Manticore missile system update

I managed to make some progress on the Manticore during last weeks. I finally chose to use the 1:48 Phoenix from the Hasegawa kit to represent the manticore missile.

Now it seem more menacing, although it has an A/A feeling. I will try to fix this during painting stages adding some camo scheme to the missiles, instead of the white color we tend to see on A/A units.

Manticore missile system

Well, I suppose I should update my work on the Malcador, which in fact is progressing steadily. However, as I am currently enjoying some free days, I immediately switched to another project I had in mind (you know how it is, fellow modelers...), during the few spare minutes that the Stalker game is leaving me those days, leaving the Malcador temporally aside.

The Manticore missile system is a very interesting vehicle I wanted to make for a long time. In any case, I wanted to build something different to the canonic FW Manticore (I mean, not using that chimera hull again and again), so I glued a spare set of tracks I had lying around to a Ragnarok hull and started working on the antenna set.

I tried to obtain a russian-flavoured vehicle, sporting a huge antenna array to direct those Manticore rockets to their unaverted targets, so I scratchbuilt a large receiver antenna with some evergreen strips and placed an emitter dome at the front.

Rockets will be added later from the Hasegawa 1:48 weapon set (probably the Phoenix missile system, although I am hesitating to use a lower tech-like candidate from the same kit, like the GBU-24 Paveway III).

I added some pics from the progress so far…

Shot down Malcador

The Malcador is a vehicle which fascinated me from the very moment Forgeworld released it. It’s lines are so WWI that I immediately imagined it on a mud-and-razor-wire trench scenario.

I wanted to scratch build one of them, but this time I though about a little vignette in which I could display the tank pondering though razor wire and concrete defenses.

I finally decided to display it shot down (this is the good thing about scratchbuilding things, you do not need to put any constraint on your model). This Malcador was shot down by enemy fire, ammo exploded making the riveted joints to break away.

I have progressed on the right side so far… More to come.

Modelling Tip : How to fit Chimera and Leman Russ tracks

(versión en Español)

A lot of modelers have the same problem when facing a Chimera or Leman Russ kit: The tracks does not fit. No matter how much you try or how much you read the instructions, those tracks will not fit properly.

Of course, this is a well known problem, but until Games Workshop develops an alternative track sprue we need to find some solution. There are people that simply leave some missing links in the lower part, where they would not be seen, or that leave them in the upper part, covered by track guards.

As a fellow modeler asked me what I did to solve the problem, I did this quick walkthrough.

First of all, I use polystyrene cement. It allows the pieces to be adjusted after being glued. Cyanoacrylate (superglue) sets too fast for that.

I only add six road wheels, preferring to save the rest and glue the tracks to the sides.

I use the handy sanding pads from Rhino for removing sprue marks. This is important if you want the tracks to be glued to the sides.

Let's start with those links.

I start from the upper front of the track set. As I said before, I glue the tracks mainly to the sides. If a link lies on a wheel, I obviously apply glue to it. But I want the track to be parallel to the sides (If you look closely at the pic below, you would see that the end of the long track section is not in contact with the wheel, but parallel to the side).

We continue adding links with the same idea in mind.

Now it's nearly complete, we only need one of those big tracks sections.

Well, we knew it would not fit, isn't it?

And this is the trick, it is most probable that there are a lot of people already doing it, but some other would probably find it useful

Just cut the end of the track section like this:

You will end with a reduced track link.

Sand the end a little to give it a rounded shape.

And that is. A shorter link at the bottom part of your tracks. Once painted, I assure you that even if you flip your model upside down, you'll need to closely inspect the link to notice that something is wrong.

Death Korps of Krieg Trench Digger

(versión en Español)

That was to be my entry at the Lt. Walke's WIP contest. Unfortunately, Real Life issues prevented me to finish on time. Not that this represents a problem for me, as I can now concentrate on the kind of detailing I prefer.

When Lt. Walke asked for support vehicles, I immediately thought on the DKOK and their bias to large maze-like trench systems. I thought that being this the future, and with all those techpriests and engineseers to help, they would have probably developed an autonomous trench-digging engine.

As it was to be set on 40K, it's clear that it would have to had some characteristics like hugeness, "clankyness", armor and firepower (being 40K I imagine that the grim Korps would dig their trenches in the middle of heavy assaults from hordes of xenos, making some last stands on their way and so)(and THIS is exactly what I really like of Warhammer 40000, mates...).

Having said that, I picked a really old and bad industrial scraper kit a bought for 5€ ages ago (I knew I would someday use it, BWAHAHAHA!) and recycled the bucket for my sacred and revered engine of construction.

I used chimera sides for the digging part and resin sides for my Ragnarok-like set. The hulls are scratchbuilt from plasticard, throwing some styrene parts from bargain 1/35 kits I hunted on eBay. As some fellow WIP pointed me, the chimera tracks looked too small and close to the sides of the freshly dug trench, so I added some extra pieces to add a winterketten-like feeling to the rear part.

The most interesting thing is that, incidentally, the front part works really well by itself, so I am planning to make some magnetized add-ons to use it as an independent engineers vehicle.

This is still a WIP, thought, a lot of work remains to be done on the rear part.

Scratchbuilding tip: Barrel Rifling

(versión en Español)

This scratchbuilding tip is intended for those people owning large 40K siege guns (medusa, bombard or even the most extreme example ever: Dora).

If you are real treadheads like me, you would look at your models and feel that something is missing... Yes, those huge barrels of yours are lacking any kind of inner detail. Something very upsetting (if you are like me), but you will see that this can be easily fixed !

