[WIP] (H.E.R.C.) - MT/Elysian/Cadian Air Cav Strike Force

[Audemus]

Very nice work The large surface area shows off the effect you have, just needs a bit of transfers or something to break it up a bit. As to your troopers, perhaps you can make a new pledge?

Thanks very much! I always debate transfers if only because they end up with this glossy sheen to them. I may end up doing some artwork in Photoshop for the H.E.R.C. force and send it off to have custom decals done, I'd probably feel more inclined to put them on the units than forcing symbols that don't fit onto the models.

The model looks ace. Very jealous of what you have though I would be frustrated at how poor the model fitted together considering the cost.

On a side note, let us know how it does in games!

Thanks! I was disappointed by how it was fitting together, especially along the fuselage and the joint for the tail to connect into it. One part though is entirely my fault and that's the wing with the green stuff along the entire connecting side. I underestimated the weight of the engines when I put them on the wing and while the Loctite was drying they slid just a little off their place on the bottom of the wing as it is just an entire smooth surface that I scored with a file. I was in the process of painting the fuselage and when I looked down and saw the issue I tried to break the engines away but the critical engine, closest to the missiles, was on there like cement.

I guess I scored both surfaces a bit to well because Loctite Ultra Control Gel usually hardens rather slow but this time it was acting like plastic glue left out for an hour. All I could do is make the best of the matter and keep going though, I think once it's on the flight stand a lot of the issues will become moot as they only show up when you look at it flat against a single color surface.

My biggest frustration with the model though is how fragile it is. If you look at the wing flaps, they only have two poorly fitting joints holding them in place and even glued in with a solid amount they are movable with your finger up and down. The tail assault cannons are also only connected to the plane by a 1 - 2 cm deep tiny socket hole with a sponson bar coming down from it. There's no double catch to hold it in place and I'll probably end up layering the connection with more glue since it's not visible and needs reinforcement badly.

I'm not sure how secure the Hellstrike missiles are but even if they are, sitting this thing on any kind of non-secure surface for transport is going to be a nightmare as there are so many dangling parts with weak mounts on thin portions of the craft, preventing pinning due to it weakening the overall structure of the plane part. Hell, I could see through the doors that are on the side of the craft before I painted them the resin was so thin.

Despite all of that, I feel good about completing what is considered one of the hardest models in the GW/Forge World line. Still waiting on that flight stand to show up, I guess I'll email the guy at Dragon Forge tonight to get a status update!

[elmo]

Great work and a fine addition to your army.

 

I have to go with the needs decals/artwork to break up the large surfaces too. How about some bomber style nose art?

[Audemus]

I'm not sure how I did this but I am painting really fast lately and actually completed the following two Sentinels in the same 24 hour period that I posted the primed parts in the pledge thread! As I noted in the thread, I'm now posting the 360 degree pictures. Don't worry about the lack of lichen/rocks on the base, I just ran out and need to hit Michaels later today.

Sentinel - Front

http://i.imgur.com/xKJw2i1.png

Sentinels - Diagonal

http://i.imgur.com/oquMw9E.png

Sentinels - Side 1

http://i.imgur.com/Bwd5YzN.png

Sentinels - Side 2

http://i.imgur.com/HkYflkm.png

Sentinels - Back

http://i.imgur.com/QY2HfW2.png

Oh and after calling in the Commissariat on my Apartment Complex office for wasting two weeks of my time when I could have been working on the Marauder Destroyer base from Dragon Forge, I got my hands on it. To say the base is large and inspires confidence that my bomber will not end in a tragic knocked over event...would be an understatement. Serious props to Jeff at Dragon Forge for relieving one of my main concerns in using this bomber - that being it would never survive the trip and subsequent game at the store!

Corporal Itt Berns, Scion Plasma Gunner of H.E.R.C., will proceed to explain the intricacies of this base.

http://i.imgur.com/MtIvb3H.png

http://i.imgur.com/roTO8cI.png

There are so many details in this base, I'm sure it will take some time but I know it will be fun to paint up.

