The back of the Baneblade is flat. No detail at all. I wanted to come up with something simple that would still reflect the idea of a huge engine and keep close to the actual design. Jeff Vaughn’s template is based off the old original ForgeWorld design (the chunkier version), but the Apocalypse book has an excellent rear shot of the new plastic model.
So, I decided to mix a bit. Working left to right...
First, I took four 1/4” discs and doubled them, then added two 1/8” discs on top of that. I attatched these to the left-had side. These serve as the two big lights on the Baneblade which I believe are the gasoline and check engine lights. Or maybe they’re turn signals and Baneblades can only turn to the left.
Anyway...
Then I cut a piece of card 3 1/4” wide by 1 1/2” tall. This is going to be the smokestack array. I marked it on both sides in alternating 1/4” and 1/2” widths. When I was done I had a 1/4” on each end and four 1/2” sections.
Now, this next bit’s a bit tricky to explain. The outside lines on both ends are going to be scored on side A (the brown, industrial side I usually use as the outside of all projects). All of the inside lines are going to be counter-scored on the opposite side. Yep, I just made up a term. Counter-scored. There’ll be a quiz in a few weeks.
Now, I don’t want to do big creases quite yet. First, the end two sections can be cut on the corners. They’re going to be tabs. Next, I went to each of the inside 1/4” sections and made a 45 degree notch, each one angled up and inward. This angle only went across the 1/4” section. Then I connected the tops with a 1 1/4” line. Make sense? This is going to (hopefully) give me that staggered height for the Baneblade engine’s smokestacks.
Next, I took those four wider sections and bent them around my hobby knife. Then I tightened the bend on a round pencil, and finally a paintbrush. So what you’ve got should look something like this diagram, if viewed from the top.
This is Important – make sure you’re scoring and bending eveything in the right direction. This piece flips back and forth a few times. It’s pretty simple, but why make it twice if you don’t have to...
I cut another piece of card 2” x 1 1/2” and assembled the smokestacks on that. Because of all the curves, I didn’t want to be wrestling with placement on the back of the actual model. Plus the backing will just end up as more detail. I added some 1/8” strips and rivets for detail. Then I glued this piece into place right next to the turn signals, so it’s mostly on the left side of the engine block.
Once I had that I cut a piece 1/2” x 1 1/4” and then cut that into ten pieces that were 1/2” by 1/8” each. These got doubled up into five rungs which went right up the right side of the engine. After all, this thing’s huge. How’s a Techpriest supposed to get up top to do maintenance checks?
Helpful Hint—Whenever you want to make a ladder, or even the illusion of a ladder, remember that the space between the rungs should be wider than the rungs themselves. Just picture what a real ladder looks like. These are 1/8” wide, so I put 1/4” between them. Easy way to do it—just mark off 3/8” spaces and put the rung on top of each line.
I also added a large rectangle on top of the engine compartment, a smaller one on top of that. They aren’t supposed to represent anything specific. It’s all just a bit more layers and detail. I may add in two circles as vents on the side.
And, yes, I’m slowly working my way through the five hundred or so rivets this model’s going to get. But they do make it look very, very good.
Oh, and (shameless plug)--new novel added to the sidebar.
And I cannot get pictures to expand to full size anymore. Can anyone or is it just me?
ReplyDeleteThis may force me to rethink how I post stuff if these pictures are going to be at all useful...
Wow, it's looking really great!Just one question:how are you going to paint it after it's done? Cardboard has a papery texture that doesn't really mimic the plastic GW uses.
ReplyDeleteActually, Green (may I call you Green?) I haven't had a problem yet. I generally brush on a coat of acrylic paint before I actually prime it, and so far it's worked great.
ReplyDeletePage back to the Mk. I Land Raider I built and tell me what you think.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat landraider looks spectacular. I would've thought it was a stock model if this wasn't a blog dedicated to paperhammer magic...And i don't mind what you call me! Have you tried using plasticard? Wouldn't it be more stable and last longer than cardboard?
ReplyDeleteI have tried plasticard, and I think a lot of these Paperhammer templates would adapt very well to it. Although, from an assembly point of view it’d be like starting from scratch because all of my assembly tips are based around cardstock. Plastic cuts differently, bends differently, glues differently...
ReplyDeleteAnd, to be honest, plasticard’s a heck of a lot more expensive. While it might be interesting to work with from a craft point of view, the main purpose of In The Grim Cheapness of the Future... is to show people they can make high-end, completely passable models for little or no money--or at least a lot less than Games Workshop’s asking for them. Over the past few years this has really become a game for the very-well-off, and when you add in the economic collapse back in ’08... well... that’s a lot of folks who can’t afford to play.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the stuff Games Workshop puts out. I wish I had hundreds of dollars (or pounds) a year to spend on it. I don’t, though, and I know a lot of other people don’t either. So why spend thirty or forty bucks on plasticard when I can build something like this out of leftover boxes from frozen pizza and breakfast cereal? :)
Durability’s something I try to address in my notes on each model, and they are very, very solid when made correctly. That Land Raider’s over two years old can still hold up a hardcover copy of Stephen King’s Under The Dome. I can pick up the Baneblade by the front hull with no problem. Heck, I dropped it the other night. Just like a plastic model, it’s all in the construction... ;)
One thing I would like to see more of is a painted picture, even just base coated so I can visualize the completely finished product. But all look very very good, not like some of the paperhammer that you can tell is paper from 6+ feet away. Thanks for taking the time to put all of this on the WWW.
ReplyDeleteHey, Wilf. I've been working on painting the Baneblade/Plaguereaper little by little (it's a beast). I'm probably going to do a whole post sometime later this summer just showing it off.
ReplyDelete