One thing you don’t see a lot of in 40K is fliers. Skimmers, yeah, but real flyers get left on the sidelines a lot. Even in Apocalypse, which has pretty solid rules for them. So when I started getting into Paperhammer and sifting through different templates, they were always something that always caught my eye.
As I tend to lead towards the more ruinous powers, it wasn’t long before I found myself looking at a simple template for the Chaos Hellblade. The Alpha Legion can always use a new direction to attack from, after all. Alas, there’s no name or email address listed on it anywhere, but if you know who built it please speak up so I can give credit where credit is due.
It’s a deceptively easy-looking template because there’s just a few big parts to it. I tried once, set it down, and only recently came back to it. And now I think I’ve got it figured, along with a few very simple improvements.
Helpful Hint-- To build this the way I did, you need to print out two copies of the template for each Hell Talon you want to build. You’re not going to use all of the second set, but you’re going to use enough of it that it’s simpler just to have two copies.
There are five main parts to this template. They’re marked upper and lower fuselage, the two inner wings, and the cockpit. There’s a few more detail bits, but these are the big five.
Put the templates on cardstock. Cut the top and bottom fuselage from one, plus all four spacers (from both sets). The first thing you want to do is glue the inner wings together so you end up with a single set that’s double-thick. This is where the wings as a whole get most of their heft, so by doubling this up they’ll be almost 3mm thick when the model’s done. I double-checked that they were lined up right, wrapped them in wax paper, and set them under a hardcover copy of Under The Dome to make sure they stayed flat.
Helpful Hint-- If I make another Hellblade (and there’s a good chance I will) I think I may make one set of inner wings from foamcore just to see how that looks. The wings are just a hair too thin on this for my liking, but that’s a matter of individual taste. It may just be a matter of finding some slightly heavier card to work with.
While the inner wings were drying I went to work on scoring the two sections of the fuselage. I admit, this model threw me for the longest time and these sections were why. In theory, this model has an open “maw” under the cockpit, which is the weapons bay and the intake for the engine. What I couldn’t figure out was how the maw stayed open without just collapsing flat. The model doesn’t have any interior supports, struts, or similar structures. Needless to say, it works. Really. So if you start feeling a little confused during construction, just remember you’re not alone and be assured it all works out in the end...
This Is Important-- The usual “terminology” in Paperhammer is that solid lines are scored, dotted lines are scored on the opposite side of the template. On the top and bottom fuselage sections, the outermost set of lines should be dotted. If you score these pieces all on the same side the model won’t go together right. It isn’t too hard to line them up if you just take your time. The two long lines on the cockpit should be dotted as well, so make sure they’re scored on the opposite side, too.
So, now with everything dried and scored, I glued one set of inner wings to the lower fuselage. Take a few moments and make sure everything lines up right. If you’ve got clothespins, this is a great time to clip one on at one end and manipulate the rest into place. Then add on half a dozen and make sure each little point and seam is sealed tight. I let this sit for about five minutes like this, then glued the other inner wing to the other side. Then I double checked the position on each one, wrapped the whole assembly in wax paper, and stuck it Under The Dome again.
A while later I pulled it out and glued this assembly to the upper fuselage. Do one side at a time and clamp it in place. Unless you’ve got a lot of clamps or clothespins, you need to let the first side dry a bit before you start to work on the next one. If the scores or folds aren’t good, there may be a bit of resistance as you tweak pieces into the right position. Once you’ve got it all in place, leave it for an hour or so. You want the glue to be very dry on this. After half an hour or so, you can probably stick the wings under a book to keep them straight and flat.
This Is Important-- If you’ve put all your scores in the right place (and on the right sides), the model will not lay flat at this point in the assembly. If you stick the whole thing under a book you’re going to crush the main part of the fuselage. Press only the wings. Use clothespins on the rest until you’re sure they’re mostly dry and then take them off so their extra weight doesn’t bend the model at the table edge.
Once this is dry, it’s time to attach the cockpit. The two inside tabs are going to go up on the edges of the tail section. If the score lines are right, the long lines should match the edge of the wings so the outside tabs rest flat on the tops of the wings. This also needs to be glued tight, so feel free to use a lot of clamps and clothespins.
Now I put in a little addition of my own. A flat toothpick, cut 7/8” long. I wedged it between the center fold of the cockpit and the center fold of the lower fuselage. A little glue makes it permanent. Double check the length on your own model before gluing and make sure it looks right. No two paperhammer models are exactly the same because these are actual models, not CAD constructs. A sixteenth of an inch here or there will add up.
The toothpick makes the fuselage pretty solid, but I took one more step (which will also serve another purpose). I knew how wide the interior space was, so I cut a piece of card to be about 1/4” shorter than that measurement. This became a horizontal platform butting up to the toothpick, sitting on the lower section just below the “center” of the fuselage. We’ll come back to it in a bit. Again, double-check what the length should be on your own model.
I also took a moment and glued on the base for the upper stabilizer. It’s a nice little detail touch that won’t hinder later work.
