Adding detail to jazz up the basic 5 man Cadian kit

I picked up the 5 man Cadian kit when i got the 10 man squad just to see if they would be any good for bulking out the platoons. Answer is yes but a bit of Aves never hurt anybody ;)

I've extended there jackets and added some random kit pouches. One gets a camo cape and another (not pictured) has a Parker style coat. Why? well in the older fluff for the guard it's mentioned that Guard units where responsible for replacing the regiments fatigues when the original issue were worn out. With that in mind i thought some variation would be cool looking.

These guys are not going to be Cadians (no offence to Cadia) but I'm going to replace the heads and maybe extend the laz rifle barrels as these guys will be from the Stalichian sixth rifle brigade. More pics soon as I've done a bit more to them, added back packs to 2 of them and a smaller duffel bag to a 3rd, must stop mixing up to much putty.

Hope you like

Rich

More Guard chop jobs

Here's a couple of Catachans I've been abusing with scalpel and needle files. Still a bit of work to do with details on them.

Messing with Imperial Guard

First up a Mordian Iron Guard with grenade launcher. Looking at the Cadian box set i noticed the grenade launcher pouch and thought that would look good on this guy so i've used the strap with the (stooopid) tassels to carry a double set of them. I've also removed the shoulder pad things that looked like they had been stolen from his mums living room curtains and replaced them with a Cadian -ish one and a home brew one on the other shoulder. Just need to finish his new head gear and he's done. I'll get a front shot when that's sculpted. May add a las pistol on his right thigh as his back up weapon.

Cyborg update

Just a quick update as I'm about had it with work and it's going to snow tomorrow (yay)not. Anyway I've airbrushed a light grey over his to better see the kak bits that need sanding/ redoing. Also started on my third attempt at a gun for him and I'm happy with this one (at last) I'll get better pics of it when it's done. Only 5 days till I'm of for xmas so more progress then. Oh and Blood Pact was fantastic, I'm saving Ravenor for my xmas reading whilst at the in laws. Well it's less rude than just getting drunk and ignoring them :)

Rich

Abnett overload

Well the good people at Amazon have just delivered Blood Pact and the Ravenor Omnibus so expect very little from me for about a week as i will be what is termed in our house as a functioning mute till these are finished :) I'll try to brake away from them to post pics of cyborg guy and some test conversions I've started for my Imperial Guard army I've just started but no promises.

Blitz

Going backwards to go forwards.

Here's the latest pics from the bench and as you can see I've had to do thumb surgery to correct his hand. The gun didn't sit right in his hand as his thumb was to high and in an unnatural position. You can see what i mean from the 3rd pic and 2nd and 4th pic show my frankensurgery on his hand to correct this.

The last 2 pics are just updates on the tweaks Ive done to his face and the lower arm which is actully finishhed now but I've not taken pics yet.

It's looking like this might get cast up so it will only get to the primer stage for now and also i need to start thinking about a base and some decals. That's were you come in, i need some ideas and suggestions about the base and some art work to go on the back of his jacket.

I am torn between a plain base/plinth type thing or going super greebly on it and making it look like a power generator. What's you guys think?

Also maybe some artwork for the back of his jacket could be cool but any ideas that would fit in with this guy being a cyborg bounty hunter.

That's all for now but more updates soon.

Rich

Fun with Sculpy Pt 3 Now with added Aves

As you can see he's now got an arm! sort of and a gun is in the works. I've started with some tube as a base for the Aves and plastic parts I'm adding to build up the arm. Just a profile pic i thought looked good :)

I've removed the ball bearing from the back of his head, just didn't look right.

The start of the greeblys going on the upper arm. The pipe is from a 1/35 tiger that Tak sent me in a box of bits a looooong while back.

1/72 tank parts on the side of his head to give it some more interest. Too much or could i add more??????? I'm thinking of adding some veeeeeeeeeery thin plasicard to the raised areas also.

Aves (blessed be the Aves) being sculpted on as fibermuscel bundles. Not that evident in this pic. All the spring tubing in this shot i made myself.

The start of the hand. This is leeci wire sandwiched between 2 pieces of plasticard with added Aves. The wire will be folded round a gun grip and then sculpted over with more Aves or possibly greenstuff i will have to see how the mood takes me ;) The rest of the gun will be made separately and attached later.

Fun with Sculpy part 2

Here's my progress so far with this chap. He still needs some cyborgy stuff attaching to his head and i may be changing the back of his head some. I'm not to sure of the plate on the back of the skull, it extends back a bit too much.

The cybernetic eye is lower in the socket you may notice, this may look wrong but when you lose the whole eye socket the remaining hole is lower. I know this as my neighbor at Uni had lost his right eye and was blind in the left eye and he didn't were dark glasses to save others of a more delicate nature from seeing his ruined eye.

What do you think of the scar tissue around his back skull plate ? it's less defined in the later pics above but still noticeable.

His lips need redoing as they have been battered whist working on the rest of his head and body.

Any comments welcome folks

Rich

Fun with Sculpy pt1

An idea has come up at SFM to do a kit of some kind and it has been suggested we try doing a bio mechanical cyborg figure or bust and as I've never attempted a bust before i thought I'd have a bash at one. The metal armature took about 45 mins to do and the basic shape another 45 mins. The armature is just copper wire twisted together and then covered in tin foil to bulk it out and stop sculpy disappearing into the cavities of the wire.

