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Morty’s Scratchbuild Project Log - Photos

For members to post long running threads about projects they are working on

Morty’s Scratchbuild Project Log - Photos

Postby mortiferum » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:18 am

Thought it might be fun to chart my scratchbuild projects.

2007
Necron Monolith

2008
SM Rhino
Warhound Titan

2009
Leman Russ (3 models)
Thunderbolt
Chimera / Hellhound

2010
Valkyrie
Thunderbolt (MK2)
Manticore / Hydra


October 2007
My first ever attempt at a scratchbuild and for better or worse I decided on building a Monolith! 8O

Being a complete Noob with no experience what so ever with regards to scratchbuilds I pick a project model that looked cool and disregarded the complexity of the task ahead of me.

Having decided the model my next decision was to determine the materials I would use. I picked cardboard (cereal box type thickness) for the main structural work (with hindsight whilst readily available and cheap (free) this wasn’t a good choice) :x

The main body / hull was easy enough – but then I got to the ‘side strut pylons’ and the ‘crystal cowling and housing’ – all those curves were a killer to not only cut but to glue with any precision was a real pain. :x

Nevertheless, I was too far in to give up now and I vowed to finish the build to a point were it was at the very least fully assembled.

I did manage to complete the build and in fact went on to greenstuff the joints and undercoat the model – unfortunately this is as far as I’ve gotten with the Monolith, its currently been relegated (but not forgotten) to the garage. :oops:

I’m hopeful that I will eventually paint this up!

Here’s a few photos…

Image

Image

Image

More scratch builds to come!
Last edited by mortiferum on Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:42 am, edited 7 times in total.
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Postby KInG » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:56 am

that looks kool, especially as it was ur 1st attempt Mort.

You said the cerial type cardboard was a bad choice and explained a little why... what would you use if you did again though and why?
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Postby LordMalekTheRedKnight » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:08 am

Looks good Morty - looking forward to seeing more :D

@ King: card can warp, crease, and the edges can fray. personally i would use plasticard, but im still a novice when it comes to this sort of thing...

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Postby mortiferum » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:27 pm

LordMalekTheRedKnight wrote:@ King: card can warp, crease, and the edges can fray.
~ Tim


^ What he said :D

If I did it again - I'd definately use Plasticard sheets 0.5mm (0.02inch) for main structure body and hull work and Plasticard 0.25mm (0.01inch) as a back up for the curved sections if required.

Pros of Plasticard
1. Its a much more sturdy material leading to a better more solid build
2. Easier to cut than cardboard in my opinion since you only need to score it and then simply bend the plasticard along the scored edge (with cardboard you need to cut all the way through).
3. Glues together easier and more accurately, especially around curved sections.
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Postby killmaimburn » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:35 pm

LordMalekTheRedKnight wrote:@ King: card can warp, crease, and the edges can fray. personally i would use plasticard, but im still a novice when it comes to this sort of thing...
you can glaze card though to toughen it up (e.g. a smear of a gluetype substance on the corners etc.
I might use plasticard for the load bearing bits e.g. the base square. but the point of paper models is their disposable nature..I have 2 paper droppods still in one piece a year or 2 on. Both will die if sat on. And plasticard is more of a fiddle to cut and print (*cough*) templates onto than card. :D
Great work Mort
Last edited by killmaimburn on Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby mattjgilbert » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:49 pm

That looks really good :) I think 0.5mm plasticard might still be a little flimsy though.
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Postby estarriol » Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:50 pm

Very nice work, especially for a first attempt. Congratulations.

Personally for a new attempt I would try artboard, a sheet of it is cheap, it cuts well and is very solid.

Plasticard is good stuff, but is a lot more unforgiving than card.

Hmmm though, monolith, hmmmmm, do I need a Necron force... Hmmmmm.

No I need to build Valks for my IG first!
Last edited by estarriol on Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby mortiferum » Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:54 pm

killmaimburn wrote: ...And plasticard is more of a fiddle to cut and print (*cough*) templates onto than card. :D ...


I agree with the printing comment (but cutting I found easier than card) but I found a fantastic solution - Avery Labels

Print the templates onto the sticky labels, then peel the labels and stick directly onto the plasticard. Works a treat! :D

I've considered artist board (also known as foam card / board, correct?) It might be suitable for the structural shape but I don't personally like the "sandwiched foam between 2 sheets of card" look on all the edges. the thickness of foam board /card can also screw up all the dimensions when you assemble them into a 3D shape, leaving you with a 'wonky' build - fine for an Orky build perhaps but no-one else in my opinion.

Thanks for all the kind comments.
Last edited by mortiferum on Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby estarriol » Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:59 pm

Ahh no, artboard is 2mm thick card, used by picture framers etc, its much more solid than the thin crad so good for frame and strength etc.
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Postby mortiferum » Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:22 pm

August 2008

Thats right! No scratchbuilds for an entire 10 months.

I had a few sheets of plasticard lying around and bored one evening decided to put the cards to good use and revisited scratchbuilds.

Having learnt a few "dos and donts" with my the Monolith and limited to the plasticard sheets I had available at the time I attempt something a little smaller, simpler and hopefully quicker to build.

Here's the first few photo's I took - by this time I was hooked and amazed at the difference the plasticard made - no frayed edges, nice accurate precise assembly, no messing about with cutting out "flaps" to glue the parts together. It was really smooth going.

Image

Image

Image

more to follow...
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Postby estarriol » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:11 pm

And for my next trick, forget using labels and sticking that onto the placticard, print onto normal paper, as thin as you can get, and use a low tack spraymount to stick it to the plasticard, better as the low tack leaves no residue and is cheaper in the medium and long term.
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Postby KInG » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:15 pm

omg these are class, why bother buying g|W models i say ;)
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Postby mortiferum » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:26 pm

Oops - old habits die hard - I've noticed that the side hatches, top hatch and front circular 'turret thingies' were actually cut out of 'shiny' cardboard - first time using the plasticard in this capacity and I was still a little uneasy with how the plasticard would respond to the small detailed cuts and I wasn't sure if I could pull off a precise circular cut for the 'turret thingies' .

Again - retrospectively, whilst the hatches and doors etc. are well cut I now believe that the plasticard would again have been a better choice!

and a few more piccies...

after adding the 'vents' to the side and the 'headlights' to the front

Image

Image

That was the easy stuff done - I still had the tracks to go and was a little concerned with all the small circular wheels and how I was going to do this section :!:

more to follow...
Last edited by mortiferum on Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby KInG » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:34 pm

lol that's better than GW's Rhino :D
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Postby estarriol » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:54 pm

For circular cuts, go to a good art shop and they should have a circle cutter, it like a compass but with a blade instead of the pencil, very handy device...
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