Blitzspears Lab.

The :0 i've finished a comp entry before the deadline post

2012-02-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

And here's the WIP shots that i took during the build.
I started it about 2 weeks ago but have had a lousy cold last week and also pulled my back at work and to top it off got smacked in the face by a falling metal stud and slashed the top of my nose. Still a bit tender after 5 days but the gash has healed up nicely and you'd be surprised at how much blood you get from a little cut at the top of your nose. Anyway enough of my woes and more about this chap.

First pic is the raw source material a 1/35 Ma.K SAFS pre paint i picked up a couple of years ago at a show.

Second pic grey primer as i planned a new paint job for this guy.

I was i bit apprehensive blasting primer on him as i'd heard the pre-paints were prone to paint peeling and soft spots but so far so good. The detail on the 1/35 scale ma.k's arn't up to there 1/20 brothers but still not bad for this little dio.

Here's the start of the base and that's all you get to see as i'll reveal the finished work when the comp has closed, not that i'm looking to win just doing my
bit for the longer term future of SFM:UK competition's and prize funds.

That's ment to be a future retro Ma.K version of a cruse missile by the way.

Here's the best bit and why i went with this idea as i'd been looking to try salt weathering again on a smaller scale to see if it would workout.

First was a light dose of hairspray followed quickly by some randomly but well placed table salt. Wish i'd used sea salt now but thought it to big for this guy at the time.

Then a couple of passes with the air brush for the overall colour, (white if you hadn't guessed) If any salt falls off at this point dont worry there's always too much anyway lol.

Here he is with the start of the other colours going on and details getting blocked in like the joint gaiters.

Some of the weathering going on mostly dirty brush water and some GW wash for oil staining near joints.

When i tried to remove the salt by lightly scrubbing with an old tooth brush i soon encountered problems given the size of the model. So alt plan was to ping of the salt grains using a fine scalpel blade and the end result work'd out nicely as it has a rotten blistered paint look to it, and as he is a nuke disposal expert i'd imagine the odd leaky old warhead blistering away his paint.

Most of the other entry's are hardware and not dio's so i decided as i like a back story and some sort of reason for the model being in that situation i would go with a diorama for this comp.

Keep an eye out for the finished dio pics coming soon-ish as always :)

Blitz

The playing favorites post

2012-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Admiral Drax's chain post http://admiraldrax.blogspot.com/2012/01/294-playing-favourites-chain-post.html here's my rundown ala Drax's list.

Wargames period : 40k grim dark all the way for me i'm afraid altho i'll admit to picking up a WWII Warlord German platoon to see what all the fuss was about and tho smaller than GW heroic 28mm there very nice. I've no idea what system i'd use to play a game with them but i've got them if i needz them.

Scale : heroic 28mm

Rules : O hell! well i have to admit i'm S**T at rules but enjoyed playing Adaptus Titanicus and Space Hulk when they first came out, Rogue Trader was a mind boggler and really didn't get into 40k again till my late teens and then another hiatus has seen me only return to it in the last 5 or 6 years. I've recently read the large scale Inquisitor rule book (thanks ebay) and may have a crack at that this summer. Found one player willing to give it a try at 28mm but still need a 3rd and not asking the wife she always wins the bugger.

Board Game: Well the last boardgame i played was LEGO Minaturus with my son. Long time readers will be fully aware of Ninja Scientists compleat lack of sportsmanship and the inability to lose gracefully. He's not improved at all. Playing pontoon last week ended in shouting and accusations of foul play. So we'll just move on from that.

Figure manufacturer : GW natch and Studio Mcvey have a place in my heart as the minis are devine. I also got to meet the man himself at a show. Was tempted to take an ancient copy of White Dwarfe along for him to sign, ya know the ones with his eavy metal pic in it ;)

Metal / Hard plastic/ Resin : anything is good by me i have power tools if a model is too recalcitrant in the converting process lol.

Club : Hmmm well last year i looked into this and found a local club http://www.peterborough-wargames-club.org.uk/ but as i work 6 days a week some times 7 it's a bit of a squeeze getting my s**t together for going on a Monday night to play but this year may change that situation. I follow there forum and they seem a very nice bunch indeed.

Opponent : Eddi Fear. Yep that's his real last name and he wont mind me posting it, i think hmmm oh well to late now:)) This is from back in the day tho and funnily enough he works about 300 yards away from where that wargaming club meets lol.

Film : Now this is a serious matter and i could probably bore the hind legs of a donkey so i wont. Top 4 only in no particuler order Full Metal Jacket, Blade Runner, Empire Strikes Back, and Zulu. The title music to Zulu is the most played track on my ipod. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qydHIjL7iMg&feature=related play at full volume ( take it up to eleven ) so the floor shakes hummmmmmmmm lovely.
Oh gotta add Were Eagles Dare so it's a top 5 now Richard Burton's just the coolest man to have walked the face of the earth imvho. [Broadsword calling Danny Boy] hmm good name for a blog.

Books : Another serious subject that really deserves it's own batch of blog posts. Now i do read a fair bit say 5 books a month 7 or 8 if the piles getting to high, and it's mainly scifi and fantasy with some WWI and WWII factual and fictional plus alt historical and i've even strayed into American civil war and Nepolionic. Yet still i can't spell for toffy. Faves are in no particuler order, The Sten books all 7 are fab, The Black company all 10 are fab (not your typical fantasy novels). Gaunts ghosts all! hell i've lost count think it's 13. The Alex Benedict books by Jack McDevitt. A talent for war is superb, the ships the star for me. Sooooo meny more to list. These ones are at the top cuz i've mostly reread them 4 or 5 times and i've still got em all well the good ones so not a lot of space in the attic what with the comics an the kit stash.

Art : Simon Bisley His Slaine McRoth is unserpased,
I also LOVE spaceship art and any scifi art. My hard drive is stuffed with it and my work books at collage were filled with doodles of entire fleets.

And finally i do like a large glass of Coca cola (hence the top pic) in the evening whilst painting my minis and listing to absolute 90's or 80's or movie music off the ipod depending on mood.

Rich

The Templar psykologis nearing completion post

2012-01-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

My Templar psykologis just about finished. The idea came from a list of alt character types for Inquisistor. I really liked the idea of the templar and this is my go at it. Lots of resculpting for his sholder guards and his left gauntlet plus the imp eagle on his chest is a green stuff copy from a blu stuff mold. Came out nice but not perfect. His gun is a mash up of empire pistoliers and bits from my junk stash. Ment to be a sort of needle gun.
The back pack is a piistoliers sadle holster and a random bit of an old chopper with added cable (home made) with 2 back up needlers.
That thing at his waist is amegaphone thing for shouting out commands and suggestions (go jump in front of that tank) to the poor unfortunates infected by his halusinogenic gases on the battle field.

His Falchion is a bit too big but will have to do for now. I went for a dark blue uniform to give him a sinister look coupled with that grey knight head i think it works ok. If he didn't have the back pack he would have had a cloke to finish of the effect but decided on some extra gubbins instead :)

Hope you like and c an c welcome.

Blitz

Captain and sidekick for the 28th

2012-01-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here they are, the officer commanding and his heavy flamer toting aide.

Wip pics first

And the finished camo job. On the office i did an attemptat a more detailed camo echoing the WWII german camoflage. I added the black as the other colouers needed something finish off the overall affect. His left sholer guard was originally gretchin green but whislt looking at some recent John Blanche minis on Steve Buddles blog (great blog go check it out) one of the minis had a great shield on his sholder that was an orangy red that i just loved and made the mini pop for me so an ilyanden yellow base then sunburst yellow strait on top followed by orange GW ink (very old) and then red ink around the edges all in fast sucssession. The decal is a cut down braun and his other sholder sports a family shield. And 28 layed on top, all with micro sol and set to make it permanant.
hope you like um and any thoughts welcome, i've added a comms guy to the unit and found a couple of alt heads i did last year that need bodys to finish off.

And check out my last post about winning For Holy Terrors RPC.

Blitz

The I've only gone and won :0 post

2012-01-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well i've held off posting about this as i was not sure where i'd come in the contest but it seems that i won the reverse painting contest over at For Holy Terra's blog http://forholyterra.hobbycore.net/ bit flabbergasted as the other entrys were all superb with some great background historys to accompany there chapters.
What's a Revese painting contest i here you shout! well the idea is you submit an idea for a home brew Astartes Chapter and the winner get his chapter painted up on a squad of space marines. In this case the Very generouse Paul at For Holy Terra is painting at least 1 model for every one that entered the comp.
Be sure to check out the rest of the entrys on Pauls Excellent blog.
On a related note well sorta related whilst scanning the blog roll i spotted pics of my hobby cupboard on w40kTenerife http://w40ktenerife.blogspot.com/2012/01/zona-del-hobby.html
Note to self stop posting pics of my creative workspace when in what can only be discribed as compleat and utter disarray or junk hole as it's also been discribed (by the wife). It's very much more tidy and rearranged now but o well it's not the worst photo of my airing cupboard posted as the guys at SFM.UK well know lol.

The 28ths officer and his sidekick are done and pics may appear before the end of the evening depending on how motivated i feel.

One more thing, the Ghost Vipers 5th company captain is next up on my workbence (junkhole) as i think i owe it to them seeing as i won :)

Blitz

Camo camo camo camo camo

2012-01-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Camo on my Tallarns oris it Tallerns can never remember, oh well not to worry. These are my Tallarns that i've added to the 28th SpD "amalg" detachment, Taskforce Hadrada Subsector.

