DSM Goes Live!

As per my last post I am going to be out of work come Thursday as my Department is being shut down.

Not going to sit on my laurels however!

To remedy my need for money I am going to go Live Full Time with my Miniatures Company as of next week. I will be available 9am-5pm weekdays for consultation as per the Commissions statement (also in my last post) via Email, or even Phone if you are a Brisbane local.

As I have not yet got my web-store completely sorted out I will be taking initial orders via email requests and selling castings in white metal on Ebay.

I am starting with a small number of generic, yet quite quirky minis, one of which had some work done tonight that you can check out here.

I may get bogged down as I have been approached by a fledgeling Board Games Company to potentially sculpt a number of figures for them to get drop poured as gaming pieces. Additionally I am also offering local companies CAD outsourcing support under hourly rates, so some days I will get to do something a little different. But don't worry I have a trained servitor on hand to do castings and bag up orders. So do not fear, I will get you your goods if you order some.

So remember: no matter how bad things can seem, something good is bound to happen if you give to others.

On that note don't forget to Donate to the Storm Wardens Project as every dollar helps!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Make some Lemonade!

So I haven't been around a lot for the last couple of weeks because Life has taken a detour from what was normal for me. For the first time in seven years I find myself without direction or a partner for moral support. Add to that my Department being shut down this Thursday means I will be out of work, possibly for a while.

Not letting it get me down though!

For One I am taking Painting/Sculpting/Converting Commissions again. Something I have had on hold for a couple of months due the Titan Project.

Full details can be found here.

Secondly I am going to be clearing some of my stuff on Ebay, generally stuff I don't need, but I will post a list on here for a couple of days before launching the Auction so that anyone who is interested has a chance to make me an offer. Some of the items will include some of the rare/oop miniatures and other hobby related stuff that I have multiples of, so keep your eyes peeled.

Thirdly I am going to seriously get cracking on the production of my own resin multi-piece kits. I have a few ready to make master moulds of and a few more half done. If you want some unique stuff for what I would call a reasonable price I will be selling them on Ebay to start and later in my webstore when I can fix the SQL Database and upgrade my hosting plan. If you have anything specific you want don't hesitate to email me as per the commissions link above.

Lastly I am taking a full week away for the first time in 18 months, to get my affairs in order and take a break to get my head back on straight. If you place any requests between the 9th and 16th of this month I may not get back to you until the 16th.

Just did a painting session with the lads tonight and got a full 10 minis 90% done in one sitting. So already I am making progress towards something.

Till next time

Cheers

Subby

A Question of Strength...

This is what the toes on the Warlord Titans I am building are going to look like.

For more stability I have decided to use six on each foot (rather than the standard four but bear with me). However this has brought me to a conundrum...

I would likely have to scratch build the 24 toes I need to build the two titans! Or I could simply cast them.

It is not that I am lazy or something but I don't have a huge amount of time available these days. So I decided to cast the multiples. However this presents its own inherent risks in application.

Firstly Warlord Titans in 40K scale are surprisingly big, Even with the sketches having rough scales on them and doing the CAD build you don't get a real idea of what you have gotten yourself into until you start slabbing out the torso superstructure. Being large they will require some serious strength to support their weight. I am not so sure that the resin I use will have adequate shear strength to do the job.

Secondly the Titans are likely to be a little top heavy, given their design. This alone presents a lot of issues in a gaming environment. Coupled with their immense size it is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

I was thinking of Casting the toes out of white metal, as I have the stuff on hand to do it.

It will be a strong homogeneous material that will help counterbalance the top heavy nature of the beast.

Any thoughts/suggestions from the group at large?

Cheers

Subby

Productive Afternoons

It has been a little while since I posted anything on the progress of the Titan Project so I thought I would pop a quick post up to share the results of the hour I spent this long weekend on it (yeah so I had a whole lot of other things going on).

So I got the main structural supports cut out and ready to glue to their cross members (not pictured!).

