Building a multi-part sisters of battle kit

[Natanael]

Awesome stuff. I'll be checking this thread out more frequently in the future. Now I'm thinking of converting some sisters like this for my Henchmen-army. =) 

[WarriorFish]

No idea how I've missed this topic, but great work! Have you thought about bulking them a little bit? I'm thinking of the segmented part on the legs as it'd be an easy way of covering it. Though it might be adding to an already quite laborious GS task too much.

[Smurfben]

@ Natanael: Thank you very much :) It's quite humbling to know that you have been inspired to create some of your own. I would be very happy to help you out with any questions you might have and I'd be very interested to see what you achieve!

 

@ WarriorFish: I wanted to avoid bulking them out too much. I'm trying to keep them slender and feminine yet also retain the impression that they are encased in power armour. It's a difficult balance I must say but overall I'm happy with the proportions. With regards to the segmented leg armour, I actually really like it. I wanted to 'revamp' the slightly dated sisters look and I think the plating on the legs and arms looks quite gothic. I might add some pipping to the leg segments in a similar way to the chest and shoulder guards. It might enhance the look and detract from the 'evil' feeling you get from segmented armour.

[Barabbas Sogalon]

Great work, brother! They look much much better that the ones from GW. Wish I had enough skill with green stuff to make some myself.

 

Any chance we will see some Sabbat-pattern helmets?

 

Keep it up.

[Metal Apostle]

Did one of these a little while back but it got too difficult to sustain the casting. Ended up moving overseas and the project went stagnant. Do check it out for your reference though!

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/172583-my-own-multi-part-sisters-of-battle-kit/

[ephrael]

It's a shame you couldn't get the casting to work out with what you had on hand.  I know the feeling of trying to work with inferior products and without the right equipment as well.  You do have the sculpting skill to sculpt each sister individually though which is more than I can say.  Are all of the regular Sister's backpack's the same?  I only have one SoB mini and nothing to compare it to.

[Smurfben]

@ Barabbas: I'm sure you're more than capable of producing some great looking sisters. The cloaks are not that hard to achieve. I used a fatastic tutorial produced by the legendary blogger 'Ron' : <a href="http://fromthewarp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/how-to-sculpt-greenstuff-cloaks-and.html">http://fromthewarp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/how-to-sculpt-greenstuff-cloaks-and.html</a></p>
Oh and yes, one or two sabbat helms will make it in here and there. You get one in the immolator kit so by the end I should have a few to use

@Metal Apostle: Your project was what originally caught my eye. I got the idea of using plastic DE to create them, then I did some research and your project was pretty much the first I found. I have to say it's also the best example of scratch built sisters available too! I have to say, looking back through the topic, I missed your scratch built backpack. I might have to steal one or two details if you don't mind Anywho, I hope mine turn out even half as well as yours

Mikhail: I know, its a shame :/ Like so many things I do, I got all excited and read/watched loads of casting tutorials and thought....I can do that no problem. Maybe I can convince the missus to buy me a vacuum chamber! The sisters backpack is indeed just the one design. I popped into warhammer would to beg them to sell me individual packs....they refused! :( Sadly all the spacemarine varients (both official and 3rd party) seem to be too large. Unless I can find an alternative, I'll need to convert a new pack somehow.

Thank you all for your support!

[Smurfben]

Hello all! I got a bit impatient and started painting yesterday :) May I present Sister Katherine, committed member of the Order of the Turquoise Lily

 

 

 

 

 

I just used my android to take the photos so they're a bit fuzzy. Sorry about that. I'll take some better pictures when I get back after Christmas. Otherwise, what do people think of the colour scheme?? I chose it to keep my finance happy (like so many things!) whom is always telling me to use turquoise more often! I think it's a lovely bright scheme fit for the Emperors daughters, especially the bling gold plated bolter :p

 

 

[Darth Mustard]

man, I was really hoping to be disappointed when you' d have started to paint her but once again you proved me wrong :)

She looks even more stunning with the base coats on

even more feminine and taller

great job !!

you should be proud !!

[Barabbas Sogalon]

Looks good I think your conversion is what all sisters should look like.

