{EDIT} 10/24/2012
Hi everyone,
For all of you here on the Conclave, I want to let you know that SkyFall Miniatures is now up and running in London, Ontario, Canada. I'm still in the process of designing miniatures, but I am opening my manufacturing facilities to custom moulding and casting requests. I am looking for a web-designer and graphics designer for www[dot]skyfallminiatures[dot]com.
For those who are wondering, I am equipped with a functioning vacuum chamber, and as such can mould/cast most things. I also use a silicone rubber that allows me to cast low-melt metals.
I can be contacted through PM or via my e-mail as posted on my profile here at the 'Clave. I look forward to working with all of you, and providing you with high-quality resin castings for all your hobbying needs!
Best,
Dionzi
*** ** ***
So I'm finally in the mood to do sculpting again, so I'm working on finishing a bunch of projects. Just as a note, these are all decorated as though they were to be used as props in a GW-based game. The actual miniatures will be genericized.
First off is the High-Bore weapon sprue:
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/HiBoreTacticalWeaponSprue01.jpg)
At the moment I'm working on the first (it looks like a combi-plasma, but isn't, because that would be copyright infringement :P):
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/BolterEXPPack01CombiPlasma01.jpg)
Secondly, I'm making a mixed weapon pack. I'm not sure if I'll add a shotgun to the mix, so I'm hoping for feedback on that:
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/HiBoreMixedRangedWeaponSprue01.jpg)
I'm also in the process of making a winged-pauldron for space marine models, and I've got one "hierophant" and a "tech-master" bust going: until I get things up and running, each will be merely a bust (mid-rib-cage up) to be used on existing 54mm heroic scale models. I'll eventually be offering both the conversion kit and the full miniature.
This beast is the hierophant: I expect he can be used as an archoflagellant or Chaos beastling...or if you're so inclined, Inquisitor Heldane from Dan Abnett's "Eisenhorn" trilogy.
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/SKFHPHT01.jpg)
Your HB-MPE has nowhere for the action (i.e. where the bolt feeds rounds from the magazine into the barrel breach) to go - the whole chunk that's missing out of the top rear is where the action would have to be - so it looks very odd as a weapon.
I suppose you could throw an explanation of a weird feed mechanism at it, but that would be an excuse (and a rather limp one) rather than a solution. It would be better, in my mind, to shift the whole back end up so it was in line behind the barrel.
Of course, not everyone will care, but at least some people will and might be put off buying.
First of all, I'm really happy someone wants to try this! :D The bullpups look really cool, though I agree with Marcos point, the feeding system would probably be really strange and prone to jamming at the very least. On another note, where's the trigger for the weapon mounted under the HB-MPE?
I've got a few comments though. In your High-Bore weapon sprue, I'm not sure I understand what picture number three is supposed to show me around the grip and magazine, mind explaining, or redrawing?
Also, on the Tactical Assault Laser, I'm not sure the laser sight should go on top, perhaps it could grip onto the underside of the barrel, between the body of the gun and the tip, you know, where the barrel is pretty thin? From what I've seen on firearms from this millenium, the top of guns are mostly reserved for red dot sights, scopes and iron sights, whilst the sides and undersides of the barrel are home for flashlights and laser sights.
Shotguns are always cool, but wouldn't a small submachine gun, like an UMP, a Carl Gustaf Kpist M/45 or an MP5(SD) be pretty cool? Not sure I've seen a lot of SMGs on here.
In my defense, the HB-MPE is derived from the combi-bolter held by Azrael (Dark Angels Grand Master) and the assault laser is seen in the =I= rulebook toward the beginning: it's a b/w painting, with the heading "Warrior Bands" on the top left page - the woman/inquisitor/battle sister on the recto side, above the fella with the hammer and autopistol. And you're right, I used the wrong word, Trasher - it's a red dot sight rather than a laser sight.
