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Valdore
07-31-2009, 03:21 PM
Hokay, I have been building my own Indomitable Fortress over the last few days, it comprises of plasticard, a landing pad and too many bastions (eventually 7!) I would explain it all on here, however I've already got a topic going on Tau Online about it, and don't fancy writing it all out again!

So instead, visit this link (http://forums.tauonline.org/index.php/topic,86746.0.html) to read more about the project, and then post here about it ;)

And just a little teaser photo of it so that you know why you might want to go and read the topic!


Clickable Thumbnail (Will take you to the gallery with more pictures from first steps to current stage):
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image254.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image254.jpg)

daggitkiller
07-31-2009, 03:23 PM
Looks cool from here. Do you have an overheadl shot?

Whoops! its an album, nevermind...

Snarf
07-31-2009, 04:04 PM
Um how about a bigger picture?

Must just add that the work is awesome. I wish i had half your talent.

Lord Inquisitor
07-31-2009, 04:12 PM
Wow, I must say that thing is looking really awesome. This should be amazing when you finish. Also that is some really nice work with the plasticard.

Valdore
07-31-2009, 05:20 PM
Ok, in order:

@ daggitkiller: Yes, it is an album :)

@ Snarf: Try clicking on the picture, the full versions are 1024x768 :)

@ Lord Inquisitor: It's fairly basic, was working from a sketchup model made with measurements from the Bastion firepoints, some of them modified for the scale needed.

EDIT: Oh, and my apologies about the rubbish quality of the pictures, I'm relegated to my phone camera until I get enough money for a proper digital SLR (roll on the birthday!)

oni
07-31-2009, 08:41 PM
Holy cow... You really went all out with that one.

Sheldog
08-01-2009, 02:37 AM
How many bastions, defense lines and land pads did you use because it looks great.

Valdore
08-01-2009, 03:42 AM
So far it has:

5 x bastion kit
1 x landing pad
0 x defence line

The defence lines will be on the table around it ;) Can't have those pesky xenos getting to the oh so precious front door!

And I may use a couple on the walkways once they're added, it depends how long I make them etc.

The total count once finished will be 7 bastions, I'm just deciding whether I need 9 defence lines or whether I save a tenner and go for two bastion kits :P

person person
08-01-2009, 03:46 PM
I've seen some awesome bastion conversions and that is really nice

Valdore
08-02-2009, 06:16 PM
Ok, the basic structure has all the components now, and boy is it big, I suspect it will probably take up a battleboard tile, if not a little more, without the inevitable aegis defence lines around it!

So, in less than a week, I have gone from a landing pad with a bastion haphazardly plonked on top as the original idea to a complex of plasticard, landing pad and way too many bastions! Now I just have to make the walkways, and in the process it may expand a little, just to make it look more convincing, so, time to let you in on a little secret addition I'm going to make. The front walkways to the future missile silos will have two of the heavy stubbers from the stormlord kit mounted on them, facing towards the entrance as defensive guns.

And another secret on how I'm going to paint it (hopefully), the basic painting bar the landing pad will be roughcoat with basic camo in chaos black spray with sprayed space wolves grey camo over the top and finally a codex grey spray of camo. This will be drybrushed (boy am I looking forward to that process >_<) probably with fortress grey to pick up the texture. The aquilas will be dwarf bronze with a shining gold highlight, and any flamboyant decoration will be the same as well, other detail will be as appropriate. The main attraction on it however is going to be my first attempt at freehand painting. Across probably two of the levels of the central tower, I am aiming to paint the hooded warrior icon that you may have seen around the place on GW terrain etc. This is because the fortress is not only a fortress, but a shrine to the fallen/nameless soldier (delete as you prefer!), similar to the graveyards from the world wars. Hence the same and similar symbols dotted around it, well, the idea came after the coincidence of those symbols being dotted around, but still.


Now, onto the bits you've all been waiting for, the images! And a little bit of fluff surrounding all the models laid out on it at the moment (made up in about 10 mins so excuse the inevitable rubbishness of it


As Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex surveyed the battlefield he had chosen for his last stand he was mentally blocking out the binarycant from the techpriest and his servitor tending to the ancient communications relay behind him. He knew that the techpriest has two other servitors working to restore the fortresses ancient interceptor lascannons to the rear. Ideally he would have had the missile silos that had once been such a prominent feature of the fortress at his command, but they had been long abandoned with no ammunition in the stores for them. He turned to the assassin at his side, and asked, "What do you see?"

"They are approaching still, we do not have long before they are in range of our cannons." The assassin replied in his gravelly tone, concentrating through his weapon's scope.

