Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: Ray Rivers on July 04, 2014, 03:28:12 PM
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Okay!
So I've got this mountain of plastic from All's Quiet on the Martian Front. I'm cross posting this over at the Robot Peanut Studios Forum (http://robotpeanutstudios.proboards.com/) almost verbatim.
So I thought I would post up some stuff of my WIP on a pod of Scout Tripods. I've already finished one and decided to put my lessons learned into the other two.
So off we go. Apologize for the photos in advance, very rapidly done, but hopefully will serve.
The first thing I found out was that a Tripod with only 2 legs falls down. ::) I guess I abuse my models too badly and yep, I broke my first tripod of the stand. So that meant I had to pin the model to the base. So the first thing you will notice are the pins in the legs.
The next thing I wanted was some variety in my scouts. To do this I have one with the right leg raised, one with the left leg raised and the third with the back leg raised. I also varied the tentacles such that 1 had both a left and right tentacle, the other 2 left tentacles and the last 2 right tentacles.
I also wanted to add a bit of irregular shape to the base as it is so large. To do this I used silly putty as a base and then covered it with a thin covering of milliput. Here is a shot of the base:
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Here is a shot of the one of the tripods I'm working on: Notice the pins in the legs, a bit of milliput to smooth over the joints and the tentacles.
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Here is the second tripod. This tripod has the rear leg raised. Actually, with the models as molded you can't do this, so it required a small conversion. Very easy to do, I cut off the joint on the leg, glued it to the foot, then pinned it into place in the correct position:
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So, that is where I stand so far.
Let's see the tripods placed on the bases to get an idea of what they will look like.
First the tripod with the right leg raised:
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And next the tripod with the back leg raised.
Next step will be mounting the tripods and doing their heads... soon hopefully.
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Nice to see these take shape Ray :)
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Cheers, Nick!
They are actually lovely models, easy to build and paint up a treat.
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Can you stand one beside a 28mm figure? I know they are actually 15mm, but I just want to see if I can use them in my 28mm as scouts or 'droids...
They certainly look pretty.
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Can you stand one beside a 28mm figure? I know they are actually 15mm, but I just want to see if I can use them in my 28mm as scouts or 'droids...
Sure, mate!
The next time I do some photos, hopefully in the next couple days, I will include a shot with a 28mm figure alongside.
Being plastic, there is tons of mods you can do to these miniatures. For example, you can cut off the rounded bits of the legs and mount the pointy feet there, dropping the leg length from 9 cm to 5 cm. Note also that the tripod has a flat base to mount the head (which isn't mounted in my photos). You could mount just about anything you wanted there. The tentacles can also be easily shortened as well.
Also bear in the mind that although the Scout Tripod is the shortest, the Assault Tripod uses the same legs. So if you wanted to buy the model just for the legs, buy the Scout Tripod.
More to come...
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Here's a couple I took at Partizan.
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The bigger ones don't look to out of place really with the one true scale :)
cheers
James
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The bigger ones don't look to out of place really with the one true scale :)
The bigger one is an Assault Tripod, and yep, it will fit in nicely with 28mm stuff.
Even better is the Overseer Tripod of which I got one, but still haven't received it. :D
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Very nice!
I look forward to seeing it painted up.
Any idea when these will be available retail to us mooks who didnt get in on the kickstarter?
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Cool
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Any idea when these will be available retail to us mooks who didnt get in on the kickstarter?
I believe the basic tripods and tanks are available for order now at Architects of War (http://www.architectsofwar.com/martianforces.aspx) for US folks and North Star for European Peoples.
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Hmm, that makes these usable as craft for a fallne Cephalopod civilization, alongside the ones I made from the Black Manta toys...
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I've had 55 views on the Robot Peanut Studies forums and not a single response. lol
Guess my tutorial is a bit basic, but from what I've seen from a number of members, they need a basic tutorial.
So I shall continue... undaunted! 8)
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BTW... I forgot to mention...
The moving leg on the tripod is quite easy to assemble. You just press the pieces together and they hold quite firmly. Good enough for government work! The problem, however is it leaves a fairly large gap in the joints and this can be easy fixed by merely cutting the pegs down by a little less than half. They won't fit as snugly, but you will significantly reduce the gap where the joints meet. If you really want to "do the business" as I noted before, fill the gap with milliput, let dry and then sand it a bit.
Now... to new business. Putting together the bodies of my tripods. The bodies are quite easy to assemble, basically glue and mate. I wanted one body to have a ray gun and normal arm and the other to have a ray gun and spotter.
In putting together the bodies, there is only one real problem and that concerns the left arm with nothing in the claw. If you just pop it in there the way it was designed, that arm will stick upwards. To correct this problem, you just need to shave off a part of the joint.
Here is a photo of the body from underneath with a red circle showing what I'm on about:
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The other body has a spotter attached to the left arm slot. The spotter looks kinda cool, but not menacing enough for me. I added a bit of rod to it and now it looks like it came out of a dentist's office!
