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

Quick post b4 bath time

Power cables are on sorry for the crappy pic will get some better shots soon.

Back pack in its early form, the outer sides are a tank of an old labrador helicopter extended and packed out.

Filled over the top section and greeblies applied to the back.

Tanks put on the bottom, these will eventually have tubes running into the power pack.

And a better shot of it. All that's left is to stick it on and finish off the armour plates and it's painting time. Next up will be shots of the castellan walkers body, that's almost done too yay me.

Then its the legs and the crunchys to go on the dio (looking forward to them) I'm going to get a Cadian squad and the tank accessory sprue. Now this will mean a visit to GW and if any of you guys are on Facebook with me you may know my utter horror and uber annoyance with them but willing to rick another visit. They wont get any info out of me this time just a demand of nessesery products to finish an unspecified project. I do hope they ask "what brings you here today sir" again I'm ready with my witty reply this time.

Rich

Tanks Tanks Tanks pt4

Some detail shots mainly of smoke dischargers and the meny forms they take.

Tanks Tanks Tanks pt3

Factory fresh panzer i think a MkI or II they look a lot different up close and personal. " The squads just been run out of it's position sir!. What by Sargent? A tank called Pipa sir!!"

A T34/85 parked up at the edge of the demo yard, this was a close as i could get to the old girl but never fear there's another one inside.

Stowage cradles MUST NOT be used as steps to enter or exit the tank thank you.

I took lots of pics of details on these tanks both the modern ones and the classic WW2 tanks. When your scratching your own tank like abominations its nice to be able to reference how space is used on tanks for extra stowage and kit.

Tanks Tanks Tanks pt2

More Tanks from Duxford

An anti aircraft tank in the yard outside, my son said it looked like a robo tank.

Is it me or have they tried to artex this tank so it will blend into the house it's just crashed into :)

Mud even on a baking hot day the stuff wouldn't fall off. A 14 pound lump hammers the only thing that will get this lot off.

In need of some TLC i think, no idea what this was before being stripped for spares, maybe russian. It's hard to tell without the turret profile as a guide.

They had this running but it didn't move, the amount of smoke it produced had me thinking it was being run on old chip fat :0 cut backs lol

Rich

Tanks Tanks Tanks

It's the Tiger tank from saving private ryan ohhhh on the awesome scale i think this scores a 10.5 Look at the size of those rivets!!! if they were on a model you'd get people saying oh there out of scale they are.

Compered to the Tiger the Sherman was a tiny tin can an a bit ugly looking too.

That is not what i was led to believe zimmerit looked like, this looks like its been applied with a waffle toaster mold not put on in wavy lines like on most models ya see and its badly scared and chipped. This could be from age or just general wear and tear in the field, dunno but looks cool.

More pics of Tanks shortly then it's onto big F*&k Off American planes yum!!!!!!

Space Wolfs do Space Hulk pt1

In the dim and distant past (February 93) when White Dwarfe cost £1.95 they ran this Space Hulk mission for players of Space Wolves.
Well seeing as they have updated the old wolves and new models are out or about to come out i thought i'd scan some pages so the lucky few that got hold of the new Space Hulk could try out using Space Wolf terminators. You may have to tweek the rules a bit as this was for the original game but i'm told the new rules are close to the old ones. Still 3 more pages to come soon-ish and i've some more old Dwarfe articals to scan before its back into theh loft they go for another 10 years lol. Next is Tank pics from Duxford that i've been meaning to post for weeks but a real shitty cold has stopped me.