Some scenery (2D and 3D)

 Well, I'm back! As told in the previous post, I took some days off with the family, but unfortunately it's over! We stayed some days in the Canary Islands, in Lanzarote (Lanzarote is the Spanish for Lancelot; how cool is to be in an island called after a guy named Lancelot? BTW, totally unrelated to the Arthurian cycle). I wasn't able to paint (only made the silly videos you already saw!), but I managed to produce a few of my infamous doodles. As I have no shame left and have exposed my puny art before, I'll share my view of the little fortress of the capital town, the Castle of St. Gabriel, a small fort on a rock and connected to the land by a stone footbridge:

Not impressive, but it's only some minutes' work

 Ah, there goes my last recollection of summer vacation!

Back home again, I've been working on some Adeptus Titanicus scenery, something I was long overdue for, to be honest. I took the chance to join in and take part in Dave Stone’s Season of Scenery event too! (Mate, whenever you get round to reading this, I hope things are going well. Sending loads of strength your way!).

The bundle I bought from my friend included the scenery from the starter box, plus an extra set of buildings and the Manufactorum Imperialis box. On top of that, another friend gave me his own scenery — poor guy realised he was never going to use it. That’s the stuff that’s already built and primed:

This is like *a lot* of scenery! Glups

To get a feel for the kit, I started by building one of each type of building following the instructions. That way I could figure out how the pieces fit together and what sort of possibilities they offer:

By the book, like a good boy

But once I’d seen what the kits could do, I dared to get a bit creative. I mean, the whole point of having loads of scenery bits isn’t just to build loads of buildings — it’s to go a bit mad and put together something massive:

And now we're going crazy

My first idea was the building as you see it above, with a terrace in the front part; but very soon I was convinced that this other configuration looked in fact way better:
 

It's kind of Notre-Dame, but with the arms of the Sphinx of Giza

 

The trick here is keeping that good old concrete grey monotony (this is the Imperium, after all) while still breaking up the colour a bit — but without straying too far from a coherent palette. I decided to paint the rooftops a darker grey… but I definitely overdid it, and now they’re almost black.

I don’t care —they’re staying like that.

 

I'm most definitely not repainting all these

To bring in a bit of variation while sticking to the overall vibe, I went with a simple rule: treat absolutely everything as concrete wherever I reasonably can (handy excuse to make the most of the grey primer spray!), and then add metallics mainly in the bronze or copper range for contrast.

The windows… well, they’ve been both a challenge and a bit of a nightmare. I had to accept that doing full-on multicoloured gothic stained glass was just too much (even for me!). In the end, I went with classic dark blue with highlights to give that glassy effect. Not perfect, but it’s the only way I’m going to make any progress on this project. Honestly, the level of detail on these buildings is insane. This is the one I used as a test piece for the colour scheme:

Dull, boring, grey... Imperial

Oh, and by the way —the window grilles. Right, Brits, we get it, you love the Union Jack. Fair enough, no issue. Honestly, it’s fine. But seriously… you don’t have to stick it on literally every single window. Painting that over and over again, window after window — it’s absolute hell.

Hell on Earth. Oh, I hear you, it's just a couple of windows, no big deal...

[Redacted for verbal abuse. Sanctioned by order of the Inquisition]

Well, if you look too close you'll see all the mistakes. But at tabletop distance and at this scale I hope this will do.

Right, so with this setup, you’ll see there’s now a door on the upper floor at the front that just opens into thin air, doesn’t lead anywhere. I figured I’d cover it up with a couple of banners to add a splash of colour and stop it looking totally daft.