:o
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With the legs and body now complete, the next step was to add some texture to my base. I use a fine scatter material which I bought in bulk. All it takes is painting the base with a bit of water diluted white glue and then
dump sprinkle it over top.
Here is the textured base:
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FINALLY! Finished with construction.
Now it's time to start painting.
Normally I first start by priming my models, but in this case, I have a silver oil base spray, which really doesn't need any primer.
So... off I went spraying like mad. Oh... I choose not to glue the body to the legs because I want to be able to manipulate the body later when I start painting on details.
Here is a picture of the legs sprayed with my silver paint:
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And here is a photo of the bodies:
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Since I didn't use a primer I now slap some paint on the base scatter to keep it from falling off. I used to use GW Graveyard Earth, but I used so much of it, in the end I bought a 80 ml craft paint and mixed myself up a reasonably close alternative.
Here is the base with a bunch of paint glopped onto the scatter to prevent it from coming off:
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So that is the basic job done. Here is a photo of where I stand now with the head placed on top:
Next I'll start painting on the details.
Until then... ta ta!
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I'm back! :)
So our next step after spray painting the tripod dude all silver, is to add some depth. There are a couple of ways to do this, but adding depth to the model really makes a huge difference, so I encourage everyone to give it a swing. One way is to use use ink or a product like Quickshade from $Army Painter$. The other way is by just painting it on with a ... wait for... brush, and that is the way I will proceed.
To add shade to my model I take silver and add a bit of black. This color is normally referred to as Chainmail. I go to all the joints and the recessed areas and give them a good going over to break up the incredibly bright silver and pop out the details of the model. If you just want a standard silver Tripod, with the exception of some small bits like the ray gun and eye, you are pretty much finished.
I, however, want to add a bit more color to my Martian invaders. So here is a photo after I have completed painting many (but not all) areas with Chainmail.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod013_zpsbb907dd1.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod013_zpsbb907dd1.png.html)
After adding depth (which I know is not the easiest to see with my poor photo), it's time to block in the colors I want my fashionable tripod to sport. I'm kinda shooting more for a VSF look here, and you will notice with the additional colors (Brass and Blue Steel), the Chainmail I used also is much easier to see.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod014_zpsddb08178.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod014_zpsddb08178.png.html)
So... I'm off to finish block painting the rest of the tripod parts and when I finish that, I will then add shade to those areas as well. At that point, my tripod will be very close to finished.
So until then, which may take a bit of time, adios amigos!
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Quick update. Body now block painted with copper and blue steel.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod015_zps0b7b1a25.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod015_zps0b7b1a25.png.html)
With the block painting done, shading is next and will especially effect the areas painted in blue.
The eye for now is black and will probably stay that way until I get some sort of inspiration.
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Interesting! I should consider some of these tripods for my martian invaders in my pulp alley campaign :D
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Looking good, eyes red maybe?
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Nice work Ray
Very interesting
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Cheers!
Almost finished now.
If only I can take some reasonable photos... :?
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Racing to the finish line... I can see it! :o
The next step was to add some blue shade (blue steel plus dark blue) and brass shade (brass plus black). I also gave the base another base coat, dry brushed a light shade, added some dirt to the tripods feet and varnished the whole thing. Here is a shot (though the base is a weird yellow color in the photo):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod016_zps45f5b373.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod016_zps45f5b373.png.html)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Since I used both oil and acrylics, you MUST use a duel oil/acrylic varnish or it will destroy your toy. :'(
With that done, I added some static grass and a few tufts. And Voila! my tripods are complete:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod017_zps7a4551ba.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod017_zps7a4551ba.png.html)
:D
And one last photo... GROUP SHOT! A pod of Martian Scout Tripods:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/scouttripod018_zpsb91f0f56.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/scouttripod018_zpsb91f0f56.png.html)
What'ca think?
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Really nice work, Ray! 8)
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The different colours make them pop :)
cheers
James
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They are awesome! Tell me the eye lights up!:)
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Cheers, chaps.
Sorry... the eye doesn't have a light. Way too sophisticated for me.
BUT.... I did try an idea of mine... a midget tripod:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/lavaslair/GrenadierTripod01_zps9cb2357f.png) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lavaslair/media/GrenadierTripod01_zps9cb2357f.png.html)
:P
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They look great Ray, especially the blue steel ;D
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I knew 'lit up' would come up, but, frankly, I like the shark-ish 'dead black eyes' look to 'em. I would have suggested gem-like painting as an alternative, right up til I saw they looked nicely scary this way.
The different colours make them pop :)
cheers
James
That too.... lol
Doug
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Thanks again, all.
There is a guy who is using mufti-faceted gem stones as eyes and they look quite nice.
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Thanks again, all.
There is a guy who is using mufti-faceted gem stones as eyes and they look quite nice.
YMMV would be the key here; I seldom find them less than suited, though it sounds like you've found an exception.
However, the Evil Empire(tm) has gone on and on about how gems are painted in 'the GW Hobby'. >:(
I will have to admit, the cabochon school of eye-tricking can render a 'window' with real depth and otherworldliness.
Doug
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Good work, I like them
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Most excellent! ;)