# Blackadders Warlord Work in Progress



## Blackadder

Okay so here's the deal, I photo-shopped the image and made a static front view that prints out a model exactly 24 inches tall (On my printer using my editor's print graph I hasten to add). I'm satisfied that this is viable height for a Warlord towering almost 2.5 times the height of a Warhound. 

Now that I have the overall height I'll remove the armour and draw in the structural detail. 

BTW that's 24 inches to the lower margin of the image because we mustn't forget the foot pads.










I calculate the center disk of the foot to be about 3.625 inches in diameter.


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## Blackadder

Here comes the weekend and I'll be playing to an empty room. I did manage to cut out most of the basic components of both feet and hope to have them glued together this weekend. I used 2.0 mm for the tread base and the rest is 1.0 mm styrene. This beastie is going to consume a lot of plastic but the fabrication will be a lot easier as all the material will be the same so no problem with glue compatibility which is a big plus.

I'll just add this on:

The octagons are the center of the foot pads and are 2.0 mm thick and about 5.0 x 4.5 inches the larger boxes to the right are the front and back toes and the smaller boxes at the extreme left are the side toes. Both sets of these toes will be movable with hinges. The truncated toe pieces to the far right may or mayn't be movable as I haven't planned that far as yet but the disc will tilt side to side and the top surface will house a semicircular gear shape which will allow the entire foot to tilt forward and aft. This should afford a full range of motion to the feet. The semicircle will have a countersunk screw for the axis and a pal nut on the other side to provide the tension to maintain the various poses.









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









http://i.imgur.com/F538F.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/EcG2q.jpg 

Ambitious? yes;

Possible? most probably, 

Crazy? almost certainly.

Ah but if it works Priceless!


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## Blackadder

I'm trying a different approach and actually planning my work before hand. That in mind I am not the neatest mechanical drawer but it is as true to scale as I need for gov'ment work. 


These images should print out 1:1 on 8.5 X 11 paper


Automatically Appended Next Post:
This is the size I can up with for a 24 inch Warlord titan. The entire foot will cover a Baneblade tank front tread to exhaust stacks and sponson to sponson which I believe is quite awesome enough considering a Baneblade is as large as my entire house i.e. 30 X 40 feet.


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## khrone forever

this is very ambitious but fucking awsome


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## DecrepitDragon

You sir, are mad. :shok:

However, madness is but a fine line away from genius, and I was never sure what side of the line I was looking from, so my perspective may be skewed a little. :biggrin:

I shall be watching from my suitably padded room (in case I get over excited), and will be interested to see just how bloody brilliant it turns out, as its already seeming to be. :victory:


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## Blackadder

I finished all the basic toes and suspended my printout above the feet and Damn me it looks right. The Greaves still have the side frames armour to be added and once the body is bulked up I think you would want a good solid base to stand on.









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









http://i.imgur.com/V3VcU.jpg


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## shaantitus

Oh dear. Blackadder is at it again. Is this a diversion from finishing the thunderhawk? If so it will be a very impressive diversion. One question though, are you planning to do this one to the same standard as lucie? If so it will be rather spectacular.Rep for the ambitious project and being one of the few people who can reliably pull this off.


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## Blackadder

My goal is to duplicate the Dave Smith Warlord but with pose-able legs and feet. I am torn between the Dave Smith camo or an olive green. I really can't imagine War Griffon colours on this model but at least to the standard of Lucie but with an interior.

I needed a break from the T'hawk after I built the engines. They were very time consuming and it got so I was thinking good enough. When that happens I have to stop working on the model because good enough is never good enough.


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## Blackadder

I know I'm gonna reap a lot of flack for ignoring the T'hawk but I'm on a roll with this project and will ride it for all it's worth. 

This new enthusiasm is refreshing as working on the T'hawk was becoming tedious but already I'm looking at it with fresh ideas 

The toes of Chrysagon coming along nicely an if I have to make the body a few inches taller so be it.









http://i.imgur.com/6o0pk.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/0mXpP.jpg


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## shaantitus

The dave smith warlors is an impressive piece of work. I saw that a while ago and would have to say it is the best warlord i have seen to date. Although that may be changing.......


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## elmir

Insanity...

But if anybody can pull it off, it's you. I'm sure the detail will be as impressive as the thunderhawk was.


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## Blackadder

shaantitus said:


> The dave smith warlors is an impressive piece of work. I saw that a while ago and would have to say it is the best warlord i have seen to date. Although that may be changing.......


My ambition is to at least equal Dave Smith's Magnum Opus. If I approach that I shall be satisfied.


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel

Impressive Sir! Seeing what you have done thus far with your TH, I am sure you can pull this off...tho time consuming as hell, I think you can do it.

Good luck mate!

Regards,
DoE


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## Blackadder

Thats the way I like it especially to have two irons in the fire so there is always a hot one. or is that burning a candle at both ends?









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









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


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## Blackadder

Plodding along as is my wont I successfully attached the step pyramid style ends of the toes this morning which for the life of me serve no earthly purpose other than aesthetic appeal. (If you like toes.... Jabba ) 

Mine differ from DS's in that they are slightly wider but the overall design is the same. 

Accompanying the feet are some figures to convey scale donated by my son.


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## TheReverend

this will be awesome!


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## Blackadder

Blackadder said:


> Plodding along as is my wont I successfully attached the step pyramid style ends of the toes this morning which for the life of me serve no earthly purpose other than aesthetic appeal. (If you like toes.... Jabba )
> 
> Mine differ from DS's in that they are slightly wider but the overall design is the same.
> 
> Accompanying the feet are some figures to convey scale donated by my son.


Okay seriously now judging by the size of a normal human being and the size of these feet can anyone say that a 2/3 meter tall Warlord on a battle board will be anything less than awesome unless you have a serious penchant for the ridiculously absurd!

I mean think about it each foot is as big as a Baneblade tank!


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel

AWESOMENESS!

Looking great thus far mate, keep it up!

Regards,
DoE


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## Blackadder

A bit further along on the disc mount mechanism placed but not glued are the rough cylinder trunnion mount blocks which are in essence pairs of pillow block bearings. Not glued because I don't know how much distance I need for the cylinder travel and still allow the disc plate a full range of tilt. mebbe I should do a drawing.

http://i.imgur.com/DZPp9.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/YJ5Zb.jpg









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


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## aboytervigon

"Sergeant what do we do if we get hit by a warlord titan"

"well Rickbald standard procedure is to leap 10000 feat in the air and scatter yourself over a large area"


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## Blackadder

I've been working on the disc tilting cylinders. These will allow the disc to tilt side to side while secured to a longitudinal pivot axle yet to be fabricated.

http://i.imgur.com/DZPp9.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/YJ5Zb.jpg









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









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









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


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## RedThirstWill Destroy

Oh my god, this is going to be a work of pure art!!!!!

I understand how you feel when you get so drawn into one project, it's nice to just drop it for a while and do something different it means when u come back to it you feel fresh again and stops you from hating it! I'm the same when it comes to painting, I'll have three, four or sometimes five on the go at once.

Keep it up mate its really good


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## KjellThorngaard

You have a great start going on. I believe the planning and thinking you are doing will make a differance in the long run. I will be watching this for the sheer lunacy of trying, and the awesomeness of the idea.

+Rep for the brass ones to try this.


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## Blackadder

I appreciate the responses and the subscriptions but just so you know 'The Blackadder' is very prone to mistakes. I spent half a day building the pistons receiving the cylinders on the discs and after forming them and starting to install them found that they were totally unnecessary! 

Since they are totally hidden inside the ankle discs whats the point of even installing them? added work more parts to fail; who needs that so eliminated. But all is not lost, they may be useful in another area and if nothing else they keep me humble. 

http://i.imgur.com/awVs5.jpg








They are shown in the left forground.


http://i.imgur.com/G6u3t.jpg 








So who would know they are even missing :*)


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## Blackadder

It's extremely gratifying to envision something in your mind's eye and then to duplicate it in some medium. In this case extremely malleable styrene but I can see how real engineers get their rocks off. Granted the days of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and John Scott Russell are pretty much over where an engineer designs and executes an entire construct but I'm sure even today such gratification must still exist.

Case in point, this highly speculative tilting table mechanism for the foot attachment.

I believe I have come up with a viable solution to allow the foot to tilt side to side, be light and strong and also look complex enough to grace a 40K denizen.
http://i.imgur.com/k07P5.jpg









Were I to build this for a real vehicle I would enclose the axle within the disc housing so the table doesn't shift side to side as much but then the mechanism would be totally hidden. so this way I have an excuse for the diagonal toes linear actuator system that give enhanced stability during the stepping process and decreases the upper body swaying which is the cause of so much seasickness in some Warhound crew members.
http://i.imgur.com/adYW2.jpg 









That's my story and I stick with it  
http://i.imgur.com/X81v7.jpg 









When I see how much of this system will actually be visible I may fancy it up a bit using some of mxwllmdr's lightened girder and buttress techniques. 

The beauty of this construct is it can be disassembled for maintenance, painting and repair.
http://i.imgur.com/jScLR.jpg


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## Blackadder

This mornings run adding a bit of detail and checking the relative sizes. 

http://i.imgur.com/IRxU3.jpg


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## jonileth

A very solid development of the design so far!


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## Turnip86

This is ridiculously awesome and yet it's still just feet.

It's still difficult to put the scale into perspective though, kinda hard to imagine that it's going to end up the size of a small child and just as destructive.


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## Blackadder

My initial drawing was for a vehicle 24 inches tall. I have since revised that to 25 to 26 inches tall. Hopefully no taller.


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## Blackadder

Back to business:

Before I close up the workings of the feet perhaps a demo of the hinges I came up with to allow the side toes to flex. 

At tis point they can flex up and down but once the box like hydraulic compartments at the base of the toes are installed upward movement will be restricted.

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









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









http://i.imgur.com/vSWL8.jpg 









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


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## Blackadder

Anyway it's the weekend baby and I'm hot modeling-wise I hope to have the front and rear toes mounted today.

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


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## Blackadder

Well the weekend is over and in a flurry of productiveness I managed to attach one front toe With hinge as planned and it works and seems relatively strong 

Now the diagonal stabilizers need a bit of work but nothing extraordinary and they do allow the foot to flex so there's no cause for concern. I can't mount the back toes yet as I have to find 3/8 dia light springs to stabilize the disc; much better than my piston cylinder design, a suggestion from Zathros, a Moderator on another forum and to whom I say thanks.

http://i.imgur.com/ykY34.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/2oPzF.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/mbET8.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/6Lguf.jpg


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## elmir

The fact that this is an insanely detailed titan that is scratch build from the ground up is just insane when you stop and think about it.

It having moving and articulating joints is mindblowing! Pure genious man...


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## Blackadder

You say insane like it's a good thing?

I found some 1/2 inch springs 1 inch tall and set about modifying the disc stabilizing system to accept them. I have to admit it works rather well.

http://i.imgur.com/5948k.jpg 









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


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## Blackadder

Not too much to show for this mornings work; the reinforcements for the diagonal stabilizers are installed and the second front toe mount hinge is drying. The stabilizers do not appear to interfere with the toe movement and they appear a close fit to the mounted disc, about a millimeter clearance. I should be starting on the shank of the leg this weekend if the holiday doesn't interfere too much.

http://i.imgur.com/7O5mp.jpg









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


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## ThumperHS

Wow!

This is a fantastic build :so_happy:


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## Blackadder

Thank you,

With the paranoia of machine shop precision I managed to drill and tap two perfect (with apologies to Werner Heisenberg) holes with a 10-32 tap for my axle shafts. Tack glue them in place and set aside to dry and for photos.

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









http://i.imgur.com/eqVE9.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/v42fz.jpg


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## KjellThorngaard

The amount of work you are putting into unseen parts is amazing. Working hinges and joints, spring-stabilized parts, holy cow!

But do you apply sacred ungents and oils after praying for the Omnissiah to guide and bless your work? :biggrin:


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## Blackadder

KjellThorngaard said:


> The amount of work you are putting into unseen parts is amazing. Working hinges and joints, spring-stabilized parts, holy cow!
> 
> But do you apply sacred ungents and oils after praying for the Omnissiah to guide and bless your work? :biggrin:


I have to admit I do get great pleasure from working on these models but I do draw the line at the necessity of the use of unguents and oils.:biggrin:


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## shaantitus

Werner Heisenberg will forgive your transgressions with regards to the uncertainty principle this once. Carry on.


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## KjellThorngaard

> I have to admit I do get great pleasure from working on these models but I do draw the line at the necessity of the use of unguents and oils.


So no denying prayers to the Omnissiah. Cool. :victory:


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## Blackadder

Oh! Omnissiah I thought you say Onan. 


I pulled a virtual all nighter and managed to apply a bit of colour (gray is a colour) to the mechanical interior of the foot before final assembly. once the rear toe compartment is glued on it will require micro surgery to access the stabilizer components. I did a lot of reinforcing before I sealed it up. Its a good thing I took pictures because painted gray not much of the mechanics is visible.

http://i.imgur.com/7ez94.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/7W8iG.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/NzKR9.jpg


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## Blackadder

I cut the lower leg panels today, four rectangular pieces 8 inches by 3.5 inches nothing to show really but for dessert I installed some of the detail on the feet which has to be in place to check the clearance the when I bolt the lower knuckle to the foot. 

I also got an idea for making the diagonal more flexible, note the right foot the diagonal toes may rotate in place to work with the front toes refer to the third image.

http://i.imgur.com/nu1GC.jpg 










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










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


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## Blackadder

She's got legs, Er lower legs, Er well plastic rectangles and she knows how to move them, Er well you gotta move them for her. 

Hmm sounds like my ex-wife. 

Anyhow the pivots seem adequate and should easily support ten lbs each.
http://i.imgur.com/9BEx0.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/sDgm1.jpg


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## Blackadder

Patience, one must learn to savor the moment. Assembling these lower legs, as basic a structure as they are, teaches us how to build in strength with a minimum of material. I have assembled a box beam structure out of thin plastic and glue that can easily sustain for years if needs be a weight of 50 lbs or more. The ankle to leg joint likewise. There will be no need for buttresses as in the DS model (A problem he acknowledged in his sparse construction text.) except for decorative purposes plus the leg is moveable. 

To quote the old carpenter's maxim, "Measure twice cut once." or the old Italian carpenter's lament, "Sunnva bitcha I cutta thisa two times and it'sa still too short!"

http://i.imgur.com/jZu28.jpg









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


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## Blackadder

Macro setting didn't work too well but these are just interim images There will be others later. To reinforce the ankle joint I applied arc segments for the spacer slides to ride on. This model will be of considerable mass, I figure about 7 kilo, so these shanks must be protected from torsion effects.


http://i.imgur.com/zXZ4e.jpg 









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


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## Blackadder

You know after I installed those slides I had an epiphany, What if I cut cogs in the slides and used a toothed gear to actuate the semicircle, how would that be? I'll have to redesign the slides a bit but it would make perfect sense to have that as the mechanism. 

Meanwhile todays run not as much as I had hoped for but I had to repair the porch.
http://i.imgur.com/iWhNql.jpg 









Stepping out

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









You'll have to imagine the rest but the picture height isn't as high as the shoulder mounted lascannons


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## Blackadder

I wasn't going to post this until I rectified the problem but then I thought, "Hey this is a good thing to demonstrate that even the Blackadder isn't infallible  and has to go back to the drawing board now and then." 

Seems I made the shanks too long by about an inch. measuring for the upper leg somehow the proportions just didn't look right so I remeasured and sure enough I managed to add an extra inch to the overall height. 

So what's an inch you may say but to me it will change the look of the finished model from a hulking looming menace to a spindle shanked travesty ergo I shall be cutting the lower legs in half and removing the offending inch but not yet as I may have to do other things as well so might as well do all at once.


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


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## Blackadder

Okay Ladies and Germs, this is what separates the Blackadder from *relatively sane* individuals. To borrow a phrase from another Charlton Heston movie, "The Agony and the Ecstasy"; The wine is sour, so throw it out!

I'm not happy with the look. The legs are *too* thin. So I'm bringing out my *second biggest Xacto blade* and rending judgment on inferior work.

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









http://i.imgur.com/BbjB1.jpg









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


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## Blackadder

'cut and tacked this together this morning and attempted a side by side comparison. An inch removed may be too much mebbe 3/4 inch but definitely the joint and upper leg is greatly improved.

http://i.imgur.com/g2MjD.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/3fs82.jpg


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## Blackadder

I spent the entire weekend revamping the lower legs making them wider and a half inch shorter. I cut down the radius of the hip and decreased the front to back measurement of the upper legs and and sheathed the whole all the while remodeling the bath which somehow takes precedence?

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









http://i.imgur.com/m78Af.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/lhla6.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/0xoyh.jpg


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## shaantitus

This continues to impress. Outstanding work as usual. You seem to embody the gifts of the artist, craftsman and structural engineer all in one. Impressive as allways.


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## Arcticor

This is absurd. I will definitely be keeping my eye on this. You have waaay to much talent its not fair.
-Arcticor


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## Blackadder

Artist, engineer, talent? I make a hell of a lot of mistakes to rate any of those titles.

Well I did have to cut the upper legs down again another 4MM all around. I installed the skin (AGAIN) and am working on the detail. 

I made a couple of jigs to facilitate the assembly first a cutting jig so the zipper-like trim is homogeneous and equally spaced. 

And a small aligning jig so the truncated pieces are aligned with their opposite number. 

DS has 9 sets up the back of the leg but I got ten with approximately the same spacing so either his are larger or his legs are shorter or he isn't as anal about the spacing. 



http://i.imgur.com/TxC3n.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/VS9QD.jpg 









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








Cutting Jig

http://i.imgur.com/F0DbE.jpg 








Aligning Jig


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## Warlord_Winters

this is cool but at the same time depressing, because im not that skilled in building things


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## davespil

Warlord_Winters said:


> this is cool but at the same time depressing, because im not that skilled in building things


I too find it offesive that he would flaunt his skill in-front of people like myself who aren't even coordinated enough to remove the mold lines off models... If I could steal all your rep for myself I would. So I'll have to settle for giving you as much rep as I can. Excellent work!


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## Blackadder

Let me tell you that it was only a few years ago that I didn't even know plasticard existed. I started by repairing a Baneblade I bought on ebay and had to make some missing parts. That's what got me into scratchbuilding. From there I repaired a few more models and then refurbished a Armorcast Baneblade to look like a FW Lucius Pattern. 

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60153

Give it a try I'm sure you can do it as well.

EB

BTW How do you think I felt after completing Lucie and then discovering Dave Smith's Warlord which makes my Warhound effort look like yesterday's breakfast.


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## Blackadder

I use Ambroid ProWeld when I can get it. I keep it in a Tamiya bottle because it's less prone to tipping and the fine tipped brush wastes a lot less solvent (Its really not a glue so much as a plastic melter.) 

For really large surfaces I use Testors red or blue tubed styrene cement. I see little difference between the two other than the toxicity of the red but I've never ben afacked bi iet myslef. 


Hmmm.......... I seem to have experienced a flurry of activity this weekend completing the basic upper leg structure and adding a bit of detail. 

Time to take stock and see where I've gone wrong. 

One step forward and two steps back seems to be my mantra.....................


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









http://i.imgur.com/Ldi0k.jpg 









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


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## Blackadder

The Blackadder is in his glory. I relish doing the fine detail. Well this project is fraught with minute detail some of which is smaller than the pixel resolution in the images I have. 

You're going to have to look close (If you're so inclined I won't presume my work is worth more than a causal glance.) to see where the changes are in the detail. I'm particularly pleased with the piping on the edge of the hip plate reinforcement which is literally a thread of styrene 0.4 MM by 0.75 MM. Strips so fine as to be ephemeral when full strength ProWeld is applied. I used de-volatilized Proweld to keep it from disappearing. The cog components on the ankle quadrant (sic) are a gimmee.
Note that the strips on either side of the Bow-tie like trim which I presume serve some utilitarian function. 

The Knee plate reinforcements are in progress at the moment............

http://i.imgur.com/Y61a8.jpg 









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


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## Lethiathan

Free time and way too much of it. You good sir should put your efforts into designing cars! Then we might have some really good cars!


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## spanner94ezekiel

I think you have better attention to detail than an expert brain surgeon. +rep


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## Blackadder

Lethiathan said:


> Free time and way too much of it. You good sir should put your efforts into designing cars! Then we might have some really good cars!


Free time! I get up at 3 AM to work on this before I go to my job (An automobile designer for GM) but the administration won't go for a 120 ft tall bipedal SUV with twin 2 meter caliber defensive driving augmenters. Too big of a carbon footprint they say besides collapsing all the overpasses between here and there.


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## Warlord_Winters

Blackadder said:


> Free time! I get up at 3 AM to work on this before I go to my job (An automobile designer for GM) but the administration won't go for a 120 ft tall bipedal SUV with twin 2 meter caliber defensive driving augmenters. Too big of a carbon footprint they say besides collapsing all the overpasses between here and there.


 
well unless the overpass rolls a save


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## Blackadder

A poor showing this week I'm afraid, my real job workload was staggering but I did manage to rebuild the front of the knee joint (Why does it look like a marshmallow Easter peep?) and add a lot of basic detail. 

God this will be detail heavy I'm up over a pound for each leg and half the detail isn't installed.

I'm taking a crash course on fiber optics and will be incorporating it in this and the Thunderhawk 


http://i.imgur.com/GLg6l.jpg 









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









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


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## Warlord_Winters

what kinda paints are you planning for this beast?


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## Blackadder

Krylon sandable grey primer plus Model Masters military flats, and whatever I have lying about that hasn't dried up all forced through an airbrush. But it will be quite some time before I'm concerned with that.

It's time to address the most baffling component of this project, namely what the outrageously long hydraulic cylinder is for running down the calf of the leg? 

It appears in the epic model as well as the DS construct but I can fathom no applicable purpose. The quadrant gear in the ankle provides the step motion and that is supplemented by the small cylinders attached to the heel which mimic the function of the Achilles tendon. Were the cylinder attached upper leg behind the knee it would serve as the calf muscle but it doesn't attach there anyway it looks very interesting so I am including it in my construct complete with superfluous safety guard rails so people twenty feet off the ground don't lose an arm in the massive hydraulic piston. 

As it is right now each of these legs are as complex as anything I have built with the exception of Lucie's pedal appendages and they are about only half detailed. Surprisingly my enthusiasm has not flagged. 

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









http://i.imgur.com/opJp9.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/OBj8D.jpg


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## Warlord_Winters

maybe like C3PO's arm? except on the back of the legs











i guess there's no machine parts at the knee itself but the hydrolics act as the movement, but i can't tell if the ones on your model move


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## Turnip86

It could be an expensive ruse! Add an apparent weak-spot to the legs in the hope it will make everyone aim at it when in fact it's just a useless decorative pipe?

Still looking good with construction, it's been a while since I've checked your plog but you're still making steady progress. You have the focus of ... a very focused thing!


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## KjellThorngaard

> this will be detail heavy I'm up over a pound for each leg and half the detail isn't installed.


Seriously? You have more detail to add to that monster? I can't wait to see you get crazy on the torso and head, that is going to be cool. Tell your boass you have better things to spend your time on, and get to it! :grin:


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## Warlord_Winters

lights and sounds, heck you might as well make that thing move by itself


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## Blackadder

Just another bit before I put this aside for the weekend. The detail is progressing nicely although what these devices actually do is a mystery. but they do look intricate and that is the look I am going for. 

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









Tomorrow the main lower leg cylinders; that should be fun.


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## Blackadder

First let me apologize for such a tawdry post but I figured there are those that might benefit from an image from the beginning of the construction. The waist block is probably the most important structure in the whole model. Not only must it bear the weight of the structure above but it must transfer that weight to the movable legs and sustain that transfer for the conceivable future (At least until The Blackadder has shuffled off this mortal coil.) 

You will note that the structure is grossly undersized as it is about 5 cm square. This is intentional. You can always add girth, subtracting is more difficult. tomorrow I shall apply my solution to the articulation problem; i.e. a workable material that will sustain the pressure of the upper works and still be small enough to remain within scale. 

In addition the thigh detail is coming along nicely (IMHO)


----------



## elmir

This has to be one of the most detailed scratchbuilds ever. The fact that it's on such an epic scale, just makes it more mindblowing. Hat off to you good sir!


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

I found these marvelous 'Tee' fittings that are just perfect to supply the fore to aft swing of the hip joint. They take a nice 1/4 -20 thread and are strong enough to support the weight of the model without being too cumbersome. I was going to go with copper tube 'Tee' fittings filled with epoxy and drilled and tapped but these are better as they are machined perfect and the tap self centers when cutting the thread. 

Now some readers of this may baulk at the employment of these tools but they are easy to use and readily available at the local 'Home Depot' or 'Lowes' and a cheap 'T' handle and tap set is adequate for modeling purposes. I happen to have a fairly good machinist set but that quality is not necessary. 

http://i.imgur.com/X28BG.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/823ZR.jpg


----------



## Warlord_Winters

see that's why your better at building than me, I would have just gobbed on the superglue and duct tape


----------



## Zetronus

Aaaww man....


the threads run out of pages!!! no fair!!!

some inspiring work indeed!


I wonder how many points are needed to field this titan!?


----------



## KjellThorngaard

You are a genius Blackadder, seeing possibilities all around you!


----------



## Blackadder

Genius please, my modesty. Besides I make too many mistakes to qualify as genius.

Wittness:

Today I worked on the pelvic mechanism which needs a bit of revising. Even though it works just as I wanted the sphere halves need to be undercut to fit the 'Tee' fittings thereby retreating further into the pelvic block. Therefore I need to mount the 'Tees' further outboard so they will be visible and allow for a great range of motion.

http://i.imgur.com/kiq1U.jpg 









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


----------



## Blackadder

It strikes me that this model is insufficiently complex. 

Just kidding but over the weekend I received a query on another forum as to whether I was going to include an interior to the cockpit. I had alway intended to make the cockpit interior but it got me to thinking about my regrets when building the Lucie Warhound; namely no interior whatsoever. So...........

I threw together a front view of the compartments this weekend just so I could get a feel for how the various areas might be arranged. 

Surprisingly it all fits and each compartment has about an 11 ft ceiling. 

My dementia is serving me well. 

Naturally the cockpit will be forward of the bridge and is not represented in this diagram.

http://i.imgur.com/eJxy0.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

I'm toying with the idea of stacking the decks like a child's stacking toy about the center pivot post:










This should afford ease in viewing the internal detail.

There are so many interlocking armour plates that alignment should be relatively easy to maintain plus there is the added bonus of modular construction which should facilitate modification and repair not to mention adding lighting at a later date as opposed to wiring it as I build.


----------



## Blackadder

I just finished reinforcing the top and bottom of the block with 3mm scrap plastic which will give plenty of strength to this all important area as small as it is it must take all the weight and movement from the above structure and also the legs. 

Theres a 10 inch 3/8 ths diameter inch bolt threaded through 'Tee' nuts top and bottom and the for to aft hip gimbals are mounted with 10-32 screws through 'Tee' nuts as well. There is a 7/16 dia. inch tube inside of a 1/2 dia. inch tube as a compression spacer that the pivot rod runs through and the whole is strong enough to stand on if you don't weigh 18 stone. 

Now that I've taken the pictures I can seal the gimbals in under their cap plates and the pelvis will be completed.

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









http://i.imgur.com/Gl1GE.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/JZ9tO.jpg


----------



## Lethiathan

10 Billion Zimbawbe Dollars for it!


----------



## Blackadder

Since a trillion dollar note is worth about $5 bucks (don't blink); you are offering me about a nickel. Are you sure you want to go that high?


----------



## Lethiathan

Fine. 5 trillion!


----------



## Blackadder

Nickels?

Done.

Yer all witnesses. Where should I send it.


----------



## Warlord_Winters

to my house


----------



## Lethiathan

England. Lichfield.


----------



## Blackadder

Don't hold your breath even for $200 billion.

Okay let's recap for the week to establish where we stand. The pelvic block is basically done and the legs are basically done except for the detail.

Now the cross 'Tees' are temporarily in place to establish the width of the hips and allow for the splaying of the legs _ala_ the 'classic Reaver pose'.










I figure I should get this in before the weekend as I will be working on the 'hip articulation' whilst everyone is off having a life for the next few days.

I can see already that my greatest fear has been allayed and the pelvic block is not too big and that I actually have to increase the width of the hip joints once the hip gimbals are installed. 

For that I shall have to employ a couple of PVC fittings to house the spheres and fill them with resin so they will take a thread much in the manner of the Lucie hip joints but this much larger model gives me the luxury of two articulation points instead of one that the limited space in Lucie provided.

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









http://i.imgur.com/GXt6s.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/kj875.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Now we will further address the manufacture of the pelvis/hip attachment.

I found some ideal PVC 1 inch pipe nipple to PVC tubing adapters that fill the bill for the hip joint ideally. There is even an internal shoulder ridge after the threaded portion is cut off to act as the race flange for the gimbal sphere to be retained by.

The remaining sleeve is drilled, tapped, and countersunk to receive the 1/4 inch axle screws............ (I apologize for the American Standard measures but there isn't the diversity in hardware available on this side of the pond for me to render this in metric components.

There may very well be metric items that equal or exceed the materials used but they are not available to me .).............

As I was saying, using only 1/2 the hip sphere it leaves ample room for the epoxy plug in the end of the sleeve to be threaded and hold the leg attachment screw.

I hope to achieve this later today.

http://i.imgur.com/noiY9.jpg 










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









Note the degree of flexibility that can be achieved with this setup. Stops will have to be added to cut down on this amount.


----------



## Blackadder

Time for the weekly recap along with a pic in pic comparison with the DS model. 

I have to admit waiting for the resin to dry consumed a lot of the production time but I worked my butt off to get to this stage and it's a testament to the durability of this thing that nothing snapped as I slapped the components together. 

Now I know the legs look a bit thin but if you look at the comparison shot and mentally remove the armour and spurious hydraulics there is a reasonable case for verisimilitude. 

The images are self-explanatory when taken in conjunction with the recent WIP posts but I can explain any area that anyone might be unclear about. 

http://i.imgur.com/CQ1BA.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/uQF8B.jpg








This is a very bad pose but it does demonstrate the flexibility of the design.

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








A pose reminiscent of the classic Reaver stance. 

http://i.imgur.com/I8lZN.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/Mkwk0.jpg 








A pic-in-pic comparison with the DS model.

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


----------



## Blackadder

As you may know I post on a lot of fora and the question/criticism I get most often is that the legs look too thin. When I was building Lucie that was the most frequent observation and I appreciated the kind intent to warn me of impending mistakes. It turns out that I kept increasing the cross section of Lucie's legs until I realized a reference namely the banners on the knee segment.

It turns out that Lucie's appendages are much more robust than the FW model and the latter looks anorexic vis-à-vis Lucie. 

Now the same concern is being voiced regarding this model and I do appreciate the critique; I'm also a bit anxious about it so I 'shopped the DS leg from the back removing all the front armour and if anything the legs actually look thinner than my titan's. I couldn't remove the hydraulics.

http://i.imgur.com/Kgq0Z.jpg









There are a few inconsistencies as my ankle discs is thicker than his but I needed that to make the ankle flex. and I have one more dart in the zipper-like design running over the front and back of the upper leg but thats just a matter of artistic interpretation as there are only five or six on the epic model.

So to paraphrase the line of 'The Black Adder' in the Infanta's Beard episode, "So Percy, what you are telling me is something you've never seen is slightly less thick than something else you've never seen."

The incorrigible Blackadder


----------



## Hellados

honestly mate it looks amazing, could i propose making the hydralics and offering them up to your amazing model and seeing if it still looks too skiny?


----------



## Disciple_of_Ezekiel

Honetley, I would like to see someone else do better. You have put in some much time and attention to detail that it just blows my mind...I commend you on such an awesome feat thus far.

It most be hard to stay motivated at times? So....

Rep inbound to keep ya motivated and because your doing a fantastic job!

Regards,
DoE


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the rep

This just in:

New information regarding the size of the legs:

The fine line of madness seems to be serving me in good stead. My son on return from college apprises me that there is a perfect Leman Russ component that will verify or refute the scale and width of the leg components.

He recognized right off that the ankle disc leveling device on the DS Warlord is actually the dozer blade actuator of the Leman Russ item 4 on the image below and that all I need do is apply it to the rear of the lower leg to determine if my eye was off or on regarding the width of the DS model.

http://i.imgur.com/dP8Gd.jpg 









The images below vindicate my perception at least regarding the lower leg width as it appears that I cannot be off by more than the tiniest fraction of a millimeter,. whew!

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









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


----------



## KjellThorngaard

And there ya go. You are doing it right and well.

nyone complaining about your work has never attempted something so massive. You are my scratchbuilding hero!


----------



## Hellados

yes mate, spot on! well done


----------



## Warlord_Winters

this reminds me of a puzzle luke


----------



## Blackadder

Started on the greaves yesterday, it's interesting that such a simple looking panel is so difficult to get right. There are so many compound angles on these that I had to invent new ways to make them. I settled on a twelve mm thickness for the basic structure, most of the Warlords I see have armour way too thick to be practical. 12 mm translates to 2.57142857 feet which I believe is quite thick enough considering that the Iowa class battleships (the heaviest armoured ships ever built) have a belt thickness of only 19 inches. Given that in the far off bellicose future there is ceramic and/or depleted uranium armour; 30 inches seems to me to be more than sufficient.

http://i.imgur.com/0wuVH.jpg









Unless it don't look right!


----------



## KjellThorngaard

> 30 inches seems to me to be more than sufficient.


Plus a Titan's real protection comes from its void sheilds anyways. without stable sheilds no standard armor has a real chance of withstanding firepower of that magnitude.


----------



## Blackadder

Back to more basic structures I should learn to accept Monsieur DS's plan and not make a fool of myself (at least not in print). I had to thicken the greaves armour another 3 millimeters as mine looked too thin. But I did manage to clean up the slope of the 'flying' greave segment so all the facets have a clean line. I should have the basic greaves done this evening. Then all that needs be accomplished is the detail which will make this rather plain structure more impressive.

http://i.imgur.com/mEx0q.jpg 









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


----------



## Blackadder

Each greave has two large search lights on the flying portion both on the DS model and the Invictus rendering. I thought it would be nice to have them light up. I plan to do a lot of wiring on this model because I feel it will be worth it.

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









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


----------



## Blackadder

Hmmm, have posted for a week this will never do. 

I got caught up in building the greaves and rather than post a half a--ed response I waited until I actually had something to show. 

First the diagonal toes, I was wondering how I would mount them that they could be movable. They needed to twist when the front and back toes were flexed so they could maintain contact with the ground as the foot lifts during the step. 

I woke up Wednesday with an epiphany* the solution was simplicity in itself; no wonder I couldn't think of it (I never do anything the easy way.) Anyway drilling 7/16 holes in the diagonal toe mounts and drilling 3/8 holes in the toes themselves, gluing in the respective tubes and letting the dry overnight I trimmed and sanded them today and walla the toes ar mounted. Now for the kick in the a-- from the great equalizer in the sky, they can only twist a couple of degrees! HA! 

Oh well it's the exercise that counts. 

http://i.imgur.com/1XR3O.jpg 










On to the greaves: 

As they were when last presented they were too boxy looking IMHO and I thought the DS model looked a bit overly large and clumsy with those wide straight sided panels. I still will make the panels but slightly smaller and the flying portion is at a tighter angle to the leg. 

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










The greave base section is what is pictured today and I built battery boxes into them for 9 volt batteries. I'm not sure a switch will be necessary as the whole greave is easily removable and uncapping the battery requires but a few seconds. I can still install a switch if I find one small enough. 

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









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









The greave on the left is clamped because the battery compartment is glued in place and drying. Once assembled the box will slide on rails into the compartment and help center the leg to the greave along with rare earth magnets to hold the greave in place. 

*Is that what they're calling it nowadays?


----------



## KjellThorngaard

> I can still install a switch if I find one small enough.


Have you checked places like Micro-Mark or model railroad suppliers? I have seen really small micro-switches and reed switches (magnetic) used in model trains and train layouts.


----------



## Blackadder

Ah summer when young men's thoughts turn to something other than tiny anthropomorphic figurines................... 

meanwhile the Blackadder blunders on. This has been a very productive weekend having come close to completing the detail on the inner surface of the greaves replicating as closely as I could (because I changed the shape of the greaves a bit to suit my aesthetic sensibilities) the DS model. 

First the DS model for reference: 

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









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









http://i.imgur.com/6Rawd.jpg 









I have a feeling I won't be seeing any more critiques on the legs being too thin; quite the reverse in fact considering that the hydraulics haven't been installed yet. 

