6.30.2015

Garagant: Part Fifth

I know I said I was going to work on the head, but I ended up a bit detail-focused this weekend.  Plus, the head’s something I don’t want to rush.  So for now, I’m going to build some rokkits. 

If you check over on our battle-sister site, Atomic Warlords, there are some test rules for the Gargant.  One of the options is supa-rokkits, and as a secondary weapon they can go pretty much anywhere.  For the moment, I’m going to put two on each arm to help bulk up the weapons a bit.  Depending on the final rules, I may add more...

Rokkits are simple, believe it or not.  They’re just little towers, which are just a variation on gun barrels.  You may remember I made a lot of towers a while back of the silver variety.  It’s a simple procedure, so I won’t repeat it here.  I will point out that I want a few different sizes and lengths,

For this, I made two rockets with 1/4” panels, one with 3/8” panels, and the last one was 1/2” on each side.  This gave me some variety in circumference.  I also had different length and cone measurements for each one, just because Ork weapons are known for having such great variety.

Helpful Hint—I didn’t put tabs on any of the cone sections.  These are small enough that I just used some scrap paper and glue to bind them.  I held them with my fingers until the glue died.  I took a little longer, but I think it was still less than fiddling with eight tabs on each rokkit.
 
Once I have the basic shapes, I want to add some detail. As I’ve mentioned before, weapons tend to draw the eye on a model, so they’re worth a little extra work.  Maybe one or two rings to help sell their circular nature.  A curved armor plate will do that, too.  Plus, if I line them up right, each of these will give me something extra for the fins to grab.  Like the rokkits themselves, the fins are just a collection of random triangles, some with the tips cut off for “streamlinin’.”  A few of them are doubled or tripled up. I took a few of the triangles left over from cutting the nose cones and used them for Orky jags/teeth on some of the rokkits.

Oh, and more rivets.  Always rivets with Orky stuff.

While those were drying, I made a few quick supports for the rokkits (stands? gantries?).  They’re just a basic M shape kept narrow so the rokkit can be glued on two long edges.  I added a few lengths of thin card on the sides to give it more of an industrial/ scaffolding look.  And more rivets.

I debated how I should glue these on.  Supports to rokkits and then to arms?  Or supports to arms and then add on the rokkits?  In the end, I went for supports to rokkits.  It gives me more control about the position of the rokkit itself once it’s mounted.

When I glued them onto the arms, I tried to keep them towards the back. There’s more space, plus I didn’t want to distract from the different kannons. 

And, as I predicted before, they help a lot. The arms look more significant and substantial.  And more Orky. “Adding on” is a big part of the Ork esthetic, and it’s definitely something to keep in mind when building... well, anything for them.

We’re also really hitting a funny point, I’ve noticed. The gargant’s so big it’s really hard to put things together and... well, get a sense of them.  I either need to do close-ups or wide shots where a lot of detail gets lost.  I’m sure things will stand out better once it’s all painted, but for now it’s easy to get lost in the wider shots.

Next up... the head.

Before that, though...  I’ve got two conventions back to back and it means I’m not going to get anything done, building-wise, for another two weeks.  I might try to revisit an old, recently-relevant post if I have time, but that’s about it.

On the other hand, if you’re already planning to attend Westercon or the San Diego ComicCon, please try to find me.  I’m doing three different signings at SDCC for the Ex-Heroes series and my new book, The Fold, plus a couple of panels.  You can find me (or my schedule) at the Random House booth, or on Twitter.

Hopefully see you there. And if not, see you back here soon.

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