Showing posts with label .pdf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label .pdf. Show all posts

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Terrain is everything - White Dwarf Warhammer Fantasy Barn


Another one of the gems from my treasure trove of lost White Dwarfs. This was one of the first modelling workshops that I can recall being in the magazine but more importantly was the first tutorial that I followed. I actually made this barn, I'm not sure if I made the optional 'lean to' but I did make the barn [you can even see the pin pricks in the template where I sued it to mark the foamboard].

For some reason I based it on a very thin piece of card, something no thicker than an expanding card folder, it was nonsense. Then I made the mistake of cutting the card too close to the barn in a number of places.

But the barn was complete and painted, the roof too. Not sure where it ended up, perhaps I left it in the loft at my parents. Anyway, it's super quick to do and the balsa wood panels make a really cool finish even without any effort to distress them. I'd recommend giving it a go if you're after Warhammer terrain. The link is below.

Barn: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbakNkOHBTNzdCdU0/edit?usp=sharing

Saturday 10 November 2012

Terrain is everything - Hail the Omnissiah a new STC is found!

Techno-archaeologist Avro Vulcan continues his research in the Ferron Proxima badlands. It has been months since he revealed a newly discovered Standard Template Construct (STC) to Tech Adepts at the Adeptus Mechnicus Oversight Cohort on Ferron Proxima. This does not mean he has been unsuccessful in his discoveries, in fact the opposite is true, his very success has been his undoing by malicious data attacks by the group known only as the Free Radical Collective!

The Free Radical Collective have been targetting Avro Vulcan's data banks and releasing his discoveries prior to aproval by AdMech Overseers. Th people of Ferron Proxima have seen benefits from this, technologically speaking but wanton disregard for testing procedures and the free distribution of advanced technology has caused the Adeptus Mechanicus to bring in a specialised unit of Tech Inquisitors to discover the true identities of the FRC.
Meanwhile Avro Vulcan brings us another innocuous, but perhaps revolutionary STC, the Standard Manifold Coupling, aka the Modular Plug Socket. The details of this coupling has been kept secret by Vulcan due to the interest from data-hackers who have sort to gain control of this valuable information to share outside Adeptus Mechanicus control. Once private enterprise can access this information they will utilise it to gain control of all Mercury Plateaus suitable for Plasma Generators, thus reducing their need to pay tithes to the Ad-Mech administration. The Modular Plug Socket is more than just a connector for Plasma Generators, it also functions as an underground storage portal, watch tower base, heavy weapons turret mount and lift shaft. In time these STCs will also be shared with the world.


To access the full STC please point your Cogitators here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbUm1VQ3hKNF8xNDQ/view?resourcekey=0-ZT2qov4nLJ-2ojJ3gGkybw

This STC will be uploaded to the full Ferron Proxima STC library shortly. You can access the database here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrain-is-everything-standard-template.html



Sunday 15 July 2012

+++ Data Blurt - The Free Radical Collective bring Protection to the People! +++

+++ The Free Radical Collective continue to bring about Progress for Progress! We bring protection and safety to the people of Ferron Proxima! No more do we rely on others to defend us from the ravening hordes! We bring you progress! We bring you safety! We bring you the Targus Assault Blockade! +++

+++ Easily erected using a variety of materials from rockcrete to foamcard! Protect your home! Protect your loved ones! Protect your Promethean Refining Concern! +++

+++ Uploaded and ready, admech unapproved! Progress is Progress! Protection for the people! Point your cogitators here and support the Free Radical Collective! To hell with the Omnissiah! +++

Other STCs are available



https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B97Rk-BalgZbRWZQQmc5c1NkdTA

Monday 14 May 2012

Terrain is everything - Dawn of War Plasma Generator part 10

I've glued it together. I bit the bullet and just did it as I've so much on my plate at the moment I just want to feel like something is done and dusted but I don't know if you can see but something has changed since last we saw the Plasma Generator...



... do you notice just how big the air bubbles are at the top, compare them to the previous post and you willl see somehow the gel is evaporating and the hot melt glue seal isn't sufficient to prevent oxygen getting in.

