Dune Crawler WIP 2

I am slowly getting there, but it is slow. Finally managed to get some painting time in on the dune crawler. I really like this model and it might happen that I will get a second one. This is a more or less straight forward build. I removed the vision slit next to the lens on the front armor and I built an ion-laser for the back to give it a bit more interesting profile, and I liked the look of the gun and could not choose be tween that and the missiles and auto cannons. It still lack the commander in the top hatch, but hopefully I can finish this one soon so that the ,model will be done.

Hope you like it

.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dune Crawler WIP

After finishing the Iron strider I went for the dune crawler from the mechanicum starter set I got for my birthday. Of course I could not just build it as is so it took me some time to get it assembled. I started out with the lower body and the legs and then I went on to the main body. As with most of my mechanicum I opted for the green scheme with bone details and a lot of chipping rust etc. I like the monochromatic look were the shade are in the same color instead of shifting color between fields to break up the surface and show the detail.

I have also tried my hand at some airbrushing. I got a basic "air brush set" some time ago, but I have not found the time to play around with it. So I pulled out a building and sprayed it black (yes it was completely black) before repainting it in gray tones. Now it almost looks like plastic again. Sadly the air brush and the paint do not go well together as the machine is feed from below through capillary forces and not gravity feed. It is also single action with a very large spray foot print. The result was that I could not get an even base coat due to problems with paint supply and once I started with the highlights they ended up as big blotches. But all in all I can see the appeal with an air brush, especially on larger models. I need to think about whether I should invest in a better set up or if I should stick to dry brushing.

Ironstrider

While away from home I finished the Ironstrider. It turned out much as expected and I am pleased with the result. I think the remounting of the auto cannons worked and it gives the model a lower point of gravity, making the rider a rider and not some one clinging to the back of the thing, behind the gun. In the future I might get some more of these and make some alternate poses which I think might look very cool. Now I have another robot to build, some more electro priests and a dune crawler. The later might get some remodeling to include more of the nice pieces from the kit. That is one of the drawbacks with theses multi kit kits, there are some many nice sculpt that I would like to include in the final model.

Round-shield WIP

After some deep thought and fiddling around with some different ideas and parts I have finally settled for the design of the round-shield for the CCW knight. It consists of a solid outer edge with some surface structures to break up the large flat areas. The center hub with the field projectors is a mix of necron parts and the back end of a knight gun. I am hoping that once I get some green stuff and paint on it it will look less like some cut up necrons squeezed into a shield and more like a power generator. I am slowly making some progress with the knights but it is slow as family business is taking priority at the moment.

Assault Cannon or Shield?

I am having some problems deciding on the load-out of the close combat knight. Either it has a chain spear and a assault cannon fist or a chain spear and fist with round shield. First I aimed for the fist version, then I came up with round shield, made in a similar fashion to FWs (the shield in the pic is just an early mock up). Once I started work on the shield I had second thoughts about it and now I am leaning towards the fist again. Somehow that makes it look more aggressive.

Any thoughts?

Sydonian Knight away from home

So, I have not been completely idle but I have not done as much as I would have liked. So far I have painted the legs and seat of the sydoninan knight. It is a really nice model to paint and I think it is turning out quite ok. Now I will start with the rider and see how that goes.

Knights on legs

I finally managed to get some time in with the knights. So I finished of the bases and assembled the legs. Now I can mount the torso on the legs and get a better feel for the pose of the Knights. So far it is looking ok. I would have wished the knight with the belt feed gun would have the gun in a more forward direction instead of across the chest, but I have realised that the anatomy of the knight does not allow for that. I might have been able to point it slightly more forward but the belts prevent it and I am not about to remake these. Over all I think they are looking distinct, which is nice since they are all from the same mono pose kits. Now I just need to finish of the arms for the close combat variant. Initially I thought I would go for a dual wielding swords man, but now I am more into a sword power fist/shield combo as it will make it stand out from the warlord with its symmetric armament. Of course I can not just mount a standard fist on it so I am looking into the possibility to have two assault cannons mounted on the back of the hand (inspired by the warlord power fist).
Well it is really nice to have them on their feet. There is still much to do, but now I can at least see where I am going.