These guys were great to paint up as there'slots of area on those smocks to get camo on to and the addition of there shemaqhs in a different camos was a last min decision but i think it works as all the 28th will have bits of kit from there old regiments and the Tallarns stand out as well Tallarns what ever youdo with green stuff lol.

As discribed a couple of posts ago the the camo was mid grey then light green then dark green to finish http://blitzspearslab.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-know-im-spoiling-you-post.html compleatly with the absecne of any pics to back it up do'h.

I can't find any pics of the shemaqhs being done (the head scarfe thingys) as i exstended them and resculptid some bits but they'll turn up i'm sure.
I'll get the hofficer and his heavy flamer side kick finished tonight and post there progress pics tommorow-ish. The heavy flamer is the samecamo as the rest of the 28th and the big cheese is having something that i think looks a bit like gumfesumpe or woodland dapple as it's modern version is sometimes called.

After i've got my Guard kick over with again for a little while at least i'll post my progress on my warbands. I've not stalled as such it's just proving hard to find the right coloures to use on civiies.

Blitz

Almost forgot to say welcome along followers 50, 51 and 52.

The i know i'm spoiling you post

2012-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well with yesterdays ramble out of my system i thought i'd post a bit about camo and my spec ops team thats taking shape. The 4 Tallern troopers i compleated over xmas i got in a care packege from a forum buddy and some where in the dim past i blogged about converting some of them with extra long laz rifles cuz i was thinking they looked cool and are in keeping with the desart feel of the Tallern. I will have a trawl in the pics to see if i grabbed any pics of the green stuff work i did. There head gear was exstended and lengthend to look a bit more like a shemagh http://www.surplusandadventure.com/shop/clothing/gloves-scarves/shemagh-arab-scarf-3-00-off-wrap-219284.html but in a sand coloure. The entire squad has somethink linking them back to there original units and the shemaghs are the Tallerns bit of home as it were.
All the Camos are done in similer ways as i had the forethought to write down my system but i've now decided to try some differing coloure combos using the same process so it's not to jaring. That said the officer is getting a custom camo job as he''s more likely to retain his full uniform. If he had any sence he would be trying to look more like joe trooper (snipers anyone ) but Ruperts arn't known for there common sence some times lol.
Damn it ive lost the plot again. Now onto camo in general, my system is pretty simple, i go mid grey light green then finish with a dark green or brown the wash over the top to finish off.
The grey is applied as a flat coloure to all camo areas then i use a long brush 1" to 1 1/2" bristels to blob the light green covering half the grey areas. Then it's a treble 0 brush to apply the dark green in line effect or blobs again which ever feels right for the figuer. Finally a liberal wash or two of gryf sapia or traka green or any ink wash you may have to pull the 3 coloures together.
I've not tried this combowith alt coloures but plan to eventually. In the mean time if you haven't seen this site and need inspiration check out Kamoflage.net http://www.kamouflage.net/ with 300 types listed you will find somethink that can be of help when planning a camo sceam.

Here's some old pics of a figure i did waaaaaaaaaaay back in 09 that was an experiment in camo. I used Kamo.net to look up different camos and decided on this one http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/00079.php but as i progressed it changed into what you see in these final pics. This is a bigger model than 28mm about 150 mm in fact and resin to but the theory is similer as to layering up the pattern. I'll digout the pics of my Tallern for the next post and the green work pics also then i'll take the final photos of the entire squad once the captain is done. It seems i've gone of target again oh well still 11and a half months to get it right lol.

The i'm sooooo easily distracted it's not funny anymore post

2012-01-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all 49 followers, glad you could make it Number 49 :) Well as stated have been distracted by other blogs instead of getting a post sorted.
But as promised here's some more shots of my recent crimbo hols effort. Not alot if im honest, i usually get convinced to do an xmas project build out of junk but this year was not in the mood for lots of sanding and the frusttrating attemts at sticking two plastic parts together that are diametrically apposed to ever bonding and resorting to hammer and nails in the end.

Sorry went of on a tangent there :0 and also didn't realize how shokingly bad these pics are cept 2nd from last that shows up the camo better than most. I'll be getting some better pics 2moro seeing as how i've only gone and based ALL TEN yes ALL TEN figuers. Now this may leave you thinking so what but when you realise i've been doing these little lead men since 1993 (on and off) and can only think of 5 other instances when i've based a model! this is indeed impressive progress for me.
I also made progress on the Inq28 models and have convinced my buddy to play a game with me by dangelling the promise of a word bearers theamed scenario in front of him, just need some sap to GM now. Oh! and build a void station gameing table but thats a spring project for certain. Oh and a word bearer marine for him then not let him use it in the geme lol.
Whilst on the subject of future plans i'm also planning on entering the Hobby Link Japan scifi contest but can't show any of my wip progress as it's not allowed in the rules witch is a bit of a bummer but it's a project i've been planning for well, years and this is the perfect exscuse to get a crack on and build it. It'll be scratch natch and mainly junk based again natch.
Also on my todo list is get my vac former knocked together and start having fun with hot floppy plastic sheets:)) yay. Hmm what else well get some backlog of in progress builds finished and hidded away in the attic and also start working on reducing the platic crack mountain in my attic. It's getting out of hand up there so no new perchases this year unless appsolootley must have shinny newthing syndrome strikes but i'll avoid any enviroment where that could strike eg model shop, model show, looking at the random shapes household cleaning products form when inverted in Sainsburys. Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ah yes get the Brutal Cannon chapter finished and play a game of 40k with my son, May be safer playing with my youngest son (5) as Ninja scientist (11) is not a good loser when playing games OF ANY KIND. The BC's have been in progess for about 15 years and have been morphing over that time untill i'm quite happy with where they are but have recently decided i dont like the chapter coloures i went for but a bit late for that by about15 years lol.
Think that's it on random rambels about future plans an stuff like' i'll try to keep the random down to a minimum and still noo plans to spell check the blog and no hope of me sudenly becoming not dyslecsic any time soon. oh also reading over crimbo was great, got through Grimblades, Call to Arms (both empire armys novels and Death and Dis-honor a WFB short storys collection and am currently reading Soul Hunter by ADB whicth is fan bleeding tastic just glad i can't paint a decent dark blue so no plans to model First claw lol.
Going to be a bit more pre planned this year as last year was an unmittigated disaster where any plans of mine were concerned for this blog, reallife (TM) was not much better so here's hopeing i can get somedecent blogtime in this year and maybe even a couple of models lol.
Gotta go my tinitus is now very distracting even whislt listening to muzak on youtube. (Sia and Spooky and 2 steps from hell btw)
Blitz

Hello 2012

2012-01-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Well i've been a bit neglectful of the old blog i'm afraid but i have been painting and converting and reading wfb and 40k over xmas so there's stuff to come. Tonight should have seen a proper post here but time fly's as they say lol so here's a taster of what i may get around to posting tommorow.

More 2moro
Blitz

DIY and twilight (hobby) Zone

2011-11-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ongoing DIY has seriously curtailed any hobby activity in my house for 2 weeks and i think i'm suffering withdrawl :(
So many ideas are rolling around my head and i've no way of getting them out lol.

Still i've managed to keep the pc going so been checking the blog roll and getting even more ideas.

I would do some work at my hobby desk but as you can see it's been abandoned for some time in lew of a more parred down nomadic form of modelling at the dinning room table.

I'm going to make it my mission to get this lot tidyed up in the new year.

And after seeing John Blanches work space over at Tears of Envy's blog i'm even moreinspiered to get cracking. http://tearsofenvysblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/john-blanches-desk.html

Normal Frankensurgery (tm) on models and muddy paint jobs will resume in a few weeks when the wifes finished decorating (yep not me doing it lol) just advising role.

Blitz

Inq28 Gunslinger, Templer psykologis, and Interrigator

2011-11-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

Second try seemsto work fine. Gunslingers head got a bit squoshed as i left him on the dinning room table when i packed away at midnight so he ended up on the floor :{ He'sa mix of WH and 40K bits plus some liberal amounts of green stuff and Andrea sculpt.

Templer Psykologis. Going for an enhanced look for him. Obviousley guard vet of a psykologis unit with hallucinogenic grenades and panic inducer (the thing on his back, still stuff to do there)

Again a mix of bits from WH and 40K sources plussome blu stuff press molds putto gooduse on duplicating some grenades.

Interrigator wip, because the arms were so different i snipped them short and pinned them so i could rebuild the arms on him.

His right arm is pants and such a funny angle so re snipping that and may have it bent upwards. Also needs to be a smidge longer. I've also missed the pic of his back, thats the best bit lol.

C+C most welcome gents and gentesses.

Cheers
Blitz

Inq28 gunslinger, Templer psykologis, interrogator.

2011-11-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well here's my gunslinger but the other pics are refusing to load as blogger is being a muppet. I will try to load them a bit later on before i start changing stuff on them lol.

Blitz

Inquisitor warband update

2011-10-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the model i converted for one of my Inquisitors. Still some work to be done on him paint wise and may scratch up a slender chain sword to replace his Katana sword. He was originally a Triad Boss i got at the MK wargames show from Second City. I've snagged a pic bit dont seem to be able to add it on to this post so ill try to edit it in later.

The upper half is triad boss and the lower half if you havn't guessed is SM scout. I sculpted in his coat and tiedied up the hack job i had to do on him.

