3D Print: The Lancer Battle Tank by Culverin Models

Here’s a project that just didn’t quite come together.

One happy bit of news amongst the constant <waves arm vaguely at the world at large> is that Culverin Models has returned to trading. You may remember them? Lots of dieselpunk vehicles and such for 28mm games. Seemingly made completely in-house, with a clear house style, rather than merely a 3D printing outfit? Never the best technically, but always having a good mix of cheap and cheerful. So when they came back and had a sale in the run up to Christmas, I impulsively opted for their new Lancer. The Lancer is a tank with roughly the same footprint as a Hydra, with a very strong inter-war vibe. While I picked it up for use as a Leman Russ proxy, and the turret guns are very russy, it needed some weapon swaps to be one.  And for the most part, it's pretty good, but it didn’t go smoothly.

So here's what happened; I noticed the drive wheels were a touch misshapen and this caught me on a bad day. Not in any immediately obvious, or ask for a refund kinda way, but in an Autism-triggering cannot-be-unseen kinda way.  So I tried to fix it. What I ended up doing was filling the gap  between wheel and hull, obscuring the area with bits, thus concealing the imperfections. But I may have made it less good in the process, and I did consider shelving this project. Then I realised/remembered that none of my 3D print projects ever went smoothly, and that picking such a thing for relaxation in December was probably not the best idea.  

Anyway, I'd planned to modify this into something approximate to a Leman Russ Vanquisher, yes I am something of a hypocrite, and this would mean the mounting of a kitbashed HK missile, lascannon and heavy stubber somewhere. I'm not happy with either, especially the HK, which I had to move, although the coaxial lascannon works OK. The two mini-turrets, the elements that had drawn me to this, were initially gonna be plasma cannons, but I decided against it, at least for now. Two entirely serviceable flamethrowers were included, and glue wasn't mandatory, so I took the path of least resistance. I can add different weapons later if I wish, and 11th Ed is supposedly happening next Summer… TBH my heart wasn't in this.

I think as a gaming piece this is OK, but its not my best work. But it happens I suppose. And people on the interwebs seem to like it too, so maybe I'm being too hard on myself.

3D Print: Not-Engineerseer and Not-Bullgryns

 

Shortly before my re-acquaintance with Orks, I put in an order for some 3d print models. Part of that was due to me having some time off and needing a project, but also some frustration with how my Guard had played recently. As it would happen, these models would turn up later than I wanted, and by the time they did, I was feeling better about Guard, 40k, and life in general. Which was nice. They say a change is as good as a rest, but apparently not good as doing both. And the blog was well-stocked with buffer material too. So I'm rolling both into one article, as they come from pretty much the same headspace and were painted at the same time.

So, Enginseers and Bullgryns? Very much at the opposite ends of the brains/brawn spectrum, but with some key similarities. Bullgryns are the melee version of Ogryns, known for being damage sponges. They aren't bad at bludgeoning, but the absorb hits like Terminator armour, with invulnerable saves, damage reduction, and feel no pain. Techpriest Enginseers are basically magic repairmen seconded from the Adeptus Mechanicus. They have the sort of equipment and rules you'd expect, and an ability to tap a Rogal Dorn and grant it an invulnerable save. The similarities of these two units are A) they are popular in the tournament scene, as B) they represent an almost unreal amount of no-sell brickwall to a foe. As I, C) don't play in tournaments or especially like the guard armies they feature, I'd resisted fielding either. Then I went, "Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.". I've done largely everything else with Guard as it was.

The actual models I have here are pretty good, inexpensive, nice resin prints with fairly modest prepwork needed, although I wouldn’t spot some imperfections until the photography stage. What would happen though is that the Bullgryns ended up being far more of a project than the Enginseer was. After some initial uncertainty, I decided to try the same police theme as my Scions, modifying the iconography and painting them to look more like a British Bobby. The base models here were <deep breath> “Valour Korps - Adrian - Abhuman Squad” by The Makers Cult. Which were generally quite nice models if one suffering from a slightly miscast foot. As the name implies, these featured winged V symbols I wasn't fond of, and I eventually filed them off and covered the scars with green stuff. This prompted various attempts to chip and rough up the armour parts. Printing artifacts weren't really an issue, but smooth flat panels aren't ideal for my painting style. Especially one where the units purpose is to take hits. I tried two tone blue scheme to mixed success. Scaling up my human infantry techniques to suit a model four times the size made things a bit weird. Easier in some respects, but I clearly need to work on my flesh tones. I did the armour plates like a tank, and that worked well. As so often happens, I didn’t like these until the end of the painting process, but they look fairly good as an end product.