As you can see this little Sternguard Veteran is wondering just what trouble is "Over there!"

Anyhow I have the cad about 90% nailed, just gotta finalise the turret mounts for the shoulder weapons (which I have sketched) and the thighs, which are going to need a little revision from my sketches. Then it is a whole lotta cutting, glueing sanding and painting before the second weekend in November.

In case you are wondering 'Is that a kitchen table?!?'...

Yes, Warlord Titans are big when the are accurately scaled.

As always have fun.

Subby

Thanks FTW Group.

So I have for a long time been around the inter-webs, I remember the old days of BBS and MUDS and stuff like that. Hell I remember telnetting into data directories because it was fun to learn (gasp!). When they began, 4CHAN and /B and other places of redundant logic I used to find funny, now that I am older, I don't.

What am I getting at?

In the last six months in particular the online groups dedicated to hobby have seen some pretty vicious flame-wars, personal attacks (online and offline), and a massive growth of profanity that is getting well and truly out of control. I used to be a regular on the old GW hobby forums, and after a while they got carried away, notice how they got the axe when the new revamps of the site happened. I am sure if the members where better behaved they would have stayed, although that is speculation on my part that you can feel free to dismiss if you are so inclined. BOLS I used to frequent almost daily, this has stopped with the recent wave of spite spreading across the group. Hell, Spencer over at 40K Radio shut his podcast down because of threats/abuse levelled against him and his family by gutless people who, quite clearly, have no sense of honour or integrity.

So You're Saying What Now?

We are all fans of little plastic and metal collectable models...

We all have "Real Lives."

Many of us have Wives/Kids/Family, some of us Are Kids or have kids that browse!

Occasionally we ALL need to take a deep breath before we hit that "send" button and realise we need to grow up and be decent members of society.

Do I agree with everything everyone says online? Of course not, I am human and like to form my own opinions, and it is unhealthy not to. However belittling, threatening or abusing Fellow Hobbyists because they have a different opinion is just downright low. Period. Using profanity or sexualised commentary for the sake of it, and for attention grabbing factors are just immature and a downright waste of space. There really is no excuse for it.

So What Am I Getting At?

I want to thank Ron, and all the other members of FTW for running a tight ship. The rules are easy to stick to and well written, so you are well aware if you are doing anything wrong. John Lambshead, Drax, Mr Justin, Dave Taylor and Corbs, Mike & John at Santa Cruz are among the list of bloggers I have the greatest respect for. They contribute great things in a well spoken manner that should be an example to all of us. As a group I think that FTW is one of the best groups online, member-wise and content-wise, because of the rules rather than in spite of them. The things you say and do define how people perceive and remember you. The fact it has great tips and content is what made me join FTW. The mature, well-written posts by the members is what makes me stay and promote the group. It is the same thing that has lead Ron and the Boys to take on the Storm Wardens Charity Project. Giving your time, for free, to something greater than yourself is a great thing. While time issues prevents me from chipping in, I applaud the team and will definitely be doing some Ticket shopping as soon as my pay check clears.

So Thanks FTW Members for being a shining beacon in the darkness.

Lastly; If you read this and have a similar story of why you like/joined FTW or a particular blog, drop us a line. You never know it might kick off something regular or, at the very least, spark some interesting intellectual stimulation.

Cheers All

Can You Name That Theme Song? - FTWCP

This is a Happy Khorne Dreadnought...

Why is this KD so happy? Why does he have his hands thrown in the air in praise to the Dark Gods?

Because He gets to come out of the Gaming Case to kick off this post about choosing a theme for your army. This dreadnought, that I put together and converted when the plastic dreads were first released, shows a few important things about theme.

1) You can easily use random bits, green stuff and some plastic-card to convert a vehicle to match up with the theme of your army. Once you do this you can then quickly paint it to match the paint scheme.

2) You don't have to neglect the base, even if it is pre-molded.