I don't have any idea why so much electric conduit is needed for such basic structures; there must be a lot more than just armour plating going on in these greaves. Considering that these titans are millennia old I guess a lot of additional retrofitting has taken place as technology changes. Finding space for wiring and the like inside the structure isn't always practicable so running it outside may be the expedient way to go. 

Anyway the detail on the toes is next because if I don't do it now I may not after the superstructure is completed.


----------



## Warlord_Winters

heck you could proabably make this thing move on its own


----------



## elmir

Oh god yes, this instantly adds so much more bulk to the model... Superb eye for detail as I've come to expect from your exelent plogs. Enjoy a swing of the rep-bat!


----------



## Blackadder

The bloom is off the Tudor rose it would appear. The Blackadder has lost a lot of momentum judging by a cursory glance at the last few days effort but a closer examination will reveal a plethora of tiny detail on the toes all of which is time consuming.

On the basic structure front I began the upper leg armour and was very surprised how small the actual size was. Granted they represent armour on the order of more than a meter thick and twelve th fifteen feet long but they do look small even to me. I was use to looking at the top image on my screen which made the part look huge. I was actually concerned I had enough plastic to construct them. As it turned out I constructed them out of the scrap box. 

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









http://i.imgur.com/fo1TS.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Once again the devil is in the details. I spent this weekend producing what amounts to about twelve square inches of armour for a model that will have I figure about 500 to 600 square inches of highly detailed surface. And thats not counting the framework or interior detail plus the lighting and the fiber optics. 

It is highly satisfying to work on a model in this manner though. Were I to complete the basic structure and then attempt the intricate work I might be tempted to skimp on the finishing up; this way if I get lazy toward the end the huge blank surfaces will be readily apparent and that will never do so I shall be committed to keeping up the intensity of the intricacies. 

Perhaps "committed" applies in more ways than one. 

Anyway the thigh armour is more or less complete except for the bitz and the moss-like fuzzy that abounds on the DS model. I cannot figure out what that material is. 

http://i.imgur.com/kF0R7.jpg 









I it has a nurgle like quality to it that conveys great age and decay; could it be dryer lint? I must remember to save the lint the next time I do my underwear.

http://i.imgur.com/GocUY.jp 









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









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









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









This is my favorite picture so far, It really conveys the scale of this thing. 



> "Aye lads there's majesty for you." Ahab to his boat crew in pursuit of the white whale.


----------



## Warlord_Winters

i've been meaning to ask, are you going to put this in games or is this just there to look AMAZING


----------



## Blackadder

My son plays the games I just like building the models. The problem is as I understand it it's hard to come up with an army to compete with a piece of this point value.


----------



## Hellados

i've found the issue of games that size that you need SOOO many other models to offset the monster or that the games take too long. i played a 10,000 point per side that took us 5 days in total to finish 

the really disapointing thing is that the super heavies all got popped first so they didnt really get a good work out tbh, fyi both sides had a titan and both sides had 3 supers, but my god they looked amazing


----------



## Warlord_Winters

how about making smaller titans like 5-6 inches then just doing games with like 30 of those


----------



## Hellados

well the smaller fw titans are only 1-2 feet tall, still an impressive hight but not so tall you can't play around them and transport them


----------



## Blackadder

This one will be only 24 -26 inches.

Time to assemble the whole and see where we stand: 

The upper thigh armour needs to be lengthened about a quarter of an inch but the hinge and plate should take care of that. 

The trailing legs don't have a large enough range of movement.

The leg joint lock systems works well but the bolts still need to be concealed.

The hip axles are way too thin in diameter but the length looks right.

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









The step dynamics look right in both the static and the step out pose
http://i.imgur.com/51WPc.jpg 









The front elevation while bland will convey the power of this brute.

I may have to mount the greaves higher.

http://i.imgur.com/4QfE2.jpg 









And I just love these low angle shots
http://i.imgur.com/I0Er1.jpg


----------



## Warlord_Winters

the anticipation is killing me!


----------



## .Bragg.

Good god what beauty is this!? Keep this bad man up!


----------



## Blackadder

I'm looking on this thread as more of a public service. While I can't hope to equal Mr Smith in originality I do hope to shed some light on how he accomplished his Magnum Opus with a few little Blackadderisms thrown in to keep my self respect. 

Today I worked on the massive block that supports the weight of the upper torso and transfers it to the legs. 

The pelvis is the de facto heart of this beast and many of the models I have examined it is usually much too small. We must assume this Titan masses on the order of a thousand metric tonnes at least half of which is above the waist block. There must be something substantial to support this mass and still provide the flexibility to achieve bipedal locomotion. 

Below is my interpretation which masses a third of a kilo already (about 11 ounces). 

I built it in two interlocking parts so I have access to the adjustment screws to change the pose. 

I figure when complete it will mass about half a kilo or thirteen ounces. 

That's a lot of plasticard.

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









http://i.imgur.com/28sm5.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/GQp3H.jpg


----------



## Svartmetall

I'd rep you purely on the basis of the commitment it takes to produce such a beast; the fact that it's turning out very nicely as well is just a bonus


----------



## Moriouce

This is just.. so... :shok:


----------



## Blackadder

Someone get the canvas jacket; ya know the one with the extra long sleeves. I was piddlin' around detailing the pelvis and I couldn't find a satisfactory Adeptus Mechanicus emblem so I decided to make one of my own, after all I mean how hard could it be. 

Well I have to tell you the cogged sprocket was tedious. If I do another one I'll make it in pieces.

The plugs and wiring wasn't too bad I shaved down my smallest diameter rods to half round for the plugs and and used shavings for some of the smallest cables.

http://i.imgur.com/8GNYJ.jpg









The skull wasn't that difficult at all. I first tried to make it of a single scrap of 2.0 MM sheet styrene but found the relief wasn't deep enough so I glued on another layer and carved away everything that didn't look like a skull.











Periodically I doused the sculpture down with thinset cement to soften the cuts and blend the seams. Right now I am waiting for the glue to dry so I can put on the final detailing.

http://i.imgur.com/6wrIf.jpg









Now I copied this off of "The city of the dead" emblem which I like better than the standard Adeptus Mechanicus emblem BTW it appears that the emblems can be mirror imaged, is that right?

Anyway it took less time to make the tiny thing (It's only a centimeter wide the skull that is.) than it has to write this reply.

I gotta learn to type someday.


----------



## Blackadder

Hmmm this doesn't bear a close inspection. I brushed the piece with a shoe brush to see if I could accentuate the relief and the skull looks a bit flawed at close range highlighted. The lens rim also has to be thinned down a tad. This is the best close up I've managed with this camera and wouldn't you know it's of dubious work. Faa!

http://i.imgur.com/fOi2g.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/4DiaV.jpg


----------



## Viscount Vash

:shok:Why has this thread not been rated 5 Stars yet?

I love every thing in this thread, great work, great commitment.

You truly are a Titan master Blackadder.

Nice to see some one also mad enough to start carving detail from styrene too.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks, I hadn't noticed

Just to get a feel for the scale of this thing.

The following is a question from another forum:



> Why didn't you use the Adeptus Symbol off the GW Manufactorum?


That's the one I copied albeit 1/2 the size. 

http://i.imgur.com/prU6y.jpg








The whole emblem is as small as my thumbnail​


----------



## Hellados

obscene mate! obscenely good!

keep it up mate


----------



## Corporal Punishment 69

+rep, Most brilliant titan makings, Admech blackadder!!


----------



## Blackadder

Time to break out the foam board mock up I made so many months ago and see where I went wrong. At that time I was going for a foam Warlord with a styrene veneer and after I totally miscalculated the legs I put the whole project on hold until I had some decent measurements.

I'm surprised how close I came to duplicating my target size as both of these models were built with absolutely no reference to the other. On the negative side the overall height *with the knees locked* in the following images will yield a 29 inch Warlord which is an inch taller than the DS model and 3 inches taller than my amended target height and 5 inches taller than my original estimation! Egad!

http://i.imgur.com/K5tnv.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/b5816.jpg 









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









Granted the legs as they are pictured look a bit stilted (groan) and with knees flexed and stepping out in a dynamic pose the mean height should approximate DS's model but it will make any subsequent Emperor titans that much larger and impractical for the average battleboard.


----------



## Viscount Vash

Something about legs seems to stretch out in the building of them, I have had similar issues myself.

Even though unfinished the beast is looking impressive, keep up the excellent work Black.
I look forward to seeing more.


----------



## Blackadder

Nows your chance to participate in this build. Your input will be greatly appreciated..........

The torso pictured is just a foam board mockup; once I have established a size I'll duplicate the foam board version in styrene. And don't forget I intend to install a complete compartmented interior so getting the size of the torso right is paramount at the moment.

Photoimpacted in carapace and superstructure at 100, 90, and 85 percent the 80% being ridiculously too small

http://i.imgur.com/g1IVN.jpg








100%................................................90%.................................................85%

In the cold light of day I am leaning towards 90%


----------



## Blackadder

The much anticipated torso build finally; I shall start with the Engineering level with the floor being the top of the planetary mechanism body rotation plate. I have reduced the overall size 10% witness the excess outside the gear plate uprights. The center console/axle support is one of the drums left over from a failed sleeve originally earmarked for the hip axles. That will support the center control monitor consoles in the center well.

http://i.imgur.com/vDp8R.jpg


----------



## elmir

I'd say 90% as well. 80% is definatly too small and at 100%, the thing starts to look a bit too "chicken legs"-ish...

I don't think the thighs are too bad (those things should look top heavy) but it would look a bit silly with the largest torso. Keep at it!


----------



## dthwish09

the amount of detail you were able to do with plasticard is amazing, the proportions will look fine once you put some armour on there and do some sanding.


----------



## Blackadder

The majority consensus is 90% is the way to go:

The Giant Washer *TGW* (AKA "The planetary mechanism body rotation plate") is the part I am working on at present. It will supply the Engineering/Logistics compartment *ELC* with a floor and have a hatch for access to the planetary gears and pelvic block/rear gunner platform. The central shaft housing will contain the fiber optic cables for the Integrated Logistics Systems *ILS* and the forward deck of the compartment will have the Terrain Mapping Computer *TMC* and Monitor to ensure proper Stable Footing *SFM* for the vehicle. On either side will be view ports to maintain a first hand view of the legs as a back up in case the monitors are scrambled *WTF**. Thanks to Bibbles suggestion I now have ample room to install all these components.

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









There is no I in engineering.......er.... well there is but you know what I mean  

*Watch The Footing


----------



## Vereor

Delicious is the only word that comes to mind when taking a gander at this thing. Its bloody brilliant. 

Looking forward to seeing how you go about building the body and head. Keep up the great work!


----------



## Blackadder

Viscount Vash said:


> Something about legs seems to stretch out in the building of them, I have had similar issues myself...........





elmir said:


> I'd say 90% as well. 80% is definatly too small and at 100%, the thing starts to look a bit too "chicken legs"-ish...
> 
> I don't think the thighs are too bad (those things should look top heavy) but it would look a bit silly with the largest torso. Keep at it!


Yes, and I have been debating how to shorten the upper legs without disturbing too much of the detail. I've known for quite some time that the thigh components were a bit too long. Your reply among others prompted me to take action so yesterday and today I removed the knee discs and a bit of the detail above the axle and cut and *re-drilled the axle holes 1 centimeter higher*. This necessitated shortening the disc side guides and flex limit stops and shortening the zipper-like trim one set of darts front and back 1 centimeter as well.

The overall effect is positive and I am in the process of reassembling the structure.

Thanks for your support.

Pictures later....................


----------



## Blackadder

http://i.imgur.com/TPh2f.jpg 









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









Alrighty then back together again and I may be imagining it but removing that centimeter gives this a more powerful look now although a might shorter the aura of menace is more apparent. 

http://i.imgur.com/452b7.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/A7s9m.jpg


----------



## Warlord_Winters

this is like waiting for a very slow loading picture of your favorite porn star...not that i look at that kinda stuff....


----------



## Blackadder

Getting the face of the torso at the right angle took some doing. I started at what I thought was the proper angle of 10° but it was way too much. After much trial and error I arrive at this which seems correct I shouldn't think it was completely vertical as in some Warlords I've seen but too much angle would over balance it front heavy besides not aesthetically pleasing. 

http://i.imgur.com/Na6G3.jpg









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









http://i.imgur.com/SHf2m.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/9y3T7.jpg 









I wonder how much macho aesthetics is incorporated in real military hardware I mean you don't see any assault rubber duckies do you?


----------



## DecrepitDragon

Blackadder said:


> I wonder how much macho aesthetics is incorporated in real military hardware I mean you don't see any assault rubber duckies do you?


No. No you dont.

I just keep thinking that all it needs now is a very smug Chewbacca sitting up top, thinking that his last trade-in was a good deal.

Still looking great mate - definatley has more menace now itrs a little shorter.


----------



## Blackadder

*How not to build a titan* 

First don't have any plan. 

Second don't have any diagrams. 

Third don't have any conception of what you are attempting. 

Fourth don't bother to draw any of the above. 

Finally build the whole damned thing inside out so when you find you did make a mistake all the interior work is wasted. 

Anyway I'm about to cut the slot for the command center so I figure it's a good time for some catchup pictures. 

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









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


----------



## Turnip86

Blackadder said:


>


Is it only me that thinks you should draw a big smiley face on that hex?


On a more serious note, it's really coming together well. The detail you've done on the armour plating is excellent. Keep up the good work!


----------



## Blackadder

The previous posts were not a complaint or a lament but a public service note to anyone attempting to build a Titan. The intelligent modeler doesn't do things the way I do. 

Witness, I haven't the vaguest idea were anything goes in the interior and just a hint of intuition on the relative size of the interior compartments. I feel the engineering department would be low and centrally located consuming two levels.

The magazine storage for non-energy weapons would be above the armament on each side and a belt feed to the firing chamber. There would probably be a fire/targeting control room for each weapon. 

The Bridge/Command deck behind the cockpit is a gimme likewise the void generator placement above the carapace shoulders.

So with that in mind the basic internal structure will be as imaged below.

http://i.imgur.com/Pug9f.jpg 









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









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









http://i.imgur.com/nZH84.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

> Yes the head has rotational abilities, and from what i remember from the old Titanicus comics they did its about a 90 degree rotational arc as well. tbh any more than 90 degrees would be foolish imo, as iirc the warhound and reaver both have the same degree of rotation.
> 
> hope that helps!


Man I am going to pretend I didn't see this........................... Whom I kidding subconsciously I'm already figuring how to make a short segmented neck similar to the Chinese bamboo dragons we got as kids 










well they're plastic now but the idea is the same.

I'll sleep on it.

Thanks for the info #@$%^$!

Whoops, forgot the reason for this post installed the hinged side panels for the Engineering department. The ceiling will have indirect lighting and the rear panel will be removable for viewing........

http://i.imgur.com/7BdH3.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/9biqd.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Today was kind of a dress up and trim the various panels prior to building the head and neck and compartment directly behind the head whatever that area might be.

http://i.imgur.com/k2ZHa.jpg 









I also installed the torso on the legs for a scale reference which appears satisfactory. The cutouts in the hinged side panels will be observation ports to view the working of the legs and arms and will have clear styrene glazing so the interior lights will illuminate the underside of the carapace and the detail. 

http://i.imgur.com/S1pW7.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/hN7XM.jpg


----------



## alasdair

This is a fantastic display of comitment and hobby ability on your part, keep at it! Its looking fantastic!


----------



## Blackadder

Due to a casual suggestion from one of my readers I have been side tracked making the damned head movable. Until that time I was blissfully unaware the the head had the capacity for movement.

Given that the compartments are essentially rectangular I saw little cause to make the neck tubular as was my first inclination. It was so much easier to adapt the double axle premise I used on the hip joints. The images below demonstrate the mobility of the neck in the up and down movement while the truncated triangle will mount the axle for the side to side movement.

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









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









The whole Head/Neck module will be removable on the finished product and is mounted on three slides per side to insert it into the torso with a very close tolerance fit in point of fact I may have to sand it down before it is painted. 

http://i.imgur.com/P51lX.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/82SpI.jpg









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









This little side project was very time consuming but the psychological effect is overwhelming. Imagine the last thing the target sees before being blasted into oblivion is that great head slewing around servo motors humming malevolently to transfix the hapless victim with a steely heartless crimson stare even as the plasma weapons begin to glow in prelude to firing.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

> This little side project was very time consuming but the psychological effect is overwhelming. Imagine the last thing the target sees before being blasted into oblivion is that great head slewing around servo motors humming malevolently to transfix it with a steely heartless crimson stare even as the plasma weapons begin to glow in prelude to firing.


+1000 Imagine it and wet yourself in fear.


----------



## bitsandkits

Just wondering if your gonna run into trouble with weight on those tiny teeny hips when the torso and carapace etc etc gets on? I know from experience how heavy plasticard gets.


----------



## Blackadder

Those hips and the pelvis besides being reinforced with steel hardware are solid laminated plasticard. I'm hoping they will stand the weight. My primary concern is the axle locking mechanism standing the weight/arm moment.


----------



## bitsandkits

cool, good to hear, hes looking really good (though its you so im not surprised)


----------



## Blackadder

I notice from your text that a number of you are having a bit of problem with sanding. Forgive me from stating what you may already know but the information may be useful to those who follow these threads. I use two methods to sand: first on a flat and true surface such as a Formica counter top I lay a full sheet of coarse sandpaper; good stuff such as 3M aluminum oxide paper 60 grit. Next I sand only in one direction. If you sand back and forth you can't help but start rocking and end up with a convex cut. anytime you sand or file, only cut in one direction.

My second method of sanding is a square and true sanding block. I cut half a dozen of these 5/4 by 3 inch by 6 inch blocks many years ago and affixed the sandpaper (3M aluminum oxide) with 2 inch double back tape. when the paper wears out I peel it of and apply new. Again only sand in one direction and it is helpful to rest the piece to be sanded on the table so your cut is clean and true. I also use a steel emery board for tight places although I lost my best one in the move..........Drat!

Once the piece approaches the scribed or penciled line I switch to a medium grit paper for the final dressing. As the edge will probably have glue solvent applied it isn't necessary to use any finer than medium grit. Once glued and the edge is square but must be beveled I use medium or fine paper on block to true the edge. 

I also use a really good and clean single cut file with a medium and fine tooth again only file in one direction not back and forth. 

Although I have stated this tutorial before it bears repetition.


----------



## Blackadder

Not much point in my assembling the whole thing for such a minuscule amount of work but I must say I am gratified at the speed the carapace is coming together. Although I have procrastinated a bit since Monday I still managed to affix the neck shield and arm shield face plates.

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









http://i.imgur.com/3Cwyd.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/cRtc7.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Purists might question the employment of windows to view the weapons and leg components but being old school theres nothing viewing things first hand instead of on a monitor. Therefore I have included viewing ports on the sides of the engineering and command deck under the carapace. There will also be a maintenance catwalk to service the weapons when in use and will be stowable when not in use. Access to the catwalk will be from the Command deck which will also include fire control.


http://i.imgur.com/7H3rq.jpg 









The Command deck will be modular for removal and the gaping hole in the floor will be plugged wit the Engineering recessed ceiling lights access to change the batteries.

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









The Command deck slides into the forward armour face plate as seen in the next image.

http://i.imgur.com/foCe9.jpg 









Please don't ask for plans as I am winging this as I proceed. I tried the Blender program but I would have a long white beard before I could utilize it's benefits. I prefer to holistically design my projects keeping the design in my head until it can reproduced in fine styrene.


----------



## Blackadder

This construct is falling together like a house of cards. Had I not important engagements this day I believe I would have finished the carapace this evening; the basic structure at the very least. 

When things go this easily it can mean one of two things; there is either a grievous mistake I am not aware of or I have hit the sweet note of the construct and am in tune with the author. 

I beg the latter but will not rue the former as any mistake can be remedied with facile at this point. 

I gotta stop reading Sherlock Holmes, the lingo wears off on me.

Quick Watson the needle!

http://i.imgur.com/svvV6.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/NE084.jpg


----------



## elmir

Glad to hear you hit that cruisespeed man. The torso is really starting to come together now and my jaw still hasn't fully recovered when I saw that it is fully moveable too...


----------



## Warlord_Winters

this is like a good book, you enjoy the hell out of it but when its done you take a few days off work to get your mind back into the real world...and cold depression showers


----------



## Blackadder

A little Item before the daily toil, I have always wanted to include a curved girder in one of my constructs but finding a logical place in a Lucius pattern war machine is difficult. I finally hit on the idea of including it in the ceiling/void generator flooring where strength is needed to support the void generators but lightness is also necessary due to the height above ground of the vehicle at this point. I incorporated stress/lightening cutouts to cut down on the weight of the structure of the real life biped.

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









It's an interesting point at least I am given to understand that cutting holes in a girder actually increase its load bearing strength per mass. Are there any structural engineers in the audience that can confirm or refute this? I am also in the understanding that a hollow cylinder is stronger that a solid shaft of the same diameter. again clarification would be appreciated.

Just a point of conversation to clear up some of my ignorance on the subject.


----------



## Blackadder

I know I am wasting a lot of time on the interior but there is an interesting aspect of making a workable environment for the crew. If you don't allow for the crew there is no concept of scale. Yes you can plunk a 2/3 meters tall entity on a battle board and all the tiny 28 mm tall denizens look minuscule but the titan just looks like a scaled up human in armour. But give the titan an interior with decks and work stations seats and monitors and suddenly the scale of the thing grips you. FW models are well designed giant vehicles (at least the ones I'm interested in) but when in a setting other than a battle board there has to be something to convey the size it is supposed to represent.

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









In keeping with scale this construct needs heavy internal bracing to be believable. I may have to rework the girders in the Eng. compartment.

http://i.imgur.com/TeFZ3.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Yes I definitely have to rework the Engineering interior.

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









The Command deck knees and hanging knees installed I don't know what the modern term for them is but in 18th century shipbuilding they were called knees. Surveyors would go out into forests looking for Oak trees with the desired angled branches called 'compass timber' and mark them for the cutters fell the trees and they were brought to the shipyard sometimes years before the ship was built. There they were seasoned and cut down to the proper size and installed in the hull to support the deck. Trees selected for the Navy were marked with the Admiralty broad arrow mark










signifying the tree was the property of the Navy and no one else could fell it.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Someone asked that I include a figure with the model to get a prospective as to the scale. I found a tank figure sans base in my scrap box which should be a fair representative of an average sized human and glued a thin piece of plasticard to his feet. The result is astounding to me, at 26 inches the amended design height of this model the figure is minuscule.

http://i.imgur.com/A4l3z.jpg 









BTW the carapace side and back plates are drying in these images and stiffen the structure immensely. 

http://i.imgur.com/A4l3z.jpg 









I was concerned at the flexibility of the carapace which had a tendency to droop under the influence of gravity so I assembled it upside down to negate that effect.

http://i.imgur.com/056pz.jpg


----------



## Corporal Punishment 69

This is just amazing, I never see such nice work, make me very jealous of your skills, awesome in the true sense of the word.....


----------



## Disciple_of_Ezekiel

You continue to impress BA, this will be the "Holy Grail" of titans once she is finished. Your doing a fantastic job mate, keep it up!

Regards,
DoE


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

One more shot before I amble off to the daily toil: 

http://i.imgur.com/n2Zja.jpg 









Note the figure on the right foot.


----------



## Viscount Vash

Damn thing gets more awe inspiring every time I look in this thread.

Really like the the arched girders you made such things are a real touch of class.


----------



## Khorne's Fist

Blackadder said:


> Thanks,
> 
> One more shot before I amble off to the daily toil:
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/n2Zja.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Note the figure on the right foot.


This is a fantastic shot. The angle gives an impression of how awe inspiring it might be like to be a guardsman looking up at this war god, even from a distance.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

Stunning work. +1 to Vash's comment on the girders. It is a very nice touch that adds a cool level of detail to the model. The hidden work is amazing.


----------



## Zetronus

*Inspirational... Purely Inspirational!*


----------



## Hellados

It must feel so good to have it all coming together, such a cool miniature I'm well impressed


----------



## Warlord_Winters

stop animation video!!!!


----------



## Blackadder

I've come to the realization that although the legs are movable I only show one pose so here's some with the left foot forward.

Note if you will that the carapace skirt is too long and I'll be shortening it 15 MM also that the cabinets in my work area are too low to be taking pictures under from now on.

The scale height has gone from 120 feet/36.576 meters scale height to 159 feet/48.4632 meters. I'm still an inch and a half shorter than the DS Titan and I plan to shorten the engineering section half an inch which should round out the height to about 160 feet when finished and all the detail is added.

I happened to be crossing a bridge the other day over a sea level freighter port, Port Newark if you must know and I had my GPS set to give me the elevation above mean sea level. As I crested the bridge the readout was 130 feet and I thought to myself, "If I were in a Warlord cockpit this is how high I would be." I was looking down at everything even the cargo container gantries; believe me, that's high! A lot higher than 130 feet looks when you pace it out on the ground. I like to make references like that; Some times when flying the captain will say, We're cruising at 35,000 feet " and I think, that's the depth on the Mindanao trench." or 29,000 feet, "That's the height of Mount Everest." It kind of brings home the scale of what you're looking at when flying.

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









http://i.imgur.com/775fm.jpg 









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


----------



## Diatribe1974

Blackadder said:


> I've come to the realization that although the legs are movable I only show one pose so here's some with the left foot forward.
> 
> Note if you will that the carapace skirt is too long and I'll be shortening it 15 MM also that the cabinets in my work area are too low to be taking pictures under from now on.
> 
> The scale height has gone from 120 feet/36.576 meters scale height to 159 feet/48.4632 meters. I'm still an inch and a half shorter than the DS Titan and I plan to shorten the engineering section half an inch which should round out the height to about 160 feet when finished and all the detail is added.
> 
> I happened to be crossing a bridge the other day over a sea level freighter port, Port Newark if you must know and I had my GPS set to give me the elevation above mean sea level. As I crested the bridge the readout was 130 feet and I thought to myself, "If I were in a Warlord cockpit this is how high I would be." I was looking down at everything even the cargo container gantries; believe me, that's high! A lot higher than 130 feet looks when you pace it out on the ground. I like to make references like that; Some times when flying the captain will say, We're cruising at 35,000 feet " and I think, that's the depth on the Mindanao trench." or 29,000 feet, "That's the height of Mount Everest." It kind of brings home the scale of what you're looking at when flying.
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/yFDUd.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/775fm.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/KdIhk.jpg


Still have miles and miles to go before it's completed, but you're on the right path. It looks great so far!


----------



## Blackadder

Point of interest, someone on another forum asked me how I arrived at the height of my model; pure conjecture I assure you.

I had no precise figures so I rationalized from the FW models. Starting with the Warhound they made their model 10.5 inches tall thereabout. 10.5 divided by 1.125 (the scale constant for a six foot tall man) is 9.333 which means that a warhound is 9.3 times taller than a six foot tall figure therefore a warhound is 9.3 X 6 = 56 feet for the height of a warhound depending on the pose or 17.07 meters tall. going further the reaver titan model is approximately 16.5 inches tall according to the FW spec's so a 'real' Reaver by my calculations would be 16.5/1.25 X 6 = 79..2 feet or 24.146 meters tall. There is no model for a Warlord so I divided 16.5/10.5 X 16.5 = 25.905 inches X 6 ft = 155.4 feet or 47.387 meters which is what my model approximates. Going further using 1.57 as the new constant (16.5/10.5) gives you 40.6 inches tall for an Imperator Titan and 63.8 inches for an Emperor Titan the last two of which would be totally impracticable for the average game board. I much prefer making 9.5 inches the new bench mark making the Imperator Titan about 35 inches tall and the Emperor Titan 45 inches tall which is still too tall for practical gaming and actual scale height of 270 feet or 82.3 meters tall for the Emperor Titan. 

Incidentally using 1.57 as the constant would give you 382.8 feet or 116.7 meters for the Emperor Titan.


----------



## Corporal Punishment 69

.... If you ever want a holiday in Spain I would happily accept a warlord made by you to pay for staying at my hotel, you would also have free access to our bar.... :wink:


----------



## Blackadder

The carapace is going together quickly, there is a discrepancy in the DS model that I didn't incorporate in mine in that the carapace isn't as deep front to back as the Epic model. Why Mr Smith chose to make it narrower front to back isn't known but for me the balance is important as I want it to stand without a base and with the legs in any position so I need the balance point to be directly over the waist pivot.

Right now the weight of the torso is 1.6 lbs about 0.725 kilo.


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










http://i.imgur.com/3kROw.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

I took a shot front and back for reference. 

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










http://i.imgur.com/YOQZ9.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

These are the carapace weapon stanchions but now that I see them in the photos may be too small.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Yes these are the upper arm stanchions that connect the elbow to the shoulder under the carapace. Right now they look like very complex salt and pepper shakers to me but when inverted and affixed under the carapace they should do nicely. The length is right but they may need bulking up.

Meanwhile I need gun barrels. PVC is out of the question and I won't use cardboard. A couple of years ago I found an old beach umbrella on the beach (where else) it had broke as cheap stuff usually does and got left behind when the bathers had left the littoral boundary. The pole was made of plastic and it has been kicking around my garage for years. Damn me if the shaft isn't a 31 mm styrene tube. Now two feet of styrene tubing if you could buy it would cost $10 to $20 bucks; probably more than the whole umbrella did. Here's the lesson, watch the recycling bins they're full of gold.


----------



## Lethiathan

It's been a hell of a ride blackadder, what will you build when this is finished! A emporer maybe? =-) Heresy can't do without a blackadder build!


----------



## Hellados

How artistic are you Blackadder?

We all know you're one hell of a builder but how about the rarely (if ever) seen bulk transporters for Guard from books like Gaunts Ghosts??


----------



## Blackadder

Lethiathan said:


> It's been a hell of a ride blackadder, what will you build when this is finished! A emporer maybe? =-) Heresy can't do without a blackadder build!


I've got the T'hawk to finish and a lot of scrap plastic from these builds so probably an Ork titan would be in order.


----------



## Blackadder

Part of the problem of a construction of this type and magnitude is keeping the upper works light enough that it won't be top heavy. In particular the ruddy great guns stuck out a foot/0.3 meters from the CG imparting a tipping arm that can be measured in a substantial fraction of a pound/kilo. I have stated previously that PVC tubing will be too much mass for stability but to make a sturdy enough tube is difficult.

I have now what I believe to be the solution.

Starting with a full sheet of 'Evergreen 0.5 mm styrene I divided it into 6 equal parts of 50 mm width. The reason for this is that while bending a 50 mm wide strip tightly around a PVC tube is well within my capacity bending evenly a 150 mm sheet is not; you may prove better than I at that endeavor.

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









Once I have a proper overlap wound and cemented I opted to glue the remaining tail of the strip on as well for seam reinforcement.

I now had 6, 50 mm long tubes of the required diameter.

http://i.imgur.com/xzn0f.jpg









Sliding the relatively near perfect tubes back onto the PVC tube and mating the seams I applied a liberal amount of cement on the periphery of the seam I pushed the segments together until tiny beads of plastic oozed from the seam and allowed to dry the result being an extremely light near perfectly round 150 mm styrene tube to build my gun barrels around.


----------



## Hellados

Could you offset the weight of the guns by putting ammo racks etc on the back of the 'elbow' past the centre of gravity. maybe with the top half of the arm leaning back a bit and the arm tilted up a little. Does that make sense? If not I can do a mspaint of what I mean


----------



## Blackadder

Using a spooled up tube of 0.5 mm styrene with the seam secured with PRO Weld thinset works without resorting to counterweights; I want to employ counterweights to fine tune the balance once the beast is done. The entire gun barrel masses only 29 grams.

Thanks for the input.


----------



## Blackadder

The gun barrels are basically done except for the detail. There was a lot of wrapping of layers of styrene.

The biggest problem was duplicating the bottle caps used in the original.

http://i.imgur.com/Iu2B4.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/5dJIG.jpg 









But the finished result is very gratifying especially since they weigh only 29 grams/one ounce each.


----------



## Dusty's Corner

Woo mamma, this is a amazing project! Love the work going in. Great pics and write ups. 
I'm not sure your exact techniques, but you may find warming the sheets up under a lamp might help bending/wrapping them around the PVC etc easier. But you're doing a ace job at it however you're doing it!
Projects like these make the mind boggle, great fun! Rep+ well earned!


----------



## Blackadder

Actually the styrene is pretty thin only 0.5 mm so I just apply pressure with my palm while drawing the sheet down over the edge of a counter. A couple of passes creates enough friction to heat the plastic and impart a nice curl to it. Then I wrap it one around a PVC tube of silghtly less than the desired diameter and glue the overlap seam and set it aside to dry for a few minutes while I do the other one. Once it is dry, using the Pro Weld Thinset I glue and wrap until I have the second layer adhered. I clamp the seam with a length of split oversized PVC and a cheap plastic 'Trigger clamp' you can buy at 'Harbor Freight' for about a buck:










and when it's dry its done.


----------



## Blackadder

Not much going on today. I made the mount plate for the cannons and installed the keel reinforcements as these guns can't be solid or even wound barrels as would be for say battleships. They would have to be some kind of containment devices such as would be found in linear accelerators. Powerful yet light weight magnets would contain the plasma and focus it out the barrel to the target. Recoil would be out of the question for anything but the lightest projectiles and even these may probably have their own fuel supply such as with a solid fuel rocket.

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









An interesting note and something I was not aware of is that some battleship built before 1920 the main guns the 14 16 and 18 inchers are actually made of wound wire over a solid tube; Over 200 miles (325 km) of 0.25 x 0.06 in (0.635 x 1.52 cm) of high-tensile steel wire was used in the 18.0 inch Mark 1 . I did not know that. I had always assumed they were cast or at least solid steel.

Anyway note the thin strip of plastic collar at the gun base. The one on the left is affixed but the one on the right is just being started. Note that the starting end overlaps the centerline. This is because it's harder to make the end lie flat to the contour when gluing but if you leave a sacrifice tailing in the beginning you will have a smoother seam when you complete the collar. It's not really necessary on such a thin strip but on heavier strips it will save you a lot of grief getting your rings to stay put.


----------



## Blackadder

You would think that by now I would be inured to the tedious aspect of scratch building but no. I am basically a lazy fellow and repetition takes a great toll on my abilities which is why I never took up knitting. So many times when I was building Lucie I thought F-----t why am I wasting time on these damned toes when I could be out sha-----g. Anyway the barrels are supposed to be mounted in box like housings and attached to the box like housings are more tinier boxes all the same size. Well it was a job to make all these tiny boxes and the two big ones weren't any picnic either as they all have to be as light as possible but while the rest of you slept I managed to get them made and now I am going to take a nap.

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


----------



## Blackadder

The arm mounted weapons are basically done and I have to make the stanchions to mount them. My previously failed attempt at stantions was a waste of time and material as they didn't look right but I did find in my electrical goodybox a couple of variable degree connectors that look like they belong on a titan. I don't usually use prefab components but these have been kicking around for years since I refurbished a very intricate electronic control panel on would you believe a bakery production line.

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









http://i.imgur.com/y4G68.jpg


----------



## Hellados

I presume you're making the arms detachable?


----------



## Blackadder

Yes some day as with Lucie I hope to make additional arms but as I haven't done it with Lucie yet I can't help but wonder when that will be.


----------



## Grins1878

Has to be said, I'm totally impressed with your work here. Everytime new photos come on I'm sitting here going 'Man, I wish I could build something like that!'.

One day I'll build a warlord... And it'll look half as good!  I may just have a child instead and coat it in plasticard! 

Can't wait to see the whole thing finished!


----------



## Blackadder

The child abuse aside  that was my attitude the first time I saw the DS Warlord I was halfway through the 'Lucie' project and I just wanted to chuck it and go balls to the wall on a Warlord titan. Fortunately I had these threads to keep me focused because I had a lot to learn about scratchbuilding before I tackled anything remotely as ambitious as a Warlord.

First test drive of the new Volcano Cannons seems to be satisfactory. The apparent size is acceptable and while they aren't bulked out yet they appear to be massive enough as well. The balance is spot on even without securing the hardware I dare say that when the rear components are installed this model will have no trouble maintaining balance even when bending forward. The items of criticism are: the carapace skirt needs to be trimmed upward, the stanchion mounts are extremely pose-able/aim-able but need to be shortened, the stanchion mounts need to be cluttered up with a lot of high tech paraphernalia likewise the guns themselves but overall it's an acceptable start.