Also an update in regards to the Armies on Parade front; I've emailed Jeff and 36" acrylic rods are possible so that puts the insane cloud cover idea one step closer to reality!

[librisrouge]

So, damn, beautiful friend. If I were more airborne inclined I would have to start saving for one myself. The painting really brought it all together. Cannot praise it enough.

[Audemus]

While this isn't the entire available group, I can make about 8 more, I thought I would stop here before I got to carried away with things!

I have a FW Company Commander Squad (meltagun included), two Sergeants, 4 Plasma, 1 Sniper (really just wanted to paint the model ^^) and lots of lasguns.

I also have my Platoon Commander who was more of an experiment that actually turned out look really cool, you can see him with the Chainsword and the Scion Great Coat around him. I used the Platoon Commander to inspire me in creating a characters history over in the regimental thread and also was able to come up with the background for the Regiment as a whole. My girlfriend kinda looked at me odd when I came flying out the shower looking for something to write with as I had just come up with it all and didn't want to lose it!

The Company Commander model was a bit of a let down as his visor was broken off when he arrived. I was able to add it back on with green stuff, it's a tiny bit bigger now on the sides but in person it looks fine. I wouldn't have been annoyed if it hadn't come in one of the new clam shell cases which I would have though should prevent any damage to the models but live and learn.

This goes for the Plasma Gun upgrades for the Cadians too. You actually cannot make them fit on the legs with the feed cable they've sculpted on it and the cables are so thin that any attempt to warp them causes them to snap. My solution? The plastic plasma gun doesn't have a cable coil leading to it so it was time to chop chop the cables off. It made the models so much easier to work with and still looks like!

I do still have to make another Vox communication guy as well.

Here they are unpainted/primed but ready to start the process!

http://i.imgur.com/4VOILMY.png

[spafe]

quality stuff. Any chance of some close ups?

[Audemus]

quality stuff. Any chance of some close ups?

 

I'll take more of them once I've got them painted but in the mean time there is a certain Marauder Destroyer who now has a completed flight base; I'll go ahead and post the pictures now!

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Front

 

http://i.imgur.com/C5nTRCA.png

 

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Diagonal

 

http://i.imgur.com/4WE4bqp.png

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Cockpit

 

http://i.imgur.com/oyq1QmM.png

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Side 1

 

http://i.imgur.com/SMAy1xE.png

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Side 2

 

http://i.imgur.com/IGoxMGd.png

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Back

 

http://i.imgur.com/iM3zjTF.png

 

Marauder Destroyer in Flight - Ball Gunner

 

http://i.imgur.com/mAtYR18.png

 

Dragon Forge Flight Base

 

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/CJUsXtS.png

[walter h]

You know it's gear are down. I always wondered if there was any way to place the gear up effectively. Even for the valk . The base and all are fantastic.

[Audemus]

So I've done my preliminary five guardsmen of the Lions of Leander VI, who will form the base cadre of guard per my regimental background information, and wanted to put them up. Please forgive the drying Agrellan Earth, it is my bane and late at night I'm just not patient enough to let it dry especially when the subject is being posted for feedback.

I probably won't change anything drastically and I'll admit the backpacks bother me to an extent but that's more because Forge World got a bit...carried away with them more than anything. My main concern is that they work well with the Scion H.E.R.C. units and look like they came from the same overall regiment, which I think I've done but C+C never hurt anyone.

