Mandragola’s Legio Astorum (and Mortis and stuff)

[Chaeron]

Awesome, Brother Chaeron. I will take a look

 

My pleasure - Mandragola however has the pleasure of playing on such a great table! It's interesting how whilst it's intended for 28mm, it really does work with Titanicus stuff. Really good to keep seeing such diverse battlefields, with a range of terrain.

[Dark Bjoern]

Exactly. The manufactorum building has the right size for AT. The generators too.

[Mandragola]

This evening I’ve been doing some work on the warlord for my Axiom maniple. This is actually my third warlord, but probably the first that I’ll finish. Oh well!

 

One change I made was to remove the rock from under his foot to make it look like he was in mid stride. I’ve angled his toes down too. Works ok I think, though obviously rather less dramatic than my running warlord. I think it works quite well to have a warlord plodding forward like this.

 

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/Someguy01/FF67E04C-12D6-44FC-ADC3-9CBC5924D4D0_zpsx1sp30qf.jpeg

 

If I never have to paint a warlord’s toes again, that’ll be fine.

 

Meanwhile I’ve been working on armour plates. I’ve done these on the sprues mainly. I think it’s been a slight help to do it this way. The bits are small so it’s good to have the frame to hold onto.

 

I’ve now got to paint on the flame patterns over a lot of this orangey stuff, and do a ton of gold edging. Then highlight the blue bits, add transfers, weather... oh god...

 

 

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/Someguy01/F2A7D6A8-6E10-4FD7-8B73-9C217991964E_zpsffbqojzc.jpeg

Edited March 25, 2019 by Mandragola

[Mandragola]

Time for another update. I have pledged, most unwisely, that I'll complete an Axiom maniple for the Titans of the Heresy event. It's starting to look like I might actually achieve this and avoid becoming a servitor. I'd prefer this, even though Astorum's servitors are the best. I'm also going to the Coastal Clash in Brighton at the end of the month so I'll need an army!

 

So here's where I'm up to with the maniple.

 

 

So that's a maniple, right? Five titans, all with painted skeletons, magnetised guns and increasing amounts of painted armour. Bases I'm nowhere near doing, but still. Progress is being made.

 

Let me introduce you to my stompy robots.

 

 

Since we last saw my warlord he's grown a few guns. Not much more to show for the armour though. This is being painted on sprue mostly, though some of the bigger bits have been removed now to have flames painted on.

 

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/Someguy01/540909E7-7966-4DD9-A5E9-CF0F648396DA_zpsloop9vut.jpeg

 

This guy is the reaver I first tested my flame pattern on. And to be honest I'm not 100% happy with how it's come out, so I might have to have another go. Overall thoguh I think he's looking pretty good.

 

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/Someguy01/BB536802-823D-4502-99D2-66C59D86DAD9_zps8iurbzjy.jpeg

 

Not far behind is my running reaver. As you can probably see I've drawn on the flame pattern in pencil, ready to paint on the blue. I've found it easier to mark out the flames this way rather than with the brush. 

 

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt185/Someguy01/58E33558-B4E3-4221-915A-10387598AE55_zpsjfnobfks.jpeg

 

And finally my warhounds, which demonstrate that in practice. To be honest I'm still not totally sure I've got this right. The flames are maybe a little too regular on the guy on the right. The left one is better I think. 

 

Anyway I'm pretty happy with how the maniple is going. I think the yellow is working out nicely and I'm getting there with the flames. The blue bits haven't been highlighted at all yet but that won't take all that long to do. Then it's transfers, weathering, basing and all that fun stuff.

 

Some C+C would be very welcome.

[Sherrypie]

Very nice flames there, though wondering if a slightly heavier reddening towards the tips would bring them out even better? I really like the tone you've got on the running Reaver.

[Gamma310]

As a Fuerans player I really do feel your pain in regards to painting flames. Your Titans seem to be coming together really well so I wouldn't think too much about it. If the look of the finished product is as good as your titans look right now you have nothing to worry about.

[Mandragola]

Thanks both. Painting flames is proving to be a bit of a hassle! I am pretty happy with the overall effect though. The yellow/orange areas are coming through as bright and warm colours, and contrasting well with the blue.

 

I think I agree with Sherrypie about making the tips of the flames a bit redder. I’m a bit wary of this, as there’s a lot less contrast between red and blue compared to orange and blue. But I think I could go slightly more red without losing much, and by doing so I’d make a bit more distinction between the areas that are flames and those that are just yellow.

 

I might grab a couple of spare armour plates to try some techniques on. I want to work out how to do a bit of chipping and maybe some some dirt splashes without losing all the work I’ve done on flames etc.

[Dark Bjoern]

Awesome. I love the flames. I hope to get mine nearly as well as yours!

