Green Tide II / Hot Recovery (WH40K diorama)

[Klaus not Santa]

Hey guys,
haven't posted anything worthwhile for quite some time.

But it seems as if the hobby itch is back
The idea bouncing in my head is based on "Stemming the Green Tide" mixed with the "Tomb Raider" fluff section.
An expedition of the Crimson Guards sent to recover a valuable artifact. Not sure if it will be on Dencara or on another planet...
Just as they have finally discovered the sacred item and are about to recover it, they are attacked by Orks.
So it will be a "last stand" type of battle in a temple(?) ruin with the Crimson Guards against Orks.
From a composition point of view there will be a throne like feature at the top end of a long (stair) rise lit by blue-ish moonlight (a beam coming through a crack in the roof?), while the actual fighting, lit by the gun flashes will happen on the stairs below, with most of the Orks attacking out of the dark.
...
hopefully
...


So, with this bouncing around my brain cage, I raided my Space Marine bits box.

Unfortunately I'm no longer in the possession of the Space Hulk throne piece with the dead Marine, but hey..."Selbst ist der Mann"

Still plenty of cleanup and GreenStuff necessary.

Some of the basic fighting poses - though I think I will not do the Flamer, the cinematic effect would draw too much attention.

These two in hand-to-hand combat - not sure if it will be a fist fight, or if the Marine will have a sword....

A fallen Marine in his last defense...

This will also be more of a hand-to-hand, close-in pose - maybe an Ork striking down with a big axe.

And (if I can make it look convincing) a downed Marine with an Ork on his back, trying to suffocate or choke him.

Well, this is as far as I got.
I think I will start building up the stairs next, so I can work on finalizing the poses.


What do you think?
Ideas, suggestions?
I look forward to your feedback.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

That last dude looks like he's break-dancing ;D

He even has his own piece of cardboard


Madness

Sorry about your cat ,,, glad you're back at this .

I like these - - you'll have the muzzle blasts and what-not ?

Very cool ,
Uru

 

[Quaralane]

Going to be interesting to watch this one come together

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thanks guys!

@urumomo - thanks - I hope it'll look a bit more serious than brake dance in the end
Yes, I plan on adding all the cinematic effects - like muzzle flashes and OSL


Well, I hope your festivity preparations are well underway and you're not too stressed out to enjoy some hobby time

With the basic Marine actors assembled I started to build up the environment.
First was the throne and its platform.

The brick-factory working at full capacity

Slowly building up the base - with some Styrofoam as support. Two columns at the lower end to give the scene a frame.
While the PVA takes some time to cure, I use a ruler and some weight (a bunch of SuperSculpey packs) to keep the bricks in position and leveled.

Most of the brickwork completed.

The throne as center piece in the back. A first position test with the Marines.

Not 100% sure, but I think this will be balanced enough, with the top 3 Marines providing light with their muzzle flashes, while the lower areas will be darker - maybe some light effects form the energy blades?

Then I created some skeletons from the original struggle, hundreds of years ago...

Only a dead Ork is a good Ork?

Plus the two dead throne-guards

Still needs a lot of cleanup, detailing, and of course the attacking Orks.
But I hope it already gives a good impression of how it will look in the end.
I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

Hee hee ;D


you're molding the stones ( bricks ) in PVA ?
What exactly are you using ?

Thanks ,
Uru

 

[Quaralane]

Looks to be evolving nicely

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Hee hee ;D


you're molding the stones ( bricks ) in PVA ?
What exactly are you using ?

Thanks ,
Uru

Hey Uru,
no, the bricks are cast with Stewalin ( http://www.amazon.de/Troll-Factory-Stewalin-weiss-Box/dp/B0056BG3SQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1450865294&sr=8-2&keywords=Stewalin ) which is very a very nice plaster available here in Germany - not sure the alternative in your location.

Thanks Quaralane

In discussing the build in another forum, I had the sudden urge to add an Indiana-Jones-Style character.
The initial idea was to add a human, based on IG parts. But that wouldn't really make sense with my Crimson Guardians Space Marines - they wouldn't be accompanied, or even bossed around by a mere human.
So I decided to use a Marine with a Apothecary weapon and a head with a hat - it's one of the excellent Mad Robot Miniatures Boonie Hats.

