Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Tallarn Progress Report ^_^

So, still no new cam. I may try for a group shot to see if the cam will focus on some of the guys. Since it focuses behind the minis on macro shots, Im hoping a group pic will 'trick' it into focusing on something usable :)

I've got several more kheffiyehs sculpted up on my Labor Platoon. A lack of shoulder pads is slowing me down. Ive been sculpting them in the same shape as the cadian ones, but thats getting tedious. So, Im going to break out my old mold for some shoulder pads that are very similar to kroot shoulder pads, and the look good on catachans and cadians. Its a really small mold though, so mixing resin in super small quantities like that will require some pipettes (ebay!! 100 for 7$!!).

So, thats sorta stalled the progress of working on the troops. So I started workin on another character model. My very own Ironsand Strakhan :) IG figs with power fists are kinda rare, so I found the catachan Capt. and after some work he's got a nice flowing robe. His 'high &tight' hair do got filed down and he'll be getting a slightly more ornate kheffiyeh than the troops. Add in a sash and I should have a pretty bad ass Ironhand counts as.

Im also considering purchasing 3 1/48th scale Hind 24d helicopter models to convert to Valks/Vendettas. Why you ask? Theyre almost the same size, with a little work they'll make a nice substitute and will fit my army theme better. And, the biggest factor since Im CHEAP- 3 of them will cost about 45$. So, yeah, thats like a 4 to 1 price advantage over a Valk kit.

Oohh ohh, I also just acquired a 160 watt Ultrasonic cleaner, should be big enough to fit a land raider in. If it works like I anticipate- stripping will become rather simple. SuperClean soak, sonic cleaner for 5-10 minutes, poof, naked figs. If it does work that well, I'll have easy access to another 100 or so cadians and 160+ catachans to convert & fill out my IG ranks (I got them in various trades for cheap due to hideous paint).

8 comments:

  1. Hey MOM! :P It's Kan from Dakka.

    Let me know how that Ultrasonic Cleaner works, I've been thinking about getting one for awhile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you have the manual (or can find it online), check the macro focus range for your camera. i was getting horrid macro until I found out mine has a 4.5" minimum focus depth. Just backed the camera up, auto-focus, and then crop the image after. Also, don't use the zoom as that mucks the macro focus range to all hell.

    Heh. Verification word: "mompityp". Having a pity party that I need to break up?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tsk tsk, Dverning didnt read the previous post about my craptacular cam! Its a 5 year old Olympus that I rescued from my former room mates great dane. It was gonna get tossed out, which was dumb since the only thing wrong with it was a bent bezel that kept the lens from extending.

    It just recent stopped working in macro mode- will only focus on the back ground, and no amount of adjusting, manuevering, or trying to trick it will let it focus on the figs. So, scouring ebay for something serviceable and cheap ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. my craptacular cam
    Hah. I have an 8-year old 3.2 megapixel that you can pick up on Amazon for less than $30 now. I know all about craptacular cameras.

    Check your focus programming. It might be set to check multi-point focus. Set it to center focus and you should see a difference. Also, try scooting it back a foot or so and see what happens.
    If it works, awesome. If it doesn't, no loss. :-p

    ReplyDelete
  5. Programming? Hahahhahahahaa

    Its a point and shoot. I'm keepin an eye out for something with actual manual controls. Thats what I liked about my old nikkon- if the autos wouldnt work I could just say 'screw it!' and get the manual settings to work.

    I've got a sale for some of my old IG lined up that should get me enough funds for a good camera. Im lookin at a Kodak z915, it looks simple, has manual settings, and Jen can use it for her landscape sorta pics when shes in the mood.

    Oh, and I skipped on the Hind 24 models, and got the stuffs to make somewhere around a half gallon of wash/inks in 6 colors(more when I get the mixes right). I figure Im relearning how to paint, Im gonna be lazy about it ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You were looking for models to use to make Tallarn styled Valkyries I'm guessing?
    *plugs in his Squadron shop recorded programming*
    www.squadron.com

    If you're looking for a modern aviation/armour kit and they don't have it in any scale?
    It doesn't exist.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, I checked squadron, they charge a couple $$ more than Tower Hobbies ;) And Tower chops a couple extra off the price if you buy more than one of some items. So, 15$x3 = better than 18x3 ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good to see you back!
    I would be interested in seeing how the Cleaner works. I have one I got cheap at an auction that I use for cleaning circuit boards and tools. I haven't yet been game to put minis in it yet tho! :(

    ReplyDelete