Space Marine Rhino Chassis part 3

Welcome back everyone for the final part in the 3 part Rhino scratch built tutorial.  When this is finished you will be able to see how we plan to make this a completely modular vehicle which can be easily changed to weapon load outs that represent Razorbacks and Predators (which will be for future tutorials).  This is where we left off in Tutorial 2-

Materials:
Tank bits:  Tank wheels (3/4", 19.050mm) OR posterboard, tank tread (3/8" wide, 9.525mm) OR plasticard, top hatches
Stick pins
1/16" (1.588mm) x 1/32" (.74mm) Neodymium Magnets
Plasticard (For Sale signs)
2 part Resin (optional)

Tools:
Pin Vice
1/16" drill bit
Hobby Knife
Sand paper
InstaMold (optional)

Next we will work on the wheels for our Rhino.  For the more detailed wheels, take a GW Rhino wheel rim piece and carefully trim the top until it can sit in the wheel well with about 5/16" (7.938mm) exposed.  Take your InstaMold and form around the detailed half of the wheel rim.  Duplicate the wheel rim 20 times, keeping in mind you only need each rim to be 3/16" (4.762) wide (the width of the open wheel well).

Taking the two halves, glue them back to back so the straight top parts are even.  Do this for the other 9 sets and begin by placing one directly in the center of the wheel well on either side.  At the front angle and back angle, place yet another set of wheels.  Evenly space the rest as it appears in the image below.

If you aren't using the resin/InstaMold, you can make your wheels with 3/4" (19.05mm) circles cut from the posterboard.  Cut 20 out, split into pairs, and as above trim the tops to allow for about 5/16" (7.938mm) to be exposed at the bottom of the tank.  Place these as suggested above.

Now that the wheels have been placed, it's time to add our side doors.  If you haven't cut out the doors found in the template here, do so now.  Sand the edges down slightly to remove the hobby knife bumps and place on the side of the tank directly centered between the two exhaust pieces.  Using your pin vice, drill two holes 3/8" (9.525mm) from the top and sides just enough to make a dent into the side of the tank.  Place your magnets into the side of the tank and the doors.

Next, cut out the top door hatches from the same template if you haven't already.  Again, sand the edges down a little to remove where the hobby knife caused the plastic to raise.  Measure 1/2" (12.7mm) each of the straight sides to determine where to drill with the pin vice.  Do the same with the other hatch.

Place the doors on the top of the tank and line up the edge 5/8" (15.875mm)  from the rear of the tank.  Using the holes you already created, drill slightly into the tank through each of the 4 holes.  Add your magnets in the same fashion as you did for the side doors.

Taking your tank tread bit, remove the bumps from the bottom section and make a mold of the tank tread using your InstaMold.  Pour the 2 part resin into the mold and allow it to cure.

Rubber mold I had already made previously

After it cures but is still a little soft, remove the tank tread and begin by dabbing glue on the center wheel and the two wheels that go to the back.  Trim any excess quickly and starting in the center drape the piece across the tank wheels, carefully curving the back half up to the top of the wheel.  Cut the excess tank tread to allow for the rest to be tucked nicely into the opening just above the front wheel.

After the tank tread cures fully, repeat this process with the remaining 3 sections where the tank treads go.  After these all cure, you may remove any side flash from the tank treads with a hobby knife.  Alternatively, you may cut a long strip of plasticard which is 3/8" (9.525mm) wide.  Score (not cut through) along the strip every 1/4" (6.35mm) on one side and place onto the wheels so the scored side is showing.  Bend the plasticard so that it forms around the front wheel up into the wheel well all the way back to the rear wheel.

With your pin vice, Drill holes in all the places where there are rivets showing in the images below.  After completing this, cut the stick pins so there is just the head and a little bit of pin left.  Safely discard the other half or keep somewhere safe to use for pinning other models.  Glue the pins into the holes and your rivets will be completed.

Either duplicate the top hatches using InstaMold and resin or find these bits from another source (as they are super hard to duplicate and look good doing so).  Add these to the top of the tank so they line up with the front view ports.

For a finishing touch, take a stick pin and place it at the rear corner of the tank to represent an antenna.  Remove the side doors and place a hole direction between the magnets on the tank's side using your pin vice.  At the top, do the same directly between the 2 sets of magnets.  This won't make much sense now, but in future tutorials it will allow for adding side sponsons and weapon load outs above to convert into Predators and Razorbacks.

