Storm Eagle - A Work In Progress: Part 1

Hello my little Beardlings,

In my post last week I said that 2017 is going to be a year of getting things finished and I also went on to list out the unfinished projects that have been sat around waiting for some love, care, and attention. I also had set myself some deadlines, and as much as I love hearing the whooshing noise that deadlines make when they go past, I really am going to be firm with myself about sticking to them. 

So, what's on the list for March?

Maisey’s Hobby To Do 2017:

- WFB: Ogre Scrap Launcher. Feb
- Bolt Action: German Veteran Heer Grenadiers . Feb 
- Frost Grave: Scenery - Gothic Buildings finishing + Finish remaining Tabletop world buildings. Feb
- 40k: Charlie’s Storm Eagle - build and paint. Mar
- Bolt Action: North African/Desert Board - source buildings and make scatter scenery/trench works etc. Apr
- WFB: Vampires - Finish 35 Skeleton Unit, Maybe upgrade 25 Skeleton Units to 35’s?. May
- WFB: Empire - have 30 slots in case. Bulk out line units + detachment. Add new line unit? Jun
- Bolt Action: DAK - get book 2nd ed, write army list, start getting any extra models. Jul/Aug
- 40k: Thousand Sons - work out colour scheme/painting method. Get hero models. Get extra troop choice models/convert up cultists. Sep/Oct
- Bolt Action: NWE British. Paint Trucks + get a Tank (Firefly?). Nov
- 40k: Industrial Scenery, Dec
- 40k: Tyranids, palate cleanser/gap filling/drying time project. All Year
- Bolt Action: Pacific theatre project planning. Back Burner/2018?

- The Beard Bunker 2018 super secret project planning. Back Burner/Nov/Dec

How Charlie convinced me to build his Storm Eagle for him was a blurry mix of flattery, self deprecation, and off handedness that meant I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. Yes, I've built big kits before. Yes, I've worked with resin before. And Yes, I do silly things with static model builds that involve methods that wargaming miniatures don't normally use. Long story shortened, I'm building a Storm Eagle.

It's a big kit. Not as big as some of the Titans that Jeff has built and painted (Jeff's Titan work), but still big. It's also a very non-organic shape, which resin doesn't actually like to be. Resin is great for details, it great for big creatures. What it's not great at is staying is a straight line. Above we can see all the bits after been thoroughly washed in warm water to remove the mould releasing agent. 

Cutting back the contact points for the mouldings. Vigorous action with the clippers, followed by a lot of sanding. Remember to wear a face mask while sanding resin, it's really not good for your lungs. 

Engines are on. I'm using a mix of super glue and two part contact glues to stick it all together with.

As you can see above, some of the parts needed sanding back. I'm using multiple grades of sanding sticks, and a polishing stick to get everything smooth again. 

I'm also using Squadron Modelling products Green putty to gap fill/bulk out where needed. It's a lot thicker than liquid Greenstuff, but a lot thinner than regular Greenstuff. I use a pointed stick to slap it on. The big difference between the Green Putty and actual Greenstuff is the Green Putty can be sanded and polished smooth again. 

More gap filling.

Yet more gap filling. I've only been taking in progress shots as and when I remember. But most of these have been filled smooth before I begin the process of sticking the hull parts together. 

Getting the hull parts to fit was a challenge. The large flat pieces of resin has warped quite badly, so a mix of soaking in hot water to soften them, and then carefully reshaping did most of the work. Then some very gentle heating using Em's hair drier for some focussed reshaping. Please be very careful with the hair drier thing. It gets very soft, very quickly and can break or become misshapen if you're not gentle with it. 

The parts of the hull got taped in place and then wrapped in tight elastic bands to keep it together while the glue cures properly.

Here we see the baby Storm Eagle emerging from it's rubberised cocoon. It won't be long until the wings start to sprout out and the rest of the details will be added. 

So far I'm enjoying the modelling challenge despite some of the problems with the kit and materials. Currently the wing assemblies are done and the hull is waiting for me to have time to get in and do the next round of gap filling/sanding. I'll give you all an update once the build has finished.