With the Enginseer I have much less to say. This was a “Franz The Motormeister” by Mariesminis, and was the nicer of the two prints on first impression, but that preference changed with painting. The details on this one are a bit soft, and it feels maybe a bit fragile. I found picking out the details a bit tricky, and the end result is like an ambulatory red robe with a servoarm. Which is fine for gaming purposes, but not something I'm totally happy with. I don’t paint red that often, I need more practice.

 

Generally these turned out alright. Not great in the case of the techpriest, but even then, OK as learning experiences go.

3D Print: The Turret APC B.E.A.R. Modular Vehicle (Watcorp Designs)

 

While I can't call my Astra Militarum complete, it is fully formed. Probably its comfortably close to 2500 points, but I've honestly not counted as I usually play 1k. With the Rogal Dorn completed, and the codex being a known quantity, I’ve explored a majority of elements I want to, so further additions will basically be for the fun of it. However, mechanised units are something I've yet to really try, hence todays subjects, the B.E.A.R by Watcorp Designs, a pair of 3d printed Chimera proxies seemingly created entirely in-house.

Any regular readers, hypothetical as you may be, may recall that this is not the first 3d print IFV I have built, but sadly that company stopped trading, so I had to go elsewhere. After much consideration I decided to give Watcorp Designs another try. Hopefully they'd do better with one of thier more established products as opposed to the then-new artillery I ordered from them. As for why two not-chimeras? Well, I was tempted by the Taurox, but I came to conclude that a pair of more durable vehicles with more dakka on them suited my force better. One chimera is a target, even at 1k, but two is a dilemma, especially if you present other tanks at the same time. The weapon fit meanwhile would be optimised for the Combined Arms detachment, meaning two heavy bolters to exploit the Lethal Hits rule. A pair of heavy flamers would be quite workable here, but I honestly prefer the longer ranged option, and the multilaser is a bit meh. As to why I'd not be using Mechanised Assault? Well, that's more of an elite infantrymen jumping in and out kinda thing, and not the vibe I'm going for. Combined Arms is more of an uncomplicated buff, and its stratagems help paired units like an IFV and the infantry the vehicle is fighting with...

As a kit, I'm happy to report that the Bear is generally in the "cheap & cheerful" category, with no difficulties to report beyond a learning curve and the postman playing silly buggers. There is documentation in the website but its not specific to this set, so I did make a few mistakes on the first one. The chassis here is made by four segments you glue together and then swiftly secure with a fifth, which I didn't quite get at first. Mind you, while the second hull went together much better, there's still issues with parts fit, especially with the troop compartment. You will need to do a non-trivial amount of prepwork, sanding and filling. I suppose you get what you pay for. A somewhat more pleasant surprise were the weapon options which proved to be more complete than advertised, and to an extent swappable. Magnets wouldn't hurt here, but relying on friction or a dab of blue tack isn't obviously unwise, even after painting. That’s the sort of thing that makes me more forgiving of the issues mentioned; the product seems an earnest one. In line with what was discussed above, I did kitbash the weapons, but it's not strictly necessary. Parts used include resin Ramshackle Games guns, and GW plastics, with small tokens to suggest portholes and thus the lasgun array. The models were then painted via the spraycan technique, with various weathering methods to conceal my mistakes.

Overall, these models came out ok. As vehicle the B.E.A.R feels a touch tall for a chimera proxy, although its footprint is a touch smaller, so swings & roundabouts, I suppose. Its not for beginners, you'll spend a lot of time finding out why these are cheap, but it feels quite feature complete, with it's own character. So, well done Watcorp, this one went a bit better.

Project Draftdodger: Part 10

See here for part 9.

