Tomb Spyder Conversion - Beginnings and Ramblings

 

Starting with a Destroyer platform and drilling two holes (spine and body plugs), threaded a paper clip through (with an insulated cord segment as the main connected piece) and sealed this between the lids of two canisters (from glow-sticks).  Head is a bead with three flayer nozzles in a triangle and legs are pieces of fine-cast sprue (from Cryptek).  Three on each side as legs and the two centre to be the array arms.  Based on the new models with a hint of the old, looks kinda naff now but am confident it will look mean when complete.  

Destroyer torso, not sure.  Don't really need another Lord (have three converted ones) as well as my Overlord.  Army wise, I could make a converted Destroyer or another Lord, or convert him into an Immortal.  That would mean seven of them on hand as due to his bulk I consider this guy one of my Immortals.

Fresh from Cyberton.  Photo doesn't do it justice.  Its "so wrong" but so right.  I'm at a point where I have ideas for things but they don't fit within what I have in the Force Org Chart. - Like a Triarch Stalker, Lychguards and an Abattoir (read Hell-forged by Ben Counter and image a tank with a Monolith state line).

It can't be any worse than my first two official games (with my own army).  Against the Khornates led by Kharn (in a good mood, killing none of his own guys), my guys did okay, a Daemon Prince and a Greater Daemon being two of the stand out causalities, the latter being held up for four rounds against my Wraiths (pictures up when painting done).  Against Ultramarines though...

Not so much.  All dead, complete rout and only a handful of kills to show for it.  Obviously the 2nd had a bitch about us to the 4th and they are still sore from Damnos.  Psykers suck.

The Nightbringer - Again

Nightbringer conversion.  A better photo than the last ones but since this he has been painted again (cloak is now Necron Abyss with gold trim), based and 'ard coated.

Building a Monolith

This took time (maybe 10 hours so far plus) and a lot of glue.  And the time in between to grow the skin back lost to said glue

I found a template online which outlined all the measurements and dimensions.  It recommended using card but I used anything at hand, first the back of a desk blotter which ended up providing most of the main components.

This is the side bastion with armour plates.  The template didn't really have instructions noting that half of it needed to be inverted.

Four.  Would probably used a thinner card if I had to do over.  Not much thinner though.  Holding these along the fold while the glue dried and soaked through destroyed my fingertips for a good three days.

Armour plates, strangely enough thinner card used is from super glue packaging - reduce, reuse and recycle people.

Used normal PVA to stick this on and then painted it over to help it stick, all over. Bottom armour and all.

Four again.  Trimmed edges so no overhang.  Fun bit is next

Well not this, this is just the corner.  the fun part with no photos is holding this angle and gluing the back of the bastion on and holding it so its sticks.  A tube of cheap super glue at least on each.  And then the time for the oils in your skins to replenish and let you prise your fingers off it without undoing all the effort.

Completely deviated from the template here in sticking together, using foam board for the core structure.  I knew that it was going to collapse without something solid and as I use baby formula lids for paint palettes, I have a heap saved up.  Glued bastion base and sides as instructed and mounted on lid.

The card on one sides folds nice.  Foam board as about $1.89 for two sheets.  Was a bit crumbly on the curves but straight lines were no problems.

Lid goes on, along with the crown set pieces for the focus crystal (in this case, green acrylic rock from a fish bowl - seem to remember that these didn't most more than $7 from a discount or second hand shop).

The plan has about four side "pylons" on each side, but as the foam board was thicker I used three on each.  Also decided against a sliding door at this point and set the symbol for my tomb world on the front face.  Had sketched the symbol when I was first gifted the initial components of my army.  Seemed fitting to put on the Monolith.

You can see how crumbly the foam board was, maybe needed a sharper blade? (probably, but only had the one scalpel blade at the time) anyway, cut out copies of the base of the "pylon" and pasted thin card versions on base of each "pylon".  Some other bits from templates stuck onto the sides to give a bit of character.  They were a prick to cut out so damned if I was going to bin them.

Some more thin card pieces from the templates (armour plates they were labelled as, bit long pieces) so stuck these on back.  Noted that foam board mounts for crystal too large so added bread tag cut-off arches to the inside.

The back curve is made with another formula lid and some tape with foam board curved around (folded and broken more accurately).  Back corners are packed with poster-tack and super glue.  The tape looks shitty but it hold its together well enough.  Glued to back with the thick "armour plate" strips attached.

Small bastion tops added to tops of main bastions.  Instructions not really clear on how the backs were attached so overlaps and gaps on sides and underneath.  Will cover these with thin card towards the end of putting the whole thing together.

Top down view.  Bastions have no guns as yet.  Will use spare gauss flayers / blasters and drill through and mount on paper clip, gluing clip into folds.  Using beads to centre and prevent sliding, should be all good.

Tried some poster paint over it to get an idea of how it would look with some colour.  Quite thin paint and the spray paint I had wanted to use ran out.  Added steps as well otherwise No way yo get to gate.  Reckon I will mix some PVA with paint and thickly paint curves, let it dry and see how it looks for a gate effect.

I think its actually slightly bigger than a proper Monolith, but I am quite content with the result after all the effort that went in.  Next, I need to paint it.

First Big Paint 2012

Just finished my first big paint session of 2012. 

"Brent from BOLS does a Necron upgrade on the cheap"

Brent from BOLS recently (last month or November) ran a competition to write an article and get it published on BOLS under a category of his choosing - Appendix 1, 2 or 3.  I started out doing Appendix 3 and then inspiration struck and I did the other two, (2 then 1) throughout using the context of telling a story.  I uploaded them to Blogger as drafts on the 12-12-11 and forgot to publish, wanting to add photos.  Fixing that now...  (sans photos - will add later)...

First Impressions - After the Necron Launch

Been busy. Work and family. Not that anyone reads this shit.  Just got the Necron 5th Ed Codex and Cryptek in Finecast. Nasty model, all mould lines and flashing to be cleaned up and the pieces don't fit nice. Not happy.  Should have tried to make my own like I planned. Haven't read Codex, was going to while glue dried, although the stand out from my flick through are a couple more named C'tan and the Tomb Blades. Artist rendition only but it looks mean as.

Wraith Conversion

For some inexplicable reason I used today as a day to begin my conversion of Necron Warrior to Necron Wraith.  And finished it.

Necron Conversions

I found it interesting and moderately intimidating as a new modeller that there seemed to be a large number of people saying that Necrons can't be converted and a relatively equal number doing just that.

Its really quite confusing having a bunch of people say one thing, another lot another and not really knowing where you stand - funnily enough its a lot like politics.

Necron Genesis Evangelion - Unit 1

The Beast.

Necron Genesis Evangelion Unit 1.  Purple base, blue ink wash on joints, scorpion green with scorpion green / sunburst yellow highlights, blue chest and a hell of a time trying to get anything even near close on the eyes.  This was my first pin and stick job, you can almost see it in the photo were the arm was revolved around.  I had a VERY good teacher.

More Modelling

I have a book I list all my paint mixes in. Quite handy listing how you did something juts in case you need to go and do it again. On the bright side, I got some Necrons new and thought I would have a play.  I mean, yeah, uniformity, but I figured if I was spending $60 bucks for 12 of the little bastards I was gonna play with it and have me some fun. I can't take photos to save my life.

Modelling / Painting

Modelling is great, I thoroughly enjoy it and having just started back in April / May, I am going to be like many a sad shit on the web and post photos of my crap for your enjoyment / derision. At most I expect maybe the odd one or two get inspired and steal a colour scheme or adapt it for their own. I know I have at least a dozen blogs post bookmarked with cool Necron colour schemes.