Legion Rising

[sarabando]

 

Yep, I seem to recall a story of 88mm AA crews being forced to level their guns on advancing armour as a last-ditch effort, and quickly discovering that they were extremely effective.

Eyup. Early on in the war, some German AA crews had to quickly defend themselves against tanks, and they found out the 88 was much better at killing tanks than airplanes. Cue Germany proceeding to stick that gun on almost every tank they had

 

There was also record of a British officer writing a letter to his German counterpart saying how it was bad sportsmanship to shoot tanks with an 88' to which the German allegedly replied it was unsportsmanlike to use tanks that could only be killed by an 88'.

 

 

on topic lovely work as always those quad guards on the iron striders have me wanting the same thing for sentinel legs.

[Subtle Discord]

[Naryn]

Ooh, very nice. I assume those are Kastelan bits?

[hushrong]

Mmmmmm. Martian death rays!

[Quixus]

Mmmmmm. Martian death rays!

It looks more like a rotary cannon than a volkite weapon.

[hushrong]

Mmmmm. Martian bullets!

 

I honestly do not know much about them. All I know is the mechanicum have all the fancy goodies

[Bryan Blaire]

I thought those were all optics/head replacements - everything looks like cameras/sensors to me.

[Subtle Discord]

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Comm-Link ∙ Active

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Information Exchange ∙ Update

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+++ Compiling Data +++ Data Review ∙ Complete +++ Kastelan STC Evaluation ∙ Complete +++ Assessing Data… +++

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Preliminary Assessment ∙ Displaying…

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Optical Input Array ∙ Inferior ∙ Poor field-of-view hinders situational awareness during combat engagements.

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Onboard Ammunition Supply ∙ Inadequate ∙ Limited ammunition solution shortens effective ranged combat durations.

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Rate of Fire ∙ Average ∙ Improved projectile delivery solutions would significantly improve target saturation.

+

Close Combat Weapons ∙ Uninspired ∙ The Omnissiah demands improved combat weapons worth of this honoured chassis.

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Iteration Subroutines ∙ Active

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Altering STC ∙ Ongoing…

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Improvement recommendations to follow. Standby…

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Comm-Link ∙ Active

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[Bjorn Firewalker]

Suggestions for the Kastelan war robot: Shoulder-mounted missile launcher, forearms that combine power fists with phosphor blasters (see Marneus Calgar's Gauntlets of Ultramar, which can be used as ranged AND close combat weapons) or chainfists with incendine combustors (use the chainblade to cut open an enemy tank's hull, and the combustor to kill the crew and ignite onboard munitions). Optional: Beast heads (see Sandor "The Hound" Clegane's helmet in 'Game of Thrones') or skull helms to intimidate the enemy, or smiley faces to mock them.

[Subtle Discord]

Arg! (Really? You’re going to start this with ‘Arg!’) – (Yes, yes I am.) Heh… ok, so I’m having a bit of a hard time formulating how to write this because I suspect that this update is going to be a bit scattered. So I guess I’ll just start at the beginning and go from there. While on a certain level I should be painting (the Dragoons will be getting a coat of primer soon enough) when I can find the time for personal projects, I just haven’t been feeling the groove for that and I’ve only had the itch to build. So I figured as long as it’s in my list I may as well not fight the flow and I turned my attention to the Kastelan robots I’ve been alluding to.

 

Up front I want to say just how impressed I am with how the Kastelan kits assemble, using small hidden locking pins and tabs to make it easy for those who want to build them as-is; but if you remove the pins and tabs the model becomes adjustable at the ankles, knees, and hips, providing a more ambitious builder the option to change the pose however they’d like. Even the toe caps on the feet have a simple rocking mechanism to provide a little bit of added flexibility to the pose of the feet. Whoever designed this kit had the right idea, that’s for sure.

 

When in doubt, mock it up. Sometimes there’s no alternative to just making a few quick tests using some paper and minimal materials.