And with a bit of GreenStuff to give it a "neck" the head fits really nicely.

If I recall correctly Dr. Jones is always carrying a satchel-bag, isn't he?

Well, he'll definitely will get a whip.

Anvildude (on DakkaDakka) suggested that the Ork skeletons pants should be more carved out, as they are too well filled out.
Weeeell...
I gave it a try...

But I have to say for my taste it is too much work for too little effect. What do you say?

That's as far as I got last night.
But here is another positioning shot.
The (currently still Blood Angels) Termie is the central piece and will be the focal point and also the source of most of the light (hopefully).

As you can see by the small rod, his fire will be aimed at the (not yet existing) Ork strangling the Marine on the floor.

I have to add an Ork directly in front of the guy with the hammer, one to the kneeling guy on the left, and the one "Strangler".
Green indicates the Orks, yellow the muzzle flashes, and blue the power blades.

Too busy?

Whaddaya think?

Cheers

Klaus

 

[urumomo]

All right .
Exciting ;D


Thanks for the clarification on the casting material , Klaus .
I misinterpreted what you had written .

So these guys don't clean up their dead ? Ever ?

 

[Quaralane]

Liking the plan, Klaus

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Happy New Year!
I hope you had a great time with family and friends and a time well spent away from work, school and all those other routine chores.
My wife and I were in Belgium for a view days and celebrated New Years in Brussels (guarded by soldiers). We visited Bruges, Ghent and Brussels - wonderful cities

Thank you all - I hope you all had a great start into the new year.
@Quaralane - Thanks Mate!
@urumomo - weeeeell I still have to work out the exact "fluff", but in general the (skeleton) Space Marines fended off the last Ork attack, to protect the sacred item, but then were too weak to do anything else, and the whole temple/shrine and its sacred item was forgotten and lost in time.
And now, as the Space Marines re-discover the artifact, the Orks are also on the lookpuit for it and a race to recover the artifact starts...
that's the idea

Well, before we left for Belgium I worked on the diorama and planned to complete it.
Most of the Marines got their opponents.
And I worked on the slayer.

I added some debris and the individuals received details (like purity seals, pouches etc.)
Then I sculpted some muzzle flashes using ProCreate.

With the remaining PC I sculpted some ripped and torn tapestry.

At this point I was pleased and considered the diorama built phase completed.
Hmm, maybe some spider webs?
So I created some tiny plastic strands using a candle.

And then I glued some in position to simulated spider webs....

Not so sure if it really works. I will probably have to try something else.

But at this state I left for Belgium.
Coming back, I decided I need some more Orks at the lower end - to show the brunt of the attack just arriving.

And I decided that I want a counter figure to the central Terminator.
How about an Ork Banner Bearer?

This could be fun!

So I sculpted a flag from ProCreate. And this is how it all looks now.

I think this will work.
What do you think?
I look forward to your comments and suggestions!
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

All-Rite All-Rite All-Rite ;D

I'm liking it !

I like the spider-web idea ,
You probably need something finer .
Maybe cotton fiber or fiberglass fibers ???

Can't wait for the color


Sounds like you had a great New Year !

Cheers ,
Uru

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thank you mate

I created a little video of the diorama
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_U94sbiOFY[/youtube]

And wrote a stroy to it:

