Doghouse's 40k Stuff - The converting of Primaris begins...

[No Foes Remain]

Blood Angels it is then!

[Doghouse]

Not so sure on that just yet :D

 

Word Bearers would be pretty cool too, I'm not a huge fan of Daemons but it could be interesting. The main problem is not knowing the key word for Chaos and what armies are in their over all faction. 

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

Been a long fan of your truescale work.... welcome to the dark side

[hushrong]

Man, you have made a fantastic force...then you made an army of these properly scaled astartes.

 

As for where to go with the recent batch, why not Alpha Legion. They are probably in all those other armies already.

Kidding aside I am torn between Blood Angels and Word Bearers. Red would be a great color to see on these marines.

[Doghouse]

Cheers guys

 

Eldrick Shadowblade: Thanks mate

 

hushrong: Funnily enough I so very nearly turned to the ways of the Alpha Legion when I was messing around with this guy using plastics for HH. Getting the blue I wanted mixing silver with Sotek Green was pretty brutal though and I couldn't quite get the finish I wanted for them.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/2pq84mq.jpg

 

I seem to have a lot of Skitari sprues laying around so thought I'd give an idea of what I want if I were to go Imperials.

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/rh8ht1.jpg

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2moys15.jpg

 

I'm trying to assemble blocks that I am hoping can then be mixed and matched to give me some variety when it comes to fielding an army, something like two command and three troops for the Astartes to fulfil the basic Battalion detachment then I have a unit of Black Templars, two or three Leman Russ, Inquisition, maybe a Guard platoon, three Sentinels a Knight and it looks like about thirty Skitari and other admech units. It'd also open up for any future Sisters of Battle release. 

 

I could do the same for Chaos but rely more on Daemon Engines, Cultists and Daemons to make up the other options.

[Martox]

Damn it Doghouse, every time I see your true scale stuff I want to make some. Great work as always.

[BlueBelly1863]

Loved scrolling through this, fantastic work Doghouse. The true-scaling is so cool, I envy anyone who has the patience and willpower to do it for every single marine. Maybe I'll try it for a SW:A warband as you have here......

 

Also, those Black Templars look fantastic. Absolutely menacing, as they should be! 

[No Foes Remain]

I think a mix-matched army with those dudes would look awesome.

 

You decided what you going to paint them as yet?

[deathspectersgt7]

You know maybe you should do a cross over White Scars .

[Doghouse]

Martox: Thanks mate

 

BlueBelly1863: Thanks mate, yeah SW:A is perfect for a project like this because you'll probably only need about five or six marines unless you go all out with no cultists. Then from there you can expand on them or just add them to an existing 40k army when the new detachments system comes out. They could also be counts as marines 2.0 if need be.

 

Cpt Ventris: Not just yet, still plotting and scheming...

 

deathspectresgt67: Not a bad idea mate, once I have the base 30 and 2 HQ units the sky is the limit as it goes for other Legions/Chapters joining them.

 

On a request from Cpt Ventris I've put together this quick rough and ready tutorial going into a bit more detail for those that want to have a bash or make their own kill team. It's a bit on the fly but hopefully will make sense.

 

So first off a list of parts:

 

1: Cataphracti Terminator Legs

2: Tartarus Terminator Breast Plate

3: Rear half of any Space Marine plastic torso (I used Mk4 purely for the cables)

4: Space Marine Head, Arms, Weapon, Back Pack and Shoulder Pads. (MK 3 armour works best because it is bulkier and it won't make the arms look too skinny).

 

 

Step 1

 

First off you'll need the front half of a Tartarus terminator. What you want to do is first cut off the two over hanging lips that insert into the terminator torso. It's best to use the bottom edge of the armour where it ends as a rough guide so it is straight and will let you attach the back of the marine. Laying it flat on it's back should 

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/rsflua.jpg

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/qx2scx.jpg

 

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/1zlpzdx.jpg

 

 

Once this is done you can then move onto the back, you want to remove the lower segment below the torso first of all then glue it so the tops of both the back and front are level with each other.

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/14bnibk.jpg

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/nvqqgj.jpg

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/34dijnr.jpg

 

 

Next up we glue this to the legs which will be unmodified so no hassle with cutting or anything unless you want to repose the legs. There are two ways you can do with. One place a small piece of sprue on top of the connecting nub that forms the waist on the legs then glue the torso on top of that (which I forgot to photograph...). If you do this dry fit it first before adding any glue to make sure that you have the height set about right, the front of the torso should be set so the cables are just meeting at the top with the torso.

This is the sturdiest way to make these guys, as I knock these out on the fly I tend to put glue all around inside of the torso and then sort of balance it so it stays in place. The sprue method is a lot stronger though.

Once this is done set it to one side and let the glue set the two pieces together, if you are impatient like me about 15 mins I think should do it? It's important to let it set because you will be applying pressure once you start the green stuff work.

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/qnv0o2.jpg

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/161hjbt.jpg

 

And now the scary part...

