wargamesculptor
New member
Have learnt watching your threads over the years, that from your failures, feats of greatness are sure to follow. Keep up the great work
Blackadder's Attempt To Build a Lucius Patten Imperator Titan 'Invictus'
- Thread starter Blackadder
- Start date
Blackadder
Active member
Well D-mn me it worked.
and no one is more surprised that I am.
While somewhat crude the shape and size is right and when all the embellishments are added it will be just about right. I am quite happy with the result.
https://i.imgur.com/TmxF3BW.jpg
One thing that will have to be done is lower the bottom edge until it is even with the under deck cove molding.
https://i.imgur.com/2XsMkQA.jpg
Now I just have to make 3 more.
and no one is more surprised that I am.
While somewhat crude the shape and size is right and when all the embellishments are added it will be just about right. I am quite happy with the result.
https://i.imgur.com/TmxF3BW.jpg
One thing that will have to be done is lower the bottom edge until it is even with the under deck cove molding.
https://i.imgur.com/2XsMkQA.jpg
Now I just have to make 3 more.
Blackadder
Active member
Trammel Point Tool
One of these days I have to invest in a trammel point tool and today was today. Sometimes you need to draw an arc such as today where I needed a 8.1 inch radius arc. You can make an impromptu tool with a strip of styrene and two sharp pencils but the tool is so much quicker.
anyway:
https://i.imgur.com/rwNd7eY.jpg
I need two truncated cones of the bottom of my turrets and the mouth wash cups are ideal for a 3D template to manufacture these.
https://i.imgur.com/kyWN68d.jpg
I'm using 0.020 (thousands) inch styrene so its a bit stiff to form into a cone shape so its best to draw the arc segment over the sharp edge of a table applying pressure with your palm to impart a curve to the arc sheet.
https://i.imgur.com/6f1nBOy.jpg
Alternately you can wrap the arced pieces tightly and leave for a while secured wit rubber bands to impart an curve.
One of these days I have to invest in a trammel point tool and today was today. Sometimes you need to draw an arc such as today where I needed a 8.1 inch radius arc. You can make an impromptu tool with a strip of styrene and two sharp pencils but the tool is so much quicker.
anyway:
https://i.imgur.com/rwNd7eY.jpg
I need two truncated cones of the bottom of my turrets and the mouth wash cups are ideal for a 3D template to manufacture these.
https://i.imgur.com/kyWN68d.jpg
I'm using 0.020 (thousands) inch styrene so its a bit stiff to form into a cone shape so its best to draw the arc segment over the sharp edge of a table applying pressure with your palm to impart a curve to the arc sheet.
https://i.imgur.com/6f1nBOy.jpg
Alternately you can wrap the arced pieces tightly and leave for a while secured wit rubber bands to impart an curve.
Blackadder
Active member
Just an interim update of the weekend progress. I've decided to detail the corner turrets to practice the viability of my ambitious project.
https://i.imgur.com/dBjttUB.jpg
I was of two minds in how to finish the turret rooves, layered shingle vs the ubiquitous skulls and eagle and banners or CoD bitz. I opted for a layered plate armour effect you see; why, because it's cheaper, cooler and harder to do and I'm batsh!t crazy.
https://i.imgur.com/dBjttUB.jpg
I was of two minds in how to finish the turret rooves, layered shingle vs the ubiquitous skulls and eagle and banners or CoD bitz. I opted for a layered plate armour effect you see; why, because it's cheaper, cooler and harder to do and I'm batsh!t crazy.
Blackadder
Active member
Oh My God
Machine, I've not much to say about this
https://i.imgur.com/RKeABLR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NgLplqC.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TV9EGqk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xQJa0Jc.jpg
but the square recesses have proven their worth in that I can position the corbels anywhere I like (Within reason...) and the deck looks very promising regarding size and massiveness.
I can't wait to start detailing this sucker.
Machine, I've not much to say about this
https://i.imgur.com/RKeABLR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NgLplqC.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TV9EGqk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xQJa0Jc.jpg
but the square recesses have proven their worth in that I can position the corbels anywhere I like (Within reason...) and the deck looks very promising regarding size and massiveness.
I can't wait to start detailing this sucker.
Blackadder
Active member
Wow, it just dawned on me how massively over-engineered those hips will need to be with a whole cathedral on top of that. But I'm also sure you've got that covered.
Ha! Nary a clue. I'm making this up as I go along.