I'm generally of the opinion that most combi-weapons aren't practical anyway: bolters and my "high-bore monopropellant X" weapons tend to have shorter barrels, with the action/ejection port in odd places. In this instance, the ejection port is unnecessary: bolter rounds/HB-MPX weapons are self-propelled, needing no cases (technically, but they're included in sculpts, miniatures and artwork anyway). I'll use the excuse that the emergency action is integral to the ventral sighting-rail: haul back on the front sight and the internal action slides out the back. Wouldn't that disrupt sighting/aiming? Yes. That's why it's an emergency action - it's used primarily for weapon maintenance. HB-MPX weapons use caseless ammo, needing no cases or ejection ports or bulky action mechanisms. As a potentially weak argument? I don't think so: http://world.guns.ru/assault/de/hk-g11-e.html (http://world.guns.ru/assault/de/hk-g11-e.html) I've actually fired one of these assault rifles (Heckler und Koch G11 Rifle), and they are a very neat weapon. In the G11's case, the "ejection port" per se is located at the bottom, so the remains of the propellant simply drops out the bottom. It can get a bit warm, but the ash tends to blow away fairly swiftly.
I love military history. :D ::)
Bear in mind that GW and most sci-fi weapons are designed for aesthetics rather than practicality. I'm concentrating on finally providing some of the neater-looking weapons and equipment I've seen illustrations of over the last few decades :)
@ Trasher: look at the image on pg 63 of the =I= Rulebook. The mutant has his hand wrapped behind the magazine. I decided that looked kind of cool, so I'm putting the magazine above the shooter's wrist on an angle: two reasons - one, it looks neat (see my above comment), two, the magazine can act both as a brace (wack someone with the barrel of your weapon in an emergency without twisting it around in your hand) and as a protection for the wrist (blocks the blade or impact of an enemy's weapon). In general it's not only a bolt-pistol sort of thing, but can be used by enterprising hobbyists as the foundation for their own bolt-weapons, essentially the grip, trigger, magazine, action, and chamber in one package.
The booster packs I'm designing just now are basically generic knock-offs of the kewl stuff we see in many books, notably for this particular forum, from the =I= rulebook. If there's something somebody wants to see specifically, please let me know :)
Quote from: Inquisitor Dionzi on May 26, 2012, 08:17:20 PMBolter rounds/HB-MPX weapons are self-propelled, needing no cases (technically, but they're included in sculpts, miniatures and artwork anyway).
It's a common misconception that bolters are (or were) caseless - on Warseer, I eventually challenged the idea they ever had been, and no-one could actually find a canonical source*, even as far back as the original 40k RT book.
When that lack of evidence is put up against the very large number of boltgun casings flying around in artwork, there's no case (ironic pun intended) for them being caseless weapons.
*Autoguns however do have canonical statements both ways, so we can assume there are different types of autogun.
Knee-jerk reaction: "We know that GW has a bad history of retaining consistency in its canon - look at what Matt Ward is doing. The argument can go any direction for any weapon in the WH40k fluff because GW itself publishes conflicting information."
And as far as the high-bore monopropellant X weapons with which I am fiddling, they're caseless :P
wasn't there a quote from Jes Goodwin then the 3rd edition marine plastic kit (ie the first version of the current marine multipart sprue) where he discusses the firing mechanism of a bolter; how there's ejection ports on both sides so the mechanism detects which side is open to eject cases?
Might be, and it would make sense, considering the presence of dual ejection ports. I'm glad I'm not doing bolters tho' :-P The case is valid though. Some of the High-Bore Monopropellant X weapons should have ejection ports. :)
Quote from: Inquisitor Dionzi on May 26, 2012, 08:17:20 PM
I used the wrong word, Trasher - it's a red dot sight rather than a laser sight.
Thanks, all kinds of alarms were going off in my head :) It's got a wire, is it supposed to link up to a pair of glasses, a helmet (with HUD), or perhaps a bionic eye?
Quote from: Inquisitor Dionzi on May 26, 2012, 08:17:20 PM
I'm putting the magazine above the shooter's wrist on an angle: the magazine can act both as a brace (wack someone with the barrel of your weapon in an emergency without twisting it around in your hand) and as a protection for the wrist (blocks the blade or impact of an enemy's weapon).
Ooh I love that picture and I've always wanted to make some mutants based on the ones in it! The quote sounds interesting, but in
my opinion having a magazine outside my wrist (if I understood your description) would make it quite a hassle changing magazines. Though I understand the reasoning behind it, maybe it's more of a close quarters sort of thing? Empty a mag in the general direction then club your enemy to death if you missed? Maybe you could emphasize the CQB-nature of the weapon with a bayonet? Perhaps you could let it swivel somehow, letting the user decide if it's straight down as a normal bullpup, or to the right or left of the weapon depending on the user?
Please don't take this as I'm complaining on your work, I'm very happy someone wants to do this and I'm trying to help you do a great job!