Oh and I know I missed the Chevrons on the arm of the Sergeant, I'm having an internal debate on whether they should be bronze (which is almost never used on any other model I've made) or something like Fenrisian Grey which might make them pop without being to obnoxious given their size.

http://i.imgur.com/lijwr0f.png

[WarriorFish]

Very nice indeed! I've been tempted to get a kit for a custom Vet squad and this is making it hard to resist :P

[Audemus]

Very nice indeed! I've been tempted to get a kit for a custom Vet squad and this is making it hard to resist

Yeah the kit is extraordinarily nice but the backpack seems a bit over done. Hell, I didn't even know the standalone Command Squad had a Vox Operator at first because they completely changed the design from every other Vox I've seen on other models. I'm so used to seeing actual antennae coming up out of the backpack but this fella is rocking an old school cell phone hands-free headset and the backpack looks more like it has exhaust pipes coming out of it than radio antenna.

http://i.imgur.com/6fKevM2.png

The only other problem I have, which I'd like to actually get some feedback from you guys, is the Officer model / head from conversion kit. FW was meticulous on all the other Hostile Environment models to make sure there was two tubes coming from the enclosed helmet and two tubes running from the body armor back as well. You can see the above helmet leaves no room for question about the helmet being a fully enclosed unit.

It's not really obvious on the site and now that they are primed I don't know if I can get a shot to really show it but the Officer head is a nose/mouth gasmask with his eyes/ears/neck completely exposed. One of his eyes is a cybernetic implant that's so tiny I'm cringing at the thought of painting it, which in my last post you can see the Sergeants armor I was able to get the tiny light on the armor implant without issues, but the other is just his actual face/eye. That's obviously not going to fly with my fluff and I'm thinking about using Green Stuff to create a lense over the eye or I might just try painting over it as the brim of the officer hat makes it almost impossible to tell it's his eye in there.

I did my best to enhance a picture of the helmet that has not been primed off the web to let you guys see what I'm talking about with the eye. It's hard to get the details out of the low res pictures but hopefully it will do.

http://i.imgur.com/APly9wa.png

Anyways, thoughts/input would be greatly appreciated on how to deal with this and I'm just going to focus on the other models in the meantime as there is plenty to paint.

My Armies on Parade idea is a go as well, I've got Jeff at Dragon Forge checking on getting some 36" Acrylic Rods for the cloud platform and the Realm of Battle Imperial Strongpoint is already in the mail and on its way here. I've been looking around for the best platform to put in the air as, while it's clear, I'm not 100% convinced that going with a large acrylic sheet is my best route as I don't have a power drill and once you remove the paper siding from the sheet apparently you can't drill it anymore. That will make placing the holes for the Valkyries very difficult as I will need to test them to get the Valkyrie in the right position.

I've opted on using the normal Vehicle mount point for their large bases as a bottom/top socket so that I do not have to glue the rods themselves in, which will be awesome because it would be a damn shame to lose the cool terrain just to enter it in the competition. If anyone can think of slightly sturdy (Just needs to be able to support two Valkyries suspended by fishing wire at 2 points, 4 holes) material that I can drill through, I would appreciate your input. I've thought about adding lights in but I think that will make the project reach into the cost range that I just can't justify it, I'm already going $200 dollars total on just the rods and the Realm of Battle, I'd like to avoid spending more than $50 more on things if possible.

[WarriorFish]

A little bit of GS to make a visor should be easy enough, then whatever you don't paint as flesh isn't ;) As for the cloud I'm not sure I can be of much help, it's beyond anything I've done. What about some rods in the corners with string attached strategically that the Valks can rest on? Like how we used to put model airplanes on our ceilings. Maybe not idea, but it should work and be cheap?

[Audemus]

A little bit of GS to make a visor should be easy enough, then whatever you don't paint as flesh isn't As for the cloud I'm not sure I can be of much help, it's beyond anything I've done. What about some rods in the corners with string attached strategically that the Valks can rest on? Like how we used to put model airplanes on our ceilings. Maybe not idea, but it should work and be cheap?

That's definitely a thought, I'm just worried about the ropes slipping or coming loose due to the slick surface of the acrylic rods. I think I'll need to get my hands on the actual terrain board and the rods so I can play around with some ideas, I'll be posting it up as I go though.