Then I thought, well, that space between the two wings of the building looked painfully empty. Perfect spot for a little plaza. My first instinct was to go big and make a fully paved piece to fit snugly between the wings, integrated into the building itself. But then I remembered: storage is a thing. So I went for something way more minimal, but it still does the job:

Notre-Dame of Giza

Those of you who already know me will know I’m not a fan of scenery being just a LOS blocker. I like everything to have a purpose. I’m still not entirely sure what I’m building here, but one thing’s for sure, this isn’t a city. Not yet, anyway. These aren’t residential buildings, not homes. They’re clearly administrative, unmistakably Imperial. This is architecture meant to project power. That’s where the idea of banners and a plaza with a statue of some long-forgotten hero came in. Yeah, I know, there’s a bit too much green for proper Imperial vibes, but come on, indulge me, at this point I needed it.

I wanted to add some benches, but that was definitely pushing it too far

No, I’m not adding a name plaque

 Here’s a shot with a Warhound for scale — just so you can get a sense of the sheer size of this beast:

Now I realise I should have added an Adminsitratum icon somewhere

A final shot with all the pieces I've already painted:

Seriously, this is crazy

I haven’t finished all the buildings I started, but to be honest, the whole experience has left me a bit burnt out. I think I’ll park it for now, switch to something totally different for a bit, and come back to it later with fresh eyes. Look, the buildings are absolutely brilliant, the level of detail is stunning, but it’s seriously repetitive work on a very small scale. You’ve got to take it slow and chip away at it bit by bit.

I guess the smaller buildings you can see in the pic will eventually end up as parts of bigger structures, but for now I don’t have any solid plans. I want to keep experimenting with the bits I’ve got and build a proper Imperial admin district full of ridiculously monolithic nonsense. Then I’ll move on to that Manufactorum box. As for housing and other infrastructure, I’ll leave that for later, but as you can see, I’m definitely not ruling it out.

But that's for another day!
 

 

A pack of hounds

 It's been a while since I last managed to post anything, but have two excuses for that, so you can choose.

First, I’ve been away on a work trip abroad that’s kept me away from my minis for a whole week. I got the chance to visit Finland, which I’d never been to before – spent some time in Helsinki and Tampere, and I think it’s the furthest north I’ve ever been in my life! Sadly, I didn’t make it far enough north to visit Santa and hand him my letter. Guess I’ll have to save that for next time.

On another note, I’ve thrown myself into a little adventure that’s taken up quite a bit of my time. Not because it’s particularly tricky, but more because of the sheer numbers. Hang on, I’ll explain:

I started to build a Warhound Titan. I wanted it to look a little more dynamic than the previous ones, so I played with the pose of the legs...

Leaning to the side to show movement

Looks like it's running?

 But you know, these fellas come two by two...

It’s supposed to have its leg lifted in the air

You can see it better here

The thing is... once I had started... Why not assembling the other box I still have?

Now you begin to see the root of my issues and delays

So four Warhounds it is! This way I can get the Warhound models off my plate in one go and move on to the next phase of the project. Right now I have an Imperial and a Chaos Warhound, so I decided to make another Imperial one (I can't march to battle with just one of those!) and three for the Chaos Legio.

Looks like the worst-rehearsed dance routine ever

Now an important addition I haven't done in any of my previous Titans. Banner poles! Flags and banners are quite an important part of the Adeptus Titanicus imagery, at least in the old times. I thought these bad boys were in serious need of some good, old fashioned banners. I used these nails; they may look thick, but I hope they'll work fin in the end:

 

Ha, I nailed these (you see what I did there?)

They might look excessive, but once you place the carapaces on, they look better:

 

Well, when I finish them they'll eventually look better!

Here's a silly idea I came up with. Unfortunately it's absoutely unfeasible on this model (I tried. I tried hard, trust me)

 

But the idea of a Cerberus Warhound was just soooo appealing!

 There's simply no room for three heads, no matter the configuration. I would have to destroy the carapace and even so I had no guarantees. BUT. I'm so trying it again on the next Reaver I'm building, you can bet!

But I'm digressing.

Looking better!

  So, while I assemble and glue the heads and weapons...

 

...Let's make some banners!

  

I know, banners should be the last thing to add, I need to make bases first... but I was so excited I couldn't wait!

 

Banners!!

 Well, the bases then.