The Carp'A San - Raiders of the Lost Light
Raiders of the Lost Light is a diorama depicting the dramatic moments of the recovery of the Sacred Light of Jerusalem.
The Sacred Light of Jerusalem is one of the 13 sacred items of the Ka'An, which can be used in a complex rite to resurrect and revive the Emperors body, freeing him from the Golden Throne.
The Sacred Light of Jerusalem was forgotten many centuries ago and lost in time. It is believed that it was last held in a sanctuary on Persifas 3 in the Palagam system.
Here it was guarded by the **CENSORED** Chapter of the Space Marines. During the great Waaagh of Ork Boss Cham Bamm-Bumm the entire planet was ransacked and devastated. The Marines fought a valiant battle, but in the end the planet was lost.
A small contingent of the **CENSORED** was able to defend the Sacred Light of Jerusalem, but the survivors were too weak to leave the remains of the sanctuary and so the Carp'a-San, as it was also called, vanished in the maelstrom of time.
According to the legend of Ka'An, he who can gather the 13 sacred items and combines them in a complicated rite of utter complexity will gain the power to heal and revive any corpus, be it merely human or even divine, and bring it eternal youth and vitality. So Chief Librarian Zastavus and the Supreme Grand Master of the *CENSORED** (OX) send their companies on the hunt for these items time and again.
Recent events and encounters seem to indicate that other races are also aware of the legend of Ka’An and seek to rein its power. So the treasure hunt of the Officium **CENSORED** has now become a race and Chief Librarian Zastavus has called his forces to Operation “Ultima Preces” in which they are to find the remaining artifacts at even greater speed.
Latest reports indicate that a large contingent of Crimson Guardians under Captain Senoj has landed on Persifas 3. Maybe here the Crimson Guardians can find the Carp'A San, the Sacred Light of Jerusalem, one of the few remaining items of the legend of Ka’An.
Unknown to Senoj and the Marines a large group of Orks landed on the other side of Persifas 3 and is also on the hunt for the Carp'A San, or the 'Elluffazapp as the Orks call it.
The diorama captures the moment Senoj discovers the Sacred Light - just as the Orks storm the sanctuary...
Vicious hand-to-hand fighting and murderous Bolter fire erupts.
Unpainted the scene looks chaotic and crowded. But battle is chaos.
Captain Senoj reaches for the Carp'a San.
Brother von Ritter stands his ground against the merciless Orks.
Can the Marines stem the Green Tide or will the Orks be victorious?

What do you think?
Cheers
Klaus

 

[Quaralane]

Nice story to go wioth an excellent diorama

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thank you Quaralane!

With the fluff written up and the stage set, I prepared for painting.

First I removed the actors and pinned them onto the cork.

And while the primed models dried I installed my new light.
This is currently only the test version, using more tape than screws

So far it seems to work properly, so I will mount it permanently soon.

After all the models were primed I re-mounted them and affixed them with some rubber glue (Fixogum)

And then I started to work with the airbrush.

This is NOT the actual paint job - this is only my light reference and I will repaint everything.

But it gives me a very good idea of how the scene will look.

And if I need additional light sources or where to emphasize to structure the scene better.

But I think this will work out as intended - don't you think?

With the light setting in mind, I repainted the skeleton guards first.
As you can see I use very desaturated colors - this will also help to emphasize some of the light effects later.

Once the two guards have their base colors all done, I will give them an inking with black, and maybe an additional blue layer. After that I will add the shadows and highlights - using the previous images as reference.
I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.
Cheers
klaus

 

[urumomo]

Very cool ,
But , what about the light ? ???

That's for the dio or your bench-top ?

Cheers !

Uru

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Very cool ,
But , what about the light ? ???

That's for the dio or your bench-top ?

Cheers !

Uru

Hey Uru,
it is my new LED light for the desk.
I stole the idea from a guy on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.965342993505018.1073741855.874417285930923&type=3
It's actually just a LED-Strip mounted to a piece of aluminium (my test version is rather flimsy plastic, but it works too).
I'm pretty pleased with the light it spends, so I will now build the final version, using a sturdier base, but probably plastic again - ot aluminium, if I find a good, long enough strip.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Well, despite a lot of work on the job I was able to continue with the "Raiders of the Lost Light".
Steady progress

First I finished up the guards, added some more details and weathering. And then they received several washes - a pure black wash, then a mix of glue and light grey, and finally a sepia wash for the gold sections.
But the main focus was to keep the coloring desaturated and rather cold/blue-ish.

While the washes for the guards dried, I painted the base. Working on the banners consumed quite some time - but I think it was worth it.
Painting complete, but before the washes.

And with the washes applied

The throne section.

With that part pretty much done, I started with Captain Senoj.

Brother Lillianus got a two version paint-job. Not sure if it is really visible, but the area facing the muzzle flash is painted in standard "bright" colors, while the other areas are painted in the desaturated colors.

Same for Brother Moffat - bright colors facing the muzzle flash, while the other areas are desaturated.

That desaturated painting is actually relatively easy, but it is essential to have these colors in a wet-palette, as none of those colors come out of the bottle.

So this is where the scene is now.