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









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









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









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









http://i.imgur.com/pWj79.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/rr1Vf.jpg


----------



## shaantitus

This is a wonderous piece of work. I agree with your comments about the weapon mounts. As for the rest of it, faultless. I am particularly impressed with the level of internal detail on the structure. Though for a project of this type rep needs to be applied in blocks of 1000. Aparently i have been focusing my reppage too narrowly. I will have to distribute some first.

Referring to one of your questions earlier regarding the strength of solid shapes as compared to hollow or open sections. It is indeed correct that in bending hollow sections have a higher load capacity per unit mass than solid sections. An I section weighs a fraction(less than 25%) of an equivalent rectangular solid but still has more than 75% of the load capacity. In compression however the solid section's load capicity is directly proportional to its cross sectional area and hence its weight.
The same applies in both cases to circular sections. In bending it is the top and bottom of the member that contribuites to the strength, most of the material in the middle is really filler.


----------



## Blackadder

To keep the thread up to date a picture of the guns before I install the outer sleeve forearm shields. Sorry for the mis-nomenclature according to the information on the 'net these shields are called 'vambraces' 










Apparently something Lara Croft might wear as well?  

http://i.imgur.com/l4BG6.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> I presume you're making the arms detachable?


I used variable angled electrical conduit elbows I had left over from a rewiring job I did on a believe or not million dollar, that's dollars not lira, Italian bread line. The control panel electronics for this automated Roll maker called a 'Doge line' were more complex than the electronics and wiring on a DC 9 commercial jet but I digress; these elbows can be obtained in various diameter from 3/8 ths to one inch (or more, I never checked it out) from Grainger Industrial Supply. 

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/conduit-fittings/electrical/ecatalog/N-8a2Z1z0r27o

I used the 1/2 version and they cost about $7.50 each. They are plastic/nylon, extremely durable and wonderfully high-tech looking. The ones I have were surplus from the job and going to be tossed so I grabbed a half dozen. I've been looking for something to use them on.

The rest of the connectors for the stanchions are from Home Depot also 1/2 inch and only a few pennies each and are threaded for easy removal.


----------



## Blackadder

There's an incredible amount of superfluous detail on the main guns/cannon/weapons to apply calling for a moratorium on the overall build but I have to see how much space will be required before I can continue so................... here is where it stands as of today.

http://i.imgur.com/CtJE3.jpg 









Note both these guns are the same size within a tenth of a millimeter, I don't know why they look so different in size in the photo!


----------



## WarlordKaptainGrishnak

Last time I saw this...I think there was only feet. What kind of explosion of plasticard and glue did you create, to warp time Blackadder?

The Warlord is smashing mate, love the scale shot of the Imperial pilot and all the intricate details as well.

The guns do look a bit different, but like you said that the sizing difference is so insignificant, it surely couldn't? They look fine attached to the Warlord anyway, and I'm certain that no one is going to be looking for a 10th of a mm difference when they see this epic finished. 

Keep up the excellent work mate. Have a motivation cookie!


----------



## Blackadder

Gratifying indeed to receive an accolade such as this and much appreciated. The following tirade has nothing to do with anything other than my frustration in attempting to duplicate this Michaelangloean work (I hesitate citing "Leonardean" for fear of generating a sequel to the "DaVinci Code" at least a worthy one).............. 

So there are a few (read very few) new images of the DS titan on the 'net. Considering that it costs virtually nothing to take hundreds of pictures anymore why only three of this monumental artistic effort but I appreciate all that I can find. 

Geez can't someone take a decent picture of the back of this thing and try not to get a reflection in the image in the glass! Cripes how hard is that? Do I have to purchase a ticket to LA and take 'em myself??????????????

Anyway these are revealing pictures and expose new aspects of the work heretofore unseen and I am grateful for them in spite of my childish tantrum..................

http://i.imgur.com/EGfZ7.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/7PPrH.jpg 









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


----------



## shaantitus

Fair point about the lack of decent photos. There should be more. Contact bigred at BOLS, I am sure they had some good detail shots of the beast for the article they did.


----------



## Lethiathan

I reckon you should call the titan Blackadder and then put a plaque saying "Blackadder goes forth"


----------



## TattooedGreenMan

Lethiathan said:


> I reckon you should call the titan Blackadder and then put a plaque saying "Blackadder goes forth"


I can not believe you went there. LOL:laugh:


----------



## Regnear67

you are trully talented cant wait to this guy fully finished and painted heres some +rep


----------



## Blackadder

Regnear67 said:


> you are trully talented cant wait to this guy fully finished and painted heres some +rep


Thanks for the rep, I appreciate it. Not much work being done this weekend.



TattooedGreenMan said:


> I can not believe you went there. LOL:laugh:


I can't believe you think I went to LA and came away with only three lousy pictures!

They would have to drag me away in chains I'd be taking so many pictures if I went there.


----------



## Regnear67

your more then welcome i would have given you way more rep if was able to


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## Lethiathan

> I can't believe you think I went to LA and came away with only three lousy pictures!
> 
> They would have to drag me away in chains I'd be taking so many pictures if I went there


erm Blackadder, I think he was talking about the joke I made


----------



## Blackadder

Of course you realize I too was speaking in jest..............

Due to yet another stint in the hospital I needed to take a sabbatical in building this my attempted recreation but back again with new ideas and a firmer grasp on what is required I managed to reproduce that which is not actually documented in the spurious images posted of this beautiful titan. My main concern in not posting is I was afraid that the back panel of the engineering department looked too much like a "Police Call Box" from a 'Dr. Who' episode. Therefor I opted not to post until I had most of the complete back panel components in place. Bear in mind that these exterior components will be removable so that the interior components can be revealed and lock into place by friction and interlocking panels. 

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









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









http://i.imgur.com/sPs3w.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Its amazing what the camera reveals as opposed to visual perception. The following image is not up to my usual standards and shall have to be reworked before the final painting. Not having seen this until I took the picture today I was not aware of the lopsided work I believe once I get back into my groove again I can offer better work..............

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


----------



## Regnear67

where do you get all your plasti-card and rods


----------



## Blackadder

Mostly used catheters and IV's but the local hobby shop is also a viable source.

I primarily use 'Evergreen'

http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/

and 'Plastistrut' 

http://www.plastruct.com/

products which are available on line if not locally.


----------



## Regnear67

thanks for the links, they really helped as i don't have a local hobby store that's within 50 miles and over priced.


----------



## TattooedGreenMan

Thank you for the links Blackadder. You have caused a geekgasm. I loved the plastiruct site and will be buying from them.


----------



## Blackadder

Just make sure the plastic you order is styrene as Plastistrut sells ABS and PVC as well.

I tried a different stance for these images to see how the joints would bear the weight. The upper torso weighs in at 880 grams/31 ounces/1.94 pounds without the guns now and the legs are bearing the weight with no problem. I may not need the friction devices I had planned for holding the position. OF course the upper torso may be closer to eight pounds before I am finished.

http://i.imgur.com/oda1V.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/fqDf3.jpg 









Applied secondary armour plating to the back removable panel today. I made some subtle changes in the back pack area to make it more aesthetically appealing bumping out the side panel layers about 2.5 mm.

The whole back panel including the 'Dr Who police call box panel' interlock together and are as yet held in place by only friction but when completed will have rare earth magnets to keep them tight to the frame.


----------



## Blackadder

Here's a lesson boys and girls; don't be afraid to rebuild that which is unsatisfactory. without a guide other than rather spurious images and incomplete documentation I have decided that the current iteration is less than satisfactory and am employing efforts to rectify said anomalies. Therefore I have amended slight indiscretions for the great good of the overall project.........

Case in point; the discrepancy in the overall back panels of the current work with that of the original. Due to a failure on my part to discern perspective errors I made definite and grievous mistakes.

Fortunately the errors can be corrected without redefining the internal structure of the said project but at the expense of a few square centimeters of styrene I can ameliorate the current structure into a more reasonable facsimile. 

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








Note in the upper right the replacement seam on the center back as opposed to the mirror site on the left. A quarter inch seems to make all the diference.

http://i.imgur.com/kdQ8U.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/oY4lD.jpg


----------



## KjellThorngaard

> I made definite and grievous mistakes.


Ha!!

Only you would label a minor discrepancy as such. 99.99% of people never would have noticed anything at all. Yet you keep tweaking and rebuilding in your effort to achieve perfection. 

So what percentage of Blackadder is still flesh anyways? :grin:


----------



## Blackadder

At last count the Emperor was trailing................


----------



## Diatribe1974

How much you think this'll ultimately end up weighing once it's all said and done? (paint included)


----------



## Blackadder

WHAT HAPPENED???????????????? I haven't been able to sign in for weeks????????????????

Unfortunately I had a flurry of activity during that time and progressed exponentially on this model in the interim. I'm going to continue were it stands as of this moment unless clarification on the preceding steps are requested.

These little doors were very labor intensive but they do have functioning hinges and complete the front of the Void Generator housings

http://i.imgur.com/cyY0d.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/1d6m7.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Okay now for the a-- end of the Void Generators, I'm still not happy with the fans on the upper backpack but that rework will be for a later post.

Tonight I'l be starting on the back panels so right now the rear elevation as it now exists.

http://i.imgur.com/41qQI.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/JRJT2.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/ctA2n.jpg 









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


----------



## Blackadder

Yeah I know theres a lot of images of virtually the same thing; tedious I know but the thing had to be done. Okay well deserved Martini in hand the final installation of this small and labor intense area is at last relatively complete except for the magnets that close the gaps and a bit of eye candy to dress out the detail.

This project will be judged by what meets the immediate eye and that is by the optimum point of view the top of the model at a 30° to 45° angle ergo the top so a lot of attention has to be paid to this area:

http://i.imgur.com/z2XLr.jpg 









So here hopefully is the last dedicated posted to this area.

Next the hood.

The head being the Grand Finale I personally cannot wait.....


----------



## DecrepitDragon

Damn mate - you've spawned a monster!

Seriously though, since the last time I saw this beauty, its jumped ahead quite a bit, and its looking tremendously good. Finished by christmas, do you think? . . . (hint hint).:grin:

Keep at it mate. Fantastic work.


----------



## Blackadder

Considering that this forum was down for the better part of the month and all the while I was doggedly forging ahead; I had on my other frequented forums posted a great deal of updates. 

I could repost those here if there is an interest.


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## DecrepitDragon

I'm ashamed to admit that your genius with this project has quite royally trumped my desire to begin anything similar.

Terrain? Sure, no problem.

Painting? Easy.

Gargantuan projects of infinitely minute detail? . . . .

Nah. Maybe when everybody has forgotten yours (which seems unlikely!) and mine wont look so juvenile. :grin:

I know my limits, so I'll just watch and respect from afar. So please, repost a summary of the intervening steps for clarity maybe, but frankly, for me at least, just seeing the progress is enough.:victory:


----------



## Blackadder

The point of this thread is to demonstrate what can be done not stifle creativity. All that I have done is by trial and error not at all a _tour de force_ of building. I am a mere tyro (so saith a disgruntled individual on another forum) in building technique and admittedly so as I make too many mistakes. The fun is overcoming my lack of skill and enjoying the learning process after all this is only my second full scratch (if you discount the 'bitz') attempt.

I still have a lot to learn.


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## DecrepitDragon

Blackadder said:


> I still have a lot to learn.


Ah modesty. A trait that serves you well, yet skill is a relative ability - that is to say, in comparison with me, you are a master scratch builder. I'm sure you'll agree though, that in principle at least, there's always "someone better" out there somewhere.

In all honesty, I wouldn't attempt something of this scale, nor would I take to it so well, without a horrendous amount of prep. Which is something I feel I dont need to do overmuch when it comes to terrain or painting, for example.

To put it bluntly mate, you're a natural, no matter how modest you may also be. Thanks for sharing the learning process. :victory:


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## Blackadder

Well self-effacement is not a strong point with me and I see by your signature that you have a paint/terrain site an area I am found wanting in; count me as a subscriber

And thanks for the considered reply.


----------



## Blackadder

Blackadder said:


> Inquisitor Pravious said:
> 
> 
> 
> This mechanical beast that is so loveingly being build by Blackadder weighs in at 2500 points and has 9 structure points (Note that these are structure points not hull points). The full rules are in Apocalypse (which was released prior to 6th Ed, hence no reference to hull points, not sure if there is an errata to update the super heavy rules) so it is fully usable in an Apocalypse game of 40k.
Click to expand...

I guess I should know this but it's a toss up of studying quantum physics and WH40k and fool that I am I opted for QP. Now that you are appreciably dazzled let me state that I am a mere tyro at QP as well of having none of the math credentials to even basically appreciate the subtleties of the Quantum theory but I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to comprehend recent developments. Fortunately reading these events doesn't preclude my working contiguously on the detail of my project to duplicate the hood bling imaged below:

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









so here is the days run of labor namely the aquila insignia on the hood, I started with a google search for an apropos image 

http://i.imgur.com/pwcW2.jpg









and edited it on my editor to fit the model. Tracing the result onto 0.010" styrene 

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









I cut out the extremely tiny components and glued them to a 0.010" substrate which is where I am at the moment

http://i.imgur.com/5OaQz.jpg









taking a Martini break and tracking 'Sandy'.


----------



## Blackadder

Okay boys and girls I'm about to impart the secret of Blackadder's millions. There's gold in them thar pieces of trash! It's commonly known that Blackadder is heavily into recycling. My old microwave has run its course to the extent that the floor of the chamber has rusted out and when I turn it on the under cabinet fluorescent lights glow so time to replace the old GE with a new one but wait. The door has this fantastic perforated shield panel! I don't know if you have priced this material in the hobby stores but it runs about $6 to 8 bucks for a few square inches and here's about a square foot about to be relegated to the curb......

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









Well I'm not about to toss $30 to 40 bucks down the crapper so I whips off the door and have enough vents to furnish a lifetime of 'scratching'.

Another helpful hint from EB AKA Heloise


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## gearhart

Haha! great use out of that! as for interest im sure there are im personally interested and love your work but i usually just watch yours on warseer, great work as always might i add. Your work is always inspirational....is there any chance of having everything pictured that would be a sight to see....and whats next in your mind of wonders?


----------



## Blackadder

Sorry for the delay in posting but the hurricane has taken up all my time for the past few days. By "everything pictured" I take it to mean all the basically completed components for the warlord? I'll have that posted later on today.

Thanks for the reply.


----------



## Blackadder

A bit of an update on my recycling foray; there are some concerns as to the advisability of employing a microwave door for scratch bitz namely concerns about residual radiation lurking in the door!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I never stand near an operating microwave considering the average microwave oven is manufactured in the same country that is putting lead and mercury in our children's toys and asbestos and formaldehyde in our sheetrock not to mention they cannot seem to manufacture a decent paper clip or a pencil with an eraser that doesn't leave a trail of dirty rubber when rubbing out the graphite line but I digress;

A standard microwave door window has a millimeter thick steel perforated grill heavily enameled with black paint (radiation absorbing, I wonder?) sandwiched between two sheets of clear plastic about 0.25 mm thick each. Microwaves themselves are energetic photons that are non-ionizing.

Non-ionizing radiation is very different than the dangerous ionizing radiation and are in the same family of EM waves as television and radio broadcasting. Because of the lower frequencies and reduced energy, it does not have the same damaging and cumulative properties as ionizing radiation. Microwave radiation (at 2450 MHz) is non-ionizing, and in sufficient intensity simply cause the molecules of water in the food to flip polarity rapidly, thereby causing friction, which produces the heat that cooks the food. you stand in much more danger using your cell phone than any residual radiation from handling that panel.


----------



## Djinn24

What ever cunt nugget called you out on this calling you a tryo can honestly be fucked. Almost everything is built on trial and error, for every one working product we had in the Army there were a dozen trashed concepts. 

I am a fairly decent painter, but guess how I got there, by trying new things. When I was 17 and just started I discovered wet blending through trial and error, keep in mind that was when this technique was not used by a lot of people in miniatures and i had no idea it even had a real name. 

Your work makes my jaw drop, which IMHO makes it fucking awesome, anyone who thinks otherwise can get bent.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

+1000 to djinn's comments. 

If you would post some updated pics here, that would be friggin' cool. I don't hang on other forums so I haven't seen your progress. This amazing piece of work just needs to be seen!


----------



## Blackadder

I always post the same reply on all the forums I frequent unless someone asks a technical question and then I depart from my blanket post. If the question is pertinent to the general topic such as the radiation issue I append it to the rest of the forums. Don't worry this forum won't be forgotten unless 'Heresy' goes belly up again.

I know there is a lot of anticipation regarding the manufacture of the head but I really need to finish the surrounding detail to get a good handle on relative size. You see I only want to do the helmet/cowl once and I want it perfect so there is no substitute for patience. Meanwhile the top of the hood is progressing nicely. Were it not for Hurricane Sandy I would have been well into the production of the forehead armor.

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









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


----------



## Blackadder

Pretty pitiful update this week but my excuse is that I had to gut the ground floor kitchen, bath and family room after Sandy saw fit to deluge my wife's abode with 2/3 meter of storm surge seawater.

Fortunately all my precious worldly goods were ensconced safely twenty miles inland including the subject of this thread. 

You will note that after I have successful refurbished my ex's domicile I shall have no more excuses to put off building the head/cockpit.

http://i.imgur.com/D0wW4.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/Ur4MJ.jpg 










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










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


----------



## Blackadder

> Have you given any thoughts regarding power plant and the possibility to open up to look at that. Possibly some interior "real" lighting effects. Malignant red lights pouring out from the eyes, combat lights glowing red in the engineering.


I have some plans for the fusion reactor which will be mounted in the chamber above the command deck. The soccer ball style is the one I am leaning towards. And I have already purchased the fiber optic LEDS for the lighting but those go in last as I have to make the consoles first.


















This one is a kind of a joke but the lighting is interesting


----------



## Blackadder

Whew, I just spent two hours updating all the forums I subscribe to and taking pictures of the recent build below plus now hopefully rendering a bit of interesting rapartee to keep my noble readers stimulated.

There is a lot of concern that I shall be neglecting the Warlord now that the Blackadder has a new bauble to attract his fickle attention but the Warlord is the real apple of my eye and the latest update follows:

Modular construction is the best way to go on a model this big as it affords you a reasonable size to work on rather than taking up the whole of the workspace with extraneous equipage.

Below are the floor and keel of the cockpit and the movable neck plug in module shown in the head down and head up position.

The tab on the floor and the triangular tabs on the neck will be the base for the side to side neck movement and the rectangular plug-in will house the egress corridor to the main command deck hopefully with apropos detail should I live long enough to complete this project. Whew again!


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









http://i.imgur.com/sXm2K.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/YRWx7.jpg


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## gearhart

I just can believe how much detail you put into each of your models you have such a fantastic eye for detail.....honestly you should consider working with forge world. I think you could teach them a few things, especially with movement of the product. Looking for your chaos warhound build as well! Btw i was curious what are all the projects youve done over the years? have you done smaller scale projects to build up to this? Is it also possible to have a group shot of the projects youve done?


Please keep up the marvelous work Blackadder,

sincerely Gearhart


----------



## Blackadder

Wow I appreciate the accolade but I'm sure FW is looking for original artists more so than copyists.

I have a rule that I never build anything that I can reasonable afford to buy. I set my limit of about 100 to 150 dollars and bid on literally crap on ebay to restore. Only recently have I purchased a product from FW the current Chaos Warhound

I haven't done all that many scratch models my first attempt was casting a lascannon turret for a decrepit Mars Baneblade out of resin previous to that I restored a poorly assembled Lucius Baneblade I bought on ebay. After those I rebuilt an Armorcast Baneblade to look like a FW Lucius pattern while still keeping the AC treads and interior hull ID plate.

From there I attempted my first ground up scratchbuilt based on Mr De Silva's Titan Hunter but where his was a Mars mine was a Lucius. My son and I toyed with a Thunderhawk but he lost interest and I turned to the Lucius Warhound. By that time my son went to college and I took up the Thunderhawk again but found Mr Dave Smith's magnificent Warlord and resolved to make one.

I see my other thread images have been deleted, I think my old image host went belly up.

Heres a group shot of my constructs and refurbishings.

By the numbers in red

#1 is the Lucius Baneblade that was very poorly assembled that I won on ebay and prised apart repaired and reassembled It cost a total of about 150 total.

#2 was touted on ebay as from a nonsmoking home. It was in pitiful shape and was missing the lascannon turret adjacent to the #2. I cast a new turret and prised apart all the glue seams and reassembled. All totaled about 180 bucks as I had to learn casting of resin.

#3 is the armorcast Baneblade which we had but was too primitive to field with the FW B'blades, I practiced casting and scratching on it and came up with a reasonable facsimile of a FW model. My son when he was younger got a big kick out of popping the upper hull off and revealing the Armorcast production plate That cost 50 bucks plus the left over resin and molding latex.

#4 was my first excursion into a total scratch build. It's a copy of Marco De Silva's Jaeger Hunter with my own alterations. I cast a lot of Baneblade parts to make it including treads bogies and lascannon turrets and I cannibalized a Landraider kit for the sponsons

#5 is of course Lucie

Not numbered are the Stormblade that was so heavily warped as to be deemed unsalvageable by the ebay seller but was sold for parts. I heated the hull and chassis in the dishwasher until soft and remoulded the warped parts between clamps. It's one of my favs because of the boss plasma cannon.

the Shadowsword I picked up for 80 bucks because the seller misspelled Shadowsword and I was the only one who bid on it.

http://i.imgur.com/IU4rD.jpg









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









I can post images of my previous work on a separate thread if you like.


----------



## Hellados

I honestly thought that the Titans (even the smallest ones) were taller then that.

I do the same with my Lemons and Baneblade variants, get them second hand and rebuild them, makes me feel better about cutting them to bits (as well as saving money)


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> I honestly thought that the Titans (even the smallest ones) were taller then that.
> 
> I do the same with my Lemons and Baneblade variants, get them second hand and rebuild them, makes me feel better about cutting them to bits (as well as saving money)


Warhounds are as stated by Forge World are on average 10.5 inches 26.7 cm tall. they are the shortest and nimblest of the Titans.


----------



## gearhart

I actually wont mind if you showed your older projects but I don't this fourm is the proper place... You don't get enough attention here haha and I actually started following your logs from warseer. But I love your work, you've inspired me so much these past years, and I hope to have the imense skill you have one day. 

You say forge world are looking for unique artist....Sir if you don't know this already you are ONE of a kind! There are always the few people who you can always what logs are theirs. Wheither their names changes there work doesn't and the Pure-ness and the amount of the soul you put into everything you do shows. Every forum site I've been on I've seen your work without seeing a name and knowing it was yours. I honestly believe put into the environment at forge world you would create an emense amount of new models. As for saying they are looking for original models.....everything I've seen them create is based of art work from another. So I say you should atleast try and give them a call see what they say I'm sure they know your work mate. Don't sell yourself short mate your certainly on the list of legendary hobbyists!
Cheers mate 

Sincerely Jonathan Gearhart


P.s. Please excuse any errors, I am on my I pod.


----------



## Blackadder

I don't know what to say about that. Of course if FW approached me to model for them I wouldn't refuse but there are so many talented people scratching on the myriad of 40K forums that they can pick and choose of the best. 

And with that said here's the latest update:

Ha bet you thought I'd forgotten about this. Truth is I've been repairing plumbing and wiring and installing a new water heater and hadn't much time for building but that's behind me for a couple of days so back to the cockpit design. Actually I had time to reflect how to proceed with this and have come up with a way to build a hollow flight deck.

Seen below compared to Lucie's cockpit the Warlord's is about three times larger which compares well as the Warlord is three times taller than the Warhound.

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









Here you see the footing for the interior floor and the inner edge of the prominent overbite of the head armour. 

http://i.imgur.com/CsoU9.jpg 









as seen in this image of the original.


----------



## Hellados

You know I would imagine they would have artists and model makers so creativity would probably come a close second to making amazing models for some roles


----------



## Blackadder

I haven't a clue what I am doing guessing at angles and sizes this head construct should prove interesting. It's much the same way I built the arms for Lucie so I can only that lightning does strike twice in the same place or in this case three times.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Ya know when I was a kid there was a show on TV, "Jon Gnagy's 'Learn to Draw'." I used to watch that show religiously. I had the Jon Gnagy book, pencils, eraser, sketchpad, charcoal,.... you name it I had it. That SOB would start drawing some forest scene or Steam engine at the station and I was furiously following along trying to do everything that bast---d did and he'd be put the frame on his work and my jaw was on the floor. You just couldn't keep up with him.

I thought it might be fun for you to see how the Blackadder works so I'm going to be taking pictures step by step of this head assembly so you can see that I haven't the vaguest idea what I am going to do next. I have no mechanical drawings, templates, or sketches to go by except for the G--D----- images DS posted. A lot of people ask for templates and I feel bad that I can't provide them because there aren't any, it's all in my head so we can both see how this cockpit module progresses for better or worse because it could be a total fiasco..............

http://i.imgur.com/fKEn8.jpg


----------



## gearhart

Haha i know THAT feeling, and sir you dont give yourself enough credit.... everything is shaping beautifully and love the step by step idea. Thanks for that, and im sure whether you have figured out what it will look like or not. We all know you wont stop working on it till you think its perfect! ;D which is what i love about your stuff! keep it up, until next time mate.

sincerely, Gearhart


----------



## Blackadder

I Have to admit the head is coming along swimmingly The relative size seems good and the movement range seems adequate. also most of the damage to Lucie has been repaired; just remounting the guns with magnets to go.

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









I had Lucie pose with the new titan for a size comparison and she is dwarfed by the Warlord; I may have to make a Reaver just to take up the gap

http://i.imgur.com/219OM.jpg 









Here we have the Warlord looking right,

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









Looking left and

http://i.imgur.com/rq3Zh.jpg 









looking down to the right a bit unnerving from this angle thank the Emperor she's not armed.

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









I have to reposition the chest/neck armour a bit as the head armour won't clear when it's installed.


----------



## Blackadder

I neglected to mention the telescoping feature of the neck module prompting some to comment that the neck was too short. I prefer to rationalize that the neck in full extension is scout mode and retracted is battle mode.

Thats my story take it or leave it  
http://i.imgur.com/1neqy.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/m7M6a.jpg 









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









That's the ticket Blackadder blind them with footwork..........


----------



## Blackadder

There is nothing new under the Sun, the more I work on this thing the more it reminds me of the snout of a Diplodocus Carnegii.

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









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


----------



## Moriouce

Just thought I had seen it before. :laugh: Great progress!


----------



## Blackadder

Dude I'm tell'n ya women have a lot of goodies that they keep from us and I'm not talk'n 'bout the obvious but chances are your ol' lady has a spatter shield that she uses when she fries up those 'burgers and that is just scream'n to be replaced. If its like my old lady there are rents in it and its all wrinkled (I'm talk'n 'bout the splatter shield now.....) and its time for a new one (Still talk'n 'bout the splatter shield). Imagine the joy on yer spouse's mug when you give her a new one for Christmas and what better way to help the environment than to recycle the old one in your scratch projects......

http://i.imgur.com/ed8YI.jpg 









Here is mine as new grills for the Warlord cockpit intakes or whathaveyou.

http://i.imgur.com/N4eSy.jpg 









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









Its gonna be a Merry Christmas at the Blackadder household believe me or I'm an Orc's Grandpa.............

Yeah the BA has a bag on.

But I'm dead serious about the Christmas present......................


----------



## Hellados

Oh shit my misses is gonna kill me.... idea stolen!!


----------



## Blackadder

This morning I cut the lozenge shaped vents that define the screens and before I glue on the right side I'm taking a picture that you might know how it was accomplished.

The radius of the side curve where it wraps around the snout seems almost perfect; about a quarter of a millimeter too big on the bottom but not enough to quibble over if the other side matches.

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









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









Most of these vents will be covered with the face armour but if you peer really hard under that armour you will see that the whole vent opening is there.

Crazy I know but I need the practice.


----------



## Djinn24

Looking great. This thing is epic already.


----------



## Blackadder

The lozenge shaped vents came out fairly decent but not as well crafted as Mr Smith's. I wonder how he made his?

But they should suffice for this titan.

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









http://i.imgur.com/sIDu8.jpg 










The pencil scribed lines are for the face shield which I shall attempt next. This shield gives the head the anthropomorphic quality from which the upper lip and cockpit windshield detracts.

What would give the head a more human appearance would be a nose but that would just look silly. We're not going there.


----------



## gearhart

An amazing amount of detail!, as expected. So much creativity i need to start looking a the uses of garbage a lot more i could be missing out! looking forward to the updates ;D


----------



## Blackadder

Not garbage, trash; garbage is yucky stuff such as melon rinds and egg shells............hmmm 'egg shells' smooth, rounded contours, bionic thin yet surprisingly durable......... they may well prove worth investigation.

Thanks,

EB


----------



## Blackadder

Its about time to start considering the scale of the furniture and crew in the cockpit. I'm getting an idea of the height of the seated figures so they might peer out of the windscreen. The seated Princep should be on a raised dais and a Moderatus in attendance. Two seated helmsmen; a Sensorus and a Steersman. The latter two individuals I have in abundance but I need candidates for the Princep and Moderatus? 


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










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










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


----------



## Blackadder

I'm really getting into it now as it seems the proportions are workable. 

http://i.imgur.com/BGnt5.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/CiKM6.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/lROP8.jpg 










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










http://i.imgur.com/wH635.jpg 









I tend to get depressed when things don't work out and drop the modeling for a few days to reflect.

Another glimpse into my psychosis............


----------



## gearhart

Blackadder said:


> Not garbage, trash; garbage is yucky stuff such as melon rinds and egg shells............hmmm 'egg shells' smooth, rounded contours, bionic thin yet surprisingly durable......... they may well prove worth investigation.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> EB



:laugh:
omg! you sir can find a use for everything! and i love the movement of it! out standing.....and i really enjoy how we can watch this beautiful model slowly come together.....:grin:


----------



## Moriouce

I just can't believe at what speed you are building this monster! Keep it up!


----------



## Sethis

Holy shit, that's all kinds of awesome. Much love!


----------



## Blackadder

The windscreen on this vehicle is much simpler than the one I made for Lucie. That had to be built inside out and caused no end of grief as the glue kept seeping onto the clear styrene and the styrene had to be meticulously masked during painting.

Not so with these windows. the frame and windows can be built separately as a module and not necessarily installed until the model is almost done.

http://i.imgur.com/t51pR.jpg 









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










http://i.imgur.com/Fu9vA.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/8bdkp.jpg 









I learned a lot from my mistakes with Lucie.


----------



## Blackadder

The windscreen is done basically except for the paint and glazing with surprisingly little difficulty. Now that I have a real measurement I can start on the helmet.

This will have to be built up of layers of styrene and then carved and sanded down to the final shape.

I started out hollowed in segments but I think just gluing semi-circular ring might be more efficient.

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










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










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










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


----------



## Blackadder

I know the helmet brow looks pretty much like a sh*t sandwich but there is a surprising amount of symmetry in it in spite of the crudeness. A couple of minutes with the belt sander brought me to this point where I have to take stock as to where I am and what needs to be further trimmed.

Right now this seems to be the way to go........

More later today.

http://i.imgur.com/7LQkf.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/Yw8L4.jpg 










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


----------



## Blackadder

A final sanding before retiring last night.

This morning I re scribed the line which reveal that I am off by as much as half a millimeter in some areas. That will have to be corrected before I meld the contours to form the requisite compound curves that are so striking on the original model.


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










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










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


----------



## Blackadder

I don't know if I posted this particular image before but it is the one that I am getting a good portion of my information from.

http://i.imgur.com/sBVA7.jpg









You can see by the compound curves that it is complex item to replicate. Mr. Smith himself carved the plug out of wood and cast a mould and then cast the final cowl which I understand had flaws in it anyway. Since I am only making one I saw no need for all those extra steps and just when to cutting the finished product. Once it is the proper size I'll show it in place.


----------



## Blackadder

Well the forehead is proceeding nicely and it wasn't as tough a job as I had imagined but it still is too massive and heavy looking but once I remove about another 3 mm all around it should be of a proper scale. The pictures indicate that it could be more rounded.

In all not too shoddy for a first attempt.............

Also I may have to raise the head higher on the neck to bring it closer to the hood overhang.
http://i.imgur.com/F2HJ7.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/C0CMb.jpg 










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










http://i.imgur.com/J2Wkq.jpg


----------



## Lethiathan

Blackadder Goes Forth. 

That thing looking sweet man, I love the entire look of it and working on that sheer scale for that little cost... Man your a wizard!


----------



## son of azurman

lethiathon now i wanna watch it, looks absolutely amazing its bigger than my mum but saying that its not hard.


----------



## Blackadder

Yer mum is only two feet tall!????????????

Well it's taken two days of sanding and scraping and the piece has gone from about 4.0 ounces to 0.85 ounces and is about 0.250 inches/6 mm thick now that the interior has been hollowed. At 28 mm scale, 28 mm being equal to six feet/1.83 meters thats close to 16 inches 0.039 meters of what-have-you armour. In battleship steel armour the equivalent of the belt armour on the Iowa Class Battleship.

I dare not pare down the sallat any more until I see how it relates to the rest of the helmet armour and I do need to raise the head on the neck a minimum of 0.5 inches/12 mm.

http://i.imgur.com/a4CJW.jpg 










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










http://i.imgur.com/ko5BV.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

I was accused of building this some time ago as opposed to it being a current build so just to set the record straight I set the display date on my camera.......... 

http://i.imgur.com/Jm1A1.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/X2BCZ.jpg 









Can we say 40th millennium?


----------



## alasdair

Beautiful! This has got to be one of the best projects on heresy to date!


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

There for want of a better name a lot of work going into the armour 'bra' to get the proportions and the angles correct. I initially attached a piece of foolscap to the nose cowl but found the paper creased differently than the plastic so I had to resort to another method.

Ultimately I cut and measured the piece by trial and error and have it down I believe. Only when it is attached will I know but the surface armour will be easier to attach with the 'bra' not attached so I hope all this work will not be for naught.

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










http://i.imgur.com/e2xrO.jpg 










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


----------



## Old Man78

Once again your level of evil genius shows through, I am now convinced you are a James Bond-esque villain in a hollow volcano and this project log is actually a dry run for the real thing!! Outstanding work again cannot wait for more!!


----------



## Blackadder

Temporarily mounted Size appears okay............... 


http://i.imgur.com/Ks30L.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/0ln6c.jpg


----------



## Lethiathan

Imgur Isn't showing your images Blackadder.

Edit: It was just Imgur Messing Up, They're fine now!


----------



## Mossy Toes

I see them fine.


----------



## Blackadder

I know everyone is tired of me adjusting the head but it's not quite right you know.............. I mean the titan head. First at the instigation of by favorite critic M. Jabba I shaved about 3 MM off the helmet dome and it looks better. Then I cut about 3MM off the bra armour (Well wadda you call it?) all around and that is falling into line as well. 
--
http://i.imgur.com/DABbq.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/FQ4fY.jpg 









Its still not quite right but I'm closing in on it............

More to follow.........


----------



## troybuckle

Looking real good!!


----------



## Blackadder

Okay got the house back together after the 'Sandy' disaster; spent the past week repairing wiring, installing a new waterheater, tearing out the downstairs bath/WC, wallboard, spackling. plumbing, replacing electrical wiring, and oh yes replacing the upholstery on the dining table set of chairs.......... Yeah the Blackadder has dozens of valuable skills that keep him in a lower income group but I still managed to find time to make some headway(groan) on the head. Taking M. Hutts critique to heart I shaved yet another 3-6 MM off the head in various places all to the betterment of the look of the dome (IMHO) but I have run out of material in some spots so I daren't remove any more. The next time you see this I'll have made some inroads into the rear of the cowl and all that good looking cryptic plumbing on the side of the head.

http://i.imgur.com/0Jo70.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/1d93h.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/l629W.jpg 










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


----------



## Blackadder

I call this image, "Alas poor Yorick."

http://i.imgur.com/I4E2l.jpg 









I started on the head interior today just for a change of pace.

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










http://i.imgur.com/bm4dZ.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/3EKkK.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/U0Olu.jpg 









Everything is pretty much falling into place just as I imagined it so to quote Mozart in "Amadeus" , "It's all up here in my noodle the rest is scribbling."........er well scribing and cutting and gluing; well you know what I mean.......


----------



## Blackadder

I don't know whats going on under that dome but there sure is a lot of large diameter conduit running to it. Meanwhile I need to make a s--tpot load of LCD screens for the cockpit, command deck and engineering

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


----------



## Mossy Toes

Watching the slow evolution of this head alone has been humbling, and I am sure it will continue to be so.