There’s something that’s been on my mind ever since the game came out in this 8mm scale. Right, these new Legions Imperialis minis are truly gorgeous, that's out of debate. But I’ve got a hypothesis I need to prove or disprove using the scientific method:

 

AHA! I knew it! 6mm is THE right scale for these!!

This is scary. This is imposing. Besides, people this size can fit in that head

 

So it is decided. Now that I've dared to go to the very end of the known world (my shelves), from now on I'm definitely using old Epic models for the bases.

If I ever get into Legions Imperialis (which I'm not doing. I'm not ever doing that!) or I need to buy more Epic models (not doing that either! I have tons of unpainted minis!!), I'll have to look for 3D prints in 6mm. Legal disclaimer: The foregoing statement shall not be construed as expressing any clear or explicit intention to initiate any of the aforementioned projects.

Ahem.

 

Back to current bussiness. Here you have the four Warhounds!

First, the Raptor Iudex, from Legio Artemis:

 

Black Legion Rhino for scale!

And, when it comes to Legio Faucibus, we have the Ghostfang (imperial designation Cruor Celer)

 

Run, Forest, run

Please notice the very brave (or very stupid), devoted Space Marine who is quite confident about his chances:

Should have painted more details for this pic

But it's staying this way, sorry

 This is the Wolfhowl (Imperial designation Ululatus Rex):

 

Another brave Space Marine bike rider

And the Dreadstride (Imperial designation Mordax)

 

Hey, watch where you're stepping!

 I don't know which one of these pics is better (or less awful), I'll let you decide:

 

 Then this is it! All four Warhounds finished!

 

BUT

 

(You knew there was to be a "but"...)

 

BONUS!

 

Once I started adding banners, of course I had to put them on top of all my previous Titans!

 

(Why the hell are those bases different from all the others??)

 You may have noticed that loyal and traitor banners are floating in different directions. It could have been my mistake, for sure, but in fact I thought that, when facing each other, all banners should flow in the same direction:

 

I already need a bigger backdrop!!

 The rest of the band:

Could have added more banners, but not today

Top carapace banners, pennant on the arm and sensible parts banner

Wasn't it scary enough without flags??

Come here, we're gonna have fun with flags

 They all are pretty basic, but I think they add some quality to the overall effect, so I'm happy!

Wow, now I have quite some models! Should I paint more? Reavers? Knights? Or should I paint some scenery and try to actually play with what I already have?? 

Ahh, the difficult decisions.... 

The walking gun

 Now that I have three Titans per Legio, one of each basic kind, it is time to start to make them different and unique, to imprint them the traits that will define their combat attitude and their whole personality. Having just one Warbringer Titan, I decided to assign it to the loyal Legio Artemis, turning it into a more kind of long-range focused force. Let's see how it goes!

First of all, I believe I had a confusion with this model and the Warmaster Titan. I really thought this one was larger than a Warlord, and it's just the opposite, it stands more like in between the Warlord and the Reaver. However, it's a true monster with that ordnance on its back. But I'm anticipating. I started with the legs, as usual:

And it was the usual hell of a build, with hundreds of pieces!

As I've done with previous Titans, I've painted most (or maybe all) the pieces as I was assembling them. The overlapping of plates can be an issue, especially edges, and it was easier to glue them once they were already painted. I believe I've already discussed this in previous posts. At this stage I don't need to paint all the details (checkers, decals, whatever), but at least the basic colour needs to be done. However, as I started to paint armour plates I let myself go a little and I highlighted them.

There are many hours involved in this pic!

There are three possible options for the shoulder plates. A totally neutral one, a variant with Eyes for overtly traitor Legios and this other one with eagles, which I thought fitted in more for my plans. There is no such thing as subtlety in Warhammer.

The gun on the shoulders is monstrous. In a good sense, of course. This is pure Warhammer 40,000, some good old oversized weapons all over:

The level of detail is insane, seriously. Look closer, it has already shot two rounds

 Once I got to this point I just had to put all the elements together and paint the details. So, ladies and gentlemen, with you all... the Ultima Ratio, Warbringer Titan.