Rex barked a laugh, "Our cannons, we have a single Battle Tank operational and an ancient Exterminator recommissioned from the waste around here yesterday." He surveyed his troops below him, milling around uneasily, this, the last surviving Imperium stronghold on Krieg and not only were all the Krieg soldiers under his command dead, his elite troops had also been devastated by this war. He doubted their chances in this battle, the enemy would bring their full force to bear to make the last sacrifices they needed to complete their ritual. He turned to his Guard commander and said, "If we fall, your last transmission is to be an order of Exterminatus." A look of horror crossed the Commander's face as he glanced nervously towards his master vox-caster. "Prepare the message now Commander, there is a fleet hidden nearby ready to carry out the order." Rex knew already that the message would be sent, he had no doubt that they would fall here with so few of them left against the hordes of Chaos. Even his elite stormtroopers had taken their toll in these last days, two of them succumbing to the Chaos forces as they protected Rex with their last. And they were prepared to do so again. A sudden harsh voice called his attention, "It is done Lord." Said the techpriest, "The weapons are operational, but I fear the machine-spirit in this relay is long gone."

"Continue working." The techpriest nodded beneath his hood and sent his tendrils back to work. Rex looked out again at the dustcloud on the horizon. Emperor protect us he thought, it looked like the whole Chaos army had been brought to bear on them . . .

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image260.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image260.jpg)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image256.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image256.jpg)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image257.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image257.jpg)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image258.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image258.jpg)

TBC . . .

Valdore
08-02-2009, 06:17 PM
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image259.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image259.jpg)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image261.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image261.jpg)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image262.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image262.jpg)

And finally, a comparison between the fortress with a double-height central tower and a triple-height one, personally I prefer the triple-level, it makes it look more imposing which is how the Imperium builds things in my opinion ;) Oh, and remember that this is going to be surrounded by 6 sets of defence lines eventually rather than part of three as it is at the moment!

TBC . . .

Valdore
08-02-2009, 06:18 PM
So, opinions on heights please. And general criticism and nice comments similar to those already provided are good as well :P

Triple-height:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image255.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image255.jpg)

Double-height:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Image263.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Image263.jpg)

The end of that mammoth post for now!

StrikerFox
08-02-2009, 06:24 PM
dude! thats freakin SWEET! something i kinda had in mind, but damn, you took it over the top!

Valdore
08-02-2009, 06:27 PM
lol, if you knew me in real life, this probably wouldn't be quite so over the top, I have 10k worth of Guard if I really work at it (and get around to rebuilding the cardboard warhound I put a bag on accidentally!) Then again, that's 10k fourth ed codex, I haven't totalled it up in fifth ed points yet. Oh, and when I build them all, 21 russes (I think) And four superheavies discounting the forgeworld baneblade that I still haven't built properly!

Then again, the guys in my local GW know some a lot of that and still say this is ott, ah well :p

oni
08-03-2009, 08:37 AM
Very impressive. I like that it's modular too.

StrikerFox
08-03-2009, 05:22 PM
lol, if you knew me in real life, this probably wouldn't be quite so over the top, I have 10k worth of Guard if I really work at it (and get around to rebuilding the cardboard warhound I put a bag on accidentally!) Then again, that's 10k fourth ed codex, I haven't totalled it up in fifth ed points yet. Oh, and when I build them all, 21 russes (I think) And four superheavies discounting the forgeworld baneblade that I still haven't built properly!

Then again, the guys in my local GW know some a lot of that and still say this is ott, ah well :p

your like one of our guys here. he buys and builds so much stuff, its amazing! XD vendetta/valkyries, baneblades, stompas.. etc etc. massive! XD

Valdore
08-03-2009, 06:18 PM
I don't have that much money :p if I did, my Airborne assault list would be becoming a reality ;) (looks forward to first paycheck)

But yeah, I guess I could be similar to him ;)

person person
08-03-2009, 10:33 PM
Amazing!!!

I think you should go max. height just to yell

"Death from above!!!"

To titans... :D

Slann
08-04-2009, 12:02 AM
lookin sweet , very sweet .

vman
08-04-2009, 02:42 AM
very nice project you have there

Excellent use of the new terrain kits... Thats alot of bastions

Teh_Frm4terer
08-04-2009, 02:58 AM
Wow, that's the best use of the bastion set I've seen so far, including all the GW stuff.

Seriously, well done.

Valdore
08-04-2009, 06:55 AM
Well, thanks for all the very kind words from everyone, it makes me feel a whole lot better about the project :p

I'm also planning on scratchbuilding a Void Shield Generator of some sort to replace the central tower in some games. I'm also considering some sort of missile launch platform, possibly home to a deathstrike missile or two as another use of it. Any other ideas would be welcome, they may take a little while to materialise though :D

Hephesto
08-04-2009, 07:12 AM
Now that's a rather big fortress you have going there, lovely work! Rather impressed with how well the landing platform works. How do you actually use this in games, 5 objectives would be a tad steep right?