My thinking behind him is that he's a young-ish Inquisitor still finding his feet and only has a small retinue that follow him. The red velvet jacket is woven with ballistic material and also covers his body armour. The boots and combats are IG surplus as he sees himself as a lead from the front kind of guy and isn't afraid of getting into action when leading his team. He still has teh outlook of an interigator and has not yet found the balance to know when to stand back and let his team work a case initially and when to lead his team directly.

Also love the rebreather mask on him, may add a small rebreather pack to his back to finish off his look.

All C+C welcome.

Dont forget the comp check out the post a couple of posts back untill i edit in a link. Also if your a new follower then just leave a comment to say hi as the followers list is still broken on my blog and others from what i can learn from blogger help.

Blitz

Managed to add the original pic of the triad boss i used to make the inquisitor. Major bit of frankensurgery (tm) to remove his lower half and resculpt the jacket but well worth it in the end. I did have second thoughts when i was sculpting the jacket it looked ProperShite but after a grey primer was added he looked ok.

Vacform Fighter build 1

2011-10-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Introducing the Arrowhead Fighter a vacform model made by Bar and inspiered by Mark Stevens Hexen Fighter for the Ma.k Universe. I was a lucky bast**d and was sent the last form Bar had plus a Clear copy for cutting a conopy from. Pics of that some other time.
I've cut her out and put her together and started filling and sanding the joins, lots of sanding and refilling to do before she's ready for the next stage but going ok so far.

She will be a high alt Sat killer so may be adding some booster rokets and radar detector bulges also antenna at the front as she will also have a secondry roll as a night fighter.

Going to have an armoured hatch and small vision slits instead of a canopy as she will be flying high and going after Lazer packing milli sats in the upper atmos. she's also going to have contra rotating props to push her along and a big roket for launching against satalites and gattling to attack high alt anti grav gun platforms ( thats a gobfull)

Scale is 1/20 as all good Ma.k should be lol.

Engine greeblys are starting to come together and i'm hopeing they will look cool on her.

The resin nose cone with greeblys peeping out.
Got to cut the cone in half for the contra rotating blades, not looking forward to that :(

More pics soon and i will also starting on my post apoc entry soon and as predicted i'm diching my other ideas for something compleatly different.
Once these are out of the way we have a super secret group build starting thats so secret i cant tell u anything about it what so ever cept it's a 1/20 drop ship and is awsome. Unless you've looked around sfm;uk lately then u know xactly what i'm on about lol.

Blitz

Inq28 Character profile 1

2011-10-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Introducing former Arbetus investigator Sasha Diessen.

After 8 years service with Inquisitor DeKalb in and around the Stalichian sector and it's client subsectors and worlds. Diessens has proven a valuble member of DeKalbs team. Sasha first came to inquisitorial notice when stationd on Addassia a hive world in the Stalichian system, she began to exibit precognative powers in her work. When she became aware that she had begun to manifest a warptaint she immidiatly handed herself into the nearerst astropathic temple to await the next black ships with the other pore unfortunates. Being an officer of good standing within the Arbitus her situation was reported to Lord Inquisitor Stuyvesant of the Stilichian Ordo Xenos by her commander and Stuyvesant directed Inquisitor DeKalb to take charge of her case and decide if she would be of use to his group or if she was destined to join the legions of other psychics on the black ships.

Fortunatly for Diessens DeKalb spotted the worth of her Arbitus training immidiatly and by saving her from the holding cells a certain commitment to his team would be infered. DeKalb has since been developing Sasha's precog skills and since training at the subsectors main Ordos HQ she has displayed a talent for telekenisis too.

She uses a custom Funk and Wesseley heavy pistol thats a favored hand weapon of Stalichian officers. This coupled with her TK and precog skills means she handels herself well in any combat situations the Inquisitor and his team come across. With her Arbitus background Sasha is often involved in investigating leads provided by DeKalbs wider network of informants and spearheading the teams initial investigations on making planet fall.

Since joining DeKalb Diessen has tried to look less like an Arbitus in civvies and more like an ordinery citizen of the Empirium to help her in her investigations. Letting her hair grow long and ditching her uniform for what ever the current style is, has allowed Diessen to develope as a top investigator and DeKalb consideres her a good prospect for more intensive inquisitor trainning in the future.

Diessen is totally loyal to DeKalb and the Imperium, being a pyschic herself she has an intrest in persuing those that are at risk of warp possesion or are using there powers to disrupt, manipulate or distroy the Imperium. Dekalb considers Sasha his defacto second and she has led many missions and raids on Xenos nests and rogue psychic cells operating in the subsector, she is totally ruthless in her persuit of these threats and instills this hard line in the other members of the team. Another side affect of her Arbitus days.

I'll try to get DeKalb done before the weeks end and his profile/fluff. Sasha's profile may get updated as i refine other characters in the team ad it affects her own profile, this was on the fly done from some random notes and a couple of short sentances in my INQ note book.
So what do you think good! bad! indiff!
PS dont forget to check out the comp in the prev post from Sunday.
Thanks
Blitz

The Labs first comp

2011-10-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the fact that my Hammerstine Build got onto not one but two weekly lists of well stuff other bloggers found to there liking i'm having a little comp. My thanks to Ricalopia for including Hammerstine on his Sat7 http://ricalopia.blogspot.com/2011/10/sat-7-number-nine.html and also Santa Cruz Warhammer's Honor roll. Check the big banner on the right if you havn't already. I do like to check out these round ups of the week as they are a great souce of blogs that are so easely missid in other peoples blog rolls without these shout outs.

So on to the comp, see this guy on the left yep the big dude with the even bigger weapon. He's going to be joining my Inquisitors warband when he's finished but he needs a back story. Something to give him character and history and above all motivation. Whys he with the =I= and how'd he get involved, Whats that mega weapon all about (plasma, thermal, industrial las cutter?) Is he ex millitery or a gifted amature with skills the =I= needed at the time and has stuck around. You decide by writing a short background piece about him.
Name, where's he from why he's with an =I= warband if you have an inquisitor rule book then feel free to include some stats. No more than say 300 to 500 words please ok afew more if the muse takes you lol.
Email them to me at lunohoco33(at)yahoo.co.ukblahhblahh you get the idea :) Onto the prize and as this is a writing comp of sorts it's a book, not the book in the background i'm afraid but i'd recommend that book highly. You never know when driving a tank could be useful :)

No it's The First Heretic by ADB, i went out today and perchased a second copy as i dont think you 'd wont my grubby copy and i'm only a couple o chapters in but loving it so far. I'll send it anywhere so no restrictions to UK only. If you already have this then enter anyway and if you win pass it onto someone that's never read a 40K novel or HH novel or ADB novel for that matter lol.

Just a side note that the model is from Studio McVey http://studiomcvey.highwire.com/ and it's not finished yet. Apart from the back story i need to do something to get that 40k =I= feel going with him. Added the hose on his legs and at his right sholder but thats all so far! soooooooo any suggestions on what conversions could improve him are very much welcome (sorry no prize for that lol)

So get thinking and send me your entrys, I'll run it for 2 weeks and the best one will get posted here in 3 or 4 weeks as the winner. Unless i get a shed load of entrys and i can't decide then may go to public vote. Hay it's my first comp so it's going to be a play it by ear sort of affair. Only cert is someone will get a copy of The First Heretic to read/ prop up coffey table/ replace for a bible in there local church. That's it for now i'll blog again tommorow as i've been very organised and got mondays after work jobs done today yay.

Blitz

Finished Hammerstine

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hammerstine done and packed away till needed to clense Mars or the Termite empire lol.

As he had a bum eye on the cast i did it as a well bum eye with oil staines over his face to suggest hard combat. This last pic is my fave ;)

Just another quick link some may be intrested in that was posted today on SFM;UK

http://www.instructables.com/id/Warmachine-Gaming-Table-for-Penny-Arcade/?ALLSTEPS

It may well be on another blog but i've not seen a link posted to the instructables site and thought it may be of intrest to any budding uber terrain builders :0

Blitz

Brampton Model show 2011

2011-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

clicky for bigger piccy.

Here's some quick pics of the sfm table at the Brampton Model show i attended today.

The ma.k table mostly Aluns and Erics excellent work with a couple of my builds in there to pad it out lol.

Pete's latest build and most impresive in the flesh, pics dont do it justice.

Hammerstine finished and on display, just!

Ian's moon bus dio was a star attraction.

Mangamaxs cratch built space ship, i was most impressed by this.

Hope you like um and a bit different form all the GD pics we are going to be assulted with over the next few days lol.
Blitz

Hammerstine close ups

2011-09-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ok so first up is a warning when using these pop up photo tents. Do Not Open anywhere nere your models as it springs open sending your model flying and i do mean FLYING GRRRRRRRRRR. Only damage was his right arm fell of but will attempt some franken-surgery(TM) tommorow.

Just the face to detail and some bits and bobs to touch up and i can call him finished BUT do you the blogosphere think his BFG needs to be grungier to match the rest of him?

Bear in mind that i'm trying to emulate the artistic style of the Biz the 2000ad artist that in my opinion rendered the ABC's in there most raw and visceral incarnation. So it's gotta be grungy but not messy and i dont know if i've got that to come across in my attempt.

I'm happy over all with him as long as i get the face right and it pops when finished and on display at Brampton next Sunday. Fingers crossed :)

New photographic tent and inq28 conversions

2011-09-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tent in all it's glory

Here's the new photo tent and some shots using the different backgrounds. Not overly impressed with my first attempts, i dont think the light was strong enough or maybe another one at the side.

