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Author Topic: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes:  (Read 23926 times)

Offline Spooktalker

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #30 on: November 15, 2019, 05:35:15 PM »
Ingenious is the right word!  :-*

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #31 on: November 17, 2019, 02:35:10 PM »
Thank you for saying, Spooktalker.

15. Granite Breaker, Dwarf 'Cannon-Imperial'

I began work on a dwarf castle-shattering cannon ...


Then I decided I wanted the bronze to be oxidised like the Tsar Cannon:


So ancient that it is heavily oxidised. I tested a technique (I was still using enamels) on a second hand horse's arse ...



... and decided I liked it.

The pic below shows what happened. I now wondered why I had made all the effort to leave black lines on the bronze layer, only to have them all completely disappear under the 'wash' (a white spirit wash - not recommended for your health at all!).



It definitely looked oxidised, but whether it is a better look than the bronze I could not decide. Anyway, I finished the rest of it ...



.. and was still very unconvinced. So I took advice from some forum folk. One bloke said I should "restore a little bronze colour where there might be wear" so I tried that and I liked it a lot more. Thanks forum bloke!



I was worried that my little fellers couldn't possibly load it. So I worked on some steps and a crane - not works of art, but practical. Now with the courtesy of some steps, a long linstock and a handy crane, they can load the beast!





Note: This post is 'allowed' in this thread, I reckon, because the crane and steps are scratch-built!!
« Last Edit: November 17, 2019, 03:15:46 PM by Padrissimus »
My Tilean Campaign can be found at https://bigsmallworlds.com/

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #32 on: November 19, 2019, 06:45:18 PM »
16. Kit-Bash Warp Lightning Cannon

This kit-bash project utilises an Airfix historical kit. I wanted a Skaven Warp-Lightning cannon able to move under its own power with a steam-punk sort of look, to go with my Doom-wheel. So, in a spirit of taking the direct approach, I got myself a kit of an early engine: Trevithick's 1804 steam loco.



First I built the kit, which was a blast from the past considering I spent (mispent?) nearly my entire youth making Airfix kits, some many times over, and then I spent my teenage years making more, but with a 'sci-fi' twist (T34's became grav tanks, WW2 trucks became Mad Max vehicles - that sort of thing).



As I had to paint the bits while they were still disassembled, this meant I could use them for a story piece in my campaign of the time, telling of when a skaven engineer found an abandoned war engine, in pieces, in a disused mine tunnel. Oh boy, he was so excited I can tell you.



When I later put it together, I shortened the funnel - don't ask me why, I've long since forgotten - and painted the whole thing metallic. I liked it already, although there was nothing 'Skaven-ey' about it yet, not even a weapon.



Then I set about working on the warp-lightning cannon to mount on it, and the necessary crew platforms.



I decided on a platform on the back, plus another long one along the side for the crew to perform 'maintenance' and access various vital bits. There's no way of feeding coal in or such like, but I had already decided there was a super-hot chunk of warpstone inside heating the water to create the steam. No need for coal. Good for the environment! There was also a huge chunk powering the cannon (an ancient and sanded D8, no less).



I painted the warpstone chunk and added a chain-ladder at the back for the crew to scramble up. Then someone said my warpstone looked like a strawberry! And someone else pointed out that I had forgotten to rust up the gun.





So I added yellow lines between speckles ...



... and rusted up the gun.





I was going to make special crewmen on wooden bases to match the platform, but I never got around to it.

I was proud of this new behemoth. Wondering if it would sit nicely alongside my existing warp lightning cannons, I sat it next to them ...



I was suddenly thinking about Goldilocks for some reason!

Here you can see it trundling about in the rear of my skaven army …



Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #33 on: November 23, 2019, 08:16:17 PM »
17. Kit-bashed Orc Crossbows

My campaign story from the Spring of IC 2401, called 'The Green Corsairs', featured some crossbow-armed orcs. These were relatively simple kit-bash style conversions, replacing the weapons the models had with crossbows.

Here they are before painting:



I used crossbows from the Empire Handgunner/Xbow box & the Free Company sprue. Just had to cut the human hands off.

Here's the rear rank (in a marching pose):



And here's the front rank (the musician is armed with a choppa):



Now here painted, but not yet based.