 

I never liked the curved magazines on the Phosphor Blasters and always felt that they should be at least larger ammo drums. The way the Kastelan kit assembles, it’s all but begging to have the lower arms totally replaced and I think I’ll be doing that when I get to making alternative Close Combat Weapons. So I considered creating large ammo drums attached to the arms, but then I saw a conversion with a back-mounted ammo pack with a feed leading to the arm and it really seemed appropriate. In order to get the right length and an idea of what kind of curve would be the best starting point, I did some quick-n-dirty mockups with some arcs of paper. I’ve also always been underwhelmed with the barrels, so some bits of styrene tube quickly visualized some obvious barrel swaps that will help complete the updated look.

 

Not only did the test with paper strips help me with the shape and curve of the ammo feeds, it also illustrated that the ammo feed will really want to swing back-and-forth depending on the position of the arm. Where I would have likely made the ammo belt feed straight out of the ammo box if I didn’t do these tests, this gave me the idea to make the attachment round so it could rotate. Not only will it be functional, I think it adds a good detail that will tie the components into the rest of the model.

 

Happy with the shapes and forms I was getting after a few tries I figured it would be a good idea to test just how easily I could expect the materials I’ll be working with to bend and twist. No matter how I design these components the ammo feeds are going to need to be bent and shaped to fit the model.

 

I’m pleased to discover that the resin used by Servitor Solus is thermodynamic (Oooo… a $4 word) so there’s no problem heating it to deform it.

 

While I’m not sure I’ll be taking advantage of this property all that often in the future, it’s nice to know I have the option to 3D print something flat and heat-form it if that is useful. I also took the time to quickly do a test with the polyurethane resin that I use to cast. Resin has the same properties, letting you heat it, deform it, and when it cools it will hold the new shape, but I’d never actually done this deliberately with this resin so I just wanted to make sure it’ll play nice. I’ll be 3D printing these parts for my own use but when I do them as a kit for the shop in the future I just wanted to make sure there’d be no surprises. To anyone wondering, yes, I will be producing all of the kits I create for my Mechanicus army project to be offered in the shop, but they’ll be happening sometime in the future when I’ve got a few other projects done first.

 

I wasn’t sure which I preferred, so I did versions for both of the barrel ideas; an over-under ‘two fingers’ pew-pew style, and a tri-barrel rotary spray-n-pray version.

 

Since neither is too elaborate it wasn’t too hard to do a 3D model for each idea so I can see how each one looks in the end. I’m very tempted to do another version of this idea that completely replaces the lower arms with more elaborate ‘death rays’ with large swags of cables to attach to the power plant, but for now, I think this is a solid upgrade that wasn’t too much work and should blend nicely with the model. I think it’ll go a long way to elevate the badass factor of the Kastelan a notch or two.

 

I do have plans to do Close Combat Weapons, but they’re going to be more elaborate and I don’t have any melee Kastelan Robots in my list right now, so I’ll return to do those in the future. I think what I want to try to create is three ‘buzz saw’ blades that have a snipping scissor action so they can emulate the original fists a little. A suggestion to incorporate Combustors into the weapons is also something I think I’ll add as well. But, as I said, unfortunately there just isn’t enough time to tackle them right now but expect to see them appear sometime in the future.

 

Well, that is after I do something about that damn head… “Oh, this won’t do. You’re such an interesting monster. An interesting monster requires an interesting hair doo!” ~ Bugs Bunny

 

I respect how faithful they’ve tried to be in creating the Kastelan model; I’ve seen the original concept sketches so I understand why it looks how it does and why it stands out in the Mechanicus line.

 

When the Mechanicus line was first released, to me, the Kastelan Robots seemed a bit out-of-place and they didn’t mesh that well with the rest of the models. While their look has grown on me over time I still think they have several design elements that make them unique within the line. If someone thinks this is a good or bad thing is obviously subjective, but my point is that I didn’t think I could do anything that would dramatically change the look of the models, but I could address a few choices that were made to be faithful to the original concept sketch, but which I think detract from the design. In this case, it’s gotta’ be the egg head with the derpy ‘viewport’ that provides no peripheral vision.

 

The concept on the right was my original plan when I started this, but the version on the left, that’s truer to the original, happened along the way; once I got the armoured shell done it was just too easy to add the smooth screen/glass to create an alternate version. I think both do a good job to provide the model with a unique look while getting rid of that niggling problem of no peripheral vision. Taking a few design cues from the Omnispex I’m quite pleased with how they both turned out and I can’t wait to see how they look on the Kastelan model. As with the components I made for the Dragoon/Strider kit, I won’t know how well they will fit the model until I have a chance to 3D print them; odds are good that they’ll need a bit of adjustment to perfect the fit.