Also need to play with the cameras settings and maybe get advise from the guys at sfm some are excellent photographers so will have to pick there brains but any suggestions in the comments would be more than welcome.

Its ment to fit in that black bag, not gonna happen.

It packs down very small but thats a job for the wife i'm rubbish at that.

Below are the 4 different backgrounds that come supplied with the tent with a quicky convertion for my Inq28 warband more on her later.

red background supposedly :)

Black background

Blue background

White background

Just a quick note about followers, firstly welcome along to my 2 new followers and secondly it seems i've no way of knowing who my followers are anymore. It seems to have been disabeled on other peoples blogs also. Any ideas when /if they are coming back? i do like to visit the blogs of those who follow me and leave the odd comment from time to time so this is a bit annoying.

Blitz

Quik hobby update before tea

2011-09-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well life has been unbelevable busy at the moment, Wedding season is eating up all my free time at the weekends but hopefully this will settle down soon (tho it dose supply me with more Champagne corks than i know what to do with lol.

On the hobby front the Inq28 project is plodding along nicely I've become a nomadic modeller again as i can't get at my desk at the moment. The piles of assorted crud littering my desk and around my desk has finally defeated me and a major autumn clean is requierd and i've no time to do this.

We also got a photo tent from evilbay for a tenner and very impressed we are too (that me and the wife, she intends to use it for her craft thingys also) it comes with no less than 4 different backgrounds and a side zip for getting pics of glass and other shiney things. I'll do a proper review some time soon-ish.

Also in the post an order from Let The Dice Decide an online bits shop. Ordererd late wednesday night and arrived Sat morning, well packerged in bubble wrap and everything accounted for yum, i do love the little bits that can turn a bleh model into something cool. Funny thing is i've probably been workinhg within 30 mins drive from where thay are based these last 6 months lol.

It's also 2 weeks till the Brampton model show and its full steam ahead finishing off variouse builds but after that i'm going to consentrate on inq28 and the post apoc comp build. Going with Baron Radhoffens post apocaliptic flying circus first. :)

And finally it's Talk like a Pirate day on 19th Sept so i exspect some arrrges and avasts and ye scurvy dogs from the blogworld.

The Day after the End comp

2011-08-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

My online local scifi modelling club are holding a comp and as the title suggests it's post apocaliptic in nature but can be anything not just nukes. Also open to dios or stand alone oob builds or scratch builds.

Here are my ideas so far

Idea 1:
Every one hooks onto the idea of Madmax's car or the other cars and buggys from the
films, my idea is to do a riff on the flying machine from the second movie. maybe even a post apoc flying circus with a couple of planes cut together from other planes. If any of you follow consept starships blog you will have seen some of the fantastic mashup planes he sometimes posts.

I've saved alot of them for inspriation so i'm set on that front.

Second idea: A flat bed truck being pulled by a team o oxen and an old caravan/motorhome towed behind with the family group walking along side. Thinking of calling it the scrap prospectors family. The flatbed will be loaded with junk and a wooden block and tackel rig will be on it.

May have them hoisting up an old engine block with it.

Idea 3: Guy on a horse mad max stiley and the horse is all kitted out in bio hazard stuff (home made looking gas hood and stuff like that.

Will see what kits i can procure at the Brampton model show .

I'll attemp to add a pic with a link to SFM:UK in the side bar later on if anyones instrested in taking a look or even joining in, all are welcome.

There may be more ideas as time progresses but these 3 are my faves at the moment.

So what da ya all think?

Blitz

Inq28 ideas

2011-08-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Above are my embrionic ideas for some inquisitor warbands cept the top pics which are going to be my stand ins for arbatus or RT ships armsmen. They were a steal at £10.00.

Pic 2 is all GW models and may stay the same unless i add a swordswoman to the mix. Thinking hereticus for him and his crew and maybe will add some more troopers to his force will poss get some unusual figs for inq storm troopers, i've spotted some that wouldconvert nicely.

Pic 3 a randommix that i think will work but some may be added or swopped out. Guess which one i'm thinking to convert to the inquisitor.

Pic 4 is going to change the most i'm just not sure of this group, the Vostroyans are whats left of an honor guard given to the inq in gratitude for some assistance he gave to a Vos regiment in the past the girl is his pilot/investigator and the inq is a well traveled senior inquisitor, flamboyant and bombastic in his methods probably ordo Xenos with a large retinue and not known for subtlety.

As i said this is very early stages and it could change as new eye candy takes me in other directions but will try to stick to the plan.

Going to try getting some random gangers/bad guys to add to the mix maybe some necromunda guys or similer but the arbitus will have to do for now or this project will spiral out of control as usual defeating the object of trying out INQ28. Less models + less painting time = more gaming hopefully if i can convince Matt this is fun but i'll have to do a Word Bearers crew to get him to try it out lol.

Blitz

pre blog post, post

2011-08-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'll attempt to get some shots of my recent perchases and load them up tonight if the ebay queen lets me use MY camera. It's mostly models for my INQuisitor warband ideas at 28mm. I'm hopeing to get a hold of an INQ rulebook to if the gods are smileing on my this week.

Plus i have figuered out how to leave comments again, most annoying being unable to leave comments on other blogs, it was just a case of un-ticking the keep me logged in check box.

Blitz

Hammerstine in salt.

2011-08-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the progress pics of Hammerstine. He was primered in a few shades of grey first then naturel sea salt was very liberally stuck to his armore plates and then he was oversprayed with red. By the time id done this a lot of salt had come away so i reaplied more salt and used (i think) fire wastes orange (old citadel paint)
After this the salt was scrubbed off with a tooth brush and for reasons unknown to me i then applied sunburst yelow ink. Next up will be the the oil washes and the cabeling on his chest and arms and legs.
Before i forget i should mention i used a very old can of elnett hairspray to stick the salt on.
There are some very good how too's online about the salt weathering tech.

Blitz

Sneek Peek

2011-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick sneek peek at Hammerstine more pics of the process to follow shortly. But i think when he's finished he will be looking like something the cat dragged in ( a very big cat )

Back on line yay

2011-07-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while folks but normal service will resume shortly.

So what's been happaning since life so cruelly took the power of the interwebs away from me.
Hammerstine is a grunji red now (pics soon if i can find them on the pc) and 2 visits to gaming events.
Thed first was the MK show held at the center MK, meny wonderful and random bargains were had there (pics soon) and the other event was the Basements Figuerworld show at Oundel school last week.
This was fantastic as i got to talk to Mike McVey of Studio McVey and GW's Evey metal fame. (pics soon)

I've also been badly distracted by A Dance with Dragons, all i can say is wow and it better not be as long a wait between this one and the next as it was from A feast for Crows. And still no end in site, trying to second guess GRR Martin is like knocking your head against a brick wall, all you gets a headache.

Blitz

Hammerstine

2011-05-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hammerstine the erstwhile leader of the ABC warriors and former war robot. This is a vinal kit gifted to me by a fellow modeller last year after i lammented about the cost of these suckers on evil bay. It had some warping and bubbels but this was easily fixed and i've left a lot of the clutter off him as i think he's busy enough. He's had a major conversion in his stance but still not one hunderd percent happy with how he stands but vinly is a bit tough to alter, lots of araldite rapid in this guy lol :) Also added the helmet that Hammerstine wore in most of the early strips and to get away from the movie version (which he is). You may also have noticed his massive warhammer replacing his right hand. The hands were equiped with roket pods over his knuckels (a bit kak looking if you ask me) so he's gained a warhammer and a bfg pics of that soon.

Now here's the BIG question what coloure would you guys suggest? he's been lots of coloures in his time the one that sticks in my mind is a yellow-ish paint job by ( i think) Biz but still need feed back please. He will be distressed looking so a good coloure and a good undercote coloure, i'll be attempting the hairspray method of weathering ala Futch.

One final thing is a thanks to those posting comments Mordian 7th , Cyborg Trucker et al . Blogger is not letting me comment on my own blog at the moment (eh!) so just to say a big thanks and it's appeciated.

Just hope i can get him finished before my next post phycotic manic depressive episode hits or i get bored and distracted by new shiney stuff :o

Blitz

Krazy Ivan done

2011-05-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yep first finished model of the year

and second one is undercoated and ready for painting. Pics of Hammerstine to follow in next post.

Side veiw showing his power pack, that was scratchbashed out of some chopper fule pods and random stuff laying around the desk.

Rear view, added the cabels home made as usual and the small armour plate near the ankle is pingpong.

The legend on his lid is supposed to say steel legion but may be wrong Babel fish aint perfect lol.

Krazy ivan nearly done

2011-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here's my Ma.k in the USSR scratchbash nearing completion. It will be going to the Brampton model show in September as part of our (SFM;UK)'s Machinen Krieger display on our table.

He started of life as a Votoms kit with added ping pong ball and random kit parts for his power plant and additional armore bits.

Hope you like, i'll be posting the finishd project soon and begining the next faze of project Brampton which will be my Hammerstine build. So close but stumbling blocks abound in that particuler build.
Comms and stuff welcome.
TTFN
Blitz

New recruit for the Brutal Cannon

2011-05-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the Chaos renegade i picked up at a model show earlier this year, nearly finished just the usual basing dilemma i always seem to have. He's now the company annalist / croniculer (sp) of the Brutal Cannon my homebrew chapter. It's been a dogs age since i did anything with them but the space marine mojo seems to have returned recently so exspect some more new recruites soon-ish.

