Setting the scene

So this week I received two emails and saw one blog post  on Odie's enlightening ( Heavy Static Blog ) about the same thing.. The release of a bunch of behind the scenes photos of the production of blade runner..  Odie has already done a sterling job of  highlighting that - so I wont repeat it..

what i wanted to say instead is this subject is close to my heart - i often research film production artists as a way to try and see the 40k hobby from a  fresh perspective - wargaming shares many age old techniques like kit bashing -with production scale modelling - something that the most excellent hobbyists weirding way has demonstrated recently  with his classic sci fi - Syd mead , Chris Foss, Ron Cobb styled baroque 40k   dropship

a tenuous link but Henry South the talented  (VFX artist)  over at the altruistic four go to war blog is currently raising money in aid of alzheimers in memoriam of Terry Pratchett @

https://www.justgiving.com/modelsForTerry/

http://4gotowar.blogspot.co.uk/

such a good idea..

Currently some wonderful prizes are in the raffle including a PDH model from our last summer game  and a John Blanche painting !

I thought it was time to dive back into the world of film props...

I wanted to share some links i have gathered up over the past few months that tie in  with this subject .

Derek Meddings

If Derek Meddings was the grandfather of scale production modelling in the UK .. then the heir apparent would be  Bill Pearson . Based in Shepperton studios his model shop has contributed so much to the film, industry & modelling  sci fi community - I highly recommend watching his DVD lecture at Glasgow University on the subject.. and  looking at the brilliant production stills of the film Moon

Bill Pearson

available here  : on the most excellent TheRPF forums

http://www.therpf.com/f10/modelmaker-bill-pearsons-portfolio-35mm-digital-photos-updated-17-12-14-a-228889/?highlight=bill+pearson

The The revered Mr Phill Rae dropped these stunning pics of the production of alien at shepperton studios a few years back.on another excellent modelling forum  .

http://www.eagletransporter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6146

more great alien stuff is available here from Martin Bowers

http://www.martinbowersmodelworld.co.uk/alien_models3.html

and some insightful films regarding the whole production of Alien here - i especially like the Giger interviews

http://www.zen171398.zen.co.uk/Alien.html

 

speaking of Moon - The unbelievably talented modeller Steve Howarth ( of gerty fame ) has a website here ( interesting to note that Mr Howarth also sells miniature replicas of some of his models  via the Etsy shop

http://www.modelminiatures.co.uk/


and it would be remiss of me to mention all this alternative sci fi modelling without mentioning something of about 3d modelling

keeping with the moon theme - VFX Supervisor Gavin Rothery  is the man who designed Gerty the rovers  and the harvesters before handing them over to Bill Pearson @ shepperton studios to realise in miniature.. he has a great blog showcasing some of his 3d film work here.

http://www.gavinrothery.com/garty-robotic-assist/

now on to something related but different..

My very first blog post on opus maius mentioned a series of books called the terran trade authority books - well whilst still on the subject of classic sci fi styling.. I happened across a brilliant book called  the usborne book of the future  available to read here

https://archive.org/details/Usborne_Book_of_the_Future_1979_pointlessmuseum

I actually think i read this as a kid in the 80s - well worth a flick through and quite prescient in many ways - there are other books in the series that look worth the read if you can get hold of them..

        

 uncannily similar to Astrotelepaths!

I found this idea nearly identical to the theme of the film Moon

by Duncan Jones

I found the  The Time lines an interesting way to visualise an early expansionist golden age of terra 

Envoys of Russ

I made these guys to encapsulate the idea of 40k baroqueness compared to cadian 40k utilitarianism.

