Taurox Update

Well, just a quick update today.  I am swamped with casting for Mad Robot so all I can do right now is share what I recently received in the mail...

It's the new 6-wheel conversion kit for the Taurox.  It is made and sold by Blood and Skulls Industry and it looks perfect for what I want to do with it.

My plan is to do 2 Tauroxes; the first will be a standard size "gun-truck", opened topped, using Ork Trukk Wheels instead of the treads.  Those wheels give a very custom look to the vehicle and I think they look cool.  I will be using a set of my upcoming Predator Personalities heads for the crew on this one.

The second Taurox will feature the 6-wheel conversion kit, shown above, and will also involve extending the back of the vehicle to hang over the rear wheel.  This version will also be open topped and will serve to be more of a standard troop transport.


Well, that's it for now.  More progress and pics in the next weeks, once I get out from under all this casting work.


The war goes on,
Hessler

Born Again...

Hello, true believers.  I have climbed out of my pine box, broken through the topsoil, and clawed my way back to return to the blogosphere, a man with a mission.

Please excuse my 2 year absence, I've been busy running a minis company called Mad Robot Miniatures.  If you haven't checked it out...you should. 

With the new 40K IG codex releasing...and failing...I have rekindled the hobby flames and have started, in earnest, to jump back in with both feet.  I will be getting back to where I left off, doing conversions and one-offs and such.

Just spent a lovely evening putting together one of the new DaNamian Jungle Fighters kits by Mad Robot.  These will be releasing in about 3 weeks or so.

A small way of jumping back in but, worry not, I have 2 boxes of Scions and a Tauros that are just begging to be ripped apart and improved upon.

I hope you'll come back next time and rejoin me on this journey.


The war goes on,
Hessler

Merc Update 6/18

Right, so I've sorted out a new camera, which gives me a chance to show of my latest purchase...

They're the British Commandos from Warlord Games.  I'd seen these figures when they released and I instantly thought "old school Stormtroopers".  After taking a closer look at these, I think I may have found a new source for bits and upgrades!  Fitst off, the size matched up quite nicely with 40k, more with ForgeWorld than the Cadian plastics.  Here's a compasrison:

I also was happy that some FW Elysian bits I have, went on great with the body.

The glorious discovery of this kit is the options it offers to hobbyists.  All the heads are separate from the berets, but there are also camo'd Para helmets and a more standard "Dougboy" helmet.  With all the sprues that come in one box you'd have enough helmets/berets for multiple squads.

Also included on each sprue are loads of kit...especially these awesome backpacks!

The weapons that are included don't match up well at all, I wasn't that surprised given the well known proportional differences of various 28mm companies.

So, I think I've found a good source of alternative figures to start my Merc Force.  I may try my hand at some additional green-stuff sculpting to Sci-Fi them up a bit.

I hope to have some faster updates as these start to come together.  I am still toying with using Elysian heads on these...I'll save those thoughts for my next update.


The war goes on,
Hessler

Mechanized Mercs

I've decided to go with the orange/white color combo for my mercenary force.  Here's a reminder of the color scheme...

I got frustrated as I contemplated doing a size-able force of FW Elysian models.  Why?  Because a great deal of the poses look rather silly, to be honest.  Before going that route, I decided to try a pack of the new Corporation Rangers from Mantic.  Although I wasn't greatly impressed by the previews I saw, I decided to give them a chance.

I shouldn't have bothered...the models are awkwardly posed, very strange.  The legs are too long for the body and the head is too squat.  What follows is a comparison pic, low quality because of my phone.  The old camera gave out so it's the phone for now.

From the left:  Mantic, Altered-Mantic, Mantic, DKoK, Cadian

Funny enough, the issues with the Mantic Corp. Rangers were eased with the addition of an Elysian Head and arms.  In my opinion, it totally changed the feel of the model and made it worth my attention.  Here is a side comparison to illustrate some of the Mantic shortcomings.

Another negative for me is the general soft details, especially compared to the FW Elysian.  I suppose I should expect there to be that kind of difference, I just hoped they would work out better.

