The Prodigal

It has been a lamentably long time since I have been able to focus properly on this project, but in the meantime I have been perusing the fantastic output of Inq28 adherents and other pioneering convertion-wallahs. 'Iron Sleet' is a particularly excellent example, and I wholeheartedly recommend them as talented practitioners of 'Blanchitsu'.

Iron Sleet Blog

This Navigator House project is similarly incredible.

On another note, I have discovered that the heretofore unique sobriquet of 'Wulfthegn' has been appropriated by an American. How vexing.

Gunnery-Sergeant Harker: Photos

Finally finished - slightly scruffy freehand tattoos, weathering powders and all. Happy with how he turned out - really don't like the look of the heavy bolter when used with guardsmen - looks preposterously and unnecessarily heavy, whereas perversely this old CSM Havoc autocannon looks a bit better.

Harker and Veteran Heavy Bolter team finished

My Gunnery-Sergeant Harker stand-in is now painted and based, and I have made my first experimental foray into the world of weathering powders with him. I'll varnish him tomorrow morning and upload some pictures. I have also just basecoated the heavy bolter team for his squad. Huzzah!

Tech-priest and some infantry

Finished these off and varnished them. Seem a bit shinier than the other varnished models for some reason.

Forgeworld Titan Tech-Priest [Officer of the Fleet]:

 

This guy was an absolute bastard to put together - lots of fiddly bits that needed pinning - each arm has three components!

Sharpshooters:

Not happy with the way the ghillie-cloaked guy's camouflage went, but it'll do. Will probably use as Ratlings.

A few infantry bods:

All the infantry models I have finished building - except my stormtroopers - are now painted, varnished and properly based. Nearly there!

Body options

Further to the Maxmini torsos shown before, a wealth of body parts options is now floating around:

Maxmini:
 Combat Armour torsos:

Ash Junkers heads:

Greatcoat legs:

Combat armour legs:

Puppetswar:
Anzac heads:

Victoria Miniatures:
Gas masks and goggles:

Kromlech:
Kneeling guardsman legs:

Blight Wheel miniatures:
Regular troop torsos:

Grant's Spectres - legs (various):

Statuesque miniatures:
Resistance fighters - helmeted heads:

Resistance fighters - gasmask heads:

Bane!

Having seen The Dark Knight Rises, I want to include a Bane-esque character as a Rogue Trader (Inquisitor stand-in) bodyguard - will probably use Gunther here as a base:

Foundry: Outlaw Trash

Torso ideas

I have just seen Maxmini's Greatcoat torsos (below). I must possess them.

More on the way

I took advantage of Wayland Games' current offer and bought one of the new Leman Russ kits and a Catachan Heavy Weapons Squad. The Russ will provide a chassis for Pask's Vanquisher turret, and the HWT will manifest itself as a mortar squad as well as providing the autocannons for my Salamander Scout stand-ins.

Both of these latter projects will only appear a way down the line, but the Vanquisher should hopefully be finished reasonably soon since I am eager to get an airbrush and finish all five tanks.

On a more immediate note, I have finished building and painting the Forgeworld titan tech-priest that I've had lying around with nothing but a coat of Mechrite Red for yonks (absolute bloody nightmare - so spindly. Lots of pinning.) and painted up seven more blokes who were lying around in a half-finished state.

Next on the list:
1 - Paint Harker
2 - Paint Stormtroopers
3 - Paint Commissar
4 - Build Rough Riders (horses already done)
5 - Paint Rough Riders

Credit to Spaniel

I have managed to find the mastermind who came up with the heavy bolter conversion idea - his project log is quite superb.

Spaniel on the Ammobunker forums.

Filling Gaps

I have finished my Harker conversion, shown below. When I have finished painting him I will fix the grave marker to the base properly and add some reeds to tie him in with the rest of the veterans.

Note the studded and quilted armour on his left arm. That was a particular bitch to do.