 

I'm not sure what to do about it, I'm as surprised as you that it actually happened. The only silver lining is if I leave it upside down for long enough when we play I can leave it upright and the terrain actually moves throughout the game! Yeah, not much of a silver lining




Saturday 12 May 2012

+++ Data Blurt - The Free Radical Collective bring Power to the People! +++



+++ The Free Radical Collective have succeeded where others have failed! We bring the power to the people of Ferron Proxima! No more do we rely on the Energy Cartels or the Adeptus Mechanicus! We bring you progress! We bring you power! We bring you the Plasma Generator! +++

+++ Uploaded and ready, admech unapproved! Progress is power! Power to the people! Point your cogitators here and support the Free Radical Collective! To hell with the Omnissiah! +++
Other STCs are available



Friday 2 March 2012

Old stuff day 2012


It's old stuff day 2012. Last year warhammer39999 wanted to join a movement to rediscover lost gems from the world of hobby blogs. To choose one of your own blogposts that your most proud of, or may not have got the attention it deserved or any thing that may warrant some necromantic blogpost bothering. On top of that you were to share blogposts from other bloggers which you thought deserved the same spotlight of attention before they were returned to their dark nightmare infested slumbers.

So I showed a little love for one of my old posts but then again I link to loads of my old stuff anyway so maybe I'm guilty of doing this all the time. Anyway it's time to choose this years blogpost and like the Highlander there can be only one and this time lets show a little love () to my most popular of old posts:



Standard Template Construct (STC) systems were advanced computers created during the Dark Age of Technology, which are said to have contained the sum total of human technological knowledge. An STC system was possessed by every group of human colonists before the Age of Strife, allowing them to build all of the equipment necessary for survival on an untamed colony planet. It enabled the colonists to build efficient shelters, generators and transports without any technical knowledge and using almost any locally available materials. The user simply asked how to build a house or a tractor and the computer supplied all the necessary plans.


My STC page has been accessed over 4,000 times and I've seen versions of my models recreated and remixed. This hobby we do costs money but with a bit of effort, some skill and a few bits and bobs we can all have some terrain that we can be proud of, it's all I wanted to do and I hope there is value to the community and that even if folk find no use for it themselves they pass the link on to their friends and share their results with me. I've still got STC's to come so this thread will hopefully never die, just be reanimated on a regular basis ;)

OK so what's floated my boat from other bloggers. I made this easy on myself and went back through all my 'starred' stories in Google Reader and this is what I found.

Brian does an awesome job here and if you root around he goes verdi-gris crazy

It's not so much the guide as the awesome 'emo-guard' end result

I've no idea why I starred this, I don't even remember doing so but the diorama is awesome and it's just a feat for the eyes which I suppose is a good enough reason.

This isn't just a guide to painting yellow and grey marines, there's all sorts of tips from battler damage to weathering powders, a tour de-force of painting techniques.

I was going to do a post about terrain and 'tournament terrain' but after reading this I think synaps3 pretty much said it all.

To all those I may have missed mayhap I will reference you throughout the year anyway, enjoy the old stuff, wake the dead!

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Terrain is everything - Hail the Omnissiah a new STC is found!

Techno-archaeologist Avro Vulcan continues to catalogue the many man-made hills that dot the Ferron Proxima badlands. It has been months since he unearthed the Standard Template Construct (STC) systems for what has been classified as the Vulcan Plateau. In this time he has discovered numerous other man-made hills buried under the distinctive steep sided flat topped hills that can be found all over Ferron Proxima. Excavating these sites has revealed one man-made hill in particular that has shown many sub-categories of construction. Vulcan has designated this hill the 'Mercury Plateau'.



The purpose of some of these structures are still a mystery but it has been noted that some of them have a slightly different composition of rockcrete than standard Ferron Proxima fare. Whether the richer iron content is due to the value or protection of the many storage facilities built into these mounds is unknown, Vulcan has theories but so far has kept them closely guarded. What is known is that these iron-rich mounds are particularly well suited to accept the STC for Plasma Generators., was this their primary function? Indeed even the current generator model  has adapted well to the Mercury Plateau and it is believed very little retro-fitting was required to the connection manifold.



