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PracticalBlood Angels Army Project (pic carpet bombing ftw!)

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  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Hehe, RL Lenz effects a go-go, nifty innit! ^^

    Yeah, the LC pose is a bit... awkward indeed. in general I like the look of the new heavies, but that LC is a bit front heavy indeed.
  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    With the lascannon I can definitely see your point as it looks like they're trying to hold it sniper-rifle style - but it's just too bulky for that. But generally the newer Devastator weapons, and heavy bolters in particular, look much better than the really old shoulder mounted ones. You can really feel a sense of weight the way they're held and fired (well, in the Dawn of War animations, at least). The rocket launchers are still shoulder mounted, under-slinging those would be just plain wrong.

    I'm surprised there aren't many super-heavy Devastators using weapons more like the Imperial Guard heavy weapons teams, or for Space Marines would that just be the seldom seen Tarantulas?
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Hmmm yeah, I guess that Marines' weapons are scaled one step in portability. Where an Imperial Guard would need two man teams and tripods, the Marines carry two-handed. And where the Marines have things like the Thunderfire cannon, which is basically mounted on a tarantula-like chassis, the IG would probably mount it on a tank.
  • DCBDCB331 Posts: 0Member
    Yeah I agree the underslung heavy bolter is good. The rest are a bit naff though.

    The lack of heavier firepower is just a legacy of Space Marine doctrine. They are mostly focused on fast paced surgical strikes, not the blunt hammer/war of attrition tactics the Imperial Guard favour. They can always call in orbital strikes if they need a bit more kick beyond what their tanks and dreadnoughts can provide.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    True that, true that... Although i do have a super-heavy lying in a box, waiting to be assembled. And seeing as I don't have any Imperial Guard. I'm going to convert/paint it it up as a Fellblade, basically relics from before the Horus Heresy, when the Legions of the Space Marines numbered in the tens of thousands of marines, with super-heavies.

    Oh, and Forgeworld has put out something else that makes me gibber like a fanboy.
    http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CONTEMPTOR_PATTERN_DREADNOUGHT_BODY.html
  • DCBDCB331 Posts: 0Member
    Hrmmm...interesting, but I can't say I'm a fan. It looks like an oversized, modified Terminator. I gather the reason they went with the big boxy shape Dreadnoughts in the - what was it, 3rd edition? - major design retcon was to clearly delineate them as something other than just a marine in a big robot suit, which is kind of what the 1st edition Dreadnoughts looked like. This seems to hark back to those designs. Although I guess technically a Dreadnought is just a marine in a big robot suit, albeit just his pickled brain.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm a big fan of the boxy Dreads as well. Y'know, a pruned semi-corpse in a foetal position, hardwired in a tank on legs. This does look more like an oversized suit but I like how solid it looks. And it does look infinitely better than this, which is just belly-cramps in a box. Seriously silly...
    Dreadknight
  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    The Dreadknight is seriously silly, but when you're a Grey Knight battling huge demons, seriously silly is what you want.

    I kinda like the Contemptor Dreadnaught, as it definitely looks something Heresy era, but I generally don't like the ones with helmets on them. As you say, it makes it look like a guy in a bigger suit, which isn't what a Dreadnaught actually is.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Yarr! A mate of mine went and made it worse... (The same guy who's Space Wolves is in this post as well) He got me a Stormraven for my birthday with the explicit request to convert it as he's well aware of my disdain for the awefully unbalanced look of the standard GW model. I seriously detest that ugly turret on top, that out-of-place intake behind it, and the ridiculous front-heaviness of the front vs back end.

    That being said, I do like the look of the main cockpit, the front thrusters and the engine/wing assembly. I've been looking at as much self-made and converted Stormravens as possible ever since the rules appeared in the BA Codex. And actually quite recently I've found the best conversion I've seen so far.