 

Unfortunately, I haven’t had the time *Subtle’s eye twitches* to get Servitor Solus working on these yet… *Teeth clenched, Subtle’s face contorts horribly and then relaxes* … so these digital previews will have to do for now. Once I find the time *Eye twitch!*, I should have some prints to show in the near… *Looking as if he’s about sneeze, Subtle’s head suddenly explodes! After a moment, his hands begin to blindly collect the pieces raining down and awkwardly attempting to reassemble them on his neck.* ...

 

[TURBULENCE]

Ooooooooh wow. You're not even done and you've totally changed my perspective on the look of the ranged kastelan.

 

I came for chaos, but stayed for mechanicus. Oh my.

[Subtle Discord]

I promise that Chaos is not forgotten and will return with a vengeance in the future.

 

*Half of Subtle's head falls apart and scatters over his desk*

 

Damn it!

 

*Subtle returns to putting his head back together.*

[hushrong]

Awesome update! Always great to see what your logic banks have to share!

 

First off I was totally wrong about what you posted awhile back. I thought I saw the kastelan’s head and a shoulder mounted weapon. Did not think it was another head. When these guys came out I thought the armored Robbie the Robot head was kind of a let down. I like you aesthetic as it just looks more appropriate with all the lenses. Personally I always wanted to see something like the multi eyed sentinels from the matrix style heads for these war machines and your hits close!

 

As for the guns you’ve got me wanting big ammo drums that attach to the rear of a contemptor and a belt feed for its rotor cannon after seeing your solution for the kastelan’s gun. I just love belt feeds as they just have this cool look to them. Probably stemming from how awesome the backpack ammo fed by belt to a mini gun used by Jesse Ventura in Predator was.

[TURBULENCE]

If you could combine both focuses that would be awesome too. I love me some dark mechanicus. All in good time I'm sure. Would not want to rush your process, what you're producing is simply amazing. And if I'm being honest, a cut above the typical aftermarket selection. Good luck reassembling your face!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The multi-optic head looks great!

[DuskRaider]

That Kastellan head has a very tri-lobe look to it, with the recurring 3 orbs on it. Sure it's not Nurgle? 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

That Kastellan head has a very tri-lobe look to it, with the recurring 3 orbs on it. Sure it's not Nurgle?

Count the number of cameras. If the Kastelan is devoted to a Chaos God, it's either Tzeentch (if you count the device on the lower right of the front face as a single camera, you get nine, which is Tzeentch's holy number), or Malice (if you count the aforementioned device as three cameras, you get eleven, Malice's holy number).

[DuskRaider]

Yes, but each facing has three like the Nurgle trilobe, one of which has a trilobe within it.

[Paradogmatic]

Request sent to the Forge World for some of those glorious loyalist cupola turrets; looking forward to those and also when missile launchers are available down the road.

 

Keep up the good work.

[sarabando]

i love the look of the tri optic head but i feel that it needs something to the rear to balance it out

[Pearson73]

The optic head is certainly an improvement; the cannons and belt feed look cracking too. I echo hushrong's call for similar Contemptor weapons, I'm currently looking for butcher cannons and such a design would work well.

[JeffTibbetts]

I didn't know I wanted these. I was wrong. So wrong. 

[Augustus b'Raass]

I didn't know I wanted these. I was wrong. So wrong.

QFT

 

'Nuf said

[Subtle Discord]

I’m sorry up front if this turns into a bit of a ramble. I’ve been trying to work several things out and it’s got me thinking about lots of stuff at once, and rather than agonizing over ‘presentation’ I’m just going to try and get it all down. For those seriously interested in seeing The Dark Works grow I ask you to please read (or skip) to the end.