I then layered on thin sheets of grey super sculpy to get a basic body and head shape. The grey was something i mixed a while back for another project that was left over. I make grey from mixing white and black sculpy with a larger lump of the super sculpy. Grey is easier to work with for me as i can see more details in contrast, the pinkish super sculpy plays havoc with my eyes so tinting it a darker shade helps me allot.

The green is again sculpy as i 'd ran out of mixed grey. The piece covering his arm is the start of some armour and will also act as a base for some cybernetics on the right side of his face. I'm trying to not have it look like a Borg or just some random wires entering his head. I'm going to make his right side face completely cybernetic and am toying with the idea of adding a cybernetic arm also but will probably try that on Mk2, this is just a test piece done in Richy scale as I've no idea of standard scales for these busts.

I will probably refine the face some more before cooking it and then add the second layer of detail to the body, thinking leather jacket as they don't tend to create as meny folds as cloth and are more pronounced. Then I'll probable switch to Aves and green stuff for the cybernetics as these will be random bits from the stash and most are plastic so no more cooking possible.

Any and all comments and suggestions welcome as always.

Rich

Alternative Armour

Starting err well now I'm going to be posting up the progress of the builders in the Alternative Armour group build challenge type thingy which I'm running on SFM:UK. First up is Alun's build a Taco 34 from Junk Tank Rock (google it now). Now being pressed for time (DIY) he has opted for a strait build up of the Taco with a few mods if time allows. Here is his latest post over on his blog http://alunowen.org/?p=773 and a search will reveal the first and second updates he posted. The Taco was one of the inspirations behind this group build and it's great that someone has done one for the group build.

Next up will be (sticks thumb in ear and thinks randomly) Noddys "huge" Bunker Buster build mostly made from junk including an old hoover.

Rich

Just a little aside about SFM:UK if you haven't come across us before we are a dispirit group of scif fi and fantasy (and Horror don't ferget Horror) model builders from all over the UK building well sci fi models and stuff. It's a broad church with folks building SS Y wings to Dark Angels Deathwing commissions and we have a shiny new site to boot :)

Best dust of the ol Space Marines

Last Saturday i ventured in to my local games Workshop store with my eldest son in tow (Ninja Scientist) just for some Cadians for a dio I'm doing and well to cut a long story short got collared by the manager and ended up with the little ninja painting a space marine and getting ready to play his first game of 40K. Unfortunately we had to go before the game but Vinny said to come back next Saturday for a demo game if we had time. So all week it's been "are we still going to games workshop?" so I've agreed to take him and see if he can get a demo game of 40K. I've warned them about his err problems with loosing (everyone is banned from playing games with him even snap) but the guy felt confident that 40K would be a great game to learn him about chance and startagy. I bloody well hope so as i don't think the homicidal tendencies will go down well. If he can get through the game with out shouting "whaaaaat" at the top of his voice i may get him the boxed game and let him loose on the green skins ( i get the marines ;)

I shall report on any screams of indignation or blatant attempts to alter the rules mid game or if anyone drops dead from the evil eye. Hopefully he wont eat his opponents models in rage and we can leave peacefully at the end, fingers crossed.

Rich

Swimmwagon at Duxford

Here are pics of what must be my fave vehicle of WW2 and probably the worlds first beach buggy lol. There are lots of pics of US troops using these little amphibious cars after D Day in Europe. The Tamiya kit of this vehicle is the only one I've seen but there are other kits out there in different scales but if your looking for something to convert for scifi war gaming purposes then the Tamiya kit in 1/35 scale is great for this. I just wish I'd been able to get around behind it for shots of the propeller thingy but the museum guard (who was hot btw ;) was wondering past so didn't try stepping over the line. Ya never know there may be snipers deployed to stop this sort of thing happening :)

Enjoy the pics
Rich

I want one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Laq2788EE&feature=player_embedded

And it has pretty lights on it too.

Castellan

Finally some shots of the Castellan assault walker. This is the main body seen from above and from behind. The top hatch is from the Votom I'm using for my ma.k build and the drivers vision block is the cap from a fire retardant foam can (comes out pink and doesn't expand very much so good for filling cavities in models, you can even push it into shapes after 20 mins or so as the skin forms and it will stay like it)

The lower hull is the bottom of a Shwimmwagon (pics of the real thing coming soon) and the rear top plate is from a 1/72 Char B1 bis french tank.

There will be a Heavy bolter opposite the driver and an auto cannon or laser beside the commanders cupola. I'm hoping to use the hatch lid that comes with the Tank acc sprue from GW and the commander also plus some other bits to make it more imperial guard looking.

Next is the legs and i have to try to get a system together for making up all the parts for all 4 before sticking them together. The tops of the legs wont overstep the cupola giving it a low profile and i will try to scratch up some sort of leg shields to increase its forward protection

I know it's a bit early for comments and suggestions but there always welcome, I like the fact that people suggest painting ideas way before I've even given it a thought and fresh eyes on a project is always helpful hence the blog lol.

Rich