Custom Cast Canards

Normally when I scratch build, I get so tired of cutting plasticard, that ultimately my models look pretty bad. Rather than acquiesce to that this time around, I decided to look for a new way to make parts. I think I may have found it.

1. Create your stencils as usual.
2. Print your stencils out on card stock. This will give them a little heft. Print out enough complete sets that the stacked card stock will be as thick as  your thickest part.
3. Laminate two sets of your stencils. Fedex had a laminating machine that I was able to use. The laminated stencils provide enough height to make surface details stand out.
4. Build your model, saving the laminated parts for surface details, or areas where card stock is too fragile.
5. Use liquid green stuff to fill in the edges where stacks of card stock meet. The finished part can be sanded, but it is easier to fill in the most egregious holes before you cast. 
6. Mold and cast your part.
7. Build whatever it is your are building....or two of them.....or maybe just a crashed one to make scenery. 

So my plan was to make a Thunderhawk using this technique, but that will take forever, and I will not be able to show it off. What about customizing a storm raven into a mini t-hawk/storm bird like design.

What do you think? If I stick with custom parts for a unique design, then I will be able to make any number of these things. 

1st Edition 40k

Something great came in the mail today. Way back in 89 this was the book that hooked me on warhammer 40k. My original copy has long since deteriorated beyond recognition. So when I saw a copy on eBay I had to buy it.

I am glad squats are gone from the game, but I still like some of the art!

To Buy Or Not To Buy...A Metal Thunderhawk

I've wanted to build/buy/ebay acquire, a space marine thunderhawk for some time. When a metal thunder hawk came up on ebay I considered the purchase. I remember really liking the model, but as the all metal hobbyist torture kit on ebay was not built, it was hard to see what the final model would look like. There are so few photos of these things around, they might as well be white whales. Rather than plunk down enough money to buy a forgeworld resin thunderhawk on an unknown ancient metal quantity, I decided to take some plans I found online to make the original one, and see how it would look in my collection.

Good thing I did.

I have no idea why I thought the metal one was cool. It is not. The forgeworld thunderhawks are so much better it is not even worth collecting the metal one. (unless you are into hobby torture...in that case all yours!)

Does anyone like the old model? Outside of the marine gunners in the wing tips, there is not much I like about it.  I would not buy an RTBO1 Beaky marine either, so maybe there is a limit to the nostalgia.

Abbadon 2.0

I did some work on Abbadon's base that I think worked out fairly well. I started with the plastic Chaos terminator lord base, added some rhino junk, and then used the new texture paint to fill in all the spaces in-between the rubble. The texture paint worked out quite nicely, but the down side is that I used nearly 1/2 a pot of the stuff. I just don't see how texture paint is economical, and this is coming from a guy who buys everything GW makes!

I still need to paint quite a few parts on Abbadon. I was thinking of giving him a glowing green sword to match the deamons I planted up earlier. I think green might look nice with the purple cloak that has not been added yet. After that and I get to weather up the base and his feet, and then put down some brown static grass.

Also, my wife picked up some white poster board which I used as a backdrop for the photo. What do you think? It feels a little weird to me to not see the mini with a background, but the detail does look clearer than before.

EDIT --It is late here, so the photos are not perfect, but I decided to go with the red daemon sword and purple cloak.

Abbadon Finecast / Plastic Hybrid Painting WIP

A while ago I cut up my finecast Abaddon in an effort to up-scale him. The finecast mini has a lot of really interesting detail, but is a bit small for the Warmaster himself. I took a break from cleaning my 'office' (mostly miniatures) today and decided to put down a few licks of paint. Now when I chopped apart my original Abaddon to make this guy, I left his torso and head alone. Though small, I wanted no ambiguity as to who this figure represented. Now that his head is painted and am I am ready to attach it to the mini, I find that the model just does not fit. Did anyone else experience this when they put their Abaddon together? i suppose a little finecast surgery is now in order, but I had to do that after painting so much of him.

Thunderwolves and Long Fangs A Break From My Ultras

I am not invested in how these Space wolves turn out, which is totally liberating when it comes to painting. I get to try all kinds of different blending techniques, and not worry about consistency between miniatures. When I painted the first two minis it was really just a way for me to stretch my legs with the new GW paints. I chose Space Wolves because for all practical purposes I had not painted them before (ok--a couple of years ago I painted three of them) A few dogs/wolves later and now it looks like I might end up with a full SW army. In keeping with the long tradition of the SW chapter, I am only kitting my Long Fangs out with missile launchers. Anything less would be un-wolfy.

Now while I am painting these guys with a loose, sort of sloppy feel, I do have some SW minis that I should spend some more time on. I managed to pick up a couple of squads of 13th company a while back, which I think will add some great character to the force.

So, I suppose I have to paint two more long fang squads right........

Thunderwolves Underway & A Haradrim/Tallarn Mashup

Canis Wolfborn, three thunder wolves, and five of the new wolves are now underway. One of the changes I made from the previous fur recipe was to airbrush fenris grey along the belly,just after the bane blade color. Next, I plan to use a 25% wash 75% water ratio for the agrax earthdirtshadeButReallyIsMud color. I can easily see myself producing an all wolf army for my Space Wolves force. I know it would be terrible from a game perspective, but eh, paint what you want to right.
(a little saturday stream of consciousness should be expected only one coffee in)

Just for kicks I decided to use the new GW painting guide to paint one of the Tallarn models I have been slowly amassing. Instead of going Tallarn traditional, I decided to follow the LoTR Haradim tutorial. I thought it would be just an amusing mash up, but then I noticed my 10 mumaks, and how nice the would look painted like the Haradim elephants and well.....maybe my Tallarn might be LoTR Themed. Do mashups work?

So what are your plans this Saturday? How about painting up a mashup?

Wolves

Long before the new running wolves came out for the Space Wolves, I purchased a bunch of what were labeled wolves on the GW site. It turns out they are mounts for goblins I think, and have piggish features. However odd the sculpts were, they are excellent test models for Thunderwolf cavalry which is built and ready to be be painted. Having never painted dogs/wolves before, I did a little research and found a video for painting wolves up on buypainted. I think the link was youtube, but whatever the case, you are pointed in the right direction. These wolves took very little work with the help of the airbrush. The thing to note is that while the colors are a little off due to morning photography, the wolves looked much better prior to adding washes to them. I think 50% is the new 100%, and 25% is the new 50%. The washes glazed the model rather than stay in the recesses, which would be nice if I were worried about pooling, but alas, I am not.

Grey Wolf Recipe

• Base color: Eshin Grey
• Top color: Abbadon Black
• Belly color: Fenrisian Grey
• Nuln Oil 50% strength wash over full model

Tan Wolf Recipe

• Base color: XV88
• Top color: Rhinox
• Belly color: Baneblade 
• Agrax Earthshade 50% strength wash over full model
• Light dusting on the feet and nose of ushabi bone

Brown Wolf Recipe

• Tan Wolf Recipe
• Base color: XV88
• Top color: Rhinox
• Belly color: Baneblade 
• Agrax Earthshade 50% strength wash over full model
• Light dusting on the feet and nose of ushabi boneAgrax Earthshade 100% strength wash over full model

I am out of test models now, so short of dunking these in simple green, I may just start on the big daddies themselves. That is of course unless anyone knows of other tutorials I should watch, or other material I should read before I paint these wolves up.