Star Wars: AT-M6

Every so often I step outside the wargaming box to build something different. Recently picked up the Bandai AT-M6 model kit. This is a roughly 1/550th scale kit. It goes together in a snap. No glue required, although I did glue it together. This kit retails for between $6-10 USD. I got it at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon. 

I assembled the model over a couple of hours one evening and completed the base paint and weathering in a single day.

I painted the model with Vallejo acrylics, accented the panel lines with Tamiya Pannel Liner,  and weathered it with AK oil brushers.

The base is a 4x4 plaque from Michaels. Details were sculpted with Tamiya white putty. The entire base was then painted red, Vallejo crackle medium was painted over that and then a tan color was airbrushed over the crackle medium while it was still wet. Using this technique allows for the base color to show once the medium cracks.

Additional rust red powder was brushed on over the tracks and set in place with mineral spirits.

Overall this was a fun little kit to put together.

Dark Imperium: Plague Marines

When it first came out I immediately picked up the Dark Imperium box set. I have not however played a game since then and until just now, hadn't painted or assembled any of the models in it.

Due to the recent pandemic I found myself, as so many others have, trapped in the house looking for ways to pass the time. I thought it only fitting that I bust out the Plague Marines and give 'em a go.

I began by pre-shading all the models with primer. They were coated with black then grey was sprayed at a 45 degree angle, followed by a top down spray of white primer. I then base coated them all in Army Painter necrotic flesh sprayed down at a 45 degree angle.

Each was painted in a combination of Army Painter and Vallejo acrylics. I also practiced making glazes this time using Vallejo Glaze Medium. This was especially helpful in achieving smooth transitions in tones.

The blood spatter was applied by pulling my thumb across a toothbrush dipped in a blood wash I made with various red acrylics and Pledge Floor Care. A single bottle of this will last you a lifetime and it can be used to make washes, as a gloss sealer prior to applying oil washes or decals, or as a gloss varnish.

I also used several Citadel products including Typhus Corrosion, Nurgle Rot, Nihlakh Oxide, and Nulin Oil. Gloss varnish was applied to the gooey bits.

I have dabbled in Object Source Lighting (OSL) in the past but I'm quite happy with what I achieved this time. I applied the technique to each of the plasma weapons as well as some of the lenses and visors.

The texture of the base was achived using Liquitex Resin Sand. The product is similar to Citadel Astrogranite but comes in large 8oz tubs for around $14. It is an acrylic paint infused with sand. It takes color very well. Simply add your acrylic paint color of choice, mix, and apply to your base.

A Trip to Nottingham: My Pilgrimage to Warhammer World

In July of 2019 my lovely bride and I boarded a plane and set off for our honeymoon. Our destination? Ireland and the UK with a one night stop in Nottingham of course!

I have to thank my wife for allowing me to set aside one day out of our honeymoon to indulge my nerdy hobby. That isn't to say we didn't take advantage of all that Nottingham has to offer. This little city is full of sites to be seen and things to be done. But clearly the highlight of that day's adventures was a trip to Warhammer World and a leisurely tour of the Exhibition Center.

For those planning a visit may I recommend you allot a full day to the endeavor. Properly appreciated, the Exhibition Hall alone could take the better part of a day. Then there's the shopping, restaurant, conversation with the friendly staff, and even the ability to take in a game. A full day enjoyed here would leave scarce time to enjoy the other things Nottingham has to offer.

We arrived by train (departing from Edinburgh in the morning) and enjoyed a short walk to the St. James Hotel, chosen because of it's close proximity to many of the other sites we wanted to take in.

As in the rest of the UK there is no shortage of pubs in Nottingham. Of note is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, England's oldest inn, boasting an establishment date of 1189. The place was packed when we went and all we managed was a quick walk through. Ye Olde Trip sits at the base of The Castle of Nottingham. While it was closed to visitors at the time we there, we were able to walk around the exterior and take in the statues of Robinhood. We stopped for lunch at The Castle Pub and Kitchen and enjoyed a pint of Cask Ale and Cider, then it was off to Warhammer World.

A 4 minute Uber ride was all it took and we were there. If you don't care for ride sharing the buses can get you there but the trip takes a while longer and wasn't that far off in cost. Time was limited so we took the Uber.

As you approach the building there are various icons of the company greeting visitors. Each is a testament to the epic proportions of what lay inside.

The front lobby has a few small display cabinets, an appetizer if you will, wetting your pallet for what is to come. There's also a vending machine which dispenses coins for Loyalists and Heretics alike.