----------



## Blackadder

Slow........ Well I did have a hurricane to contend with; first things first. 

Okay found my little dudes so we can get a comparison for scale. The guy in the officers cap seems a bit on the dwarfish size what with the extra long arm

http://i.imgur.com/DB4ib.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/shrU9.jpg 









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









but the pilot seats as of now only in their crude state are coming along pretty good.

http://i.imgur.com/fb0iu.jpg 










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









I have some bilateral amputees that I am auditioning for the role of Princep and I need some sort of a vessel to ensconce him in but there seems plenty of room in the cockpit for half a dozen crewmen if I want. 

I need to find another sentinel pilot.


----------



## Old Man78

this is fantastic stuff, please do the princeps in the amniotic capsule that would be so cool, your work as always is great!


----------



## Blackadder

More pipes and conduits to nowhere where will it end????????? I'm getting kind of a Giger-esque feeling about this helmet detail. That is one twisted dude..........

http://i.imgur.com/Doi42.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/3Soqy.jpg 









I don't know where I'm going from this point so I just left the raw ends of the piping

I case you're wondering............


----------



## Mossy Toes

Mmmm, Giger. Now that guy makes some awesome stuff. He's like the real life counterpart to what John Blanche makes for 40k.

Nice progress! I can't help but suspect that a Penitent Engine driver might make a nice Princeps, with the Inquisitorial symbols filed off.


----------



## Djinn24

I am curious as to what your tank will look like. Great work.


----------



## Blackadder

Yeah, so am I............... I'm just winging the interior.

Whoa it's Friday already and anyone with a life is getting ready for the weekend but I thought I'd take a chance that someone would be interested in the current progress. I roughed in the rear of the helmet yesterday extending it far beyond what will actually be needed but it's easier to shorten it than lengthen it. I have in mind the escape pod concept of the cockpit anyway so there might be jato exhausts in the offing. Better than just unceremoniously dumping the head on the ground in the middle of a pitched battle.

http://i.imgur.com/3AxGm.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/Q6IPz.jpg 









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


----------



## Blackadder

Okay no excuses left tomorrow I'm gonna have to mount the head on the neck and the neck in the hull and I hope I can come up with a solution to how to allow the head to turn on the neck with that verdammen fürs luggen' cowl extension.

http://i.imgur.com/sA3Ix.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/hy8af.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/FK7Q4.jpg 









Glad theres no one around on the weekend to witness these problems...............


----------



## Hellados

This is insperational! I half want to try and make my own Titan but think I need to start smaller first


----------



## Blackadder

Great go for it! Just remember smaller isn't necessarily easier and it's not usually economical to build something you can afford to buy because your time is worth something as well.

Just my opinion for what it is worth.


----------



## Tawa

This whole project is frakking awesome! Loving all the interior work


----------



## Blackadder

While I am revamping the neck mount its time to address an issue I have found unsatisfactory in my rendering of the lip area. In the DS model and here is where he gets kudos in artistic ability.

http://i.imgur.com/sBVA7.jpg 









The lip area beneath the vent cowl is slightly drooping which give it a badass appearance. 

http://i.imgur.com/F2HJ7.jpg 









On my model that is not apparent being rather flat in line with the base line of the keel piece. 

http://i.imgur.com/B2DK1.jpg 









So I am modifying it to give it a more Hapsburgian visage.


----------



## Hellados

Oh dear... I just read your lucy thread... why oh why did I do that, now I shall never repaint my BA tanks and finish my IG and base the rest of my orks and and and....

I think I've worked out most of the materials that you have listed and found stockists this side of the pond but where do you get your +5mm styrefoam boards from? even Ebay has failed me, I've found some 5mm board that should give me enough but its over £100... (no way am I paying that when I can just get a fw titan).

I'm actually thinking that a Thunderhawk would be 'easier' to scratchbuild then a Titan (putting aside 90% of the finer details), what do you reckon?


----------



## Blackadder

First as I have oft mentioned on this thread were I to do Lucie or my incomplete Thunderhawk again I would not use foam filled poster board for the basic structure.

There is too much hassle getting sheet styrene to adhere properly to clay laden poster stock. I finally used relatively expensive 5-7 minute epoxy so the cost saving was obliterated and it's messy to work with. 

Secondly hull modifications were nerve wracking in that the foam had to be reinforce with a styrene framework before adding on the modifications. And lastly I regret I did not include an interior with Lucie or the T'hawk.

This is why I opted to build this Warlord completely from styrene.

BTW have you seen my T'hawk thread? 

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91763

Note the tremendous amount of rebuilding necessary to add interior detail:



Blackadder said:


> The rough cutout for the air brake panels interior detail.



I'll be getting back to the T'hawk once this Warlord is finished..............


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> Oh dear... I just read your lucy thread... why oh why did I do that, now I shall never repaint my BA tanks and finish my IG and base the rest of my orks and and and....
> 
> I think I've worked out most of the materials that you have listed and found stockists this side of the pond but where do you get your +5mm styrefoam boards from? even Ebay has failed me, I've found some 5mm board that should give me enough but its over £100... (no way am I paying that when I can just get a fw titan).
> 
> I'm actually thinking that a Thunderhawk would be 'easier' to scratchbuild then a Titan (putting aside 90% of the finer details), what do you reckon?


Someone on another forum just introduced me to this British based company....

http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/wargaming-materials-tools/sheet-materials.html?p=2

They may have what you need and seem rather reasonable as well.


----------



## Hellados

Yeah I love the TH too, I was wondering what had happened to it but then found read that it was on a back burner

Using styrene makes sense, I/you/we will need me to be very accurate but I can imagine its lighter and easily strengthened. I need to re-read this thread as I only finished the Lucie one late last night.
I'm thinking of reinforcing the styrene with 1cmx1cm wooden dowl-rod and for the smaller bits styrene I beams and square sections, would that work in your experience?
I’ve found a paper print out pdf of the warhound pattern titan and I think I’m going to use that for the sizes as well as every other picture and step by step guide. Does that sound like a good idea? Because even you couldn’t find the actual dimensions could you?
Is this monster getting as many rivets per sq ft as Lucie?


----------



## Blackadder

Surprisingly there are not many rivets.


----------



## Blackadder

I spite of my best efforts to pose everything as it should be the helmet slipped forward 6.0mm whilst I was taking the picture. 

Be that as it may the head is looking pretty good in this the final position of course I shall have to keep looking at the pictures to confirm I am not being delusional. 

http://i.imgur.com/Sq4KB.jpg 









The legs being able to support the upper body weight that most everyone was concerned with appears not to be an issue but the axle screws do need tightening as the knees are squatted back on their stops. 

http://i.imgur.com/lHm3R.jpg 









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









Once everything is completely built I'll replace the temporary screws with locking screws and washers.

And now its Miller time....... er correction; Martini time.


----------



## Blackadder

It will have the horns or downwards extensions in the "cheeks mantel" but there are fit problems with the spaced armour at this time where it interferes with the helmet dome and has to be modified:

http://i.imgur.com/FQ4fY.jpg 









Its still not quite right but I'm closing in on it............


----------



## Hellados

Looks very complicated, joys of making it all movable right? 

how about making the sideburn bits move and twist with the head (or not as the case is)


----------



## Blackadder

Everything is coming together as if it were planned which it wasn't (at least consciously). There is sufficient room on either side of the plug in neck for fillets to cover the neck movements in these the three following images it demonstrates the 20°+ of neck lateral travel.

http://i.imgur.com/gddD6.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/fuJ4a.jpg 









In the two following images the fillets allow for sliding blast doors in the neck vestibule and still allow for the head to tilt down.......... Egad!

http://i.imgur.com/fuJ4a.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/p5Uf4.jpg 









The fillets will also allow for the various geegaws and cryptic detail associated with the complexity of the flight station/cockpit.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

The simple fact that you are building this from a few scant images off the net is astounding. Everything you have done is amazingly well thought out. And the perfection you seek borders on the maniacal! 

Keep it up. I can't wait to see this finished emblem of Imperial might.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for your considered reply Thorngaard. I missed it when I posted the reply below so don't take it as a rebuke...................

The Blackadder is not certifiably insane (my mother had me tested);  but I do know a work of art when I see one (I may not know art but I know what I like).

Mr Smith's Warlord is worth emulating in it's entirety and in spite of the pitiful documentation I felt I wanted with some degree of latitude a facsimile so I decided to attempt a reprise. 

I do not want anything other than that what is represented in the few tantalizing images gleaned from literally hours of searching the 'net.

So that said here is the cockpit as it is this date albeit sans the incredible amount of detail still to come.

http://i.imgur.com/XpE1a.jpg 









And of course it is fully pose-able; my small contribution to what I consider an already perfect work of art.


----------



## Blackadder

Don't you hate it when good things happen to bad people?............I mean in the real world things are not supposed to go this well. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that Schroedinger's cat should be dead at least 50% of the time; Right?

It's gonna be that the Mayas were correct and 12/ 21/12 is gonna be the end of the world (Hell I knew that on November 6th 12 midnight...........) 

So what is the Blackadder on about you say......... How do I know the world will implode???????????????

Well I just finished today's run on my little project and stupidity has taken a holiday everything is coming up roses. I can't seem to make a mistake. 

Witness the following images:

The head from the bottom looking left:

http://i.imgur.com/Hmy1Z.jpg 









The head from the bottom looking right:

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









The head from the side looking forward:

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









The head from the side looking down:

http://i.imgur.com/IL4UB.jpg 









The interior of the head mechanism:

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









So that's how I know the day of the LORD is upon us....

Thanks for all the fish..............


----------



## Hellados

Wow that's not how I thought you'd done it at all!! but if it works! very well done mate


----------



## Mossy Toes

The eeend. The eeeend is niiiiigh!

Fantastic stuff, as usual.


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> Wow that's not how I thought you'd done it at all!! but if it works! very well done mate


How would you have done it?????????? No smiley to cover this question...........


----------



## Hellados

I was thinking of a way of trying to attach it in the middle of the neck but it wouldn't of given him as much range of movement and extremely limited how far down it could look.

I was thinking I would of attached it to a rod going through the middle with a similar pair of hinges on it. It wouldn't of been able to look down as much because the back of the head would hit the top of the neck.


----------



## Blackadder

Ha, we're still here! Silly Mayans.................

Sorry, I shouldn't have fooled around.

Everyone is fixating on 'straw' as in 'broke the camels back' a metaphor.

But back to the fillet/ribbon............

In the image below the arrow #1 is pointing to an area that I wanted closed at all times regardless of the position of the head.

http://i.imgur.com/G3sW0.jpg 









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









I first considered a roundel of plastic but there was no place for it and the hinge axle.

A flap of plastic would not seal properly so I combined the two and came up with this curved ribbon anchored at each side of the neck.

#1 is represented in the same area in the image below:

http://i.imgur.com/oLLy1.jpg 









#2 is the fillet ribbon which I looped 35 mm from the hinge axle.

#3 refers to two pins that apply pressure to the ribbon which slides on the pins keeping the gap closed as the head turns side to side.


----------



## Grins1878

This thread never ceases to amaze me!


----------



## Hellados

Ah so is that the straw that you were talking about?

That's the kinda solution I like to a problem, simple and effective


----------



## Blackadder

Below is the rough appearance of the flight station blast doors. I was going to make them to slide open but it smacks of gimmickry. 

http://i.imgur.com/onx53.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/SkJ00.jpg 









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









Opinions?


----------



## Hellados

Oh my god you're also doing the inside!! how does that work as a thought? 

I guess the blast doors would be a bad shout as people may of thought you could stick a power sword through them while wearing a robe 

Did you receive my pm the other day?


----------



## Blackadder

Note; All cross dressers must check weapons i.e. power swords at the door.

Did you receive my pm today


----------



## Blackadder

Despite the dubious practical value of the head machinations to move side to side and up and down by which I mean that a simple turret mounted video camera could accomplish the same with a lot less technology one cannot dismiss the distinct psychological effect on the enemy in the focus of that unfeeling stare as the great visage ponderously turns in your direction to transfix you in its soulless gaze. 


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









http://i.imgur.com/4VdsY.jpg 









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









http://i.imgur.com/8l6mc.jpg 









The magnets are all in place to secure the neck in the up and locked position and hold the helmet in place. Not a bad amount of work for the morning 'fore Christmas.


----------



## Blackadder

Yeah I know it looks like I am posting the same pictures but I am trying to convince myself that the nose and cheek armour fits okay. 

First I have to prime the bits beneath and then glue on the face armour so it has to be right the first shot.

http://i.imgur.com/Wz1Ri.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/vXFg3.jpg 









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









I figure if I see it in a photo it will show me where the discrepancies lie. Totally discount that the armour is slightly askew; rubber bands only can accomplish just so much and no more.

Plus I gotta go out to dinner, another waste of precious model building time.

Don't they know theres a war on!


----------



## shaantitus

This thread is really handy, Whenever i start to feel that i have developed real skill and ability in the area of modelling and converting this thread brings me crashing back to earth. I have commented in your various threads before but this is beyond anything anyone had contemplated before, and executed with perfection. See that last word PERFECTION. There is no way to improve on this. Heresy needs to create a new award for you blackadder(Awesome handle by the way). 'Mantle of the Fabricator General' perhaps?


----------



## KjellThorngaard

I like the idea that the doors slide open/closed. Were you thinking to make them workable as so many other components in this build?

I believe the command deck would have a mechanism to seal it from the rest of the war machine. How else can the machine spirit vent reactor gas into the body of the beast to kill off interlopers without wacking the princeps and command crew? Blast doors ho!

Endless war at that. Who forgets it?


----------



## Blackadder

The following observation is from a fan on another forum. Not being a football aficionado I wasn't aware of this similarity:



Civik said:


> It looks like an angry viking or dwarf with a mustache... I ponder if that was the original artists representation?
> 
> For reference, see the Minnesota Vikings logo.



I checked that out and I've never seen that logo before (not a football fan); the resemblance is uncanny.


----------



## Blackadder

Its getting more and more difficult to take these assembled images. The parts keep falling off and out of place but I can't glue any of them on as yet as they need further detailing and of course painting.

Below you see the overall effect of the model with the scale 28 MM figure in the foreground at its feet and a Lucius Baneblade for comparison:

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









Here you see a grunt's eye view of the behemoth:

http://i.imgur.com/GU3lz.jpg 









and here you see you have attracted it's attention:

http://i.imgur.com/7R6am.jpg


----------



## Old Man78

Mind bendingly brilliant as usual, cannot wait for paint on this beast, fantastic work and again thanks for sharing this with us


----------



## KjellThorngaard

> I checked that out and I've never seen that logo before (not a football fan); the resemblance is uncanny.


It is. Kinda cool. I am not a football fan either* and never would have noticed it. 

*Not of American football. I love football. Go Bayern Munich!


----------



## Hellados

Lol it has a beard 

Absolutely stunning though! Are you aware of how many points they're worth on a gaming table? A LOT is the clue


----------



## The_Werewolf_Arngeirr

funny thing, vikings never had horns like that. XD


----------



## Blackadder

The_Werewolf_Arngeirr said:


> funny thing, vikings never had horns like that. XD


Hey wadda ya want, they're football jocks. 

I'm surprised they even know about the Viking's incursion into Minnesota!


----------



## Blackadder

KjellThorngaard said:


> It is. Kinda cool. I am not a football fan either* and never would have noticed it.
> 
> *Not of American football. I love football. Go Bayern Munich!


The thing about American football................ Somebody has to *WIN!*


----------



## Scalpel

I hope I'm being a smidge original...










Epic craftmanship in your scratch building sir... seriously impressive. Exactly how large are the seats for the 28mm models?


----------



## Blackadder

Just to few more images to round out the week. 

Top view: 

http://i.imgur.com/8fQCV.jpg 









------------------------------------------------

Legs sprawled in the classic Reaver stance:

http://i.imgur.com/j19PZ.jpg 









I love this pose, it seems to say, "Go ahead, make my day."

What's Latin for, "Dirty Harry?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Looking up; well because the hip bolts loosened:

http://i.imgur.com/u25WM.jpg 









No time to tighten them as I have another Holiday commitment................

I hate this week.


----------



## chilledmonkeybrains

Badass. That's all I can really say.

Loving the photo from yesterday with the titan leaning back on the chair; it looks like an old man who's legs are about to buckle beneath him. I think he needs a hip replacement 

On a more serious tip, the whole project is looking badass. I suppose I'd best chuck some rep at you...


----------



## Hellados

I'm sure there is innuendo along with that comic strip somewhere, the guns aren't finished are they? They need more armour don't they? They look a bit small atm


----------



## Blackadder

I made the guns purposely with a smaller caliber because it looked more realistic that way

The side armour on the guns gets another layer of spaced armour that is 1/4 to 1/3 times longer which should give the impression of larger ordinance.

I promise, when the bolt installations are finalized it will stand without support.


----------



## Hellados

gd gd, I thought so, well I thought it needed more armour, I know nothing about guns except the very obvious and that England made ones better then anyone elses until the 20th century 

As for him standing up is it nuts and bolts that keep him upright? If so does he have washers on the joints to help keep it all together?


----------



## Septok

Blackadder said:


> What's Latin for, "Dirty Harry?"


Harrius sordidus. Capitalise sordidus' 's' if you wish. (Post scriptum - or Harrius Foedidus.)

It's been great watching this evolve as it has, from childhood, sort of skipping adolescence because I'm lazy and seeing its head finally take form. It will be fun to see the finished product. Keep it up.


----------



## DecrepitDragon

I disappear for a few weeks and come back to see this!

Stunning stuff mate. Simply mind bending in its brilliance. And itd not even finished!

Have some rep. :don-t_mention:


----------



## KjellThorngaard

Awesome as always. So now that the head is nearing completion, what next? How many more weapons mounts does a Warlord have?


----------



## Blackadder

The chest plate is the last major external component. Then the skirt of the carapace needs amending to clear the main guns in certain positions. The stanchions of the main guns need more detail likewise all the front armour on the carapace and main hull. The under carapace detail windows and access panels to view the interior, the interior of all three decks and the cockpit, leg hydraulics, spaced armour on the greaves............ The list seems endless.............. Oh, the shoulder mounted twin turbolasers and the lighting.


----------



## Hellados

Now that's the difference between a Blackadder Plog and a standard one, the details, the lists, the determination to get it right rather then done


----------



## Blackadder

The Weapon Spaced armour was the initial subject for the new year thus far. I wasn't too satisfied with the gauntlet armour as it appears on the DS model. It seemed too short front to back and made the guns look barrel heavy There is a add on counterweight plate that Mr Smith added and I shall add it as well but I also elongated the from tan rear bevel and increased the overall length of the armour 19.5 MM.

http://i.imgur.com/wZ8uf.jpg 









My issue with the entire 40K


----------



## Blackadder

So it's official (Subject to change of course) The Warlord's name will be, ''Luteus Vexant''


----------



## tricktroller

Should be Luteo Vexant. Luteus means yellow Luteo means dirty.

Also the name Harry isn't vexant that is the verb form of harry as in the space marines harried the traitor legions into the Eye. So it would be Luteo Harrius

also here are some more adjectives for dirty in latin 


immundus
unclean, dirty, filthy, foul, impure, untidy
inmundus
unclean, filthy, dirty, foul, impure, untidy
sordidus
dirty, slovenly, filthy, weedy, mean, base
spurcus
dirty, filthy, impure, nasty, foul, obscene
squalus
dirty, filthy, impure, foul


----------



## tricktroller

I personally like Sordidus Harrius


----------



## Blackadder

Harry works and I will not have my Titan's name ending in a vowel! Luteus Vexant so it shall be.


----------



## Blackadder

Today we're going to tackle the manufacture of removable panels.

Misguided as I am I am under the delusion that interior detail will be a plus for this construct.

The problem is how to access viewing of said detail.

The answer is rare earth magnets. I bought mine at Harbor Freight; 10 magnets 5/16" dia. X 5/64" thick for about a buck and change per package 

The first order of instruction is "DON"T SWALLOW THESE MAGNETS!" I am given to understand that they will stick together in your small intestine and cause blockage that could result in having to be surgically removed.

That obvious caution rendered, the problem is how to glue these to the frame of your compartment so as to take full advantage of their marvelous properties.

I came up with this method:

I cut thin sections from Evergreen 3/8" square box beam extrusion and glued them after squaring the cut to a piece of 0.020 scrap sheet styrene.

http://i.imgur.com/i8oXJ.jpg 









I the incapsulated a magnet into the recess and sanded the rim down to almost flush with the magnet face.

I then glued a scrap of 0.010 sheet styrene to the rim, allowed to dry, sanded off the excess and had a magnet ready to be incorporated into the opening.

http://i.imgur.com/rLW0L.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/tQ95V.jpg 









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









I used eight magnets instead of magnets and washers to close off the front chest panel on my titan as I wanted a tight seam.

http://i.imgur.com/DruL1.jpg 









I used variations on this to affix the neck in the vertical and up position and to secure the helmet to the cockpit. 



-- 
E. Blackadder


----------



## spanner94ezekiel

Would make for an interesting gameboard/objective for Inquisitor/Necromunda if you weren't using it for a game, what with all the access corridors and observation points.

Inspiring work as always :good:


----------



## Blackadder

A Warlord as a Space Hulk style scenario interesting! Granted there is little to be advantaged by building an entire Warlord to have an on-board firefight but the premise does have possibilities. However my main concern is the completion of an battle-board adversary.............. but your suggestion will be taken under advisement. 

Thx, 

EB


----------



## Blackadder

I spent the better part of today tightening the joints and installing the magnets. The whole thing weighs in at 10 pounds (4.5 Kg) and stands 26 inches (66.04 CM) tall in this pose.

http://i.imgur.com/7EIva.jpg 










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










http://i.imgur.com/Lhs85.jpg 










http://i.imgur.com/Za2nF.jpg 









The thigh guards are now magnetized but need centering strips to keep them square. The head in the up position is held in place with a single magnet pair and the helmet is held in place with two double magnet pairs

The face shield I believe will get magnets to hold it on which should make painting easier.

Whew I can't believe it's standing on its own and not crushing the feet mechanisms.

Dumb luck strikes again.


----------



## Tawa

Mary mother of christ that looks awesome! :so_happy:


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks, Okay here's what I noticed from these images........... The ugly dude in the background, that is beyond helping. The hips axles are way too spindly, that can be remedied.


----------



## Tawa

Blackadder said:


> The hips axles are way too spindly, that can be remedied.


The bloke or the titan?


----------



## Hellados

lmfao its either a look of concentration or complete insanity (maybe too close to call).

The Titan is looking fantastic, what details are the shin guards getting?


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> lmfao its either a look of concentration or complete insanity (maybe too close to call).


Yeah! Nice! Make fun of my lazy eyebrow. Ms Blackadder also comments on it.

Insanity of course not, my mother had me tested.


----------



## spanner94ezekiel

Blackadder said:


> Insanity of course not, my mother had me tested.


Indeed, Mr. Cooper. :laugh:


----------



## Blackadder

We will soon inform you of our decision regarding your indiscretions and having permitted your primitive efforts to see my form, I trust it has pleased your curiosity.


----------



## Mossy Toes

I am impressed by how much you look like your avatar. You are... the most interesting scratchbuilder who, uh, goes forth?


----------



## Blackadder

I actually selected the avatar because I liked the joke............

Might we expect your resemblance to an evil Jesus based on a similar premise? 

Hopefully as humourous as I intended now to the business at hand:

To demonstrate the frequent fallibility of the Blackadder yesterday evening I spent the better part of two hours making brackets to hold the steering cylinders for the hips (Multitasking for I was watching a movie as well) Not surprisingly I was not satisfied with the result so I slept on the problem.This morning in what I can only describe as a eureka moment the mechanism jelled in my mind and I made a quick sketch.

Now it is off to the craft shop for beads and fine threaded screws. 


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








Note to self; I have to be more careful as to what appears in the background.

The sketch:

http://i.imgur.com/uXJr7.jpg 









Note to budding scratch builders; the diameter of the tubing..........this may or may not be too small. I see in a lot of scratch models that hydraulic cylinders are fabricated of too small a diameter tubing giving a too delicate or flimsy appearance.

steering cylinders on a construct of this magnitude should be massive for not only do they have to move the apparatus but they must also be able to absorb the shock of the step. A cylinder too small will burst or at the very least blow it's seals with great frequency. Make the cylinders heavy to be believable in fantasy engineering where the cost is not a consideration.


----------



## Blackadder

Returning from the craft store I found 'Michael's was running a sale on plastic beads in spherical bearing stainless steel colouring no less except for the 10 MM size, so now I have a goodly supply for some time to come for about 6 bucks............ sadly women use these only to decorate their necks, poor dears; you can't tell me they didn't come up the short end on creativity..........

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


----------



## Blackadder

This is the first try to make a ball and rotator cup that will allow the hips to flex when the legs are moved.

You will note that the piston has free 360° rotation within the confines of the cup which should give me the range of motion I need. I have to make ten of these for each leg so by the time I am done this one will have to be replaced as I am hoping to refine the mechanism and apperance.

Yeah you're right that's a Space Marine shoulder armour bitz:

http://i.imgur.com/4zYpY.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/SZ36e.jpg









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


----------



## Blackadder

Here I departed from the prototype by adding steering hydraulics noticeably missing from the original. And the Epic model as well I might add........

With a lot of effort I managed to approximate my sketch, the four images below depict the movement of the hip rotor showing it in the forward walking, rearward walking deflection, rearward splayed and forward splayed positions.

Shown mounted are the right rear steering cylinders, two of the eight hydraulic servos needed for steering showing the piston travel range. 

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










http://i.imgur.com/0WVNq.jpg










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










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









Now I'm not so sure that I like the SM shoulder armour rod ends and may remount them to a large disk..................

Or leave them off entirely...............

Madness!


----------



## LazyG

Question, not that realism is a thing but if you expose the hydraulics wouldn't they need some sort of shield/armour at least partially obscuring them. Aesthetically a great plan but without them you can argue they are steered through something internal to the joint. If you add them uncovered, even with 'void shields' once they come down it makes wrecking it trivial if you shoot at the joint and take out the hydraulics. 

Or am i overthinking it?


----------



## Blackadder

Yeah I feel the same way, I'm not at all pleased with the size or the mounting plus the employment of these devices will necessitate further modification of the original design (Shield Armour) as they provide prime targets that would immobilize the titan were they to be damaged. I am in the process of rethinking the whole steering apparatus which while essential to a "real world" construct must also be of a size and application commensurate with a construct of this proportion and vulnerability. I.E. they need to be shielded..............

Just more reenforcement that the Blackadder is a likely candidate for the disorient express. Were I to not over-think this project it might be finished by now..............

Whom I kidding I never would have been satisfied with less.......... Back up the cookie wagon.......


----------



## Hellados

I've always though (on the exposed workings topic) that they could just be backups/overkill/justincase, I mean that they could be more tucked away under the armour but to give it more power they stick some on the outside too.

imho I like the SM shoulder pads, dunno why, but meh


----------



## Blackadder

Blackadder here and I hope this is coherent enough as I am celebrating with my daily double Martini ''Dirty Harry'' AKA ''Luteus Vexant'' is standing on his own and sporting his new steering cylinders, almost double the size (diameter) of my initial effort. I know a lot of subscribers were pleased with the SM shoulder armour but it just didn't look strong enough to steer an 50 meter tall biped (actually 45M). My new version ties the actuators into the hip with a 1.5 meter (scale) thick mount disc that not only provide a more robust attachment point but also provides a thicker hip base which is a personal criticism of mine and other subscribers. An added benefit is that the whole hip is tied together with 1/4/ 20 bolts (sorry no metric equivalent, blame my provincial education). I love the new mount system as it allows "Luteus'' to stand on his own without adult supervision.

We're on the home stretch now with this construct as everything is holding together swimmingly. I need only to add the chest and greave armour, build the interior and design a viable LED light system to get him ready for painting........................

Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's a lot of work still left to do!

http://i.imgur.com/bZGcXb4.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/rM4A00Z.jpg









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









http://i.imgur.com/9yzzyKi.jpg









BTW there are a few interesting details on the main armament shielding. I picked this up on close examination of the few images I have of the original and is a testament to the artistic beauty of Dave Smith's creation. If you look at the side armour on the cannon you see at the aft end a rather home made addition to the aft end of the shield. This is obviously an ''in the field'' (so to speak) addition that protected an area not foreseen by the engineers. This harkens back to my own personal experience where we added protection in areas that were not provide by the original designers. Kudos to Mr Smith.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

Smashing. It is good see the little tyke standing tall!


----------



## Blackadder

Okay here's the deal; as the steering cylinders are designed they scale about 0.5 meters piston diameter. If you are an average sized male, thats about the diameter of your waist. That's a huge hydraulic actuator! Whether this is adequate for legs 23 meters long is subject to conjecture but anything bigger will just look clumsy so they will just have to suffice. Below is the breakdown of the construction of the steering cylinders and I still have to install the leg splaying cylinders.

I hope these images clear up the workings of the assembly. If not ask for clarification...........

http://i.imgur.com/6ow9pMw.jpg









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









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









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









http://i.imgur.com/euKrU7i.jpg









Click in the link above the image for a larger photo..........

Sorry about the gross boo boo image I tend to ignore such insignificant dermal penetrations............


----------



## Blackadder

I found these in the cosmetic aisle in my local food market (No I don't use these product (In the conventional sense at least) but there are some exciting patrons in that area.) any-who I found these and thought they might make flexible conduits for my titan so I bought a pack and brought them home to experiment............

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









Hair elastic bungees go figure...............

http://i.imgur.com/5wZhSDH.jpg









WIP

http://i.imgur.com/6GFiqEZ.jpg









Here is where the conduit will be situated

Bottom line they make great conduit and look for them on my Warlord...............


----------



## Blackadder

It's surprising the amount of skepticism I am encountering on other forum. Concern about the paint cracking, the fabric not accepting the paint, too stiff. It should be known by now that I test my suggestions before I recommend them; I don't want to mislead any of my readers.

BTW the can of flat black spray paint is a bargain, a buck a can at Wallmart for the basic white, gray, and black primer flats with the good 'old style spray' nozzle and extremely fast drying. I used to use Krylon primer but they switched to a terrible nozzle that applies too much paint and everywhere but where its needed. Fine of you are painting a barn door but awful for a hobbyist.

Its a pity because it was the best primer paint on the market............. But this Walmart stuff is just as good.


----------



## Blackadder

Maybe I am deluding myself in thinking these hair bands came out d-mned good and make as good a flexible conduit as I've seen.

The one hanging from the cylinder is left disconnected for clarity of how the plug in mounting is made. There is a straight pin inserted through the center of the hair band to hold the 90° bend (After the pin is threaded through the band I cut the point off for safety.) and the end of the hair band is glued into the 5/32 white tube with Testors thick plastic cement.

http://i.imgur.com/VbSll8C.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

One thing this project has taught me is that designing your work before executing the hard copy is essential. Fortunately there were very few rebuild modifications necessary but it could easily gone the other way necessitating grievous overhaul of major components.

as it is I miscalculated on the lack of hydraulic actuators required to operate the legs so once they were installed; five per leg is how I see it for a reasonable set of actuators............ I had to revamp the eye-candy shock-absorbers to make them fit and still retain a modicum of the original configuration. I still have to resolve the inner thigh snubbers but I think I have a solution for those.

When last we viewed Chrysagon he had received his conduits to the upper thigh area and was awaiting the sprawled legged actuators so necessary for that "Waddaya want d-mn you?" stance so cool in the Reaver milieu.

Now I have the hydraulic shock absorbers in place and the inner thigh area is coming out sufficiently cluttered to give the impression of massive mechanizations. and take away from the fact that the actual upper legs are thinner than they appear. A source of critique for the last few pages.

We'll see how this work is received once everyone has recovered from the Super-bowl fever.

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









http://i.imgur.com/a39XjVe.jpg 








It will be interesting how my departure from the original is received regarding the actuators but I honestly cannot conceive how I could have used less and still had this titan ambulatory........

http://i.imgur.com/0uB0bbE.jpg 








These cylinders cannot be anything other than shock absorbers the way they are fastened. The ones on the inner shank dwindle down to a ridiculous diameter but that can be rectified at a later date. 

http://i.imgur.com/K08EaUr.jpg 








The overall look sans greaves is striking and to cover all that work is painful but fortunately the greaves are removable so the work can be viewed.


----------



## Blackadder

All the joint caps are magnetized for ease of access to the joint screws to change the pose. The upper thigh armour is afixed with magnets as well
The inner greave is held in place with the battery compartment drawer but i may add magnets to this area as well when I finish the greave detail in point of fact I had planned on doing that today.............. 

http://i.imgur.com/m3b5IlT.jpg 








Theres still a lot of detailing to add................ yeeeechhhhh!

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








Note the ankle cap suspended from the wrench..........

http://i.imgur.com/e7JAT39.jpg 








Note the battery compartment on the rear of the greave..........


----------



## Septok

Do I smell lighting and/or motors here? Seriously great work so far though. Five billion points to Gryffindor (or whichever house you belong to) if you can get it to walk about actually shooting things. You could make thousands for a Titan army and take over the world.


----------



## Blackadder

Well the battery compartment and the colour coded wiring should be a clue but sadly only LED lights will grace this construct. There are 4 Leman Russ Search lights to be mounted on the greave flank armour that will be illuminated.

You can Paypal the five giga-bucks to the house of G'Gugvuntt and we'll forget about our pending attempt at world domination. The last time due to a terrible miscalculation of scale our entire battle fleet was eaten by a small dog.


----------



## Blackadder

Well it appears my greaves are a tad taller and narrower than I intended. I always had two reservations about M. Smith's noble effort, one that the head was just a trifle too big and two, that the greaves were too square looking. I am satisfied with the head but I won't know about the greaves until they are finished. Right now they look too tall and narrow.

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










Why does this pose remind me of ''Saturday Night Fever?''
http://i.imgur.com/klPGeJD.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

I really shouldn't go off on these creative tangents and stick with the original design. The DS greaves were too wide in my perception but damn if they didn't look better than my narrower version. 

So in one of my frequent all nighters I repaired the greaves to a compromise width and shortened the surface armour 11.0 mm top and bottom each to shorten the greave I also squared up the outer edge to bring it more into conformation with the prototype............ Sorry to have doubted your artistic genius Mr. Smith, 

One day I will learn.

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









We'll have to see if these modifications are extreme enough.........

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









Note the wiring for the parallel circuit to the Leman Russ search lights 

http://i.imgur.com/0gtSefa.jpg 









Note on the top inner surface of the flying greave the gusset that obscures the faux pas. fortunately it only adds more detail and character to the design.


----------



## Blackadder

Built the hinged greave extensions to protect the ankle mechanism yesterday. There is a lot more detail on the greaves than is perceived in a casual glance. layers upon layers of truncated armour which is seriously depleting my 0.25 mm sheet stock.

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








Note the tow rings that for whatever purpose are included in the original. Without wheels or dollies under the feet, I fail to see of what use they could be.?

http://i.imgur.com/qBWjY7m.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

The following is meant to be humorous......................... I'm too shallow to be pessimistic.

Okay, I've reached a point in my life that I don't expect the Universe to work period.

There is no Santa Claus, Sorry kiddies it's true............

The SS system will collapse the day before I get on it..........

There'll be immortality discovered the day I am just too old to have it work..........

"The Big Rip" will commence as soon as I win the Lottery...........

Thats just how things happen and I accept it............ 

So when things like this happen I start looking over my shoulder for that asteroid.

I have no plan for this titan, everything is pretty much 'off the cuff.' I haven't given a minute's thought to the leg, ankle, step mechanism, 'what have you' since about June of last year.

So I gathers some bitz crap together and start making the heel actuator and hell! Everything is falling into place, I can't do anything wrong.......... The bracket is just the right width, there are two channels 2.0 mm wide running up the back of the bracket, there is sufficient clearance for the quadrant sprocket and there is a bitz that can act as the lower attach point! And it all works!

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









http://i.imgur.com/b8PJ3Oc.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/Ff0eB8j.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/ZgQx2j9.jpg









What the frack gives?

and has that under water landslide just happened in the Canaries!


----------



## Blackadder

Don't blame the messenger..........

I post on about twenty forum and since I posted what I thought was a ironic reply about doomsday alarmists I have received damned few replies on any of the forums. Granted I reply to not too many worthwhile threads mostly because of a lack of time but I think that it's a good thing to recognize that there are forces of nature that are beyond the complacent control of burgeoning humanity secure in their ivory towers thinking there is nothing Nature can devise that cannot be over come by Pollyanna humanity thinking.

I'll have to stifle my misgivings!


