Sanguinary Priest: Insta-mold casting

I picked up the insta mold product in hopes of duplicating some bitz here and there. After a little experimentation, It turns out to work pretty fantastic. So here's a couple tips on what to do and what not to do that will hopefully save you some time.

The product is cheap, under $20. Instructions are simple and on the blister pack, heat, press let cool. no problem. What it doesn't tell you, is once the stuff is heated, it can be pretty oozy and with out something to hold it, it can be hard stay put as well as on the detail of the model.

A couple notes on the product.
1. It doesn't seem to stick to anything, but...
2. it self! touch two pieces of hot instamold together and they become one.

So here is my first attempt at a 2 sided mold for a devestator backpack. You can't really see the detail in the pic. The point is how on the outside of the mold it just went all  over the place. The other point, which I will illustrate later, is that I didn't think about re-aligning the pieces once done, or realize I would have to cut the pieces apart.

With my second attempt, I had a little more of a game plan. I made a lego frame for my molds and a couple plungers to press the product. I also have a couple paper clips to align the 2 part mold.

with this set up I made 2 molds. A 2 sided mold for the arm and a one sided mold for the torso piece. I also try'd making stamping type mold for the shoulder pad, but it did not work so great.

I put the hot product in both sides, put the arm in once side with product on top and put the torso in the other side. I pressed down firmly with my plungers.

I let it cool a little bit, removed the plungers and poked the paper clips in for re-alignment later. After allowing the stuff to completely cool I removed it from the lego the 2 sided mold had to be cut carfully with a hobby knife. next time I will put plastic card on the top and bottom of the mold. the texture of the lego made it slightly difficult to remove.

It's kind of hard to tell from the pic, but the detail came out perfect. 

using the mold is simple. press the green stuff in and let harden. The molds are clear so you can see from the side of the detail if you have any air bubbles or detail not coming out. Here's what came out...

Top one is my first devestator backpack. with the flash removed. The detail did not come out good on this one. The other pieces came out great with the exception of a small bubble on one of the right pocket and left tubes.

Brother Corbulo: Finished

Blam!

I'm not crazy about the glossy finish, but I'm not crazy about chipped paint or frosty mini's either. (I have had bad luck with matte varnish)

Please feel free to comment on what you think of him. He is in the color scheme of my Blood angels successor chapter: Blood Hammers. Resin Base by Dragonforge miniatures. 

Blood Hammers soundtrack

Music is a big part of gaming and painting for me. It inspires me. The Band Solitude Aeturnus, IMO is very fitting for Blood Angels, and I have deemed them the sound track for my Blood Hammers. It's divine, and epic and fitting of the term "Descent of Angels". Have a listen and let me know what you think.

This is the calm before the storm. 

 This is when you feel the full wrath of the Emperor as his angels descend.

Blood Hammers: Colors

Below is a breakdown of the colors I use to paint my Blood Hammers. All paints used are GW except where noted. I usually prime with Krylon black primer (about $3.99 at a dept or hardware store. In the case of these guys, I primed with black primer and then sprayed them with a can of GW dark angels green I had laying around (not sure this is made anymore). 

Blue armor: Base coat-Dark angels green followed by Scaly green, then hawk tourquoise with highlight of ice blue

Red Armor: Base coat-Dark angels green, followed by red gore, blood red, highlight of blazing orange.

Stone base: Base coat of macharius solar orange, wash with ogryn flesh followed by bubonic brown, highlight with skull white. 

Purity seals & white armor/wings: Base coat denab stone, wash with grephonne sepia followed by bleached bone with highlight of skull white. 

Gold: Base of Valejo brass, wash with devlan mud, followed by valejo gold, highlight with chainmail.

Metal: Base of boltgun metal, wash with badab black, followed by chainmail, highlight of mithryl silver. 

Black, I simply highlight with adeptus battlegrey

Brown leather: Base coat with Calthan brown, wash with devlun mud, followed by snakebite leather, highlight with tausept ochre

Dirt: Charodin granite, followed by codex grey, highlight fortress grey.

For purity seal writing i use a 0.1 staedtler pigment liner pen (bought at michaels crafts)

Blood hammers: Lemartes

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get a good picture. I need a new method or camera or something. Very frustrated right now. This is the best I could get. 

MANY new projects!

I haven't been posting too much on the Blog-o-net of late. But that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. In fact I've been so busy with various projects I just haven't had the time to really stop and take fancy pictures, not to mention, the weather has not been cooperating for good pics lately. I've been expanding my games lately into other non GW games. Along with Warmahordes, I'm investing time and $$ into Dystopian wars & Malifaux. I'm also thinking of starting an Imperial Guard or Dark Eldar army.

So here's a few random updates along with a couple pics.

For Dystopian wars I have chosen, Empire of the blazing sun. My fleet is coming along nicely, and I hope to have it completed soon. I actually have taken a few pics along the way, so I hope to have a step by step post on the fleet soon.

Mostly done, just need to add some details/highlights.

For Malifaux I'm going to be playing Guild, and I also picked up some Neverborn for the kids to play. I'm going to be trying out a new priming method on these guys. So hopefully more on that later.