I hope I can really pull this off and get the light effects the way I want it - convincing

So what do you think?
I look forward to your suggestions and feedback.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

The color modulation is very interesting ,
What are you planning for lighting it ?

Plus , How did your desk light come out ?

I can see the reflection in the glass cases -- it looks double , but I assume that's just reflections ???

Uru

 

[Quaralane]

Loving the progress on this one

 

[Cave_Dweller]

This is looking excellent!

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thanks guys!


Well, not much of an update, because painting is slow, but I wanted to send a sign of progress before the weekend

First off, yes urumomo, it is now "double"
I did convert my LED into a sturdier, permanent version and used wooden skirting board(?) as base and mounted it with screws to the desk.

In addition I doubled the lights, by adding a second LED strip.

I'm quite pleased with the light effect.

The next Marine to paint was the hammer wielding Brother Tennant.

A bit hard to see, as the camera is working with longer exposure times when I use the LED lamp.

And then I did the two brawlers.

Also hard to see that the Ork is wearing a "Flecktarn" pattern uniform.

It's the standard Ork uniform pattern I use for most of my dios (here the Orks from the Dr. Nork diorama)

I hope you like today's update and I look forward to your comments, suggestions and feedback.
Cheers
klaus

 

[urumomo]

;D ;D

Dr Nork's missile don't look too sky-worthy , LOL

.... it must be so powerful it detonates at the gate ( saves fuel 8) )


Lovin this ..
Awaiting more

Cheers !
Uru

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thanks guys!
@urumomo - that's why the SWAT team was attacking - to hold up the rocket start

Well, this weekend I did a real painting marathon and at the Dei Greci you can see the update with 40+ images, but here is the digest version

First I finished the remainign Marines and Orks - like the chain wielder and Brother Tennant.

Then it was time for the banner bearer!
Inspired by Soviet propaganda images I painted this banner with a golden star, super-imposed with the porcupine icon of the "Porkupinz" (and spelled Porkupinz in Cyrillic letters)

The other side of the banner got an Ork head over a golden star

But this also showed me that there was some room to be filled - the Orks needed some reinforcements.
So I built this runner

and another Ork entering at the rear

But at the side was still some room, so I added this guy climbing up from the side

This left Brother von Ritter to be painted

And now its all done!
Sans OSL

And a final light test image

I have to admit I'm very anxious about the next steps. It's either make it or break it.
If I don't return for the next few days I most likely screwed it up and jumped out of the window
Well, keep your fingers crossed for me.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

??? what is the next ' Make-or-Brake ' step ?



You're going to apply high-voltage and animate that crowd ? !

DON'T

Don't do it , Klaus !

 

[Quaralane]

Excellent

 

[Klaus not Santa]

Thanks guys

I'm still here, no jump, no broken bones.



wanna see?



Well,


I started off, adding lots of shadows to the dark areas, using deluted black.
Then I added light (very deluted white, with a tint of blue), making sure to lighten, but not flashing out the colors.
Starting on the throne

then the first bolters

All the bolters done

Once I was pleased with the "light" I started to add color - again, making sure not to cover any more details and "just" applying color.

With the yellow added, I also gave the Orks some drama.
By adding dark red light from the back, I hope to indicate fire and havoc from the Ork area

Turning the additional lights off, it becomes visible

Looking down from the throne area

I realized the running Ork wasn't prominent enough.
So I repaired his captured power sword and it got a glow

So, this is it

And that's where I left it.
Now I will leave it in the closet for the weekend - out of sight - and on Monday I will look at it again. I know there are some details to wrap up and some clean up.
But I'm very pleased with this scene.
So I gave my trusted steed a good and thorough cleaning, patting it affectionately - this baby didn't let me down once

The best airbrush I ever had - and I had a few, starting with a DeVilbiss 30 years ago, and Iwata HP-B, and many in between.

Well, let me know what you think of this diorama
Cheers
Klaus

 

[urumomo]

That might be my next airbrush ...

I'm pretty satisfied with my Paasche Talon .
I'd like to have a finer tip .
It goes to .25 mm but it doesn't seem to spray as narrow as I think it should .


Very nice job on the light effects ;D

Cheers ,
Uru

 

[Klaus not Santa]

 

[Quaralane]

Excellent POV on what's happening there