Blackadder
Active member
A New Way To Do It:
This puts me in mind of a poem from my youth:
There was a young lady from Norway
Who hung by her heels in a doorway
She call to her lover
Come quickly my dear
I think I've discovered one more way.
https://i.imgur.com/q0VYaqg.jpg
These lighting panels will revolutionize build large scale models. Right now I am building the gate house structure bastions of which there will be two with the Gate/Portcullis between.
https://i.imgur.com/WoLboWy.jpg
To think these ready made panels have been available for decades and I've only just discovered them now.
This puts me in mind of a poem from my youth:
There was a young lady from Norway
Who hung by her heels in a doorway
She call to her lover
Come quickly my dear
I think I've discovered one more way.
https://i.imgur.com/q0VYaqg.jpg
These lighting panels will revolutionize build large scale models. Right now I am building the gate house structure bastions of which there will be two with the Gate/Portcullis between.
https://i.imgur.com/WoLboWy.jpg
To think these ready made panels have been available for decades and I've only just discovered them now.
Blackadder
Active member
Garderobe:
It took the better part of a week to build these turrets. I must be slowing down in my dotage.
https://i.imgur.com/2OV212R.jpg
The shingles, try as I might ,still look too crude and the turrets look for all the world like two privy chambers on the corners of the bastion.
https://i.imgur.com/DKHRWFT.jpg
It took the better part of a week to build these turrets. I must be slowing down in my dotage.
https://i.imgur.com/2OV212R.jpg
The shingles, try as I might ,still look too crude and the turrets look for all the world like two privy chambers on the corners of the bastion.
https://i.imgur.com/DKHRWFT.jpg
Meph
Cat-herder Extraordinaire
Hmmm, they do have a 'building' look to them. Perhaps approach them more like armoured turret or casemate. No overlapping roof tiles but armoured plating sitting next to each other. You could also beef up the look by by putting vertical beams along the 'spines'. If that makes any sense.
Blackadder
Active member
Everything about these Imperators has a Gothic building appearance. I'm bowing to convention on this one as I think the Lucius version lacks panache. We already got one you see.
Main Armament Support Arms:
Everything about this model is outsized. I am not use to working with such huge dimensions. My work area is too small. It gobbles up material at a tremendous rate. Tubes of glue are expended at an alarming rate. I remember when Testors glue was a dime a tube. Now it is $2.50 and these laminate panels take a lot of gluing even though I am saving money using the honeycomb material.
https://i.imgur.com/aFn2m35.jpg
The two rounded ends are the main gun mounts. The cross arm is crudely shaped at present until the front skin is applied.
Everything will be laminated to save weight or the model would be incredibly top-heavy. This arm when completed will be about two inches thick (52 MM). so we're talking five layers of these. I'll need to make another plastic run for 0.040 inch (1,0 MM) sheeting.
Each one of the squares is a half an inch (13 MM)so you can get an idea of the dimensions I'm working with.
Main Armament Support Arms:
Everything about this model is outsized. I am not use to working with such huge dimensions. My work area is too small. It gobbles up material at a tremendous rate. Tubes of glue are expended at an alarming rate. I remember when Testors glue was a dime a tube. Now it is $2.50 and these laminate panels take a lot of gluing even though I am saving money using the honeycomb material.
https://i.imgur.com/aFn2m35.jpg
The two rounded ends are the main gun mounts. The cross arm is crudely shaped at present until the front skin is applied.
Everything will be laminated to save weight or the model would be incredibly top-heavy. This arm when completed will be about two inches thick (52 MM). so we're talking five layers of these. I'll need to make another plastic run for 0.040 inch (1,0 MM) sheeting.
Each one of the squares is a half an inch (13 MM)so you can get an idea of the dimensions I'm working with.
Blackadder
Active member
What the Frack??
It's getting harder and harder to post on this forum. Spam indeed!
Main Gun Mount Yoke:
Today I finally finished the rough laminate build of the Gun Mount Yoke. This was a major production, tedious in the extreme and the amount of glue required was staggering. Two full tubes of Testors cement dribbled on each and every spine and cross piece with six sheets of 0.030 inch 0,075 MM styrene between the honeycomb sheets. Everyone in the house was high on the fumes with the exception of me strangely enough.
https://i.imgur.com/ZwfuvZk.jpg
The Layers look rather crude now but I dressed the upper mount edge and plotted my Inner edge line culminating in a freehand yoke arch which seems satisfactory.
https://i.imgur.com/rdtke7M.jpg
Fortunately I have a built in French Curves in my mind's eye so I don't have to resort to using them. One of these days I'll have to learn how to use them. Ha!
https://i.imgur.com/pIAf5ui.jpg
Anyway a half hour or so on the belt sander and the job is done. Not too shoddy if I do say so; I'll have to finish sand by hand but I'm about ready to start detailing the yoke.
https://i.imgur.com/5Jf7Dsh.jpg
It's getting harder and harder to post on this forum. Spam indeed!
