Caestus Plastic Ram - because resin is just too expensive

[Brother Christopher]

It has been two years since I left my plasticard Caestus in a drawer. Using papercraft Caestus templates, I started assembling this brick, however, the project (as so many others before and after it) stalled. The problem lied mainly with my attitude: I expected it to be as close to the original FW model as possible. To do so, I had to adjust the templates I had, because they did not match the resin craft exactly. In consequence, I used to spend hours comparing the printed pieces with images of Caestuses (Caesti?) online to spot the various differences. It was a chore. And obviously it had a huge impact on any progress. Seeing the miserable results, I developed a conviction that a completion of a plasticard/papercraft model is almost impossible and one needs years of work to do so. Also, while you assemble paper models, you have the detail and texture printed. So you just cut out and assemble what you already have on the piece. With plastic which is suppose to be painted afterwards that's not that easy, because you have to cut out all the detail which otherwise is printed (like joints between armour plates). This makes plasticard more damanding, as one paper piece may turn out to be several plastic pieces.

 

So this is where I've left the model 2 years ago:

 

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8655/p1010126kb.jpg

 

Yeah...

 

Also, while I've been analysing and slowly assembling the model, I started to realise two things. Firstly, while a Caestus is a brick, it is a pretty complex model to build. This isn't apparent at first sight, I suppose. But the amount of detail, of various armour plates, curves and edges is quite overwhelming. Secondly, the papercraft templates drifted quite away from FW's Caestus.

 

While most differences were insignificant, there's one major discrepancy, namely, the sides.

 

This is the assembled paper model build using the templates I've found (note, this is not mine; it's a Caestus build by Dented-Rick at deviant art which I 'borrowed' to portray the difference):

 

http://img01.deviantart.net/46d6/i/2013/042/e/3/warhammer_40k___caestus_by_dented_rick-d5umbok.jpg

 

And here's FW's Caestus:

 

http://img10.deviantart.net/e781/i/2010/255/d/4/caestus_assault_ram_unloading_by_goofeegrins-d2yllas.jpg

 

As you can see, the sides at the rear are different: the paper model's armour is more flat, the resin model is bulkier/wider, with a noticeable armour extension 'step'.

 

So, this is all in the past now. Seeing the progress in all my scratch builds in the past two years, I decided to adjust my attitude towards making models. The policy now is that of a speedier assembly and here are the guidelines I force myself to follow:

 

> I don't care that much about construction accuracy (in terms of a faithful representation - like the difference in the side armour at the rear of the vehicle), as even a slightly altered model should be impressive enough. Also, people convert and modify existing models to add a personal touch. Why can't I?

> I'm somewhat manually retarded and can't assemble a Rhino/Land Raider properly. If I mess GW's models up, I can live with the imperfections of scratch build assembly.

> When the model will be finished, painted and some time will pass, I won't remember about the template/original differences, the mess ups etc. Especially on the table top. These things just tend to be concealed by the general impression the model makes.

> Finally, to some extent I don't care about the quality of assembly. Sure, I want to have a Caestus which looks good, but I can live with gaps and cracks resulting from differences caused by the thickness of the plasticard. To adjust the templates to account for the differences would be extremely time consuming (I did this in the past). Instead, I'm going for a messy assembly which will be repaired in 'post processing' with green stuff or some other putty.

 

Enough of writing, time for some showing. Here's the project's current state:

 

I assembled the two transport compartments. It took me around five hours to cut the elements and put them together. Not bad, considering how much I've done in the past two years.

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130153_zpsy9cn35ks.jpg

 

The next step is to add detail to the fuselage.

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130157_zpsgpea3pbj.jpg

 

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130158_zpskfjnav85.jpg

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130156_zps8rlj351e.jpg

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130157_zpsgpea3pbj.jpg

 

 

 

I doesn't look too good, but I'm hoping that green stuff will save everything. The only thing which really annoys me is that I overlooked that the rectangular small panels on the sides which extend to the top of the ram don't align, as I were pretty pleased with how they turned out.

