Status Update

Right so with BoB currently feeling on target (this month is 1 tank and 10 infantry, the tank is done, and the infantry are primed and on their way), I've been looking at other stuff.

I've got my plan for the heavy weapons squad for next month. I was in about fifteen minds which way to go, in the end I went for mortars which will be represented with mole mortars. I though it fitted well with the old school character I'm trying to invoke. Something a bit like the ones at the bottom of this page, but obviously kit bashed from mortars. Damned if I'm trying to find real ones on ebay, that's crazy talk!

To try and improve my photographs, and thus hopefully the number of people who vote for me each month in Band of Brothers :), I wanted to do a quick spot of terrain. I've tried this in the past, but went a bit complicated and too small and it got shelved. So kept it simple. A sheet of polystyrene about 18" by 40", gouged out a rough river bed (to be dry, it is a desert world after all), and covered it in different types of sand. The pva is drying as we speak.

Then I had a rummage the interweb and found a nice desert scene image that looked the part. Ran a few filters on it to try and give it a painted look, since I think photo backgrounds always look a bit forced if they're too real. They make the models look like models! I'll print that out on the office laser printer tomorrow and see what it looks like. I need some ink for my printer, once I get that I'll probably pick up some matte photo paper and print it properly.

I'm fancying some of these cool tents from Renedra. The ridge ones. I think they'll make nice incidental details for the background of photos and are painfully cheap. I bought some of their barrels for Stadtheim and was very impressed.

Strangely I've currently got the completion bug. This isn't like me, but I'm actually getting a buzz out of finishing projects. The Ragnarok Leman Russ has been on the books for years and getting it done was great. Same for the ogryns. I'm eyeing my Knight Paladin and thinking how shiny it would look painted...

Rise up (and blog off)

Greetings once again. The site has been somewhat abandoned for the majority of 2010, which is a shame. Basically I got sidetracked by Stadtheim for a few months, then some kind soul showed be Oblivion, which led to Fallout 3 and suddenly it's christmas. How'd that happen?

Good news is the 40k production line is fully functional once more, and I'm hoping to document some of the projects.

I've decided to give up on the site as a standalone item, it's just too much messing about to get things working like I want. So I'm going to leave the projects there for now as an archive, but then run everything else through the blog, http://kataan.blogspot.com. The two are linked, in that the site scrapes the blog anyway, but I'm going to add in a few little features to the blog that won't get pulled through.

Eventually I plan to put an archive of projects somewhere in the blog, then pull the site and put up a redirect. For now, view it however you choose :)

Still working on the design, comments page seems a little screwy, but other than that I think it looks ok.

I'll be back with the first proper update later. I have several praetorian tanks to show off, including would you believe, completed builds I had previously started. I know, me completing something. Scary.

What have I been doing?

Hallo. Not posting in here as much as I should.

Ok so the Knight Titan has ground to a halt unfortunately. Usually happens, he's more or less at the detailing stage. I'll get back to it anon, but don't hold your breath. I think this site should be seen more as a home for ideas rather than the place you come to see finished products! Still, serves as a record to my ADD-like approach to hobbying.

Anyway I have been doing other things. I've painted a squad of IG for the Kataan IV army. I'll get these photographed and posted probably tonight. I don't do a lot of painting so this is a good thing. Better still it's firmed up the colour scheme with new paints, some of the gw ones I was using have been discontinued. I've found replacements in vallejo and am happy.

Also bought some new brushes. Spent a while looking at various ones without much understanding really. I went for the army painter ones in the end. They offer useful descriptions of what the size could be used for, and the handles are more chunky (a toblerone style grip) which are good for my ageing hands ;)

Yesterday I undercoated the command squad and the veteran squad for my guard, so painting has begun on them too.

Also (wow busy busy), I've started my storm troopers. I originally bought some RT guard to use as storm troopers, but I'm not happy with the size differential. I think they'll go back on ebay at some point. So mine are normal cadians with pig iron heads and some gubbinz. Will post pics.

Bought one of the new hellhounds too. I'm combining this with the parts I had laying around from a predator to make one of my rhimera jobbies. The other half of this (chimera tracks, rhino chassis) will form the base of my second artillery piece. I was going for a griffon, but got a bit diverted by the idea of a manticore. mmm rockets. The griffon I have the pieces for us going to use a FW thudd gun.

Damn I need to sort out the photos for all these guys. Perhaps that's a job for tonight, document my IG properly?

One last thing, great new source for wheels. Over on Ammo Bunker Digits drew attention to some he'd seen. They're a little taller than ork wheels, a little thinner, and basically perfect for IG. I'm going to make a six wheeled variant of my Chard pattern chimera. In fact I've already started. Details on buying are in the linked thread. 50p each,I bought twenty and am very happy with both the sculpt and the casting. Chris from Tablescape is looking into variants too for differing sizes. I'll keep you posted.

Oh yeah and I also bought a 1/48bradley kit dirt cheap for the road wheels. These mean I can finish the chard pattern hellhound I started months ago.

It's all go!