At this point, the bulk of the existing template is assembled. Next time I’ll show you how to use those extra parts to make some (hopefully) cool detail.
As I tend to lead towards the more ruinous powers, it wasn’t long before I found myself looking at a simple template for the Chaos Hellblade. The Alpha Legion can always use a new direction to attack from, after all. Alas, there’s no name or email address listed on it anywhere, but if you know who built it please speak up so I can give credit where credit is due.
It’s a deceptively easy-looking template because there’s just a few big parts to it. I tried once, set it down, and only recently came back to it. And now I think I’ve got it figured, along with a few very simple improvements.
Helpful Hint-- To build this the way I did, you need to print out two copies of the template for each Hell Talon you want to build. You’re not going to use all of the second set, but you’re going to use enough of it that it’s simpler just to have two copies.
There are five main parts to this template. They’re marked upper and lower fuselage, the two inner wings, and the cockpit. There’s a few more detail bits, but these are the big five.Put the templates on cardstock. Cut the top and bottom fuselage from one, plus all four spacers (from both sets). The first thing you want to do is glue the inner wings together so you end up with a single set that’s double-thick. This is where the wings as a whole get most of their heft, so by doubling this up they’ll be almost 3mm thick when the model’s done. I double-checked that they were lined up right, wrapped them in wax paper, and set them under a hardcover copy of Under The Dome to make sure they stayed flat.
Helpful Hint-- If I make another Hellblade (and there’s a good chance I will) I think I may make one set of inner wings from foamcore just to see how that looks. The wings are just a hair too thin on this for my liking, but that’s a matter of individual taste. It may just be a matter of finding some slightly heavier card to work with.
While the inner wings were drying I went to work on scoring the two sections of the fuselage. I admit, this model threw me for the longest time and these sections were why. In theory, this model has an open “maw” under the cockpit, which is the weapons bay and the intake for the engine. What I couldn’t figure out was how the maw stayed open without just collapsing flat. The model doesn’t have any interior supports, struts, or similar structures. Needless to say, it works. Really. So if you start feeling a little confused during construction, just remember you’re not alone and be assured it all works out in the end...
This Is Important-- The usual “terminology” in Paperhammer is that solid lines are scored, dotted lines are scored on the opposite side of the template. On the top and bottom fuselage sections, the outermost set of lines should be dotted. If you score these pieces all on the same side the model won’t go together right. It isn’t too hard to line them up if you just take your time. The two long lines on the cockpit should be dotted as well, so make sure they’re scored on the opposite side, too.So, now with everything dried and scored, I glued one set of inner wings to the lower fuselage. Take a few moments and make sure everything lines up right. If you’ve got clothespins, this is a great time to clip one on at one end and manipulate the rest into place. Then add on half a dozen and make sure each little point and seam is sealed tight. I let this sit for about five minutes like this, then glued the other inner wing to the other side. Then I double checked the position on each one, wrapped the whole assembly in wax paper, and stuck it Under The Dome again.
A while later I pulled it out and glued this assembly to the upper fuselage. Do one side at a time and clamp it in place. Unless you’ve got a lot of clamps or clothespins, you need to let the first side dry a bit before you start to work on the next one. If the scores or folds aren’t good, there may be a bit of resistance as you tweak pieces into the right position. Once you’ve got it all in place, leave it for an hour or so. You want the glue to be very dry on this. After half an hour or so, you can probably stick the wings under a book to keep them straight and flat.
This Is Important-- If you’ve put all your scores in the right place (and on the right sides), the model will not lay flat at this point in the assembly. If you stick the whole thing under a book you’re going to crush the main part of the fuselage. Press only the wings. Use clothespins on the rest until you’re sure they’re mostly dry and then take them off so their extra weight doesn’t bend the model at the table edge.
Once this is dry, it’s time to attach the cockpit. The two inside tabs are going to go up on the edges of the tail section. If the score lines are right, the long lines should match the edge of the wings so the outside tabs rest flat on the tops of the wings. This also needs to be glued tight, so feel free to use a lot of clamps and clothespins.Now I put in a little addition of my own. A flat toothpick, cut 7/8” long. I wedged it between the center fold of the cockpit and the center fold of the lower fuselage. A little glue makes it permanent. Double check the length on your own model before gluing and make sure it looks right. No two paperhammer models are exactly the same because these are actual models, not CAD constructs. A sixteenth of an inch here or there will add up.
The toothpick makes the fuselage pretty solid, but I took one more step (which will also serve another purpose). I knew how wide the interior space was, so I cut a piece of card to be about 1/4” shorter than that measurement. This became a horizontal platform butting up to the toothpick, sitting on the lower section just below the “center” of the fuselage. We’ll come back to it in a bit. Again, double-check what the length should be on your own model.I also took a moment and glued on the base for the upper stabilizer. It’s a nice little detail touch that won’t hinder later work.
At this point, the bulk of the existing template is assembled. Next time I’ll show you how to use those extra parts to make some (hopefully) cool detail.
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