[Studio Silvernale]

Soooo how much for a set? =D

[AGPO]

Have you considered using a miliput/gs blend for your casts? You may not get much more consistency but if you know where to order thematerials will be a lot cheaper. If you're only getting viable casts 50% of the time it could be worth it.

[Knight of the Raven]

The Ecclesiarchy's shock troops are in good hands if plastics look anything like that.

 

I especially appreciate that she looks more true scale than heroic scale.

[Aqui]

Blimey!

I really wish GW would start a range of plastic Sisters that looked like that!

[RolandTHTG]

That looks really good!
I also second AGPO's recommendation to try out greenstuff casting for the back packs. They seem small enough that the technique should work.
http://masteroftheforge.com/2012/07/17/green-stuff-cast-shoulder-pad/
http://masteroftheforge.com/2012/09/16/video-tutorial-green-stuff-casting/

[Smurfben]

Wow, thanks for the all the kind words :) They're very much appreciated. I'm glad they're looking the way they should, and by that I mean similar to the 2nd ed sisters models but with a more modern twist :p They're much taller than the originals, which look squashed and bulky in comparison, and I've tried to keep their feminine aspect as best I can whilst still being encased in power armour. I'm very happy with them in all, now I just have to wait until Christmas is over and I can get back home and finish the rest!

 

@ TJWyrm and AGPO: I checked out those links and they look great :) Thank you. I have a solution to my backpack problem now in the form of some overseas help! But I'll definately keep that technique in mind if I need to cast up a couple of  bits and bobs later. May be useful for things like combi-plasma guns and flamers etc...

[Brother Sgt. Steine]

Impressive, most impressive...

 

Really nice work on these models.

 

BSS

[KRG-23]

This is incredible stuff, hats off to you !

 

*follows*

[Subtle Discord]

Damn, I wish I had more time to write. I lurk through so many p'logs that are doing such great things, but lately there's no time to make any comments with some substance. Time spent writing could be used at the bench, and all that. But this is exactly the kind of project that I aim my tutorials and articles towards, so I am compelled to toss in a few paragraphs.

 

First up, great project and wonderful work! It's ambitious and a deserving subject for a line of models that is long overdue for an update, and you're doing a great job. Can't wait to see more.

 

Don't give up on casting, if you can. I've taken it farther than the average veteran hobbyist would, but I can say first hand that you can get very acceptable results with a much more modest setup. I started by just wanting to replicate bits for personal use, and I encourage anyone who is curious to give it a try. I understand only too well that cost is key, but weigh the cost in labour-hours and materials to produce that many Sisters (or anything for that matter), and consider that beside the cost of some simple equipment. When I started to think of that along with the amount I've spent on the hobby in general, getting a compressor, $200 for a Pressure Chamber, and $100 for some resin and rubber didn't seem that steep. All hobbies cost money, and if you're enjoying yourself within a proper hobby budget, then I see that as money properly spent. It's not for everyone, don't get me wrong, so if you're really finding it's not your thing (or anyone else who might be reading) then it's also ok to accept that and move on. But it's also not that hard if you're willing to tackle the learning curve.

 

I talk at length in my p'log about casting as you've noticed, and Pressure and/or Vacuum are key to taking bubble reduction to the next level, but there are several other mechanical and process solutions you can consider. First key is how the mould is intended to work; open/flat backed, gravity filled, injection filled, etc.. None are 'wrong' but each has considerations. If you'd be willing to show some of your moulds, maybe I can see how they could be improved and/or give you an idea for something else. Pour gates, channels, vents, and the orientation of the object all have a huge impact to the final outcome.

 

Getting rid of bubbles and voids is obviously the major hurdle, and Pressure/Vacuum really are the best solutions. However, consider using slower kicking resin to give yourself more time. 3 minute Pot Life, 15 minute Cure time (SmoothCast 300) is very fast and makes parts quick, but leaves little time to remove bubbles; you better know what your plan is. 10 minute Pot Life, 30 minute Cure time (SmoothCast 310), or even slower, might be helpful. With slower kicking resin you can fill suborn spots in the mould while it's open, then close the mould and continue the fill process. You can also take extra time to manually poke bubbles free with a toothpick before closing; good for little details like rivets.

