#023 - the torso takes shape...

the base plate of the torso has been set, and the shoulder joints are being attached... but more importantly, the right arm has been connected... ah yes... the sweet taste of progress... an estimated 17 across, this bastard has become even bigger than i foresaw, which is a good thing... for a super-heavy that ignores all shaken and stunned results, it should look menacing...

on the doomsday front, i have purchased thin PVC sheets and begun using a shrink-wrap method to fit the plating to the tower... so far, it is working nicely, giving the base a liquid metal look... since the PVC is clear, it wouldn't do to take pics of it now... when i get the thing primed, it will then be time to capture its glory... for now, however, iced coffee awaits...

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#022 - the work continues...

i am fully aware that what you see before you is incredibly orky, but believe me, it is not... this is, in fact, the scaffolding for my chaos doomsday device, the fourth super-heavy construct for an upcoming mega battle... and the plastic it is being glued to is actually a plastruct pond kit, meant for model towns and what not... meanwhile, in a 28mm scale game it makes for a decent terrain base - not so much crater as a natural depression... since i decided (this morning) to build a doomsday device, this seemed the best premade base i could ask for (and for only $12)...

the doomsday device itself, i decided (also this morning), should be more than what games workshop showed on the apocalypse - they made a coffin-shaped mockup with some kitbashing... i decided to go vintage death weapon with my incarnation, and came upon the greatest wargame structure i could recall from my youth - the obelisk of light from command & conquer... yes, the brotherhood of nod's giant pointy laser tower shall be my doomsday device... i can almost see kane smiling upon me as i type... yes... total devastation in the name of peace...

as you can also see from the pic, i started with a square base concept with two jutting points, then scrapped that for a more quirky look - the triangle... the base is equilateral, 3 inches per side, with the next triangle (the one with the composition notebook back on it) being 2 inches per side... the inside supports going from triangle to triangle make this base level 4 inches high (scaled 24 feet), and the outside supports rotate the top about 30 degrees to the right - this makes the base corkscrew upward... supports were added in the middle for when the sides are cut and attached... i haven't decided if they will be triangular or concave yet, owing to the fact i did all this in about an hour and ran out of wood... i also need to decide if i'm going to use sheets of flexible PVC or wood for the sides... i want to say PVC, just because the paint job will be smoother... the base itself will be trimmed down to suit my terrain needs, glue applied, followed by garden variety sand (literally)... spray paint and drybrushing applied, it will be almost complete...

for the top, however, that has already been decided... i purchased another sheet of plastruct, this time "stormy water," as well as hot pink PVC... i will spray one side of the PVC white, then glue the other side to the water effect plastic sheets... i will then cut the assembled sheets into three more equilateral triangles and assemble them into a little pyramid shape, then put another clear PVC layer on top of that... the pink death crystal on top of the structure becomes a shiny beacon coruscating with energy, and the white interior ensures that the pink is bold and bright...

the game i mentioned earlier in this post is the most ambitious to date - 13,000 points per side, single army, 3 assets each, imperial guard v. my chaos marines... the game itself will take place in september, and i already have my list ready and written up - death guard, emperor's children, iron warriors, alpha legion and word bearers... bring it on...

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#021 - compensation...

i have been challenged to a massive mega-battle, one-on-one, of at least 10k per side... i have until september to prepare for the carnage... this means i now have one month to finish the construction of the subjugator, which you now see before you...

as this is my second scratch-built super-heavy, i decided to show the comparison in size, as well as where i plan it to extend to... the arms are already constructed and waiting for the body to be built, which will be done with plasticard and more bits... the head will be a speaker covered in matte varnish and painted over boltgun with gold... mounted into the shoulders are the two tormentor cannons, which are its primary weapons...

so on top of that, i have also started a brainstorm journal for all things wargame... its a small, red leatherette deal, magnetic clasp, $8 at walgreens... basically, every time i have an idea, and nothing but time to write it down in it goes in there... table ideas, mission ideas, etc... helps keep track of all the creative stuff i can't "shut off" in my head...

then there's the fantasy tournament coming up, which i already put my name down for... ill be going in as a fun list, just 33 ogres... i dont expect to come in first, just "not last" again... its more for fun than anything, quite honestly... once i get the body of the subjugator done at the least i can concentrate on painting my ogres... since its only 33 models, and most of them all the same color scheme (lots of bare skin), it shouldnt take too long to get most of it ready... i have a month and a half so i should be fine...

then there's the specialist games push happening at the store... necromunda, blood bowl and mordheim are going to be seeing a revival soon, with the blood bowl league starting in august... i would have had a team but i decided that would be too many projects to have at once... add to that the fact that monsterpocalypse is gaining in popularity, its going to be rough to do too much of anything at this time...

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#020 - the workbench is full...

this is what has been done so far... the subjugator is now somewhat assembled, mainly freeform in design... currently, i can fit two predators side-by-side underneath without touching the twin-link blastmaster... this bastard will be rather huge...

right now, i have a lot of projects backed up on the bench... in addition to this one, i have a complete death guard contingent to paint, a complete emperor's children to paint, half of my daemon units, several squads of iron warriors, my imperial guard, my sisters of battle, as well as every fantasy model i own... needless to say i have a lot that needs doing...

i should probably be painting right now, but its too humid and sticky in here, and that means id need the fan on... which means paint would get dried out too quickly... on top of that, id need to spray matte my work, and the heavy mist outside is not conducive to doing so... ill probably finish my second soul grinder this week (khorne) and figure out how to finish constructing the body on the subjugator...

my original plan to build the amp failed, so there will be no functional speaker... my other original plan to construct the component parts first and then paint them has also failed... since this is a makeshift creation i have to build finalize as i go along... pain in the ass to be sure, but at least i can make changes going ahead without jeopardizing the rest of the project in the meantime... one change will be leveling out the body and legs, as they didnt come out perfectly... maybe its just my need to have everything even on all my vehicles... i dunno... its too hot to think...

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