It should be noted also that this warband  is also paying homage to Migsulas sterling work on Vyka Fenryka on  the rather impressive Iron sleet  - i like to think of them as diplomatic human envoys- maybe housecarls of fenris on a mission of atonement or  for breaking the Witherlogh (Lex Castrensis)
- I actually only wanted to make a couple but got a bit carried away with my wolf bits box ;-)

it would be fair to say the intention was to also capture humans wearing powered armour and power armour backpacks  - now we have the option of using larger space marines in skirmish games quite easily i thought it would be suitable to start making use of human scaled power armour - i know to some folks the idea of space marine style power armour is for Astartes only - but for me power armour has always being ascribable to humans - like in this picture by John Blanche of the tyranid hunting Kryptman or in the rules of Confrontation.

 KrakenHanden

aka

Njarl siggurdson Jarl of ormesheim

Hirdsman Sigvat the skald

 Fenrisian Rune shaman RavensClaw & Gun wolf

 KnightBlades of the wolf Elite Human Bodygaurds wearing power armour torsos
 Failed space wolf Aspirants ?

Huskarlar husbondsmen Captain Olaf Heimpgar & Sergeant trellborg of the wolf Brigade

 Speaking of Homages .. I also made a squat adventurer ala Mikko

and a Khornate aspirant Skull collector ala Krautscientist

Trubba ? trubba not ?

Hey folks just a quick one really , I just wanted to share my January wips .. a few ideas that have been rattling around my head a while finally came to fruition..


 I have been wanting to create a bunch of theatre types for quite  a few years now .. a combination of researching medieval and Greek pageantry  and having  a little background in stage set design . Ridley Walker is the catalyst , recommended to me by a friend a few years back , this book has become a corner stone of my literature. Influencing the mouldy warps and now the first part of a trilogy of  post apocalyptic 40k theatre .

I really wanted to make a bottler too some one who takes the money and works the crowd..
I started a few models and if i finish them i will pop them up.

 The professor  or punch man with his stage

okay moving on ..

a dragons call
Getting back to inq28 i remade acolyte Darthur from Inquisitor vendrakes   retinue

I wanted to get away from his grubby look so i dressed him in the finest Garemnts of the Cydonian Nobility and gave him a cydonian slave  guard.

Cydonia is a planet in the phrellian sub that PDH and I came up with a few years back when Commisar Molotov was flesshing out The dhaltus sector .. a real gem of an idea that deserves more consideration from me i think.

Cydonia

Civilised World (Phalanx Planetary System)

A civilised world in the Phalanx system, though considered a pleasure world by the nobles of the system. Those nobles who have also visited Arcturus know it is not even a pale comparison to a real pleasure world.

Members of the Phrellian elite rent vast estates on Cydonia that comprise of beautiful villas, palaces, manicured gardens, slave camps and various heavy industries. The distinct areas of these estates are divided with sound dampening technology and heavily guarded walls. Vulgaris slaves toil away their lives for their uncaring owners. With the vast legions of slaves, millions strong, the PDF are also the planetary enforcers, though generally referred to as slave masters. The PDF are rented to the slave owners in exchange for produce or simply hard currency.

Areas of the planet have been given over for entertainment and the main cities have the best theatres, fighting pits, slave markets and pleasure domes in the sub-sector. Areas of the planet have been turned into vast parklands and hunting grounds, all the entertainment on Cydonia is part owned by the planetary governor.

Those born free and educated on Cydonia are often gifted diplomats. Cydonian diplomats are much sort after and they travel the sector brokering deals for the various cartels, corporations and even between planets.

Until recently Cydonia was ruled by House Kel-Rosber until the entire clan were deposed and executed by Inquisitrix Benadice. The new planetary lord is ????, is heavily influenced by his advisers Navigator House Voltaire. Whispers persist that the navigator house are the power behind the throne and orchestrated the initial investigation into House Kel-Rosber.

“You have as many enemies as you have slaves” common Cydonia saying.

and finally i made this just before Christmas , its a terran terra watte technocrat warrior

not sure if any of these will see paint at the present.. and the Punch and Judy box has been tore apart for the chimera bit i used to make it - but i will probably remake that from scratch anyhow.

regards folks