2263 replies to this topic

[Biohazard]

Thanks folks, glad you all like the Dread, he got a few compliments at the tournament as well.

Started putting together the Dreadclaw for my Call of Chaos Vow today but had something strange happening with a new glue. Once I switched back to my original stuff thebuild went a lot smoother, still a fair bit to do on it but hope to have a update by the weekend. Hoping the rain clears off ASAP and I’ll get the Kytan and the Dreadclaw primed.

[SystemSyn]

Thanks folks, glad you all like the Dread, he got a few compliments at the tournament as well.
Started putting together the Dreadclaw for my Call of Chaos Vow today but had something strange happening with a new glue. Once I switched back to my original stuff thebuild went a lot smoother, still a fair bit to do on it but hope to have a update by the weekend. Hoping the rain clears off ASAP and I’ll get the Kytan and the Dreadclaw primed.

Looking forward to seeing what to do with the Dreadclaw. Are you going to give it a base, or keep it as is?

Think you'll make the deadline for Call of Chaos? It's getting close now. I'm a bit concerned myself that I won't make it in time, and I've only got the one model left to paint!

[hushrong]

Love the battle shots and I'll say it again: that dread looks like a champ!

[Biohazard]

SystemSyn, I’m still undecided what I’m going to do with the Claw if I’ll base it in a similar style to InsanePsycopaths or leave it and use it on the flying stand. I have to say it’s a pretty uninspiring model to build in my opinion. I’ve still to finish it. As for the Call Vow, I’m still quietly confident I can get it done. Hopefully.

Hushrong, thanks buddy.

[Biohazard]

So the Call of Chaos was a fail.

Had a really crappy start to the year this year and to be honest lost a lot of my hobby Mojo. Have been working on bits and pieces mainly for the Black Legion log but even then I still haven’t posted most of it. My WE have been neglected for the last few months as well but with the release of Forgebane and the Knight Codex being rumoured for a while and now the announcement of the new Castellan model I’ve had a bit of a push on building again. Hoping this gets me back into posting more.



I’ve been working on the second Knight for my WE, I also got my Forgebane box this morning and made a very quick mock-up of the cockpit I’ll be using on the Armigers. Unfortunately had to come out to work now but will be updating with pics tonight when I get home.

[Gederas]

I know I await the pictures excitedly. Your World Eaters have always been inspiring to me. So I'm excited to see more of your conversions

[NightHunters]

I feel your pain brother, in a similar boat entirely!
But equally excited by the prospect of some savage new knights from you and who knows, may join the knightly crowd myself!
Crack on Sir!

Edited by NightHunters, 24 March 2018 - 04:38 PM.

[Biohazard]

Gederas, thanks a lot bud, appreciate the support.

Nighthunters! Good to see you around. Hope tricks are good with you, I was actually thinking about you Just last night as I found the scared Cadian you made for me. He’ll be put to use on one of the Knights bases very soon. The Gorehound took a tumble off a table after an Apoc game a few years ago and I’ve just not had the heart to restart it. Although with the young family Now time is also an issue.

[NightHunters]

Hah, goes to show cowering can improve chances of survival!

 

Damn shame about the hound, always heartbreaking and now from experience i can confirm that little people sure do suck up time like a warp rift making repairs that much harder!

[SystemSyn]

What you've done with the cockpit on your Knight is a really cool idea, and you've converted it up really well, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you've done with the smaller one.

[Gederas]

Also, something I forgot to ask regarding your Redemptor Leviathan conversion.

Those claws on the power fist.... Are those from the Heldrake?

[Biohazard]

Nighthunters, indeed it can The Hound will walk again but it’s really really low on my list of priorities. I put too many years into building the damn thing I will fix it and I will improve it haha.

SystemSyn, thanks bud, the smaller Knight is a very tight fit but I think I’ve managed to sort something out.

Gederas, those are from the Heldrake bud. They fit almost perfectly into the fist of the Redemptor.