Well, the convention went OK. I should have a write up on that posted on Sunday. In the main time: Pictures.

 

As I spoke a lot about the Artillery last week, I only have so much to add today. The gun barrels remain removable for ease of transport, and for potential use as a Heavy Mortar. My initial experiences suggest that might be the way to go, as while one of these did take down a War Walker in one go, its a fairly inconsistent weapon even if its the best looking one.

With the Artillery Teams done, I feel Project Draftdodger has come to a natural conclusion. I've expanded my forces, and built a few of the new units. I have 100+ assorted infantry, and a brace of vehicles. My guard force is complete enough that it is now a tactical experience more than a modelling experience. I will likely add to it further, but its no longer a weekly thing. What I need to do now is actually play a 2k game, but that will happen when it happens.

 

As to what I'll do next? At time of writing, I dunno. I've been tempted back to Orks again by that new More Dakka detachment. On both first impression and deeper analysis, its fucking broken in at least two ways, and somebody ran the numbers, so I'm not rushing to build models for it. I am however doing an inventory of my forces to see how easily I could field a 1k army. Its looking to be far easier than I thought, but there's a lot of stuff either obsolete or in need of repair. I've avoided doing this as I feared it would both be a slog and uninteresting from a modelling perspective, but there might something in this as an interim activity. Or as a trip to a charity shop.

 

But I also need to do real life stuff, so who knows?

Project Draftdodger: Part 9

See here for part 8.

OK, let's talk about these Artillery Teams, now that the missing parts have arrived. The models here are “Heavy Siege Artillery for 28mm Wargames” by Watcorp designs, a 3D print enterprise akin to the much-missed Culverin Models. They mostly do their own thing, designing seemingly in-house, but do more in the way of overt proxies and add-ons. These models are a well-timed alternative to the new GW Artillery Team, coming in at about 38% of the price. Admittedly, these lack crew and two of the weapon options, but those are the unpopular guns and you'll likely be kitbashing anyway. Its a mixed resin affair, and generally good in terms of detail, and basic design. Its somewhat less good with respects to parts fit and the brittleness of the resin. Think something close to Ramshackle Games' product, but 3d prints. You will have to do prepwork and work around imperfections, and I had a hard time trying to get things level. I've been back and forth as to where these sit on the "cheap & cheerful" versus "you get what you pay for" spectrum. Had these arrived complete the first time, I would have likely declared these to be 3 stars out of 5 and been more forgiving of production flaws.  At present, its been less fun than I might have liked. Would I buy again from Watcorp Designs? Possibly. They did make things right, and I think there's reason to keep an eye on them, but maybe try one of their vehicle kits first? As long as none of these start weeping uncured resin, they're probably fine.

Now, due to time constraints and complexity, I didn't quite get these finished in time for my cut-off. While the actual guns are done via the spraycan method, there's three crewmen, sandbags and other accoutrements that need to be painted separately. I used some leftover Bulldogs for the crew, and decided not to texture the bases as I needed flat surfaces, and there was gonna be enough crap on those as it was. I tried to get the sandbag looking like the same material as the rags I have on my infantry; the rationale is that it you're on a battlefield wearing hi-vis orange, you have to improvise a cloak from something. I hope to get these finished off next week, although I am away that weekend.

 

In other news, the March Balance Dataslate landed, and certain negative stereotypes are at play with respects to GW's rulings. There have been various changes to hamper the over-tuned and over-achieving Bridgehead Strike detachment, which would be fine if this didn't hamper the other detachments too. Like by making Heavy Weapon Teams more expensive. Oh, and Krieg Engineers got worse, but remained the same price. It was a very blunt experience from the Guard perspective, all stick, no carrot, and doesn't help with the impression that quality control was lacking for the codex. Still, these things happen, and suspiciously the new artillery teams I’m painting were untouched....

Up next: the home stretch.