    It's the one from 1hadhq over at DakkaDakka (he made two actually). After asking about it, he was kind enough to provide me with two links to his beauties.
    Painted: http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-6838-16466_Stormraven%20-%20Slightly%20Altered..html
    Unpainted: http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-6838-15713_Storm%20Raven.html

    I absolutely love his engine/wing setup, the way he elongated the main compartment, and the canards in front. I'm not going to copy his design 100%, but I'm going to use a similar layout. I ordered some extra bits of off Ebay and once they arrive, the project begins. My plan is to have higher tail rudders (Sukhoi Su-35s ftw!) and I'll elongate the rear hull section using a pair of double side pieces I ordered to cut up. I'll also add some Defiler legs as Dreadnought grapple.
    I'm also thinking about the placement of the turret. I intend to use a FW Razorback turret for it but I'm not too happy with the placement on top, with the Stormraven being a gunship and all. During construction I'll see if I can pull it off to locate the very top hull section (inc. cockpit) somewhat more forward so it sticks out above the front loading ramp. If I then can place the FW turret upside down under the 'beak' of the forward cockpit, and it doesn't unbalance the look too much, I think I'll go for it. It will give it a nice attack chopper look I hope. Whaddayathink?
  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    I think I've seen a some conversions that mount Predator sponsons on the side. Along with altering the turret at the top to be a decent canopy, I think that's what you need.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Yup, the turret is going to need a serious rethink. Preferably I'd like to construct something I can use as a chin turret...

    Alrighty, a start on the Death Company. I didn't want to go for the classic black-highlighted-with-blue-or-grey colour. I started out with a black under coat and the drybrushed them with Mechadendrite Red + black and Mech. Red + orange. Followed by two airbrushed on glazes of Black Ink, with a little bit of red, thinned to a 50/50 mix with water. I also stirred in a tiny, tiny droplet of detergent to break the surface tension.
    I then airbrushed on a layer of Vallejo Red Shade, thinned with water, and the bloody thing dried out leaving bright pink lines in the creases of the models. So I then sprayed on another layer of the black/red wash to fix that.
    While usually spraying models like this holding them in my hand wearing a surgeon's glove, in my haste, I sprayed some of the models while still standing in the cardboard box I use for undercoating. The cardboard box decided to shed some white fuzz from an old undercoating with white, and now some models have little white specs on their lower legs...

    Besides there trials and tribulations I'm quite happy with the effect of the drybrushing and washes. I think it will contrast nicely with all the metallic detailing I'm planning for them.

    IMG_3756.JPG
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Some experimenting with a red metallic. The mix was just a bit too thick by the end so some cleanups will be needed here and there.

    Whaddayathink?

    IMG_3768.JPG
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    It's nice to see you're still doing these types of models, I love how you paint them. Great stuff. :D
  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    Metallic red is good, very stylized and cool.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Cheers guys! :D

    Alrighty, I did some testing on a piece of paper, including some highlighting with a purer red, but I think that the solution I came up with is the best compromise between speed and desired look. I highlighted with Vallejo's Bright Bronze mixed with some GW Mithril Silver, drybrushing the rough bits and normal highlighting the smooth bits. I then airbrushed blood red heavily thinned with water, and after that a layer of black ink mixed with a little bit of red shade, also thinned with water.

    It's not entire the effect that I first envisioned but I'm ,liking it nonetheless. The deep red copper tint looks more muted than a pure red, and the reddish hue on the black armour gives it a look of dark, dried blood. Which is appropriate for, well, 'Blood' Angels. And I'm also quite confident that once the other detail colours are on that it will tie the unit in decently with the look of the rest of the army. The brass/bronze, some green, the parchments, some metal detailing. There's even one Marine that has a loincloth that I will do in that khaki colour.

    What say you?

    IMG_3777.JPG
  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    I say "my painting sucks next to yours".
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Ah no man , the only secret ingredient here is the lack of haste. ^^

    Wehey! Something arrived in the post today! :D
    A pre-order of this: Chapterhouse's Stormraven body kit
    The pre-orders were actually sold out, but the generosity of Whalemusic360 over at DakkaDakka knew no bounds! He offered to send me one of his 4 sets he just got at normal retail price plus shipping. Was went last Friday, arrived today. That kit really will save me a lot of time and headaches. It's easily over a decade and a half since I handled some plasticard for vehicle conversions and this is just exactly what I had in mind to extend the hull. I'll still need some extra construction material together with the extra parts I ordered off of Ebay to get where I want.

    So the master plan is:
    -Extend the hull using the lit.
    -Integrate two tail booms with the engine housing and cut/relocate upwards the vertical tail to create large vertical rudders, much like a Sukhoi Su-35s (look up pics in Google, most beautiful airplane I've seen).
    -add a center boom with no vertical tail, to hold the Dreadnought clamp.
    -Ditch the silly top intake
    -Position the cockpit section forward well over the front hatch so I can make an attack helicopter-like turret to replace the silly top turret.

    Yup, that's right, another project that's crammed into an already full pipeline. Surely Sisyphus's a sissy!

    Everything arrived intact and I must say that the quality of this Chapterhouse cast is of good quality. They even have adequate interior detailing. :D

    The details and lines are crisp, little to no warping, just a slight bend in the larger parts but they're actually as good as straight. The only bits that will require some serious attention are the two side panels. They have quite a large resin 'bar' on the top edge that's 2-3mm thick and 10cm long. That's going to require careful but persistent sanding.

    IMG_3778.JPG
  • DCBDCB331 Posts: 0Member
    Hrmm interesting. GW can't do anything about the stuff like the vehicle addons and such, but it seems that crowd skirt pretty close to the boundaries of copyright infringement with the figures and obviously use of trademarked names.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Great stuff, Meph. Your painting skills always amaze me. I really like how that muted red looks. :)
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Cheers guys!

    Yeah, Chapterhouse is walking the tightrope with butter on their feet... at least other modeling companies have the smarts to say 'Sci-fi knights' instead of Space Marines and such...

    They make good stuff though...
  • DannageDannage236 Posts: 634Member
    It's a pity they couldn't work closer with GW rather than getting into a battle with them, much like how forgeworld started out. Ho hum. Anyway, lovely looking blood angels!
  • DCBDCB331 Posts: 0Member
    Forgeworld is an internal GW studio. I don't recall it ever being "competing".
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Yeah, I thought Forgeworld where just the freaks in GW's basement that got their own shed in the yard to work from...?
  • DannageDannage236 Posts: 634Member
    My understanding was that FW was a standalone bunch of enthusiasts and eventually Games Workshop bought them up and it became a subsidiary. It may well be that it was a bunch of staff or ex staff who started it out, maybe that explains why GW bought them instead of shut em down! :)
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Cool, in any case I'm very happy that FW exists. They make awesome stuff. :D
  • DCBDCB331 Posts: 0Member
    It was never independent. It was announced in the same White Dwarf as 40K 3rd Edition (#226 here - I think #225 in the US October 1998) and clearly states it was a venture started by GW, run by GW staff, with orders taken through GW's existing mail order service.
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    After a while of tinkering...
    I decided to stick everything together temporarily to see how it actually looks like as I didn't exactly drew any plans or sketches. I'm just winging it basically.
    Everything's pretty much in place. I just need to build the 'chin' under the cockpit and figure out what I want to do for chin turret. A razorback turret is a bit too clunky and the original turret is out of the question. I want to make a simple design that holds up using a magnet and have the turret design simple enough so I can magnetize the weapons as well. Any suggestions are always welcome in terms of bits I could use and such.
    And the only other thing to do is to close up the sides, install some canards, and close up the 'neck' behind the cockpit.

    IMG_3782.JPG
    IMG_3788.JPG
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    That's looking cool so far, Meph. :cool:
  • BinkermanBinkerman0 Posts: 0Member
    Meph,

    Since you've got a Valkyrie flavour going on there, .... how about Assault Cannons for the chin Turret ? , ... I did a very quick block-out to show what I mean .... What's the name of this vehicle ? ...

    *EDIT* I was basing the scale on a Valkyrie, but this seems smaller going by the cockpit ? .... which doesn't match the scale of the other parts i.e side doors .... so not sure what size this is supposed to be ? .... I've not read through the whole thread so might have missed that info somewhere ....

    Jas

    conceptfront1.th.jpg Link To Full Size Pic
  • MephMeph331 Posts: 0Member
    Cheers guys!

    Well, that block-model shows more or less what I had in mind. I envisioned a slightly beveled chin like that.
    It's called a Stormraven and the size is in the same category as a Valkyrie. The reason the cockpit seems so small is because it's made for a full size space marine. So the pilot fills up that 'throne'-like seat quite nicely. As for weaponry, the turret can be kitted out with Lascannons, Plasma cannons, and Assault cannons. The the turret I'll have to cook up needs easy access for magnetized weapon switching. I was thinking more along the lines of an Apache turret, rather than a Havoc turret, just for ease of modeling. Although your sketch is making me want to have the center bit for the turret more substantial, rather than just bare mechanics. Interesting food for thought you gave me here. Cheers!
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