I will go into more details about the converting and his back story at a later date it's a bit late and i'm up at 5.30 to go to work so it'll have to wait lol

May redo his sholder pad, the teeth look megga pants in these pics.

Blitz

Still Tinkering

2011-04-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

As you may notice ive been tinkering with text and backgrounds on here and the new banner should be finished soon. Sorry about the lack of posts but the good weather has seen me doing jobs out side so not much modelling of late but plenty of plans for what i'm upto next.

Pics of the latest projects coming soon-ish.

Blitz

Time for a change

2011-03-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Random pic to kick things off, just some alli and plastic tube and a bit o wire underneath to exstend the tallerns gun. Always thought they should have had longer lasguns as standard but thats just my opinion so had a crack at it, seems to have worked ok. On to other news:

Ye olde blog is having a face lift which will hopefully be better than Colonel Gaddaffis melty face.

So if things look a bit random or totally wrong please leave a comment, i've had this blog about 2 years now and only just found the stats page. It's got a graph thingy and everything. But it does go to show how much i've NOT played around with the blog tools.

I'll attempt to keep updates coming of my current projects whilst i fiddel with things but as i've no plan of action concerning the redisign it could go any which way.

As i'm on an IG and Marines kick at the moment i may go all 40k with the blog but i do still love my old Blitzspear model header by my friend Phil.

More at the weekend unless real life TM sticks it's nose in and disrupts my plans.

Blitz

Traitor converts to loyalist side

2011-03-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

Pretty simple to remove the chaos iconography from this guy whilst keeping the cool bandoleer slung across his chest.

Below you can see him in his original state with the pointy arrows on his leg and chest. I've also filed down the ridge across his eyes and filled a few hollows to smooth out his helmet.

I'll post later with more pics of this build as i'm cracking on with it and the PC is behaving oddly so may be ofline for a few days if it goes bang. It's just my wifes knac for tinkering with all things tec that has kept it going lol just dont tell the cog boys.

When you see the next pics you will probably guess what i've planned for this guy.

Blitz

What i scored at Crewe

2011-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Got 4 metal and 4 plastic minis for a tenner including this chaos traitor marine, anyone remember what Legion he was ment for tho it dosn't matter as he's seen the light and is on his way to becoming a loyalist.

Also got this KVII, again for a tenner. I'm planning to build it up as local PDF armour to accompany some converted PDF troopers i'm planning for my inq warband.

Speaking of which here's another warm body to go along with my small but growing warband.

And finally all the minis i picked up at Crewe, the tec marine was £1.50 and the trator a quid. the plastics were about 75p each.

More soon on the trator marines conversion to a loyalist.

Blitz

2011-03-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Heres the pics from the Crewe Model show last Sunday above is the first test build in Europe of the Mk VII Viper from Mobius. A lot of interest was generated by this model on our stand. Thanks to Frank from Mobius for letting Ian (jargonking) build this gorgeous star fighter for our display.

And here's the big lady herself Excalibur built by Alun our illustriouse leader for the show.

And this is what it was all for, getting 11 modellers from all over the UK and one from the US (hi Jay) to build a Viper MkII and it's hanger bay and bring it all together for a mega display.

You can find the build threads for this project on the SFM:uk forum for more detailed shots of the individual Vipers coming together.

Best shot ever :)

Blitz

Panic over and one Viper done

2011-02-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

"Who the hell are you and wheres my ground crew?"
"Caprica news net sir, I'm Poppy Cambell and this is Nate Blakewell my cam op, were here to interview you"

"No one told me about this. There's a hanger full of pilots why pick me?"

" I belive your name was picked out of a hat lietenant. By the Cag whilst you were on long range patrol"

" And i bet every slip of paper had Blitzspear scrawled on it. Wait till i see him" That's why flite control were sniggering when i got my landing instructions, the Gak heads.

" So that interview Lietenant, can we do it now or should i come back after your finished here"

"It'll have to wait i'm loading up with 4 nuclear hellstorm missiels and going after a Cylon heavy tanker as soon as my ground crew get off there butts and refule me. Anyways it'll make for a better interview when i get back.

"So your long patrol was an unaventful one Lietenant"

"Apart from spotting a lone tanker with nothing to kill it with no oh except the waist systems broke so i got a lot of yellow liquid in drinks bottles rolling around the cockpit"

Ok Lietenant i'll probably get back to you about that interview whilst you sort out your err tidying up."

"Oh i'm not cleaning that up. Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggg where are you i've a presant for ya.

Well that's my bit of the group build done and dusted and just in time for the South Cheshire Militaire www.southcheshiremilitaire.co.uk/index.asp

If any of you guys in the Wargaming world are attending there are some gaming models on display there, well there was 2 years ago anyway. It's an excellent opp to get some tools and sundries also at reasonable prices plus cheep kit bash fodder from the second hand kit sellers so if your near Crewe pop down/over/up which ever direction you may be coming from.

I'll be on the SFM:UK table just ask for Blitz or the guy that did Lady Gaga in his Viper dio LOL

Plus we have sweets and Star wars posters up for grabs but you need to say hi and also be a kid for the posters lol

Blitz

Panic stations

2011-02-13T08:58:00.001-08:00

Watch dear reader as what i thought was 6 weeks to finish this Viper and its dio and 3 figuers to accompany it suddenly turns into 2 Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrge.

I know i do work well under pressuer but getting Fubruary 27 and March 27 mixed up is causing me to have a panic attack and swear off Major group builds, Especially ones that need finishing for a big reveal at a major model show with 9 other Vipers.

Oh and my car is lacking a spear wheel and is sounding very poorly at the mo so if i get the Viper finished i may not make it to Crewe in the old rust bucket anyway Hummmmmmmmmph.

May have to implament the secret plan B option and also ignore the family for 2 weeks, that shouldn't be hard tho.

Blitz

Hammerstine

2011-02-03T14:06:00.001-08:00

Here's my attempt at Hammerstine the leader of the ABC Warriors of 2000ad fame. Its an old kit that a modelling buddy gave me to play with last year and i've been chopping it about and adding details to better refelct the 2000ad art work. It's not based on one particuler artists interpritation of Hammerstine tho i have leaned towards the Biz's art the most i must admit :)

Also if i try to keep in scale with Hammerstine my Mongol scratch will be about twice the size of Hammerstine, Luckely the Joe Pinapples i bashed up a couple of years ago is about the right size in comparison. Just wish there were not 7 of them :( thats a lot of Gundam/votom kits to perform frankensurgery on lol.

Paint on this after the Viper is done and dusted later this month fingers crossed.

Ps sorry about the kak spelling i've a nasty cold thats clogging my brain up at the mo.

Blitz

Progress

2011-01-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Yep some honest to goodness progress on real life models instead of just thinking about it and planning what i'd do if the time monster didn't eat up all my free time.

You may remember this guy from last year as a tracker/hunter type bloke for my long range recon force.

Gone a bit mad on the paint job but i'm very rusty, it seems ages since i painted a mini but happy with the overall look. if i did him again id do a lot differently but thats hindsight for ya.

Some other projects to come in the next few days unrelated to 40k but after these are done i'm planning to consentrate on 40k/inquisitor for a while before launching into another kitbash whitch will be 40k related and something i've been planning for some years now.

Hope ya like him.

Blitz

Happy new year

2010-12-31T05:53:00.000-08:00

Happy new year fellow bloggers

I've just spent a couple of hours unfollowing about 50 blogs that have slipped of the radar some just stopped updating and some officially closed down so i've slimmed down the list :) Still got 160-ish blogs i follow lol

2011 is looking like a good year for modelling and wargaming and i hope to get more done and more stuff published on here. The blog in 2010 has been lacking in content and for that i appologise but i think a lot of people have struggeled with keeping up there hobbies and i've been no exception. Here's hopeing this year starts as it means to go on, i'm planning to finish a model every week-ish be it a small one off figure or a scratchbuild. I've a lot of half finished stuff on the desk that i can get started on before attempting anything else but knowing me new sparkley things will distract me before long lol.

Hope everyone has a productive and happy new year and maybe i'll see some of you at Salute in 2011, i'm making it my mission to attend this year come hell or high water.

Blitz

Dust models vid

2010-10-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

Found this on Face book and just a bit gob smacked by it's awsomeness.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=434830050193

I'm currently in negotiations with the finance director (wife) to get me some of the Dust Models goodies for my birthday but may have to wait for the familys fiscal years end (crimbo) to finally get the green light and a perchasing chitty for one of these beautys.

Here's a link to the Dust site for more info http://www.dustgame.com/

Blitz

Back at the desk

2010-08-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well after a month or more of doing very little in the way of modelling i'm back at it. Been a hectic month with working in Lincoln so traviling there has robbed me of most of my motivation to build and paint but a week off work begins taday so hope to have an update or 2 for the blog by weeks end.

Blitz

ABC Warriors inbound

2010-07-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests one of these bad boys is winging it's way to me for some major conversion work. And as hammerstine is the only one there's a kit of it's not hard to figure out witch one it is :)

But i have got my converted Joe Pinapples and plans are afoot to start Mongol as soon as Hammerstine get's here and i can get an idea of his size so Mong is the right scale, tho that''s objective depending on who's art work you choose to follow. for me it's gotta be Bizley for the win...

Ro-Jaws probably wont make the final cut but if i'm keeping to some sort of scale Mek Quake will be a humongostrosity :0

Aint that just the coolest BFG Hammerstines toting, gonna have to scratch one of them bad boys for him.