3D Print: Heavy Field Mortars by Culverin Models

 
The story so far! Last year I built some 3D printed proxies for use as a Field Ordnance Battery. These worked well for a time, until they started leaking uncured resin and drama followed. That got a refund, but rather than going straight for a replacement, I opted for something from Culverin Models for use as a Basilisk. And this was good, at least until the news broke that Culverin was closing down. Liking their stuff, but not wanting to spend too much with a codex pending, I leapt to order some replacement Bombards. Which then ended up being delayed until December 30th, oh well, but I understand. A shame to loose you, Culverin Models.

These models, “Heavy Field Mortars", were not explicitly for 40k, and typical of the WWII-adjacent vibe the company specialised in. Its made of mixed materials too, the chassis being that filament style, with the gun being resin. I'm not a huge fan of the wheels if I'm honest, between their simple design and the need for sanding of the gun shield, it makes the thing look like a wooden carriage. It probably didn't help that I chose to give them black tires either, but it needed the visual interest. While there is an acceptable level of detail, I had to lean on the metallics and weathering techniques to make things pop. Objectively, these are less interesting models than what they replace, but, A) these were made by someone competent, and B) they look quite Krieg, and so fit in with the new codex and such.

 

The paintjob on these was mainly achieved via the spraycan method, with the crew being salvaged from the previous model. While the bases were contaminated with resin, and the guns deeply suspicious even after repeated repairs, the crew were ok. The end result is something tableworthy and usable. I did realise that the bases needed some touching up after taking these photos, but these are OK. Job's a good 'un.

 

 

3D Print: The Comet Self-Propelled Gun (Culverin Models)

 

One of the more annoying things to happen to me lately, was what happened to my Bombast Field Guns. These started leaking resin, resulting in a bit of a drama, and an eventual refund, no thanks to the seller. That matter is now closed, and while I think I've fixed the problem, I'm wanting to phase those out, hence today's subject. The Comet is another 3D print by Culverin models, purchased for use as a Basilisk proxy. 

 

As a model, the Comet is a WWII-adjacent design, that's slightly smaller than a chimera chassis, but not one that's obviously so. It comes with a selection of various guns for the turret, and a single twin gun for the hull. Its a good model, with its own character. These weapons are however insufficiently excessive for a 40k model, so I replaced those with bits I had spare. The heavy bolter is a straight swap, although I did kinda fuck up drilling out the barrel. Its replacement cannon was built up from water pistol bits and a pen lid, and predates the purchase of this model. I'd initially considered a full scratch build for this, i have done that sorta thing a lot, but I feared the outcome would be too orky. Its possibly too orky even now. The HK missile was originally a rejected piece for my last tank, but i tidied it up, and used it here. Much of my time was spent trying to remove artefacts from the printing process. It not as bad as the Ursa, but work and work-arounds needed to be done. Otherwise this was a matter of repeated spraypaints and careful weathering techniques so as not to highlight its origins. The main difficulties I had were of the user error variety, bloody waterslide transfers and an attack of clumsiness.

 

So, what's a Basilisk then? Besides a word I keep spelling wrong? It's the Guard's staple artillery piece, with a frankly ridiculous in game range of 240 inches. You don't need to measure with that. You might not even need to be in the same room. It also has the useful ability to de-buff the speed of its victims, which totally changes the math on charges. As its a vehicle unit, its definitely more self-contained than Bombards, although its not a linear upgrade. Bombards are cheaper and have more attacks, even if the range is a mere 48 and its more of an anti-infantry weapon. At time of building, the new codex was still unknown, which is why I only got one of these to build.

 

As for the Comet? Well, its another win for Culverin Models. I knew what I was getting into this time, and the result is both characterful and inexpensive. You still have to sand it a lot, but the problem was reduced here with the model using two types of resin. I'd happily recommend these alongside Ramshackle Games stuff, especially as Ramshackle has put its prices up since I last ordered. On the downside, I’ve not really liked the weapons they've come with, and CM isn't making strict, 1 to 1 proxies. A lot of their models can be an Astra Militarum model with modest kitbashing, and that's work I'm happy to put in, but you may not. You may instead wish to look into some other 3d print exercise, but they might cost upwards of 25% more. Its your call.

 

HOWEVER, I wrote all that when Culverin Models still actually existed. This week they suddenly announced they were closing down, so by the time you read this, the odds are you can't get this model any more. That's a real shame.