Well, that finishes up the SB40k Rhino tutorial.  As always, if something doesn't seem to be adding up or seems off, leave a comment below and I'll do my best to explain or fix the error (which does happen, of course).  Good luck with your scratch building and for the next conversion I'll be looking at adding some interesting bits to our little tank!

And the winner of SB40k's Chaos Titan is...

Hello everyone, welcome to the Scratch Built 40k winner announcement.  It was an exciting contest and I am thrilled by the responses it generated.  I hope everyone has had a good time at the site and comes back for future posts and tutorials.

So the winner of this Chaos Warhound Titan...

... is The Jersey General!

And the crowd goes wild!  ::yay::

The Jersey General, please send me your contact information at brian.j.paasch@gmail.com so I can send you this massive construction!

Scratch Built Chaos Warhound Titan Drawing Tonight

Just wanted to remind everyone that in just under 6 hours a random winner will be drawn in the contest for the Scratch Built Chaos Warhound Titan found here.

Tomorrow evening about this time I will announce the winner.  I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and left such great comments.  I consider SB40k's first contest a smash hit, and hopefully soon I'll be able to have another one!

Thank you all for stopping by and enjoying my little blog!

Space Marine Rhino Chassis part 2

Where were we?  Ah yes, here it is-

Today we're going to start with the front view ports, the wheel rim front and rear cover pieces, and how to build those side exhaust ports that go on either side of the side hatches.

Materials
Plasticard (For Sale signs)
2 part resin (optional though recommended)

Tools
Straight edge ruler
Hobby Knife
Instant Mold (recommended but optional)
Face mask (required if you use the resin)
Hobby mat
150 grit sand paper


At the back of the tank hull, glue into place a piece of plasticard which is slightly larger than the exposed area just above the wheel rim.  Using your hobby knife trim the piece carefully so it no longer overhangs.

Cut strips of plasticard which are the width of your wheel rims.  These are going to be used to 'decorate' the front and back sloped areas of the wheel rims.  Using one of the strips, glue the strip so that it lines up with the design on the side of the tank as seen in the image below.  Continue to do this on the other side and at the rear sloped area of the wheel rim.

Taking your sand paper, sand away any of the hard edges on the tank.  Next we want to do is revisit the template which can find here.  Carefully cut the view port pieces from the plasticard using your hobby knife.  Cut the holes out of the smaller view port and glue it to the center of the larger piece.

Finally, glue the view port onto the tank hull.

For this next bit, cut out pieces of plasticard as directed below:
2 pieces 1 5/8" x 5/8"
1 piece 7/16" x 1/2"
1 piece 3/8" x 3/8"
1 piece 5/8" x 1/4"
1 piece 3/16" x 1 1/8"
3 pieces 3/16" x 13/16"
Hang in there, this bit is long and a little complicated.

1. Glue the two pieces of 1 3/8" x 5/8" pieces together.

2. Glue the 3  3/16" x 13/16" pieces on top of each other.  Glue them to the 1 3/8" x 5/8" pieces as shown in the image below.

3. Glue the 7/16" x 1/2" piece so that it sits up against the 3 3/16" x 13/16" pieces and has an even amount of space on the left and right sides showing.  Now glue the 3/8" x 3/8" piece in the same fashion.

4. Do this again with the 5/8" x 1/4" piece as shown below.

5. Across the top of these glue the 3/16" x 1 1/8" piece so it starts at the top and runs down the center of the piece built so far.  Cut 3/16" strips of plasticard and cut a piece which will fit like the one shown below.  You want it to have as much space showing as the larger piece down at the bottom, which should be about 1/16".

6. Continue tapering the 3/16" for two more layers.  Continue this process so there are 3 evenly spaced openings on either side as it appears below.

7. Repeat this process on the other side.  Using the sand paper, sand the angled edges to remove the edges- they will no longer look like steps, but a strait edge as can be seen below.

This is our basic exhaust piece.  We will need 4 of these for our tank, so you can either repeat steps 1-7 above OR...

OPTIONAL-
To duplicate your exhaust piece, grab your Instant Mold and a cup of hot water.  When the molding plastic is malleable, lay your piece flat like it appears above and press your Instant Mold firmly over it.  Be sure to check your mold for any inconsistencies before moving on to the next step.