Ether Deadlock or Black Blood will follow them, i've got the doner kits already for them, Grud bless Japanese anime kits :)

Don't panic tho as the other project is 40 K related, an Abnett inspired Kill Team.

Unless the right shape, or inspiration to get the right shape for the Corsarius strikes then all bets are off as Simms flag ship is still haunting me, found meself doodelling it again last week.

Still it's good as i think my enforced 5 weeks of little or no modeling has returned my Mojo! sticky horrible heat and headaches be damned!

Heat crazed Blitz

Poacher WIP 3

2010-06-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well here he is loaded up with enough kit to take down the biggest carnadons in the universe.

Added a carnadon tooth as a trophy from one of his hunts.

Made the effort to hang his scabbard on his left hip and i think it works pretty well.

Built a hu-mungus pump action shotgun/grenade launcher for bringing down megadons.

I figure the sword is a handy tool for finishing of a beast and as a back up in tight situations.

Next step is the painting and i'm torn between keeping it plain and simple or doing a special camo to further indicate his veteran status in a company of vets.

C+C always welcome.

Blitz

Terminator Chaplin "almost" done

2010-06-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the "almost" finished Termi Chaplin, just needs basing and i'll cal it finished but will wait till the rest of the terminators are done before having a basing session. Hope you like him.

Just back fron Scunthorpe and now off to Ingoldmells

2010-05-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

And becuse of that hobby time hase been a big fat zero this week and looks like being the same next week. Plus with no light at the end of the tunnel as regards these rediculusly far of building sites they keep sending us to posts will be short sweet and few and far between so appols for this but i'll keep at it when i can.
One major problem i've found when i'm forced away from the hobby bench is the ton of cool ideas that come to me when i should be concentrating on stuff on the bench not planning the next 50 or so projects. I carry a note book now to try to save some of these ideas with short discriptions and doodels for looking back on.

When work gets less annoying i'll be back posting again on a more reguler basis and i may even have a plan of action as to where i want my building to go and what i post on this here blog.

Till later then,
Cheers
Blitz

Poacher wip 2

2010-05-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

So scabberd on his back or hanging at his waist below the kit bag? or not at all. It's about the same size as the sword but looks huge so may try a slimmer version.

Also added the sling and a strap for his kit bag to finish him off.

Col Hessler asked about how i did the goggels and where the arms are from. Well the arms are from my Mordhiem game and the goggels are thin strips of metal turned on the end of my tweezers then pushed into the greenstuff. I then filled em with superglue to attempt a domed effect on them.

The head is from Mordhiem too, i just love that broken nose!

Final pic is a terminator chaplin im working on atm, still lots to do on him but more pics in the next post.

Blitz

More IG chop jobs

2010-05-01T14:52:00.001-07:00

Second posts in a row after a week or two of nowt tho i have been commenting on others blogs which keeps me enthused about doing stuff like this. Anyway i'm so happy with this guy i could puke, why! cuz he's turned out just as i imagined he would. Still some green stuff and foil to add, sholder armour and rifle sling and maybe a scabberd for his pig stikker trophy weapon. My only niggel is his hand steadying his lasgun which looks to big but may paint it as a gloved hand to sort that. C+C welcome and do check out my previous post below on that inquisitor type guy i've been working on, thanks muchly chaps.

Blitz

Inquisitor 3?

2010-05-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Finally finished off this guy and looking at him i'm feeling he may be more suited as an inquisitors henchman than an inquisitor himself. The sort of combat veteran that will become attached to a warband and progress to be a valued member over the years, helping lead the Inquisitors troops in situations when the warband find themselves in open warfare with the enemys of the Imperium. I will be adding some final touches before any more paint goes on him and hopefully get hold of some of those etched brass =]I[= that forge world produce. I'll need some more as i exspand the retinue. C+C always welcome.

Blitz

Inquisitor 2

2010-04-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Here's my progress on the inquisitor, i've redone his left sholder armour and attached his weapons and arms. I've thinkened out his legs by making his clothes a bit more baggy and put some creases in them also.

Started on his banner also, this is an early pic i've done a load more since this pic. You'll see the changes in the next post but this guy is supposed to be a heretics corpse that he carrys into battle to help focus is mental powers on the enemy.

Just need to think up a groovy name for him and a bit of back story, it goes without saying he's a bit barmy and loves a good fight. So tell me what ya think of the weapons and the resculpt on his legs.

Blitz

Inquisitor??

2010-04-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's my attempt at an inquisitor, using a mordhiem head and space marine body as the bases for it. I've tried to sculpt his legs as i wanted a non recognisable set of legs for him. Im trying to get a millitant warrior inquisitor that has seen a lot of action in his career with armour and kit he would have picked up along the way in his career.

Then there's the mesh armour, again something to make him not look like an SM or IG guy. Hopefully they will look ok when painted up.

Still need to put soles on the bottom of his boots, again non millitery looking (i hope).

The scroll thingy and knife are from the SM tac box, i've tried to make the knife look like it's sheathed and made a D ring to tart it up a bit.

Tommorow i'll get shots of his flamer and bolter plus try to get his sholder mesh armour attached, just waiting for the GS to cure, C+C always welcome ;)

Sargeant Stregg and millinery tests

2010-04-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

First up is sargeant Stregg of the Stalichian recon force. Pics are a bit poor i'm afraid sorry for that, seems the sun hasn't been told that summer time has started.

He still needs tidying up and basing plus i've gone an forgot to drill out his laspistol Doh.

The playing cards are from a u boat kit and the skull from the Cadian transfer kit overlayed, just thought a bit of art work on such an immence power fist would look cool.

On to the millinery tests, this was a try at a sargeants hat, something a bit more floppy and worn than an officers head gear.

With it being an NCO's head with a microbead set i added a strappy sort of thing, think it looks ok.

And an imp eagle that didn't work but next try will be better.

And then there's Bruce in his jungel hat lol, he may end up packing a heavy bolter.

If i do another one i'll try putting something in the hat band like a pack of lho sticks.

I wasn't intending to do these but looking around at other bloggist's posts the other night i was inspired to have a go at these, the plan was to tidy my desk but this was a lot more fun. C+C welcome.

Making exhausts

2010-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

The other day i was trying to be helpful in suggesting a way of making some exhaust pipes for a very cool anti grav bike he's building but looking back at my explanation it's useless without pictures. So here it is in pictures. Been a while since i did this last and that time i used brass pipe but out of brass at the moment so picket up some ali pipe instead. First cut the ali pipe down to the required length and insert a smaller length of plastic pipe, and it needs to fit inside snug.

Then you need to crimp the ali pipe "gently" with pliers and if you have it use some leather to stop the pliers marking the tube. Also crimp the plastic pipe so it matches your ali pipe.

Now mark out where you want holes in your pipe and make a pilot hole using a scalpel point, then drill out the holes. I don't need to say it but will anyway DON'T DRILL YOUR FINGER! IT HERTS! A LOT!

Then cut the plastic pipe to required length and find a heat source. A candle is best or in this case a zippo as it's a constant flame and you don't have to hold it whilst warming your pipe. Don't put it in the flame, that will just result in a mess, hold it above the heat for a few seconds and gently bend in the desired direction. I've put a cocktail stick in the end to help bend it.

You may find the plastic pipe warps a bit but at this point a rub with a sanding stick will bring it back into shape and sanding over the drill holes to remove any burrs from it.

A spot of putty around the point were the 2 pipes meet will blend them together nicely.

And finally here's a couple i painted up to show what you can get for half an hours work per pipe.

I did this on the fly tonight after thinking about it at work today and i think it's worked out quite well even if the holes are a bit dodgy and should have left the putty to go off more before painting lol

Hope this gives you the gist of how to add custom smoke pipes to your tank or grav bike or mek or what ever you need an exhaust for.

Rich

Meet the Marshal

2010-03-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

Here's my next project on the bench Marshal Law, for the SFM Hero's and Villans Group build that's just started. I was torn between doing a hero or a villan so decided to do Marshal Law as he's a bit of both and also known as the hero hunter lol. It's not a scratch your own GB but there aint any ML kits out there so having to Sculpt my own. above is the wire armature and covered in tinfoil, then the sculpy 2 as a first base layer to build on to with Super sculpy . I'm looking forward to doing the barbed wire on his arm as i've got a kick ass method for making convincing scale barbed wire. A note about the scale it's sort of 1/20 or a bit bigger so were calling it blitzscale for now lol. Looking after a grumpy 3 year old tonight so no progress till tommorow.

Smoking Joe and pals Part 2

2010-03-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more pics of the guys with there decals on. Now i was going to ask yesterday about decals as i don't seem to see much use of them on IG armies but I'm hopeing to decal most of my guys so here's the question "am i mad to try".

I wont try to give them all individual squad and company flashes as that would be nuts but a regimental number (28th Stalichian Rifles) and brigade/ division badges and campaign markings.

Grenade launcher guy just has the regiment number and the winged skull on his cap as it looked very plain, I've used ink to tint it yellow and will try to build up some layers of gloss varnish to give it a more 3d look. May add some info blurb on the spare ammo drum satchels i scratched up for him. Aircraft kits are a great source of small blocks of text usually for the cockpit layout or Ma.k kits which have more warning decals than could ever be used.