I've brought this article forwards because of this sad news. I've put in an order for something else of theirs, so this hopefully this won't be the last time I talk about Culverin Models. In the meantime, damn good model, damn shame.

3D Print: “Counts as” Bombard Field Gun

Update: Two months after the publication of this article, these models started leaking uncured resin. This is bad, and resulted in a full refund from Etsy, rather than the seller, whom was not immediately helpful. I will leave the article as it stands, but make your purchasing decisions as is appropiate.

 

 

 

Added to the Imperial armoury when I wasn't paying much attention, the Field Ordnance Battery was part the 9th edition Astra Militarum line refresh. They slide into niche between Heavy Weapon Teams and stuff like the Basilisk, in that its a crew-served artillery. Like Mek Gunz, but presumably safer to stand near. Ruleswise, the execution of them is a lot like Heavy Weapon Squads. You know, its a big gun, its crew are very squishy, so invariably people choose the indirect fire option, the Bombard Gun, if only to keep them alive. In terms of raw power, these aren’t the best, although they’ve weathered recent rules changes quite well. My experiences with them so far have positive, but not game-winning.

This project represents my first dealings with the Etsy platform, and one of numerous 3D print outfits that lurk there. Etsy functions as a storefront for craft supplies, artwork and such, and much like eBay you get a fair few companies selling bits. The model here was a “Gun Platforms Set 2” as printed by Proxy Wargames, a somewhat anonymous seller with no obvious social media presence. Its not immediately clear if they create thier own STL files, or merely print those by others, but on first impression these were quite nice. The print is at a higher resolution that the Ursa IFV, and did not require the same amount of aggressive sanding and prepping. It did require some preparation though, this being a "spray it with primer, then see what is revealed" sorta situation. Its definitely adequate in the detail, but there were imperfections, notably around the underside of each gun barrel. Also, while the price was right, you have to provide your own crew and bases. In my case this is a mix of Cannon Fodder and Stargrave minis atop a MDF disc. 

 

This would obviously mean that the crew were the most involved part of the build. You know, greenstuff mods, gasmasks, some flesh tones. Its always more steps than you think. The guns by comparison were done mainly via the spraycan method, before going in to pick out key details and exposed metal. As with my vehicles, I see this unit as either unwanted surplus or "acquired via unofficial channels", so a generic green with hints of decay was what I was aiming for. Unfortunately, I was at the point of securing them to base, when one picked a fight with gravity. Twice. Fuck, I'm a clumsy fool. Fortunately, this was a matter of clean breakages, but this revealed a brittleness more akin to Ramshackle Games resin than the aforementioned Ursa by Culverin Models. I feel my inexperience with 3D prints is showing here, but certain tiresome things about the Ursa are a bit more tolerable now. A bitch to sand, yes, but I'm pretty sure that would do better with the drop test, but I digress. Also, I may have overdone it with the mud paint. Everything else came good by the end though.

Job's a good 'un.

3D Print: The Ursa Troop Transport by Culverin Models

I'm still playing my Chem-Dogs. Even winning occasionally. And I am still expanding the force, although I've largely abandoned the idea if building in 500 point blocks. I'm still learning the army, and feeling out what I need for a typically 1000 point force. And that's not about having the units that are necessarily the most powerful. Its about having something I enjoy playing, and suits the theme. I could double-up on Rogal Dorns, and I'll no doubt allow myself one eventually, but blasting the enemy off the table isn’t the entire game. So, I've sourcing more mobile units, which includes today's subject.

The Ursa is an in-house design by Culverin Models, one of a range of 3D printed vehicles, with an implicit eye towards being used in Warhammer 40k, although they do historical stuff too, and you can see the crossover. There’s a lot of these printing enterprises around on Etsy and eBay, although CM makes its own designs rather than merely printing commonly available files. Stuff like this will undoubtedly cause GW problems down the road, but that's what happens when you hit the big time and run your business like a walled garden. I mean, I can get very left wing, but the fact things like this exist and dramatically undercut GW is just the free market at work. My first impression of the Ursa was it was pretty good for the price but it needed some serious prep-work. The basic model comes with a selection of weapons and pegs together without glue. If you were in a hurry, you could have this in a playable state in 'bout a minute, and that's an unexpected plus. The downside is that the model has numerous artefacts from the 3D printing process that a drybrush will readily reveal. I did manage to clean a lot of that up, not all as some bits were hard to sand out, and it took ages. Then again, this was markedly cheaper than any other not-Chimera I've come across, were in the sub-20-quid bracket here, so I suppose you get what you pay for. If you’re getting one of these, get yourself some cheap primer too, because you’re probably gonna need to file, spray, and file again a couple of times before things become acceptable.