Remove your piece from the mold and mix 25 drops of brown bottle resin with 27 drops of clear bottle resin.  The 2 part resin will cure completely in about 10 minutes and won't heat enough to melt this mold.

When you remove the resin piece from the mold, inspect it for any errors and trim the sides with your hobby knife.

If you choose to sand the resin piece, WEAR A MASK.  I can not stress this enough.  Resin is highly toxic as dust particles and will make you sick if you are breathing it in.

Now that your exhaust pieces are completed, glue one 1" from the front most part of the tank and another 7/8" from the rear most as seen below.

This concludes our tutorial for today.  Next week we will finish the tank by adding the doors, top hatches, wheels, and treads.  Till then, happy building!

Sixty 'follower' giveaway- Scratch Built Titan

That got your attention, didn't it?  To celebrate Scratch Built 40k's milestone 60th person to click that little button that says follow, I am giving away the scratch built Khorne Warhound Titan pictured here-

The waist and top half are magnetized for easy storage/travel, along with the weapon arms.  Everything on it was built from scratch using chains, resin, wooden dowels, bottle caps, posterboard, and of course plasticard.

To be available for the drawing, I need those who are interested in this bad boy to be 'someone who likes Scratch Built 40k (follow the site) and leave a comment in the comment section below.  A winner will be randomly drawn on February 24th (Friday) and will be announced here.

(legal mumbo jumbo- All pieces look like what you see above.  Any damage due to shipping is not the fault of Scratch Built 40k.)

With that, good luck!

Space Marine Rhino Chassis part 1

Welcome back to Scratch Built 40k.  Today we will begin the Space Marine Rhino scratch build tutorial.  When this tutorial series is completed you will have a vehicle which can easily be modified to represent a basic Rhino, Razorback, Whirlwind, Predator, or even a Vindicator.  I use InstantMold for a few of the pieces to save time but if you don't have access to it or the parts being duplicated there will be instructions for those pieces (though obviously less detailed).  So with that all said, on to the tutorial!

Materials Needed:
For Sale sign (found at Wal-Mart, hardware stores, etc)
3/16" thick Posterboard (that stuff with Styrofoam inside and thin cardboard on both sides)

Tools Needed:
Strait edged ruler (preferably metal and containing a right angle)
Hobby knife
Super glue or hot glue


Here are the templates for the major pieces of the project, cut from the materials indicated.  If the template sizes indicated aren't matching up to that you print (which has been happening to me sometimes), you may need to mess with the sizes in a paint program.  All the sizes, though, have been made to scale in Paint.net.

First, you will want to cut each of thee pieces from the materials indicated.  Any right angles are made easier by using a triangle ruler.  This will help prevent future mistakes and keep the tank from having a wobbly effect.

Next, gather the wheel well pieces.  From the posterboard cut 2 pieces which are the same length as the plasticard piece but 3/8" shorter from top to bottom.  Using either super glue or hot glue assemble the pieces as show in the image below.  The posterboard pieces will allow for the wheel rims to sit nicely in the wheel well when we get to that step.

Taking a second wheel well piece, glue so that it matches the other side.  Duplicate this effect with the other two wheel well pieces so that the two sides match up.

Now that you have your two wheel wells put together, gather the two posterboard pieces.  Take the piece labeled as the top and cut a 45 degree angle into one of the shorter sides.  The top one you will glue along the edge of the wheel rim with the angled side overhanging past the back edge. You may wish to use 2 pieces of posterboard which measure 1" by 2" to provide for structural support as I have done here.

Glue the other wheel rim in place so that it is flush with the first side you glued.  Next glue the bottom in place so that it has an even distance from the front and back of the wheel rim (this should be almost non-existent).  Taking the front bottom piece glue into place so the long edge is even with the posterboards bottom edge.  Match the front angled piece so it connects the bottom front with the top (it's ok if there is a little overhang- simply trim this using your hobby knife).  Do the same at the back of the vehicle frame.

Next add the wheel well detail pieces to the sides of the vehicle.  Measure carefully the width of the wheel rims with the plasticard attached and cut strips of plasticard which will run the length of the vehicle's wheel frames.  Starting at the front angled part of the wheel well, glue the plasticard in place, following all the way to the back of the vehicle.  At each of the bends, gently score the plasticard with your hobby knife to allow the plastic to bend without breaking apart.  At the very back of the vehicle cut the piece so that it only overhangs about halfway (1/4") down to leave room for the wheel track.  Do the same on the other side.

Using the left over from those plasticard strips (you saved that, right?) add pieces to the front and back just like it appears in the image above.  Now sand all of the edges so that they appear rounded.

Well, this is going to conclude the first tutorial part of this vehicle.  Next week I will go over how to make the wheels, tank treads, front visor, side exhaust ports, rivets, and the top and side doors and hatches.  Till then, happy scratch building!

Custom Made Banner for Custom Chapter

Ok, I know I'm posting way too much this week (don't want to raise expectations that this many posts will be common place) but I am too pleased with myself not to share.  Below is the chapter banner I made in about 6 hours for my Pride of the Emperor chapter.

For my first banner, I am quite pleased with the results.  I wanted it to look like stained glass and I think I did an ok job pulling it off.  Now I just need a standard bearer to put it on!

Instant Mold- How To Use It

I've recently run across a lot of posts on the internet which cover the use of Instant Mold or one of its variants.  Often they miss a few things I've discovered (through trial and error) due to being a first or second time use and I was convinced that this would be a good time to do a thorough how to on the stuff that allows me to scratch build at an alarming rate (often too fast to paint!).

 This is the stuff I'm talking about.  If you are using another brand, results may vary as I have no experience outside this particular brand.  I would assume (uh oh) that they would work in a fairly similar fashion and these tips and tricks will work for other brands of molding plastic.

1. When working with Instant Mold, be sure to use slightly hotter water than it states on the package.  At 170 degrees Fahrenheit the mold cools too quickly and it may not have enough time to spread over the piece you wish to duplicate.  I have found 208 to 215 degrees Fahrenheit works best.

2. With 1 part molds (molds that lay flat on one side) use something to put the piece in so the mold has a shape to conform to.  What does this mean exactly?  When making the mold often times small areas won't become properly filled in because pressure from multiple sides can't be applied.  With an enclosure (ie  sides) to force the mold material to stay within a confined area you will be able to apply more even pressure from the top.  This will reduce imperfections.

3. Wipe off any excess water after removing the mold material.  Imperfections are often caused by the water still sitting on the mold material that has no place to escape when forming around the cast piece.

4. Two part resin CAN be used with Instant Mold.  The trick here is to only use it with smaller molds or apply multiple layers so the resin can't heat up to a temperature which will melt the plastic.  It takes some experience to know how much is too much.  The thinner the piece, the easier it is to cast in one go.  Generally I've found that if there are less than 40 drops from each bottle (yes, I count the drops) you won't be melting the mold.

5. When using resin with two part molds, fill both sides to almost the top.  Finish filling one side and allow them to cure.  Now complete the part by filling the side which has the gap and put the two pieces together.  Let the two sides cure together.  Complete your piece by removing the two sides and trimming any excess.

If you use these simple tips and tricks, you'll have no problem making some fantastic duplicates.  To show I'm actually talking from experience, here are some things I've used the Instant Mold to create.

Almost all resin

Resin bases are prime for recreating

Custom daemon base

Floating Horror heads

Flamers of Tzeentch... entire model 2 part mold

Don't be afraid to try new things

Quick bonus post here at SB40K where I will share some pictures of the Bloodthirster I've been practicing on with my airbrush.  As one of the many tools available to me, the airbrush is unfortunately one which I have had the least experience.  It's hard to pick up a new tool and continue on, hoping to add to our experience and create something which pleases us.

On this model here I was able to get the effect I wanted on the ax, armor, and the wings.  Overall I consider the airbrushing a success so far, though there is still a long way to go until I recognize the limitations of the tool.

Still, I don't consider even the failures to be without their merits.  On the image below I can see where my hand slipped between the wing areas, getting some grey on the red.  Also on the chains I went too wide with my stroke.  Both times were due to becoming impatient.

When we try new things it is easy to become discouraged when the results aren't what we would like.  To grow in this hobby, though, risks need to be taken and mistakes learned from.  Note your successes, improve on your failures, and keep trying.  Your experience will improve and will show on your creations much quicker than you would expect.