----------



## Mossy Toes

Blackadder said:


> The last time due to a terrible miscalculation of scale our entire battle fleet was eaten by a small dog.


I seem to be having a problem with my life.

Coming on excellently—leaps! Bounds! Stellar work, as always.


----------



## Blackadder

And so back to business. The greaves are a massive undertaking, much more than I gave thought to.

The layer armour is time and material consuming far beyond what I thought would be the case and I am still struggling with an acceptable solution. I have already resigned myself that I shall have to rebuild the thigh armour............

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









http://i.imgur.com/luFR9LY.jpg


----------



## shaantitus

Spectacularly detailed work as allways Edmund. I am picking up all the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy quotes by the way. Some of us are educated.:crazy:


----------



## Blackadder

OMG I can't believe what I write sometimes............ Martinis and a keyboard make for some strange literation.


----------



## Blackadder

Stone cold sober on this one 

I've gotta stop surfing the web I just found another project that really piqued my interest. Not that I'll be starting this anytime in the near or distant future but how awesome would a Chaos Decimator Warlord titan be!










Although of a comparable size to the current Warlord. I didn't build this just upstage it with a larger opponent.


----------



## Blackadder

I hope this looks better when it's painted. Heres a new use for camouflage; it hides discrepancies 

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









I spent a lot of time finishing up the greave detail and lengthening and widening the thigh armour.


----------



## KjellThorngaard

But so worth it. You have taken that massive flat suface and filled it with detail, adding realism to plated armor. I can only imagine how much styrene you have blown through. Do you buy in bulk frm a plastic distributor?


----------



## Blackadder

I bought Large sheet styrene but I was disappointed as it was softer than the Plastcard, Evergreen, and Midwest I am use to. I did find it more malleable for the project below: (Using it for a compound rounded surface such as on a Reaver carapace it would be ideal)

Today I started on the last major component of the exterior, the Turbo Laser secondary armament.

I made these an 1.25 inch (≈ 29 MM) longer than the FW standard lasers for the Warhound but the same diameter which seems like a pretty good estimate.

I started with evergreen 0.5 inch (≈ 12.6 MM) tube and wrapped 0.020 inch (≈ 0.25 MM) sheet styrene (foreground) around the tube feathering the initial start lip smooth and gluing as I wrapped and clamped the outer edge. This is the best way I have found to increase the diameter of styrene tubing within reason of course. You wouldn't do this to say, double the radius but that method will be left for another demonstration.

Once I have the wrap dry (I called it a late night after I glued these last evening) and woke this morning to the seams completely dried (beginning to sound like a tweet!) I sanded the outer end to feather the edge which gave me the 4 barrels shown below.

http://i.imgur.com/1VfDCf2.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

These gun barrels are relatively easy compared to the mega bolter and plasma cannon. I suspect the flame thrower would also be simple to build. I wrapped another strip around the front end of the barrel sanded the seam to a feathered edge, matched the barrels because there is a millimeter discrepancy in length, too little to be concerned with as the guns pairs will be a foot apart. 

http://i.imgur.com/j3NsX11.jpg









The seams won't show because the connection joints between the barrels will hide them.

Applied the barrel quartering strips and the end detail to the secondary muzzle and the barrel base.

Next comes the final detailing............


----------



## Blackadder

To quote the Far Side; God making snakes, "That was easy!"










Once the basic measurements were established and the barrels bulked up bases and collars were installed the small detail went on quickly. I started gluing on the linear strips last night and finished the various gun sights this morning. About an hour ago I secured the Lasers to the drum turrets and they are drying so I figured it was time for a picture or two.

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









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









In all I guess the twin lasers took about 6 hours over the weekend to build. I didn't think it necessary to do a step by step on the fine detail.

http://i.imgur.com/B7bPMIk.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/zLa56Vh.jpg


----------



## KjellThorngaard

So many guns. Such big guns. Who wouldn't want a Titan?

Looking good Blackadder!


----------



## Blackadder

I count six guns unless all those tubes surrounding the main guns are also guns?

What is missing are anti personnel weapons. I made allowances for that in the pelvis at the back where I have two bolter slits on either side of the aquila on the image below


----------



## Blackadder

Paint, yes it's been a long time coming but finally I have applied a bit of paint to the old girl. I'm about ready to glue the face armour on permanently so before I do I primed the area covered by the armour and the back side of the armour itself.

I'm pretty sure all the head detail is done. I finished up last night while I watched old ''Untouchable'' reruns.

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









http://i.imgur.com/d0qOuA8.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

So face armour glued on, fine detail finished; except for conduit and decals and of course the finish painting.

http://i.imgur.com/OoZb9W8.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

You're going to have to look close to see the differences between the last posted image and the current one.

I added a lot of secondary armour to the side of the carapace and the front of the carapace and under the hood.

All the little pieces bordering the the carapace skirt and chest plate are installed.

The secondary tertiary and quaternary armour plates are installed on the side panels to the chest plate. 


http://i.imgur.com/j7XXtD6.jpg









A lot of work but not much change in overall appearance.


----------



## Blackadder

A busy weekend getting all the laminated armour on the chest and front of the carapace. Still a few bits to add but the overall effect of the slabs of plating gives a weighty look to an otherwise bland facade. 

Note the diagonal strips on either side of the chest and head radiating out from center. These obviously were part of the original frontal escarpment installed when the Titan was first constructed. 

Although further additions over the millennia supplemented these reinforcing stringers the buttress-like carapace bracing was left in place being an integral part of the original structure. 

Initially armour was added with a nod to aesthetic appeal but more recent supplemental additions gave way to having a more haphazard and utilitarian appearance.

Wiring, conduit, and components were added where ever they would fit without consideration to the Majesty of the 'Builders' original concept for they, 'the builders' were of a different time and almost a race apart from the current custodians of the God Machine.

http://i.imgur.com/6cF2r7D.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/01ZIJk6.jpg









Note the test of colour to the interior of the void generator housing. A lovely Pistachio matte green for base coat. The Tesla coils will be emitting residual sparks in the mode of a Jacob's Ladder when finished.

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









Such goes through your mind while this monster takes shape before you...................

Time to take a ride in 'the cookie wagon' Blackadder!


----------



## shaantitus

This is where you come into your own. I thought you were nearly finnished months ago. But you still find ways to make it better. The new armor is very detailed and impressive. You Are The Machine God.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks, finished is a relative term. I am given to understand that some Renaissance artists didn't varnish their work because they never considered their work done......... 

Mind the styrene dust. Took a break from scratching to surf the web while waiting for glue to dry. The flash image came out rather well although the desk is encumbered with it's nightly debris.

http://i.imgur.com/htlxw9f.jpg









I'm in uncharted territory with the carapace side panels but from what I can gleam there are vertical reinforcements that just didn't look right so I changed them to match the diagonal seams of the side armour. Much better............


----------



## gearhart

Haven't looked at this in quite some time... But your still doing such lovely work! Have you considered casting it once you are done? To put so much time and effort into something and get two out of it would be a fantastic addition too any army! I still cant believe how much detail you put into each and every thing you do. I love your dedication, and hope to learn from it! Glad to see you haven't spared any detail! Until next time! :victory:


----------



## alasdair

This is quite possibly one of the best plogs ever to grace these forums.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

Started on the cockpit interior today for a change of pace. This is largely experimental as I have no idea of the direction I'll be taking but a good beginning will be the pilot and copilot /Sensori who seem in a position of guiding the warlord even though they aren't I'm given to understand.

I plan to make this a plug-in unit so it will be removable for painting and modification if needs be. I also want to install fiber optic instrument lighting in the future but just getting the general layout is the objective at the moment.

http://i.imgur.com/HI9iBB3.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/qk6BlhW.jpg









The seating looks rather crude as I just knocked them together for a general size.

I hope to refine them later.


----------



## gearhart

I've learned to visualize how something will look once your done with something..and with the current look of the interior(size and shape) There will be an insane amount of detail. WHICH IN TURN IS GETTING ME QUITE EXCITED! What models will you be using for the crew and how many will you be adding? Will you only be adding extra seats? You could also try adding a Star Trek feel? Or is there a picture you are going off of?


----------



## Blackadder

I have a mental image of what I want to accomplish similar to a Reaver configuration but greatly larger. Behind the two seated Sensori there will be two standing crew members on either side behind them in the rear center of the Flight station is the Princep in his tank attended by a Moderati.......... behind them will be the neck corridor ending at the Blast door which opens onto the Command deck ...............See below:

It's been quite some time since I demonstrated the removable Command deck so I'll begin by showing the recess with the Command deck removed. 

Of course the model is upside down for clarity and to give a good view of the slot the Command deck fit into.

The asymmetry between the left and rig side is not apparent in the first photo but the last the show the cutout for the gantry door vestibule. A little modification I had to make so the rear door to nowhere lined up with the Command deck. 

http://i.imgur.com/hcjjk0r.jpg









Below is the Command deck itself right side up and the model in the background is still upside down with a good shot at the vestibule on the left side.

Is that clear?

http://i.imgur.com/U83G212.jpg









A shot of the Command deck half inserted inverted into the hull recess both components are now upside down for clarity..............is that clear? 

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









And another shot from a lower angle of both components prior to assembling and installing the blast door that isolates the cockpit. Not shown as yet as the paint isn't dry.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Forgot to take these images. Command deck fully inserted showing access to the connecting tunnel to the Flight deck and cockpit. The two naves on either side of the tunnel were going to be sanitary facilities but I was apprised do to bio-engineering of the crew there is no necessity for necessaries.

Some sort of bag I suppose.............

http://i.imgur.com/lezcj6x.jpg









And the frame of the blast door component fits just right. Whew!

http://i.imgur.com/vf6gmn4.jpg


----------



## DeathJester921

Don't know why I haven't commented or given you rep yet. Amazing work. Simply amazing. Awe inspiring, even. Good job Blackadder. Have some rep. Can't wait to see the finished product.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

Referring back a dozen pages or so concern was expressed as to where the pocket doors would slide when they were opened. That problem appears to have been resolved although if I decide to re-install the WC's, they will be out of service when the pocket doors are opened.

Access denied!:
http://i.imgur.com/4ILPn3F.jpg









The pocket doors closed:
http://i.imgur.com/RCBSBCQ.jpg


----------



## Old Man78

+rep on continued brilliance


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

High-tech futuristic door and frame I need 3 of these for the Command deck alone. I should have picked an simpler door assembly.

http://i.imgur.com/HsUP3xb.jpg









I've just about reached my limit of patience in rendering detail. I'm a bit out of practice working this fine.

Here is a good point to show how I cut fine detail pieces not that I am as proficient as some who work with styrene but this works for me.

You will note that the door detail is still attached to the sheet (Which is upside down BTW the top of the door is at the bottom of the image). This gives you more of an area to hold onto while you are cutting the detail. After the lines are cut and the holes are final filed then I separate the piece from the sheet.

This is one of the few times I use a #11 Xacto tip for cutting, I usually use it to pick up tiny objects such as rivets to place them on the work.

I cut out any holes first which saves you from tearing the plastic trying to cut close to an edge. For some reason cutting the hole after you have done you straight slices causes the blade to wander.....

I'm trying something new cutting on cork board which seems to work rather well, I usually cut on an old wood butchers block board.

You can see at the top of the image the sketched in door detail for a slightly smaller door. That will be the door to the vestibule leading to the rear exterior door on the back of the Titan.

http://i.imgur.com/itDg7rn.jpg









After you have rough cut the holes with the knife, dress the edges and rounded corners with jeweler's files and or diamond needle files and yes that is an steel emery nail board; an indispensable trimming tool.

http://i.imgur.com/34WlNwE.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

I seem to have reached my limit attempting usable door frames for the side doors. I suppose I shall just go for the chiclet style wall panels so prevalent in SF venues. The door frames I coveted were much too fine in detail to render in a workable fashion.

The flash image reveals crudeness in the frame opening that I hope to remedy with the modified door trim. 

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


----------



## Blackadder

Well that's about it for this builder, I've devoted enough time to this door assembly not that I've put in a lot of time to this but enough already, unless I have a major epiphany the door is done as is............. Yeesh!  

http://i.imgur.com/dM5BUtv.jpg










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









DANGER! DANGER Will Robbinson!!!!!!!!!! Ha!


----------



## Ring Master "Honka"

i blah wah guh ... wow love the attention to detail keep it up I MUST SEE THIS CONTINUE


----------



## Blackadder

The catwalks installed under the carapace in a rough and tumble fashion awaiting a touch of refinement and hand rails. Note that the command deck is not slid all the way into the slot so the rough front ends of the catwalks are exposed.

These catwalks will adjoin the front walks out to the main guns for servicing with appropriate ladder assemblies to the gun stanchions down to the guns themselves.

The left side walk with access to the Command deck vestibule.......... 
http://i.imgur.com/CqKxAzF.jpg









The right side walk...............
http://i.imgur.com/ji7Pr5F.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

So far almost all the interior is "plug in" modular so painting and view interior detail shouldn't be a problem.

http://i.imgur.com/wq9eDG1.jpg









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









The only thing that bothers me is this is beginning to look like the promenade deck on the Titanic and there's not enough space for the deck chairs..........


----------



## Septok

I'm pretty sure this is Citadel's plan for producing models, just done well and with heart. I'm sure you could take the finished product apart, make molds and sell kits for this and be set for life.


----------



## Blackadder

By ''set for life'' are you implying that life sentences can be meted out for ''copyright infringements?''


----------



## jaysen

All I can say is "WOW!" I wish I had half your skill with plasticard.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the links Jaysen I'll check them out after I finish updating............

God's Blud marry if'n it hasn't been many a fortnight since I hung this abomination together in one piece. What strikes me the most is the numerous areas not yet adorn with detail on the exterior. 

I've been working on the interior for at least two weeks and yesterday I started on the engineering level............... Since there are many interlocking pieces to the lowest deck I had to be sure the whole of the construct could be assembled. 

On the plus side it can but on the minus side the leg joints and waist joints barely support the weight. I was sure that would be the case and have allowed for the 2.5 kilos the upper body weight. 

The 1/4 inch hip bolts still need to be 'Loctited' once the final hip assembly is made but for now I'm afraid 'Dirty Harry' must stand splayed legged.

The straight on overall front view; the first wholly assembled image since before I built the Turbolazers.........

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









A very precarious infantryman's eye view of the God Machine............

http://i.imgur.com/57dvZNi.jpg









A shot of the side armour fully installed but still a lot of detail needs to be added to the side of the carapace..........

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









The upper waist rotation plate and the bottom of the pelvis block are totally devoid of detail; Fa! 

http://i.imgur.com/6Hx4Dmk.jpg









In all I am quite pleased with the results after almost exactly a years work but I would hazard a minimum of six more months to completion.


----------



## Hellados

wow i go away for a few weeks (months) come back and the thing looks incredible!


----------



## Blackadder

'Ya snooze, ya lose" as they say. Welcome back..............

It's anyones guess what these triangular components are from a safety crib side rail to a cooling grid for airconditioning. I ran out of images for this area on the DS Warlord so I am referencing the SM game Warlord Titan

Anyway here is the inner panel of the chest armour and the upper engineering viewing window panel in the closed position.
http://i.imgur.com/0PPQ9so.jpg









And here we have it in the open position to permit viewing of the interior detail. This whole central hull of the Titan is very strong but it looks like a house of cards.

http://i.imgur.com/P9KImjf.jpg









here we have the left side view with the Command deck gallery slid into place.

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









and lastly the overall quarter view showing the reworked rear door frame just to demonstrate the fallibility of the Blackadder and a flash image of the same area above.

http://i.imgur.com/X1UrX8n.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

jaysen said:


> All I can say is "WOW!" I wish I had half your skill with plasticard.


Note to Jaysen, I checked out your Emperor Titan thread and sadly almost all your thumbs are inactive. Some of the text piqued my interest but the accompanying images were blocked. I have a recommendation. I tried using cheaper material to make an armature for my Warhound and Thunderhawk and found that the shortcut wasn't worth the hassle of finding a compatible adhesive. That's why I opted for a strict styrene only model for my Warlord.

Buying styrene wholesale is the way to go. Almost any Industrial Park has a bulk styrene distributer. Check out your locals on google. It's a lot easier working with a single material. Any chance of viewing your Emperor's recent images?


----------



## heretical by nature

wow this is amazing! have some rep


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the rep.........

Just thought I'd let you in on the ground floor of building the catwalks. I received a lot of commentary regarding my choice of floor material for my catwalks so I have revised my nomenclature to redefine the existing 'catwalks' to 'galleries' and add gen-u-wine(sic) catwalks employing expanded metal mesh (Thanks to all for the suggestion.) of course I'm not actually going to buy said expanded metal mesh but raid the kitchen of the long suffering Ms. Blackadder and cut up her splatter shield to supplement my recycle stock. Never fear I shall replace her splatter shield with an apropos Mother's Day gift (''thereby killing two birds with one stone'' i.e. gift and building material) 

The ever resourceful,

Blackadder

http://i.imgur.com/hnRUg9P.jpg









anyway here is the beginning of the plug in catwalk module(s)

Watch the agony columns for updates on my pending separation...............


----------



## Moriouce

Every time you take a look in here your mind is simply blown away! Great work!!


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

You know, I post on a lot of different forums, and just a few days ago I started posting on a German forum and it got me to thinking what the country of origin is of various forum I post on. What country of origin is Heresy-online?

The two long strips will be attached to the catwalk proper and the U shaped channel top left will clip onto the carapace inner frame for ease of removal as this delicate construct will need constant repair.I will most probably remove it when the Titan is gaming.

http://i.imgur.com/9XM6JW6.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

The catwalk without railing installed is hooked in place and reveals it is too wide and will have to be cut down width-wise about 5mm before the railing is installed.
http://i.imgur.com/ccft6Ig.jpg


----------



## Ddraig Cymry

I can't believe how ambitious this is, and how fast you're making this lol


----------



## shaantitus

A small point to note Mr Blackadder. You really need to have this monstrosity insured. Personally i think it would be worth it. Obviously there is no-one else on the planet who could build one but I think it would be worth consideration.


----------



## Blackadder

I would have to have it appraised then wouldn't I. Who could make such an appraisal considering the uniqueness of the item?

Something to think about............

Cat walks railing installed and the left side catwalk on cutting board showing the hook channel that holds it to the inner carapace frame and yet be removable because they are just too delicate to withstand the 'Dogs of War'.

http://i.imgur.com/hzz9QY9.jpg









Note how far I had to move the gun stanchion inboard from its original proposed position. I have to put some sort of hatch there to cover the hole.


----------



## elmir

This is still amazing, insane work. I have said so before, but I truely admire your tenacity in this project. Keep it up!

*internet pat on the shoulder*


----------



## shaantitus

As for appraisal it would have to come from peers within the industry. Maybe a few chaps like Fil Dunn and the boys at FW would be able to produce a figure. Just a thought. Personally it would have to rate as one of the single most valuable models in existence. Personally I would put the figure in the tens of thousands. How many hours would you have spent on it to this point?


----------



## Blackadder

Tens of thousands of dollars!:shok:

I'm much too poor to have such a valuable item Hell my car is 12 years old....

I have been thinking about how I am going to make a sensible engineering department out of the two story area beneath the command deck and fit a viable fusion reactor deck in the cramped space above the command deck when suddenly this morning an epiphany!!!!! 

The lower space will be the reactor room and the upper space will be engineering. 

Egad! How simple and it totally makes sense that the extremely heavy reactor would be in the lowest level of the torso and the mechanic dedicated area where the high maintenance equipment is. Access to the armament and legs through the carapace, easy access to the critical Void shield generators and the huge cooling fans and vents at the rear of the reactor room exhausting outboard behind the lower deck.................. 

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









Simple right? so why did it take me a year to realize it?


----------



## Blackadder

Reactor on line.................
http://i.imgur.com/uSycaBz.jpg









There's my Cherenkov radiation.............
http://i.imgur.com/tkbVAJH.jpg


----------



## shaantitus

Lots of cancer for the guys working in there. Great use of bits for the reactor housing. Plastic practise golf balls make great reactor vessels too.


----------



## Blackadder

Now you tell me I was looking for a Buckyball reactor.

The reactor level is coming along quickly. I should have realized this sooner instead of butting my head against an nonviable engineering room design. Well at least I didn't have to tear anything out

The diagonal reinforcement knees and the room header in the background seems to belong in this setting.
http://i.imgur.com/s6LkwPM.jpg









Note how much of the room walls can be removed,
http://i.imgur.com/ddswF02.jpg









There is plenty of free space for painting and lighting installation.


----------



## Blackadder

I was on such a roll last evening I forgot to take pictures until this morning. I felt the reactor needed a walkway and possibly a handrail ladder to the top so this might or mightn't work but what the hell I indulged myself. The walkway around the reactor will have a break in it for a ladder to descend to the reactor room floor and another ladder to the summit of the dome. For whatever purpose I cannot as yet fathom but it would be fun to have...............

The stanchions with out the rail in installed:
http://i.imgur.com/CASGBJ7.jpg









And the walkway in place:
http://i.imgur.com/4X5lbyB.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

The circular railing:

http://i.imgur.com/kB8WP6q.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Atomic powered spacecraft have the problem of cooling the primary source. I suspect that a 'Fast Reactor' would be necessary because of it's efficiency in nuclear fuel and the compactness of a vehicle borne unit. Liquid Sodium as a coolant has a much higher temperature that water but it is extremely corrosive. I would say that running the return sodium external to the vessel would not drop the temperature of the coolant significantly, a vacuum being an excellent insulator. The heat exchanger would do more to transfer heat to the secondary fluid source. I suspect the large cooling fans on the rear of the titan back pack are used to cool both these fluids and I shall have to simulate ducting to that pack.

Meanwhile:

http://i.imgur.com/df5TR7e.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

The speed in which this is taking shape is very gratifying. It is too bad I didn't realize the error of not putting the reactor on the right level.

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


----------



## dirty-dog-

wow man thats crazy attention to detail.

you could make a earning on leasing this thing out at games day when its done.

i reackon for labour alone, youd be looking at the atleast 5 digit mark.

but back to what i was going to say, lat time i looked at this there was only feet.

now theres everything on top of feet aswell.


----------



## Blackadder

Well you're going to have to check in more often because I plan to be done by mid-Summer


----------



## Blackadder

It strikes me that I am not utilizing the two story reactor deck to it's full advantage. Heres the reactor stuck at the bottom of this huge area like a duck in a bag so I'm going to put it up on a platform with legs under it plus there will be room for all sorts of nifty piping and whatnot............

and I get to make more perforated steel beams.

Holy holey metal Batman!

http://i.imgur.com/0WaTXoL.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Oh yes, a smile crosses the Blackadder's countenance, this is how it should look. I have to admit I was nonplussed at what to do with the interior for a while but it all seems to be going together rather well. 

I had a cunning plan. if I may say so myself..... 

http://i.imgur.com/3oYqVzS.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/sXMZx8W.jpg









Now I just have to extend the ladder.


----------



## dirty-dog-

i think you should rotate it so the legs are inbetween the beams alittle bit, so that threses space to walk around it.

or are you doing suspended walkways around this part aswell?

now that heresys back up and running i will be able to look more often lol


----------



## Tawa

That reactor deck is looking pretty nifty :so_happy:


----------



## Blackadder

dirty-dog- said:


> i think you should rotate it so the legs are in between the beams a little bit, so that theres space to walk around it.
> 
> or are you doing suspended walkways around this part as well?
> 
> 
> 
> That's worth a try there isn't much clearance between the side wall and the ladder; but having worked on jet aircraft I can tell you that some of the internal maintenance areas are very tight and overweight mechanics can't squeeze into them.
> 
> My problem was not overweight but being too tall and inflexible to worm my way into certain areas. Getting out was even worse because even smaller guys would have to back out.
> 
> There will be a platform inside the windows and a control panel as well but I haven't worked out the details yet.
Click to expand...


----------



## dirty-dog-

i know what you mean, i worked on passenger boats for a year and a half, getting to some of the void spaces were tricky, luckily im small and flexible lol.

i can imagine that aircraft would be more crampt though.


----------



## Blackadder

I spent a lot of time in the past few days preparing to build the huge steam turbines for the new Engineering Deck. In the meantime I began the piping to and from the reactor. I believe the best approach is to run the piping up the back of the reactor room to the back pack and from there to the steam turbines on the top level. Not the most optimum design but you can imagine the primary to secondary circulating system heat-exchanger in the back pack from there to the turbine then to the condensor and back to the reactor.

The only thing worthy of note here is the spherical 'shutoff valve' and 'hand wheel': 
http://i.imgur.com/Y8KavaO.jpg









Note the coupling flanges:
http://i.imgur.com/pvQk7JP.jpg


----------



## Wookiepelt

This is what I really call "Attention to Detail"!!! :good:


----------



## rich11762

great log mate the work is bang on


----------



## Blackadder

I'm luv'n it............. This room keeps getting more and more cluttered. Thanks to suggestion I have made more support girders and walkways (I was gonna do that anyway but I appreciate the support. Considering I haven't even added the 'bitz' and personnel the Reactor room is sufficiently cluttered 'n don't forget I still have to add the electrical conduit, more ducting, piping and lighting.

Note the side panels open for ease of viewing. 
http://i.imgur.com/Y7DnF9I.jpg 









And the flash reveals the left side walkway leading to the core inspection access.

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









Ah the well deserved Martini; Life is good..........

The hedonistic Blackadder


----------



## jonileth

Every time I look into the log, I'm impressed by the level of detail and devotion given to it. I'm sure that I'd never have the patience for something so epic. Well done!


----------



## Blackadder

Tread Design

Finished detailing the feet and toes this morning except for three 19mm x 4mm aquila I have yet to scrounge from my son's seemingly bottomless bitz hoard.

I hope he has a few still stashed away.

I started on the tread and decided to use a bas relief Adeptus Mechanicus emblem on the center of the foot pad similar to the Reaver cog and gear pattern below

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










but mine will have the 'Borg' style skull and accouterments. I was thinking of Aquila with folded wings for the toes as I did for the Warhound distal phalanges

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









Getting the proper spacing for the gear cogs was a pain having to resort to the formula to divide a circle into 24 segments to make the gear. Still looks rather crude as my compass is wearing out.


http://i.imgur.com/ySXHSl4.jpg 









I sometimes find being an obsessive compulsive debilitating.............


----------



## Blackadder

Foot Detail:

Forgot this image. This is just about all the detail I will be including on the feet except for the above mentioned tread detail. Now I need just clean the dust off and give it a primer coat.

http://i.imgur.com/1s2QC81.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Tread Adeptus Mechanicus Emblem

It's going to take some doing to translate this into a tread design :?:

http://i.imgur.com/L1J0yw4.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/S1DGBM6.jpg


----------



## shaantitus

Faaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrk. You realise there was probably less detail in a real titan.


----------



## Blackadder

All FW Titans have distinctive tread patterns. My Warhound Titan's prints are pretty much taken from the design on a FW Lucius model. The above pictured Reaver (Mars Pattern) was a bit of a letdown to me but since the foot structure is so similar between the Reaver and the Warlord it provided a fair basis for extrapolation. The A.M. logo was my idea from the beginning copying as it were the Totenkopf treads on the Baneblade. 

'Sides it gives the footprints a bit of panache............ XD


----------



## Blackadder

I don't know how I get pigeonholed into these side projects, it seems a lot of trouble to go to for something that will be rarely seen but I had fixated that I would do a A.M. emblem on the sole of the feet along with all the other tread designs so I lose a few days what of it.

http://i.imgur.com/xuPkyt4.jpg









Anyway it's a good project for a stepped presentation and someone may benefit from my particular form of obsessiveness.


----------



## Blackadder

Totenkopf Monocle

Since my supply of tubes only go up to 12.75 MM (1/2 inch) I needed to fabricate a 14.0 MM ring to duplicate the monocle on the A.M. right side. Searching through my scrap bin I found a discarded marker that would serve as a plug. Begin by drawing the strip plastic between your thumbnail and index finger while applying pressure. This will impart a curve to the strip and make it easier to wrap around the plug. Taper the end and hold it while wrapping one full turn. Put a drop of thin set plastic cement on the overlap and draw the ring tight for the first wrap. Be sure your wrap is aligned properly. I needed two wraps for the monocle rim so while it is drying I typed this reply.

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









You can see a finished ring and a armour right section in the above image. Finding the right diameter plug was the hardest part of this procedure.


----------



## Blackadder

Totenkopf Neufassung

This is difficult to tutor as I cannot demonstrate that which is innate with me. but if you look closely at the objects in the images you may see a few co-ordinate lines that I use as reference points. These lines give me a ballpark position of where the various points of the (skull) in this case are in relation to edges, centerlines, peripheral borders. 

http://i.imgur.com/r53ra7J.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Diagonal Toes Tread

This morning, can't believe it's Saturday already, I began the diagonal toe treads. These I had envisioned as duplicating the tread on the Lucius Warhound:

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










and may still do so but for now a more basic tread design will suffice.

http://i.imgur.com/1Hnc1Lc.jpg









By leaving the center of each strip unglued I can modify the center delta pattern at a later date.


----------



## Blackadder

With respect to the above reply; I ruefully state the following:

Bland and Uninspired!

Well this is rather disappointing. The feet with a homogeneous coat of primer look rather bland and uninspired. I am confronted with the alternatives either to add copious amounts of fiddly rivets and superfluous bits or busy the construction up with camouflage in the manner of Mr Smith. 

http://i.imgur.com/XFOPRR5.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/umWc66r.jpg









*Even the tread looks boring!*
http://i.imgur.com/Ahl6n32.jpg


----------



## Khorne's Fist

Your problem is you are a perfectionist. They look great, as does the whole model. It's great to see that it's finally nearing time to get some paint on that bad boy.


----------



## Blackadder

Good for the sole

A little humility is good for the soul. In a weak moment I felt a bit depressed how plain the prime coat made the feet considering all the detail installed but it was pointed out that a little highlighting and inking will heighten the contrast. I'm still thinking that camouflage will dramatically augment the features of the model but plugging on never the less I added a Michelin tread pattern to the front and rear toes:

http://i.imgur.com/E1rVsBK.jpg









and stuck on the A.M. emblem temporarily for a relative view.

I was in a quandary whether to make the A.M. symbol mirrored as some suggested to leave a reflected spoor (Track way):

http://i.imgur.com/xkPqF3z.jpg









but since GW/FW are not in accord as to whether the tech side is on right or left why not both! Therefor the tread of the left foot will mirror the tread of the right foot and it's either half right or half wrong:

http://i.imgur.com/DOX3G0o.jpg 









Compromise is also good for the soul.


----------



## Blackadder

I had to post this. It's one of my all time favorite trailers from a scene that never made it to the movie it advertised.............

Go figure!






IT's........................


----------



## Blackadder

Skull Bas Relief

Here's a neat little problem when working on a project of limited depth; try to obtain that illusion in 0.5 MM..............

A bit of a ''follow along'' image:

http://i.imgur.com/4aWuxGD.jpg









The foot pad with a more forgiving light although the image is slightly blurred:

http://i.imgur.com/5VgIOlH.jpg









The tread design on the toes complete:

http://i.imgur.com/6J8rT2R.jpg










And the Death's Head wallpaper for reference:

http://i.imgur.com/MXTCv1J.jpg


----------



## Hellados

So so beautiful, love the detail, love the effect you're getting, soon i shall have the guts to have a go myself


----------



## Blackadder

Go for it 

Did I say that?

More Skull-duggery

The logo that is most detailed............ 
http://i.imgur.com/dJ51h5D.jpg









The mirror is less further along:
http://i.imgur.com/JGdrw5W.jpg









The thickness is at this moment 1,5 MM/0.060 inch Needs to be less:
http://i.imgur.com/Va0sU3A.jpg









Close up reveals some fine cleanup is necessary:
http://i.imgur.com/MB7KmBS.jpg


----------



## Hellados

i presume he is going to be stood on the cogwheel as opposed to the skull?


----------



## Blackadder

Tools of the trade

Aside from the obvious Xacto knife, nail files, needle files, etc........... the most necessary tool to make these reliefs was my cordless Dremel. I rarely use this tool but it's indispensable in a project such as this.

I have a good assortment of cutting files including some dental drills my dentist gave me; they were too worn out for dental work.

In all these foot treads took about a week; time well spent I believe and will complete the detail on the feet to my satisfaction.

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









Now on to detailing of the lower legs.


----------



## Blackadder

Advantages of screwing your Model


Not what you're thinking,

Below you can see the advantages of my construction technique. Many months ago I installed a bit of detail on the lower legs promising to return later in the construction to add the final appurtenances. By using screws and threading the adjacent styrene not only does it afford me an movable joint but allows me to disassemble the sub components to add further refinements. Were everything glued into a solid immovable mass this would be much more difficult and therefor modification nigh improbable.

Now at my leisure and a fresh outlook on what is needed to be done I can approach the lower legs (In this case) as a separate modeling project.

http://i.imgur.com/m2EAMbB.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/ZFneRv1.jpg










This is I feel a major clue to my building results.


----------



## troybuckle

WOW this thing still blows my mind, your are a mad man!! I hope to see this thing finished. Any plans on painting it?


----------



## Blackadder

I'm finishing up the lower leg detail today and applying primer this evening.....

Donut Holes


Years ago a popular donut retailer came up with an idea to profit from selling waste. In the manufacture of cut donuts the 'hole' was scrap. Hey! sez a bright young proto-executive, why not fry the holes and market them? Hence the "munchkin" was born.

Employing that logic why not use the scrap styrene for interesting cryptic detail? 










Hence the styrene donut shape was born and I use it through out my Warlord as interesting esoteric bitz.

A few minutes with my portable drill and a piece of scrap 1,5 mm styrene and I have quite a few little tidbits to add to the leg assembly.


----------



## Ddraig Cymry

Blackadder said:


> Hence the "munchkin" was born.


We just call them donut holes here... Which is one of the least inspired names for something like that admittedly.


----------



## Blackadder

Munchkins® is the DD name for said product.


----------



## Blackadder

Harder and Harder

It's getting harder and harder putting this thing back together as everything is hand made and fitted and my markings which identify the left leg components from the right leg components were obliterated by the paint.
http://i.imgur.com/w4gCFi5.jpg 









Aww poor baby Blackadder..............

Anyway the paint (primer) came out swimmingly and the extra detail is right in the ballpark in my estimation neither too much nor too little. Grey is certainly Luteus' colour, I had to make a Kmart run this morning to buy more primer. Great stuff only $1.59 a can and covers fantastic.
http://i.imgur.com/HBveRNA.jpg









I detailed the "lollypop" screw covers with extra races and rivets (White pieces foreground) so they are done except for paint:
http://i.imgur.com/brbxCif.jpg









Tomorrow I start on enhancing the detail on the upper legs.

As the Rabbi said, "It won't be long now!"


----------



## Blackadder

The Glass is Half Empty

Actually completely empty and by no means is the Blackadder advocating imbibing demon Rum er Vodka but truth be known I cut and pasted both sets of over-sized flaming winged skulls under the influence of my daily triple Martini. 

Note the focus!

http://i.imgur.com/1YCDVg2.jpg









We're talking the white winged skulls at the top of the armour......
It will be interesting to see what these look like under the cold cruel light of dawn.

http://i.imgur.com/T0mxY0i.jpg 









Anyhow the thigh guards are complete and ready for primer and may g-d have mercy on my soul.

--
E. Blackadder


----------



## Old Man78

Are you the Omnissiah?


----------



## Blackadder

Yea verily I say unto you, "Get yer bitz together."

Lower Legs Range of Motion

I thought to have these images posted before the majority of you depart for the weekend hiatus. Since the lower legs are primed and mounted in their respective final assembly I feel it's a good time to demonstrate the full range of motion capable by both legs. Each leg is positioned in their full extreme position the right leg in the full extended arc and the left leg in the full reflexive arc. Both legs are capable of these extremes and anything in between so I hope this forestalls anymore questions as to what static pose I will be attempting.

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









The greaves primed showing front and rear projections:

http://i.imgur.com/2D1vG7f.jpg









Note the search light mount flaps are not installed until the lighting is completed.

I hope to have the upper leg sections final detailed, primed and assembled by the end of the weekend


----------



## Blackadder

A.M. Logo for lollypop

Thank the Emperor for the CoD Manufactorum kit. There is a wealth of detail to be gleaned the latest of which are the tiny A.M. logos on the unseen bottom of floor panels trap doors.

Using my half inch Xacto chisel I surgically shaved the upper half-gear and skull intact sanded the back smooth and removed the flash.

I next fabricated a scratch lower half-gear and installed on the small lower screw cap.