However, the details of this coupling was another secret kept by Vulcan that has attracted a great deal of interest from data-hackers who have sort to gain control of this valuable information to share outside Adeptus Mechanicus control. Once private enterprise can access this information they will utilise it to gain control of all Mercury Plateaus suitable for Plasma Generators, thus reducing their need to pay tithes to the Ad-Mech administration.



To access the full STC please point your Cogitators here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbd2NTd3JpUGpSbm1ldTRhUzFwd2NOdw/edit?resourcekey=0-Uo2SSY82guWZ3FrOehSQ7g

This STC will be uploaded to the full Ferron Proxima STC library shortly. You can access the database here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrain-is-everything-standard-template.html

Happy Birthday to me, this is my gift to you!

Friday 10 February 2012

Terrain is everything - Dawn of War Plasma Generator part 9.

Right, so here's where I'm currently at! The black chevrons are in place and a bit of orange rust effect has been applied in certain areas.


I've also stenciled on some big numbers, because big numbers always look cool - FACT!


Some more shots of the rusty bits and weathering.


And the numbers, I think the silver bits are too bright so i need to weather them a bit more, maybe some more 'soot' using the Early Learning centre poster paint and perhaps more rust.


Here's the view of th top joint, I know it's not pretty, perhaps when it's joined together I can add another layer of rust/weathering to try and unify the various parts.


The big decision was whether to paint over the balck chevons with Mechrite Red and try to recapture that earlier stage I feel the white bits made worse, and then I thought I'd put it into better context on Ferron Proxima and I thinkthe black and white is OK. So what do you all think?


At this stage I want to know if I should just glue it together and apply any final effects so it's complete, then I can move on to other outstanding items on my 'to do list'.


So I'm open to suggestions, let me know what you think, is it time to finish this baby and move on, or keep working at it and risk screwing it up? You tell me...

Friday 3 February 2012

Terrain is everything - Dawn of War Plasma Generator part 8

This isn't really an update more of a tease. constantly reinserting the plasma tubes was getting annoying for pics and I kind of wanted a 'reveal' but nevermind I just wanted an opinion regarding glow effects...


Does anyone think it worth me attempting to put some glow on the inside of the uprights or am I best just leaving it as is?


I think I'm best just leaving it as you can see they glow of their own accord a little bit when the light shines on them. I'm best leaving it right?

Sunday 8 January 2012

Terrain is everything - modular plug

Here's a quick update on something of nothing. Originally my modular plug and socket was developed for the Vent Tower, allowing me to swap the roof section for an extra storey with the roof slotting into another socket. The socket concept was further expanded in the man-made hill [or this one] and now with my my DoW Plasma Generator I'm looking to fill that socket so you can make modular terrain pieces that you can fit together to allow for a dynamic and versatile collection of terrain pieces.

However, you may be a budding terrain hobbyist who does not wish to create a man-made hill or a Vent Tower to take advantage of a modular socket so I put together a simple base. Of course you need not make the DoW Plasma Generator with a plug on the base but I think it's nice to have the options.

So I give you a standard CD, with a sheet of foam card cut to fit and bevelled at a 45° angle. A standard Imperial socket is 47mm square, which as we know is down to the fact the Emperor's favorite number was 47. This square is removed and sheets of mounting card are used to edge the hole. In this instance I have a camera shutter/stargate-esque hatchway to the bowels of Ferron Proxima but you could use the alternative zig-zag hatch on the man-made hill. You must ensure the card isn't too thick or the plug will not align perfectly and the Plasma Generator will stand proud of the socket. As you can see I made this mistake, just a bit on mine. Enjoy the sneak peak of the Plasma Generator in it's undercoat finery, more info to follow on it's progress.


Saturday 24 December 2011

Terrain is everything - "Can you tell what it is yet?"

As Shakin' Stevens once said "Merry Christmas everyone", I always wonder if folk in other countries 
get to listen to some of the classic British Christmas tunes like Noddy Holder, Wizzard and Jona Lewie. There's a very British feel to all the shops playing the same old festive favourites and I wonder if that travels internationally. Anyway, I digress.

