’s what I should have done with my Custodes Warlord, that’s a good idea with the lightning bolts. I’ve only done the most basic of GS work and that looks hard.

[Mandragola]

I've had a look at the lightning bolts on Custodes stuff and they're actually different, so I think I'll change them. I don't think it's all that advanced stuff. My advice is to use water so the GS doesn't stick to your tools. Oh and try to get some tools for wax working. It's useful to have things with different ends - particularly some pointed ones.

 

Not much hobby time this week. It's been mostly spent applying Retributor armour to vast amounts of trim on my Warbringer. How come there is so much?! The skeleton is mostly done but there's still most of a sprue of armour plates staring at me. RIP my can of retributor armour spray, which died too soon.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Mandragola

[Fajita Fan]

Question: I’m rebasing some of my Captain Morgan poses and now they could be glued down with one foot off the base. How are you finding your Warlord with one foot up? How much risk are you finding an ankle or hip could break? I feel like my joints are really solidly glued but I’m not super stoked over posing a $100 model I’ve invested hours into painting with a risk of breaking. Dynamic poses like your charging Warlord look bad ass so I’m considering it but the model feels very heavy. Did you try to make the lower ankle the center of gravity?

Edited March 6, 2020 by Fajita Fan

[Mandragola]

I’ve had no problems. I think the pistons really strengthen the ankle joint. The running warlord’s foot is more or less in the middle but I’ve got another one that’s just about to have it’s foot land, so it’s not balanced at all. Even with a couple of quake cannons it seems fine.

[Mendi Warrior]

You can also pin the leg into the base. It helps.

[Mandragola]

I’ve not had loads of hobby time lately, but I’ve had a bit of a go with Green Stuff on the Psi-Titan. For some reason I find I put off GS work, though I don’t mind doing it exactly. Converting is incredibly time consuming though.

 

So here’s a “before” and “80% done” lion symbol. I’ve used bloodthirster heads and am modifying the original titan symbol. The spikes are probably too long and will be trimmed. The basic shape of the head is done but I’ll add a bit more to the mane, a T thing on the forehead and so on. Maybe some thin cables as per the image on the book cover that I’m copying.

 

 

 

I’m also nearly there on the leg plates. More Custodes wing bits – this time from Vexillas. The plate for the upper leg has had the knee bit removed because the lower plate incorporates it – as on the actual Custodes.

 

 

 

I’ve also been doing a bit of painting, mainly on the skeletons of my Mortis titans. Quite pleased with the plasma glow on Penumbral Reaper here, which this picture doesn’t really capture.

 

 

I’ve added assorted different colours of metallic paint and a rust wash, much of which I then wiped off again so it’s just in the recesses. I like the metal effect that I’m starting to get, but it needs tidying up. And the risk of starting work on the skeleton is that it’s actually covered in detail, which I could potentially spend forever on. Body is yet to be done though I’ve done the black and gold bits.

 

 

[Dark Bjoern]

Awesome work on the psi-titan. But a legio Mortis engine? Really?!

[Mendi Warrior]

Lovely work! I like the in progress lion's head a lot, it is looking very good. I also like the modifications you did for the knee armour panels, very nice!

[Mandragola]

Thanks. And yes I'm doing a small Traitor force. I realised that I had more than enough Astorum engines so decided to paint up some grey plastic as heretics for a change.

[Fajita Fan]

That’s outstanding, you guys are going way above what I had planned and it’s excellent. 

[schoon]

Great use of Custodes bits on the Psi-Titan!

 

Apologies, but I'm going to have to steal some of those ideas ;)

[Mandragola]

Thanks. I’m quite pleased with the vexilla wings on the legs. The feathers from the shields aren’t right for the shoulder pads though so I’ll have to do them all in GS. the originals are straight and point in the wrong direction. This might be a huge effort, or possibly quite easy.

 

I’m also filling all the gaps between plates on the armour. This matches the custodes look better and will give me more space for the lines of symbols when I paint it. Not sure if I should remove all of these or leave some in places. I might remove the Ts from the thigh plates because it turns out they clash with the body, and they’re the wrong symbol anyway. A plain plate could have symbols on too.

[Mandragola]

Significant progress on Penumbral Reaper. The armour plates are now on. This always feels like the moment a titan comes alive, rather than just being a collection of parts spread around sprues and all over my desk.

 

 

This has been a very different experience to painting my Astorum engines. Much more time on the skeleton and much less on the armour. There’s a bit more to do yet – I need to fill in the eyes and do some checks on the left knee – and of course basing. I might add a little more rust here and there I think.

 

 

I’ll revisit the weapon glow. The lasers have so far just had an orange contrast wash so need some more brightness. And the plasma gun could do with being brighter too if that’s possible. I like the colours but it doesn’t yet look like it’s shining.

 

 

C+C very welcome, especially on the rust.

[Marshal Loss]

What colour(s) did you use for the red, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Looks really good though. I'd push the contrast on the weapon glow(s), but add deeper shading, rather than go heavier/lighter on the highlights, at least for the PA. A really subtle pin wash on some of the panels could help complement the rust as well as add more depth to the black

Edited March 19, 2020 by Marshal Loss

[Mandragola]

Thanks. Yeah the shading on the black, which only gets up to Eshin grey, is too subtle to notice. I think I might pick out the grooves between panels for some rust too. Thanks for the comment.

 

The red is khorne red blended up to Mephiston. I used wildrider to start with but found it looked a bit washed out.

[Fajita Fan]

Mephiston is one of GW's best paints IMO, I think Evil Suns and Wildrider look too pink for my taste but I don't know what else to highlight with besides going offbrand.

 

You're making me want to tip the back toe on my psi-titan like that, did you have to cut the panels down there at all for clearance? My goal is to paint all the psi-titan panels with color shifting green so once the exoskeleton is glued I need to avoid hacking up any of the painted armor plates for clearance issues.

[Sherrypie]

Liking the work you've done with the psi-titans legs, good integration of fancier filigree bits in there.

 

Not sure about the rust on Penumbral, though. It looks good on the mini, but not necessarily like it's in scale if you catch my drift? The surface texture looks gritty like you'd have in a small batch from close up, whereas those areas are supposed to be multiple square meters and would likely look much plainer unless the surface underneath is otherwise damaged and bent. Then again it might be more of an artifact in the picture, it does look a bit grainy.

[Mandragola]

Mephiston is one of GW's best paints IMO, I think Evil Suns and Wildrider look too pink for my taste but I don't know what else to highlight with besides going offbrand.

 

You're making me want to tip the back toe on my psi-titan like that, did you have to cut the panels down there at all for clearance? My goal is to paint all the psi-titan panels with color shifting green so once the exoskeleton is glued I need to avoid hacking up any of the painted armor plates for clearance issues.

 

No issues with the armour plates hitting the toe. There's plenty of space and sort of a bigger notch in the armour for it. I have one of those saws with a fine blade in a C clamp (coping saw?) that makes it really easy to cut a bit at the sides of the joints to make the toes flex. So on that foot the side and rear toes are bent down while the front one bends up.

 

Liking the work you've done with the psi-titans legs, good integration of fancier filigree bits in there.

 

Not sure about the rust on Penumbral, though. It looks good on the mini, but not necessarily like it's in scale if you catch my drift? The surface texture looks gritty like you'd have in a small batch from close up, whereas those areas are supposed to be multiple square meters and would likely look much plainer unless the surface underneath is otherwise damaged and bent. Then again it might be more of an artifact in the picture, it does look a bit grainy.

 

I think you're right about this. I've used an approach intended for 28mm models I think, with layers of increasingly light rust added. This might not be giving me quite the look I wanted so I might revisit it, or use a different approach on my Warhounds. It might be better to use the paint as sort of a wash, or even to texture the rusted areas a tiny bit somehow.

 

I've never really used rust effects before. I always tend to have quite clean models and I play marines a lot, who I think would be unlikely to rust. Fun to try new stuff but haven't got it quite right first try.

[Mandragola]

A bit more progress to report: I’ve now got my three Mortis Warhounds basecoated.

 

Haven’t done any guns yet, but they’re all magnetised and undercoated.

 

I’m doing these guys as a batch now. However I’m giving each one its own colour scheme. For my first two Astorum hounds I used identical scheme to show them as a pair, and I’m not sure I like the result. Titans should be individuals. At some point I’ll return to those two and make some modifications. I’m happier with these three as a coherent group, but not clones.

 

Each will have a black and white pattern on one greave. These aren’t stuck on yet so I can take them off to paint. I don’t think the patterns will be the same but I’m not totally sure what I’ll do yet. Might also add the occasional stripe here and there on blank panels, if I feel like it.

 

My third Astorum hound is also part of this pledge so if I get bored of these things I’ll do some work on him.

[Interrogator-Chaplain Ezra]

 

 

Titans should be individuals.

Preach it.

[Dark Bjoern]

 

 

 

Titans should be individuals.

Preach it.

 

 

Of Course they´re. Each of mine has his own heraldic!

[Master Ciaphas]

Hail!

 

Completely agree - they should be individuals! 

 

And I love the running poses! I have a few unassembled titans, and I would love to do a few of them in a running pose; especially my two Warhounds. 

 

Did you ever do a guide on how to do running Titans? If not, would you consider doing one?

 

Cheers!

 

Master Ciaphas