And here is the pic of them from the story …



Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #34 on: December 01, 2019, 07:17:20 PM »
18. A Brace of Galloper Guns
(One official and one a scratch-build facsimile)

One of my pair of galloper guns is the official Bronzino model, the other is a fake of my own devising. This was due mainly to the fact that I couldn't get my hands on another at anything like a reasonable price, although it is also nice that they aren't clones!

First, I hacked the wheels off a couple of old cannons I made decades ago from bullet casings! Here’s one of the original rather silly looking guns …



Then I fashioned up a frame not dissimilar to the official model, using a 20mm ECW gun and a Perry Miniatures plastic horse ...



I added a collar of real wool to the horses' neck, painted with glue ...



Then I fashioned some crewmen to copy the official models in form ...



Gathering up the pieces ...



... I began assembling, and painting the wood and metal.



I went for a livery of red and green, as I wanted this company to be an independent mercenary unit, not a part of my 'famous' (dark blue and dark red) Compagnia del Sole!

Here's the official Citadel model ...



And here's my copy of it ...



Together they make a lovely brace of guns.



Here you can see them as they were pictured arriving at the army camp of the first Reman alliance army under the command of the Arch-Lector Calictus II



And here you can see the commander himself, Captain Barbiano Pandolfo …



NB: If you are wondering why there are arabyans with them, they traveled with Gedik Mamidous' mercenary company from Araby, known as the 'Sons of the Desert'!
« Last Edit: February 13, 2021, 11:21:28 AM by Padrissimus »

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #35 on: December 09, 2019, 09:45:56 AM »
19. Undead cultists

The newly made vampire Biagino’s main source of corpses, by his own preference, was the great pile of fallen Morrite dedicants (cultist flagellants) lying upon the battlefield of Ebino. Because all my existing zombies were dead Empire soldiers or dead pirates, I needed new zombie figures, looking like they had been cultists in life. Cue some kit bashing.

I used five different sources for the figures - Mantic (Kings of War) zombies (30) and ghouls (20) would be the core, with elements of Frostrave cultists, GW flagellants and GW ghouls mixed in.

Here are the almost pure Mantic (zombies and modified ghouls, plus a mix up of the two):



Here are the Mantic/Frostgrave:



The Mantic/GW (ghouls/flagellants):



Close ups of some of my favourites:





During the process I think invented a new way of doing hair. Admittedly, I can only make crazy hair this way, but I never claimed to be a stylist, and besides, this is what my own hair actually looks like so it’s karma or zeitgiest or habitual or something else stream of consciousness.

The technique involved pin drilling plastic sprues to create curly/wavy strands ...



I then cut them into bits (very fiddly), then blobbed some glue into a head (I chose an entirely bald head for my first transplant operation but you could go for extensions instead) then gently pressed one end of the strands, one strand at a time, into the blob. I then brushed (& squashed) strands into place for that 'just stepped out of the salon' look ...









If it's been done before, I apologise for my vainglorious claims. But I know wargamers are always after tips for their hair.

The Painting

I decided to try a wash technique of sorts. It’s not easy with enamel paints, but I had done it before and it ‘kind-of’ worked. The wash should create skin then I’ll add my usual black undercoat to everything else and continue as normal. Then I thought “Why risk enamels?” and so …

Here they are completed:



I tried a new technique with these. Having painted in enamels for decades, using a black undercoat and ‘cell shading’ cartoon style over the top, I thought I’d have a go with acrylics. However, I wanted the figures to ‘fit in’ with my existing armies, so I didn’t go the whole hog. Instead I sprayed a white acrylic undercoat, then painted, washed, drybrushed and inked away at the flesh, until satisfied. Then I slapped a black enamel on all the clothes and weapons and painted those in my usual style. I was hoping to save time (always a consideration when trying to paint a unit of 50). Upon completion, however, I was not entirely sure it was quicker than my usual method!

I like the more ‘subtle’ way the faces came out – much better in close-up than my normal style.



I didn’t think of ink ‘til late on, having never used it before, and I now think I will use it again.



I like the scabby bloodiness of the wounds, which I also washed some green into:



Some of them really do, to my eyes, look threatening …



My favourite of all …



Another new thing – I used square (2x2) figure bases instead of the long (1x4) ones. It should make it even easier to rank the unit up.



As for the experiment with hair – I can’t decide if it worked well or not. I thought it would look more, well, hairy!





Just to make the difference between this new technique and my old way really jump out, take a look at the two styles side by side ...



