Tuesday 30 January 2018

Scratch Built Imperial Navy Fury Interceptor P2

Basic hull, dorsal side up

   Some years ago I scratch built an Imperial Guard troop lander. Then I used balsa wood to make the main hull chassis, and hung thin plasticard on it as a skin finish. This time I bought some heavy plasticard and used it to make a monocoque hull with no chassis. This was an error. Despite my best efforts thee plasticard warped slightly under the impact of the cement. It wasn't bad enough to abandon but a slight warp brings back issues as detail is added.


Front hull

   A chocolate mousse container had just the right rounded rectangular cross section and deliniation for the nose cone turret.

Rear, ventral side up

   I added a heat-shield around where the rear where the thrusters tubes would be fixed, partly to look good and partly to hide the attachment point.

   At this point, I left the whole thing overnight to dry then sanded down the edges.




Monday 29 January 2018

Scratch Built Imperial Navy Fury Interceptor P1

I have this yen, to build a Fury Interceptor as a terrain piece for combat within space ship landing bays.

The first thing I need to know is what a Fury looks like. Well it is big, up to 100m long and comes in various marks of different size. But the only GW pic I could find its not terribly useful.

I found these two pieces of superb artwork all over the net. Unfortunately ,I don't know who the artist is. They show a turret at the front and lascannon hanging off the wings.  Wings on a Void Fighter are a bit strange. I suppose this thing could enter atmospheres but it's unlikely to be much use and certainly can't fly .

Actually few of the Imperial Navy's aerospace fighters can fly either. They have impossibly awful drag coefficients and some have wings that generate negative lift.

Putting lascannon on the wings makes no sense. It will generate the maximum turning force on the vehicle and cause the wings to flutter. If one is shooting at a tiny object a kilometre away the smallest wing vibration will wreck accuracy.

Incidentally, photons are only massless at rest , which is a theoretical concept. Moving photons have momentum and a fighter is subject to Newton's laws. So any laser weapon pumping out enough photons at short enough wave lengths to damage a target will cause a kick back.

The long thin shape does make sense . Assuming the nose is pointed at the enemy to bring weapons to bear (irrespective of what direction the fighter is actually moving)  gives the smallest possible cross section to return fire .

The best way to think of one of these is not as a fighter plane, but as a motor gun boat.

So off to my work table.


Wednesday 24 January 2018

Alpha Legion Sorcerer

This is an independent sculpt from a small company that I can't now find. I bought it on eBay and thought it a great model for my small Alpha Legion Army of infiltrators.

This army consists of a few Legion elite marines, some operatives,and cultists/gangers.

The original came with a staff in his left hand but I swapped this for a plasma pistol.

I painted the model's armour with Mr Colour metallics: a base of metallic blue-green, highlighted with metallic blue.

Great model

Recommended, if you can find one.






Thursday 18 January 2018

Kitbashed Nurgle Plagueburst Crawler

Many Black Moons ago, I purchased a second-hand Nurgle-painted Rhino off eBay in an effort to give my plague marines some mobility. I tarted it up a bit and then abandoned the model when the rules changed and transports became death traps.


However, I had a spare demolisher cannon so I attached it to the front and remade it as a Nurgle Vindicator tank.

However, When 8th edition came out it became clear that Death Guard Vindicators had gone the way of Imperial Guard jetbikes.

However, the new Death Guard codex introduced the Plagueburst Crawler....a superannuated Vindicator.

Soooo, given that I didn't much like the Crawler model anyway, I added some guns from the ole bitz-box to restore WYSIWYG and Voila!

The new kitbashed Plagueburst Crawler.

Close up of the business end.

I refreshed the slime a bit.

The Grandfather sees all.

And of course, the upwardly mobile slime daemon needs somewhere to hang his heads.

Off to spread the Grandfather's Bounty.






Sunday 14 January 2018

On My Painting Table: Nurgle's Lord of Blights

Mostly spend today writing a book on skirmish wargaming, but I did get to do a quick paint job on my new Lord of Blights model for my game tonight with Shaun.

He has this humongous fly-shield complete with pawn-balls.


Looks almost as good going as coming.

This is a great model and should buff up my Blight Kings nicely.

Recommended.




Tuesday 9 January 2018

Lamborrari 2000 Sci Fi Sports Car





Wandering around Rochester Models, I was drawn to the Wargames Terrain Workshop stand with lots of resin goodies at very reasonable prices. I have bought some of their pieces before on impulse and liked them.

They had this 28mm compatible aircar on the stand, sold in five pieces for £5.

Putting the model together was a doddle but the resin is very smooth and, despite washing it well, I had trouble getting the surface degreased.


Eventually, I left it to soak overnight in a bath of concentrated detergent.

Even so, I had to undercoat with Wilko commercial primer, followed up by a base coat of two thin layers of a Red Enamel spray paint.

The top coat consisted of two layers of Mr Colour Metallic Red. This paint is more pinky purple than bright red but it covers exceptionally well compared to other companies metallics so it is great for greasy resin.


The windows were painted in a layer of Vallejo Copper, MIG Gold Flecks, and a thin cover of Vallejo Air Orange Rust.

The hull is scored, nicely delineating windows and body panels which I picked out with black wash.

Lenses are Citadel candy colours on top of Vallejo silver.



This may not be the most sophisticated resin vehicle I have ever painted but it is the most sophisticated £5 resin model: and I am well pleased with the result.

Recommended


Sunday 7 January 2018

On My Painting Table - Tau Ethereal

Got bored with Genestealer Cultists so I decided to paint up my Ethereal. It is mostly as-is from the box.

I left of the front 'skirt' and used a higher base because I thought it made the model look more 'dynamic'.

For The Greater Good








Thursday 4 January 2018

A Future Earth

This is what a future Earth could look like if/when temperatures reach +4 degrees C.

The map was published in New Scientist some time ago. It is an interesting setting for wargames in, say, 2200 to 2500.


Tuesday 2 January 2018

Genestealer Primus

Still plugging away at my Genestealer Cult Gang. The Primus is finished so just a couple of familiars to do and I think I will call it a day.

Great model, though. A real feel of ferocity and determination in the pose. He's ordering on the cultists behind to act as a meat-shield so he can get within claw range of the foe.



Monday 1 January 2018

Genestealer Cult Mage

Currently sitting on my painting table - a genestealer Mage.

Great plastic model.

I tried to show him streaming warp-glow so lots of metalallics, candy colours, and highlights.

Truly evil figure ripe for exterminatus.