A Thousand Sons: Pre- and Post-Heresy Log

[swampman6]

thats a lot of forge world stuff!!!

great blog, truly amazing painting AND modelling!!

[Skits]

Haha yeah, that'll keep me busy for a while. I'm not letting myself buy anything else until I've got at least MOST of what I have already assembled and painted. We'll see how long that lasts, heh.

Thank you!

[Skits]

Ugh. I apologise for not updating for so long! After getting the terminators done, I couldn't decide what to work on next. Was kinda waffling around doing nothing, then yesterday afternoon I suddenly went completely mad and started drilling holes in my Contemptor.

Magnets, magnets EVERYWHERE. I'm tempted to say the red on the powerfist wrist is blood, but that would be a lie.


I have no legs! Why don't I have legs?!


I have no idea what you're talking about.


What do you mean, I'm not allowed to set the camera on fire?


Heh heh. I love magnets. And pose-ability. I've managed to get it so there's pretty much no sagging in the arms, and also figured out that whatever sagging there might be at the shoulder can be fixed with the addition of a bit of Blue-Tac. Still got another Kheres Assault Cannon arm and another powerfist arm to magnetise. More drilling, more magnets, more superglue. Incidentally, superglue underneath the fingernail has got to be one of the most annoying things ever.

I'm resisting the urge to magnetise the individual fingers on the power fists, 'cause I suspect that may be a bit overkill and would most likely lead to missing fingers. Not sure what to do about the fuel tank/bolter shell clip that goes on the underside of the powerfist forearm either - magnetising them would be nice, but again would most likely lead to me losing those bits.

I'm also still trying to decide what to do with the legs. Do I magnetise 'em as well, or don't I? Decisions, decisions. Not sure how stable it'll be if I do. Anyone had any experience with magnetised Contemptor legs?

[RunepriestRidcully]

Nice, I've been thinking of getting a contemptor after my exams for my Thousand sons, any hints/advice/ a possible tutorial on doing it?

[Skits]

Thanks! Good luck with your exams!

General advice - dry-fit everything first before even looking at glue, and test, then double-check, then triple-check all your polarities. XD Then re-check your polarities and fits again. Also keep in mind that the magnets will affect not just their matching magnet, but any other nearby magnets - for example, I don't have a magnet in the head socket, just the base of the head. It's held in by the strength of the big magnet in the bottom of the torso. XD So try to get all the polarities matched right up the arm and down the torso, otherwise you might get magnets fighting against each other. Start with the biggest magnet in the bottom of the torso, since that huge sucker will affect a lot, then figure out which way the shoulder magnets go in by seeing which way the torso magnet pulls 'em in. Then work down the arms from there.

Drill the hole slightly deeper than the magnet itself if possible - glue will usually take up some space, and it's better to have the magnet slightly under the surface than poking over the top.

Are there any specific places you'd like better photos/explanation of? I've already magnetised my other arms so I can't really do a proper tutorial, but I can still take more photos and write up descriptions of what I did if you want.

[Skits]

Still trying to decide what to do with the Contemptor legs, bleh. In the meantime, began preparations on a couple of other projects...

Land Raider with Helios bits, and a MkIC Deimos pattern Rhino. Pretty much everything's still just dry-fitted at the moment.


I have plaaaaans for this land raider, oh yes. PLANS. Some of which involve MAGNETS. Also, it's kind of sad that I got this entire kit, land raider and resin Helios bits, from Forgeworld for CHEAPER than I would've gotten a regular Land Raider from an Australian GW store. :|


Rockin' it oldschool! This (and the Land Raider) will be painted up in the pre-Heresy Sons colours.

[RunepriestRidcully]

Where did you get the magnets from and what did you carve out the space for them with? (I've never actually used Magnetson models before, so have no experience.)

[Skits]

I actually got the magnets from one of my local gaming stores - they had these in stock, which is a really handy pack to start off with since it also includes the right sized drill bits for all the magnets except the largest one. The drill I used is one I'm borrowing from a friend - basically the pin vice drill at the top of this page.

You don't have to use those specifically - just search for rare earth or neodymium magnets, and a pin vice or hand drill with the right size drill bits. Hope that helps!

[Skits]

More magnet work! Plus my first foray into spray-priming!