Here we have the component parts for what may be my most complex piece of terrain yet. It's certainly iconic and will have a lot of detail packed into a small area. I say complex, maybe I mean fiddly, I'm not sure, but the STC to go with it will also be available and as the crafting of this structure will be dependent on the thickness of the cladding card you use, then there will be some bits you will just have to figure out for yourselves. For instance if you use 1mm thick card then you'll need 7mm wide strips of card to cover the cladding on the edges. 1.5mm and you'll need 8mm strips. As I say - fiddly. 



The upshot of this is that not being able to be 100% accurate with the STC means I may get it Mechanicum approved sooner rather than later. I've also got another structure I'm going to be working on that will blow your minds, quite literally and it will be a step by step guide only, no STC because this baby just does go that way. Of course all this terrain craft is coming at the expense of my figure painting but we'll gloss over that fact purely because my creative juices are flowing else where right now and I'm enjoying the ride. Have a good one.

P.S. If you know what it is, leave a comment...

Sunday 23 October 2011

Terrain is everything - Hail the Omnissiah another ruined STC is found!



Caffeine shops, plazas and markets are a massive part of Ferron life, including Ferron Proxima, Ferron Ultima and Ferron Minima. The massive competition for the highly sort after local caffeine came to a head in the 'Caffeine Wars' 4541942.M40. Details of the Caffeine Wars are still be declassified for public consumption but common knowledge is that 'competition' grew to the point where open warfare in the 'caffeine plazas' between franchises took place.

Much like gang warfare in many of the Hive's worldwide the 'caffeine loyalists' would band together to assault rival franchises. Some franchises would begin to step up their protection by employing mercenaries and off-world gangers, regardless the battlefields were the caffeine plazas, the terraces awash with blood, spilled beans and latte foam. Many of these ruined plazas have long been abandoned, as it's not good for business to associate with the lowest point in 'barrista history'. Since then Starforts Caffeine has remained dominant in the Ferron market but Codex Coffee waits in the wings, plotting and vying for another chance to take control...
The Ferron AdMech library has revealed STC files to construct your own Caffeine Plaza/Market. To access the full STC please point your Cogitators here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbNTcwOGZkNzMtMGI0Yi00Nzc1LWExMjUtYzYyMTUxY2RiYzU3/view?resourcekey=0-GjiGlbjp643pOQD_WM14Nw

This STC will be uploaded to the full Ferron Proxima STC library shortly. You can access the database here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrain-is-everything-standard-template.html

Saturday 1 October 2011

Terrain is everything - Hail the Omnissiah an old STC is found!


Further discoveries on Ferron Proxima have revealed another STC. Originally construction of  Hex Tower 2 were halted by the AdMech Servitor Team Epsilon as there were incomplete and contained corrupt sections of the STC. Using the latest quantum codifiers of Mathematorium Secundus, Team Epsilon were able to substitute pre-existing 'InGen pattern' code into the program matrix to complete the full STC.

These Hex Tower's are now being positioned at strategic locations throughout the Ferron Proxima heartlands. The raised observation position and defensive properties make them ideal lookout posts in the outland regions known for it's regular Xenos sightings. Given the discovery that Ferron Proxima was originally devoid of many hills and high ground, these lookout posts were another option instead of  Vulcan Plateaus due to their ease of construction. Quite often these towers are pre-fabricated and bolted onto a laid rockcrete foundation by bulk lifters. This has meant a rapid deployment of outposts across the Xenos hot spots in the outlands since it's rediscovery.

To access the full STC please point your Cogitators here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbYWQzNjIwZTMtODdjNC00OWNjLTk1OWQtYWVmZjRjMzgyOTI5/view?resourcekey=0-hYhgbTNXrzJnrVTjqPcpMw

This STC will be uploaded to the full Ferron Proxima STC library shortly. You can access the database here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrain-is-everything-standard-template.html

Monday 5 September 2011

A weekend of progress [with a 'Terrain is everything' thrown in for free]

Following on from my feeling of lethargy on Wednesday I feel like I've started to break free from that 'swamp'. Admittedly the progress isn't massive, under close scrutiny, but somehow I feel like I'm getting somewhere. As I commented in that thread I actually went on to listen to Helion Rain and did the 50:50 Bonewhite/white highlight on the Terminators. Drilled out the storm bolters and added Mechrite red to all the bits that needed it. I haven't yet taken pictures, not sure if the level of highlights will even show up, which doesn't sound like progress but I assure you it is.