No checkers on the back, I promise

The Maniple so far:

I need a larger backdrop? Already? Oh, come on!

With this addition the loyal guys begin to look different and to have their own way of doing things. I guess I'll have to go back to Legio Faucibus, to add some close combat or smaller units. A pair of Warhounds most likely, but that's still to be decided.

In the meantime I'll be working on some different stuff, to bring some variety here and to not get overwhelmed by a single project. More minis soon!

Bring me bigger Titans!

It took a little bit longer than expected, but I've finished the next step in this Adeptus Titanucus project. So here you have, not just one... but two Warlord Titans!

Before we really get started, have a look at the level of crazyness of this kit:

It's not just that the femoral head is a separate piece... it comes into pieces itself!

The first steps are kind of slow, because you have to decide the general layout of the whole pose. Besides, I made a conversion on one of them, to make it look like walking, with a foot in the air:

This pic is highly unimpressive. Give me some time

One thing I've learned is to paint the Titans as I assemble them. The overlapping on the armour plates makes some areas impossible to reach later on, so you better take care of that issue as you go. At this point I had to decide which one was to be the loyalist and which one the traitor:

There we go

When I go out/ yeah, I know I'm gonna be/ I'm gonna be the Titan who goes along with you

I need so desperately a 3D print of the GW's running man, you know the mini

After that, I assembled the upper bodies. I primed them metallic to save some time:

It looks like the blue one is kicking the body

The keen eye may have noticed that the traitor Titan has some not-GW's pieces. Right, they are from Battle Bling, who have awesome ranges and an outstanding service. I placed an order to try their bits and I'm so happy I did!

Do you have any doubt of this Titan's allegiance?

 In any case, the standard pieces from the original set are not less awesome:

Tricky to assemble, but cool in the end

I made a mistake at this point. Well, I made it earlier, when planning this stage. I ordered a weapon for the right arm, but silly me didn't realise it really wasn't a weapon for a Warlord, but for a Warmaster Titan, which is noticeably larger 😕

Warlord, Warmaster, Warbringer, Warmonger... Oh, come on!!

What was that thing about oversized weapons in Warhammer?

For the left arm I ordered a spiky flail. Honestly, no idea of the rules or what does it do, I simply guide myself by the Rule of Cool:

The head is of course also by Battle Bling

A preview of the unfinished leviathans:

These monsters are humungously huge

The only thing left was the missile launchers on the carapace:

I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more...

Well, then come closer!!

 Finally, the bases. As per the comments in the previous post, I was decided to show the monstrous weight of the Titans, the very earth crushed beneath their feet. In the pic below you can see my puny attempt to represent pipes and tubes being smashed and bending on themselves.

LEGO pieces would have been more dramatic

Well, this is what I got in the end. Let me show you the final result. Here you have the Pertinax Ira of Legio Artemis:

...just to be the Titan who walked a thousand miles...

Not satisfied with the effect, I'll try it again on future Titans

Here you also have the Maugrim (Imperial designation Rubrus Fauces) of the Legio Faucibus. I added some greenstuff chains/chainmail for dramatic purposes and also tried to represent the ground a little bit sunk under the feet:

I just noticed I have to clean the edges on both bases

Ready for battle!

Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

Well, all my Titans so far:

The backdrop is an A3. I need a bigger one. Bigger!

I guess this ends Stage One of the project. I now have a single model of every basic Titan on both Legios, making them somewhat symmetric. Now it is time to start the differences. One Legio will be more focused on close combat and agile manoeuvring (I guess it makes more sense for the traitorous Legio Faucibus, the dreadeds Death Jaws) and the other one will rely on heavier elements and long range weapons (that will be Legio Artemis then!). I will have to adjust the different Titans and see what fits better for both Legios.

For now, just a funny pic, the mandatory size comparison shot of the Warlord through time:

Daddy with the kids

 This is all for today. More stuff incoming as I paint it!