Kaiju Country

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Excidium Rex Walks and House Raven Rolls out!

Warhound Titan Excidium Rex

I started working on this Warhound over a year ago and managed to get him 'table ready' for the 2019 UK TOC Walk, but felt a little ashamed that I had to rock up with an unfinished model in play. Well, I have now eliminated that shame waith a hail of bullets and plasma, for Excidium Rex is finally complete!

Bracing itself with one enormous foot on a defence wall, Excidium Rex scans the battlefield for prey...

To set him apart from his pack-mate Fulgur Manus, I stripped his carapace of detail then sectioned off an area on each side where I could add some nice unique designs like this chequerboard pattern with kill markings

On this side a large Aquila and the unique registration number of this engine

The main carapace proudly displays the old-school Legio Metalica emblem as well as a House Raven crest honouring the Legio's closest ally

As with my other two titans, I applied a large amount of weathering to the armour plating. As I hand paint everything, this took some time!

A close up of the Vulcan Mega Bolter where you can see the symbols I applied on the top edge to add some variation

I was very pleased with the heat staining on the barrel of the Plasma Blastgun

I added some white and red symbols to this large black plate to make it stand out against the extremely bright glowing green plasma cells

I like that he looks quite menacing, peering over the wall!

I added some stripes to the crotch plate, but kept the familiar colour scheme. The black cogs running down the centre stripe give just enough detail without overwhelming it

I deliberately reversed the shin pad colours on Excidium Rex so that he and Fulgur Manus are like the Yin and Yang of Warhounds - unique, but still clearly linked

I used some of the new Legio Metalica symbols which were recently released for Adeptus Titanicus on Excidium Rex's head. Although they're for smaller scale models, I think they work well on his smaller plates!

Again, a new symbol can be seen on this side of his face plating

One of my favourite features of this titan are the Vulcan Mega Bolter shell casings scattered all over the floor at his feet. Each shell was hand made with styrene sheet and tubing. I actually measured the barrel and ejection port to make sure they were perfectly in scale!

A lot of people don't base their titans, but I do as I like to add to the story of the finished piece - the heavy bases also mean that they're impossible to knock over!

And here is the completed Warhound pack in all it's titanic glory!

The only problem with such huge bases is the fact that you need an enormous box for transportation and storage!

As a treat for a good little puppy, I added one of the new transfers to Fulgur Manus' head plate as well

Metalica and Raven Walk as one

House Raven Dice Tower - Ready to Roll!

Most gamers know the sinking feeling which accompanies the sight of a handful of dice disappearing over the edge of a table. I've used many different dice trays in the past, but have always wanted a proper dice tower.

Well, thanks to the additional spare time I've had over Easter (and being stuck in the house because of lockdown), I finally got round to making one of my very own!

I modelled it on the Keep Inviolate symbol from my Knight Raven Household - Unfortunately I didn't document the build process, but I'll give you a brief summary.

I sketched out the design and made some rough measurements for the parts I'd need. I marked these out on some 4mm thick Foamex board then cut out the components with a knife and steel ruler.

Foamex is really easy to cut at an angle and can also be sanded to make sure that all of the joins fit flush. It may look like a straightforward shape, but this tower tapers and has a lot of awkward angles. I cut the angles by eye after a bit of test fitting. Foamex is quite forgiving and is easily filled, so mistakes are not as much of an issue as with some other materials such as styrene.

The other main reason I have started using foamex is that it can be quickly assembled with superglue. Most lightweight materials such as extruded foam melt, but foamex actually soaks up the glue and dries almost immediately without melting or deforming!

No more scrabbling on the floor for me!

I added transparent windows to the front in order to mimic the Keep Inviolate's iconic design

The studs around the tower were plastic half pearl craft stickers which were glued in place

The rear of the tower - the 'detail' on the back was made with offcuts and actually caps off the styrene tubing which runs through the tower

I kept the tower sides fairly simple, but added House Raven iconography to the tray walls

The styrene bars, walls and slopes inside the tower were painted to look like weathered steel

I stencilled the House Raven lightning symbol into the tray bottom. The concrete texture was added by pressing a ball of aluminium foil into the Foamex

ROLL OUT!

On the horizon...

In a previous post, I showed my TOC Walk progress list - here's how it looks now...