Anyway, on Friday night the wife had another night shift so I decided to crack on with a number of other things. I'd prepped a new 'man-made hill' and decided you all needed to share in it's inception. This hill is obviously a lot simpler than the previous Vulcan Plateau - a simple square, but the final STC will in fact have extra bits that will allow you to construct your hill in a number of patterns. Sharp eyed amongst you will notice that the cladding pieces on the side don't go as close to the corners as usual. This is so you can add corner bulkheads similar to those used on the 40k Outpost that got bigger. Alternatively you can leave them off.


A third option will involve steps. As it is, these are hills and unless you run the rules that hills are difficult terrain there shouldn't be any reason to sculpt steps onto them, to allow figures to get topside. I don't make them in my foam hills so there's really no need, but with these they sometimes make sense. This particular version will just have one set for reasons that will become clear but equally you could do a set of steps on each side which I think would look quite cool. Of course you could mix and match any of these options for a multitude of hill types but the three options described seems like a nice starting point.


And obviously the modular plug aspect allows you to add in the Vent Tower components. Don't worry I have realised I will have to expand the number of models featuring the modular socket. I have one immediate plan to 'fill that slot'. It's a new addition to my 'to do list' that will remain a secret for the time being but I will be prepping some CD bases with modular sockets so the items can be used on the current man made hills or just as normal terrain.


Here's why I needed the stairs, the Vent Tower just wouldn't have sat right with no immediate access to lead you in to those big old doors. So I've managed to add even more height to the tower which is fun, G.O.D. help anyone with a 12" range, you can shoot anyone assaulting the base, that's it. It's a total real-estate thief but it's looking awesome.


More progress to follow...

Sunday 28 August 2011

To Do List 2011/12


I really should get a list of things to do so I know just the scale of the projects still ongoing, so here goes:
  • AoBR Tactical Squad
  • AoBR Dreadnought
  • AoBR Terminators
  • Scout Squad
  • Ravenwing bike squad
  • Dark Angel Drop Pod
  • Purity Seal all of my son's Tyranids
  • Gloss Varnish all of my son's Tyranids
  • Tyranid Prime
  • Mycetic Spore
  • Paint Vent Tower
  • Paint defence platforms x4
  • Complete pot pourri vegetation
  • Complete future containers
  • Complete 40k Cathedral tower
  • STC Single story ruin
  • STC Hex Defence platforms
  • STC Targus Assault Blockade
  • STC Vent tower
  • STC Athena plateau
  • STC Mercury plateau
  • STC 40k Cathedral tower
  • 60mm Dreadnought crater
Not sure if this includes everything 'on my plate' at the moment but it certainly seems like the bulk of it. Of course I've got a few Rhinos and a Land Raider and any number of marines but these are the target items, although I haven't set a date for any of this to be done by, so don't get your hopes up just yet.

The fact is we are getting a new kitchen in October, which on the plus side may mean we can get a bigger dining table that may support a 6'x4' gaming table but on the down side it'll mean at least two weeks of upheaval which won't allow much chance for hobby stuff. Regardless at least I now have a direction and something I can tick off and you all know what I'll be aiming for and hoping to receive in the form of STCs

Sunday 14 August 2011

Terrain is everything - a solution to an age old problem part 4

Apologies once again about the 'washed out' nature of these pics. I'm trying to find a quick solution to editing my phone pics, instead of using my digital camera then editing in Photoshop and trying to use the Blogger picture uploader, which sucks on IE6 [don't ask, we're saddled with the browser at work]. So far I tried Photoshop Express and Image Shrink Lite but a new App called PicSay allows me to import any image at 640x480 edit the colours quicker than P'shop Express and upload straightaway, so they should be better in future.