Next up is one of the Catachans i butchered into a more generic trooper that could pass as a veteran with personalised kit, That's going to be another theme to my IG force, a more personalised kit and a more individual look. I think that a veteran unit would gain this look in a long campaign of planet hoping as kit wears out and is replaced locally and altered to suit the individual rifleman.

And yep that little 7 is a decal from a votoms kit.

Another Votom decal on the top of this guys shoulder armour and the other side his regiment and another winged skull on the flex plate armour.

And here's Smoking Joe more formally known as Senior Sergeant Josep Hazehill. He started of as a plastic Necromundan ganger with a lazrifel and spiky bits on him.

After some quick frankensurgery and a few blobs of Aves i think i've got a decent looking specialist veteran with the sort of build to look good whilst toting a flamer. The Regiment number with the spade interposed are all from the cadian sheet and the small halo is from a chopper decal sheet all positioned using micro set and embedded using micro sol. The yellow decal on his other shoulder is again from the votoms sheet, i thought it had a sergeants look to it that'd look cool. You can see it in the previous post group shot.

Well that's all for now, i'll hopefully get a few more finished soon but still need to order my head swaps and next post i'll post some pics of my next Group build project on SFM:UK

TTFN Blitz

Smoking Joe flame trooper

2010-03-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Just some quick pics of Smoking Joe and some of the other guys i've been decaling up. Been away in Scunthorpe the past 2 weeks working so this is about all i've had time for over the weekend but more coming soon so stay tuned. Well not strait after this as i'm off for a bath and read of the Eiesenhorn omnibus (even better second time around)

Rich

Flame trooper Part 2

2010-02-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Looking less like a bib now ;)

Having major keygb5oard malfuhn6tiohn6 at thne momehn6t so will write more agb5out thnis project ahn6d my upcomihn6gb gb5uilds whnehn6 b n h g stop puttihn6gb rahn6dom hn6umgb5ers ahn6d letters ihn6 whnehn6 i type

Ohn hnuts thne arrow keys hnave gbohn6e also gb5ugbgber

Rich

Random flame trooper conversion

2010-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hi all

This is a Random Figure i got in a large karma bomb from a mate recently and decided to see if it was possible to convert him into my guard force as a flame trooper. Inspiration came from Brostin of Gaunts Ghosts fame as he is big and loves the smell of prom in the morning lol.

I've managed to swap his laz gun for a flamer and removed the spikey bits from his armour, then started sculpting in a shirt and body armour know( I know it looks like a bib) but that still needs work and may change. I had to do some major surgery to his moobs as you can see in this last pic that shows the original model they were err very prominent and would have created problems sculpting the body armour over them. Also cut down the Mohawk hair do to a more military height.

I will try to get him finished off whilst i paint up the Castellan in the coming week. Pics of the castellan in paint to follow tomorrow.

Rich

Old blue, Rogue Trooper

2010-01-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

Finally found old blue at the back of my shelves all dusty and forgotten. The reason he's here is a discussion on star ship modeler about Rogue Trooper and the models stemming from the comic. This was one of my entrys in the 2000ad comp held on SFM:UK a couple of years ago, The other one was a scratchbash of Joe Pinapples which needs dusting off and a leather jacket adding to him, but i digress, Bagman and Helm are scratched and the base is i think African slate but was going to be something looking like quartz to reprisent the quartz zone but could not find any decent christal growing kits at the time but i've got a great one now so may well redo his base. If i can finally figure out how to control time and add an extra 3 or 4 hours to my day with no side effects lol.

Rich

chop jobs almost done

2010-01-17T13:11:00.001-08:00

Second post for a sunday "shock horror" and there may well be a third coming hot on the heels of this one lol

The boys are still a bit glossy and some more work needs doing but i had to put them away and change my desk back to scratchbuild constrution area instead of painting area for the Castellan tank i've got to finish by months end. The half painted guy is going to be my vet sargeant with a space marines head and an old old power fist again from a space marine sprue.

Rich

On a roll

2010-01-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Well have got stuck back into the Alt Armour group build this last week and managed to get all 4 legs compleat-ish and some details on the main hull. Also i've finally decided to go with a Junk Tank Rock feel to this build, was toying with Imperial Guard but the scale was not good. So have pulled out some old Tamiya Germans and WWII kit to hang of the hull. Just the recoiless gun to finish and she's ready to paint. Ill still have a bit of work to do when paints on as the legs need canvas covers sculpting where they join the hull. Time is against me "isnt it always" so details on some parts will be less than i'd have liked but an excellent learning exspiriance and i'll hopefully make a leg that i can cast up to use on future builds as i'm liking how these turned out.

Rich

Back packs and other clutter

2010-01-09T09:10:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to get some extra kit on my Guards so i've sculpted some extra Back packs and a day pack on one plus a grenade bag (not a handbag) in that last pic. Also in the first 2 pics my attemp at a long parker type coat on one of these guys.

Next up the 3 metal guards i chopped up all painted up.

Rich

Seem to have lost 2 weeks somewhere.

2010-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well this is what i managed to do before the holidays hit and i became a functioning mute whilst reading the Ravenor Omnibus by Dan Abnett and what a book, i wont go into a lengthy review as i'm most likely the last person on the planet to read it.

Getting back to the pics you can see i've chopped up his arm and resculpted a new socket. This i hope will give the finished figure a better look and no filling involved. Gotta crack on as i wont to have this done b4 Crewe so i can hand it over to Alun to see if it's a go on casting it up.

Which raises the point that i've basically nothing to take with me to Crewe as in finished models cept my Alt Armour build if thats finished. I better get cracking on some builds in the next few weeks or i'll be in big trouble.

Rich

Adding detail to jazz up the basic 5 man Cadian kit

2009-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T14:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-07T03:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-13T12:56:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

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

And it has pretty lights on it too.

Castellan

2009-10-07T09:15:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

Tanks Tanks Tanks pt3

2009-10-04T08:23:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-03T13:58:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

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.

More progress on Ma.k in the USSR

2009-09-23T12:56:00.001-07:00

Some more progess pics of the Russian SAFS i'm working on.

His lid is on properly now and i've put on some of his armour plates. had intended to do more armour but will limit it as i dont wont to go overboard with them.
The two rings behind his knees will have power cable entering them and going back in just under the butt plate :)

Some more plates for the front but these will be flat overlapping plates. I will try to add texture to them as if they have been cast like the T34's.

I took some great pics of the T34 at Duxford on Sunday plus lots of detail shots of tanks and planes that i'm sure will come in handy. I will try to post the best shots on here in the near future.

Next job is his power plant on the back, i've found some intresting tanks from a chopper kit and will try to use one as a side fule tank again echoing the design styles you see on the T34.

More on this soon as it's my pick up build when i'm waiting for bit on the Castellan to go off.

Any comments here or on SFM or the yahoo scratch builders list very welcome, i'm still a bit undecided about the feet on this. Size wise they work given the very heavy look of the upper torso but should i try to make them look more rounded as if they have been cast?

Laterz

Rich

Space Hulk

2009-09-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Have been up in the loft and dug out my old and very dusty issues of White Dwarf for some of teh original xtra stuff they did for Space Hulk. I'll start scanning them up and posting them here. They may be of intrest to those that where still glints in there dads eye when this first came round lol. Got the rules for using traitor terminators and also the pit fall scenario also some rules for using bog standerd Marines. Couple of other intresting bits also.

Stay Tooned

Rich

Ideas for ma.k figuers

2009-09-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quicky about Ma.k figuers as the subject has come up again on a forum and remembered i did these quick doodles for uniform ideas when i was in full sculpt mode. Officer and Grunt ideas, very airborn looking as i see them as modile troops rather than large formations so nothing bigger than battalion size units. With flyers being a populer choise in the Ma.k universe, air mobile troops for the Mercs would make sence.

A radio op would cool looking giving hand signals to a Falke pilot. This idea comes from the detail that Kow Yokoyama sees the Falke as an ambush raider deployed from hidden makeshift forward bases a bit like the harrier jump jet was intended for if the cold war ever got hot.

Some one to fix the bloody things lol Every high tech fliyer needs a greese monkey tho Hasagawa have put out a very nice box of 4 mechanics for the Falke now.

More Grunts again looking like airborne with short weopons and close fitting helmets.

I may sit down and refine these rough sketches and some others that are floating about now that the ideas for my group are down on paper (see below)

Rich

Option 2

2009-09-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've finaly scanned my sketches of option 2 for the Alternative armour group build challange.

This is going to be a light infantry support tank, a more heavily armed option to the Sentinal and more able to cross rough and broken terrain. I think a couple of Cadians riding it and some more using it's bulk as protection could look good as a dio.

The base of the tank will probably be the lower half of a shwimmwagon and the upper sections will be scratch built and i'm looking at Frence WW2 tanks like the Char B1 Bis and Renault tanks as inspriration for this.

No solid idea for a name yet i'm toying with Castellan to stay in line with naming convention for IG walkers all one of them lol.

Going to make a start as soon as i'm finised this and changed a nappy :)

Rich

New Banner at last

2009-09-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well contacted a mate and asked to use a pic of his model for my banner and here it is, thanks Phil it looks pretty decent and lots better than the old type only job i did in a hurry when i started this blog back in May.
I will get around to building my own version of Seth one day and think i've found a nice pieced of art work him to base my build on. But that's a long way off at the moment with lots of other builds to do first like Mongol from ABC Warriors and the Corsarius.

Rich

Whilst i'm thinking about it!

