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  • 2 weeks later...

In the immortal words of professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, "Good news, everyone!"

 

But as with this signature phrase, it comes with a bit of a catch; thankfully nothing as suicidal as most 'Good news' Planet Express delivery missions. I shall elaborate...

 

So, I was able to poke my nose out from under the rock of higher learning, take a little time to do some building, and take a few teaser photos of some of things brewing in the background. But, as much as I want to get the studio back up-and-running I've been a bit stuck because of a school obligation. Between 3rd and 4th year (my current position) students are required to do an internship that ties into the Industrial Design field. So, as much as the studio is calling, for several weeks I've been looking, quite unsuccessfully, for summer employment.

 

I'd tried twice already to see if my studio could qualify considering what I'm doing and what I have planned for the future, but the program has somewhat specific (and dated) requirements, and I wasn't fully explaining just how developed my small studio is. So finally, after explaining with a little more depth (ok I rambled... a little... emphatically) a third time yesterday I was given tentative permission to use hours in my studio towards the obligation for the program. Details still need to be clarified and verified, and I will still need to try and find some other work to add additional hours if I can, but a massive barrier to spending any time in my studio should now be lifted. "And there was much rejoicing! ... Yay!" ~ Monty Python

 

As I said, this is a bit of a mixed blessing; while I get what I wanted and can work in my studio, it also means I'll need to stay motivated and avoid any wasted time. It's still not clear exactly what will be expected as proof of progress and development, as it were, so I'm still careful not to celebrate too much. Deep down I know I have a ton of work cut out for me no matter what, so at least I think I have a realistic grasp of what I'm getting into. Odds are I'm overthinking things as usual, but I'll have a better idea by next week when things are clarified by my program coordinators.

 

So, put simply, expect some long overdue updates very soon; I have several articles that have photos done, I just need to finish the copy for them, so expect to see those soon. For anyone waiting on a restock for the shop; I can now invest serious time without it being counter productive so I'll be on this over then next week or more. For those who are interested in some of my new designs; as with casting, studio time is now 'official' and I can invest resources in getting them into production. And finally, I think I can find a way to squeeze some army build/paint time into all of this so expect some progress on that as well.

 

Lots more to come. So much so, I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out where to start, now that I'm actually aloud to start. I think this might require a bit of a reorganization of the studio space. Some new equipment I got this winter (another story for another time) has really thrown a cramp into how the shop is arranged. It's harder to function in a dysfunctional space, after all.

 

Please, stand by...

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Maybe post a list of the things you were considering tinkering around with this summer with the special workshop hours you're permitted and we can provide input ?  After you finish rearranging your studio of course.

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I thought I responded to this, but I think it got eaten by the warp.

 

Anyway, this is fantastic news for us, and even better news for you! We get more cool stuff, but you get school credit for doing the very thing you're going to school to do. How cool is that? 

 

My only concern, and it's a small one, is that you won't be getting the cross-polinization of ideas from another industry or even a mentor. However, you've proven time and again that you know what you're doing and don't take the easy way out. I think if anyone can make this work, you can.

 

Don't get burned out. 

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As a college professor, I feel for you! Kindly explain to your profs that there are people all over the world waiting to purchase your homework : ) I'll sign a letter on official college letterhead if you need an endorsement from the states : )

 

Keep plugging away!

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Taken from 'Today in the Hobby I...' I figured it wouldn't hurt to drop this update here as well. It always takes longer than expected, but I finally finished reclaiming my studio and painting area from the influences of disorganization and clutter. I took a few weeks to start some work on a few summer hobby projects and that just pushed the space to a completely unacceptable state. Before I could even consider my next step, this had to change.

 

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Before: A year of college always leaves my workspace a dysfunctional mess; the workload leaves little time to clean up the clutter created by earlier projects, so things get stored in ever more creative ways. When it gets like this if you're not careful you can actually trip and accidentally find a portal to Narnia, I swear. Not exactly conducive to the creative process.