(http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?s=2c01dbd58175a48e1eb1489ba0846f34&attachmentid=1447202&stc=1&d=1332508724)
Not that you're guilty of most of these sins, mind, but I thought you might find it at least marginally helpful. (The HB-MPE in particular exhibits a few of these problems, as well as one or two that are all its own; I get that it's based on Azrael's gun, but why copy a bad design?) You might want to check out the website (http://rmory.net/), actually. Some of the steampunk designs would slot quite well into the 40k universe - and I imagine that rmory's less apt to try and litigate than certain other parties, so there's that.
I do love the ambition of this project, it must be said. Hopefully it'll all come to fruition.
I must say that for me personally, whether a gun 'works' is essentially irrelevant, I will always play the 'rule of cool' in these situations. Though there are clear times when ridiculous removes the coolness, I think the problems noted with these designs are very minor and don't remove any of the enjoyment of a kick arse weapon!
Not that I have any problem with you guys pointing flaws out and such, each to his own and all:) just that in my case I think the weapons look cool and I don't look deeper into it to establish if the sights are lined up or the ejection port makes sense. Though I really do wonder how you would hold the weapon Zakkeg linked!
Hopefully some of these weapons will make it and the gruesome face at the end!
(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk129/slayercat27/KittenThread.jpg)
Let nothing derail you from getting these designs to production - Inquisitor desperately needs some new high-quality weapon packs in circulation, and this looks like it could answer that need.
I have to say, it's kinda funny that I scrolled down, looked at each design for a brief second and could tell which artwork each design was from, and I applaud this. Technology in the 41st millennium was designed to look really, really cool, with no afterthought to how well it actually functions - both from an in-game fluff perspective and a writer's perspective, and this is a very, very good thing. If you are forced to explain to someone asks how they function, reply 'Geller Fields'.
Crucially though, it doesn't matter how you want them to look, it's your work after all. Just remember that not everyone will want them to look that way, or will want to buy multiple packs (nudge nudge) so they can adapt them to look different. So long as you try and factor in some kind of modular construction, for example making it easy to remove magazines and put them somewhere different, or having certain areas of the gun such as the underside or along the top, flatter/easy to file down so people can experiment with their own designs, a bit like this:
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e58/RobSkib/Inquisitor/k7sln44w.jpg?t=1338122276)
Keep up the good work! I will be watching this thread with glee :)
Azreal-style combi-plasma would be nice - I love that model so much, I think at one point I could have made a unit of helmet bearers. Also about damn time someone made a version of that dual-barrel Lasgun from the rulebook. Red dot sight seems a little superfluous though, couldn't the lasers themselves project the targeting beam? Anyway, doesn't matter as it can be snipped off.
Might be worth seeing if you want to snag any ideas from the unreleased Lasweapon pack (http://www.collecting-citadel-miniatures.com/wiki/index.php/File:Unreleased_-_Inquisitor_54mm_Las_Weapons.jpg) - was a damn shame that was never brought out.
anyway, Inquisitor boosters are great, doubly so if they're from the community
Quote from: Charax on May 30, 2012, 04:37:42 PMAlso about damn time someone made a version of that dual-barrel Lasgun from the rulebook.
Kaled already did ages ago (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t286/kaled100/lillith.jpg). (Unless you specifically mean for sale)
QuoteMight be worth seeing if you want to snag any ideas from the unreleased Lasweapon pack (http://www.collecting-citadel-miniatures.com/wiki/index.php/File:Unreleased_-_Inquisitor_54mm_Las_Weapons.jpg) - was a damn shame that was never brought out.
I lost an ebay auction for the bottom middle lasgun from that set the other day, thing sold for £25 or so. Shame as I was planning to send it on to one of the members of our community establish in the art of resin casting.
The first rule of designing anything is function is everything. Keep it as simple and user friendly as possible.
Quote from: Simeon Blackstar on June 04, 2012, 11:44:01 AM
Guys, I was watching that last unreleased lasgun and thinking of sending it on to the Conclave too, but decided it went too high for me. Could it be worth setting up a Conclave funding pool and having just one of us bid? That way we wouldn't compete against each other, have more chance of making it available to the community at large, and can afford to pay a larger amount for it. I mean, if even ten of us donate £3 per weapon, that could easily be a winning bid.
With that cash, you could grab some Procreate, some old credit cards and some super glue and set about creating your own replicas! Like Charax suggested, having a pool of money is a nice idea, but very impractical, especially when you consider it on a large business scale - everyone would essentially be investors.