 

I really wanted to reply sooner, but the delay illustrates the catch-33 (a mutated evolution of a catch-22) that I’m now in and why I was saying in my last post that things might be a bit scattered. I’m trying to do several things on different fronts so it’s hard to talk about them all and keep them distinct. While it is a joke, some days I really do think my head is going to explode as ideas, goals, expectations, and plans keep bouncing around inside my skull. I really enjoy writing these updates aiming to make them closer to small written articles than just a typical W.I.P. post and they’re very intentionally meant to be an extension of the studio. I’ll get to why I think this is important later, but the point I’m making here is that these updates are work that takes away from my studio time and that’s really been pulling at me as I try to reconcile everything right now.

 

With regards to studio work, I’m progressing, but I keep underestimating the time things will take; I keep thinking that once I’ve got the moulds done I’m finally good-to-go for the new kit/s, and that’s true, buuut only after I take a few kits and assemble them very cleanly, carefully take photos, tweak and edit the photos, set up the shop for the new product, and do a casting run for the kit/s. Yeah, just get the mould done and you’re good-to-go… after all that other stuff. And that’s just the basics to take the prototype and get it into production so while I’m doing that I’m also trying to juggle everything else. I’ve said it before, I’m starting to completely sympathize with a Tech Priest who suddenly realizes that an extra arm might not be such a bad idea. Servitor Solus is truly a gift of the Omnissiah, but a servo-harness sure could come in handy right about now.

 

So, with only two hands and one brainpan to work with, time and multitasking are naturally my biggest barriers right now. However, I’ve been really pondering as I work and with the success of this first round of kits, I think it may be time to find my can opener and let some worms out. I’m making good progress but it’s not quite enough as I start to really push to gain momentum, and I need to accept the reality that I need some extra breathing room.

 

When I first devised the solution to split the missiles from the tube they were sitting in I had no idea if it would really work or be practical.

 

Now that I’ve got the proof-of-concept in my grubby fingers and in front of a camera, I think the results speak for themselves.

 

First up, a final look at the Interitus Missile Launchers to showcase the various missiles types and how they look in grey resin. These have turned out so well that I’m really looking forward to exploring the concept in future projects, large and small. You can expect to see a selection of ordinance to choose from in all future missile based weapons, but I might need to space them out a bit as making the moulds for the missile components does slow down the overall completion of the kit.

 

Sharp-eyed viewers might notice a few lines and/or some layering showing up in a few spots thanks to the strong lighting I’m using. Rest assured that while you can see them in the images because of the lighting they are so fine (20µ or less) that I’m all but positive they will disappear under a layer of primer and paint. I’m going to be priming my next round of Mechanicus models for painting soon so I’ll be sure to do a few of the new kits as well so I can get some paint on them and see how they look with some colour. However, as with everything, I’m rather strapped for time and it will happen when it can happen; the Dragoons are all but begging to get some paint so it’s getting very hard to ignore them.

 

The moulds for the lower profile ‘B’ variant are also complete and they’re looking great but I’ve only just started to cast them.

 

The success of the fit and assembly is also encouraging. I’ve mentioned in the past that I want to create a Modular Assemble System in my kits providing unique assembly options, modular inserts, and ranges of kits that are designed to be compatible and interchangeable. This small series of kits illustrates the concept perfectly. It’s not just a single missile rack kit intended to primarily be a counts-as Havoc Launcher; choose the style, the loadout, how you assemble it, where you want to mount it, and magnets will always be included to aid in that flexibility further. Better miniatures for better builds.™

 

So, I’ve been slowly casting in the background, while I try to work on all the other facets of the studio, while also wanting to create some content, while… slowly… going… crazy. Yup, I have to accept that I need to get some crowdfunding support started. I’m happy with my results and I know that the momentum is starting but it’s not going to happen fast enough. I’m starting to bounce on the breaking even line but I need some proper positive flow if this is going to start taking off at any kind of serious pace and that’s what I need right now in order to cover expenses, invest in lots of the less glamorous things that the studio needs in the background, and ultimately expand outside of the basement, hire more staff, and/or find the right partner/s. I’ve hesitated because I know that it’s going to require me to split my attention even further as I figure out how to set it up and in turn since it will also require that I start actually marketing the studio on a larger scale than I am currently; I’m not that keen on the added task/s in the juggling act but reality doesn’t care about my feelings and it’s inevitable so why not now?