2009-09-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going into town tommorow and plan on buying Space Hulk and was thinking about the 13th mission random mission generator download thing thats available of the web somewhere. Anyway i'm rambling as this aint the i was thinking about directly. Reading White Dwarfs covarage of the new game and what ya get in the box got me thinking about the very cool dead Blood Angel as an objective marker and i remember i've got space crusade on a shelf above my desk and there's a rather nice classic Dreadnourt / robot model in that game.Not as Bulky as the new dreadys and would be something that could turn up on a nice big derelict. So i'm going to paint this up as an objective fro a mission maybe call in "restart the war machine" or "wake the dreadnourt". This is just to remind me why it's sitting on my bence waiting to be tarted up :) and not used in a kitbash, I really hope i havn't used it in a kitbash. Ohh just remembered my mate eddi gave me a very early sanctiond psyker, again he would be good as a rescue piece.

Sorry about these Space Hulk musings but it's getting quite exciting, just hope i can get my hands on a copy soon-ish and the way is clear as the wife just spent £75 on Guitar hero 5 and world tour with free t shirt so no complaints about getting Space Hulk from that area lol.

Rich

Alternative Armour

2009-09-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well lots of members are having a bash at this challange and some pretty impresive ideas and concepts have been posted.

Meanwhile i've got no bloody idea what i'm going to do lol. Above are a couple of sketches i did last year "i think" of something i spotted on the web. This is option one for my entry for the group build. and some sketches of option two will be along shortly.

This will "if it wins out" be in 1/20 scale and probably wont look anything like this initial sketch as i will have to work some found objects to get the shape of the main body. I'm calling it the APE suit or urban pasification unit a police unit deployed to the roughest districts and slums to quell riots and restore order using minimal officers and resorces. It will carry stun and puke gas plus an electrified grid will stop rioters from overpowering the suit. It's main purpose would be for spearheading police assults units and ripping barracades apart and generally intimidating the unwashed masses.

Option 2 will be along when i've managed to sketch some thing i'm happy with "may be a long wait lol.

Rich

Ma.K in the USSR 2

2009-09-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well it started of life as a Votom and at just shy of £4 quid each i bought 3 of the m on my recent trip to London. There the same size as the AFS, maybe a bit taller but i wouldn't know as the original head never made it of the sprue :)
I've made a new top hatch from yep you guessed it a ping pong ball and lots of extra armour on the body also from ping pongs. Poo colored Aves for the nee joints after much umming and arring over the lower bodys pose. I considered scratching up some new feet but as these are twice the size of an AFS's feet but decided that being a Russian suit a certain clunkyness could be expected.

Then there is the arms, I've scratched them up from Cheepo fishing floats a bit from the tamy pit crew and the original hand that came with the kit.

One more shot from the front. I will try to grab some pics tonight of all the armour plate on him and i've done lots more to the top hatch.

It's my sons 9th birthday today so this may not happen as planned and as a side note he was born at 9 mins to 9 on the 9th of the 9th and this year he is 9 and it's 9 years since he was born.

And we got him an electric guitar oh dear gods save me :)

Rich

Alternative Armour

2009-09-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm currently running a group build on SFM:UK called Alternative Armour and a buddy has pointed me at some great pics so i thought i'd shere them here also. First up is the impossible looking Submarine_Land Dreadnaught. Looks liek something a mad Chaos warlord would come up with. And next up we have what i can only assume way the inspiration behind Dan Abnetts Bloodpack Stummble Gun from (i think) the book Only in Death, a Gaunts Ghosts novel.

These would be considered in anyones book as alternative armour :) and hopefully we will get some outstanding builds from the forum members joining in with this. I will post my own feeble attempts here and as the guys finish there builds i'll post them here also but that will be closer to december (the finish date is last week of December btw) so i stand a resonable chance of finishing mine.

Cheers for now

Rich

Ma.k in the USSR

2009-09-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well i've had a week or so away from my bence which is a good and bad thing as i come back refreshed to finish of a build but a Baaaaaaad thing as i have a huge stak of new ideas that i would like to have a stab at. Losing momentum on a build is a right bugger and it's happend twice this last month or so and it makes it a right sod finishing of a project. That said i also have the problem of limited space and have to ether be set up for construction or painting, not both . This bears no relation to the titel of this post must be this uber shitty cold i've got at the moment lol.
I posted before about the little side build i have going on and thought i'd write some more about the idea. More as a referance for me than anything else really.
So the idea is to create a russian ma.k SAFS, now before you all start howling that there aint no russians in the ma.k universe ( It's staited that the USSR didn't suvive as a political entity in the future setting for the ma.k universe) my idea is for a group of industrialists decended from Russian colonists decide that the time is right to reclaim the mother country and start a new russian nation. To this end they have developed a line of fighting suits of the battle and have occupied a region of the former russian empire. If they can hold of both the SDR and the mercs for long enough they can begin to exspand on there claims and build there new nation on the home planet. I may work all that into a background stroy eventully if the gods would give me a bloody minuets peace and i suddenly learn how to use grammer properly ;)

Pics and mpre background ideas coming soooooooooon-ish

Rich

Space Hulk is back

2009-08-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well it was rumored that the bigg secret GW has been workng away at was Space Hulk and it seems to be true. I fondly remember "and still own" the first edition of this great game and am well pleased that GW have seen fit to rerelease it. And to make matters worse i've gone and picked up the new White Dwarf for the Space Hulk pics. This is highly unusual as i've not perchased it in years and not played anything even remotely 40k-ish in a lot longer. With a birthday fast approching i think you may be seeing some genesteelers and terminators poping up here if i can lay hands on a copy of this new edition on Space hulk.
Something i realy enjoyed about the original game was the ease of setting up the board and quickly playing a couple of games and i'm hopeing that this time around i can play it with my eldest son and his sister.
Another thing that i remember from the original game was the additional rules that where published in White Dwarf for using reguler space marines in space hulk instead of the terminators. This time around i'm hopeing that someone can come up with rules for using Elysian drop troops and other IG units in boarding actions. There were also rules for using chaos terminators V's Imperial terminators in games of space hulk.
Heres a linky to teh Elysian drop troops from forge world http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_ELYSIAN_DROP_TROOPS.html
And heres the shiney new space hulk game http://www.games-workshop.com/gws//home.jsp?_requestid=1493090
I will just mention that teh new game is limited (bastards) so if you fancy it get in quick as they wont last long and there is no chance of me getting it for free againg like last time in 1989, and no i didn't steal it. Thats a hole other story for another time lols.

Rich

News from the bence!!!

2009-08-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a hectic few weeks but i've found a little time each night after work but befor tea to progress with the FRS and a little side project.

The pic below is a teaser for what i'm working on when i should be finishing up the junk bash FRS. Side detal of the ship
The long shot and there's still the sensor probes to go on at the front.

Cockpit ready to paint up.

This is my first attempt at a cockpit of any discription so dont exspect anything earth shatteringly brilliant with this lol.

If i'm very lucky and get the bar set up for the Thorny Music Festival "on sunday" we should see some weathering on the FRS and maybe even paint in teh cockpit and some one to fly it.

Rich

How

2009-08-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

HOW THE SMEG AM I GOING TO ATTACH THE BLOODY ENGINES TO THE FRS???????
Name suggestions from the Ninja Scientist include starsurfer and i'm buggered if i can remember any of the others but i'm thinking of going with StarSurfer. He comes up with some great names of the top of his head, bit like the budgie in that Carry On movie that predicted the next days horse race winners.

Pics of the beast all in white tommorow night, would have been tonight but had to do a big beer orderfor the next 2 weeks including the music fest yay an 11 hour shift on teh bar and i dont even get to hear any of the music bah.

Rich

Sand, fill, repeat,

2009-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

All i seem to have been doing when time allowed is sand fill and repeat but progress has been made as can be seen by the pics below.

Above and below are the engines for the FRS, made from 3 plastic champagne flutes and some plastic tube.

Here is the clay mold for the cockpit glass. I've started to construct the cockpit and it's coming along well for my first ever attempt at a scale cockpit. Pics of that when more is done on it.

Rich

Update on the FRS

2009-08-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well it's now in grey primer and i've gone over the low patches with more filler and sanded back. This will hopefully be that last time i need to do this before i start putting all the parts together and begin the paint job. Talking of paint i'm considering an off white base with red (go faster) stripes and a lot of wear and tear on her. Also started sculpting the canopy over the cockpit, that should be ready by the weekend to attempt forming a clear canopy. Pics to follow tommorow if nothing (real life TM) gets in teh way.

Rich

Been Surfing for Armour

2009-07-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

It seems that the next Group build on SFM:UK will be alternative armour ie 2 and 4 legged walkers and hover tanks and well anything that's not your bog standerd tracked armoured vehicle. So with this in mind i've been looking at the Junk Tank Rock site and from there found a few more links to Ma.k Blogs and sites. All this is in japanese and not wanting to kill my PC i've not been translating them so it's a bit like playing russian roulett when you hit a link. The JTR forum seems to be having a discussions about ladys handbags :0 and wrist watches uh.

Heres a couple of links to be going on with so ya know what the devil i'm on about lol

http://members.ytv.home.ne.jp/j.t.r/index.html

http://www006.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Ma_A/

I'm going to dig out some links for Dust models also as they are a great source of inspiration for the group build also.

I've got a couple of ideas for my builds taking some design cues from Junk Tank Rock and to a lesser exstent Dust.

Dooodles may be getting posted next possible of ideas for this or maybe random stuff unrelated to this ;)

Rich