So...I guess it's time to re-consider my rejection of the Elysian models, maybe I'll try toying with some Cadians.

Anyways, thanks for reading.  Feel free to offer up any experiences you've had with these Mantic figures.  I'm anxious to see what others think of them.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Workspace

I just got back from a great weekend in the country and I figured it might be a good time to snap a few pics of my hobby area before it gets completely trashed again.

This left side is used for all the assembly and tinkering...it's all tools and bits.

This side is my paint station.  The full spectrum lamp is my most recent purchase.  Thanks to Les at AwesomePaintJob.com for the tip.  I mostly use Vallejo and Wargames Foundry paints.  I like the WF paints because they are sold in triads...a base color, a shade, and a highlight.  The drawback is that they don't come in dropper bottles, which I absolutely love.  I think I will either gradually switch over to Reaper, as they offer the triad sets and come in the dropper, or transfer my Wargames Foundry paints to dropper bottles.  Either way...a daunting task, no doubt.

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading, I hope to have an actual hobby update for you in a few days.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Radical Change

After looking at how my armor has turned out, I realize that I am really unhappy with the colors I have chosen for the infantry.  My veterans are coming along great but my basic troops are not happening for me so I have decided to start them over from scratch with a new look & paint scheme.  It's not as much of a loss as one would think...only a couple squads.  

Besides the colors, I am a little unhappy with the way the replacement heads from West Wind have turned out.  They aren't as detailed as GW heads and are a pain to paint properly.  I'm not knocking West Wind, in this case their heads just don't inspire me.

The mech rough riders are coming along but will be delayed a few days while I re-tool the paint a little. 

Also, I picked up a copy of the 3 DVD set called Hot Lead.  Most of you are probably familiar with this item but I have to sing it's praises.  If you are new to the hobby, buy it.  If you are a painting veteran, buy it.  It has great info for painters of all skill levels.  It's organized & indexed perfectly so beginners can go through each section while veteran painters can skip forward to the advanced parts.  Like many of you, I have danced around buying this set for over a year.  I always wondered, "What's the big deal?"  Now, I know...

That's all for now.  If you know of any cool resources that others might find useful, leave a comment and/or a link and I'll compile them into a database that people can access from this blog.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Ragnarok Tank - Opinion Needed

After going back and consulting the picture of the Epic Armageddon Ragnarok, shown here...

...I decided to revisit my Ragnarok and add some side armor. What I have come up with is this, just roughed in mind you...

Here is the tank without the side armor...

which should I go with?

Input is greatly appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Movies To Work By

Like many of you, I like to throw a movie into the laptop and have it playing in the background while I build my little Imperial servants. Here's my Top 5 list...

1. Aliens
   
2. Starship Troopers
3. Zulu
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. A Bridge Too Far

Now...there are many other movies I can name, but these are the 5 I tend reach for over the others. Also, I don't think it fits in this list, the Starship Troopers Roughnecks animated CGI series is very cool as well.

My musical choices would include Ozric Tentacles, Flower Kings, and Miles Davis.

So, now it's your turn. Tell me your Top 5 lists. What about music? Give your musical choices for both hobby time and during games.

The war goes on,
Hessleer

Musings - Amphibious Landing Force

In an effort to keep focused on hobby things while I get consumed with work, I have decided to record some ideas I have floating around in my head. What I really hope is to maintain some dialogue with you guys and make this blog something you can look forward to checking out every day.

So...here is the first idea I have come up with:


Amphibious Landing Force - Thanks to Col. Corbane for the inspiration.

The hobby potential here is off the charts; water-born versions of any and all IG vehicles...including a Gorgon...

I can see little floating sentinels similar to the PBR from Apocalypse Now...

Don't forget that Chimeras can float...


I am partial to the LVT from the Pacific theatre of WW2...


Don't forget troops...

So here's your chance. What are some of your ideas? Leave some comments and tell me what cool ideas are floating around out there.

The war goes on,
Hessler