[Mandragola]

Thanks. It isn’t actually all that hard to do. Lahmian medium (or “magic blending juice”, as I now call it) makes the yellow/orange transition really easy.

 

The other thing is to use white, not averland sunset yellow, as the base coat. Yriel yellow straight over a proper white base gets a really bright colour, unlike the sort of creamy yellow that Averland gives you. Coral white is a bit grey so you need to use something else or put a layer or two of white paint over it before starting.

[Master Ciaphas]

Lovely models, Mandragola!

[Gore Crow]

That's a smart looking maniple! Big fan of how you've done the flames.

[Mendi Warrior]

Very nice, I like the flames!

[Mandragola]

Thanks guys. I’m getting there, but it’s slow. Worth taking the time to get it right though, I think. I’m taking the time, at least. Edited April 5, 2019 by Mandragola

[Chaeron]

Continuing to look great - keep it up! The contrast between the flames and main armour colour works so well.

[Mandragola]

Big news: I've got some finished titans! Or at least, the painting is finished, the bases aren't... but I'm still calling it progress.

 

Here are the warhound titans provisionally named "1" and "2".

 

 

 

 

I've made these shattered trees by breaking some cocktail sticks. I bought some mud at Salute (I just spent £32 on fake mud... not even REAL mud) to hopefully create a scene of churned mud and shattered forest.

 

 

Hope you like my titans. C+C would be very welcome. More to come!

[Dark Bjoern]

The Hounds are absolutly awesome! But the bases needing much more love to match up with the titans!

[Sherrypie]

Those flames are toasty!

 

Regarding flames, I remember someone using burnt matches as scorched tree trunks and it looked great. Are you going for a burnt or just splintered look here?

[General Zodd]

These look fantastic! I really love the contrast between the two colours, the yellow really pops. As for the earlier discussion about reddening the tips of the flames, I agree with you that it might compromise the contrast, it looks sweet as it is.

[Mandragola]

Thanks guys. Glad you like them. I’m pretty pleased with them.

 

I’m not sure about the bases. My thinking is to go for a blasted battlefield look, rather than the aftermath of a forest fire. I’m not sure how best to achieve this. There’ll need to be fallen stuff on the ground as well though.

 

I did actually add a little carroburg crimson to the tips of the flames. It’s worked ok I think. There’s just enough contrast there still. I definitely wouldn’t want to go any darker.

[Mendi Warrior]

They are gorgeous, I really love the flames, no need to darken them more, the colours and contrast are well balanced imho.

 

Blasted battlefield sounds cool for the bases. I would suggest checking pics and vids of impact craters. Here are two I found while checking this myself:

 

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=931

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G2SPnJoW90

 

and also pictures of WW1 or WW2 battlefields. E.g. Battle of Passchendaele

 

GreenStuff or Milliput, some modelling gravel, baking soda are things you might use.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Mendi Warrior

[Mandragola]

Yeah that’s the kind if thing I want. The water is going to be a bit of a hassle to do but probably worth it. Part of the reason I’ve held off doing the bases is that I don’t want to spray Matt varnish on the water, so the model needs to be done first.

 

My trees will need a bit more work though. I think I can have a few that are just broken off stumps but I’ll need the odd branch here and there.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Mandragola

[Mendi Warrior]

One constraint you have is that the titans are already glued to the bases.

I have seen pics of models wrapped with plastic film (seemed to be the one used to keep food fresh) to protect parts not to be painted/sprayed.

Dark Bjoern did some good looking craters with greenstuff.

For the water, Vallejo water effect or similar stuff seems a must.

For the trees, there are some railroad model trees where you have the trunks and branches separate from the foliage, otherwise, but much more work intensive, some electric wire maybe. Something like this https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/woodland-scenics-realistic-tree-kit-21-pack/574612-1000 (size to be checked) or this https://balagan.info/crafting-trees-using-wire-steel-wool-and-flock

Edited April 8, 2019 by Mendi Warrior

[Mandragola]

What I’ve got is two colours of mud stuff - wet and dark. The idea is to have a solid layer of the wet stuff and then build up the dryer stuff in other places, so it leaves the wet stuff in the depressions.

 

I’ve just ordered some trees with no leaves from 4d. I think if I attack the branches with clippers I can get an effect a lot like that picture. We’ll see.

[Mandragola]

Bit of an update. I’ve got my reavers and warlord for my Axiom maniple basecoated. There’s more to do on these but I’m off on holiday for a few days so no more work will happen before the deadline.

 

If I’m to be a servitor then at least I’ll be a Legio Astorum one, and provide rerolls to repair rolls. I can be proud of that.

 

Here’s the maniple, “painted”:

 

 

The warlord:

 

 

Advancing reaver

 

 

Running reaver

 

[Achinadav]

Flames are brilliant, really contrast well with the rest of the blue armour. I think a grotty brown base covered in goopy mud will set them of beautifully.