How times change! Still, I kind of like both techniques, in their own way.

Offline Grumpy Gnome

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #36 on: December 09, 2019, 02:23:42 PM »
Thank you for continuing to share your hard work and experience! It is very instructive as well as inspirational. Much appreciated!
Home of the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/

Offline SpaceGoblin

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #37 on: December 10, 2019, 12:25:12 AM »
Amazing! The bleeding ears on the rhino are a nice/horrible detail  :D

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #38 on: December 15, 2019, 12:24:37 PM »
20. Picklehaube Ogres

This is the most minimal kit bash yet, but sometimes a subtle change can transform a figure. I'm not saying it transformed these for the better, but I do think it changed their 'look' considerable!

I was inspired by my standard bearer conversion (which you can see in the pictures of the painted figures) to do a whole unit of spiky helmeted dudes. I wanted basic, no frills (apart from the spike) thugs with a ‘bovver boys’ kind of look.

Here was my test model:



The helmet is from the mid 80's Citadel white, plastic orcs, the ones that came in a box with 10 dwarfs, 10 wood elves, 10 skaven, 10 dark elves and 10 gobbos. Here are three together. Sticking with my 'keep it simple' theme, I cut off most of the knobbly bits, gut plate decorations and spikes and such.





I know my painting style is different, being 'cartoon', because everyone tells me so - but every one of the more than a thousand figures I've painted has been done this way, so why stop just 'cos Ogres are big?





I added a bit of armour 'cos folk said they looked a bit bare. I wanted a real basic, no spikes look (apart from the obvious belly and helmet spikes). 'Bovver boys' would not care for anything too fancy. I looked that their helmets looked like Monmouth caps, or bowls jammed onto their skulls. I was not 100% sure about standard, but a blood red scimitar over the moon seemed a good theme. I do now wish, however, that I had somehow got the helmets to sit a little lower on their noddles!

Apparently, although I have no memory of it now, I added three more at some point in time since!



Offline djbii

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #39 on: December 15, 2019, 09:29:04 PM »
I knew I'd seen that helmet before somewhere! Thanks for posting where you found them as it was going to twist my brain. Really like the change to the look. Made me think of the Michael Caine movie The Last Valley :-)
A life spent making mistakes is not only honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” –  George Bernard Shaw

https://hottnstuff.blogspot.com/ (was http://hitlh.blogspot.com.au/)

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #40 on: December 15, 2019, 09:45:05 PM »
Hacking the helmets off the orcs' heads with a scalpel was fun (not).

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #41 on: December 17, 2019, 09:30:08 AM »
21. MORE Undead Cultists!

Turns out I need LOADS of new zombie cultists for my campaign. The vampire Duchess Maria has defeated a second whole army of cultists (the 'Disciplinati di Morr'), and has thus resurrected many more to serve her, these in addition to the the regiment already serving her lieutenant Biagino.

So I started working on these 20 wondering if I was going to have to get another 40 or so. Having vowed to avoid enamels after 35 years of breathing white spirit fumes, I used a mix of enamel and acrylics (I never knew this was possible). Eventually I will find a way of using acrylics only, but have yet to master it (or get the right paints).



Like the first batch of zombie cultists, I used acrylics on a white acrylic undercoat for the flesh ...



Then I black undercoated the rest in enamel and painted my more usual style in both enamels and (mostly) acrylics on top.



As I was painting I put some of the now obliterated Disciplinati di Morr models on the table to get the colours to match for their zombified versions. It suddenly dawned on me that loads of the living cultists were in hoods and gloves, which means you can't tell if they are alive or undead. Thus, in an instant, by scattering the undead through the body, I now had a new horde of 60 zombie cultists. Huzzah!



This makes me extra happy 'cos I thought it most likely I would never get to use the living Disciplinati di Morr army again, apart from some random one off in the far future (if I live that long). 

I forgot to add an ink wash to the flesh (like I did with the first 50) before the above pictures. Acrylics are still new to me, I have been stubbornly loyal to enamels for 35 years. I could see these had not come out the same, but I couldn't work out why.

I think they look a bit better now.





PS: These counts a kit-bashes as there are heads from other sprues on them!!!

Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #42 on: December 19, 2019, 10:40:30 AM »
22. Figures to Match!