Priming job's not the greatest, but eh, good enough. Also showing off the little scarab plaque I greenstuff'd onto the front of the Rhino. Was thinking of adding some purity seals/oaths of moment, but not sure about that one yet. Can add 'em later if I do decide to do it.


Magnets, how do they work!? With spare sprue and superglue and MAGIC.


More magnets! The lids aren't glued into the rims so I can switch them all around - the magnet on the lid holds the rim into the hole. Didn't magnetise the large hole where the heavy bolter/Helios sensor pack goes though, 'cause the heavy bolter's ammo belts get in the way.


Magnetised sponsons and doors. Doors only need one magnet 'cause they're light, and two would make it hard to get them out. Sponsons need two magnets 'cause the weapons make 'em heavier, and one magnet's not quite enough to hold them in securely.


I have more plans for the Land Raider, so that won't be getting primed for a while. Also still trying to figure out what to do with the Contemptor's base and leg pose, so that'll be on the backburner for a bit as well, I think. I'll probably just keep pushing forward with the Rhino for now.

[Kiro]

Brilliant log, I'll be subbing!

Don't worry about the Aquila on Rashidi. Fluff explanation: he performed some action of significance that caught the attention of the Emperor - the device is a personal reward from the Lord of Man himself

[Skits]

Thank you!

And yeah, one of the Forgeworld guys said something similar when I posted Rashidi on the Forgeworld facebook page. XD Basically, "... noted heroes were awarded it as well. He looks like a noted hero to me!" Now I just gotta figure out what Rashidi actually DID to get awarded that, hehehe.

[Kiro]

What's your recipe for the pre-heresy red?

(Apologies if you've posted it already, I'm browsing with the missus' iPhone and I have trouble with these things...)

[Skits]

No worries! Always happy to help. After priming, I start with a basecoat of Mechrite Red. Shadowed areas are blocked in with a 50/50 (approx) mix of Scab Red and Fenris Grey. Then I wet-blend up from there with Scab Red, then Red Gore, then Blood Red. I tone down the Blood Red a bit with a very thin layer of Red Gore over it, then highlight the edges with Blood Red again. I'll then very carefully use an Asurmen Blue wash in the crevices to add a bit more depth.

Here's a progress pic of one of my Tactical Marines, though he hasn't had his Asurmen Blue wash yet in this. First pic is just basecoat and the Scab Red/Fenris Grey mix, second is with the red all finished.


Hope that helps!

[Kiro]

Good stuff, I might use some of your steps for my Blood Ravens!

[Skits]

Sweet, glad I could help! Good luck with 'em! Blood Ravens are almost as nifty as Thousand Sons.

[Drazhk]

Really sharp looking 1k sons there! Some day, I just might do this as well.

[S_A_T_S]

Great blog, Skits. Your lava bases are amazing.

What size magnets are you using for your vehicles? The only ones I have used before are 6mm x 1.5mm, which are frankly too big. I'm building my Stormraven soon, and I thing it's gonna have to be magnetized for transporting...

[Skits]

@Drazhk: Thank you!

@S_A_T_S: I use a mix of 2mm x 1.5mm and 3mm x 1.5mm magnets mostly. If there's room and I need a stronger connection, like the shoulders of the Contemptor, I'll use 4.75mm x 1.5mm magnets. Also, if you've got the depth and need a strong connection, drill deep enough to fit two magnets instead of just one.

Hope that helps!

[Skits]

Just a quick little update today. Here's a bit more progress on the Deimos Rhino! One thing I've learned - next time I get a Deimos, don't glue on the exhaust pipes till AFTER the damn thing's all painted. Aaaagh.

Base colours so far. Some bits still need a little tidying up, but I'll do that once I've finished with the red. It's not glued together yet either, heh.


Drew where I'll be putting the Thousand Sons emblem on the top - and lined it up so that no matter which way the hatch doors are put in, the symbol will still match up with the bits that overlap onto the main chassis.


And because I may be mildly obsessive, painted the inside of the Rhino as well. ¬_¬


And I recently realised that, when I primed the Rhino... I forgot to do the treads as well. Whoops. Ah well, that can wait till I have some other stuff ready to prime as well, hehehe.

[Student]

Looks cool. I like the scarab symbol on the front and the interior detail.