Project ShadowStug Update 2

Project Update 1/10/2013

ShadowStug and the Mars Demonstration Korps-Updates from Richard Peachey

ShadowStug has come a long way since the project began 2 months ago, raising funds for Great Ormand Street Children’s Hospital Charity and Help for Heroes.

http://www.bmycharity.com/projectshadowstug -Help4Heroes Donations

http://www.justgiving.com/ProjectShadowstug -Great Ormand St Hospital Childrens Charity Donations

Without repeating the great work @Brennon has done in keeping you all up to date, I shall give you a brief overview of where we are now. You won’t get to see ShadowStug just yet J

ShadowStug is a ‘Hexblade’ making ALL of the variants that the chassis can take. To list them, Baneblade, Hell Hammer, Shadowsword, Stormlord, Banesword, Stormsword, Bane Hammer, Doom Hammer and Stormblade. Not forgetting the historic throwbacks of the Pz Kpfw IV and of course the ‘ShadowStug’. 11 in total!!

Pz Kpfw IV

Shadowsword Turret, all barrels separate to make each variant, and removable to make way for the Vulcan Mega Bolter and the Heavy Plasma Cannon for the Stormlord and Stormblade. Pz IV Turret Before the turret skirts were added, sporting co-ax MG 42 and pintle mounted MG42, then finally the Baneblade/Hell Hammer turret, with custom aerial and targeting box.

Now onto the Mars Demonstration Korps, thanks to a generous donation from Dreamforge Games and the Wargames Factory, we have a Platoon of Eisenkern Stormtroopers to accompany ShadowStug.

These will be assembled as an Imperial Guard Infantry Platoon, so for all those Kit Bashing, WYSIWYG and House Rule fans, you have a new platoon. Ideally I would like to see them in 3 or 4 Chimera/Halftrack APC’s, pending some more kind donations.

Their Leaders and advisors will inspect them on a 2ft Square ‘Parade Ground’ sculpted by Munkey Joe Paints and Castings, who are also making resin bases for the Eisenkern. Forming an ‘Armies on Parade’ Display board.

 Commissar Johannes Bolter, Commander in Chief of The Mars Demonstration Korps (now holding a plasma pistol)

The creator of ShadowStug, Dr Krupp-Porsche will be sculpted by Josh, we will have an update on his progress next month.

Toroton Super-Heavy Tank-Updates from Matthew Davies

An update on the Toroton super-heavy tank hunter, the tank has so far been influenced by the A39 Tortoise, one of Britain’s experimental tank hunters from World War Two.

There is still a lot of work to do on the Toroton, but the majority of the structural changes have been made, meaning the custom parts will be the correct shape to pull off the look, and have the strength they need to hold up to regular gaming.

The areas where parts are missing (sides and rear) are awaiting custom pieces and build work. These will be made from plasticard, and sculpted, in the case of the rear section. The side panels will mimic the shape of the A39s, but will be adjusted to the hull of the Baneblade.

The front end has been completely reshaped to match the curved glacis of the A39. The front axles/wheels have been raised a bit to be flush with the armour plates, and to provide a smoother transition for the sculpting. A wheel on each side had to be removed so it would work. The front end still needs sanding, but for the most part the sculpting segment is complete. Once that is done, I will add little details like towing eyes and stowage.  Next on the sculpting list is the upper area (casemate) and gun mount.

On the topic of guns, here is the main weapon. I’ve decided not to use the normal mount/back section from the kit, and have made a custom mounting plate mimicking the A39’s. this is just a few layers of plasticard, with six small plastic bolts.

For colours, I plan to go with a British light khaki/drab colour, much like the standard colours on World of Tanks. I may add Imperial insignias, but I am tempted just to use British/historical markings.