 

Step 2 

 

 

Green stuffing for the uninitiated can be down right intimidating but I want to go through this process with you to show you it's not as scary as it first sounds. You are going to hear all sort of tricks about room temperatures and ratios but I want you to forget all that, for our purposes we are going to treat this as blu tac. Blu tac isn't scary...

Before I go any further, for those that are completely put off by the thought of GS work I will put up a plasticard method later that might make it easier.

 

Green stuff (Kneadatite) basically comes together either on a strip or two separate tubes which are are yellow and blue. The term green stuff is a phrase coined by citadel sculptors because once the two are mixed the putty goes green....and it's stuff....

First off you want to cut equal amounts of each from each strip or tube and mix it together till you get one solid colour with no streaks of blue or yellow in it. You don't have to go crazy here, it's better to cut small parts off each and then make another similar sized piece and add it to the first rather than use too much and end up wasting materials.

Play around with a little bit of it at first, the more yellow you add the softer and sticker it will become but you want to avoid going past 40% blue and 60% yellow. The more blue you add the firmer it will be but it will be harder to manage.

 

Once you are happy you have the hang of it you want to make a little sausage of green stuff and put it on the back of the model like below. You don't want to go overboard here so what you are looking at is trying to guess how much will fill the gap. Remember you can always add more after if you missed some gaps but in general you want to get it as one solid piece so that it is easier to smooth.

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/2zovw40.jpg

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/34rzmmx.jpg

 

 

Now the sculpting part. For this you can use a regular citadel metal sculpting tool but what you really want to get is a clay shaper.

Yeah I know that sounds really artsy fartsy but it will make the world of difference and they only cost a few quid. You ideally want a 0 Flat Chisel Clay Shaper, it's basically a paint brush but instead of bristles you have a rubber chisel shaped tip.

 

Next you want to wet the tip of the sculpting tool with water, not drown it or anything just so there is a thin coat. It doesn't really matter how much you put on but this will create a film between the tool and the GS that will help you smooth the surface.

First of all you want to push the GS up to meet the bottom of the marine torso back then once you have that push the rest down to the waste. Don't worry too much about how much you have hanging down at the bottom we'll get to that next. But it should look like this below, to smooth the surface of the GS once this is done move the tool in little circular patterns, this will make the surface nice and flat and remove stuff like finger prints.

 

Important note: while doing this step, hold the model by the torso, ideally between finger and thumb on the parts where the arms would be. You will be applying some pressure to the model and holding it by the legs will probably result in snapping it at the waist and we want all the pressure being applied to the torso.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/52j591.jpg

 

 

This next step can be done in two ways, the first is while the GS is still wet which isn't a great idea for a beginner. If you do it this way do not slice you want to carefully tilt the blade tip first in the far side of the waist then roll the blade gently pressing into the GS as you work around the waist.

 

The easier way is to let it set for a good thirty mins or more then carefully slice it so the bottom of the GS is level with the bottom edge like you would if it were plastic.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/mhg1oz.jpg

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/2l937fb.jpg

 

 

Step 3: The Neck

 

This bit is pretty simple if you are using a helmeted head because it will cover the GS work once in place. What you want to do is roll a small ball of GS like before and place it in the neck socket.

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/2u5b38m.jpg

 

Then using your sculpting tool of choice press the GS pushing out to the edges so that it fills the neck covering the gaps. Remember to use a circular motion and water after to smooth the surface.

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/ozss4.jpg

 

Once this is done either did the other end of the tool in water or use the blunt end of a paint brush and lightly push into surface using a twisting motion. You want this roughly center between the shoulders but not too far forwards. This indentation I made is maybe a little deep but if you find it is just let it dry and add a little bit more GS into the gap you have made. Once you are happy with this you can then smooth the surface if need be but for the most part this will be covered by the helmet. I tend to do this for bare heads where you will see the neck more.

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/9frxw8.jpg

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/2rogp5w.jpg

 

Then lastly you just need to click the top off the belt tabbard and stick it into the socket on the front of the model.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2lvelqb.jpg

 

From here on it's basically making a Marine the way you normally would, sticking the head and pack and bits as normal.

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/2jez3mb.jpg

 

You may find you need to play around with the arms a bit to get them to fit so experiment with dry fitting before gluing.

 

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask here or send me a PM. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[No Foes Remain]

Doghouse, again, you are awesome. Guess I know what I am doing tomorrow.

[Martox]

Excellent. I spent a good 20 minutes or so last night looking for your Iron Warrior thread with the tutorial you had in it, however this is even better. I shall be putting this to good use for my own Chaos killteam in the near future.. if I can separate the Cataphractii legs from the torsos. Shouldn't be too hard :|. Cheers Doghouse, excellent tutorial as always!

[hushrong]

Yeah, that Alpha is sweet. You could always go with the black armor scheme of theirs too.

 

The tutorial is also very tempting. Funnnily enough on that note my only true scale attempt was and Alpha Legion.

[Doghouse]

CPT Ventris:

 

Martox: Well I hope it helps

 

hushrong: Oddly enough my first attempt at a proper truescale was also Alpha Legion...maybe truescaling is an Alpha Legion plot? 