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








sorry for the poor image quality, something wrong with the macro setting.........

BTW the upper legs are done and the paint is drying, whew busy day; images to follow.


----------



## Blackadder

Legs Again!

Well it took me 10 minutes to reassemble them but Luteus has legs again primed and ready for paint.

All the detail (on the legs) is done I might add Tech college ''T'''s to the greaves but upper and lower legs are done

Tomorrow I'll start on the waist which will be a challenge as I forgot how they are assembled. I'll have to refer to my posts for a crib.

The six images below may seem excessive but I wanted a 360° display of the work (Indulge me) and the little guy jumps from background to foreground as you scroll through them which is kind of neat.


http://i.imgur.com/Dbdt7b9.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/0GosQQm.jpg









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









http://i.imgur.com/5qr5XQz.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/iM7GYiH.jpg









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









http://i.imgur.com/hlh8YFJ.jpg










Err seven images.


----------



## alasdair

Defenitely the Omnissiah. End of.


----------



## Blackadder

Hey I don't have to hang around or anything like that to keep that ''Omnissiah'' title, Do I?



Waist Pelvic Block
The waist of this beastie is the single most strong area of construction yet it is diminutive in size and almost delicate in construction.

Attempting to maintain the scale proportions of the Warlord yet provide the monster with an adequate set of hips was a real challenge. I eschewed the single steering cylinder for what I deemed necessary (minimum) for a vehicle of this size adding eight more cylinders to the construction at some cost to my faithfulness to the FW DS design but it has to be viable to me don't ya see; if I don't think it will work, it won't work............

http://i.imgur.com/AV2FyRS.jpg









Anyway I built the pelvis as I thought fit and the devil take the conventional wisdom.

http://i.imgur.com/4aJtCf0.jpg









Seeing as how I expect my Warlord to achieve any pose required of it I built it according to my subliminal engineering intuition.
Now it's not svelte as say the ''Tacoma Narrows Bridge'' (Galloping Gertie)






but then I haven't an engineering degree so I tend to overbuild.............
--
E. Blackadder


----------



## Blackadder

The Hidden Components

Okay while I have this apart I should explain what the various locking devices I have installed to make this thing readily repairable.

On the image below you see the inner sleeve that mounts the hip screw to the hip axle. That inner sleeve contains a blind nut that the bolt holding the hip to the axle is installed. The blind nut is epoxied in place and I am hoping never breaks loose but if it does I need to get at it to repair so at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions I threaded locking setscrews that hold the sleeve in place half the thread being in the sleeve and half the thread in the outer mount ring.

http://i.imgur.com/MLl6Ziy.jpg









With any luck no one including myself need ever see this again.

In the image below the steering disk is press fit over the outer mount ring. The hip bolt passes through the leg and tightens into the inner sleeve locking the steering ring in place without the need for glue so that the steering cylinders can be repaired if needs be.

http://i.imgur.com/jNQY6pd.jpg









Again I am hoping that none of this ever need be disassembled but better that it can than not.

The two following images show the front and back of the waist/pelvis. I have installed various icons and symbols that I hope are not at odds with the Titan/A.M. guild. I would appreciate any input regarding a conflicting error in the logos.

The Front:

http://i.imgur.com/reY0w5D.jpg









and the rear:

http://i.imgur.com/PExe5ay.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Titan Hunter Formation

The first time Luteus Vexant has stood in full stride without careful balancing (I still need to pack half a kilo of lead in the back for optimum stability) but the hip joints are solid and capable of supporting Luteus' 7 kilo bulk.

Here he is with a third of my Superheavy company in vanguard support. Sorry no infantry as yet.

http://i.imgur.com/hrg4Zev.jpg









This image has been a long time coming...............

The Blackadder is pleased.


----------



## elmir

Glorious!


----------



## Blackadder

Speaking of paint my choices are to repaint Lucie to match Luteus or the Warlord to match the Warhound..........

Lucie Errant

Conspicuously absent from the above assemblage was Lucie.

Removing her from her cabinet revealed she had lost a bit of stiffness in her joints over the winter so she is standing with the aid of a makeshift prop. So in this family portrait are two scratchbuilt Titans and two scratchbuilt Super-heavies.

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









In the second image I repositioned Luteus' legs without adjusting the screws. A bad move; the void generator fell out of the housing and dislodged the aux tank on the Titan Hunter. No big deal but I didn't notice it when I took the picture.

Anyway the repositioning demonstrates the flexibilities of the appendages.

http://i.imgur.com/g4vvZQw.jpg 









BTW I forgot to mention, the two tanks in the foreground are the scratches.


----------



## Septok

I'm extremely glad you're not putting an AI into it with actual weapons. You would own the world in approximately 3 seconds. Also, awesome job. Probably can't rep you again yet, I'm afraid. I'll give it a shot though.

And it worked! Well deserved rep, methinks.


----------



## Hellados

So coooool!! I just wish they were at the head of my army (parts are in the post for my own custom build)

Do you have a plog for the super heavies? Or at least the tracks


----------



## Blackadder

Hellados said:


> So coooool!! I just wish they were at the head of my army (parts are in the post for my own custom build)
> 
> Do you have a plog for the super heavies? Or at least the tracks


Restarted the defunct Armorcast refurbish thread...........

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1365699#post1365699


----------



## Blackadder

Pissed the Day Away

Just so ya don't think the Blackadder pissed the day away posting on the various forums I subscribe I did do some experimentation on the cockpit lighting. It looks as though I may need a light diffuser to obtain the particular form of malevolence I am reaching for. But for a first try very gratifying............ 

http://i.imgur.com/DL7JIQb.jpg


----------



## Ddraig Cymry

This is truly a worthy conduit for the Machine-God! It looks spectacular all put together, well done!


----------



## Matcap

Ho-lee-crap that is awesome! Please make me one? ;-) Seriously though, great work! This is exactly how I pictured a titan.


----------



## Mossy Toes

Utterly spectacular. Now, if only you had a scratch-built Thunderhawk to join the super-heavies...


----------



## Old Man78

Just a complete bucket of awesome sauce splashed over a table of greatness, would you ever consider doing an old school beetle back version of the warlord? Fantastic work, you should have a bar added to your Order of the Artificer award!


----------



## Tawa

Oldman78 said:


> Just a complete bucket of awesome sauce splashed over a table of greatness, would you ever consider doing an old school beetle back version of the warlord?!


That I would love to see! 



Oldman78 said:


> Fantastic work, you should have a bar added to your Order of the Artificer award!


That is a damn fine suggestion, Oldman. You should pitch it to the staff :so_happy:


----------



## Old Man78

Tawa said:


> That is a damn fine suggestion, Oldman. You should pitch it to the staff


Think it has been suggested already mate, someone mentioned adding numbers to the awards for multiple achievements, I'd prefer a bar as is proper with medels :so_happy:


----------



## Tawa

Oldman78 said:


> Think it has been suggested already mate, someone mentioned adding numbers to the awards for multiple achievements, I'd prefer a bar as is proper with medels :so_happy:


Some of them have a skull on a little bar at the top, so maybe adding an extra skull for each subsequent award?



Anyhoo, on topic. Loving how the Warlord is shaping up :so_happy: Having watched this log for a while I'd actually feel guilty about shooting at it on the table.... :blush:


----------



## Blackadder

Tawa said:


> .......................Having watched this log for a while I'd actually feel guilty about shooting at it on the table.... :blush:


In the words of Luteus Vexant SFPD

Go ahead, Make my day...........


----------



## Hellados

HAHA wish i could shoot at her and her body guard!

It would be an honour to fight a scratch build of this quality


----------



## Tawa

Blackadder said:


> In the words of Luteus Vexant SFPD
> 
> Go ahead, Make my day...........


*notices Titan.....* :scare:


----------



## Blackadder

Inner Workings Update

Hi Blackadder here; I took a few day off to plan where I was going on this and decided to work a bit on the interior as I have run out of ideas on the exterior.

Fortunately this model is so big and complex that I can jump from one area to another and still keep fresh on inspiration resolving detail.

I went back to my CoD scrap and found vents and conduit, push buttons and panel and fantastic ducting that lend itself to the ultimate consummation of this model.

Serendipity reared its ugly head in the for of the chimneys of the Manufactorum model gave me ducting to the condensers of the reactor coolant; a fortuitous accident that worked better than if I planned it.

http://i.imgur.com/6HAP4pd.jpg









Note the huge duct that exhausts (unfortunately over the view window). This leads to the condenser that cools the radioactive coolant for recycling through the reactor. ''PURE LUCK, NOT AT ALL PLANNED!''

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


----------



## dirty-dog-

Everyday is awesome, when you wake up to see art like this growing greater as it goes along.

im suprised you do not have any more medals...


----------



## LTP

BA, I have followed you work for years and it still blows my mind. Your skill-craft and attention to detail are just incredible. Thats enough of me blowing smoke up your arse lol. 

Can I ask where you get your supplies from? My apologies if you have already covered it. 

Some rep for you buddy


----------



## Blackadder

I get all my supplies from either my local hobby store or a local sheet styrene distributer of wholesale styrene sheets 3X4 foot 0.020, 0.040, 0.060 inch thick.

I use almost exclusively Evergreen products but also Plastruct and Midwest styrene.

http://www.plastruct.com/

http://www.midwestproducts.com/default.aspx

Evergreen does not sell direct to individuals but Plastruct and Midwest do: 

On another forum to a similar query I priced Evergreen availability in the UK and found the cost was exceeding high so I suggested ordering from the US and paying the import duty; I never got a follow-up on how that worked out......

There is a hobby outlet in France that spams me occasionally but I have never checked them out. I'll post the link the next time I get a catalog.......... 

HTH

BTW There's an interesting etymology to that phrase: (Not to be confused with enterology which you would presume addresses the subject as well)


----------



## Hellados

God I love QI, I think I was the other person when Heresy had been hacked, I actually found someone on eBay and this is what I got http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290563175651?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 works out to be £1gbp ($1.54usd) a sheet for 2mm (0.7874 inches) which seemed ok to me.

I'm going to elaborate more on my thread so as not to high-jack this one


----------



## Hellados

God I love QI, I think I was the other person when Heresy had been hacked, I actually found someone on eBay and this is what I got http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290563175651?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 works out to be £1gbp ($1.54usd) a sheet for 2mm (0.7874 inches) which seemed ok to me.

I'm going to elaborate more on my thread so as not to high-jack this one


----------



## Blackadder

What a difference some gray makes

To paraphrase an old song.................

I started priming the interior and under the carapace and it really breaths some life into this construct; gray being a much more contrast bearing colour than white.......

We'll start with the interior construction of the reactor chamber (with the reactor removed for clarity you can see to the other side wall the various controls on the mezzanine level and the major ducting for the condenser grid that cools the radioactive coolant.

http://i.imgur.com/TF5XYQ9.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/597AsUi.jpg









In the image below I displayed the left side interior for clarity

http://i.imgur.com/m9ZNDnF.jpg









And the left side exterior so the following images make sense

http://i.imgur.com/9yRxZ23.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Under the Carapace

In continuation of the above post showing the right side exterior wall in place the interior ducting powered blower ducts air to the condenser grid much as the radiator works in your car. This cools the reactor coolant. A bit of license is taken as the duct doesn't actually connect to the radiator as the side panel is on a hinge that swings open for interior viewing because if it can't be seen all this work is wasted.


http://i.imgur.com/HWlYvg2.jpg









The rest is just the same albeit with a coat of primer. The rear backpack now has a purpose; it is now the heat exchanger that transfers the superheated primary (and radioactive coolant energy to the secondary steam jacket which in turn drives the turbines (which will be in the top deck i.e. above the command deck ) 

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









The backpack panel right now is just held in place by friction but ultimately will be secured with hidden screws..............

http://i.imgur.com/e81YIWR.jpg


----------



## KjellThorngaard

Wickedly cool. So much detail.


----------



## Blackadder

CoD Bitz


Once again after a bout with a computer virus, lawn mower, installing a door in my kitchen and adjacent mouldings I have taken up the cudgel of building Luteus Vexant........... strange how menial trivialities take precedence over that which is of true import.

I resume the task by supplementing my dwindling supply of prefabricated bitz to detail the areas of the carapace that seem too sparsely decorated.

The CoD kits I have been cannibalizing are still providing ample fodder for my demands because I prudently have conserved both front and back of each floor and wall panels by by splitting them in half through the thickness axis with a razor saw instead of just sanding off the reverse face of the panel thereby doubling my inventory of parts and saving myself thirty bucks for another Manufactorum.

http://i.imgur.com/l3Q1Pj9.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Catching a Mold Relief

I am trying a new method of casting 

I intend to make a gantry for the Warlord diorama showing it parked alongside for service/repairs. This will make a huge model display stand.

I'm using 'Sculpey' mold material to make a few more A M skulls for the aft end of the main guns.

Since 'Sculpey' is heat hardened I am trying to cold mold 5 minute epoxy directly on the soft uncured clay relying on it's heat resistant properties to not lose detail as the resin heats and cures

Below you see the mold that only required seconds to make once you sculpt the original:


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## Blackadder

Catching a Mold Relief 2

At the risk of redundancy I include the mixing and applying the 5 minute epoxy to the soft clay. I refrigerated the clay to accelerate the cooling before drizzling the resin mixture into the mold.

the slow application of resin allows the air to be evacuated from the recesses as the resin slowly flows through the mold thereby eliminating air bubbles............... I hope:


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


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## Blackadder

Irons in the Fire

Granted I have 'way too many irons in the fires what with the Warlord, T'hawk, refurbishing my Superheavy Armour and now a display stand for Lucie but a full plate keeps you young to mix my metaphors.

The basic display stand for Lucie and the forward cowl for Luteus basic primed

http://i.imgur.com/i2Q7DMl.jpg









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









What's with all the L's Blackadder?


----------



## Blackadder

Moulded Skulls

Well the moulded skulls can out not too shoddy good enough for the relatively hidden area under the carapace at the rear of the cannons. I sanded the left one a bit much but once painted I think it will pass. The Skulpey clay did a good job and will work fine for the terrain that I plan for the Warhound. I just wanted to see how well it would work for casting.

http://i.imgur.com/gwMF5pd.jpg


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## Blackadder

Main Weapon Detail

I keep adding detail to these guns and the more I add the more empty space I find to clutter up so after these photos I'm applying a coat of primer and see where I stand.

http://i.imgur.com/IMaaEY3.jpg









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









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










BTW I have added much more detail than the original so the camouflage does do something; it increases the illusion of detail.


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## Digg40k

Blackadder said:


> Ambitious? yes;
> 
> Possible? most probably,
> 
> Crazy? almost certainly.
> 
> Ah but if it works Priceless!


To quote your second ever post on this appropriately gigantic topic Mr Blackadder... When will the madness end?!

When will you finally come to the assembly, painting and jubilant celebration of this undeniably ingenious project? Do you have an end objective or is it just all in the works still?


----------



## LTP

This is making beautiful progress  I'm so excited to see the end product but getting to see the wip is almost as aweosme  looking forward to the next update.


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## Blackadder

Actually I enjoy posting these updates, keeping readers informed of the progress spurs me on toward completion instead of sidelining the project and possibly never completing it. (Its happened before)

To answer your query (Digg40k) as to when this shall be completed, I estimate sometime in mid August which incidentally is well under 18 months; the amount of time FW estimated the development of a production model of a Warlord prototype.


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## Digg40k

Blackadder said:


> Actually I enjoy posting these updates, keeping readers informed of the progress spurs me on toward completion instead of sidelining the project and possibly never completing it. (Its happened before)
> 
> To answer your query (Digg40k) as to when this shall be completed, I estimate sometime in mid August which incidentally is well under 18 months; the amount of time FW estimated the development of a production model of a Warlord prototype.


Awesome mate.

It really is a triumph already.


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## Blackadder

The Relativity of Bland

Well paint doesn't seem to help much everything looks so so bland. It seems there should be more patches and panels, definitely more skulls and aquila perhaps a few banners and those badges with ribbons dangling from them 'What are they called the name escapes me.

Ah! 'Purity Seals' never mind..............

Anyway the secondary weapons are masked for priming and I'm pretty satisfied with them.

http://i.imgur.com/sZqUY2c.jpg


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## Hellados

In FWs defence they then have to take the model apart and check that everything can be cast then cast it and then check again, then make sure there's nothing too brittle, then remake some bits and recast it then paint it up then add some more detail then make some casts of that and if none brakes then they need to use that as the original to make the other moulds which have to make sure everything lines up.... this is just a guess though

Also yours looks amazing and they have more time and people to spend on it then you do! Lastly DW about the fine details these can be added after painting where they are absolutely necessary. I think the Cogheads put scrolls and things on there vehicles to make sure there machine spirits behave


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## Blackadder

I appreciate that the development of a cast-worthy model takes special abilities I do not possess to develop as this is a one shot Objet d'art (If I may presume) instead of a reproduce-able moulded figure, I seriously double that any of my model can be casted as it is designed.......

I was just noting that the development and execution of _Luteus_ is well within the time frame of FW's estimate of developing a Warlord Titan.


----------



## Blackadder

Yet another request of my source of styrene on another forum so I am going to be up front and reveal my larder.

Over the course of a few years I have accumulated quite an inventory of styrene strips and sheets mainly by investing about twenty bucks a month into increasing my reservoir of material.

I won't lie to you on the face of it it is a tremendous outlay of cash for an inventory of this size and Evergreen won't spring for a display carousel for a noncommercial site even though I regularly extol their product.

Evergreen Scale Models

In addition I have researched wholesale distributors of styrene sheets which is by far the biggest single outlay of cash for material. I found a local one in an Industrial park that supplies my requirements.

Now that I have all the styrene I need I routinely spend about 20 bucks a month to keep my supply sufficiently abundant.

http://i.imgur.com/EQ6hqeb.jpg









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


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## KjellThorngaard

What every scratch builder needs. It never fails when I am building something medel rail related that I run out of the exact strip I need right in the middle of a build. Yiou are an example to us all Blackadder.


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## Blackadder

A Mélange of Decor, Dispair, Decadence and Decay

Unfortunately using a flash washes out a good bit of detail especially the 0.010 inch/ 0.25 MM layered armour which hopefully washes will bring to the fore.

The new bitz is what I am debuting with this post and I am hoping that I have achieved the right degree of decoration, decadence and decay which permeates the desperate 40K future world much as western culture seems hellbent on the road to in the early 21st century.

In this first image I show the new side detail of the carapace which is a melange of DS's bitz work and my interpretation thereof which is somewhat less busy and I hope makes more sense from an (totally bogus) engineering standpoint

Most prominent are the numerous vents and exhaust fans that I deem necessary to cool the vast heat producing engines necessary to animate this behemoth:
http://i.imgur.com/yPDioBi.jpg









This image shows the top of the carapace showing the four adjunct shield relays and the two shoulder field regulator receivers one on either side of the carapace munitions exhaust fan:
http://i.imgur.com/JpvrJ8r.jpg









Top rear view showing the four rear shield relays and the four make up air inlets for cooling the carapace and sweeping stray radiation from the ammo magazines:
http://i.imgur.com/U3Fm1Ty.jpg









And an image sans flash to better show the new detail:
http://i.imgur.com/2X9UJET.jpg 









Demonstrating that the Blackadder clearly needs to get a life or at the very least a better grip on reality...............


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## KjellThorngaard

Looking good BA. The detail still amazes me, and it is exciting to see it get a coat of primer. Moving along, almost ready to smite the foes of the Emperor.


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## Serpion5

Holy sheeeeeeet this is coming together amazingly. :shok: :good: 



Blackadder said:


> Demonstrating that the Blackadder clearly needs to get a life or at the very least a better grip on reality...


Nah man don't be boring. What you're doing is fantastic. k:


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## Blackadder

What seat is this?

I found this in my son's bitz box and I was wondering if anyone can identify what kit it came from?



















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









http://i.imgur.com/IzHXLN5.jpg


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## Blackadder

What seat is this?

I found this in my son's bitz box and I was wondering if anyone can identify what kit it came from?



















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









http://i.imgur.com/IzHXLN5.jpg


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## Dusty's Corner

Superb stuff - Jaw dropping fantasic build!



Blackadder said:


> Demonstrating that the Blackadder clearly needs to get a life or at the very least a better grip on reality...............


Don't worry mate, we all love a bit of madness!


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## Hellados

Awesome is not a word I use lightly but it is fitting here!

I'm afraid I don't recognise the flight seat but if you do find out could you let me know?


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## tricktroller

I looked through pages of bits and google searches for about 2 hours yesterday but my googlefu was just not strong enough. I apologize for my failure to derive the origin of this most elusive of parts..

However I can tell you that it comes from no titan, or space marine vehicle, nor any Imp guard tank. It does not come from any GW set that I can find, so my question to you is, is it resin or is it plastic? It might be a forgeworld bit because I didn't look through forgeworld. I can tell you it is no a seat, throne, nor cockpit/cock pit/cock-pit on any bits page in the known internet.


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## Blackadder

I am sorry you went to all that trouble Your effort is greatly appreciated.

Warlord and Thunderhawk Seats

First let me thank all that responded to my query as to the origin of the cockpit seat I posted.

It turns out that it is the ejector seat (empty) that is included with the FW Lightning and Thunderbolt.

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








Warlord and Thunderhawk Seats

Besides the twin seats I made for the Warlord previously I am going to make 6 slightly oversized versions of the Lightning and Thunderbolt ejector seats for my Thunderhawk. Oversized to accommodate the rather robust SM physique. 

A lesson to all, don't let your ol'lady trash yer bitbox ya migjt jest need some o' that crap some day.


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## Blackadder

Windscreens Applied

I know it might not seem that big a deal to some but installing windscreens on the delicate frame was a time consuming and frustrating operation. I made the panes out of 1.0 mm (0.040 inch) thick clear styrene hand shaped and sanded to a precise fit.

Each panel was slightly different in shape and size than its mirror panel but none were more than 0.5 mm which made me extremely pleased.

I hope the camera catches these panels I left the dust on and backlit them so they are visible.

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










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










http://i.imgur.com/QEGYX7m.jpg


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## Dorns Legacy

Holy illuminated cockpit batman that right there is da bomb.


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## Djinn24

This thing keeps becoming more and more bad ass.


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## Blackadder

Small Arms Defense

I strikes me that a Warlord Titan is at the mercy of ill-disposed enemy ground personnel. However powerful the Void shields are can they stop sappers and suicide bombers?

What is needed are defense small arms weapons firing down from 30 meters in the air relatively immune to reciprocal fire.

Therefore I am adding a fighting platform to the chest shield with egress to the second level of the lower Engineering deck.

Funny how this all seems to work out; the CoD blast doors fit perfectly into the opening beneath the head with minor alterations plus it gives purpose to the chest plate and fills the empty space in the lower engineering level.

Purists may baulk at this modification so they are welcome to omit this from their Warlord Titans.

Below is the Chest plate in place soon to be pierced with bolter loopholes.

http://i.imgur.com/m4PSsRJ.jpg










Cutting through the forward bulkhead for the blast door assembly.

http://i.imgur.com/kQK57a4.jpg










The exterior blast door in place

http://i.imgur.com/trx7k0g.jpg


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## Blackadder

Holographic Tactical Display

since I deemed this the overall Command Titan with a surfeit of nonessential personnel what better than to have a 3D display table in the center of the bridge.

http://i.imgur.com/p5qcHsU.jpg









I was beside myself in what to put in the huge area behind the flight station when I got this idea. It was either this or throw a grange dance.

http://i.imgur.com/ZUKt2ny.jpg









I plan to use fiber optics of various colours to represent warring factions with Luteus Vexant and company in the center of the Holo-dome.

http://i.imgur.com/Im3iwww.jpg









Whether this works or not will be an interesting experiment but so far all the components seem viable and better still fit nicely into the space available............

http://i.imgur.com/6b1QUmN.jpg









Now I just have to figure out how to light it.............


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## Blackadder

Below is the primary reason this model probably never will be done.

Ever since I glued the "bra" on the asymmetry of the lower edge has bothered me. Probably no one would ever notice that the left lozenge shaped vent is a millimeter more visible than the one on the right side. I have to pare down the "bra" to conform to the left side starting with the surface armour.

Freud was right; Blackadder is certifiable.

http://i.imgur.com/aa2lSIl.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/GoU2qp4.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/IDM5PTr.jpg


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## Blackadder

Below is the primary reason this model probably never will be done.

Ever since I glued the "bra" on the asymmetry of the lower edge has bothered me. Probably no one would ever notice that the left lozenge shaped vent is a millimeter more visible than the one on the right side. I have to pare down the "bra" to conform to the left side starting with the surface armour.

Freud was right; Blackadder is certifiable.

http://i.imgur.com/aa2lSIl.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/GoU2qp4.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/IDM5PTr.jpg


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## Blackadder

This is what I like, multiple ideas on fixes:

''Symmetry is boring mate. I've worked on several war machines and I can tell you none of them were symmetrical.
If it's really bothering you, you could cover it up with something? A large spotlight maybe or some sort of radar/auspex equipment?"

Fix #1, Let it go, the Universe is F'd up anyway and basically asymmetrical or try the current regime's fix for everything ignore, obfuscate and dazzle 'm with footwork i.e. tap dancing...........

--------------------------------------------
"Hmmm, thats not good. The real sad part is that its such a big thing to rebuild (as i guess the problem cant be fixed by just regluing).
Hope you find the mental strength to go on with this Project anyhow."
Fix #2, Scrap the whole project and take up knitting, something you are more temperamentally qualified to attempt...........

---------------------------------------------
Or:
"Everyone knows the left one hangs a little bit lower than the right one!!!"

Fix #3, Back to asymmetry and a bit of innuendo and an appeal to my obligation to complete this project...........

And my fix, shave off the offending excess. simple and direct.

http://i.imgur.com/GnA4kTf.jpg 









Of course fixing this revealed further inconsistencies and so the dementia continues....................


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## Blackadder

Reaver/Warlord Head comparison

A couple of pages back on this or another forum someone questioned whether the Warlord cockpit/head was big enough.

Well I happen to have a Reaver head on hand for comparison at the moment and it seems the Warlord head is sufficiently large.....


http://i.imgur.com/27zt2Np.jpg










http://i.imgur.com/AFHH4g9.jpg









......much as the Blackadder's.

Yes I have a Reaver in my pocket. I'm experimenting on the feasibility of forming Lucius armour.


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## Khorne's Fist

It's times like this I miss the ability to throw out huge doses of rep. Awesome work.


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## tricktroller

In the midnight hour they cried MORE MORE MORE!
With a rebel yell they cried MORE MORE MORE
MORE MORE MORE!

Keep up the good work man I am following you on the t hawk as well.


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## tricktroller

double post


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## Bayonet

Excellent work so far, what an amazing model.


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## Blackadder

Why am I not getting notices of replies?

Thanks for the replies I hope the following doesn't disappoint..............

On The Whole Not Very Satisfying

Well the Warlord is primed and ready for painting and I was curious as to what it would look like on a battle board setting. I have to admit I am not overwhelmed by the view.

Granted the shading and highlighting will enhance the image and a few grunts and tanks for scale will help. Also a better camera angle should display it in a more intimidating stance but considering all the effort; meh...........

http://i.imgur.com/4L0QxcK.jpg 









http://i.imgur.com/DMZbI4Z.jpg 









The above images show it in a straight on view and the image below showed the head looking down.

http://i.imgur.com/N4HmnE8.jpg 









BTW the board is 4 ft by 4 ft/ 1.25 meters by 1.25 meters

More images to follow................


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## Wookiepelt

Sorry... but HOW is this not intimidating on the board?!? :shok:
It towers over everything on the board and it has LOS on almost everything!!!


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## EmbraCraig

I think it looks great - you're maybe right that the lack of other models doesn't make the scale pop, and the detail doesn't show in the first couple of shots, But it's gonna look fantastic with a good coat of paint on it.

But if that's a 4foot board, that makes the width of the stance about 18" plus? Really don't think you'll have any problems with the scale being intimidating enough


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## Tawa

Dear lord that thing looks great! :so_happy:


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## Blackadder

Some More images Side and Rear

This is the first time on an actual playing field and I have no army to put the size in perspective. In these images I wanted to see what someone playing the game would perceive instead of dramatic low angle shots and birds eye views.

Anyway this first image demonstrates the flexibility of the legs and gives some idea of how the head can be repositioned.......

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









This next shows the Turbolasers in elevated position:
http://i.imgur.com/2ZAgKv9.jpg 









Showing the knees in the locked position; something I now can do as well............
http://i.imgur.com/xrgXzEs.jpg 










Finally legs only slightly splayed because of the craters:
http://i.imgur.com/UaCMZyq.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Some More images Side and Rear

This is the first time on an actual playing field and I have no army to put the size in perspective. In these images I wanted to see what someone playing the game would perceive instead of dramatic low angle shots and birds eye views.

Anyway this first image demonstrates the flexibility of the legs and gives some idea of how the head can be repositioned.......

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









This next shows the Turbolasers in elevated position:
http://i.imgur.com/2ZAgKv9.jpg 









Showing the knees in the locked position; something I now can do as well............
http://i.imgur.com/xrgXzEs.jpg 










Finally legs only slightly splayed because of the craters:
http://i.imgur.com/UaCMZyq.jpg


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## cirs85

Stupid awesome, can't wait to see the end result.


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## Blackadder

Sorry to have been so long in responding but it's been a busy month for me getting the kids off to college and visiting my mum in Florida.

I also have been trying to design a Lucius retro-fit for a Mars Reaver which has monopolized a lot of my building time.

But I haven't forgotten this thread and am now acknowledging the above posted request. Unfortunately I have no Russes at hand and my son has none in presentable form and what he does have is 1500 KM away but I hope Baneblades and a Warhound will suffice plus there is a little guy in the foreground for a man sized comparison.

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









The four models in the first image are the result of about 5 years of scratch building starting with the converted Armourcast Baneblade in the front right. This was my first attempt at working with styrene upgrading the model to conform to the Forge World style Baneblade You can still see the Armourcast treads which I left the same because at the time I deemed to too difficult to manufacture treads and bogie wheels.

The left foreground tank is a total scratch build except for some GW bitz and cast Baneblade treads and bogies. This was my second scratch build and my second favorite tank model. 

Lucie the Warhound is my pride and joy and required almost two years to build. She is a total scratchbuild except for the two skulls on the cheeks and the rubber conduits on the neck. Also there are banners on the knee joints and when I remount it there will be a battle banner hanging from the waist.

Lucie is beginning to show a bit of wear and will need some refurbishing soon. She needs more lead weight in the rear to counterbalance the guns and the knee joints need new wooden dowels so she can maintain the poses. Right now she is standing on her own but in what I call her "Cute Puppy" pose.

I have yet to replace the Velcro attachment material with magnets; I hope to be doing that this coming Winter.

Of course the Warlord needs no introduction, I still haven't decided on a colour scheme for 'Luteus Vexant' but he will definitely not have a yellow head even if I choose 'War Griffins as the Chapter colours. 

http://i.imgur.com/RDhWmf5.jpg









This next photo show comparison between the Warhound and the Thunderhawk although they will probably not be used in the same game. Note Lucie's Battle Banner on the ground............... that needs to be reattached with chain links, glue does hold well .

More images to follow......................


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## Dorns Legacy

You sir are a legend in your own lifetime.

Now if you could please build an Imperetor titan and put all the previous mechanicum titans to shame i would in fact sell both of my children to help fund it (oh btw i mean life size )


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## Blackadder

Thanks Dorns, I'm afraid an 'Imperator' is far down on my to-do list at least for a couple of years...decades?

In the following image a view of the top detail of the smaller models. I am particularly proud of the Baneblade's 'Demolisher' cannon which was built of dozens of separate parts and at that time taxed my scratch building abilities to the limit. 

http://i.imgur.com/E2HIuQz.jpg









Another thing that I was pleased with was the hand made nuts on the front bumpers. I look back at that effort and have to laugh at myself having learned so much since then.

Next we have a low angle view of the Warlord and I notice I still haven't mounted the search lights and flying greave panels. which I had plans to have working lights the wiring can be seen already installed. The white object near the left foot of the Warlord is the catwalk that fits under the carapace

http://i.imgur.com/lG0mmI9.jpg









So many things to do still on this model and I have to redesign the Holo- Command deck display.

I hope to have more time this winter.

Here we have a better view of Lucie with her head turned in a quizzical pose demonstrating the flexibility of the neck joint which I hope to duplicate on the Reaver project with a more sophisticated mechanism.

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









More to come..............


----------



## Jacobite

Bloody incredible stuff.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks, 

Forgive me for rehashing old models but I see on my other threads a lot of the images have disappeared.

A nice low angle view of the breast detail of 'Luteus' showing yet another area that needs to be finished; the underside of the waist block

http://i.imgur.com/Y9Gl2B6.jpg









I have to get my a** in gear and get busy on these models 

I also have to make trunnion end caps for the laser cannons.

Another view of the relative size of a Warhound (50 feet or 15 meters tall) compared to a Warlord Titan which I scale at (165 feet, 50 meters) and this model is relatively small compared to many other Warlords I've seen on the Internet.

http://i.imgur.com/Qph2u6R.jpg









Next a birds eye view of the Warlord unfortunately out of focus.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Could this be used as a Princep?

Once again I am forced to demonstrate my ignorance; 

I have in my possession a figure hardwired into the fabric of a Reaver 

Could this be a Princep or failing that would it serve as a Princep in a Warlord? 

If so, THEN all things come to he who waits!


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## Dorns Legacy

The princeps would be in an amniotic tank if they were wired in in anyway like this otherwise the wires would be from the back of the skull as they are able to detach from the titans, only ones in amniotic tanks cannot detach.

This could however be the tech variant of the princeps (cant remember their names) but they basically connect to the titan to feel and see what the workings of the titans are doing.

Maybe adding a clear half cylinder to the front would look like an amniotic tank?

A good reference book for connection systems and options is the Horus Heresy book Mechanicum, there are several variations of connection mentioned in there and also an overall description of pilots and bridge staff placements and duties.


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## Blackadder

Thanks for the quick reply and the info. Yeah, I will be making some sort of tank for it and perhaps some LED lit gel for a SF effect (shades of ILM) but the figure would look good in the cockpit of the Warlord and save me a lot of time searching for a viable candidate.


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## Ddraig Cymry

In 'Soul Hunter' Talos captures a Warhound Titan Princeps by ripping him out of his throne. From what I understood it seemed he was just a normal man sitting on a throne but when Talos gave the Princeps to his ship's Tech-Priest he was suspended in amniotic fluid, so I think it could go either way.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the quick reply and the info. I would be making some sort of tank for it and perhaps some LED lit gel for a SF effect (shades of IL&M) but the figure would look good in the cockpit of the Warlord and save me a lot of time searching for a viable candidate.

Hey, no one said the job would be easy just be thankful you're not a level 2 Guild Navigator in "DUNE"


----------



## Dorns Legacy

He who controls the spice controls the universe.

Sooooo have you filled your spice rack today?


----------



## kharn_the_blood_god

Wow. i just read the entire thread, just to get inspiration. but....wow...dude....you are the best. like...wow.....dude...best ever. seriusly, good luck. i hope this bad boy will be painted soon.


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## Blackadder

Well Good news, my arm is out of the sling and and my PT says I am regaining the use of my arm better than can be expected. I actually started assembling a Hive Tyrant today and was able to cut n' file the metal pieces for a close fit so perhaps in a week or so I can start cutting Plasticard. It won't be for another 2 to 3 week that I'll be able to drive. This was the worst time ever to buy a '14 Challenger. It's been sitting in the garage since the day I bought it. I had 10 miles on it the day of the operation HA! 

A belated thanks for the above replies, it's only in the last couple of days I felt like checking my threads.


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## Jacobite

Glad to hear you are on the mend Black, what happened?

As for your Princeps question, in something that big the chances are yes they would be wired into the command throne. Have you read Princeps? It's a comic about a Warlord Princeps, some of the images might help you here.


----------



## Blackadder

Jacobite said:


> Glad to hear you are on the mend Black, what happened?


For the past 10 years I have been experiencing pain in my right shoulder where I could barely move it for days on end. A couple of months ago I had a bout with this pain the caveat being it did not go away.

I had an MRI that showed the shoulder acromonial ligament was deteriorating and there was a spur on the clavicle that necessitated removal of 10 mm of bone to restore proper clearance.