 

All in all, I'm quite excited about this. I discovered that plastic models can be assembled. Seeing how things take shape is very gratifying. I'm not setting any deadlines, though. I also somewhat know that the model will take time. But I hope to find some time for my plasticard stuff at least once a weak. That way the model might be finished in the upcoming twelve months or so.

 

If any further progress occurs, I'll keep you updated. I would wish to complete at least one transport compartment during the following week, but I'm quite worried about the underside and the Land Speeder styled gravity stuff there. That will be difficult to reproduce, as there are many irregular, rounded shapes (like the studs). But I'm a masochist modeller enthusiast, I like challenges and I'll find a way to do make the

 

Thanks for visiting and reading.

Cheers!

[The_Chaplain]

This is off to a fantastic start-- I wish you the very best on this masochistic  modelling endeavor. 

[MordentHex]

GOOD LUCK! scratch build with large amounts of plastic card can be so very demanding, time wise and mentally.  Keep plugging away at it.  I may blatantly steal some of you idea's one day ;)

[Brother Christopher]

I figured that maintaining momentum, so I'm spending my free time on the project. I've added some detail on the rear and front. Next up front ramp and the dreaded, detailed underside. I finally managed to buy a package of Instant Mold and I'm planning to put it to the test: I want to make green stuff casts of the turbines at the back of a Caestus (with the memory of how long it took me the last time I tried that, I just can't imagine assembling 8 turbines!) as well as the cylidrical/pointy bits under the transport compartments (using to that end a Land Speeder). I'm quite curious how that'll work.

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130160_zps7tg92zwk.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130161_zpsrmwp43ag.jpg

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130163_zps3zh8vgxe.jpg

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130166_zpssfvzjw7h.jpg

 

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k260/krj_38/Caestus%20Assault%20Ram%20scratch%20build/P1130167_zpsxe9sf0as.jpg

 

This isn't much of an update. The funny thing is that cutting plastic and putting it together takes so much time that you'd expect to have something more to say/show afterwards. It seems that this isn't the case.

[The_Chaplain]

Extra dialogue really isn't necessary Brother Christopher-- the pictures speak for themselves with this project. 

[muggs]

Looking really good man, have you though about taking parts from the space wolf thing - its pretty much a single hulled Caestus anyway.

 

With regards to looking different to e FW one  - surely yours is from a different Forgeworld!

[Brother Christopher]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Muggs, I considered that, but briefly. With limited resources allocated to the hobby (<cough> new GW prices <cough>), I prefer to get something more practical game-wise, so any kit suitable for Space Marines. For the price of the wolves' flyer I could get some centurions, new devastators, a storm raven etc.

 

Also, the rationale for starting to scratch build Space Marines vehicles, which later meant transforming "papercraft" to "plasticraft" (I still have a papercraft Rhino somewhere) was to be able to get things I can't afford otherwise (considering remuneration in Poland and the zloty/pound rate, FW prices are brutal and I would have to either lose my sanity or get a large amount of unexpected cash). And paying 90-100 pounds for a tank (Spartan) or flyer (Storm Eagle/Fire Raptor/Caestus) makes me feel dizzy, especially that they are resin casts and my experience with resin is nothing but terrible. I can't imagine paying an equivalent of a good GPU or a camera lens for, say, a badly warped Eagle. Sorry for this down down-to-earth rant, but despite the huge fun I get from the hobby aspect of 40K, I still can't justify some of the prices.

 

Back in my school days, I assembled cardboard planes. Now, instead of paper, I'm using plastic. And instead of building an actual plane which can fly (like an unfinished Raptor I have), I assemble SM bricks with thrusters and wings.

 

And as for the different Forgeworld, that's exactly what I'm thinking too. The fluff behind my Crusade is that it is cut of from supplies and fights in an industrial sector. With access to the local manufactorums, they get modified variants of standard vehicles. Like the steroid-pumped vindicator I assembled somewhere around the time I started work on the Caestus.

 

 

 

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/600/p1000942l.jpg