 

Once it's closed and filled, have you tried simply pinching the mould? Tilt the mould and pinch and squeeze it while rotating it slowly; this will press bubbles free and let them roll up into a large pour gate. Vibration is also a very useful low-tech tool, and it's quite easy to create a table or device to vibrate the mould to shake bubbles free. Combined with dusting the mould with talcum powder, this method was not too bad for me. Dust the mould before filling, fill and pinch out the larger bubbles, vibrate out the smaller bubbles, and let cure. I made a 5-speed vibration tool from an old hand mixer (open it up, remove parts that are not needed, imbalance the main motor, and it shakes like crazy) I got for $4 at the second hand shop.

 

Without Pressure and/or Vacuum you will struggle to get near prefect casts, but you can get close enough that all you need to do is some small bubble filling and the part will be ready to use. Most of what I've touched on is just the surface, there's more to consider if you're willing to give it a go again in the future. I'll shut up for now, but would be happy to suggest some considerations and/or solutions to future attempts.

[Smurfben]

@ subtle discord: Brilliant advice thank you, and I consider myself very fortunate to have caught your eye. The parts you have been producing are fantastic and I too would love to be in a position to make excellent resin parts for my personal use. At this current moment in time I'm not really able to afford a single large purchase, like a pressure chamber, but I am saving for one in the future. Any advice you can give me on mold construction would be appreciated though. I'm just at my parents house for Christmas and I'll be back in a week. I'll PM you with my molds then if that's ok :)

 

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words and encouragement. I'm just made use of the dragonforge Christmas deal (the small one) and spent my Christmas money on sanctuary bases! I've also purchased a greenstuff industries tentacle maker so I can get a more sustainable supply of tubes (they're needed for my sisters torsos). Hopefully, I'll only be out of action for 2 weeks :p

 

Happy holidays all!

[Smurfben]

Hello all! I hope you've had a lovely Christmas and a happy New Year. I for one have been very grateful for the days off work and being able to spend time with the people I care about. Enough of that though! This is a sisters of battle prog-rep damn it! Not some wishy washy 'feelings' blog! On with the pictures

 

I've been working on the sister superior for this first squad and I've settled on a very simple concept for defining them above the regular sisters. I've decided to give them very long hair! The idea came to me when a friend of mine was chatting to me about dwarves and how the older and more veteran they get, the longer their beards get. Well I thought maybe my order doesn't allow hair cutting past a given rank....say superior rank and above. This would allow me to give my veterans all sorts of cool hair dos including; braids, plats and ultra long ponytails!

 

So here is the makings of Sister Superior Rachael, complete with ultra long ponytail and bows! Oh and a combi-plasma!

 

 

 

Here you can see I've armed her with a combi-plasma. I thought it would complement a squad including a flamer and heavy flamer quite nicely, rather than have yet another flamer. The plasma comes in handy for dealing with the odd terminator etc... and it's pretty much the only access to plasma the sisters get (discounting priests of course).

 

 

Here are the bows I sculpted to keep the hair all together. I figured (based off real life shopping trips with my fiancee) that sisters would be no different in utilizing a staggering array of different hair accessories! So watch this space for aquila hair clips and hair bands!

 

 

Anywho, I hope you like the progress so far. I think I'll have her reading from a book with the other arm so we'll see if I can find one small enough for her to hold.

[Natanael]

Very nice. Now I think I'm gonna try and do some sisters to join my Inquisitor as advisors etc etc. =) 

[Smurfben]

Thanks Natanael :) I'm working on her as we speak. Hopefully I'll have more to report tomorrow. Let me know if you need any help with your advisers, I'll gladly point you in any helpful directions that I can

[Natanael]

Thank you. I'm gonna try and get a hold of some DE-legs first, but when I start I'll be sure to show you the finished product =) 

[Brother Christopher]

Come on man! Where do people like come from? Amazing execution of a great idea. Seamless, seamless is what they are. Great skills with green stuff. I intended doing something roughly similar to make a female inquisitor, but they didn't have the DE torso fronts I wanted. And I doubt my GS skills. Yours, on the other hand, are great. Can't wait to see them painted. The same with you, I reckon :)