Main Gun Mount Yoke:
Today I finally finished the rough laminate build of the Gun Mount Yoke. This was a major production, tedious in the extreme and the amount of glue required was staggering. Two full tubes of Testors cement dribbled on each and every spine and cross piece with six sheets of 0.030 inch 0,075 MM styrene between the honeycomb sheets. Everyone in the house was high on the fumes with the exception of me strangely enough.
https://i.imgur.com/ZwfuvZk.jpg
The Layers look rather crude now but I dressed the upper mount edge and plotted my Inner edge line culminating in a freehand yoke arch which seems satisfactory.
https://i.imgur.com/rdtke7M.jpg
Fortunately I have a built in French Curves in my mind's eye so I don't have to resort to using them. One of these days I'll have to learn how to use them. Ha!
https://i.imgur.com/pIAf5ui.jpg
Anyway a half hour or so on the belt sander and the job is done. Not too shoddy if I do say so; I'll have to finish sand by hand but I'm about ready to start detailing the yoke.
https://i.imgur.com/5Jf7Dsh.jpg
Blackadder
Active member
Weight May Be a Problem:
The component I am building is loosely based on a 'Warren Truss' bridge.
albeit 'enclosed' with the trusses displayed on the exterior for interesting detail. Not being an engineer I don't know the actual nomenclature of the structure. It is 23 inches (59 CM) long between the penciled in guide lines labeled 'Beam' Excluding the roughed in ends.
This component as of right now masses 1.18 pounds (.505 kilo)
https://i.imgur.com/0SegaRS.jpg
Naturally the model does not need such a massive structure but a "real Life" Emperor the span would need to support the Cathedral-like superstructure and the suspended wing arms which I believe would in some configurations be firing projectiles hence a nod must be given to recoil and mass/arm/moment.
Many of the Emperor/ Battle Titans I have seen do not allow for real life weight and look to spindly especially in the legs and gun support mounts. Regardless on how you configure the details you must make your model believable in that the structure has to withstand the stresses of massive steel/ceramic/ adamantine what-have-you structures. Also a bit of grace must be adopted for aesthetics when possible.
The component I am building is loosely based on a 'Warren Truss' bridge.
albeit 'enclosed' with the trusses displayed on the exterior for interesting detail. Not being an engineer I don't know the actual nomenclature of the structure. It is 23 inches (59 CM) long between the penciled in guide lines labeled 'Beam' Excluding the roughed in ends.
This component as of right now masses 1.18 pounds (.505 kilo)
https://i.imgur.com/0SegaRS.jpg
Naturally the model does not need such a massive structure but a "real Life" Emperor the span would need to support the Cathedral-like superstructure and the suspended wing arms which I believe would in some configurations be firing projectiles hence a nod must be given to recoil and mass/arm/moment.
Many of the Emperor/ Battle Titans I have seen do not allow for real life weight and look to spindly especially in the legs and gun support mounts. Regardless on how you configure the details you must make your model believable in that the structure has to withstand the stresses of massive steel/ceramic/ adamantine what-have-you structures. Also a bit of grace must be adopted for aesthetics when possible.
Blackadder
Active member
As I've stated before I try to use industrial quality styrene but sometimes I have to by the hobby stuff which is exorbitantly priced. I have about a hundred packets of Evergreen styrene strips tubes and rods and about 10 packets of Plastruct square tubing. I am what you would call a serious scratchbuilder with an investment of about $500 dollars in these various shaped plastic but that was over the course of eight years which works out to $40 bucks a year. Not very much when you break it down that way. My hobby ' material replenishment' averages at present to be about $15 dollars a month That's quite a bit of pleasure for 0.50 cents a day.
Fortunately I have a lot of bitz from kits where my son and his friends when they were young would buy and build GW kits and needless to say were not quite up to the complexity these kits required. There were a lot of sprues of spare parts left over. Rather than toss them I kept them and occasionally these parts find their way into my constructions. I also kit bash parts from various sources when I find them; on sale, at garage sales and auctions. I've learned the skill of disassembling poorly executed models with virtually no damage to the components and of course there is ebay where absolute crap can be turned into gold for a fraction of it's original cost.
Last edited:
Hairster
New member
This should be their new corporate strapline....
Amazing and fascinating build as always Blackadder.