 

After: Several days of sorting and reorganization rewards me with a space that I can actually be productive in; while still quite full and a little manic the space now has many more useful working surfaces, a better flow with more space, and considerably more storage thanks to new shelves that can't be seen in the photo. It's no hobbit hole but it's cozy and now I can get down to actually getting productive. I'm particularly happy with the new and improved painting area I've managed to squeeze under the stairs...

 

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All outside distractions are gone; how to make a nearly useless space actually useful, cram a painting area into it! Lots of cool white light from multiple directions, several surfaces with the main painting area raised up to eye level, and tons of storage for the ever-growing supply of paints, brushes, additives, and other tools-of-the-trade that I want on hand while I'm painting. It's an old tank of an office desk that I saved from the garbage years ago that I use for the base; it's a little rough around the edges and has a horrible wood veneer but it's just so heavy and solid, they just don't make them like this anymore.

 

Next up, now to actually do something with all of this newfound space and organization, and ultimately drive it back down the path towards mess and dysfunction. How the wheels forever turn and turn and turn. Oh well, I can't help but play my part. More articles and updates coming soon...

 

*Subtle wanders off to find some sleep before starting something new*

Edited by Subtle Discord
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Looks great, SD! I totally feel you when it comes to being more productive in an organized space.

 

Will we see some new productions form you soon? As in Sicaran/Spartan chaos trim, or at least a restock of your rhino trim and land raider dozer blade?

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Wrangling a workspace is such a satisfying feeling. I always feel like I can take on the world with a clean desk, but it usually takes just a  couple hours for it to be back to a terrible mess. Everything has a 'home' but when I'm in hobby mode I can never be bothered, it seems.

 

Great to see you're ready to roll, brother. Looking forward to whatever comes next.

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With a bit of hobby time to scratch a deep itch (more on that in a bit, and across future articles to come) and my studio finally in a state of almost respectable organization, it’s time to get The Dark Works going again. First up, some of my usual ramble to answer some questions and make some comments based on replies taken from all of my Legion Rising threads.

 

First, it’s been mentioned, quite wisely, that I should be sure to get my recent agreement with my college in writing to make sure any time spent isn’t wasted. Since, as far as I know, I’ll be the first to do their own studio/company for the required hours I’ve been sure to take this sage advice and I’ve already got things written up, signed, and sent off. I’ll know more this week. I’ve been at my college long enough to have a bit of an idea how things can be, and I’ll work hard to make sure things work out in the end. And trust that after consideration I’ve concluded that the studio wins regardless, (more on this at the end of the summer) so I’m happy with how things are headed, no matter the outcome. Thanks as always, to everyone who is offering suggestions and support for my progress. It’s always useful and appreciated.

 

It’s also been asked if I have any plans on doing non-Chaos weapon systems (sponsons and turrets, for example) and I can say it’s not out of the question. Some specialized/unique weapons seem like good places to start, but time will tell just what I will tackle. It does touch on the fact that most future kits will have Chaos and Loyalist versions; it won’t be for every kit, some will be faction exclusive, but many will get both versions. While my corruption is complete, and Chaos will always be my first calling, I’ll be doing much more Loyalist work in the future; hopefully starting this summer.

 

Unfortunately, most of the builds I have shown in my recent photos won’t be getting painted any time soon. It’s a bitter sweet necessity however, because it means that the models can be used in the studio to produce kits for the Works, so that’s worth the sacrifice of needing to wait to paint them. On a related point, I now have a new Land Raider kit, so I’ll finally be able to assemble and paint my current Land Raider that’s been in my collection for far too many years. I suspect that I’ll need to do a squad of Terminators that are also looong overdue to ride inside, when the time comes to get some paint on it, so stay tuned for that at some point. I’m still trying to decide if I want to give the ‘Raider some significant, but not crippling, battle damage for some variety; maybe even magnetize a section of the armour so it can swap out the damaged part for a intact one. Humm… might be on to something…

 

So yes, as the photos allude, the Sicaran, Spartan, and Fire Raptor are all in various stages of completion and will soon be ready for use for developing studio kits. I can’t say they will all get kits this summer, but given how tricky some of them are to build… *Subtle glares at the near-finished Fire Raptor with mix of malice, contempt, and pride* getting them assembled cleanly is a critical first step. But first up, one small diversion before a new personal project.

