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Gaming
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Painting and Modeling
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Terrain and Scenery
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| RESOURCES
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| ARMIES
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 I
decided to create a scenic base for this model,
largely because of the restraining chains that
attach to the wheels and chassis of the Hellcannon.
Of course, one could simply set up these restraining
chains directly on the games table next to the
Hellcannon. However, because I didn't want to
lose these small bitz and because a cool centrepiece
model like the Hellcannon deserves some special
treatment, I decided to make a scenic base. Although
there are a number of ways to make a scenic base,
you can use the following steps to create one
much like mine. |
| Spend
some time positioning and repositioning
your completed Hellcannon, crewmen,
restraining chains, and skull
piles into different arrangements
until you find one you like. Transfer
your arrangement onto a piece
of 3/16" Masonite, and use
a pencil to trace an outline of
the bitz, most importantly the
bases of the crewmen, directly
onto the Masonite. |
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Use a saw to cut out the piece
of Masonite in any shape you
like. I decided on a simple
rectangle, but you could use
an oval or irregular shape.
Make sure to leave a border
of at least 3/8" of Masonite
around all parts of the models.
A border this size will look
nice and help to protect your
model during handling, storage,
and play. I used a circular
saw to cut out my rectangular
shape. A hand saw would work
here too.
Remember that power
tools can be dangerous; if you
are under 18 or are inexperienced
in the use of power tools, ask
for help from a knowledgeable
adult.
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In steps 3-5, you'll cut out
the holes in which the crewmen
will stand. Start with a power
drill with a wide bit and drill
several holes all the way through
the Masonite in the exact spots
where the crewmen will stand.
You could also use a hand drill
for this step. You're drilling
these holes so that you can
fit your saw blade through the
Masonite in the next step.
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| Use
a jigsaw to cut out the square
areas where the crewmen will stand.
Start by installing a thin, woodcutting
blade into your jigsaw. Insert
the blade into one of the holes
you drilled and carefully cut
out the square shape. You could
also use a coping saw for this
step. Repeat this process until
all three areas are cut out. |
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| Clean
up the holes you just cut with
a medium-sized file (don't use
a hobby file; it'll take forever).
You might find that a large utility
knife (the heavy-duty kind with
a metal handle that holds retractable
trapezoidal razor blades) will
help you clean up the holes too.
Keep a spare 20-mm base on hand
to check the fit as you file the
holes. You want a pretty snug
fit so that the scenic base will
help hold your crewmen in place
as you move the model. |
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Bevel the outside edges of
your piece of Masonite. There
are several ways you can do
so. I used a palm sander. You
could also use a file, sandpaper
wrapped around a scrap block
of wood, or a router. You could
also simply cut out your Masonite
base at an angle in Step 2.
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Superglue a piece of plasticard
slightly larger than your Masonite
base to the bottom of your base.
The plasticard should overhang
the base by a fraction of an
inch.
Hint. Apply the superglue
to the bottom of the Masonite
rather than the top of the plasticard
to avoid getting unsightly lumps
of dried glue in the spots where
the crewmen will stand. These
spots will be visible when casualties
are removed. Make sure to cover
the bottom of the Masonite completely
with your superglue.
Set the plasticard/Masonite
assembly on a flat surface and
put something heavy on top of
it for several minutes while
the superglue dries.
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| Once
the glue dries, cut off any
excess plasticard so that the
edges are flush with Masonite.
Use your heavy-duty utility
knife for this cut. The edge
of the Masonite will serve as
a cutting guide. |
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| Cover
the top of your base with white
glue and sprinkle sand on top
of the glue. Be careful not
to get any glue inside the areas
where the crewmen will stand.
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When the glue dries, shake
off any excess sand and prime
your base with Chaos Black
Spray.
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When the primer dries, paint
your base to match the rest
of the models in your army.
My base colours and techniques
are as follows: basecoat with
Bestial Brown, heavy coat
of slightly thinned Brown
Ink, heavy drybrush of Bestial
Brown, medium drybrush of
Bestial Brown mixed with Bleached
Bone, and finally a very light
drybrush of Bleached Bone.
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Superglue the Hellcannon, restraining
chains, and skull piles in place.
I positioned my skull piles
next to one another toward the
back of the Hellcannon and added
a few leftover skulls from the
Skeleton Regiment Sprue to make
the two skull piles look like
one big skull pile.
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As you can see, this arrangement
suggests that the crewman with
the shovel has been hard at
work and has made a big dent
in the skull pile over the course
of the battle.
Do not superglue the crew
in place. The crew models should
sit in the holes you cut in
the Masonite and can be removed
as the crew takes casualties
during play.
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You may want to add a little
white glue and sand near the
bottom of the wheels, skull
piles, and restraining chain
bases to cover up any gaps between
these bitz and your base. Paint
the sand to match your base.
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Attach static grass, flock,
or whatever basing material
you use on your army's bases.
You can also add a few extra
bitz to add character to your
base.
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I added a few extra skulls
to make it look like a few had
scattered from the pile as well
as a single Chaos Warrior shield.
I love the new Chaos Warrior
shields. However, all the Chaos
Warriors in my army have additional
hand weapons. As such, I used
the scenic base as an excuse
to paint one of these cool bitz.
Be careful not to overdo it
at this stage. Too many doodads
on your base can distract the
eye from the Hellcannon itself.
If you limit yourself to just
a couple of extras and paint
them in dark or neutral tones
(like the extra skulls), you
won't go wrong.
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Challenge a buddy to a game
of Warhammer and use your Hellcannon
to blast away at the Defenders
of Middenheim and reduce them
to pools of protoplasmic goo!
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