 1. black primer

2. white over the black at a 45 degree angle, from above

I've been playing Blood Hammers a lot, and the work has been slow, just been slightly distracted with the above new stuff. However, I did manage to complete a Furioso Librarian converted from Black reach dreadnaught body and spare furioso parts (I used the new kit to make a death co dread).

sawing the black reach face plate was a major pain, but worked out ok in the end (with a little green stuff)

I have lots to paint still, and hope to post something soon. In progress: Dante, Storm raven & Lemartes.

w.i.p. Dante with his massive Blood Hammer! 

I have my Skaven plague army that I'm working on, with some new models arriving in the mail today, HPA & plague catapult. Can't wait to paint these dudes.

What about Space wolves? I love my wolves, I've been playing them, but just haven't been inspired to paint them lately. I have Lukas started, and want to do something interesting for his cloak. I would also like to finish my dread.

w.i.p.

Beyond that there is my Chaos Tzeentch army which is in a state of base coat, Dwarfs (I'm hoping for a new army book for my beloved Dwarfs soon), Chaos Dwarfs (with new models coming out now), and would kind of like to make a disgustingly all pink Slannesh CSM army.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed my scatter brained hobby antics.

Game on!

Blood Hammers: Sanguinary Guard

Blood Hammers: Sanguinary Guard

Here's my first Sanguinary Guard completed. Now that I have the pics, I can see it can use a little more highlights on the red, but overall, I like how the scheme came out.

Blood Hammers: Assault Marine

Assault marine for the Blood Hammers. This mini displays the scheme of the army nicely. 

Next Friday: Sanguinary Guard. 

Evolution of a home brew Chapter

So I've been kicking around making my own space marines chapter for quite some time.  To design ones own space marine chapter including a cool name, color scheme, chapter icon, and background is  For myself (and I believe others) the culmination of the creative aspect of this hobby. I think I have finally come up with something that works for me. So before the big reveal I'll run down how I got there.

So my first idea was.....

Space Knights!!!

Cool name, or too cheesy? Kind of like space wolves but Knights! For a while I've been thinking along the lines of a knightly order similar to black templars or something. So I had the split shoulder pad (like a bretonnian grail knights shield) with a dragon as the icon. 

Here's a W.I.P. chapter master  (this is as far as I got)

I thought of an entire background (home planet of Avalon) with icons for all the squads and, names for all of the company captains.

Brother Captain Malakhi of the 3rd company 

Then I got side tracked with other projects like space wolves and my own chapter got put on the back burner, until recently. 

So with the coming of the Blood angels codex, once again I thought of my chapter, as possibly a counts as blood angels chapter. But something wasn't right with the Space Knights. The name, color scheme, icon, just wasn't all jiving for me. So back to the drawing board. 

I'm still thinking Knightly, and I liked the split shoulder pad, but wanted to go more Knightly...like knights in shinning armor style, and came up with this...

 Not bad. I liked the split color,  so I thought how about a split color scheme, and came up with......Blood Knights!! 

No not Knights of blood...this is something totally original (sarcasm) 

So I have an icon (which looks vaguely similar to angels encarmine) a name (original?...not really) and a color scheme, that I kind of like, but not 100%. I want it darker and more gritty! like a space marine, not a candy coated plastic man. 

I started experimenting with my split colors and how I paint red. and came up with this...

Instantly I'm in love with how the Red came out. This is completely different then how I normally paint red. 

Old way: base of mechrite red, blood red over this, with highlight of firey orange.

New way: Base of Dark angels green, followed by successive colors of Scab red, red gore, blood red, blazing orange. 

The yellow, I don't hate, but it's ok. Something is still not 100% sold for me, until yesterday when,  I'm in the car listening to one of my favorite artists and this track come on. 

And it hit me. This was my chapter. Name, check. Blood angels successors, check. on to colors and Icon. 

I was in love with the Red I came up with, and still kind of digging the split thing but wanted to come up with something new and original, here is what I came up with...

(dark angel icon as place holder)

I have to say that I'm liking this 100%. Just need a cool icon...

And I decided to switch the bloody (hammer) arm to the weapon arm.

I give you the Emperors' Bloody Hammers.

 (the main color is hawk turquoise, though it came out pretty blue in the pics)

And there you have it. I have an army to paint now. 

100th post - New army test mini

So this is my 100th post. Fancy. I was planning on posting pics of my completed Lucas the trickster, but well...I got side tracked. It happens often. When federal tax refund comes, I'm getting some brand spanking new mini's and starting a new army! I'm going to be working on a "counts as" Blood Angels force that I like to call.....

Blood Knights!

Below are test mini pics of what I believe to be my final color scheme.

I settled on a split scheme, because I think it gives it the knightly quality the army needs, with the metallic side like shinny knightly armor and the left side dipped in blood. 

Here is my first attempt at a scheme.

I had the knight thing going on, but not the Blood thing! 

And for giggles, here's some old blood angel figures I painted over 20 years ago (I've always been a fan). Maybe some of these will get the repaint treatment and appear in my new army.

This poor guy came out more pink then red. 

 Stay tuned for more from the Blood Knights!