 

After a hobbyist was nice enough to post a picture of a formation of my Mor’ses weapon platforms, a request was made for a photo of the platforms beside some models for scale. They were nice enough to provide the requested photo, but it got me thinking it couldn’t hurt to do a nice studio photo for some scale reference.

 

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Unfortunately, I still haven’t had time to do more then give it one coat of black paint. The Marines are on 25mm bases.

 

This also brings up a point that I’ve been considering recently; going forward I’m going to try to produce accompanying body components to match kits that warrant them. Most of the time this will mean a set of legs in an appropriate pose and/or hands (maybe a complete arm) gripping and/or operating the equipment. In this case, while I’ve created an ample standing platform and was very careful in trying to create a good height for the control panel, trying to build a model to fit with the existing kit is more work than it needs to be; a few made-to-fit body parts would make it much more straight forward to build.

 

So, that’s something old, so now on to something new; a kit bashing, converting, and casting project, presented by Subtle Discord…

 

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My first major purchases outside of the Chaos faction since I started collecting/building/painting Chaos over twenty years ago. Naturally, they will be turned to chaotic purposes.

 

Since their release, I’ve always been frustrated that GW chose to only produce Chaos Cultists as a limited selection of snap-fit models with static poses. If you like the look, the starter set models are great, but I’ve always thought a multi-part kit would sell exceptionally well for GW (considering the number of Cultists you generally need/want to field) and I wondered why they never created a multi-part kit.

 

I dislike glaring repetition in a collection in general; in a very structured and maintained army it makes more sense, but at the very least I still want the option to have some control over pose to add variety. In an army like Chaos, where less structure is to be expected, blatant repetition is a real detracting factor to me. I don’t need huge changes for each model, but a little flexibility and some interchangeable options is much preferred, and the more the better. Being able to change poses and mix-and-match interchangeable parts for variety… “It’s a good thing!” ~ M. Stewart.

 

Originally my list included standard Chaos Cultists from the CSM Codex, but once I had a copy of IA:13 I have since changed that to an allied detachment of Chaos Renegades; slightly more expensive, but they bring many more useful options to the table. Since I’ve long wanted to add some kind of representation for the Dark Mechanicus who are in service to my Warband, this seemed like a good opportunity. Pictured above is the Renegade Mechanicus Command Squad with a Command Net Vox, built from the stock Skitarii Ranger/Vanguard kit; being some of GWs newer work they stand very well on their own without modification.

 

The Demagogue will be given the Bloody-handed Reaver devotion to represent the improved equipment and training this force has access to; this devotion gives the Demagogue a Refractor Field, the option to equip certain squads with proper Flak Armour, forces you to buy Militia Training (+1 WS & BS) on any squads that can take it, and provides the option to upgrade certain squads with Hot-shot Las weapons. For me, this will do a good job of representing a Mechanicus Militia, and the ‘tax elements’ aren’t too steep for what you get.

 

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With some kitbashing and a little conversion work, I was able to get a nice selection of posable bits to mix-and-match for variety.

 

The torso of the Astra Militarum required some simple but key changes to make this project work. With all of the extra heads provided by the Skitarii box, it’s an obvious place to start. To me, the head of a model being placed on a proper ball-joint is key to giving the builder a lot of freedom in the pose of a miniature; just a simple turn and tilt of the head can completely change the intent and look of a model, even with no other changes. With some careful shaving, drilling, and filing, I was able to create a seat that fit the Skitarii heads quite nicely.

 

Originally I didn’t have plans to add backpacks to the models, but looking at the packs in the Skitarii box got me thinking, and after some test fits I quickly came around to the idea of adding them. A little styrene work produced some suitable mounting points for the backpacks and finished the torsos.