In this instance I have added a slightly modified Skeleton to complete the skull that was on the base to begin with. I also added some grass made from old paint brush hairs to break up the whole thing with some spot colors.

Below I will give examples of both of these methods and various combinations of the two. Including the extension of these methods to objectives and Game Specific miniatures.

This Red Corsairs Rhino shows another way to enhance the theme of your army. While not extensive the conversions make this miniature unique. While I have scratch built this particular bit of Red Corsairs Iconography from plastic-card there are many upgrade kits out there to add similar bits to you miniatures to make them yours. While I could have painted this on (indeed I painted a larger one on the top hatch), I thought it would stand out more if I did it this way.

Moulded details, brass etch bits and themed conversions can be easily used to quickly make an army yours. I many cases these details can also make the miniatures both easier to paint, and you can add extra painted detail to the raised parts without fear of messing up the other details.

This is SGT Cromarte, named for the eponymous school teacher terminator from the TV Series. He started as an off hand remark and was made reality with a head swap and some icon filing. He was painted to to match the scheme for the rest of my scouts. Here the theme of the character is derived from the fluff behind the rules. He represents a hard-bitten veteran who has seen some serious action (represented by his bionics and old school rank insignia), that has been tasked with training the new recruits. A simple slate base with some muted greys and a gaunt skill add to the look by making it look like his camo cloak really would help conceal him.

Here is Cromarte with a few of his WIP pals. If you look at the middle mini you will notice a chunk of Cities of Death building. Small off-cuts and other bits that you would otherwise not use can be quickly used to add character to your bases. In this case I am steadily re-doing my whole marine army (except my Deathwatch Kill Team), in bases that suit my city terrain. As the scouts are newer additions to my marines they get the whole treatment from the start, the rest will get soaked in water until the white glue is soft enough to remove the old flock. They will also get updated highlights and some paint re-touches.

Doing it this way can revive your interest in an army you may have otherwise abandoned for various reasons. In my particular case my marines were never really themed other than "Vanilla" Marines that I use to learn the new rules with each Edition. This way it will encourage me to game more often with them, and I can revisit some of my favourite miniatures without buying a whole new army. On top of that it encourages me to get the crew over more often to game with my terrain, rather then meeting at our not-so-local-friendly-gaming-store.

The scout on the right is the result of my need for just one more scout to finish the army. In this instance I had a couple of choices. I could have sculpted a pair of legs, as I had the rest of the body as leftover bits. Instead I chose to do a neat little theme base where the scout appears to be climbing out of some industrial piping after cutting the mesh covering open.

Here is an example of basing two different armies the same to suit a purpose. In this case the Deathwatch Brother Captain on the left has a resin base from Back-2-Base-ix. The Genestealer on the right has a plastic base that has had textured plastic-card added to match the resin one. Both have been painted as if they were on starship. I themed these bases this way because these models are used as alternate forces for both Kill Team and Space Hulk. As per my previous example with the scouts I have themed that bases to match the majority of the terrain they will be used upon. This isn't to say that these models would be out of place on a Cities of Death or Necromunda table either.

The strategic application of scratch built bases to match some resin ones that you have run out of, especially if the amount you need is less then one packet of resin ones, will keep money in your pocket. I will also save you the headache of trying to work out what to use the, now excess, resin bases for.

Pre-cast bases such as the one on this Forgeworld Moderati need not be boring. A simple addition of some flock, in this case some snow flock, in addition to some strategic washes can really bring a little theme or story to life.

This guy and his two friends I use as objective markers. The theme is that they have just climbed out of the wreck of their steed and the oil and other hot fluids have stained the snow he is walking across. Simple little themes like this can be conveyed by strategic use of the base to create micro-dioramas.

In my last post I showed this guy. Here I have have used the light colours of the base to counter-balance the dark colours of the Skitari. Also the theme of ancient unexplored ruins presented by the design of the bases brings to mind the omnipresent background theme of the Adeptus Mechanicus searching ruins for lost STC fragments.