Growing up perusing the Citadel catalog and issues of White Dwarf I would often sit for hours looking over every detail of the models and dioramas displayed on the pages. To see them in the flesh was a trip. Almost immediately one small diorama immediately called out to me. It was that of Azrael and his helmet bearer in a Dark Angels chapel. All this time later it is still an impressive and well composed piece.

After the lobby we set off inside. To your left is the register where you can buy tickets to the exhibition hall which will empty you into the store. To the right are the game tables and Forgeworld and specialist games. I suppressed the urge to ogle the merchandise as best I could and we began our tour of the exhibition hall.

Pictures and words scarcely do justice to the eye candy on display. Room after room visitors are treated to massive dioramas telling stories of war, triumph, and defeat. Each diorama boasts incredible skill in not only construction but composition. There are so many little stories playing out in each that many return visits would be required to appreciate them all.

 

The most epic of all dioramas is the Battle For Angelus Prime. This piece is two stories tall and 20 feet long. It took several artists months to create and is the highlight of the Exhibition Hall. Plan to spend some time enjoying this piece. Literally expect to spend half an hour to an hour on this one alone.

After exiting the exhibition hall you're greeted by an overwhelming amount of plastic crack for sale. Being that we were traveling with only carry-ons and had half of our trip ahead of us I had to keep my purchasing to a minimum. In the end I went for the exclusives, a book about the exhibition hall a set of pins, and a miniature of Bugman sitting aside a couple of casks of ale. Our tour complete we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before dinner.

That evening we enjoyed tasters and split a pizza at BrewDog had a round of minigolf at The Lost City Adventure indoor golf course and picked up a couple of shakes at Kaspa's Desserts before walking back to the hotel. Walking around Nottingham at night was a treat. We were impressed by how dressed up everyone was for a night out. Saturday night downtown is the place to be!

We had such a good time on our trip I hope to return someday. We never got to take a proper tour of the castle nor were we able to grab a pint at Ye Olde Trip or enjoy Bugman's bar. No doubt we'll be back some day. If you get the chance don't pass up the opportunity to make your own pilgrimage to this mecca of the hobby.

Ork Dakka Jet 2.0

I have previously used a Hasegawa Egg plane as the base for an Orky conversion. I have quite a few of these kits waiting in the winds for their turn to be converted. As with the last conversion this one is based on the Corsair. I used a Grot for the pilot and made a few modifications. A pair of shades, adjusted his arms and later added a scarf flapping in the breeze. 

I swapped out the wheels in favor of some sturdy sleds. I thought perhaps the tires blew out on this at some point and the Orks swapped out the weak rubber for more metal.

 

I wanted a different look for this model and so I went with a bi-plane. Here I imagine the Orks wanted more lift so they pieced together this wing and slapped it in place. I made the wing out of 2mm thick PVC foam board. This material takes impressions well and allowed me to press in the panel lines with sculpting tool. I used various methods to create the fasteners. Rivets were pressed in place using a burnishing tool to create a recess, some of those recesses were left hollow, others were filled with micro beads. On some panels I used rivet and nut/bolt details from Meng.

For the points where the vertical supports met the wings I used polystyrene tubes and the supports locked into these points. The opposite sides of these were detailed with layered polystyrene disks. Half rods were used to create the hinges. Greenstuff was used to detail welds.

I replaced part of the tail section with wood and detailed spots of battle damage with putty to replicate the displacement of metal from the impact of kinetic rounds.

 

I used bombs from two kits and detailed them with a bit of styrene. All parts got some wear and tear by cutting out notches with my hobby knife.

I used paperclips for the foot and hand holds. For the vertical supports I used a combination of toothpicks and various types of extruded polystyrene. I used a lighter to soften some of them to introduce bends and curves. Various bits and styrene were used for other details.

 

 

For the base I laid out some scrap bits surrounded by putty and sand. A hole was drilled for an acrylic rod. The base was painted with crackle paint, painted, washed, highlighted with dry brushing, and then rust was added with a sponge method.

The model itself was first primed grey and then sponged all over with various rust colors. Water was laid down over areas where I would later want rust to show through and then salt was sprinkled over the wet areas. Once the salt was dried I painted the base colors with Vallejo and Army Painter acrylics. The overall tone was Army Painter Dragon red. Individual panels were tinted with various reds and oranges to give the impression they were painted at different times. The salt was then rubbed away to reveal the rust tones underneath and to add true depth to the paint.

The details were painted by brush and a gloss coat was applied to seal it all and to provide a smooth surface for decals. The checker pattern decals came with the model and were applied over the gloss coat with the aid of microsol and microset. Rust and chipping effects were applied over the decals using a sponge. 

Following that another gloss coat was laid down and then oil paints and washes were applied to achieve the desired weathered appearance.