Venator Light Titan Maniple:

Reaver Titan - 100% complete

Warhound Titan - 100% complete

Acastus Knight banner:

Asterius - 100% complete

Porphyrion - 100% complete

Cerastus Knight Banner:

Lancer - 100% complete

Lancer - 0% complete (Optional)

Acheron - 0% complete (Optional)

Questoris Knight Banner:

Knight Errant - 100% complete

Knight Preceptor - 75% complete

Knight Paladin - 50% complete

Knight Gallant - 50% complete

Knight Crusader - 50% complete

Knight Warden - 50% complete

WIP House Raven Knight Preceptor

Monday 6 April 2020

Acastus Knight Porphyrion 'Siegebreaker'

Siegebreaker Walks!

House Raven Knight designation: Siegebreaker. Engage locomotors..

I completed my House Raven Acastus Knight Porphyrion 'Siegebreaker' at the weekend and I'm really happy with how he turned out. It was a nice kit to work on although I did have to replace some of the elements which I wasn't too keen on (see my previous post for more detail).

I tried to keep Siegebreaker close to the original House Raven Questoris colour scheme as I have a real soft spot for the yellow chevrons and red armour plating. As House Raven famously work closely with my Titan Legion Metalica, I've tried to make sure that they complement each other. The large metal skull on the rim of the carapace is a nod towards Metalica's Iron skull symbol.

From the side, you can see the kill markings on the black / red armour plating typical of House Raven Knights

Another common feature of House Raven and the Mechanicum in general is the black and white helmet, which also helps tie in with the Legio Metalica colour scheme as well

You can see in the re-levelled gun barrels from the side. I much prefer this to the staggered layout. I went all in on the heat staining as well - I normally keep it more subtle, but the length of the barrels just demanded more!

The reactor housing on the Knight is just visible through the additional rear plating. There's a reason these machines are incredibly hard to bring down...

In this image, you can better see the protruding head and reworked carapace railings. I like that the head is smaller and less integrated than the original version. It makes him look even stockier

Proudly displaying the House Raven colours!

The maker's stamp is just visible between the hatch hinges

A top view of the carapace which took longer than any other surface to paint because of the chevron pattern. I started seeing black and yellow stripes in my sleep...

A nice view of the rocket hatch open.

You get a better idea of how much larger and bulkier an Acastus chassis is when stood next to a Questoris Knight!

And finally, a picture of Siegebreaker and Quake Hydra together as I don't think I've ever seen the two kits compared before. The two Acastus variants look very different - the Asterius is wider with a more rounded silhouette whereas the Porphyrion is blockier and more static like a siege engine

I'm glad to have finished another kit on my list - next on the table is Excidium Rex, my second Warhound Titan who just needs finishing touches. After that... more House Raven Knights!

Tuesday 31 March 2020

From Beyond The Stars....

...A Hunger That Never Dies

Today I took the time to take some decent pictures of my painted Bio-titans. I actually have two more Hierodules (one scratch-built), but I've not painted them yet. I will get them finished one day!

I plan to photograph some of my other Tyranids when I get some time as I do like my gribblies!

For now, enjoy some giant biological killing machines!

Flesh Stripper

This Hierodule was not only my first bio-titan, but my first titan class miniature - purchased over a decade ago! Nowadays, Flesh Stripper is the equivalent of a Knight, but he's still quite a monster!

The only conversion work on this model was the replacement of his scything talons as they were sculpted alongside an older range of Tyranids which didn't have the same segmented armour plates on the back of the talons.

I can't remember exactly which kit the talons came from, but I think they were from a Hive Tyrant or Carnifex. Regardless, the swap was pretty easy and brings him nicely in line with the rest of the range!

For a chunky and imposing model, the Hierodule still looks ready to leap forward in a flash

The acid spray is beautifully integrated into the carapace

You can see the replaced talons better from the side - they fit very nicely

The extended tail for balance is unique to the Hierodule and I really like it

I really love the inside of the mouth - there's a sort of second jaw lurking in there!

Insidious

Insidious is a Hierophant bio-titan and he's both the largest and single most impressive Tyranid miniature in my collection with a base size of 12"!

This is an incredible sculpt by the masterful Simon Egan - there is so much detail in this miniature, it's staggering. The 'guts' at the back of the rib-cage are especially lovely!

My only criticism of the model is the fact that the forearm claws are very thin and have a tendency to warp and break. Having said that, I'm not sure how you could get around that issue without changing the spidery aesthetic. I solved the issue by running a channel into each of the claws, inserting metal pins then sculpting back over it with putty.

I wouldn't recommend this kit for a beginner as it is pretty difficult to assemble, needing pinning and the addition of a ton of tiny spikes, but boy does it look impressive when it's finished!

This model is an absolute beast - every part of it looks deadly!

I like to imagine that he hisses, chitters and cracks as he stalks across the ground...

From the side, you can see the beautiful high curve in the body which clearly also informed the Tyrannofex miniature which came a number of years later

Even the rear of this creature is bladed and spiked - just getting close to it would be suicide!

I absolutely love the external tendons; ready to snap and crack, giving unnatural bursts of speed to this giant creature

The head and mouth are the epitome of a Tyranid bio-form - brutal, deadly and elegant

The internal mandibles on the mouth are awesome - I also love the little nodules on the huge face blades. It's small details like this that really add a special depth to the model

The enormous bio-cannons held by this creature are reminiscent of the venom cannons carried by their smaller kin

The base of this miniature was so huge that I could really go to town with different textures and details such as the logs

The spore nodules on the carapace are a nice reminder of the viral death clouds these giant creatures can pump out

As noted earlier, you can see some lovely 'internal' details around the belly area. Likely the only weak spot on the creature...

Wednesday 25 March 2020

What's that coming over the hill? A Porphyrion.

Stupid Virus...

I decided that I would take a break from working on The Court of the Fisher King. With the current lockdown in the UK due to the Corona Virus outbreak, my planned Warhammer World exhibition has been postponed reducing the the urgency to complete the Court.

The other big driving force for me was the Titan Owner's Club Walk 2020 in June which has also sadly been postponed for the same reason. I have decided that this is an opportunity rather than a curse in a bid to stay positive in these trying times! As the Walk has been pushed back, I now have more time to add to my force before it's rescheduled - yay!

House Raven Bolstered

Even naked, he looks like a bruiser...

First up on the table is a Porphyrion. I had reservations about this guy for some time as I wasn't a fan of the original gorget nor the staggered gun barrels on the arms. I know other people love this model as it is, but I felt I had to alter them to fit my particular sensibilities!

Having worked on and fallen in love with the Asterius kit (which as an Acastus knight, shares many of the components with its forerunner the Porphyrion), I decided that simply ignoring a great model because of a few niggles was silly.

When I start a project like this one, I first sit down with the components and decide whether there's anything I have to replace or alter prior to starting the build. In this case, I was lucky that the head and gorget could be left off as they aren't integrated into the chest.

I quite liked the look of the huge body with a regular Questoris knight head as it makes him look extremely bulky - a bit like the incredible hulk of knights! In order to fill the larger neck cavity, I also used the Questoris knight armour cowl - this also gave the head a legitimate pivot point.

Adding the new head did leave a large gap where the gorget used to be, but that was easily filled with putty to create a new armour section under the chin.

I assembled the rest of the hull and legs normally with the exception of the railings on the carapace. I found that they were very thin and prone to both warping and snapping. In order to avoid this, I simply built new rails from styrene dowel and tubing which allowed me to make the bars a little chunkier and less likely to snap off.

I left the missile launcher compartment separate as I wanted to be able to open and close it on the final miniature. I assembled the launcher with the pneumatic struts in a position where they could hold it open while still popping back inside when I wanted the carapace closed.

I sprayed all of the components silver and started painting the armour plating for the legs. I went for a really nice clean look as it was a nice contrast to my filthy Asterius!

I decided to paint most of his armour plating separately prior to the final assembly

I am keeping the scheme as close to the traditional House Raven colours as possible

I'm currently working on a block to even the magna lascannon barrel length. In my opinion, this will look much more satisfying than the original staggered layout. I guess we'll have to see once it's finished!

In other news, I am also looking to finish 5 other Questoris class House Raven knights in advance of the walk. If I get time, I may also add in a couple more Cerastus knights to bolster my forces, but I need to finish the paint work on Excidium Rex (my second Warhound) as I can't take him to the walk only partially finished again - I'd be disgraced!!

So, my 2020 Walk progress looks like this so far: