Monday, April 25, 2016

Tutorial - Metal with Graphite


While attending this year's Sonoran Desert Model Builders' Scorpfest I observed a demonstration by the club president, Dave "The Weatherman". Not surprisingly his demonstration was on various weathering techniques. While I've been using graphite in my weathering for some time I hadn't ever considered using it in the ways that Dave did. In one example he used it as an alternative to metallic paint. I liked the method he used and the opportunity to use it finally presented itself in my Baneblade Stormlord.


You can purchase graphite, shave it from a pencil, or in my case, I harvest it from my drafting pencil sharpener. On a side note I highly recommend getting a drafting pencil. They are great for drawing as you can purchase any hardness of lead you want and sharpening them is a breeze, there is almost no waste. If you use your shavings for your models there is zero waste with the drafting pencil.


I collect the graphite powder in a small sealable plastic pot.


Begin by priming the object you want to metalize in flat black.


Rub the graphite onto the primed surface. You may use your finger, a compact applicator, cotton swab, or sponge. I used my finger tips, a compact applicator, and a makeup sponge.


The more you buff the surface the shinier and more metallic it will get. It looks great on the above heavy stubbers but looks equally as good on other surfaces.



The exhaust pipes for my Stormlord really came out great!

Dave covered another method for utilizing graphite. He mixed it into a rust colored acrylic paint. After the paint was dried he rubbed the high points with a cotton swab which revealed a metallic sheen. As with the above technique the more he rubbed the shinier the appearance but in this case it was a subtractive technique instead of additive.




Tuesday, April 19, 2016

WIP - Custom Deathwatch Iron Hand



I've been a bit unproductive this month, but one thing I have been working on is a couple of Deathwatch Kill Team members to add to my Xenos Inquisitor Warband. I ordered the Deathwatch accessory pack from Games Workshop. The pack comes with 10 Deathwatch bolters, heads, and pauldrons. It's a bit pricey but I bought the one and can always make a casting of a pauldron if needed.

This Iron Hand has come together quite nicely.


I started with sculpting an Inquisition 'I' on the helmet.


Using some spare Mechanicus and Knight bits I modified the power pack. The bolts are cut from hex rods.



The lower portions of the legs are from legionary legs from Kromlech. The small skull on the right knee pad came from the back of the power pack. His right leg is lifted to set atop a slain tyranid head.

The bionic right leg is a combination of styrene tubes and rod as well as solder wire and a spherical bead for the hip joint. I also used a little bit of cable I made with my greenstuff tentacle maker.



The metal Deathwatch pauldron sets atop a modified bionic arm from Anvil Industries. I used some styrene to make a Clan Raukaan emblem for the left knee.


 I used styrene to sculpt an Iron Hand emblem for the right pauldron.


Tada!