Author Topic: A brace of mortars (WIP) (Read 7526 times)

Nix · « **on:** July 07, 2010, 06:56:05 PM »

In preparation to 8th Edition, I've decided to make use of spare mortar barrels left from the cannon set. I took this carriage (http://www.cannonsuperstore.com/New_Folder16/howitzer17.jpg) as an example, and here is the result. I think to add some greenstuff details, maybe a couple of rivets.

mattdus · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2010, 07:09:39 PM »

WOW!! these are great, I have been thinking about doing the same thing myself but I don't think I could do anywhere near this nice a job.

Uryens de Crux · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:33:21 PM »

very nice work indeed!

patsy02 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:39:55 PM »

Really well done.

Immovable Object · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:42:17 PM »

Great work, look forward to seeing them painted

rufus sparkfire · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2010, 09:55:34 PM »

Excellent mortars.

General Tomerix Rotenkopf · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2010, 10:03:58 PM »

Very cool! I also have left-over mortars. Going to try and make something similar. Good job!

scabbard · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2010, 10:28:51 PM »

Those are great!! Is there anyway you could do a tutorial?

Dosiere · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2010, 01:00:51 AM »

You made the carriages out of some type of plasticard?

I second the tutorial request if so!

THose look really great.

newach · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2010, 01:21:24 AM »

Those are so cool!

132nd · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2010, 03:23:05 AM »

Very cool.

Nix · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:31:10 AM »

The carriages are indeed made of plasticard, 1mm thick sheets. For sides I've made one silhouette template and then cut out 16 copies of it (tedious work!). I then glued them together in bunches of 4 . At this stage carriage sides still look pretty rough because scissors deform edges a bit. Then I used a dremel with a fine cylindrical cutter to smooth out the edges. The central slab uses the same technique, but only in 3 layers.

After that it is all becomes simple. Just add leftover bits here and there. Handles, for example, were taken from 4 original mortar carriage parts (the short curved ones).

Hope it helps. Unleash the pie plate doom!

Gadhrain · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:35:18 AM »

Great idea!

/Rob

Wendersnaven · « **Reply #13 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:40:12 AM »

A clean and excellent use of bitz!

Delthos · « **Reply #14 on:** July 08, 2010, 02:54:19 PM »

Very nice, I like it! I'm doing the same, but I'm using a different style of chassis. I think I had looked at a similar reference to what you did. I considered using it, but I felt the metal chassis was inappropriate for Empire cannons. I went with a wood style that has a look like the current chassis. I actually built mine using the same technique. I laminated three sheets of 1mm thick plastic card to make mine. I didn't use scissors, but an X-acto knife, then after the glue was dry I trimed them and sanded them. Then I used some squadron white putty to fill in any remaining gaps and sanded them down again once it was dry. I used a dremel to cut the half moon shaped indents for the Mortar pegs to fit into. I'll have to get some pictures taken of my work soon

One slight criticism, does your crew have a platform they will be standing on to load that thing? The way you've built it the muzzle has to be at about shoulder or higher level and it would be a real pain in the butt to load it. The one in the picture looks like it is about 2.5 foot high. Your chassis looks to be about 4 foot tall.

Nix · « **Reply #15 on:** July 08, 2010, 04:30:44 PM »

Quote from: Delthos on July 08, 2010, 02:54:19 PM

One slight criticism, does your crew have a platform they will be standing on to load that thing?

Well, I didn't think about that. Honestly, I never strove to realistic proportions in Warhammer. But now, when you have mentioned it, I imagine crewmen throwing the shells in the barrel like in basketball

Gneisenau · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:11:06 PM »

Quote from: Nix on July 08, 2010, 05:31:10 AM

The carriages are indeed made of plasticard, 1mm thick sheets. For sides I've made one silhouette template and then cut out 16 copies of it (tedious work!). I then glued them together in bunches of 4 . At this stage carriage sides still look pretty rough because scissors deform edges a bit. Then I used a dremel with a fine cylindrical cutter to smooth out the edges. The central slab uses the same technique, but only in 3 layers.

After that it is all becomes simple. Just add leftover bits here and there. Handles, for example, were taken from 4 original mortar carriage parts (the short curved ones).

Hope it helps. Unleash the pie plate doom!

Ah, excellent! As a neat side effect, the upwards facing sides look like carved wood. Well done!

The height is no issue in my opinion; the crew can easily step on the horizontal plank to load it.

GamesPoet · « **Reply #17 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:53:11 PM »

Mortars are on the return in Empire armies and this pair certainly looks well done!

warhammerlord_soth · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2010, 06:19:48 PM »

Loving it !

Did you make WIP pics, by chance ?

Nix · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2010, 06:41:07 PM »

Quote from: warhammerlord_soth on July 08, 2010, 06:19:48 PM

Loving it !

Did you make WIP pics, by chance ?

Unfortunately, no. Although, If you're interested, I may repeat the process of making one carriage side and take photos of it. It is not difficult.

Now I need an advice. I plan to paint the carriage as wooden. Even smaller wooden parts of GW cannon carriage are reinforced by metal plates. Should I add such plates or stripes on these carriages, or may be they would look good as is? The only way I can add these details is greenstuffing them, and I sooo hate it...

warhammerlord_soth · « **Reply #20 on:** July 08, 2010, 07:03:21 PM »

I think they look great as is.

Gneisenau · « **Reply #21 on:** July 08, 2010, 07:04:12 PM »

I agree.

GamesPoet · « **Reply #22 on:** July 08, 2010, 07:21:26 PM »

Wouldn't change a thing.

Delthos · « **Reply #23 on:** July 08, 2010, 07:33:52 PM »

I think they look good like they are.

That being said you don't need to green stuff them. I used the cardboard from the box a set of binoculars came in. It's about .5mm thick and smooth and shiney on one side and rough like all cardboard on the other. I cut it into 3mm wide strips and I super glued it in place with the smooth shiny side out. Its thin enough and pliable enough to bend without wrinkling. I then took some spare plastic arrows, from all the different kits that come with arrows, and cut them into rivets. You have to do this slow so that they don't go flying away as they are so small. I'd say they are about .25 mm thick, some even thinner than that. Then using a fresh X-Acto knife blade, I stabbed the "rivets" with the tip of the blade, and carefully dipped them into some super glue and put them in place on the plates. You have to be careful when dipping them as the glue's surface tension can pull the rivet off the blade. Once that was done I took a small push pin and dipped it into some thin watery super glue and applied this to the bare edges of the all the cardboard. This helps bond it to the plastic a little bit more and seals the edges so that when you paint it it looks more like metal.

I like my results so much I'm thinking of building another one and then getting one of the mold making kits available and casting some up in resin. I'm definitely going to get some pictures of mine at some point in the future.

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Author Topic: A brace of mortars (WIP) (Read 7526 times)