Zone Mortalis 8 - Back to Basics (Again)

I have been away for a couple of days doing my other hobby.

As such I've not got anything done model wise since the last update on the Junka. However while I was working on that I was able to put together another ZM base and grab pictures of the process as a few people asked me how I did them.

So here we go:

To begin I take a base and drill a crap load of holes. Believe me when I say it is a lot easier using the Dremel than drilling them all by hand as I did on the test bases. All of the holes were increased in size using a knife and then cleaned up. The top surface was sanded.

The objective is to create in essence a 'mesh' that will allow the resin to flow from the top surface to the inside of the base, firmly holding the resin on the top surface in place. You probably don't need as many holes as I do, but I tend to start and just keep going. I make sure there are holes running all round the base near the edge.

Resin is then mixed up and simply poured onto the area where the base is going to go. Enough is put down to cover the area the base will take up. The base is then placed onto the resin. I'm undecided if you need to weigh the base down but I tend to anyway:

Once that resin has cured the weight (if used) is removed and more resin is mixed up and poured into the base. Once this has cured you get a base as shown below right.

When carefully removed from the mould you have a lot of excess resin. With cutters, a knife and sand paper this excess can be removed, resulting in the result on the right.

The base will need a bit of clean up with GS but otherwise the base is now done.

Mekboy Junka 33

This week has been pretty crap. Work has been a bitch so I've had very little time to do anything.

However what time I have managed has gone onto the Junka SAG turret. It may not look like it has progressed a lot but there is about 3-4 hours work gone into just this turret.

Still need a few details and also the remaining two prongs of the SAG. The Snotling tank is also missing, but I have made a start...

Everything put together including the WIP Snotling tank.

More to do. I am away this weekend but next week I hope to get the turret finished along with the remaining hull details (like that blank bit on the front). Still have the spikes on the Rolla to do.

Hopefully I'm now on the final run to getting this finished...

Recalcitrant Daze - The First Five Hundred

Well here we are, the 500^th post on Recalcitrant Daze has arrived.

Who would have thought all those (four) years ago we would reach such a milestone, we've cried, we've loved, we've been bored, we've wondered what the hell is going on.

Inspired by the BBC website...as it stands at the time of writing here is Recalcitrant Daze in Numbers...

415439 Page Views.

1682 Comments.

1443 Days.

500 Posts.

325 Followers.

The temptation is to do a ‘look back’ type of post attempting to cover everything that has appeared. But to be honest I'm not particularly inclined to do that as it would take a sodding age.

Instead I am going to put up my ‘to do’ list as it will show what you are likely to see in the next 500 posts on RD. This is in no particular order, just as I think of them.

• ·         Nurgle Daemons – Finish painting the army (maybe a new GUO to come...?). Second Decimator yet to be converted and built as well.
• ·         Horus Heresy Deathguard – Currently languishing in a box.
• ·         Chaos Renegade Militia Infantry – Build and post out to be painted (hello Sheep). Vets to be finished off and cast up, along with the Rough Riders. Need to re-organise for the IA13 list.
• ·         Chaos Renegade Militia Vehicles – Finish them off and paint. Also there is a certain Chaos Warhound Titan still waiting patiently in a box...
• ·         Zone Mortalis Orks – 1000 point force to build and paint. Dreads and Kans are basically done, the Mega Nobz are yet to be built.
• ·         Zone Mortalis Adeptus Mechanicum – 1000 point for or the crazy buggers from Mars. One for the future (though I already have the Thallax).
• ·         Zone Mortalis Board – Paint. There is a lot to paint. Joy.
• ·         Terrain – Realm of Battle boards to finish (river panels for a start), Trees to paint up. Scatter Terrain, such as the pallets for Zone Mortalis to do.
• ·         Dark Future – Cars and Bikes to build & paint.
• ·         Dreadball – Robot team to finish off.
• ·         3D Modelling/Printing – More items to do including the shipping container, also thinking about a missile silo. More terrain pieces and possible vehicle conversion bits.
• ·         Aeronautica Imperialis – Some of the planes and ground targets are in need of a revamp.
• ·         Aeronautica Imperialis Terrain – I went in on an Indiegogo campaign and this lot should be arriving sometime soon.
• ·         Epic – Erm, yeah. Stuff in boxes to do.
• ·         War Altar of Nurgle – Still WIP sitting in a box.
• ·         Weirdboy Battle Tower – Still WIP sitting in a box...
• ·         Inq28 – I still want to do some conversions for an Inquisitorial warband.
• ·         Confrontation – The precursor to Necromunda. Always thought it looked a far more interesting game, so would like to do a gang for that.

I've forgotten some things, I just know I have - but I don't know what. I'll remember no doubt shortly.