 

Every single Autopistol I could harvest from a Dark Vengeance set plus a few more were attached to the AM arms to provide some variety while still being consistent. Also, I wanted them to carry gladius’ or some kind of short swords over smaller knives, so I used Chaos Marine combat weapons for their larger size. The hands intended for the special weapons in the AM kit proved especially suited for making a convincing combat weapon hand; once chopped off at the wrist I could add them to arms in different poses to add more variety.

 

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I’m very pleased with the outcome of these changes; particularly the addition of the backpacks. I think they complete the model nicely while reinforcing the Mechanicus theme.

 

In the final models, I’ve removed the tops of the antennas and the dangling bits from the packs to have them appear more subordinate and make them easier to work with. Combined with the added helmet I think they provide a much-needed dose of detail to the older Cadian models.

 

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However, the star of the project has to be the variety that results from the combination of the final components.

 

With a combination of bits sourced online, leftover bits, and select parts I can cast for myself, I can put together 20-30 of these Dark Mechanicus Militia with an acceptable level of variety for a reasonable amount of effort and expense.

 

From a fluff perspective, I see it as a lesser Mechanicus force that enjoys the reasonably standardized and maintained equipment their faction can provide. I picture them being selected only from manufactorum workers who are particularly capable (or perhaps violent) and those who are born into service, never slave workers; having never known anything but service in the factories they would have a slightly higher standing and likely be loyal. Being internal workers does well to explain the lack of cybernetics too. And, not that they’d have much choice, but I think most would welcome the chance at Militia service if only to leave the factory and see the actual sky if only once, before they die.

 

However, even with the added Militia training, having been sheltered in the factories will make them somewhat unpredictable on the real battlefield; for me, this ties in well with the random Leadership value that Chaos Renegade squads need to contend with.

 

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Eager to see the final look, I’ve done a little test painting. I’m trying to keep the scheme simple so I don’t lose my mind painting 30+ of these at a time.

 

By keeping the scheme to Black, Blue, and Silver, I can use a simple single Black Wash to get the desired depth. A quick overall wash does most of the work, and then some selective application in select spots finishes that step quickly. While I want the cloth to keep the dark Blue-Black tone I achieved, I think I’m going to add just a bit more highlight to bring out a little more punch to the Blue. It still has one more layer if detailing and highlighting to go, but I’m completely happy with the result so far. This scheme should preserve my sanity when it comes time to paint it in bulk.

 

Ok, that’s it for this wall-o’-text-and-photos. I’ve been trying my best to remember to photograph my progress as I’ve been building my most recent kits, so I have build articles for (In no particular order) the Raptor, Spartan, and Sicaran coming up in the near future. Along with perhaps some other projects that may crop up if I’m so inspired.

 

I find myself forever caught between the four forces that pull me in opposite directions; designing and creating new prototypes for kits, mould making and casting, building and painting, and writing articles about all of it. I enjoy each aspect so it can be hard to change focus when one of them in particular is calling. So for now, I shift my focus to production and I’ll start casting some much-needed stock so I can generate some more capital to make some of my many future plans possible.

 

Summer is finally here! More to come over the coming weeks and months. And as always, comments, questions, input, and critic, are always welcome. Thanks for reading.

Edited by Subtle Discord
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Looking forward to a fully operational Dark Works, buddy. I just start d Skitarii myself (loyalist, natch) so I sympathize with your excitement. It's almost overwhelming, though, coming up with everything from scratch and also making it gel with my 'real' army. It's refreshing as well, and I've found these kits an absolute joy to work with. Not nearly as poseable as what I'm used to with marines, but so dynamic and with bits to spare, I really can't complain.

 

I think your kitbash works well. They look, as you said, halfway between AdMech and guard. The backpack mounts are very clever. I have to say also the idea of making compatible, posed bits for your gun platform is absolutely brilliant. I now wonder why everyone doesn't do it, except maybe the additional potential for copyright issues.

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A quick update exclusively to B&C to say my first batch of restock casts are up. I will be actively recovering stock as it sells, so don't worry if something you want is already gone; I suspect some stock will go rather quickly in the beginning.

 

Thanks as always for the continued support. More updates to come shortly (between all the casting I'll be doing for the near future) but first, a Friday night break.