 

Quick update

 

Working on a test model for the Blood Angels, so far it's coming along nicely and I quite enjoy painting red. I'm a bit torn as to whether I should go Heresy markings or not at the moment, mainly because it would be cool to have an army that could be used in both 30k and 40k but the attention for details nut in my head is screaming to do one or the other to make them look more authentic!

The back of the legs I am doing in bolt gun metal because these guys are so big it helps break up the red a bit.

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/jjxxtx.jpg

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/29hi69.jpg

 

Also since the news about combi-weapons...

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/53n6tl.jpg

[Cryptix]

Thanks for the tutorial! Though I have to ask, where are you getting so many tartaros terminators - I'm in the US, I can't spend $60 for 5 bits!

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

That's my biggest issue with truescale: not only is it expensive but it also takes a lot of time.

[Doghouse]

Cryptix: No problem mate. I tend to watch ebay, I've picked up about 30 torsos for about £20 in the past. They are normally around £1.00 to £1.50 each a lot of the time. But you can also use Cataphracti torso fronts which I'll probably do another tutorial on to help anyone interested, they just require a little more cutting.

 

Brother Chaplain Kage: If you are patient and willing to hunt for bits and bargains you're looking at about £3 extra per marine over the cost of a regular plastic guy. So where as someone getting tactical marines is paying £30 for ten you are paying £60 for ten, so just under what a forgeworld ten man tactical squad would cost you really. 

 

EDIT: Sorry made a miscalculation there, I was getting the Mk3 armour for £15 for ten on ebay so it works out cheaper than forgeworld by about £15. So £4.50 for each marine over the regular plastic marine at £3.00 each or forgeworld at £6.00 each. Then for forgeworld you have to add in the cost of heavy weapons, special weapons, pouches, pistols, etc.

 

This method here once you get the hang of it is really simpler than most think, I can knock one of these guys out in about ten minutes easily now. Once you look at truescaling the likes of vehicles that is when it becomes trickier but given that the majority of marine vehicles aren't to scale anyway it's more of what you can live with rather than needing to make bigger tanks.

To make the most of this version of truescaling you also really need to be a big fan of Mk III armour.

 

 

The main thing at the moment to consider though is what is the future of truescaling in the hobby now that the bigger marines are on the way? For anyone wanting to get into it big time it could well be a simple case of waiting for the new guys to arrive.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Doghouse

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

If I ever were to do it, it would be with the tutorial you just put up primarily because the legs aren't altered. The TS method of extending the legs has never looked right to me and without bulking them up, it only makes the already spindly marine legs look really off. With the thicker Cataphractii legs, you get the bulk I think they should have without needing to do it yourself with GS.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Brother Chaplain Kage

[Doghouse]

Totally agree mate. :tu:

 

The problem for me with regular marines has always been because of the heroic scale proportions, like you say the arms and legs are generally thin on regular plastics (don't get me started on plastic terminators... :D ).

 

The truescale guys I make are not an exact representation of what a marine would look like in the flesh by any means but it alters your perception enough to make it seem a bit more credible. The main focus for me though has always been to get this to a stage where people can have a bash at it themselves if they want to, I could have quite easily sculpted my own but that defeated the object of encouraging people to get into converting models. This has been a 15 year crusade for me now and finally I can lay this one to rest! :D

[Doghouse]

Just a quick update for now.

 

I've settled for Heresy era markings in the end, truth be known it will probably be easier to get a game of 40k for me than 30k but this way around I find it easier to explain away the markings in my mind.

 

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/2w6w47c.jpg

 

 

With the test guy well under way I've started to base coat what will be the Captain/Praetor. I'm keen to include sisters of silence as allies potentially for both eras if possible.

 

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/2wp43kw.jpg

[Doghouse]

Quick update

 

Still WIP but got some done on the Captain/Praetor and I am playing around with the test guy some more.

 

The pictures are quite dark but I'll get some daylight shots at some point and I have a lot of cleaning up to do just yet but they are getting there. Once I'm happy with the basic techniques (going for gaming standard) I'll crack on with the rest of the guys as I want a minimum army on release of 8th. I've added the black trims I've seen in some Heresy pictures for the test guy and I am adding more gold to the armour because of the size of the model you feel the blank areas a lot more so any little details to break it up helps.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2wd0bxw.jpg

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/312zswx.jpg

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/2ce5dgm.jpg

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/11wc6yg.jpg

[deathspectersgt7]

Damn it Doghouse Blondie Rocks . Like the Gold and the stripe on his weapon . 

[Doghouse]

Thanks mate :D

 

I must admit last time I did Blood Angels was second edition but I am really enjoying painting these guys. Forgot how much fun red can be to paint.

 

Still not entirely sure how this ended up as a Blood Angels thread though...

[Eldrick Shadowblade]

Cool stuff as always... love the red and flesh tones, you got recipes on those?

[gezabutla]

Good to see some Chaos Marines getting some of that Truescale love!