Legio Astorum Warhound Titan "Canis Victrix" - WIP #3 - Legs

Hello Titanseers, welcome to another update on where I am at with this second-hand 'Hound, now Walks for Legio Astorum and has legs to do so! I pretty much repainted the legs entirely, with exception of the metallic silver structure basecoat - so all the toes, ball joints, pistons and armour.

The detailing on the Warhound toes is exquisite, four skulls and an Aquila on each toe, plus pistons to grime and shine (the cylinders shiny whilst the build up of grime at the end). Each ankle piston has an Aquila too and a skull and an Opus Mechanicus. I repainted the toe armour and trim and the foot base a dirty Leadbelcher. You can see I cleaned off and filed the armour mounting strip too, this had a lot of old superglue attached.

The thigh armour was removed for painting, and firmly glued back once the thigh was stripped of paint on the hidden facing and cross-hatched for better adhesion, these plates unless firmly glued tend to pop off when picking up and manoeuvring the Titan, one has a slight pin extending out of the surface instead of flush, so I drilled a cavity on the corresponding underside of the armour to allow a flush fitting around it. Groin armour was repainted and hip pistons given the same treatment.

I used Stormhost Silver for a bright clean ball joint and raised the rear toes so the weight of the Titan was on the toes, not the flat foot - these are nimble machines, the toes were snapped off, filed and re-pinned and glued to change the footing somewhat.

The freshly painted Shins were anointed in Astorum blue and received a Titan Owners Club coat of arms. You can still see the 'Ardcoat sealant over the surface, once the titan is completely lacquered you won't see this difference.

And the finished article, legs reconstructed and repainted. the outermost toes and inner left leg toe are slightly raised from the original base standing in craters, so I will use some slate chips to insert under the raised toes for a firm weight distribution and look.

Here you can see the raised outer toe, ripe for a stone, no rocky ground can slow a Warhound! The actual weight will be carried on the three toes and rear toes plus a black screw from the underside of the base up into the foot - meaning the fragile toes are just stability really, the screw from the base will take the majority of the downward force.

And finally, a close up of the shin with the name scrollwork, Canis Victrix will Walk! Check back next week, nearly done with this 'Hound.

Cheers, Siph.
 

Relictors Primaris Marines - Phobos Librarian

 

Hello All, thanks for dropping in to see my latest addition to the ever expanding Relictors Space Marine Battle Company. Not all my own work, saw this as a bargain on eBay and thought I could adapt it with a little work to become a Relictor Phobos Librarian.

I repainted the backpack and the shoulder Pauldrons, did the base and the leather belts and holster. Plus the gold work and contrast painted over the Force Sword to give my characteristic purple Force Weapon colour.

Tidied up the scrolls and the keys, so basically kept the cloak and the under armour so 90% of mini is as I bought, I just re-did all the detailing to suit me.

I cut away a decal to fit the shoulder Pauldron, showing my Relictors Chapter badge.

The psychic blue OSL was there already, the main thing which attracted me to the purchase - and an hours work I was done with a new addition to the force. My fledgling Primaris reinforcements continue to grow...

Cheers, Siph.

Terrain and Scenery - Simple Cheap Scatter Terrain - Pipeline

Hello All, thanks for dropping by, sometimes the simplest and cheapest ideas can make decent terrain and enhance the battlefield. In the past I have made cake tray Power Turbines, noodle pot Generators, CD stack Fuel Storage Tanks and pencil pot Watchtowers and dice box Ammunition Crates - but today is cardboard tube pipelines.

The paintjob took 3mins... and drying time. Spray black, spray leadbelcher, drybrush rust and brass and mud - done.

The five tubes came as packaging around some handles, more sturdy than loo roll but the tube inside aluminium foil or cling film/plastic wrap should do if cut to size.

Using PVA/Elmers Glue along the lengths in pairs at first then stacked and glued. Simple stack of pipes for scatter terrain and well needed cover for infantry and smaller vehicles.

Done - cheapest and quickest ever... looks passable too!

Cheers, hopefully it helps someone attempt some terrain, it really does enhance the enjoyment of the game. Find my other Terrain ideas at the links above or using the sidebar Label: TERRAIN.

Siph (5pts)

Legio Astorum Warhound Titan "Canis Victrix" - WIP #2 - Main Torso

Hello Titanseers, thanks for dropping by. I have continued to work on the second hand Warhound Titan, my "Canis Victrix". I finished the torso, repainted the armour and trim and finished detailing the insides. Above you can see the 10mm rod magnets in the arms, the arms are glued and pinned in place. I was rather pleased with my neat chevrons on the elevator/entry hatch.

You can also see the magnet in the waist socket firmly glued in, I decided not to replace this one, the socket and existing magnet provide enough force and friction to hold the torso firmly on the waist without movement.

Inside the internal bulkhead to the reactor compartment was fitted and the details finished off. The original owner had made a start but the details like purity seals, gold work, screens etc needed doing.