One of my campaign players, Ant, whose player character is Jan Valckenburgh, Captain General of the VMC forces in Tilea, co-wrote the late autumn IC 2402 story entitled ‘The Once Mighty Monte Castello’ with me. I wanted pictures of the personalities involved as nearly all my campaign stories have photos. My first plan was to drive over to his place or for him to come here and do a little photo session, using his figures. But then stuff (of the RL kind) got in the way.

Then I remembered that he'd already sent some historical paintings to me at the start of the campaign (so long ago!) to illustrate the main VMC personalities, so I decided I would attempt to paint my own versions of them to use in the story. I was intrigued by the idea of making new figures or converting old ones in my collection to look (something) like these images.

Here are the results (although some are still incomplete) ...

General Jan Valckenburgh
A new figure (Perry Miniatures). On the model you can see he has cut his hair for campaigning and is wearing a surcoat so his men can spot him more easily on the field of battle but is otherwise very similar to the painting. I cut down the sword in his hand to turn it into a baton.



Luccia la Fanciulla
A new figure (Perry Miniatures again). Also in a surcoat, her hair being cut a little shorter than the original painting (the company barber has been busy). Her holy Myrmidian banner shows a common design for the goddess, being a spear and shield.



Serafina Rosa
A very old figure. I might do more work on this more - maybe even cut off the tips of her elven ears! Certainly, I should make her hair a little redder.



The wizard Johannes Deeler
Another very old GW figure. (Sadly) I had to paint over the original, rather lovely yellow and red checked cloak with black. Unlike the previous characters he himself has shunned the barber and instead let his hair and beard grow wild! (I notice, with interest, that Ant used an image of the infamous Dr John Dee. I suddenly realised where he got the idea for his character's name!)



While I am here, here are some other figures I put together specially for the photos.

Cpt van Luyden's Shot
Newly painted, being old Citadel models I found in a bits box. A file of northern Old Worlder handgunners acting as escort. I think I went a bit crazy with the blues, but as Buxton the Blue Cat (from the epic movie Dougal and the Blue Cat) would say: “Blue is beautiful. Blue is best. I’m blue. I’m beautiful. I’m best.” A more logical argument I have never heard.



The VMC Company Colours
Converted from already painted models. The VMC (Vereenigde Marienburg Compagnie) banner has appeared in several old web-wargaming campaigns over the years.



I might do some more work on the faces - my old, enamel technique is a bit haphazard - I can't really see how they come out until I see the photos!!! Now I am experimenting with acrylics, maybe my faces will become more reliable? I did some other figures too but failed to photograph them. They're in the finished story piece, however, being the companies’ best ‘linguister’ (and diplomat) Pieter Schout, and some other fellers.

Here are two of the story pics, showing the VMC officers awaiting the goblin commanders who wish to parley …





Offline Padrissimus

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #43 on: December 23, 2019, 01:54:00 PM »
23. Graveyard Extension

As seen in Tilea Campaign Part 15 'Media Vita in Morte Sumus'.

I wanted to expand the footprint of the GW 'Necropolis' scenery, to increase the possibilities for scenic use and to make for a bigger contribution to the field of battle. So I turned each individual tomb into its own piece with its own base, as well as the statue. Then I modelled a graveyard to go in between the walls instead of the tombs.

Adding extra steps (cut from plastic sprues and other spare bits of scenery) was quite easy ...



And



Tiring from the effort (what a wimp I am!) I decided to use cut foam card to make similar extra steps for the statue (also wanting to try a different technique just to see how it worked), then added some extra gravestones from the Renedra set ...



Meanwhile I modelled a graveyard from Renedra stones, with paths of cardboard and poured PVA for ground ...



The various sticking together jobs are nearly complete in the next picture ...



Joined together the graveyard was better than I had expected ...



Then I began painting. I quite liked the roses on the rails but have to admit there might be a tad too many skulls there too!



Grass added and railings all painted ...



It makes quite a large 'spread' in all …



Here the pieces can be seen used in various ways in some of the campaign story pictures ….

Through the gate


The necropolis valley of Norochia


An interrogation …



« Last Edit: December 23, 2019, 01:56:31 PM by Padrissimus »

Offline Stroezie

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Re: A Miscellany of Ingenious Scratchbuilds & Kitbashes
« Reply #44 on: December 23, 2019, 02:07:35 PM »
Woha!!!
Lots of cool stuff in this thread, but your artillery/siege engines really steal the cake for me.

Cheers,
Stroezie.

 

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