I then proceeded to replace the weapons with stuff from my bitz box, fill gaps, and add rivets for visual interest. There's not a huge amount of fine detail, it looks a bit like an M3 Grant I think, and its honestly big for a Chimera, but there was potential with this model. The materials used, once properly prepared, don't forget the sanding, were fairly easy to cut and modify. Its closer to plastic then brittle resin. I added rivets to the flanks as they were a bit plain, the HK missile is another Ramshackle Games piece, while the heavy stubber is a Wargames Atlantic weapon from the Builldogs sprue. The multilaser and heavy bolter are salvaged GW pieces, while the lagun array was represented by rows of tokens. You may be wondering what a lasgun array is, and, well, its basically an artefact of GW going back and forth on how firing ports for passengers work. Currently, an amalgamated weapon profile plus a roof hatch is how the Chimera treats such things. The above is a fairly typical load-out for a chimera; other options exist, like a famed dual flamethrower version, but I wanted to keep it conventional as future proofing and to help it be recognisable as a Chimera proxy. Its a decidedly odd thing in use in game though, its a lot of shots, but its a bit disjointed.

 

Painting was achieved via the spraycan method, in much the same manner as the Hellhound. I was however as careful as possible when applying washes. Even with the sanding I had done, I was still worried about the Agrax Earthshade revealing the subtle lines of the print. I think I managed to avoid that, but its something you can see in hand, if not on tabletop. But yeah, this turned out OK, and I’ll hopefully do better with the sanding issue next time.

With Culverin Models, I seem to have found a competitor to Ramshackle Games. Neither is necessarily A tier stuff, but both are cheap and cheerful in their way. Their way being small, seemingly one-man enterprises offering inexpensive models to miserly bastards like myself. Ramshackle Games probably has the advantage for sheer quantity of model bits, but Culverin seems to be challenging them on delivery times, sticker price, and resin quality. I’m probably gonna get something of theirs again. And if the sanding requirement is reduced or otherwise mitigated? I may have a new favourite.

 

3D-Print: The Hammer Class Battlekroozer Conversion (Battlefleet Gothic)

 

As I've alluded to previously, the Ork Fleet didn't really come into existence fully formed, more that it got expanded later on. Its a thing happens occasionally with GW product, a good example being Goblin teams in Bloodbowl, circa 1994. They were meant to be comically bad, but players ended up relying on star players, which were reworked into regular team members later on. In order for Goblin Teams to be enjoyable for most people, they needed their Roster expanded to include Trolls and chainsaws. And why not? It added such character. The Hammer Class has a similar feel to me. Given that a Hammer A) has less issue with Bombers, B) sidesteps leadership issues by moving crews around, C) has a Lance equivalent, and D) no official model, its easy to view it as a quick fix. A tacit admission they didn't get things right in the first place. That said, after this we did get the big 4 battleships.

So, about making one. Hammer Class ships are supposedly built off Looted Imperial battlecruisers, so many players have opted to orkify a spare humie ship, but aftermarket prices for those are rather high. So, the key component here is a 3d printed proxy from Scourge Scenics, which was then built up with gubbins ala the Lite Kroozer. I'd been wanting to play around with printed stuff for a while, and was pleasantly surprised with the resin material itself. It's not as good as the original plastics, but there's nothing to apologise for. The main creative challenge was striking a fine line between crudely refitted space cathedral and just crude. I think I pulled it off. 

 

 

I named it “Eminent Domain”.Where next? Well, I do have one of those aforementioned battleships, but that would be something I'd paint alongside another project. Like a Space Hulk, I dunno.