Here is a closer pict capture before the internal bulkhead was fitted. The missing array of vents /exhausts on the rear of the carapace in-between the Armour panels was replaced with an armoured sheet from an IG vehicle and two 'exhausts' from the Cities of Death buildings frames.

The armour trim was given two coats of Vallejo Brass and the stripes tidied up where the paint had bled on the tape edges.

The Armour Trim was washed with Reikland Fleshshade and Astorum decal applied, and gloss coated for protection - this will get a further lacquer coat later so the decal edges won't be so visible.

The completed Torso

Proudly displaying the Certificate of Authenticity number No.3615

And lastly where I have got up to, the main bulk of the titan is completed, but I still have the Head Unit, Inferno Cannon, Legs and Base to do, so about halfway for sure.

Thanks for dropping in to check my progress, cheers, Siph.

Legio Astorum Warhound Titan "Canis Victrix" - WIP #1 - Basecoat and Arms

Hello Titanseers, hot on the completion of my Reaver Titan "Aquila Oculus" before Christmas, I dived into my next Titan project, a second hand Warhound Titan. This came with the certificate and spare Carapace, Shins and Head armour and a massive round plinth base - all of which I sold and bought an Inferno Gun arm and custom eyepiece inserts shown above, offsetting the cost considerably so a win win bargain!

This is Mars Pattern Warhound Titan No.4 for me, and Certificate No.3615, so a fairly aged Titan now, I think Forge World are now in the region of 6500 sold. "Canis Victrix" or 'Victorious Hound' will join it's Brother Engines' No.10 "Canis Bellum"; No.2974 "Canis Praetor" and No.4189 "Lupus Regent".

The Titan came constructed but I have partially deconstructed it for painting and strengthening with JB Weld and pins, and a slight rebuild of toes as they were designed to the custom base I removed it from.

The first Arm to get painted was the Turbolaser Destructor, a favourite weapon for me, all my Warhounds thus far have one. Its decent strength, range and damage output make it a great choice if coupled with something multi-shot or lower strength for void stripping and anti-heavy infantry (if playing 40K). I heat stained the barrels my usual method of black drybrush, Nuln Oil, Drakenhof Nightshade blue, Leviathan Purple, Seraphim Sepia over the Leadbelcher/Nuln/Agrax metal. The missing Power Couplings resin hoses have been replaced with flexible hoses (rubber skipping rope) for ease of arm swaps.

The alternative weapon arm is a Vulcan Mega Bolter, or the above mentioned Inferno Cannon, I've painted the Vulcan Mega Bolter to match my existing weapons on Canis Bellum, and above you can see the heat stained barrels. This too will have a power coupling of flexible hose up into the 'armpit' area, seen below.

The weapon received some verdigris after seeing the same on my mate John H's own Astorum Warhound, and I kept the armour clean and ready for battle honours etc.  All the arms have been magnetised to allow swap outs in the future, the weapon arm has a washer glued in place, the arm socket itself a rod magnet inside the upper arm for a strong bond. As this was second hand I removed the weak disc magnets used as they were only just capable of bonding - replaced with 20mm x 8mm diameter Neodymium rods - with about 2.5 kg pulling power. 

The carapace was repainted, the original owner had a blue scheme but too light and heavily weathered, so a fresh coat of Kantor Blue was laid down and then masked off for some stripe work characteristic of my Maniple. The above image show the step before the trim is painted gold, The blue has been edged with Night Lords Blue in the recesses.

The previous owner had a Legio Gryphonicus banner made so I repurposed it using some existing Legio Astorum banners Drake at Titan Owners Club / Battle Bunnies had made for me. Cheers mate, the back of the banner proudly displays the TOC coat-of-arms too. I added a few of the FW resin Purity Seals that come with Titan kits too and the finials from an Imperial Knight kit.

I am pleased with my progress, this will be Titan No.7 for the Emperor's Halo Maniple of the Legio Astorum. Oh dear... I think I have a problem (a great one to have!!)

Cheers, Princeps Seniores Siph.

Imperial Knights - Freeblades - Gerantius the Forgotten Knight

Hello All, thanks for dropping by. So, two Editions of 40K late and no longer OP, I finally got around to getting a representation of the much maligned 'Gerantius', 'The Forgotten Knight' special character. 

Not my own work, a eBay purchase and a few tweaks to make my own. I added the Gerantius Decals to the shoulder Pauldrons, weapon and Banner, the original only had two smaller freehand decals plus the shin decals. It is an excellent paint job, neat highlights and clean looking - I like it, Gerantius must have good support in system!

I also swapped both arms, the original had them the other way around but in all artwork, and the shape of the weapon shield it made sense to swap them back, so a razor saw and some glue and harmony was restored.