Anyhoo, here's the Vulcan Plateau with a bit of colour. Red Oxide Car Primer then I got some silver paint, mixed some black in for home-made Bolt-gun silver and drybrushed the meshed bits. Doing it this way shows a bit of the Red Oxide off underneath, a hint of rust, no less!


Next up is my old Vermilion art acrylic to highlight, then some black poster paint shading washes to try to tone down the glossy finish to the red highlights. Then perhaps a little paler drybrushing to bring out all the edges. Although, if I was in a situation where I needed a lot of terrain painted and ready, like if I was running a gaming club, I'd actually be happy with these as they are. So if you are in that sort of situation I'd heartily recommend stopping at this point.

Friday 12 August 2011

Terrain is everything - Hail the Omnissiah a new STC is found!


The Techno-archaeologist Avro Vulcan has unearthed a new and complete Standard Template Construct. Standard Template Construct (STC) systems were advanced computers created during the Dark Age of Technology, which are said to have contained the sum total of human technological knowledge. An STC system was possessed by every group of human colonists before the Age of Strife, allowing them to build all of the equipment necessary for survival on an untamed colony planet. It enabled the colonists to build efficient shelters, generators and transports without any technical knowledge and using almost any locally available materials. The user simply asked how to build a house or a tractor and the computer supplied all the necessary plans.

Surprisingly STCs have been found for more mundane purposes and Vulcan's discovery falls into this particular realm. although not without historical ramifications for Ferron Proxima. Vulcan has discovered the STC for a 'raised plateau', in effect a man-made hill. On paper this may seem a rather underwhelming find, why would hills need to be made? It has since been revealed that 73.4% [factor a 2.6% differential] of all of the strategic high ground, or hills, on Ferron Proxima originated as an STC. It would seem the planet was unnaturally flat and the first settlers in need of increased visibility set about building higher ground so their settlements could be protected better.

Due to the high ferrous content of the rockcrete base of these mounds, over millenia the sharp and angular cast constructions weathered and rusted leaving the more organic shaped but iconic steep sided flat topped hills that can be found all over Ferron Proxima. Further investigation has shown that the STC's function often went beyond additional height. Storage facilities and underground habitation, amongst other things were built into the structure. This news marks all potential hills an undiscovered relic from before the Age of Strife. Who knows what may rest in a long forgotten mound?

To access the full STC for the first 'Vulcan Plateau' point your cogitators here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B97Rk-BalgZbZDg3MzNkMTktZGVhNS00MTA4LWE4MWEtYmI5MmUwZjgwYjIx/view?resourcekey=0-uaipWLa_ruOk6Frc6mdYWg

To see the collection of current STC's go here:
http://40kaddict.blogspot.com/2011/02/terrain-is-everything-standard-template.html

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Terrain is everything - a solution to an age old problem part 3

Hey folks, here's a little update on my man-made hill. This is mainly fixing on all the details, the mounting card edges, Granny Grating, DoW strategic asset and modular socket. As you can see below the top was sectioned off with some strips of mounting card. I just did 5mm strips and cut them with scissors over the template to get the exact angles for them to butt up neatly.


I decided a DoW strategic asset might be nice. Originally my son had a Spider-Man Comic freebie toy that had these little yellow 'web-shooter' discs that I was going to use but couldn't find them. Obviously they've since resurfaced since this picture and typically they're too big to replace my orange card disc. A Robinson's Fruit Shoot cap will make the structure for the asset. It's not 100% what I want but it'll do.


The granny grating was put at an angle, which is a less efficient use of the material but it looked better. Seeing as I didn't do the angled wire fences the least I could do I make the effort here.


Here's where the modular aspect evolved by adding in a Vent Tower socket I can use the same plugs to create variety with the same hill. Either with just the rooftop:


Or with the rooftop and extension. The socket will be closed off with some sliding doors for when it's not a modular structure. I appreciate there isn't a door in the extension to get to the roof. I thought about putting one in the back, beside the steps but it would too complex at the moment. So let's just suspend our disbelief for a minute, like we have to do with plenty of other aspects of 40k and just get on with it! Folk can get to the roof and that's that.