A close-up of one of the weapons platform sized resin bases from Dragonforge, the strategic use of symbols on bases can also add to the them of your army. If you regularly face a particular opponent or army you can add little bits of their icons and armour to your bases for a bit of fun. Both players could even use these like kill markings, adding one every time a mini "kills" a character or special unit. Just a little fun added into the game for everyone that can bring hobby back to rewarding those "Cool" moments that good gamers have during games.

Here are the rest of the bases ready to have Skitarii mounted on them, using the same set of resin bases for the whole army makes sense as no matter how incongruous the units are, the bases will tie the army together thematically. When doing this, especially if using the counter-balance of colours method, it is often a good idea to paint the bases separate from the minis. Barring any elaborate posed that require the minis to be on their bases, it can make the painting quicker as you need not worry so much about "not keeping to the lines."

Lastly here is a group shot of my Thousand Sons Army. This is diametrically opposed in how the army is themed to the last example. Here the theme of the miniatures has dictated the choice of both the force composition and the bases. Theme armies like this, and any cult army is especially susceptible to this path, are built around the colour scheme and army choices. However, in keeping with the sorcerous theme, the bases have been basically sanded and painted in dark browns and blacks to represent land blasted by the unnatural energies of the warp.

So I leave you with a few tips and things to ponder about theme and armies. Hope you enjoy.

A big thanks to Ron for sending this topic out as I had been thinking about this for a while and wondered if I should write it down.

A also want to apologise for the poor quality of some of the pictures in this post, my digital camera's auto focus was playing up today, I may have to get it looked at.

Warlord Titan Project Progress

Truth be told this has been a WIP draft for about a week and a half, it just never seemed to get finished. Here are a few of the reasons why:

I went to Supanova Brisbane and had my cousin stay over for a few days. This ate up a bit of time on things and as I was flat out all weekend i was ludicrously tired and only had a little time to do a few production sketches. Last weekend was the ANZAC Day weekend, so while I did spend some time painting and modelling on the Saturday and Monday, the lads and I went out to see "Beneath Hill 60" on the Sunday, which was a really great film to remember those who fought for us. I also raised more than a few drinks to their memories on the Friday night a 21st party. Lets just say the the painting on Saturday started slooowly.

Work is steadily progressing on the Titan. So far I have the toe design nailed and the first toe three parts done so I can cast the 24 I need (6 toes on each foot, 2 titans) and I refined the lower leg design. I also did the designs for the Gattling Blaster, Apacalypse Launcher, the Core cutouts of the torso, and started on the I have bought all the fittings and LEDs for the builds as well as the plastics and other bits I needed.

I have started posting WIP CAD layouts of the beast on my Deviant Art Account. I did this for two reasons; 1) I had been neglecting it a little. 2) I don't use a whole swag-load of my file limits on here or my website.

So if you want to see how things are going with that you can go here.

A sample of the Cad Stuff

I also bought some bases from Jeff Dragonforge, specifically some of his wonderful Lost Empires Bases, which I think would go perfectly with my lost-technology-hunting-Titan-escorting Skitarii. They arrived about a week and a half ago So far I have the whole lot ready to put miniatures onto. Below is my test mini mounted on his new permanent residence...

(for a larger pic you can visit my Deviant Art account)

This is after about ten years of actually owning guard miniatures (yes I have a bunch of metal Cadians, Stormtoopers, and some Steel Legion minis, plus the plastic Cadians that this mini is taken from), I have found a color scheme I actually like. I plan to doo the whole lot up like this. Plus most of the other minis in this lot will have re-breathers, goggles, bionics and other conversions to make them a fair but less like freshly recruited Skitarii.

I really wanted to get this out before I posted my contribution to the latest collaborative post for FTW. Just in case you were wondering why the two posts in a day...