After a three hour surgery my doctor repaired not only a shredded ligament but a torn rotator cuff and a split bicep tendon. The shredded ligament was the biggest problem and was barely attached by a thread. My excellent surgeon removed the ligament from its location and secured it with a screw to a new location fortunately before it ruptured completely. He and I have had interesting dialogue on the efficacy of joint repair and he was appreciatively impressed with my solutions regarding articulation of Warlords and Warhounds but not to the point where he was willing to split his fee.:grin:

After three weeks of total immobilization of my shoulder the sling came off and for the first time in 3 weeks I am able to lift my arm an inch or two. I have lost all my muscle literally inches of the circumference of my upper arm. it will be months before I can approach my former Thunder God physique. :laugh: but I am told his is steroid induced.:training: HA!


----------



## Jacobite

Eeesh that sounds bloody horrible! Do they know the cause of it (i.e. is it going to happen to the other one as well). Sounds like you got it just in time.


----------



## Tawa

Blackadder said:


> After a three hour surgery my doctor repaired not only a shredded ligament but a torn rotator cuff and a split bicep tendon. The shredded ligament was the biggest problem and was barely attached by a thread.



Ouch.... uke:


----------



## Blackadder

While I am at it painting the Tyranids I think it might be a good time to paint as well Luteus Vexant. I have found an interesting tutorial on painting and weathering machinery:








but where he is painting a few square inches of model I shall be painting several square feet perhaps a square yard.


I also think he went a bit overboard at the end of the clip but that may have been all that beer thinner. 


Anyway despite all protestations I have settled on the Dave Smith Camo for my colour scheme but to distinguish mine from his I shall designate my unit as 007. How many Warlord titans are in a company?


Also I found an interesting photoshop of a Titan assembly plant you may enjoy. 
http://i.imgur.com/YYMVG9x.jpg









I might manipulate Luteus into the scene.


----------



## Tawa

Blackadder said:


> Also I found an interesting photoshop of a Titan assembly plant you may enjoy.
> http://i.imgur.com/YYMVG9x.jpg


Oh myyy..... :goodpost:


----------



## Blackadder

So I've been informed but then what is this?

http://i.imgur.com/9hgCZ4A.jpg









A German Cruise ship factory:

http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/conte...uebot-celebrity-solstice-sera-livre-en-avance

http://www.meretmarine.com/objets/11600.jpg


----------



## Tawa

Blackadder said:


> So I've been informed but then what is this?


Nowhere near as cool, that's what


----------



## Blackadder

Time For a Change:

On thing that has always bothered me about the Weapons of the Warlord is the mount stanchion.

While perfectly adequate to support the weight and moment of the arm it always looked a bit undersized for such a large weapon.

http://i.imgur.com/m86KKM4.jpg










http://i.imgur.com/erUw6qk.jpg









This modification will remedy the anomaly.

http://i.imgur.com/4B5Itt9.jpg









After a search I have found the big brother of the 1/2 inch conduit sleeve I used on the initial arm; a one inch conduit adjustable connector that seems more in keeping with the size requirements the Warlord scale requires.

http://i.imgur.com/AB6TSqM.jpg









Note the new sleeve has more than four times the mass of the previous arm and I think will be more in keeping with the mount one would assume proper for a Lucius Titan.

In the following days I shall be replacing the original sleeve with what I hope will improve the look of the shoulder mount.


----------



## Blackadder

Adeptus Mechanicus Altar:

I suddenly have an urge to work on the interior of the Warlord.

Last night I had an inspiration how to arrange the Tech-priest altar in the command deck area so we'll start with a refresher regarding the interior compartments of Luteus Vexant.

Access to the interior if you're taller than 28 MM is through the rear access panel which is held in place with 4 screws.

http://i.imgur.com/mjwWL8N.jpg









Removing the screws gains access to the Command deck and Cockpit.

http://i.imgur.com/oE0Yl3q.jpg









Below that is the Reactor room/Engineering. 

http://i.imgur.com/KQWmGj6.jpg









The Command deck has two levels, the upper Observation Gallery and directly above the Blast Doors will be the Adeptus Mechanicus Altar where the Tech-Priest performs his rituals:

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









Now all I need is a good facsimile of an AD Altar........


----------



## Iraqiel

My god... it's.... beautiful...


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

Altar Alterations:

A question for those more knowledgeable than I about 40K Iconology 

I'm pretty sure the A.D. emblem is correct but the Vampire caped skulls, what are they and are they correct on a Tech Priest Altar?

http://i.imgur.com/m2AKvaE.jpg









Hell I'm just going to post all the pictures good and bad and you can sort them out......

http://i.imgur.com/xEDen1b.jpg









I'm finally putting some detail into the interior. It was much too stark and empty before. 

http://i.imgur.com/cM6XOPk.jpg









The Tech-Priest is just there temporary for scale.

http://i.imgur.com/Um1gc6q.jpg









I need to work in the College Technical "T" on the wall under the arch and the Sardonic Skull on the other side.


----------



## Blackadder

More Icons:

lotsa conduit cables ducting to come but I needed reinforcement regarding use of proper icons. I won't make the mistake of the CoD backwards Adeptus Mechincus skull again.

For your edification two symbols for the side corridors under the Gothic arches:

http://i.imgur.com/8Aj1RRH.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Study in Blue Light:

Accomplished a bit of work this morning on the interior, railings and buttresses but the big plus to the work is the LED Blue /White lighting.

With all the work I put into the College Titanica and the Adeptus Mechanicus skull icon they can barely be seen in the corridor on either side of the Altar nave.

I should have included a figure for scale.

The right side:
http://i.imgur.com/QOJ97Iz.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/WhqYiP8.jpg









Next the Command deck fixtures.............


----------



## Old Man78

Great great great, pure greatness


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the reply,

Command Deck Front Bulkhead Redux:

I was never satisfied with the future tech look of the front bulkhead that was not in keeping with the battle weary slapdash Gothic interior of the 40K universe.

The main hull in my estimation is five decks high starting with the Void Generator housings not shown in the included images due to the fact that they must be removed for visual access of the lower decks.

Deck four is the upper Observation gallery and the Adeptus Mechanicus Altar recently updated now with 28 MM scale figure.

Deck three which I call the Command deck even though I have been advised that Titans do not require large spaces as they have a minimal crew.

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









I rationalize Luteus Vexant is a tactical command vehicle that has a Command group of officers.

http://i.imgur.com/tXya71T.jpg









Below that is the Fusion Reactor, I have no idea what a fuctioning Fusion Reactor would look like but I imagine it would glow with Cherenkov radiation represented by to central component on deck five.
http://i.imgur.com/zB5mFRj.jpg









To either side of the Reactor deck is the triangular shaped cooling grids and coolant recovery system that recirculates the reactor's sodium transfer medium.


----------



## Blackadder

The Void Generators:

The top deck houses the Void Generators of which there are four.

Since the rear ones cannot be seen unless the model is disassembled I saw no reason to make the two rear generators until I decided to make an interior. So I suppose I need to make two more.........

http://i.imgur.com/3qXGeSk.jpg









The generator deck breaks down to five interlocking components are is accessible from either the upper gallery of the Command Deck or from the Hood. The interior of the housings are painted a nice bilious green which seems to glow for some reason.........

http://i.imgur.com/Yi1UTmc.jpg









The forward doors fold down on hinges for maintenance access and removal of the Void Generators...........

http://i.imgur.com/GkHcc5p.jpg









The interior walls with roof attached lock in place to the rails on the center main hull ceiling............

http://i.imgur.com/EOD24YW.jpg









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


----------



## Farseer Darvaleth

You realise when this is complete you will have won the internet. You are a modelling Titan among men, sir!


----------



## Iraqiel

Such detail... it's incredible!

Also, what do you own, Forgeworld? How can you possibly make this much awesome stuff at the same time as your other several awesome project logs?


----------



## Blackadder

If I owned FW I'd have this Warlord on the market already instead of those high priced scenery escarpments. I mean anyone who has bought an electronic appliance recently could make a futuristic fortress out of the styrene packing that would look just as good.

Conduit Collars:

You always have to be on the look out for interesting bits of scrap such as the subject of this post; conduit collars.

It would be pretty tedious to make collars to ring the penetration points where the large electrical conduits enter the housings; in this case the Reaver head jowls. Leaving these plain give an unfinished look to the area besides the more detail the better.

http://i.imgur.com/HyMYDR5.jpg









Fortunately I have had this idea for quite a few years and have mentioned it before but it doesn't hurt to re-introduce it.

http://i.imgur.com/EYrG2lv.jpg









When you cut large holes in styrene using wood hole augers you get these nicely shaped rings that are roundly beveled inside and out but usually get swept away with the refuse. These make dandy collars with a minimum of cleaning and sanding.

http://i.imgur.com/VayG0C3.jpg









The image above shows the collars glued in place before the final cleaning and I believe they add a nice touch to an ordinarily bland area.

I have used these extensively on most of my models even as just tchotchke decorations.


----------



## Blackadder

Shadowsword Interior:

Found these images in my copious archives showing the generators for the Volcano Cannon. I much regret not researching this before as the interior would go very well in the Warlord engine room. I at the time coveted with my tongue hanging out the Shadowsword interior which in retrospect, now that I have a bit of scratchbuilding under my belt, would be relatively easy to replicate. 





































Watch for a major revamp of the Warlord interior coming soon.

I had completely omitted the Steam Turbine dynamos GAHHH!










I like this one............


----------



## Blackadder

The Day The Earth Stood Still:

Well maybe not such a world shaking event but never the less something that I would say about 50% of the replies I get are queries when I'm going to paint the Warlord.

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









Well today's the day

http://i.imgur.com/yflJ1sb.jpg









Another thing to note is the ankle mechanism is still intact with not a hint of failing either in structure and function so the fears of those that predicted the flexing ankles would fail are pretty much allayed. 

http://i.imgur.com/s73wBoK.jpg









The difference between an engineer and yer average schlub is the schlub usually overbuilds........ I overbuild.

So 24 hours of paint drying and I'll be ready to start airbrushing. 

BTW any painters out there I would appreciate suggestions......REALLY!


----------



## Blackadder

Can Someone Help Me Find My Dog?

In the land of the blind the one eyed are kings. Well that philosophy won't do me any good 'cause my dog is blind too.

I spent the morning reviewing youtube mech painting and I have come to the conclusion that it seems no one has trod this path before.

So I went back to a few Jaro tutorials and decided to work off of the Forgefiend video. 

His accent is a bit thick but I got AV German Grey and I have to assume it's Model Air 

Yesterday I forego-ed his recommended acrylic black base coat because I don't have to spend 20 buck$ on tiny vials of black paint when I can paint the entire Warlord for a couple of dollars worth of generic spray can Flat Black.

Today I airbrushed German Grey center highlights on the toes and tread patterns and the Ad Mech lcon under the foot pad???? (What Was I Thinking!!!!) 

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









Okay so the effect I'm going for is that originally this titan was a steely grey-blue and over the millennia the original factory paint and clear coat has worn, burned and rusted off so all that's left is a hint of former colour showing through the accumulated grime, leaking oil and rust. It won't be a Dave Smith camouflage so much as an Earl Scheib $19.95 special (Ask your fathers).


----------



## Lemmy1916

I've been watching this thread for a long time but (i don't know why) i've never commented. Allow me to say that you, sir, are a reason of pride for everyone of us modelers/gamers/converters and whatnot. You have achieved something pretty unique and i am sure the final result will be amazing and much talked about in our community. Good luck with finishing that giant!


----------



## Blackadder

I seem to not be getting notices of replies on this thread, sorry to be so long in responding. 

I have other commitments that make the progress on this model slower than I would like and I did an excursion into titan painting with my Chaos Warhound to refine my technique. Mistakes in painting are more readily redone on resin than styrene. Since the Warhound came out acceptable I'm ready to attempt paint on the Warlord.

I'm going to start on the head first.....

Department of the Interior:

More like the Department of Redundancy Department because I had already done this once but I was never satisfied with the Holo-dome display, first it was too large and the ground looked fake and uninspired so a new attempt was in order and I just returned from my daily 10K walk brimming with new ideas for the cockpit interior as well.

The new dome is neater and more compact.

First I repaired the head and added the flex conduit, I plan to paint the mechanical sections later today probably black metallic and bronze highlights 

http://i.imgur.com/Npp5rqC.jpg









Next the interior cockpit forward console (Lower left foreground will be upgraded with wiring and conduit. and be ready to be installed with the twin Moderati pilots seated.

I wonder what people that have lives do with their time?


----------



## Blackadder

The Alien Scene from MP's 'Life of Brian:'










Every time I look at this cockpit I am minded of the aliens in that movie.

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









The Princep cubical fits well behind the Moderati

http://i.imgur.com/G9mMOZc.jpg









I like this view.

http://i.imgur.com/zbC3bfy.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Princeps Are Lifers Anyway:

When I was in the service we called career soldiers 'Lifers.' It's not too much of a stretch to make the leap to a 20 year man becoming a permanent fixture in a machine especially if there are the bonuses of virtual 'ahem' amenities.

That's why I have no qualms with using a truncated Princep. This wiry bilateral amputee is wedded to the machine god and tied in for the duration. The virtual R&R may be sufficient compensation to commit to such a sacrifice and of course there is free medical. 

http://i.imgur.com/ned4seG.jpg










http://i.imgur.com/QH3GN6j.jpg









Anyway it's an interesting deviation.


----------



## Blackadder

Cockpit Layout:

Yes I know, I should let a pro painter do this detail. (Thought I'd get this in before anyone else says it........)

So the Princep and the Moderati seem to fit well into the cockpit There is even room for a Tech Priest attendant should I choose to go that route. I like the 40K clutter better than the sterile military look so now that I have the occupants I can start adding the conduits, screens and cryptic paraphernalia one usually sees in 40K vehicles. 

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









I like that the cockpit is confined rather than the wide open empty spaces that is seen in most 40K interiors. Having seen most jet cockpits there is usually no room for the amenities and just for the pilots to get in and out of their seats requires a bit of body english gymnastics especially for the older overweight pilots. 

http://i.imgur.com/u89pL0G.jpg









This cockpit in fact is rather spacious right now so there's plenty of room for all those esoteric goodies so beloved by the GW/FW gang.

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


----------



## Blackadder

Blackadder Bass Ackwards:

You would think that as often as I have shot myself in the foot I would learn from my mistakes but I continually do the same stupid thing namely building a tiny space and then build something inside that tiny space.

Today the dashboard. I have always had it in mind to have a wraparound forward dashboard but instead of building the head around the interior detail I opted, and mind you I did this fully aware of what I intended to do, to build the outside and then build the interior detail.

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









Anyway the dashboard fits rather well considering and I hope I remember to finish the lighted control panels before they are glued in permanently!

Not too happy with the black metallic paint on the back of the chairs.

http://i.imgur.com/PSL5UDj.jpg









These Sentinel pilots don't make half-bad Moderati.

http://i.imgur.com/UBRj48e.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Then and Now:

Back when I was young, i.e. before computers; I had this idea of getting images of instruments and pasting them inside of model planes for realistic cockpit displays so perusing catalogs and magazines I came up with a few usable images etc...

Well long story short they were too big, or too small, too dark, too light and ultimately I gave up the idea. 

But this morning in the course of mebbe half an hour I searched, photoshopped and printed superb instruments for the Warlord cockpit.

What an amazing age we are privileged to live in.


http://i.imgur.com/dr8Putx.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Paper or Plastic:

The paper gauges seem to work okay; definitely better than I can paint them I was going to light them from behind but I don't think that will be necessary besides the lighting will augment the discrepancies. We don't need that.

Once the glue is dried I'll trim the gauges better, right now they seem a bit crude.

http://i.imgur.com/QlPje8I.jpg










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










http://i.imgur.com/Q2LF8Ik.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Thank God For CoD:

I've never actually built a CoD module but over the course of couple of years I have cannibalized three Manufactorums and I still have enough parts to build at least two and a half. Clearly GW should offer the sculpted bitz instead of the cubical partitions but I'm not complaining.

Right now I am decorating the walls of the cockpit with machiney looking bitz that serve no function other than to clutter up the bare walls.


I figure this thing is like a Christmas tree, and you can't have too many ornaments on a Christmas tree.

http://i.imgur.com/8eOjfjw.jpg









Until the branches snap.

http://i.imgur.com/l6EpKa4.jpg


----------



## firstcape

Farseer Darvaleth said:


> You realise when this is complete you will have won the internet.


I concur with the above statement. My god man, this is amazing.
I've just sat here "working" but reading this from cover to cover. It's mesmerising how it's all come together.

Them new printed displays are a really cool idea as well. I've always awkwardly painted on some random image that looks awful.


----------



## Blackadder

My fine painting skills are also somewhat wanting so I have to resort these devices......

How It Was Done:

I received a few posts inquiring how I did the paper appliques.

It's a pity I did not refine the technique I should have practiced more before applying it to my best model. but the process remains viable even though the initial results were crude. Were I to do it over I would have used thinner paper.

Although the procedure seems complicate when read it really requires but a few seconds to implement in actual fact.

I use a mixture of about 50/50 Testors model cement (the toxic stuff in the red tube) and Ambroid ProWeld but any thin plastic solvent cement will do. The solvent thins the Testors so the glue permeates the paper ostensibly turning the paper to plastic. A small drop spread evenly over the plastic surface is all that is needed then apply the paper and press in place with your finger until the glue sets the heat of your finger speeds the drying of the glue and forces the liquid into the paper fibers; about half a minute is more than enough time. The paper readily takes the shape of the plastic lens and that's it.

Once the applique is fully dry trim off the excess with a razor blade or Xacto knife and apply a finish coat of solvent to further penetrate the paper.and seal the edge. 

I finished the lens applique with a light coat of acrylic varnish.

Hint on working with extremely tiny bits of paper and plastic such as rivets.

Use your Xacto #11 tip 










to impale the 'bit'; just a touch is required if the blade is quite new. That way it is easy to pick up and move tiny bits to the gluing site and apply exacting pressure to hold them in place until the glue sets.


----------



## SwedeMarine

Blackadder said:


> Paper or Plastic:
> 
> The paper gauges seem to work okay; definitely better than I can paint them I was going to light them from behind but I don't think that will be necessary besides the lighting will augment the discrepancies. We don't need that.
> 
> Once the glue is dried I'll trim the gauges better, right now they seem a bit crude.
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/QlPje8I.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/CFDTtDt.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/Q2LF8Ik.jpg


you sir are a genious. consider this idea well and truly stolen for any future minis i need to paint.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks,

More of the Same:

Jeez Blackadder enough already.

I'm sorry to post so many updates on virtually the same thing but I put a lot of effort into the cockpit and it would be a shame to not show the finished product.

Wait Blackadder you mean to say the interior will be Black?

Well no but as it stand right now perhaps so grey highlights scuffs on the walkways and probably painting the buttons.

Besides, 'Red October' had a black interior and that looked kinda cool. The beige US sub interior Meh, not so much.

So in true Burlesque fashion we'll take it down; cue the music......

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Burlesque_Can_Can_Music

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









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









http://i.imgur.com/ihG8bMi.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/52SQfsK.jpg









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









http://i.imgur.com/xk13cZG.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Well At Least I've Moved On:

Today's update is rather small but at least I've moved on to a different section of the interior.

The down side is I spent my full allotted building time to painting the Adeptus Mechanicus altar. 

http://i.imgur.com/0MrPE9M.jpg









Since the entire interior at this moment is flat black I used a flash but the flash washed out the varied shades of metallic paint applied.

Next, the Tech Priest.


----------



## Blackadder

Bringing You a Better Warlord Since the Advent of the 21st Century:

In the 2 plus years I have been working on this project one of the items I have been less than enthused about was the wimpy primary weapons stanchions so today I addressed that issue with a beefier stanchion and a re-engineered rotating base.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and purchase a 'made' item that fulfills the desired requirements and is compact enough to be practical, for this application anyway.

The Panduit universal couplings are relatively expensive and totally impractical for their intended purpose since they invariably fatigue and crack more readily than comparable metal connections. Still they do have a businesslike appearance for my particular purposes. They swivel 360° and with the new mount assembly I came up with allow the guns to rotate easier with less stress on the shoulder mount.

http://i.imgur.com/8UTe8FC.jpg









I skipped the 3/4 inch mount and went directly to the 1 inch mount doubling the diameter of the stanchion and trebling the mass.

http://i.imgur.com/XIZoBO5.jpg









At last Biceps that would do Hemsworth proud.


----------



## Blackadder

Still Practicing!

Close to three years into these various projects and I still have to practice making components. 

No one has ever asked what the cutouts in the engineering and the command deck

http://i.imgur.com/Dk8UXkD.jpg









They are suppose to be observation ports to view the weapons, ground defense and monitor the legs.

Anyway I need to practice welding the clear styrene and this was my first attempt. 

One problem is the glue runs everywhere it's not suppose to but doesn't dissolve the clear panels quickly or strongly enough. Also the clear styrene is much more brittle than the plain white sheets.

Below the cooling radiators for the nuclear fusion fluid and the interior of the reactor bay panels are the first to receive paint. I have always thought the radiator cores should be copper or brass in colour and it's a good place to practice how I am going to paint the mechanical parts of the titan...........


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


----------



## Blackadder

Idée Fixe :

Many thanks for all the suggestions, in point of fact I have considered each previously which is why I have left this project to last. Vacuum-formed packets were my first consideration but the shape I wanted has not been forthcoming in spite of a three year quest plus they are not styrene glue compatible. 

I have always had in mind a faceted shaped window and nothing less than styrene would do. 

Utilizing my prototype for a form I cut and glued the first interstice after beveling the fine edges. 

http://i.imgur.com/iT1VEhJ.jpg









Using a 50/50 mix of Testor's model cement (Red Label) and Ambroid ProWeld solvent; the former for viscosity and the latter for penetration and strength I applied a thin bead to both panes and set aside to dry.

http://i.imgur.com/Euj8rQ5.jpg









Tenting the dried panels on the form I am ready to sand the end facet beveled edges.

http://i.imgur.com/Hf4ms3o.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Self-Taught Tutorial:

While we are on the subject of making windows this is a good opportunity to demonstrate how I cut clear styrene.

Clear styrene is rather more brittle than white styrene so you can save yourself a lot of grief by not trying to cut around corners or curves, chances are the sheet will shatter and always in the wrong way.

Plan your work and cut only straight cuts; this may seem wasteful but much less so than failed angled or curved cuts.

First I measured the width of the strip I required; in this case 17 MM.

I scratched a small marker where I wanted the cut to be:

http://i.imgur.com/BGEmQY5.jpg









Employing my utility knife and a fairly accurate combination square I scored a fine line on the surface of the clear styrene. I would suggest a hard surface and not a foam cutting mat as shown here but the cutting mat shows the scored line better.

http://i.imgur.com/B8RsdlW.jpg









Once you have the scored line, you can either remove the square or chance deepening the score with repeated passes with the knife but bear in mind that each pass increases the possibility of slipping or cracking the styrene.

I removed the square after the second pass and then after relied on the depth of the score to keep the knife from slipping.

I made half a dozen more passes until the score was deep enough to attempt snapping the line.

Try to snap the line gently and evenly apply pressure along the length of the cut instead of a localized point.

If it seems you need undue pressure score the line deeper rather than applying more pressure which could shatter the sheet.

http://i.imgur.com/e2268W3.jpg









The result is a cleanly cut strip.


----------



## Blackadder

Rather Pleased:

The first one came out rather well it only remain to clean the seams and the panes and brush the raw edges with solvent to clear them up.

http://i.imgur.com/qdGj8yJ.jpg









But that will happen tomorrow.............


----------



## Blackadder

A Quorum of Tech Priests:

Well at least enough for a rubber of Whist; my home-made tech priests appear very red indeed and washed out in this light which belies the drybrushing of red over rust over black and the singular pains I took to texture the folds of the cloaks.

http://i.imgur.com/M1WLG1i.jpg









I'm hoping that when the garments are finished they reflect the work that went into them because at the moment they look like crap.

http://i.imgur.com/e0O6Bh4.jpg









Red Crap.


----------



## Blackadder

千里之行，始於足下

A Journey of a Thousand Miles...........

.......begins with a single step as Confucius is purported to have said.

After much procrastination and contemplation I have finally decided on a course of action regarding the paint scheme of Luteus Vexant.

Dave Smith took a lot of heat about the camouflage paint job he used on his Warlord which incidentally I think is beautiful and about as perfect a covering as could be but I hesitate to copy his work that closely. Therefore I will uses shades of grays and blues but in a more weathered pattern than a camo pattern. Streaks of grays and rust with weathered blue hints of the original colour applied ages ago.

So first a coat of black prime.................

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


----------



## Blackadder

Dud or Not to Me:

I can't decide if I like this or not. I'm painting the underside of the carapace components first to get practice when I get to the outer armour and more visible mechanisms of the model. First everything looked too dark so I dry brushed some streaks of gray primer on the left hand side bay panel to compare to the right side that doesn't have brushed primer. That lightened it up a tad.....

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









I mistakenly used metallics paint on the core radiators and that won't do at all.

On the other hand the Tech Priests are looking better gilt trimmed and the Captain Nemo Nautilus style computer consoles make a nice touch.

http://i.imgur.com/VpGJ4M3.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

We Don't Need No Steenk'n Yellow Guard Rails!

Yellow guard rails may have been a mistake. Introducing colour into the interior is pretty much at odds with the 40K genera The dark Gothic decor is depressingly 
de rigueur and departures from this norm stand out as not really Warhammer worthy.

http://i.imgur.com/vYaat67.jpg









On the plus side positive replies from people that I consider very good painters is certainly encouraging although I would also welcome objective negative critiques as well.

I mean someone may find my colour choices less than acceptable? 

http://i.imgur.com/fyR7wJY.jpg









I really like these little red guys.............


----------



## LordNecross

add danger stripes to the yellow then dull it with some washes. 

That should help it get grim.


----------



## SwedeMarine

I would probably just weather the yellow down. No need for stripes. it will fit right in mate.


----------



## Blackadder

Okay we're going from how to paint handrails to.................

The Warlord Colour Scheme At Last:

(But true to form it won't be easy)

I have finally found a colour scheme I deem acceptable for my Warlord.

I was painting the black base coat and reflecting on the 'Avengers' movie when it struck me that the huge flying target aircraft carrier might give me some ideas on how to paint a large military vehicle. Googling images I instead found this (The aircraft carrier was painted like.... well an aircraft carrier; boring) the alien space craft from "Battleship", a movie I have never seen btw.......

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









Perfect!

Now I only have to figure out how to do it.....Ha!


----------



## Blackadder

Yet Again:

Please Blackadder not another series of the Warlord in pieces..........

Yes but hopefully this will be the last time until the final assembly after painting.

Over the years of this build I have never completely disassembled all the umpity ump components that make up the two main structures of the model.

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









That being the torso and the leg main assemblies see below:

http://i.imgur.com/Ke0TBsm.jpg









These structures slide easily apart via the center shaft for ease of transportation.

In the following posts today I shall be disassembling all the nonglued parts for black priming so the detail will be obscured until enhanced with highlighting.

Most noteworthy is I completely forgot to detail the bottom of the waist and the pelvis block.


----------



## Blackadder

First let me warn you you have to wear a dust mask when handling metal powder; I don't want yer mums sending me nasty emails saying the stuff gave junior Alzheimers.

After spray painting quite a few of the parts flat black today I tried rubbing in a bit of aluminum powder. A little goes a long way and all I used was the residue on the jar theads to do what is represented here.

This first shot from high angle shows the highly reflective quality of aluminum powder. Aluminum is one of the few silver coloured metals that retain it's silver colour when reduced to a talc dust particle size, most others turn black.

http://i.imgur.com/CQhQF1T.jpg









Just the dome and the top of the helmet was done in this image the rest of the head is still flat black.

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









The breast plate and back panel are highly reflective as well but for some reason do not show as shiny in these images.

With no direct light the silver still is highly reflective but still gives a nice shading effect to the deeper recesses, something paint doesn't do, I should have my head examined for trying this out on such a prominent piece.

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









I tried brushing it on (still using just what is in the threads of the jar) and it applies just as readily with a brush as with a finger.

http://i.imgur.com/vzX3HVk.jpg









Once applied it stays put although I'm sure it can be removed with soap and water as it comes off your fingers readily enough when washed.....

In all a satisfactory experiment, I still have the copper and the brass dust to try and some steel blue dust for contrast...

I may never use paint again.


----------



## Blackadder

Whoa!

Sorry to tout my own horn but; Whoa!!!! This is what I was looking for. I wish the camera could show precisely what I am seeing in person because the highlights and colour shift as you look over the piece are breathtaking.

At the very least Chrsygon / Dirty Harry looks like he's made of pewter and I couldn't be more pleased.

http://i.imgur.com/g7CYt4c.jpg









The gluing damage where I first glued the veneer to the cheek armour replicates battle damage and dents from normal wear and tear perfectly; just what you would expect from millennia of service.

Most of what you see was applied in ten minutes hand rubbed into the basic black matte spray paint with no prep.

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









This last shot shows the base coat and the edge of the finished cheek where I stopped to take these images.

Note the colour shift due to slightly different angle of the light source.

http://i.imgur.com/uHF8QHD.jpg









This is precisely what I was looking for as a finish for this model. 

Plus, Instant Patine


----------



## Blackadder

Not All Beer and Skittles: 
or The Black Adder holds nothing back...........

Just to show my humility this series of images demonstrate my fallibility. Yesterday I posted images of my first attempt at a new (to me) technique that I stumbled upon quite by accident; in other words I found no instructions on the 'net demonstrating the howto and pitfalls of working with powdered metal.

Today I shall be showing my mistakes:

First I made the mistake of working in front of my computer so everything has a fine coating of aluminum powder that only ingrains itself if rubbed. Make sure you work in an environment that does not matter if it has a metal sheen when you are finished.

http://i.imgur.com/GbUUl6i.jpg









I have since moved my operation to the kitchen. 

Second I touted the availability of this powder. I bought mine a few years ago when I was building Lucie my Warhound at that time I was looking for a dry material for the pistons that would act as a lubricant and allow them to telescope freely and the aluminum served the purpose admirably.

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









Well I did a search on the 'net and the company that produced the material appears to no longer produce the material thanks no doubt to the extreme 'Nanny-statism of the location of the company i.e. California. I have not yet found an alternative source so I'll post a link to the company's web page.....

http://www.modernmasters.com/about.asp

If you can find the product there, let me know.

Third I took some flash images of the work completed and although the eye cannot discern the difference apparently what is under the powder changes the albedo of the surface giving the two tone helmet/visor/face mask look under flash; 

http://i.imgur.com/VnN3Eic.jpg









not a big problem for me now that I have discovered it because I already had decided to try to sand off the striations on the brow and give the helmet a redo.

Lastly I stated that I bought this products from 'Sipersteins' paint store; judging by the stick on pricing tag(s) this product had remained on the shelf for quite some time before being bought by me. (Few stores mark prices on items anymore)* I am willing to bet that it is no longer commercially available because of presumed toxicity. (While I took obvious precautions of nose filter and dust mask) I imagine this product would not be a good choice of topping for your breakfast cereal. 

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









The same mentality that enforces mindless choking laws on kids' toys (Don't these kids play outside where, "Horrors!" lethal pebbles and acorns lurk and abound..., and mandatory headgear of bike riders has pulled products of this kind from the market even for the use by competent adults.......

Thank you Nanny State. 

* When bar codes were first introduced people complained that they did not have any idea what the items cost so shelf marking tags were legislated with the following law introduced that, "If the product does not have a shelf tag stating the price and unit price/weight the store is bound to give you the item for free."

Does that law still apply? Has anyone tested that law lately? How many times have you picked up a product that was mislabeled only to find it costing more at the register. Do you fight for the discount? or let it go?


----------



## Blackadder

Afghanistan Banana Stand:

Since the albedo so manifested itself in the flash I now can perceive the difference so there is nothing for it but to redo the helmet and whilst doing attempt to remove the unsightly striations in the brow. I first scrapped off the old layers of paint down to where the seams were not visible. A few nicks won't matter;

http://i.imgur.com/2VefLhq.jpg









I then wet sanded the brow to remove the scraps. The good new is the wet sanding got water on the powder but did not compromise it in the least so water won't damage the finish even without sealing.

http://i.imgur.com/HMFA8wM.jpg









Next I'll let it dry overnight and apply a base coat of black tomorrow followed tomorrow with an application of aluminum powder. 

http://i.imgur.com/oKJF3Tt.jpg









Banana included for scale.............


----------



## Blackadder

An Impromptu Filler:

On occasion I have to resort to patching or filling poorly mated seams such as on the helmet where the base plate is ragged where it meets the lower edge of the brow. Now I could fill the gap with 'Greenstuff' and wait for it to dry, and sand it off but who has the time.

Here's a trick that is ready to sand in minutes, durable and cheap.

I amass some styrene sanding residue, (In this case I just cleaned the plastic dust off of my sanding blocks.) into a small pile on my work board. I then applied the thinset cement to the offending gap and dipped the glue engorged seam into the pile of styrene dust. A few repeats of the process fills the gap with the identical material as the original styrene which the can be sanded and painted just as the original piece. 

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









A simple yet effective solution.


----------



## Blackadder

Pardon My Dust:

While waiting for paint and glue to dry I started on the detail of the Command Deck.

Using the flash I was not aware of how much dust styrene filing was present on the model. Thankfully the Warlord head escaped contamination. 

http://i.imgur.com/3hOIvsn.jpg









All the bitz are CoD

http://i.imgur.com/BV7V9Bp.jpg









I'm really pleased that the vestibule lines up with the external 'Door to Nowhere. Purely by accident I assure you.

http://i.imgur.com/e8e9GLD.jpg









http://i.imgur.com/DLNk8tg.jpg









The right side external catwalk

http://i.imgur.com/3Gwru4s.jpg









The Left side catwalk

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









The internal detail on this deck is only about half done FYI


----------



## Blackadder

What a Difference a Day Makes:

Last week I embarked on an experimental technique to try to find a decent finish for my Warlord. Painting it a straight this or that colour confounded me because once that colour you are pigeonholed into a theme. Nothing grabbed me as the definitive end all and be all of finishes until I chanced upon the 'Battleship' alien watercraft. There was the finish I coveted for my titan.

In a hurry as is my wont when I conceive of a direction I plunged ahead committing the most prominent assembly of the model to dubious untried ministrations and fortuitously the technique worked, the the results were satisfactory.and I proceeded to embellish a few other parts of the model with the same procedure. 

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









Upon photographing the results I found the aluminum powder augmented the detail but also augmented mistakes, poorly sanded areas and lastly subsurface paint which changed the reflecting value of the new surface material.

So yesterday scraping, sanding and wet sanding the helmet, first piece I did, resulted in the finish today which I consider a distinct improvement. 

http://i.imgur.com/t0i3u18.jpg









Fortunately as this is the only piece that requires such an intense refinish; I can now proceed with the rest of the model.

Whoops, slightly out of focus; I'll try again later.


----------



## Iraqiel

That's a commendable commitment to fine detail there Blackadder. Tell me, how do you find the aluminium powder to work with? Obviously it's not about to go hindenburg on you under a hobby light, but what is there to stop it abrading off from normal contact?

I tried to google the brand, but all I get are posters for a certain terrible movie...


----------



## Blackadder

Nothing unseemly I hope. 

The powder once applied is remarkably resistant to rubbing off, in point of fact the more it is handled the more ingrained it becomes picking up the oils and sweat from your (my) hands it increases in patine, at least such is my experience thus far. One thing I have noticed, it decreases the welding ability of the thin-set plastic solvent I use for gluing so repairs will likely have to be done with superglue or scraping off the metal down to the bare plastic but paint has the same problem so it's no big deal.


----------



## Blackadder

Iraqiel said:


> I tried to google the brand, but all I get are posters for a certain terrible movie...


I googled 'Modern Masters' and got the manufacturer's web page; what are you googling?


----------



## Iraqiel

Blackadder said:


> the 'Battleship' alien watercraft


Ha, thought the brand was 'battleship' and the colour was 'alien watercraft'. Obviously too much time working with GW names.


----------



## Blackadder

Seriously you googled "Battleship" Alien Watercraft?  

What was the problem with that movie; it was no worse than the (Marvel) Avengers (Don't get me started on that fiasco!) with a lot smaller budget.

Unreasonable Demands:

Due to unreasonable demands I have not been able to devote more than a few minutes this past week to applying aluminum to the legs and feet of the Warlord but this afternoon I got a bit done unfortunately I lost the light so I had to rely on the ambient light of my workshop.

http://i.imgur.com/39ctT0p.jpg









The flash being too intense and the normal lighting being too muted; the actual is somewhere in between.

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









The bottom line is I am quite pleased with the outcome but the number of discrete pieces have me floored and I haven't even got to the main torso yet.