Alas that list doesn't really sum up just how much there is to do as some of those items would break down into lists just as long as the first list.

I have now taken the decision that the Junka will be the last commission for a while. When I have so many projects of my own I simply can’t afford the time. Unless I charge a small fortune it just isn't worth it.

What I really want to do is close out some of the started projects and get some of those items crossed off my list. I find myself adding things to the list far more often than taking them off.

I think that is long enough for this post.

To finish I just want to thank all those who have decided to follow this blog. I never thought I would see as many people care enough to follow what I do. Also to all those who take the time to comment on any posts, it is always appreciated. I do try and reply to all comments, but there will always be some I don’t get round to but I will apologise to anyone who I may have missed. And finally thanks also go to those who have added Recalcitrant Daze to the blog rolls on their blogs.

PS - Next up will be more Junka. I've been busy this weekend with a guest staying over, so no hobby time. But in the week it will be back to the Orky build.

Zone Mortalis 7 - Back to Basics

This past week I have had very little spare time due to being on a course for work.

So all I've been able to do is start putting together some bases for my "soon-to-be-done" Ork force.

I wanted bases that actually matched the Zone Mortalis board.

To begin I did a bit of experimenting by knocking up a small mould of the top surface of one of the flat ZM board panel.

From that I could knock out a few 40mm bases.

The 'spots' you can see are holes I cut through the base. This allows the resin to not just sit on the top surface of the base but also to flood into it and lock it in place. Without that the resin would far too easily peel off from the plastic.

Each base I did had more holes.

Once undercoated I was pretty happy with the results.

So much so I recycled the first mould and did a larger one allowing 60mm bases to be done and also to give more variety.

The first two I did was another 40mm one and the first 60mm, this time covering the large vent on the flat ZM boards.

And with a Deff dread in place...

That large one was a bit of a pain. Due to the vent I ended up with some thin sections of resin round the edge, in a few places they came off and have to be super glued back in place. For the bases done after that one I put a series of holes close to the edge so help secure any detail near the edge.

Since then I've knocked up a few more bases:

The all need a bit of clean up work (and GS probably) but otherwise I think the end results are pretty decent.

(In case anyone is tempted to ask I won't be selling these, I'm doing them just for my own army).

Terry Pratchett

I wasn't going to post anything. Then I was. Then I wasn't. Now I am.

It seems barely any time has passed since I did a post about the loss of Ian M Banks.

If you are already a fan you don't really need me to say anything. If you aren't you really should be.

Terry Pratchett, like Ian M Banks, was given a label that seemed to relegate their work to a less important genre, Comic Fantasy and Science Fiction respectively.

This did both of them a disservice and overlooked the inventiveness and imagination that can be used to show the best and worst of humanity. With humour you can tell the most tragic or inspiring of tales, stories of love, loss, friendship and human endeavour can be told in all their glory and gut wrenching feelings. It will make you laugh and make you think all at the same time.

I first fell in love with Terry Pratchett's work with Good Omens, I followed this with devouring the Discworld books (starting with Moving Pictures).

Even though Terry may have taken his final walk with Death by his side, the Discworld will continue to fly on through the cosmos.


So I wanted to do something, rather than just put up a post. So as Terry Pratchett supported Alzheimer's Research I thought I would do the same. As such up on ebay now is the limited edition bag I got at the Heresy Weekender just a couple of months ago. So if you fancy a piece of FW gear you won't find anywhere else as well as support a good cause go and make a bid here. 

Mekboy Junka 32

I should stop saying things like 'expect more updates soon' as it always leads to no updates appearing.

Despite real life interfering I have got more done on the SAG turret...

I have since found a third Runtherd bit, I may swap out the Tesla coil for that. Will have to see what it looks like first.

The flat surface below the SAG will get a Mek glyph.

The hatch will get a handle later.

Still a lot to do on the turret, cables & more gubbinz plus a few more other details. Not too mention more rivets.

I also need to add something on the back for the Snotlings (aka "ammo") to be kept in.

Mekboy Junka 31

So...it's been awhile.

I've not managed to get anything done hobby wise since the last post on the Junka, so i'm somewhere behind where I expected to be at this point.

However I finally got back to the SAG turret.

The base shape is now together. This is just the core, I will be adding more to this, especially on the rear and sides.

We'll get a view port / scanner rig of some kind on the front, a Kommandas hatch up top and along with some sort of power unit and Snotling 'cage' there will be lots of detailing added. I'll get most of the work done before fixing the SAG into place, cables will then be added between the turret and SAG.

The bit I cut off the front of the Chimera hull turned out handy.

And without the SAG in place:

Obviously a shed load left to do on it, I hope to get a lot more done this week so there should (I say should) be a couple more updates over the next seven days.