 

*Subtle flees the building for a few hours*

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Good. I ordered again. Glad to finally have my hands on that Land Raider bulldozer, two trim kits and some more tracks. 

 

Incidentally, while yuo're having a go at painting, you might as well vow your soul to Chaos in the ETL.

 

 

Just sayin'.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

And now, for another installment of… Tales of Interest!

Along with other projects that I have alluded to in earlier posts (more on those, and others, when time permits in the future) I mentioned that I might get distracted by some other ideas I’ve had bouncing around inside my brain. Unfortunately, I suffer from a bit of self-diagnosed O.C.D. (Shocker! I know…) when it comes to the act of creation; sometimes an inspiration will take hold, and I’m virtually powerless to stop myself from working on the idea, even if it’s not necessarily what I had planned. I’ve learned that it’s usually best not to fight it unless there is something critical that needs to be dealt with instead. It’s that uncontrollable need to make and create that defines an artist or designer in my opinion; it’s one thing to like to be creative and enjoy making things, but it’s another when there’s something in your psyche that completely compels you to do so.

Most, dare I say all, ideas evolve. Some more than others, but I learned long ago that it’s almost always better to give ideas some time to explore and mature, and school has helped to reinforce and hone this process. I can’t think of a single time that giving a project a few days/weeks/months of reflection didn’t improve the final outcome. Sometimes it’s through necessity because something needs to fit, function, or a specific form, and sometimes it’s more cosmetic where certain visual elements need to be looked at with fresh eyes and tweaked to get the best-looking results. There’s a healthy dose of each in these new projects.

In turn, it’s also possible for it to go the other way, and you need to be careful that you don’t overthink an idea and spend too much time contemplating it. Having creativity turn to procrastination for one reason or another is still a trap I struggle with from time-to-time. Being more aware of how/when it’s being helpful or hindering the process has been an interesting learning experience. I don’t guilt myself when I put something aside as I may have in the past, but I also don’t let myself off and have too many things lost in limbo as I refine them. These were a couple of ideas I finally chose to resurrect and hammer home reasonably quickly.


sMS6iSg.png
I while back I had shown a proof-of-concept for some tea-lights being used to create glowing Objective Markers.

While the idea worked well to get the stones to glow, there were several technical issues, not the least of which was the size. It’s just too tall. And while there’s a fair bit of wasted space in these lights there is an issue with trying to stack a shell, the battery, connectors, a switch, and the LED and keep it low profile. I discovered an interesting alternative LED light that simplified the switch into a screw mechanism and this helped make the unit smaller, but the height was an issue that needed to be dealt with.

After modifying one of the lights to remove as much height as I could possible manage, I fused the top part into a plastic component that gave the assembly a slope. Having no trademark or copyright to worry about, I have no problem using them as the base mechanics this kit will need to make my life easier.


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I kept the final diameter to 2” so I could get as gradual a slope as possible while keeping the size official.

With a little research I found that these twist-on style lights are prolific and come in many colours and varieties. This makes it easy to replace parts and to change the effect to something different. Simple, modular, and customizable. Nothing wrong with that combination at all.

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Happy with the solution for the base, now it needed something to take advantage of that light.

As an added bonus, these little lights work with 1 or 2 batteries. All of these pictures are taken with 1 battery under reasonably bright conditions and the glow is very pronounced. Naturally, with a second battery the effect is considerably brighter. While not necessary, nothing wrong with more options.

The other issue I had with my earlier prototypes was the clear plastic used to cast the glowing stones; the first plastic I used took over 24 hours to cure enough to de-mould, and several more days to become completely hard. A school project earlier this year gave me the opportunity to pick up some Smooth Cast 326, a virtually clear casting resin that colours very well and only takes 1 hour to cure enough to de-mould. While still not very fast, it’s a vast improvement.


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As before, I first primed the stones in white to capture and reflect as much light as possible, then finished with a layer of black.