I decided to run a color check with 5 soldiers from each of the joint forces that make up the fighting men within the Lions of Leander VI. I was a bit concerned about the Scions being darker than my guardsmen and Elysians but it actually works out well when you put them next to each other and it serves to set them off from the regular units of the regiment. As they are effectively special forces, I'm okay with that. Plus it saves me having to try and tweak 30 scions and their command squad.

Also I don't think my Taurox Prime or Vulture have found there way into this thread yet but there they are, even if the Taurox is a bit blurry! lol

http://i.imgur.com/melSDwi.png

[Audemus]

Armies on Parade Update:

 

Further research last night has brought this project much further into reality!  The Acrylic sheet was going to weigh a fair deal and also has the added disadvantage of potentially cracking when drilling holes in it.  Yet if I use something like this:

 

(24"x24"x3/4")

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZEEIwF2.jpg

 

I can bypass the need to drill and still easily secure the mold braces to it without issues.  This also opens up clear zip ties underneath the cotton to secure spread the weight of the Valkyries when they have been tied on as well as close off the top of the mold brace without having to glue a cap over it.  As the frame is now steel, I'm able to use magnetized battery powered LED's to simulate lightning and flash from within the clouds like so:

 

http://i.imgur.com/xl58e34.png

 

 

I'm then going to use a grey primer at 4-5 feet and lightly dust the cotton once it is all in place to give it the storm cloud look as well.  All and all things are coming together for the project and hopefully it will end up looking as cool as I'm imagining it!

[WarriorFish]

Sounds promising, keep us appraised of your progress :tu:

[Audemus]

Completion Status Update - Lions of Leander VI - Veteran Guardsmen

I'm getting very close and could technically assemble more guys but I want to finish my built units before digging into more. I still have my Company Commander, Sergeant, Sniper Rifle (Just wanted to paint one), and the scanner guy with his scanner as well as two or three more lasgun troops I think. I'm holding off on doing my pseudo character that I wrote the background for as I want to do him justice and still haven't come up with a good way of handling his cloak.

Some of these guys still need the imperial eagle put on their tops but that's a quick once over and I'm trying to get things done for this coming weekend so I can field my Marauder Destroyer if it comes down to it.

(...and yes, some of the Agrellan is still drying, I'm looking at you guardsman on the left, but I wanted to get a picture up! Sue me! )

http://i.imgur.com/bKmelhT.png

[Brother Talarian]

They look fantastic. I'm really liking their helmets... Hmm..... (Considering next purchase).

 

I also really like your color scheme, mate.

[Audemus]

They look fantastic. I'm really liking their helmets... Hmm..... (Considering next purchase).

 

I also really like your color scheme, mate.

 

 

Thanks so much for the compliment!  I really do enjoy their helmets though I will admit the company commander was a bit of a struggle as I realized he is not buttoned up and only wearing a re-breather under his hat, which did not fit with the fluff of my regiment.  I ended up using the smallest little ball of green stuff ever in each portion of his face before smoothing and cutting away the excess to finally make him work.  I really don't look forward to doing it again!

 

Anyways, speaking of the Company Commander, here he is!  I love the model but it doesn't have a huge amount of details to have fun with so I made his cloak match the vehicle camo pattern to liven him up some.

 

========

 

http://i.imgur.com/PWoCQqZ.png

[WarriorFish]

Looking good, we must be due an army shot now ;)

[Audemus]

Looking good, we must be due an army shot now

You do realize the entire army doesn't fit in the photo tent don't you? Of course you do! I've been meaning to do this for a while but keep putting it off using that fantastic argument, "Well, I'll do it after the next model!" Clearly I was exercising the Ostrich Defense where I ignored the fact that I could in fact take more than one army shot and kept my head firmly buried in the ground. This will strictly be my Lions of Leander VI units, as I do have 2000 points of Skitarii as well but there's no way I can fit them all on the dining room table.

