Heli Sentinels Finished

Finally got these finished today.  Let the photo madness begin...

This project has proven to be one of the more satisfying I have done.  The way it first came together and then grew from there to this point has been a real blast.  Hopefully some folks have seen this and been inspired to something just as off the wall.  I certainly hope so...

Well, next unit up on the paint block will be my 2 Panzer Russes.  You can check them out HERE. I think I'll try to get a "family photo" up tomorrow with everything I've finished up to this point.

Thanks for checking this out.  Comments & criticisms are welcomed.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Heli Sentinel Progress (1)

I progressed about 95% on my Heli Sentinel Squadron leader:

As with most painting, this 1st model took a little longer due to some re-working on the paint colors.  Sometimes you just can't see how colors will work together until you get some paint down.  Vehicle numbers will be in single digits.  These crazy SOB's are very much a voluntary unit with heavy turnover due to the experimental "heli" technology.

Please leave comments and criticisms, both are welcomed.

The war goes on,

Hessler

Death From Above

I finally have had a chance to get some pictures taken of my Sentinel Copters. Without further ado, here they be...

These 3 have been armed with 2 Lascannons and 1 Multi-Laser. If I ever get around to doing another 3, I will even it out and end up with 3 of each weapon type. The idea there is being able to field both anti-armor and anti-infantry.

This last pic shows the differences in they way I approached building these the second time around. The first model is on the right, the final design is on the left. The main difference here is that I decided to keep more of the original engine and rotor structure from the Deff Kopta. This allows for a quicker build time and what I think is a little sleeker look.

I really enjoyed putting these together and I think this may be the first seed of a future airborne army, complete with Valkyrie/Vendetta copters and drop troops...maybe an airborne Heavy Support option...???...hmmm...

Anyways, thanks for checking these out and be sure to leave me any comments/reactions/ideas you may have.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Sentinel Stand In Progresses...

No pics today but I thought I would post an update anyways. I have finished my 3 Sentinel Helis and priming is coming soon, hopefully. As for the future, my house is going up for sale in a month so painting will be put on hold indefinitely as I start to pack everything up. I will continue to build anything I have laying around and will try to get as much of it primed as possible. Painting will resume once I have set up shop out in sunny Phoenix, Arizona.

Since I recently finished a squad of Vets, I have also been working on their transport and I will hopefully have pics up of that and my Sentinel Helis this week.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Sentinel Stand In 3

I think I finally have this first Sentinel Copter where I want it. Work should progress quicker with the next two since I made all my flubs and tests on this one. I still am unsure about the length of the rotor blades but they will suffice for now.

I will be starting on a 2nd squad of these at a later date. Here's pics...

I've finally added the pilot and some more little bits
to make it look as Imperial as possible.

I sawed off the slightest bit of the rotor arm so it
sits level now over the cockpit.

Some plastic from a blister was scrounged to serve as a windshield.

And, in the interest of flexibility, I took the time to
magnetize the weapon options.

I think the final thing I need to add is a healthy dose of rivets, which will happen as soon as I get my rivet tool in the mail. That will be followed by a final clean-up and then it's off to paint.

Of course, C&C is welcomed and appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Sentinel Stand In 2

Work continues on this protoype. I have added a tail and fin and tried a 1st attempt at some proper legs...

At first I liked it but it soon became obvious that the rotors would have to be lengthened in order to maintain a consistent look. So I scrapped the legs (damn...) and went with this instead:

I scrounged a landing foot from my Valkyrie kit and it seems to be the winner. I like it most because it helps maintain a nice, compact look...which is what I wanted from the start.

This does not complete my work, I am still considering how to address the rotors. I am looking to straighten them out a bit or maybe build new ones from scratch.

Please feel free to comment and leave thoughts, your feedback is much appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Opinion Needed - Sentinel Stand In

I have done some more work on my "counts as" Sentinels. It is a mutation of Deffkopta and Sentinel parts. Because of the shape, I have un-officially dubbed it the Scorpian.

Obviously, this is very much a work-in-progress. Feel free to offer suggestions or criticisms. The design isn't written in stone so I can always make adjustments to the prototype.

I am interested to read your feedback.

The wars goes on,
Hessler

Hardened Veterans & More...

I finished 5 of my first 10-man Vet squad. The next five will have some helmets without camo to offer some variety in the look of the unit. I want these guys to look like they are allowed to fine tune their uniforms to their own tastes.

I have started some work on the squads Chimera, as well. I wanted to go open topped, with a canopy of some sort. This variant is designed to be more of a fast attack transport than an AFV. I'm not sure about the wire "supports", I'm still considering something a little more substantial...maybe some lengths of sprue(?)...not sure.

The multi-laser has been converted to an automated turret that responds to the HUD of the driver.

Finally, I was inspired by the Sentinel stand-in that a fellow blogger did HERE. Although I tried his method, it wasn't enough for me so I am revamping the concept and have started clean with the cockpit/engine.

I will be using some of the frame from the AoBR Def Kopta but it will be scaled down and cleaned up a little. I am still deciding between a gyrocopter design or a helicopter deisgn, the main difference being the tail rotor.

More pics to come. C&C is welcomed and appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler