WiP Oldhammer Orcs and Gobbos

 Starting to think about painting again and began by tackling some projects that are lingering around the desk. I dislike having unboxed, unpainted, minis hanging about unless I'm working on them so when I came across an old Battle for Skull Pass box... stuffed with some extra bits I thought it would be a good way to knock some rust of the painting skills and clear some open box minis.

In previous, pre COVID-19 posts I knocked out the Night Goblins and Dwarves from the set... sans a Baggage train that is still sitting on the desk...

 Today I went to work on the Forest Goblin Spider Riders from the set and delved into the odds and ends that had hitched a ride in the box.

Like the rest of this project these are, in part, an experiment with painting directly on the plastic.  So far there has been no problems with adhesion but how durable this approach is remains to be seen.

The spider bases were dry-brushed Stormy Gray (Reaper (R)), dry-brushed White (Apple Barrel craft paint (CP) washed with Sewer Water (Secret Weapon (SW)), Stumps are Sunny Flesh (Vallejo (VP)) with a wash of Seraphim Sepia (Citadel (GW)) Stones are Sky Gray (R) and sky gray lightened with White (CP) tiny spiders are Marigold Yellow (R) Brushed with Sunny Flesh (VP).

The spiders were intimidating to look at but turned out to be fun and easy.

The whole model was dry-brushed White (CP) then the Yellow areas were washed with Yellow Snow (SW), the Eyes painted Hexwraith Green (GW), and the legs/carapace washed with Armor Wash (SW). These were painted on the sprue and the clip joins touched up with Sky gray (RP).

This is a fast Tabletop finish that did not involve much cleaning of mold lines etc.  The casts are relatively clean with almost zero flash.

 For odds and ends there was an Orc Chariot and an Orc Command Group.

The chariot was tricksey to build and seems to have a lot of optional extra bits... added to the bits box of course... For the Command Group one extra set of legs and a boar were in the box and would have permitted a single model to be mounted... I opted to save the bits for later and went with a foot command of Champion, Standard Bearer, and Musician.

Skin was US Army reflective green (Panzer Colors line of Vallejo) and a Thrakka Green (GW) wash, Strong Tone (Army Painter (AP)).  Blood Red (GW) eyes and Standard Horn... this Horn will be revisited for shading before being wrapped up...

Rusty metals are Brown Rust (SW), Strong Tone (AP) and a drybrush of Silver (VP) thinned with Armor Wash (SW).

Hair effects are Rust Brown (SW) Heavy dry-brush of White (CP) wash with Just Red (SW).

Blue Orc Banner... Monster Brown (AP), dry-brush White CP, Wash with Blue (SW) light dry-brush with Sunny Flesh (R).

Exposed wood of the Chariot using Monster Brown (AP) wash with Dark Sepia (SW) dry-brush Sunny Flesh (VP)

Still on the desk: Part 3 of Hab 3, Joan of Arc angels and wagons, Raging Heroes Executrix unit. That should make enough space to set about a revamp of the work space and better organizing the pile of stuff waiting its turn.

Forward Base Habitat 3 construction process part 2

 One of the common issues with MDF buildings is that they look like MDF buildings.  Part of this is the way they interlock with visible joins but another way is that the overlap surfaces tend to be ignored in terms of details.

Antenocitis Workshop addresses the second issue by including a detail card for the end-caps.  This glues in place and ensures that the nooks and crannies have detailing that is thematically similar to the rest of the model. 

 These thin cards are easily attached with tacky glue or Super-Phatic (very thin, strong, PVA).  I clamp them in place for a few minutes to ensure a strong bond.

 Here is a "before" shot showing the plain end-caps.  Since the MDF is pre-painted it actually looks fine as it is... but its gonna be so much better after!

 To the right the end-caps have been installed and the detailing is very nice.  You will notice a difference in color between the edges of the end-caps and the base MDF.  This is easily sorted later with a quick touch-up pass using Nut Brown (Reaper) paint.











Clamping up the rest of the assembled shell.

 The remaining bits.  The two topmost thin strips that we were careful not to glue into place during the build, the roof/lid, and the end-caps for them.  Its best to wait to install the end-caps for these parts until after the resin goes in.  For the most part they work if the ends are aligned but small differences in the shell construction can be adjusted for in the final fit of these.

 Moving on to the remaining resin. Some of the resin was installed earlier in "part 1". To the left is what remains. (There is one extra locker shown as I was touching up a part from a previous Hab 3).

The large bunk wall usually requires a hot water bath to adjust for warping.  This is likely due to the big hole in it for the bunk assembly.  Its easy to straighten and when the bunk is attached to the wall it reinforces the shape nicely.