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









Better pictures tomorrow where I only have to work for a living instead of catering to the whims of the lovely Mme Blackadder.........

http://i.imgur.com/9TkBTAO.jpg









First glance at the images under flash look far too granular, such is not the case but merely an optical illusion of the camera, the actual surface is much more refined.


----------



## Blackadder

Too Many Parts:

The legs and lower torso components take up a considerable portion of the kitchen table. Missing is the main hull and carapace components.

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









This is actually the first time I have disassemble the titan in its entirety and I am floored at the number of components. 

I hope I can remember were everything goes........... 

It will be fun when everything is painted and all the parts are laid out.


----------



## Iraqiel

Blackadder said:


> Seriously you googled "Battleship" Alien Watercraft?
> 
> What was the problem with that movie; it was no worse than the (Marvel) Avengers (Don't get me started on that fiasco!) with a lot smaller budget.


Yes, I did. I must admit to complete novicehood in relation to these high end hobby good, I've really been focusing on quantity over quality of late, building my battle force.

I suppose Battleship delivered what it promised... I don't know, perhaps I've watched too many British naval films of the 40s and 50s and expected maritime discipline and the nobility of command and sacrifice?

That is indeed a sizable collection of parts you have before you!


----------



## Blackadder

That statement out of context seems a lot more serious than I intended, I apologize.

So What ARE Those Wires Sticking Out Of the Greaves Blackadder?

Back about two or more years ago I got the idea of wiring diodes into the greave mounted search lights and to that end I installed the harness and the battery compartment and just left them dangling until today.

I have the parts and the electronics ready but to make this work I need lenses to fit the searchlight bitz so here's a brief tutorial of how I intend to produce the lenses.

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









I started by cutting square blanks out of clear styrene and gluing the blanks onto the ends of 7/16 inch (11 MM) using various sanding tools to produce the small round transparent lenses.

Pictured are the tubes with the blanks glued on; one before and one after (You have to look close to see the rounded lens still glued to the tube. 

http://i.imgur.com/MO6rEaX.jpg









Also pictured in the top image are the greave mounted search lights positioned on the flying greave panel.


----------



## Blackadder

Serendipity Once Again Rears It's Ugly Head:

I was going to keep these to myself until the Warlord was reassembled but this was too good to pass up without comment, the effect would be lost in the overall presentation of the completed model...........

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









I wish I could take credit for this but it came about purely by accident; I noticed when I was applying the armour veneers that the 'Testors' glue was slightly dissolving the 0,25 MM (0.010 inch) sheet styrene but until highlighting these large panels today I had no idea to what extent. The aluminum powder accentuates the dissolved areas giving a millennia old worn and weathered appearance that probably could not have been achieved on purpose. 

http://i.imgur.com/4JzpGjG.jpg









The effect was simple to achieve I just took the tube of glue and squeezing ever so slightly applied threadlike trails all over the area to be covered with the pre-cut sheet styrene. I the rubbed the panel until the glue set and sealed the edges with thin set solvent.

Even the mistakes and warped panels lend character to the armour simulation battle damage or in the case of the prominent vertical line in the first image where I removed a strip of styrene and applied it diagonally for greater aesthetic appeal looks like the residue of a centuries old modification. 

Of course there may be some that do not like this mottled effect but to me this battle weary biped looks the better for the superficial damage.


----------



## Nordicus

Hum that actually looks pretty awesome - Sometimes accidents are for the best it seems  I might have to copy this little trick of yours, so props for finding out :good:


----------



## Tawa

Looking great! :good:



Blackadder said:


> Of course there may be some that do not like this mottled effect but to me this battle weary biped looks the better for the superficial damage.


I don't see why. A God-Machine isn't going to be pristine after even a half-century of service.


----------



## EmbraCraig

Tawa said:


> Looking great! :good:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see why. A God-Machine isn't going to be pristine after even a half-century of service.



Yep - look at the metal decks or sides of a battle ship even 20 years old and you'll see them looking very similar to this. An excellent happy accident


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the replies,

The Command Deck Retrofitted:

In view of the new colour scheme the Command deck needed to be brought into accord so the new Command is now complete and ready for furniture and shutters.

http://i.imgur.com/YoZz7nG.jpg









The big gaping hole is for the lighting module that will light both the Command and Engineering decks.

Much of the interior is chopped up bitz from a CoD kit with a few home made items such as the blast doors and the front wall panel.

http://i.imgur.com/I9PdmFV.jpg









I think the steely interior is more in keeping with the 40K genera but the English signs may be a bit out of place. I can't recall warning signs in my search for Warhammer items. 

Anyway the Vestibule of the "Door to Nowhere" now has a pocket door

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









I definitely need a light in the vestibule to show the detail.

http://i.imgur.com/Jkmq31w.jpg









But for now a flash will do.

http://i.imgur.com/5vCizqY.jpg









I really love weekends, I get so much done..............


----------



## alasdair

Phenomenal work! Keep it up.


----------



## Blackadder

Update on the powdered metal, in my travels today I tried a local artist supply store where I found "Pearl Ex Pigments"

These are true metallic pigments and I purchased "Aztec Gold", "True Blue" and "Silver" which is actually a grey pigment that I intend to mix with the 'True Blue' to make a 'Steel' colour.

Someone might check for Aussie art stores that may stock similar materials.

Here is a link to a US store for reference and colour chart. Note on the colour chart; it shows the colour but doesn't represent the metallic sheen if the actual pigment.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/jacquard...rl-ex-pigments/

Since this stuff is manufactured in California, the Super Nanny State, it should be safe enough to feed your Joey as the label says NON-TOXIC.


----------



## Iraqiel

Blackadder said:


> Someone might check for Aussie art stores that may stock similar materials.


Many thanks, Sir Blackadder. Methinks you overestimate the humble Jackson's Art supplies we have here, but I'll see what dividends a serious investigation can deliver.


----------



## Blackadder

Iraqiel said:


> Many thanks, Sir Blackadder. Methinks you overestimate the humble Jackson's Art supplies we have here, but I'll see what dividends a serious investigation can deliver.


A quick search of the site yielded this result:

http://www.jacksons.com.au/index.php?cPath=97_447&&page=3 which may be worth exploring; elsewise do you have access to either 'ebay' or 'amazon'?


----------



## Blackadder

Gee Blackadder You Sure Have a Lot of Pencils:

Taking a side trip to make the searchlight lenses and mount the lights on the flying greaves.

First order of business was to remove the opaque lenses from the GW searchlight frame, that was accomplished with various drills and my drum rasp.

http://i.imgur.com/2P5zkWA.jpg









The flying greave imaged here has the searchlight housing installed and awaiting the LED. What this country needs is a good right angle LED because end on it just won't fit.

A complaint Ms Blackadder has voiced on occasion..... but I digress.

Below the various stages of cutting out the lenses and a finished lens ready for install in the frame and a completed frame and lens that has to be redone as it was my first try and I made the lens too small.

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









No 'wag' comments please.....

Finally same shot different angle showing a drum rasp in the foreground; an indispensable tool for reshaping styrene.

http://i.imgur.com/qSl3JaJ.jpg


----------



## Blackadder

Much Ado About Nothing:

Well it took a lot of effort and modifications but I finally got my searchlights operating and I have to say I'm not overwhelmed. cutting the lenses checking the circuit as it was being assembled was a lot of trouble for this less than awesome result..........

http://i.imgur.com/DuutMk5.jpg









After clearing the top lens I think I'll cloud it up again because the translucent lenses look better.

http://i.imgur.com/kCpr4pF.jpg









The reverse side shows the temporary splices to prove the circuit. I have to clean and solder the connections.


http://i.imgur.com/z8IOlNa.jpg









What next Blackadder; a Bat Signal?


----------



## Iraqiel

Props for the effort, even if you weren't satisfied with your end result. Perhaps try looking at it again with less ambient light? When I wired up the blue LED in my Dreamforge Leviathan I found that in my cave like gaming room he looked glowy eyed and awesome, but when I lit it up for photography the light washed away any sense of glow or interior lighting.


----------



## Blackadder

Thanks for the "props' " I needed the lighting to take the picture because without it all that could be seen was the searchlighting.......but I know what you mean. 

I kept putting off the installation of the lights hoping that technology will eventually catch up to my requirements alas to no avail. The standard LEDs have a cylindrical shape, the length being about twice the diameter, with a 'built in' lens at one end that for some reason has to be moulded 'straight on' as opposed to the 90° configuration I required. This seems to be industry standard unless I want to buy special kits/models/and bling lighting (which incidentally has higher voltage requirements than I can comfortably house in the confines available) that may have my requirements and even then the LEDs are pretty much dedicated to the specific item.

What I did in this case was to line the interior of the searchlight housing with aluminum foil to reflect the beam back into the housing and then out through the lens which is sufficient. I just needed the resultant effect of the searchlight illuminated, it did not have to literally throw a beam.

By mounting the LED 'end on' through the lens would have created a "Hot Spot'' of light instead of diffusing through the entire lens aperture plus I would have had unsightly wires protruding from the back end of the searchlight housing instead of virtually hidden protruding from the side. In all the installation was a sufficient compromise and I achieved the effect I desired albeit not without a good deal of wiring gymnastics.... More on the installation to come now that I have come up with a viable plan of execution to follow.


----------



## Blackadder

Plan Ahead:

Well I thought I planned ahead but NOT!

It seems my ambition has exceeded my complacency so I had to cut into finished work to upgrade the overall interior appearance. I had been contented to just have un-embellished lights somewhere in the command deck overhead but now I want side mounted recessed lighting in the upper gallery that looks like it belongs.

With that it necessitates cutting into the floor of the Void Generator compartment which will serve also for me to install reflective panels in the command deck ceiling.

http://i.imgur.com/ArNpL2g.jpg









These three images of just about the same thing shows one LED (temporarily installed and the rough cut openings I made for access to the hidden compartments behind the room walls that will now be the battery/electrical compartments. The cuts will be dressed smooth and the ceiling panel will now be removable for access to the batteries and wiring The white styrene stripes are newly installed reinforcements for the walls. 

Closeup of the LED with spacer collar and bezel trim: 

http://i.imgur.com/vmyV6iz.jpg









Another view of the same..........

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


----------



## Blackadder

Work'n Inna Coal Mine:

Not enough light my camera keeps telling me but apparently enough to take these images. Eight 3 volt LEDs powered by 4 AA batteries seem barely adequate to do the job I may try a higher voltage.

The right side array is poorly wired but the left side LEDs are mounted on a 2,0 MM X 6,3 MM styrene strip. 

http://i.imgur.com/vFvuJ4Q.jpg









Now at least the Tech College and Ad Mech Icon can be seen whereas they were not visible before even when prime grey and ambient lighting.

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


----------



## Iraqiel

I would love to see a battle report played across the decks of your titan, Blackadder. Progress is looking excellent, how are you planning to power the lighting on it?


----------



## Blackadder

Each set of lights have their own 3volt power supply (So far 4 sets) There will be additional sets for "Engineering", "Cockpit", Possibly "TurboLasers" and "Cannons", "Under Carapace Lighting" And Position Lights. and possibly others; depends on how lazy I get........


----------



## Blackadder

Together Again:

The leg/waist component is back together again with new lighting, new bolts and nut axles, new escape hatch and detail on the underside of the pelvis and a new covering of graphite hued skin which will have to be brightened with some beauty marks. 

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









But in fairness the room is quite dark and the flash somehow augments the darkness.

The electronics are moving ahead quite well and the interior lighting should be finished this coming weekend.

On the upper torso the new Engineering 'Blast Door' is completed and installed and the gunner platform behind the chest plate is ready but not as yet installed (It will be a removable piece consisting of two gunners and bolters firing down at enemy ground personnel. 

http://i.imgur.com/ppBoM9j.jpg









Big surprise in this image the greave floodlights seem to be working, they are actually reflecting the flash.


----------



## Blackadder

Together Again, Again:

This time with the upper torso reassembled. I haven't seen this this complete until today when it's been completely assembled (aside from a few glitches such as the new beefier gun stanchions interfere with the catwalks and the interior of the main guns barrels need to be painted. I started highlighting basic shiny armour with metallic gold and copper dry pigments but only on the interior. The effect needs a little refining before pictures.

http://i.imgur.com/EO1R8nx.jpg









The exterior needs some lighter silvery highlights and quite a few splashes of colour I know but right now I am overly pleased with the effect so far.

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









These low angle shots really show the majesty of this titan much more so than straight on and high level images especially without pieces that demonstrate the scale of the beast.

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









I have to install locking washers on the axles because the upper torso has become so heavy the bolts loosen just standing static and Luteus almost took a header off the telly console and I caught it just in time before it crashed to the floor.

http://i.imgur.com/9E1d6i9.jpg









Note in the view above the engineering upper gallery faceted rectangular view ports, I may highlight those with copper bands so the glue seams don't show.

http://i.imgur.com/k8ErOjW.jpg









Finally what every grunt longs for; that a Warlord has passed him by and he can still lives to tell about it.

In all not a bad week's effort...........I may celebrate tonight with a Martini.


----------



## LTP

Hey BA, This is so awesome. Thank you for creating such awesome models. Can I ask where you store them all? Do you have a display area?


----------



## Blackadder

I have a Den/Workshop where I keep all my ''childish'' nonsense. 

Someday I'll take a photo when I get it all cleaned up...........


----------



## LTP

Sounds great  I bet your collection looks epic


----------



## Blackadder

Is there a Mars pattern Warlord in your future?










Seems the buzz is that FW will be releasing a Mars Warlord in the first half of this year according to: 

http://battlebunnies.blogspot.com/2...howComment=1429094217110#c3746920820961701592

unless this is the cruelest April fools joke imaginable. Now why they were keeping this a secret is beyond comprehension because unless you're independently wealth you're going to have to save up to buy one of these because the projected price will be around £914 (1351.86 US Dollars); hope that includes weapons.


The good news is it appears 1.5 to 2.0 times taller than the Reaver Titan judging by the main gun showing 
in the Reaver image:










so my Lucius Warlord is in the same ball park:


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









plus it's a Mars so there's no conflict there......... Whew!


----------



## Iraqiel

Lucius pattern equipped force fighting a Mars legion - I want to see this battle!


----------



## Blackadder

Pretty Sure It's a Warlord:

Someone on the BoLS newsletter went to a lot of trouble pasting together frames of the short video to give a composite image of the new FW Titan shown here.

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









Granted it's in the foreground of the Reaver but still it dwarfs the Reaver by almost double allowing for perspective.

Mebbe my Warlord isn't so outlandishly huge after all............

Still searching for the full painting.


----------



## Blackadder

Something Unholy Comes This Way:

A tease in the FW newsletter; the foot pad of the Mars Warlord. and a scale figure so I can do a bit of calculating.










To my eye it seems a bit smaller than my 'Luteus' but that might just be my paranoia.

Anyway there is significant changes in detail from the Epic Warlord cast metal titan I based my model on so I shall have to see if any amendments can be made to 'Luteus Vexant' I believe what is presented here are the diagonal trapezoidal toes. which are detachable on mine so modifications should be easy.

See boys and girls, "Craziness pays........."


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## Blackadder

Side by Side:

It's easy to see why FW gets the big bucks.










Luteus is hopelessly out classed; Fah!

Don't quit yer day job Blackadder.........


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## LordNecross

Don't be too hard on yourself. Just imagine if you had a whole team of Clones of you! You'd be giving them a run for their money.


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## Blackadder

The Blackadder isn't the fragile flower you perceive him to be but thanks for the words of encouragement:good:

Green Screen Hyjinks:

Well since Luteus has been usurped I figure I'll have some fun before the real Warlord comes out.

Red Eye Panorama I call this one:

http://i.imgur.com/3PxUvq0.jpg









Hey this green screen stuff is kinda fun..........


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## Blackadder

Luteus Vexant Stands 160 feet (49 meters) tall.
This is not a kit, everything is handmade from scratch fabricated from individual bits of styrene. There are well over 10,000 bits of plastic glued together some no bigger than the head of a pin. "Luteus Vexant" is the name I chose for the Warlord It in Latin means "Dirty Harry" in the alternative definitions with a bit of poetic license.:wink: The Titan has a full interior with five levels completely furnished and manned with a crew. I am still in the process of wiring the lighting and it needs more paint.

http://i.imgur.com/NgEqa30.jpg


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## Kreuger

Hmm, now that you have it before a green screen I think this guy needs to be Photoshopped into a scene of the New York or Tokyo skyline a la Godzilla or maybe into a still from Pacific Rim.


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## Iraqiel

Blackadder said:


> the fragile flower


To completely ignore the rest of the sentence above, it is at least a very credible 'Lucius' Pattern, whereas the curves and relatively slim look of the FW model are far more in the 'Mars' Pattern aesthetic. So... are you feeling lucky?


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## Blackadder

Kreuger said:


> Hmm, now that you have it before a green screen I think this guy needs to be Photoshopped into a scene of the New York or Tokyo skyline a la Godzilla or maybe into a still from Pacific Rim.


Yeah well I'm still playing with the green screen and I have to illiminate the hotspot and the figure shadow for the green screen to work effectively.

Any and all advice will be welcomed.


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## Kreuger

Hey @Blackadder I've done some filming using a green screen and chroma-keying before. Unless you're actually going to make a movie the cleanliness of the greenscreen lighting isn't all that important. Photoshop is pretty forgiving because you can make multiple selections to choose and remove the background. When Chroma keying for video however you need a solid green otherwise the process breaks down. 

That said an evenly lit background always helps. A few things to know: move your subject at least 4-6 feet from the green screen, light your subject (probably using 3 point lighting), and separately light the green screen with another 2-3 lights to illuminate it evenly.

You can find some decent tutorials on 3 point lighting and green screening on you tube and around the web. 

If you want some help Photoshopping it once it's done I'd be glad to lend a hand. I've been using Photoshop for about 15 years.


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## Blackadder

Kreuger said:


> Hey @Blackadder I've done some filming using a green screen and chroma-keying before. Unless you're actually going to make a movie the cleanliness of the greenscreen lighting isn't all that important. Photoshop is pretty forgiving because you can make multiple selections to choose and remove the background. When Chroma keying for video however you need a solid green otherwise the process breaks down.
> 
> That said an evenly lit background always helps. A few things to know: move your subject at least 4-6 feet from the green screen, light your subject (probably using 3 point lighting), and separately light the green screen with another 2-3 lights to illuminate it evenly.
> 
> You can find some decent tutorials on 3 point lighting and green screening on you tube and around the web.
> 
> If you want some help Photoshopping it once it's done I'd be glad to lend a hand. I've been using Photoshop for about 15 years.


I've searched for information and no one has put the basic requirements as succinctly as you have in just these few sentences TYVM. What lights do you recommend for 3 point lighting.

BTW I've always used ULead PhotoImpact, how does that compare to Photoshop which I believe is Corel ware at least it was when I had a copy, at that time I didn't like it? I'm interested in that statement, "multiple selections to choose and remove the background" Photo Impact does not have that option I believe.


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## Kreuger

You're welcome! Photoshop is an Adobe product. Corel and Adobe are competitors. 

In Photoshop I can use the selection tool to create a selection and then add to it or remove from it. I can also use that selection to create a mask layer. A mask layer is basically a black/white gradient where the white sections are opaque and the black is transparent. I can apply this mask to another layer. For example, I could use a selection around Luteus to create the mask and then use the mask to "paint out" sections which need to be removed. 

Removing the background is reasonably easy. Getting the cityscape and the photo to match depth, focus, and detail is the tougher part.

I don't know Photoimpact. It sounds more like a consumer product for fixing red eye and cropping. I'll check it out when I can. 

As for lights, I've never owned decent photographic lights. When I did greenscreening it was either with borrowed professional lights or aluminum clip lights with incandescent bulbs and daylight. The cheap way is actually easier now since there are so many bright white /LED bulbs on the market. With incandescent I had to color correct for the orange tint in my video product (Adobe Premiere.)


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## Blackadder

Fabulous, with your two posts you have more than doubled my photgraphical accumen.

Heading to amazon to buy "Photoshop"

Whoops, there are a lot of different Photoshop programs, which do you suggest?


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## Nordicus

Blackadder said:


> Whoops, there are a lot of different Photoshop programs, which do you suggest?


You're looking for *Photoshop CC *for your needs. You can get it here for a monthly payment, instead of a fixed price.


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## Kreuger

Again you're very welcome! 

I use Photoshop Creative Suite 6, but creative cloud will do just as well. 

It's a pretty deep program so don't be alarmed if you're not sure where to begin. And let me know when you're set up if you have more questions.

*[Edit]*

So after poking around the internets a bit I grabbed some stock/web photos to mock-up of some examples of what I had in mind using the photos you posted. Granted, these are a bit sloppy, but I think they get across the idea of MASSIVE war machine visiting major metropolitan area. 

[As a disclaimer, I don't own or purport to own any of the stock/web photos to make a mock-up example. But I did find them through a copyright released search.]


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## Blackadder

Nice work, the peeping tom titan is right on the money, the other seems a bit too tall by an order of magnitude.....160 ft vs 1600 ft........

Nickeled and Dimed:

Another FW tease displaying tantalizing bitz and pieces of the forthcoming Warlord titan. No Hollywood starlet ever received better hype regardless of the size of her guns.










You can tell by the painted areas that the titan is ready for display and FW is just milking this for all it's worth.

Meanwhile since I already have a titan of sorts I can use these images to enhance the detail on my own construct...

So there FW eat your hearts out; yours is only an attenuated Mars pattern also ran. Ha!

Whom I kidding I've already mortgaged the abode to get one of these.


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## Blackadder

The head came out today so it looks like a breach birth.......










I'm pleased with the overall shape of the head but the size is a concern. Obviously there must be a 3 man cockpit crew so it has to be bigger than the Reaver head. The 'Face' is long rather than squat like the Reaver so I see a lot of the Dave Smith version and my own. In the FW tradition the cockpit helmet comes off to reveal the interior; I guess it's just a case of wait and see how the sizes compare. FW is sticking with the ball gimbal neck so the head won't be movable; that's disappointing but can be circumvented.


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## Blackadder

Meh!

I have to say after all the hype the debut poster is rather uninspired:










The painting is pretty mediocre and the model looks like all the recent gangling Mars kniggets that FW has been offering.

What a disappointment...............


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## Blackadder

A real image in the flesh, er, resin...........

albeit with an alternate Helmet.............


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## Tawa

Holy f..... :shok:


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## Haskanael

with every titan and knight release its getting more tempting to save up for an army them buggers.


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## Kreuger

Haskanael said:


> with every titan and knight release its getting more tempting to save up for an army them buggers.


While they are lovely models reality still intervenes . . . Mortgage > titans.


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## Dorns Legacy

I am left with a sickly taste on my tongue when i look at this model. Now i know its an impressive piece of kit BUT i just seems like they found a new model in the knights and decided to just run with it for all new releases.

I somewhat prefer the box topped looking models than this for warlord titans and i know its a mars pattern variant but it still to me feels lazy modelling to just upscale the knights to this level.

Anyone played any of the mechwarrior series? some of those more squared off box shaped mechs look terrifying to behold, i just hope we are not coming into the era of FW making all titans look the same just in differing size scales.

Now the plus points, it DOES look like a great piece of kit and the head looks pretty cool and well what can i say about those cannons.......RUN FOR THE HILLS not that the hills will survive either though


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## Iraqiel

It's an amazing model that they've put out, some of the closeups are awesome - the gangway and circular door in its lower back with lascannon defence lasers I particularly liked. 

Blackadder, yours is certainly a different and more imposing look, I think that the Lucius pattern still holds up in the face of the Mars Pattern release.

As to paint job though, having seen the painted closeups I'm not sure that I agree entirely... there is some excellent detail that they've worked into the beast.


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## Blackadder

Dorns Legacy said:


> I am left with a sickly taste on my tongue when i look at this model. Now i know its an impressive piece of kit BUT i just seems like they found a new model in the knights and decided to just run with it for all new releases.
> 
> I somewhat prefer the box topped looking models than this for warlord titans and i know its a mars pattern variant but it still to me feels lazy modelling to just upscale the knights to this level.


I'm in complete agreement and loathe this new tangent FW has initiated. When the first knights appeared I thought them an interesting group style and they did have a certain appeal but they certainly shouldn't dominate the overall design of all the classes of vehicles. From a distance without a reference for scale it is difficult to recognize Reavers and now Warlords from any of the knight variants. I strongly suspect that the Titans as a group came into being because of the 'Epic' scale figures and the desire to have humanoid shaped larger figures to play the game. The Titans filled that need but the classes were all distinct and original in shape not just different sizes of the same design.

I think FW is just either getting lazy in their design department or has just run out of ideas.

First they need an infusion of new blood and second they need to re-embrace the sorely neglected Lucius Pattern equipment.


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## Matcap

Blackadder said:


> First they need an infusion of new blood and second they need to re-embrace the sorely neglected Lucius Pattern equipment.


Quite agree! Although the current model is a brilliant piece of work. I have always preferred the Lucius style of warhound and your warlord as well. 

This is always the picture in my head when talking about warlord titans:


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## Blackadder

I quite agree, this is what FW should have been striving for albeit at a significantly reduced scale otherwise the model would have to be delivered in a Container-ship shipping container. Ha!


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## Blackadder

My Two Cents:

There's nothing wrong with buying models, I've bought many in my time but the cost of models and resin models in particular has skyrocketed over the past few years and something must be done (at least in my case 'cause my kids gotta eat....) to offset the dollar drain. I offered an alternative and try to show what can be done when your budget won't allow dumping thousands of hard earned dollars on miniatures. A good case in point are the incredible Russian 40K forums that specialize in paper craft; producing high quality FW models out of paper. I learned a lot from joining those sites and believe me many of the artists there would put any one of us to shame with their skill at reproducing models indistinguishable for the resin originals. Now FW has offered what I consider a pretty mediocre $2000 dollar Warlord capitalizing on their name and rep. The model is nothing more than an undersized up scaled 'Knight' titan with very little innovation and imagination in it's execution and presentation (cripes couldn't they show it as a side by side with a Reaver and Warhound???? They wouldn't dare because it's too small!!! A minimum of 26 inches by their own formula is the requisite size for a Warlord and theirs computes 3 inches deficient.......). I'm thankful that I built my own Warlord but had they offered a reasonable production Mars Warlord uncompromised in size and grandeur I would have had my order in already.


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## elmir

Yeah, Although I don't dislike the FW model at all, I still think your version trumps it. You should be happy you have yours to dwarf the other warlords that will be out there...


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## Blackadder

E.L.M.E.R. Gantry:

I've been thinking of making a base for my titans ever since I built them instead putting them on a shelf. I was walking past a neighbor's house the other day and they were throwing out one of those cheap plastic shelf units and there it was, the perfect setting for my titans with room enough for three. 

http://i.imgur.com/XXzuZ9F.jpg









The unit is tall enough to accommodate the Warlord with swing away arms overhead cranes and with a few girders, and staircases, safety rails, and intermediate maintenance platforms this could make the ideal display stand /display case.

http://i.imgur.com/XUz53ZD.jpg









With lighting, maintenance vehicles, and personnel this could be quite a focal point in my den.
http://i.imgur.com/v1LCohL.jpg









Now I need a group of descriptive words for the acronym E.L.M.E.R.

Any ideas?


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## Blackadder

Got it:

EXTRAVEHICULAR LEGIOS MECHANICUS EVALUATION & REPAIR Gantry

Thanks for all the suggestions, I got the two 'E's '&'


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## Blackadder

Thanks for all your work.



Gagoc The Ancient said:


> BlackAdder, found something on Natfka you might be interested in.
> http://natfka.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/warlord-titan-comparisons-from.html


Finally a comparison shot and thank you. It's what I have always thought since first seeing the new titan (and pretty much the mistake I made when I did a concept study of my Warlord in scrap plastic paneling):

Written 2010/8/16 when I had just started my Lucius Warlord........... 



> Whew, were has the summer gone? I had hopes of rendering the basic structure and working on the detail this winter but no such luck plus there are serious errors in scale comparing the the body to the legs and waist. Just to prove the Blackadder is as fallible as they come here is my effort thus far ridiculously out of proportion. The legs are easily 2 to 4 inches too short and the model as it stands is only 19 inches tall. By adding 4 inches to the legs and topping the carapace with the void shield generator housings that should bring it to the goal height of 28 inches.












The difference is I recognized my mistake; it looks like FW studied it and copied it, Ha!.

When I build this ( The FW Warlord) I shall lengthen the legs at least 3 inches..........


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## Blackadder

E.L.M.E.R. Gantry:

I took a week of to arrange my work area as things were getting pretty messy with all the projects going at once and I was rapidly running out of work space.

I did manage to cut out the intermediate deck of the E.L.M.E.R. Gantry (EXTRAVEHICULAR LEGIOS MECHANICUS EVALUATION & REPAIR Gantry) to receive the fully assembled Warlord; the gantry takes up all my paint work table space and hopefully when finished will provide both a display diorama fitting for such a construct plus a safe container to house the model in in one piece rather than separate the hull from the legs to prevent toppling as I do now.

http://i.imgur.com/atyfd1n.jpg









Something seems wrong with the focus on my camera but in the images presented ther is the new beginning of the command deck hologram tactical display plus a Space Marine for scale.

http://i.imgur.com/zaIi3OR.jpg


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## Iraqiel

Looks unreal Blackadder, you've done amazing work and I'm sure that the gantry will be excellent also... are you going to build in overhead cranes, weapons cradles, skitarii security check points and erratically arguing collegio techpriests?


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## Blackadder

Well granted in it's initial state being fresh (Ahem; figuratively speaking) out of the recycling bin it is little more than a set of cheap plastic shelves but yes I am going to add beam mounted e.g. 










four way overhead track traveling cranes with electromagnetic lifting heads (Rare earth magnets) on all four levels for moving heavy components.

and:










Plus catwalks aplenty, recessed tracks for small cranes, and hangar support vehicles, oodles of suitable pseudo-religious 40K artifacts, tech priest enclaves, and I'm hoping to find 28 MM ground maintenance personnel and a few Sentinel Heavy Lifters to dress up the hangar.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.............

Don't forget, my Lucius Warlord was once just so many styrene sheets and recycled bottlecaps... Ha!

My goal is to make a stable display stand/diorama for my titan to be stored in when not in play as while it does have the capability of standing unaided for days on end it has toppled over on occasion incurring time consuming repairs. I'd prefer not to have to be continually rebuilding it. Plus this will make a handy storage/display area for my other two titans as well.


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## Iraqiel

Sounds like an excellent project, time till completion notwithstanding! Do the Reavers fit in alongside the Warlord?


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## Blackadder

I'm hoping the Lucius Reavers (2) and Warhounds (2) will flank the Warlord on the two levels for display purposes (Space available) and the Mars versions can serve as alternative displays....

and yes I did pre-order the new Mars Warlord before Ms BA got the straight-jacket securely in place with the help of the local EMS.


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## venomlust

Blackadder said:


> I'm hoping the Lucius Reavers (2) and Warhounds (2) will flank the Warlord on the two levels for display purposes (Space available) and the Mars versions can serve as alternative displays....
> 
> and yes I did pre-order the new Mars Warlord before Ms BA got the straight-jacket securely in place with the help of the local EMS.


As they dragged you away, "You haven't seen the last of me!"


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## Blackadder

An Interesting Image:

Found this comparison image on the internet and superimposed the skulls which are virtually the same size.










One might extrapolate based on this image that the Lucius Warlord stands taller than the Mars by a considerable amount.


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## Blackadder

Auto Focus Failure

There is something wrong with my camera's auto focus

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









But these two images convey the gist of the subject at hand namely the priming of the Gantry so with another camera later on I shall be presenting the cranes and paraphernalia requisite for a heavy equipment maintenance area.

http://i.imgur.com/8CIMIkB.jpg









Right now with the overall gantry primed gray I think it shows off Luteus in a fine setting for display purposes 

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









Providing of course you have oodles of empty space in your "Man Cave"....Ha!


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## Blackadder

Just reread the past few posts of Kreuger and I'm surprised at the lack of responses to his artistic endeavor; anyway I'm preparing to reopen this thread now that my carpet is installed and the house is in a reasonably unchaotic state of order and I need a source for the soft 'aquila' pictured here:

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









Model kit or vehicle other than the obvious resin Baneblade  preferably on a sprue i.e. not moulded into the model surface.


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## Iraqiel

The two that spring to mind are one of the armour plates on the hellhound turret, as seen in the GW display photo:
http://www.games-workshop.com/en-AU/Imperial-Guard-Hellhound

And the one moulded onto the Wyvern blast shield:
http://www.games-workshop.com/en-AU/Astra-Militarum-Hydra

Of the two, the first is closest to what you were after, I suspect. 

Otherwise, FW does a brass etch aquilla pack?


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## Blackadder

Iraqiel said:


> The two that spring to mind are one of the armour plates on the hellhound turret, as seen in the GW display photo:
> http://www.games-workshop.com/en-AU/Imperial-Guard-Hellhound
> 
> And the one moulded onto the Wyvern blast shield:
> http://www.games-workshop.com/en-AU/Astra-Militarum-Hydra
> 
> Of the two, the first is closest to what you were after, I suspect.
> 
> Otherwise, FW does a brass etch aquilla pack?


Thanks for the reply but those are the angular stylized Aquila and a flat relief, the one on the Baneblade superstructure has more sculptured wing feathers and has a bas-relief effect.

I know FW is given to appropriating GW styrene 'bitz' when casting their resin models so I thought that there was a kit that supplied that bit(z).

I suppose I shall have to carve my own; sigh.


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## Blackadder

Back To the Warlord:

While I am designing the T'hawk cockpit interior I ran across my Tech priests for the Warlord. I'd forgotten I made these to go in the upper gallery of the Warlord interior in the altar area.

http://i.imgur.com/x6jTfb8.jpg










Since then I made a few priest consoles and added a FW production Tech Enginseer.

http://i.imgur.com/VV8Pw7i.jpg









The problem with you Blackadder is, "You can't paint!"


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## Iraqiel

Excellent to see some more progress, that titan gantry project has me inspired to do something similar!


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## Blackadder

Thanks, right now I am in the process of modifying support vehicles and maintenance crews for the Titan in the gantry. Images to be posted soon.


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## Iraqiel

Whilst your scratch building skills are second to none, CnC miniatures do some nice and easy to assemble/paint pavement forklifts and crates that may fit in, and Imperial Guard Sentinel drivers fit in them perfectly.

Here are two that I prepared earlier:


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## Blackadder

Four Images of A Warlord:

My new toy, a mini Ipad has become my favorite camera; at least for desktop photos. The trouble is in transferring to my PC. because the Apple doesn't like my PC for some reason and keeps asking if I want to allow access. Life is HARD! 

Anyway, four images of the new interior lights of the cockpit. and they're all pretty much the same but what the hey, I'll post them all.

http://i.imgur.com/U12KntO.jpg









What irritates me is I can see the crew in the cockpit but the camera doesn't.

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









I like the battle scars in this closeup

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









I like this low angle view because it shows the upper engineering deck through the blast doors. which normally can't be seen with the chest armour in place.

http://i.imgur.com/xFOtD0J.jpg


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## Blackadder

Iraqiel said:


> Whilst your scratch building skills are second to none, CnC miniatures do some nice and easy to assemble/paint pavement forklifts and crates that may fit in, and Imperial Guard Sentinel drivers fit in them perfectly.
> 
> Here are two that I prepared earlier:


Sorry for the late response

Thanks for the information on these lifts. are all the models in this series 28mm scale? I may have need for a few more items.


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## Iraqiel

Blackadder said:


> Sorry for the late response
> 
> Thanks for the information on these lifts. are all the models in this series 28mm scale? I may have need for a few more items.


They are, I use these two a lot in terrain and the Canberra gaming scene has a few floating around at bigger events such as the ACT of Heresy that runs each year.

Interior lighting in the Warlord looking very good!


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## Blackadder

Iraqiel said:


> Interior lighting in the Warlord looking very good!


Thanks for the reply. I've lost a lot of energy on these projects over the winter. I had a few setbacks on my Thunderhawk where I had to make another ball turret which is rather disheartening because it's difficult to match the original in quality.

Then I had a malware attack by some computer con game where they offered to "repair" my computer for $350 Well I've had enough of this crap and decided to buy myself an Apple Mac. Well I hate it and double so as I managed to to purge my computer of the malware anyway. Grrrrr! 

Anyway your reply was most appreciated coming as it did when I just resolved to begin working on the Warlord interior and the Thunderhawk is ready for the final assembly and paint and I am getting a hankering to resume the Lucius Pattern Reaver and my newest project; a Lucius pattern Emperor/Invictus.


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