In my opinion, it would be best to encourage the homebrew versions rather than pine over the versions-that-never-were. We need to give Dionzi the support he needs (and the occasional poke to remind him to hurry up :P ) as well as producing our own versions.
Keep up the good work Dionzi! We're all rooting for you.
Quote from: RobSkib on June 04, 2012, 08:01:08 PM
(and the occasional poke to remind him to hurry up :P ) as well as producing our own versions.
know that feeling :-[
If I could find an appropriately sheepish emoticon, I'd use it!
Shaiyleigh took about 250 hours over 8 years to get to the point where I'm half-way satisfied with her - she's castable, but I'm already designing her new form. Dionzi is on his 12th variation since 2002!
I'm waiting on my new Artemis and Covenant so I can proceed with the weapons packs: I need them for scale - my existing weapons kits are all for the Artemis mini, so are, understandably, too large for the average schmoe.
thread split. Ebay discussion Here (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2060.msg27630#msg27630).
now Dionzi. give us development pics! ;)
Dionzi:
I have been out of Inquisitor for about 8 years but have a very large amount of miniatures and bits. On my way out of college, I purchased two lots of whole (unopened & opened) kits along with three piles of bitz from eBay. Silly me, but I thought when I had my own house and only 1 job that I would have more time for games than I did with two jobs while going to college.
Anyway, to the point, if you need specific bits for comparison or even to base new weapon designs on, please let me know. I am more than willing to send out a handful of weapon bitz in exchange for a casting or two to replace them at a future date. All they're doing right now is collecting dust in my bitz box until I change to a less intense (read not rotating shift) job.
Post here if interested.
OOO! Oo! Oo! *wave hand frantically* I'm interested! I'm interested!
(EDIT:: e-mail is on account, and we're in contact :) )
Check email
Hi All,
I'm now beginning to take pre-orders for both Skivvy (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1581.0 (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1581.0)) and Shaiyleigh (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1479.0 (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1479.0)): I have the vac chamber, I just need to get funds for the silicone rubber and resin. The weapons packs (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2019.0 (http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2019.0)) are still in development, but I am receiving considerable support from this community, and I hope to soon have two, perhaps all three ready to go soon!
I'm offering one free mini or one free weapon-pack to the people who place orders between now and the end of August: For now, I'm thinking Skivvy at 8GBP, Shaiyleigh at 14GBP, and weapons packs at 8GBP. The free mini/weapon pack will be at the choice of the customer (duplicate or summat different). This is for 2 reasons: one, the Conclave community has supported me for so long that I want to give something back; two, I am asking for money up front (for now), and I want to give something back to the people who help get this project up off the ground, both financially and in faith. As I get manufacturing materials stockpiled, I plan to increase the size of weapons packs (from 3 weapons to 6 weapons for 8 quid), but for now, this is what I can do.
I am also accepting custom orders for self-made minis!
So, anyway, I thought you'd like to know, and feel free to contact me either through PM here or via e-mail (dionzi[at]skyfallminiatures.com)
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Dio
No offence Dionzi, but I wouldn't be surprised if people would rather see finished weapons and models before they start funding the casting process.
Dionzi:
Bitz en route. Good luck getting the weapons packs cast.
Quote from: Heroka Vendile on July 23, 2012, 02:24:37 PM
No offence Dionzi, but I wouldn't be surprised if people would rather see finished weapons and models before they start funding the casting process.
Yes. Rather important, that.
So, here's another addition for the ranged weapons packs:
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/garronSR_1.jpg)
Updated WIPs of the weapon packs.
(http://www.skyfallminiatures.com/WHPhotoHosting/WeaponsKITS_123.jpg)
Must admit I'm not seeing anything, unless it simply isn't in the post you just made?
Oh sonuvva...
EDIT: Try now :)
All weapons (except for the small shotgun) are scaled for space marines. The hands are scaled for 54mm infantry (like Covenant or IG). I'll be expanding and developing these further.
Ah. Much more interesting than a blank space, I'll tell you that :P
Looking forward to seeing actual finished products.
Likewise, I like the look of the WIPs.
Any progress with Shaiyleigh since last year, as far as completion and/or casting?
Full disclosure, I doubt I'll have the spare cash to buy one any time soon, but I dig seeing new modellers and casters on the community scene.
@ TheNephew: http://www.the-conclave.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2181.msg29657#msg29657