This is one of those moments where I have to ponder if the fact a 10 person dining room table cannot contain the mass of my painted figures indicates a potential problem...Ostrich Defense Deployed! NAH!

Disclaimer: The lighting/color on these is weird because my lamps are meant to diffuse light through an opaque white side of the photo tent and I had to tone them down some in Photoshop prior to posting these. I also would like to note you don't get a pretty background because I fear if I had begun taping the backdrop to the wall that my GF might very well have struck me down, which could not be risked since she was about to leave the apartment to get a Firehouse sub for me.

Lions of Leander VI (9/22)

Table Level

http://i.imgur.com/WMp1ucL.png

Birds Eye View

http://i.imgur.com/yTkPGkf.png

[scatmandoo]

Wow, just so much wow!

[our_baz]

I've got nothing other than awesome. That marauder is a real eye catching centrepiece.

[WarriorFish]

Complain when your army can't fit in a single picture without being reduced to pixel smudges ;) I'm thinking at least double... seems fair?

[Audemus]

Wow, just so much wow!

Thank you!

I've got nothing other than awesome. That marauder is a real eye catching centrepiece.

Thank you! Yeah, I didn't realize just how fitting it was until I began to put the pieces around it. Then I had to laugh because for all of it's majestic glory flying above the entire army, it's still less points to field than the Hellhammer sitting down behind the Elysians. Bizarre!

Complain when your army can't fit in a single picture without being reduced to pixel smudges I'm thinking at least double... seems fair?

Well, if I get my way, there will be two Avenger Strike Fighters added into the mix relatively soon. I still have the parts to finish up the 2nd standard Guard squad, I just included what I had done so it was all visible. That's why I have 1 guard and 2 plasma chilling behind my company commander.

As far as immediate expansions, I would like my standard guard to have Chimeras available and my Scions to have a full set of Taurox Primes available for when I don't feel like dragging 4 Valkyries out to the store. The Taurox Prime may be the toughest vehicle model I've ever built, it's like a solid block of plastic and I'm pretty sure that short of falling from a table onto a hard floor it would laugh at most potential catastrophes. I have one Taurox Prime in a box still and a Chimera from my Cadian Defense Force on sprues as well, so as soon as Armies on Parade is done that's where my attention is going to turn.

Also the Sentinel squad will be completed soon, I may have to wait until Saturday to buy the 3rd one but it will be bought, and I have the last 5 Scions for my 3rd squad on sprues still. I did 25 of them at once, 30 including the Command squad, and it kinda burnt me out. Once I finish the standard guard I'll need to do a few vehicles but I'll get around to doing them eventually.

==========

Question: At 305 pts the Malcador Annihilator (lascannon sponsons) seems like an interesting tank to me. My store is having a 750 point tournament next weekend and I found myself struggling to put together a really competitive list, although I did manage to get the Marauder Destroyer into a list which made me cackle with glee but I don't think going that route is going to win me many friends. The Malcador though would give me some flexibility with my squads while still providing a heavy hammer to pummel whatever armor my opponent brings.

The only real issue I see with it is that, in a larger point game, I have 2 other Super Heavies better equipped to deal with things. Do you guys think it's worth adding a Malcador Annihilator to the roster for times where the point value stays lower?

Any input is always welcome! I've only played a single game with the models above and that was confined almost entirely to the Scion Air Cav formation with a Knight in support. Most of my models have yet to see combat so I'm still a bit wary when it comes to picking up things for tactical reasons without having seen them deployed previously.

[BLUESH33P]

Oh damn, That's incredible! As the definition of your name would suggest, this project has been a big job and you tackled it tirelessly, marching into battle with brush and green stuff in hand (However much trouble that hand might have given you) and earned yourself a pretty impressive army.

 

Side note: I'm about to buy my first Knight Crusader today, I've been planning for a while to just name it after whoever in this forum inspired my army the most, (I like named units to have some sort of meaning to them), and Audemus does have a pretty cool ring to it ;)