Much more care was taken to carve the symbols into the stones this time and this helps considerably during the painting. The lines are sharper and much deeper than the first prototypes, so if you spray the primer over them at a sharp angle to the surface, the paint will naturally avoid going into the carved lines. The surfaces get a nice even coat while the lines stay reasonably clean. And once it’s dry the plastic is so hard a dull pin can easily remove any primer that may find its way into the lines, so no real special care is needed to get these primed and ready for basing and paint.

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Here’s a size and height comparison beside some models. While still a little tall, these feel much more plausible as a mound of soil.

I wanted to get some paint, and not just primer, on these but the next project has distracted me too much the last while so I didn’t have a chance yet. Even with just primer, I’m completely happy with the new base solution and improved stones. The supplied LEDs slowly shift through a rainbow of colours giving them a very hypnotic ever-changing effect that I’m equally pleased with; I think it lends to the Chaos vibe of the stones, but as I mentioned, with the modular parts the LED hardware can easily be replaced at a reasonable cost if I or the customer chooses to change them.

A future plan for this idea is to create a series of small objects that look like arcane and/or xeno technology; an outer shell that’s just a normal resin-cast model surrounding a translucent core component that can transmit the light. Just give the marker a twist and it lights up and glows with some internal power source.


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Considered a while back, I’m not totally sure what compelled me to return to this project now, but it wouldn’t let me go.

While I always liked it, the original design I came up with was just too large and complex. The parts would either be too big for me to handle reasonably with my current equipment, or I would need to split everything into too many smaller parts for my liking. Given its shape, I had always wondered if the Vengeance Weapon Battery base could work as a starting point, and I finally gave in and got a kit to try it with.

By refining the design down to save on bulk, minimize parts, and take advantage of a repeating pattern, I’ve brought the idea into the realm of reasonable; but, it’s still going to be the largest kit my studio has produced to date. In this, I’m using it as a testing ground for casting parts of this size; I don’t foresee any serious difficulties, but I still haven’t cast components this large yet, so it’s an excellent project to make sure everything will go as I’m hoping it will.

Being a breakable part that could need replacing, and because of the simple fact that not all Plasma Globes are created equal (cheaper ones will slowly fade over time) I’ve designed the model with a removable top to permit the globe to be replaced.


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As before, by integrating only the needed part of the generic globe base, I can seamlessly add the hardware into the model.

By building my form as a tight skin around the required piece of the original base and then filling the void with liquid resin before capping it all in to finish it, any 3” plasma globe with the generic black stair-step style base should have no problem fitting in this base. From there the rest of the parts attach to the Vengeance Battery base to finish the build.

3D modeling is great for designing with the intent of rapid prototyping the model, but college really forced me to scratch build from a 3D model, and it showed me how realistic it is. It takes some extra time to build a 'quick' 3D model, but it takes most of the guesswork out of the final model build. If an issue does come up, it’s simple to tweak the 3D model to find the solution. The next step is to blend the processes and merge rapid prototyped components into a larger build.


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I’ve also invested in some round rivets cast in styrene, so this seemed a perfect project to try them.

While everything is looking good so far, I’m still a bit nervous. Until I can cast copies of the parts I can’t be 100% sure about the fit. I’m pretty certain I’ve got my build right, but it seems that the Vengeance Battery kit is one that is produced in China for GW, (shame on you GW *shakes head in disappointment*) and I have to say it has an effect on the quality of the model. Visually overall, it’s not bad. Some details are lacking and there are a few surface quality issues, but nothing really bad. But when you get in closer I’ve found that there’s a lack of many tolerances in the model; lines that should be straight are a little off, things that should be symmetrical aren’t quite, and a few other small idiosyncrasies that didn’t show themselves until well into the build.

There’s still a final layer of detail (so… many… rivets…) to go, but it’s in the home stretch. It won’t be long before I can test the fit and put it to rest. I haven’t wasted time detailing the 3D model with anything that isn’t critical to the overall build, so there are still several other little things that need to be finished. I’ll be out of the studio for a week for a family vacation, so this will be on track once I’m back, and followed, as always, by other projects waiting in the wings.

You read it! You can't unread it!

Edited by Subtle Discord
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