I am currently working on a sniper so that I have enough for a Ratling proxy squad, and a heavy bolter team for the Veterans. When I have finished sculpting I will upload photos.

Here is an example of the FW-style greenstuffed shell-strikes:

Dozer blades

Just finished - note the rivets made by creating a shallow recess (using a drill) and glueing in a tiny ball from a water filter (shown centre).

Hydraulics made from plasticard rod:

Heavy bolter sponson conversion tutorial

I have now retrofitted the Conqueror to feature the WWI-esque heavy bolters featured below, and thought I'd include a step-by-step in case people wished to try the same thing.

Tools needed:

• Razor saw
• Craft knife
• File

Parts needed:

• Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons team heavy bolters (if using old Leman Russ model)
• Ork shootas (easiest to obtain en masse from bitz sites - the name of the part varies)

Method:

1 -  Saw off the sponsons and hull weapon at the base if using the old Russ; if using the new one, simply take the gun out.

2 - Saw through the shoota at the point where the round barrel housing ends, and clean up the edges with the knife and file.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc204/Wulfthegn/July%202012/IMG_0229.jpg

3 - File the top of the shoota until it is slightly flat (i.e. no longer round).

4 - Saw through the heavy bolter (HWT version if converting old Russ model) immediately behind the shell ejection port.

5 - Saw vertically down along the length of the barrel, just below the little round bit that projects out above the muzzle.

6 - Use the knife to cut along the length of the piece, maintaining a width the same as the weapon's foresight (the bit that sticks up above the muzzle). Clean up edges.

7 - Glue the two pieces together, ensuring that the ends are flush, but also that the top piece does not project too far ahead of the muzzle of the gun.

8 - Glue to the sponson/hull mount.

Voila! Quirky and slightly more realistically scaled hull weapons.

Although I will confess it is more than a little wasteful... junk on the left, end product on the right.

Vehicle Progress

I received eighteen (!) identical Ork shootas in the post today, so I can start retrofitting my three Russes with heavy bolters like this:

Furthermore, I have now finally finished detailing my tanks - all now have a converted heavy stubber on a pintle-mount in addition to all the other fiddly details. I have also green-stuffed all the bullet- and shell-strikes a la Forge World's model masterclass technique.

In other news, I have completed my Knight Commander Pask conversion:

Parts:
- Imperial Guard tank crew legs and raised arm
- Cadian officer torso
- Imperial Guard metal head (from GW sprue available online)
- Cadian guardsman left arm
- Bent etched brass sprue to form map
- Greenstuff waist sash.

Harker

I have begun work on a Gunnery-Sergeant Harker conversion for my Veteran squad. Parts are:
- Vostroyan sniper body
- Chaos marauder horseman head and arms
- Chaos space marine autocannon
- Ork big shoota strap and bullet belt (not shown)
- Cital scenics resin 40mm base (not shown)
- Kromlech guardsman backpack

Since these photographs were taken I have pinned him to a base and sculpted some quilted armour onto the left arm to finish it. The finished model will sport camo ragging and a scenic base that ties him in with the rest of the squad. Is he looking towards the sky because I accidentally knocked him off the table, to add variation to the otherwise quite samey poses of the army, or to reflect the change in the meta-game that commonplace flyers have introduced? Who knows....

Taking Stock, Take Two

What's varnished and ready to hit the table:

- Company command squad
- Platoon command squad
- Two ten-man infantry squads
- Two heavy weapons teams
- One Veteran squad

What's ready to be painted:

- One female infantry squad
- One storm trooper squad
- Vanquisher turret
- Chimera
- Two Demolishers
- Conqueror

  What's unfinished:

- One scout truck (Scout Salamander proxy)
- One five-man rough rider squad
- Exterminator turret
- Russ turret
- Titan tech-priest (Officer of the Fleet)
- Commissar 
- Pask conversion

 To-do list:

- Marbo
- Priest
- Third infantry squad
- Vanquisher chassis
- Exterminator chassis