I added a small red skull kill marking for interest, and based the knight like all my other forces, adding some slate chips from the garden. The tufts are from Gamers Grass and the base is Mournfang Brown (Caltham Brown pot from the basing set now OOP, I have a litre of it!), Ushabti Bone and Karak Stone drybrushing on base and slate.

I am pleased to finally have Gerantius, The Forgotten Knight in the forces available - game wise he can be a Freeblade with Questoris Errant equipment, not so OP as before, but a nice historic addition nevertheless!

Cheers, Siph. 

Imperial Knights - Vassal Knights of Legio Astorum - Cerastus Castigator 'Heretics Bane'

Hello All, thanks for dropping by. I've added to my Knight Banner - the Vassal Knights of Legio Astorum ranks have now swelled with the addition of a Cerastus Knight from Forge World, a Castigator. Meet Sir Geraint riding Cerastus Castigator 'Heretics Bane'.

This was an eBay purchase, the previous owner had done a decent job, I just brightened up the blue panels leaving weathering in the recesses, painted a few red panels back to blue, re-did some trim, added detailing like dials and LEDs and painted some cables, pistons etc.

The groin power couplings were missing so I added some cables from a Necron Night Scythe kit in the ports between leg and groin. I added some slate to the base and repainted the base to match my own forces, and added some tufts.

I added the Legio Astorum decals and the Aquila details to the shins, the cheques were done already I just did some tidying up and repainted the white panels Astorum yellow.

The barrels were painted black and some blue power effects were added to the Sword.

Another Legio Astorum decal finishes off the transformation from perhaps Terryn, to Vassal Knights of Legio Astorum. A nice addition to the Knights force, now quite a few Knight Engines!

Cheers, Siph.

Lord Titanium Halfpenny Returns! where has he been?

 Hello one and all, goodbye 2020, and hello 2021.. 

It's been a while since I've posted, this was due to the house move, and then the decision not to unpack my weemen until we had the garage conversion completed which will become my geekroom/office space. 6 weeks of work, and here are the results at the moment.

I am going to repaint the walls over the base white, and then start to add my units, games table and desks into position. I also have a loft space in the void above the ceiling to hide my pile of plastic shame away to keep the room looking tidy. 

I am really missing the hobby, with having around 5 months completely away from it - I still haven't located my brushes yet!

Thanks for swinging by, I will hopefully have further updates next week!

Genestealer Cult - Relic Baneblade - Armorcast Super Detailed Baneblade

HAPPY NEW YEAR, I HOPE TO THE EMPEROR (FOUR ARMED) ITS BETTER THAN 2020!

Hello All, something quite historical and super rare this week, a "Super Detailed Armorcast Baneblade", from before Forge World existed. I have had this model for over 20 years sitting at the bottom of the to-do pile mountain and the time I do have to hobby is spent on painting my current Titans and Relictors, so I shipped off the kit to Castle Brush Studios in Poland for a commission paint job - and I am totally satisfied with the customer experience and end results - thank you to Simon and the team at Castle Brush Studio.

I gave them the kit with a few additions, I had chopped off the original triple Bolter side-sponsons and provided modern plastic ones, removed the front Baneblade Cannon barrel so it represents the modern armament of a Demolisher Cannon, added mud flaps to the front to lengthen the whole tank to the same length as the modern plastic kit, supplied GSC icons and a Tank Commander from the Achilles Ridgerunner buggy set and some Death Korps of Kreig atmospheric filters and Heavy Stubbers - I wanted this tank to look like a relic plundered from the local Planetary Force reserve stores.

Castle Brush Studio through great communication added the scheme I wanted to match my existing GSC forces, and weathered the kit to rightly look like the 3rd line reserve forces abandoned and forgotten - hence the older rarer pattern of Baneblade not the usual mass produced front line units the Guard have.

The Imperial icons were defaced and the stowages supplied with a spare Rock Hammer and Mining Laser.

The Machine Spirit has been defaced and violated in the name of the true Four Armed Emperor...

I love that it is an old kit, you know its a Baneblade but it looks completely different to the modern plastic kit - great to define that this is the relic abandoned reserve of a PDF.

All I did to the great job that Castle Brush Studio did was add a couple of paint streaks to the stenciled graffiti.

I had agreed to have an armoured iris on the Searchlight, however with 2nd thoughts I changed my mind so repainted the glass of the searchlight.

I touched up the Heavy Bolters to have laser range sights to match my existing forces.

I love the look of the tank, a great job by the Studio and the characterful kit means I am very happy with this kit and its great to have it done and off the to-do mountain!

I added the spare metal Track Links to the plain armoured glacis.

This is what the kit looks like, a hybrid resin kit with metal details and some FW/plastics I threw in... I will leave you with some parting shots...

My thanks to Castle Brush Studio for an excellent customer experience, if you have the money and not the time, check them out - they provide an excellent service. Have a great 2021 and hopefully some battles (of the tabletop miniature type!).

Cheers, Siph.