 At this point all the remaining resin gets pre-fitted, sanded as required to adjust the fit and then painted.  These are often a very tight fit that should be adjusted via sanding the edges of the resin bits until they fit snugly but don't require force to get into position. Keep in mind that the height of the resin will also likely need to be adjusted to be level with the top of the MDF.  I failed to notice that during this build and the top retaining strips were very tricky to get installed.

 The pre-fit of these parts is critical and should not be skipped.

 The painted walls can now be slid into place.  I align them using the printed floor graphics.

   Antenocitis Workshop really excels at minute details and photographic elements like video screens etc.  All the graphic elements here are from them except the tabletop which is repurposed from some hobby packaging.

Once the interior resin is in place the Topmost strips are finally glued into position and  the remaining end-caps can be installed.

Test fit the roof/lid for alignment mark with pencil and glue in the lid end-caps.  There can be some variation so be careful to get the alignment right before gluing these in place. Carefully trim the overhang, if any, with a sharp hobby knife.

Now its touch up time.  Go round the whole model with Nut Brown and toch up the spots where the MDF shows bare... like where it was previously attached to the frame etc... 

 A "in progress" view to the right.  you can clearly see the difference between the touched up end caps and those not touched up.

All that remains for "part 3" are the exterior acrylic lights... which are a tiny bit tricksey..., the interior/exterior scatter, and the lower "feet"  which are unique to Hab 3 and help it interlock when stacking with other buildings in the series (specifically Habitat 1 or Habitat 4) and should not be installed until their companion buildings top lugs have been installed to make sure they line up properly. 

Part 3 will be a bit coming as I'll want to finish this after building Habitat 1 or 4...

Cheers

Forward Base Habitat 3 construction process part 1

 This is the second Habitat 3 I've built from the Forward Base Kickstarter the new retail versions of which are available from Antenocitis Workshop. The new versions have some differences mainly in the replacement of the resin elements with MDF and acrylic parts.  One of the advantages of the newer design is that the door are operational while here, in this first generation model, they are not.  I like to think of these doors and windows as variably permeable adaptive solid holograms but the new doors are quite nice with a more traditional air-lock feel.

 Building on my previous experience with this kit I first looked at what accessories were available.  The build instructions assume the basic model without upgrades or add-ons. They do mention a critical area to leave unglued if installing the interior later or if it needs to be removed for painting.

The first step was to identify what acrylic accessories I had available and where they needed to be installed.

 Installation follows a familiar pattern: Cut out the location with a strong hobby blade. Remove the protective plastic film and pre-fit the acrylic part making any adjustments necessary to get the piece to fit snugly but not require the part to be forced into position. Usually these are slightly over-sized to the opening so some filing to actual size is needed.  Filing MDF is tricky so I tend to file the acrylic along the length of the edges.

 Before the final installation I paint the detail areas like door outlines, lettering, caution markings, and window rings then attach the acrylic using tiny amounts of Tacky Glue. With all these MDF projects use as little glue as possible and avoid getting it on the acrylic surfaces.  Tacky Glue works well because if a little glue makes it onto the acrylic it can usually be quickly removed without damaging the finish. NEVER use super glue for this as it will cloud the acrylic finish even if it doesn't directly touch it.

 After getting all the acrylic installed I add on some of the resin parts, like vents and power connectors, that require a hole be made in the MDF to avoid having to punch a hole in the assembled walls. I also paint these before gluing them on.  I use super glue for these resin attachments and would note that the superglue sets VERY rapidly between resin and this MDF so its important to get the placement perfect on contact.

Its time to start building the shell.

These models are pre-colored and I will have already painted the details on them. I leave the weathering until the end but doing it now would also work out.

For MDF to MDF joins I use Super Phatic glue which sets quickly and gives a strong bond with very small amounts of glue.

Starting at the top build the bay window.  The sides of the bay have a small "T" printed on the top most tab to indicate which should be on top.

As always dry fit all parts before gluing. The accuracy is generally very good but occasionally there with be a peg that doesn't gracefully fit and requires a little adjustment with a file or hobby knife.

Side walls next aligning with the floor detail.

Rear wall connecting the two side walls then the two front panels.  These are a little fidgety to get square and benefit from clamps on the inside walls and rubber bands on the outside walls as shown in the photo with the clamps... note the hard to see rubber bands on the outside edges.

Pre-fit the topmost long strips... DO NOT GLUE... you want these to fit right and to help hold the shape of the shell but will need to remove them to install the interior resin walls.  The bump out goes on the side of the bay window.  check the fit of the central roof panel to make sure its in the right place.

Next the top angled parts with the printed solar cell pattern can be glued into place.  They don't interfere with resin placement and will help establish the shape of the shell.

Next Flip the model and install the lower panels. These get glued in.

Thats all for this part!

Next time I'll put in the resin interior, build the add-ons, and do the exterior finishing.

Cheers