So I ended up spending a bit longer than anticipated on this tonight and I really wish I’d left the hatch until the morning when I was less tired as I’ve removed a little too much material. I can fix it, it’s just a bit more work than I was hoping for. Ah well, that’s the thing with experimenting.

So it doesn’t look a lot but it took a long time to figure out the best way to get this to sit in here. I’ve used the sentinel pilot as a base and added a torso from a FW Enforcer and the head is a Skitarri Vanguard I think. I would have used the Enforcer head like on the Barons I have but these guys are supposed to be the lowest rung of the Household so I decided against giving them the skulls.




And here he is with his big cousins




Here’s how the cockpit on the second Knight is progressing. This one came about a LOT faster and now I know what I’m doing the next one should be faster still.
I need to replace the torso with a Scion one, I just can’t find the Sprue with the on at this point in time.


And for an accidental pic when I was putting my phone away I snapped a shot of one of my lamps haha. I like it so thought I’d show you as well.

[KrautScientist]

Oh man, I was already asking myself whether it would be possible to add a cockpit to those Armigers. Leave it to you to completely sell me on the idea and also knock it out of the park in the process, buddy!

 

Fantastic job so far. One question, since you are currently working with the models: Is it possible to just "snap" the top carapace plate in place without gluing it on (like it works on the Imperial Knight kit)? If so, that would basically eliminate the need to drill out the hatch if you wanted to show off the interior.

 

The prospect of seeing your excellent, converted Knights completed is also really appealing. Snap to it!

Edited by KrautScientist, 25 March 2018 - 03:15 PM.

[deathspectersgt7]

Great just Plain Great . 

[Augustus b'Raass]

Everything what Kraut said, plus: the way you're drilling out that top hatch seems to be drilling holes along the edge -basically perforating a line- and then wedging your knife through that line. But doesn't that remove too much material to make the hatch 'fit' back?

[Biohazard]

Kraut thanks buddy, yeah it is possible to fit a cockpit in there. Mine is made from a Sentinel Pilot and the dash from a Storm Talon BUT the arms on the pilot had to be shaved a little to allow him to fit. It’s very tight in there.
It is also possible to have the entire carapace and shoulder armour sit on top but I like making things difficult for myself. I’ve no idea what kind of ‘engine’ I’m going to add behind the pilot. I’m leaning towards a chopped up Marine bike.

DSS7, thanks bud.

Augustus, yeah that’s exactly how I did it, like I said above it has removed a little too much material so the hatch doesn’t fit flush just now. Should be able to fix it though. Like I say I should have left it until today so I could work on it with fresh eyes. I want to have all my Knight with the ability to open the hatch so that’s why I’m torturing myself in this way

[Dragonlover]

So according to someone in a FB group I'm in, apparently the Armiger legs/hips are perfectly sized to fit the Blood Slaughterer body, which sounds like it'd be right up your alley...

 

Dragonlover

[Augustus b'Raass]

You, you masochist you. Khorne is proud.

[KrautScientist]

Kraut thanks buddy, yeah it is possible to fit a cockpit in there. Mine is made from a Sentinel Pilot and the dash from a Storm Talon BUT the arms on the pilot had to be shaved a little to allow him to fit. It’s very tight in there.
It is also possible to have the entire carapace and shoulder armour sit on top but I like making things difficult for myself. I’ve no idea what kind of ‘engine’ I’m going to add behind the pilot. I’m leaning towards a chopped up Marine bike.

 

Cheers for clearing that up! As for the engine question, this may be a bit of a far out idea, but the basing kit for big models has some big vents and pipe elements that may just look like an engine cover?! With the obvious caveat that there would be nothing underneath.

 

So according to someone in a FB group I'm in, apparently the Armiger legs/hips are perfectly sized to fit the Blood Slaughterer body, which sounds like it'd be right up your alley...

 

Dragonlover

 

I actually have a Blood Slaughterer head in my bitzbox that I've always saved for a special conversion, and I think it might look just wonderful as a replacement head on a (Chaos) Armiger. That and the challenge of adding a cockpit may just be enough for me to get one of these guys, once they are available separately.