I saw this technique on a hobby magazine. The author used it on a sturmtiger, but it can be applied to any large-barreled model.

I am going to add rifling detail to my (still unpainted) bombard.

I first take a thin polystyrene strip.


I cut a curved shape on a thick piece of polystyrene (to use it as a pattern) and paint evenly spaced marks on the thin strip.


I used the pattern to make light grooves with my scriber.

This is the finished piece, although I should have cut the ends following the grooves... Now there is going to be a line where the ends met (next time I'll do it right).

The finished piece once it is glued on place.


There is a nasty line where the ends met... I'll fix it with some putty, although I strongly recommend you to cut the ends folloving the curved grooves shape.

Now, you artillery will shine :)

Finished Forgeworld Centaur

(versión en Español)

I finally completed my Forgeworld Centaur. Just in time for the WIP Lt Walke Challenge. I wanted to enter a scratchbuilt vehicle too (something a bit crazy: a DKOK armoured trench-maker) but real life issues prevented me from finishing it on time. Maybe for the next contest...

The great thing about these contests is that they give you that extra motivation you need to finish your works. Something that I need from time to time.

Those last weeks, I added the crew, dirtied everything a little more and changed the front light for something more realistic.

This is the result. Hope you like it! Now it's time to decide what I do next...

Forgeworld Centaur

(versión en Español)

All my friends know my opinion about Forgeworld... I had always maintained that quality-price relationship was not good enough.. That you could scratchbuild better models on a fraction of the cost, and so on... you know that I mean.

Well, at least it was until they released their Death Korps of Krieg Range. Then I had to admit that the figures were in fact... very interesting... German-like gas-masked troops? count me in... Even worse, Forgeworld continued releasing more Krieg tanks, support weapons, infantry... Real-looking trenches... Wow! Those guys must have been somehow reading our collective-gamer mind.

Then, I finally cracked and bought some DKOK stuff from Forgeworld. It was expensive, but I was not dissapointed when I got it on my hands.

I am going to talk here about the little Centaur gun carrier... It is my first experience with Forgeworld resin range (not my first experience with resin, as you know) and I had learnt some things on the way.

The kit is presented in a bag, with an instructions leaflet wich is very clear. Some pieces had a little warpage. some had casting defects and all of them were covered in that resilient demoulding agent everybody knows about.

Casting quality of the vehicle is not too bad, although not to the moderns standards of some aftermarket brands on 1:35. Compared to other older Forgeworld kits I ordered in the same batch it is clear that they have improved a lot, but you should expect some nasty moulding lines and other defects requiring filling, sanding and sometimes reconstructing rivet detail and so. That might sound bad, but this is in fact something normal in most resin kits on the market.

On the other hand, casting quality of the troopers is simply astounding. Nearly invisible moulding lines, practically no defects or bubbles and an incredible level of detail (I DO know I am going to enjoy painting them).

Those are the pieces presented in the kit:

I did some colour testing before even thinking about cleaning the pieces. I prefer to see the actual coulours in a piece of white paper instead of comparing them on the jars. For this model I am going to use the Vallejo Model Air range. It is like the standard vallejo paint, but already dilluted for airbrush use.

Well, I also did as everyone recommends in the forums around. Wash the pieces in hot water, using soap and a toothbrush. I really tried to remove the demoulding agent, but you'll see later that this stuff is really horrible! Next time I'll test some lacquer thinner... let's see who is the winner (I hope not to melt the resin with it, this is why I call it a test).

As you see, there are some imperfections that I am going to remove with those burrs and my trusty Dremel tool.

I had to practically redo this slot, something easy with a Dremel in hand.

This is the nasty moulding line I talked before. I simply flattened the area with a diamond coated file and reconstructed missing details with plasticard rivets.

The model is already primed and basecoated. I used Vallejo's primer and then a mix of Model Air paint and X22 Tamiya Clear varnish. Adding gloss varnish to the base coat gives it further adherance and strength. It also gives it a satin finish wich is useful when weathering the model.

I masked it with Tamiya's Masking Tape and gave it the next colour coat.

Like this.

I masked it again, giving it the third coulour coat.

I removed the masking tape to show the camo pattern (did I mentioned I did not like it at all?). You can also see that the demoulding agent is still there (look to the right part of the model). I really don't know what kind of demoulder Forgeworld is using, maybe something from the Chaos Lords. But I can assure you that it is really a pain to work with it.

In any case, I solve it doing a mix of the missing colour, X22 and applying it by brush.

Anyway, I do not like my coulour choice, even after adding some filters.

Time to start again. I always say that it's better to start again than trying to correct a mistake. I mask the model again.

And use different coulours this time.

Now, that is different.

Third coulour is a) too similar to the one I used on the habitacle and b) I used too much varnish (can you see the seams?).

No problem at all, I am going to weather heavily this little fella. So I'll use those seams to my advantage.

Of course, what we get now is a boring, monochrome, and uninteresting model. Weathering is supposed to tell us a story. I want to give the viewer the impression that this Centaur is operating in the harsh conditions of trench war scenario. There is plenty of mud, and the crew had not the time to properly clean it after a while. There is going to be a mix of new, fresh mud over dry mud layers. Some rust and many scratches are going to be present too.

I used the same techniques I shown you in the Painting and Weathering Tutorial. It is still WIP, as I have to work to do in the mud (doing mud properly can take you longer than the model itself, mud is a world in its own) but you can see how the Centaur is going to look.

Next time I'll finish the vehicle and start working on the crew.