 

Thing is, most reasonably comparable crowdfunding drives I’ve been looking at for inspiration involve a small group of people and they can illustrate with images and/or 3D models what they have planned in order to create a series of funding goals. I’m not really in a position to do that; I have a huge list of future projects, and I like to think my work so far shows that I’m up to the task of making them real, but I don’t have the funds or the time to create the illustrations and/or 3D models to showcase a large body of kits that I want to create. I know I have a good body of work I can present to show I’m capable, but I’m worried about a lack of visual aids to really illustrate my ideas for kits going forward. Additionally, because I’m in complete control of the entire manufacturing process, unlike other studios I don’t really need a large block of money to outsource the manufacturing that is the core of the business; I need some extra capital flowing in to help with general month-to-month costs, strategic investment in equipment over time, and help in building up some reserve in preparation to really expand. Finally, how the heck do I keep the content creation as part of this? I love doing it and really want to expand/evolve/improve it over time, but quite frankly it is work that I’m doing, that does create value (if the feedback is any indication), and right now I’m doing it for free. If I had my way I would gladly keep doing it completely for free but I can’t ignore the reality that it takes away from my very valuable studio time so I need to tie it in if I’m going make it work.

 

Still with me? Wow, really? I appreciate your putting up with my rambling attempts to describe some of what I’m trying to sort out. If I can write all of this, just imagine what it’s like inside my brain, because this is just a fraction of it all. And then there’s ‘the voices from the warp’ constantly giving me more ideas and plans and laughing/daring/taunting me all the time and well, it gets a bit noisy sometimes… errr… Where was I?

 

So, what I’m going to do is set up a Patreon account and another conventional crowdfunding source like GoFundMe. The GoFundMe will be for those who want to invest a larger single amount in exchange for future product. To keep things straightforward I think I’ll make it a flat % bonus on every dollar invested; for example, invest $30 and when the selection of kits you’re interested in is available receive $40 in product of your choice; I’m still contemplating just what % is generous without shooting myself in the foot. I’ll provide an itemized list of planned kits and work at them as I see fit providing previews and updates as often as I can manage for transparency sake. However, one of the rewards I will offer people who are interested in funding me at higher levels will be to pick what kit the studio will focus on; it will need to be on a first-come-first-serve basis but if someone is willing to offer a ‘tip’ and enough up front to buy several of an elaborate kit, then yes, The Dark Works would be happy to attend to your wargear needs more promptly.

 

For those who would like to support the studio through its content creation and might be interested in seeing it improve and evolve to video I’ll offer Patreon for support. For now, if I can get even a modest number of people to donate $1 a month I can better justify taking a day off to write up an article and if it gains enough momentum they can be more frequent, larger, and more involved; more in-depth how-to articles and additional fiction, for example. In the future, I’ll be expanding the studio outside of the basement but I don’t want to move the entire studio, only the casting equipment, mould library, and stock, which take up the most room, make the most noise, and create the most mess. With the extra room and all of the digital design equipment remaining I’ll turn the space into a proper set to shoot video on so I can elevate the content to the next level. I’ll be doing all of these processes anyhow, so I’m sure there are people who would like to get some insight by watching over my shoulder. I’d be happy to make tutorials and document the process for those who might be interested; mould making, casting, scratch building, painting, 3D modeling, and anything else people might like to see and hear me ramble on about.

 

Please keep in mind that this is a 3-5 year plan, so it’s not like I’m trying or expecting to be doing anything too ambitious for some time, but I need to set the goalposts somewhere as I work to build momentum. It’s like I’m putting together a jig-saw puzzle and I’ve got the outer edge done. I’ve got all the piece here, I just need to put them together and see what the picture looks like.

 

Ok, I think I’ve mused quite enough for one sitting, but I’d be happy to hear feedback, ideas, and any suggestions that might provide some perspective or any other insight. As I mentioned, with this will also arise a need for more exposure and marketing, so I’m happy to entertain input anyone might think would be helpful. Feel free to reply here, by PM, or by email via The Dark Works depending on how directly you’d like to talk. I’m still considering so much, I’m happy to get some perspective from outside of my self-made bubble.

[Naryn]

Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this! I know I love your work, and would gladly hop onto a gofundme and a patreon same day!