Monday, October 25, 2010

Dirtmuncha! (2)

Thanks everyone :)

Well, again, progress is slow. With all the "corner damaging" that's neccessary for the Ork look that I aim for...

...it takes considerably longer, than a clean IG build.

But I was able to complete the outside for the engine room,

as well as closing all the little holes and gaps on the inside.

Once everything was cured I primed the Dirtmuncha with black.
And after priming, it was time to re-arrange the desk.
From Ork-build-Chaos to

Paint station order - in less than 20 minutes :)

The first paint was a rusty mix of browns.

Then some dark reds and blues.


Here you can see the Mek and his assistant as well as the engine with all their base colors applied - ready for inking.

Details in the engine room, also ready for inking.



After the first wash of Badab Black.


And a reference shot for OSL...

...I'm still not sure if I can pull it off with OSL, as I never did it before, but the tight and dark confines of the engine room, as well as the well defined light source (just one light bulb on the ceiling), this is probably the best chance I'll ever get for OSL.
So if have some experience to share, links to recommend, or just some "good luck" to wish, let me know :)
Cheers
Klaus

Friday, October 22, 2010

Dirtmuncha!

Thanks guys :)

@Tony - I really look forward to see your dirigible come true! Please make it happen.
@Da masta Cheef - "Wotwuzdat" pure gold! Yes, this will be his name :)
Thanks

Well, todays update is a bit shorter than usual as progress is a bit slow.
I closed the lower part of the right hull side.

Then prepared for the two top tracks.

Here you can see a size comparison with the diorama base that will be on top.


Then I started to build the tracks...




It was quite some work, but I'm very satisfied with the result.


So here's another sketch of how I envision the underground scene:

The Dirtmuncha will be breaking (actually melting) through the walls of the lower city, opening its jaws to release the SEALZ.
There will be some dead Imps and a Dreadnought against the SEALZ leaving the Dirtmuncha via an Assault Ramp - of course there will also be some dead Orks on the ground too.
As mentioned in the previous post I'm fancying the idea of doing some OSL painting, with muzzle flashes and stuff...
But first I have to finish the mole and its interior :)
Cheers
Klaus

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Message in a bottle :)

Hello everyone,
sorry for the lack of updates.
First my trip to the US, then the re-design considerations for the ATHENA, and finally some serious kidney issues last week, kept me very real-live-busy, and left me little time for my projects.

So lets talk about the ATHENA.
As discussed in the last post I'm not quite sure how to proceed with the ATHENA and what her role will be. I am considering to build a cmpletely new superstructure with a small VTOL deck and a new weapons layout.
See the comments section:
But as Da Masta Cheef suggested, the layout of the Arleigh is rather nice: http://media.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/SHIP_DDG-100_Kidd_lg.jpg
or the Russian Udaloy class: http://unsd.macrossroleplay.org/udaloy_1.jpg So I could build a new centered bridge, with a VTOL pad in the rear, re-position the Hydras, and .... :)
Since this will have quite some impact I will take my time to consider things and evaluate the involved work.
It will be fun and I really look forward to it, but I don't want to rush into the wrong direction. So please bear with me and be patient.

But you all know me, and know I can't be without a project for longer than 10 minutes :-P
So I did start something new...(please be aware that the following pieces were build over the course of a week, not in one day)

I gues now you know why I chose the headline, right?
Oups! wait, and Ork?

A Zeppelin? An Ork rival to the ATHENA?!?
Now THAT would be cool, wouldn't it?

Aehm...tracks?
On a Zep?
As you can see in this sketch, there's more to it :)
Ork SEALZ, integrate with "Defense of Xantium" diorama...?
Yep, that's the idea.
An Ork version of a Mole :)
The plan is to have a diorama with the Xantium defense on top, while beneath it, one can see the lower, underground level of the city, with the mole breaking through and an Ork raid commando - the SEALZ - attacking some defenders there.
One half of the mole will be open, so one can see the interior, while the other will be close, so one can see the outside.
For your recollection, this is the Defense of Xantium diorama.

OK, so the mole - current code name is "Roly Poly" - will cut its way through the rocks and ground via some plasma blasters, which simply melt the ground in front of the mole.
The tracks will then move the device forward. For this it will have tracks at the bottom, the two sides, as well as the top.

As you can see the tracks are completely scratch built.

The Roly Poly will consist of 3 sections. The forward "attack bay" that will contain the SEALZ, the central "bridge" with the Capt'n, the Navigator, and the Sonar man, as well as the rear "Engines" room with the Mek and an assisitant. I decided to use a full Ork crew, not Groots.


So here's the Capt'n (no names yet)


The Sonar oparator.


And the Navigator (which will hold a steering wheel)



The brdige crew in position.


Next was the engine section.
For this I built a kind of steampunk, orkified engine, plus the Mek and his assistant.



These two photos I took, as I MAY TRY to paint using OSL...



For the detailing I built some hand-wheels...

...as well as some levers.


For this engine room I have an image in my head. Some old, dark WWII submarine, as seen in the movie "The Boat"...

After that I built the side track.


And started to cover up the right side of the Roly Poly.



And this is how far I got last night :)

I hope you like this project and I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.
As said, the project actually belongs to my "Stachelnschweinz", so no Greek names, but never the less, I'm still looking for names:
The vehicel itself
Captn
Navigator
Sornar ops
Mek
Engine assistant
and maybe the boss of the SEALZ...
Thanks
Klaus