[Machine God]

Nice thread. Is there any chance of you posting a shot of the Redemptor Dreadnought and the Knight Armiger together for size comparison?

[Biohazard]

Dragonlover, I can test that theory tonight when I get home as I have a third Blood Slaughterer as yet unbuilt. I’m thinking the Slaughterer may actually be a bit big for these legs but happy to have a look.

Augustus, I’ll take a bit more time on the next one and try and keep it a bit neater. Has to be done though. Like I say I want the option of the hatch opening on all the walkers in Knight Household.

Kraut, as said above I think the proportions of the Slaughterer may be a bit larger than the Knight but will have a look tonight. I do have plans to add some skull faceplates to these Armigers as well. Possibly using Chaos Knight it Terminator shoulder pads. I’ve also sourced a 3rd Armiger on eBay as well so I’ll have a full pack soon.

Machine God, yeah no worries, I’ll post a pic up tonight after work.

[Subtle Discord]

Consider investing in a Razor Saw (aka Jewelers Saw) for doing jobs like this; you could drill one tine hole in the corner, thread the saw blade through the hole, and then carefully cut the hatch with much more precision and much less material loss. It can even turn corners and the blades can be so thin that they would actually stay within the seam line you're trying to cut. If you're the kind of person who does serious conversion work to models it's an extremely useful $15-20 (with blades) investment you'll come to use often.

[Biohazard]

Thanks for the tip, I’ll definitley have a look and see about investing in one before butchering the other two carapaces

[Subtle Discord]

No problem. Here's a copy-and-paste of a post a made on the subject of using a saw and it has some links that should be useful. I'm not nearly as ambitious as some of you here, so my saw isn't used that often, but when I do need it, it's the only tool that can cut the way it can.

 

Depending on just how often you plan to do conversions that require careful removal or separation of parts, I strongly recommend investing in a Jewelers Saw and a few bundles of corresponding Blades. I suggest getting an assortment pack of blades to start so you can experiment with them yourself to find what size you prefer. Larger blades make quick work but are also thicker and the finer blades cut away very little material (excellent for harvesting parts and preserving the bit and the original model) but they are also very thin and delicate. Once you have a good idea which you prefer you can get packs of just those blade sizes and they are very economical over time.
 
Basically a razor blade with teeth, for a $15-to-$20 investment (including the first bundle of blades), you'll have a precision tool that will last a lifetime and permits you to make very thin precise cuts in soft-to-medium hardness metals and all kinds of plastic. Being so thin you are able to slowly rotate (even making sharp corners, with practice) the blade as you cut to follow complex contours. Note that the blade will clog quicker with plastic, but it still provides excellent cuts and control. I use this saw regularly to carefully removed casting vents/channels from resin models without fear of damaging the model and it's also very good at making complex cuts for conversion of styrene plastic models.
 
Here's a simple guide to using this kind of saw correctly, most important of which is how you load the blade so it is very taut and ready to cut properly. If done right you should be able to pluck the blade and get a nice clear 'ping' sound like it was a stringed instrument. Note also that these saws come with different 'throat' sizes which refers to the cutting depth of the saw. For miniatures, a shallow (read: cheaper) 2"-3" (50mm-80mm) throat will likely be more than enough. Finally, the guide also recommends using some wax on the blade which will greatly extend blade life. If you're not doing tons of work you don't need wax, but any oil or wax will work reasonably well and you only need a tiny bit to keep the blade gliding smoothly, especially if you're doing a complex cut with tight turns.
 
Like with any sharp tool, be careful and wear eye protection. The tightly strung blades are delicate and do break quite easily when you're first getting used to using one of these saws and they 'bite' very quickly and can give you a nasty cut if you don't take care.

[Biohazard]

Thanks again for the advice. I’ve since ordered one with a selection of blades so look forward to trying it out.