Valdore
08-04-2009, 07:27 AM
Not really, already played a game with five objectives, it just needs bigger armies to fight over them. This fortress also causes problems for the defender because all your objectives are so close together, you'll have the entire enemy army coming right to the front door then splitting up. However, the advantage is there is only one front door to defend, once they get inside it is all close quarters fighting though.

As for how I'm planning to split it up, haven't played it in a game yet, but, the landing pad islikely to be a separate section of the fortress, but not an objective, just the means to getting around. From the bunker underneath you can get to any of the surrounding bastions due to the tunnels beneath, however to get into the central tower you have to go topside. For damage, the central section (pad & tower) will be counted as one, with the outer bastions being separate. Eache of the bastions will hold one squad, might up the central one to two due to the size, but that will be after playtesting. The central section might be able to hold two squads underneath and either one or two on top, to signify its importance and size.

Other than that, the bastions can be armed as you like, however the front two are going to have missile silo options eventually. I'm planning on making at least one of the bastion levels, probably one of the central ones into automated lascannons so long as I can find enough of them. Finally I think I'll probably say that the outer defences can have a couple of interceptor guns free due to the nature of the complex, this again would be subject to playtesting, and probably only in the big games.

And I don't see this only being used in Planetstrike, I can see it being a pretty nice central feature to an Apocalypse game, it would probably change the nature of the game as well, bringing in a lot more close quarters fighting ;) Though I suspect most of the weaponry on it would have to be counted as inoperative for apocalypse.

Oh, and if the central section is destroyed, the bastions essentially become bastions in their own right, they will have doors on them, pointing inwards to the centre, though these will only be in effect if the central section is destroyed.

Hephesto
08-04-2009, 10:57 AM
Sounds interesting, thinking about making something big myself as well ;)

The Plastic Surgeon
08-04-2009, 12:16 PM
Wow that is inspiring. I may have to nick some tiny little ideas with that landing platform for my own big fortress...

I'm dying to see some enterprising individual with very deep pockets to build an Octagonal quadruple height (or higher) bastion with the landing pad as the roof! Then have ramparted 'balconies' come out on each side with a Lascannon or Quad Gun mounting surrounding the whole thing Flakturm style.

Valdore
08-04-2009, 12:40 PM
Ok, that actually sounds pretty awesome, might have to build on that idea at some point ;)

The Plastic Surgeon
08-04-2009, 12:57 PM
You can always put a Defence Laser on top of the central tower, I'm considering one for mine. If only I could fork out for Phaeton Pattern Autocannons from FW.... that mount is awesome!

Herald of Nurgle
08-04-2009, 01:10 PM
Love this. Incredibly gorgeous

Makes me want to bother with PS kits =P

Valdore
08-04-2009, 03:33 PM
Well, enough of the interesting pictures for now!

Time for some of the boring but necessary stuff, like the bastion lascannons, detailed as an option to replace the heavy bolters in the book, and even shown on one of the bastions in the book. Well, I figured what the heck, something like this is gonna have some heavier firepower on it and went ahead and tried it out. Two done so far two more to go for now, so long as I can find some spare heavy weapons sprues, if not then I guess I'll have to fork out on some more or ask around to see if anyone's got any lying about!

Looks nice eh?
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_lascannon1.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=lascannon1.jpg)

It actually moves??
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_lascannon2.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=lascannon2.jpg)

Looks better in the picture, you can see the bodged back end in real life . . .
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_lascannon3.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=lascannon3.jpg)

The Plastic Surgeon
08-04-2009, 07:27 PM
Good choice, I always thought that the HB's were a bit wimpy for a Bastion.

I'm thinking the assault cannons and hurricane bolters from the Redeemer sprue might be spicier add ons still! Or the plasma cannon sponsons from the new Demolisher kit... Ok so who does NOT want their plasma sponsons? GIMME!

daggitkiller
08-04-2009, 07:38 PM
I say triple height. Wish I could borrow this for a game...

Valdore
08-04-2009, 08:13 PM
Well, who knows, we're going to be starting up a GCN accredited gaming club soon, so who knows, maybe this piece might end up at Games Day UK within a few years ;)

Also, another little something I popped together from some of the comms relay bits, an ork alternative to the interceptor lascannon, the interceptor zzzap gun, from someone with no orks and no experience converting ork stuff, I think it's pretty good :p

Unfortunately the pictures don't show it particularly well, but still:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/zzzzapgun.jpg

Valdore
08-04-2009, 10:43 PM
Sorry for double post, but I think responses deserve it.



I say triple height. Wish I could borrow this for a game...

Why not make your own then ;)

You could easily temp it if you have enough bastions and a landing pad between gaming companions. It wouldn't look great, but it would be passable :)


Good choice, I always thought that the HB's were a bit wimpy for a Bastion.

I'm thinking the assault cannons and hurricane bolters from the Redeemer sprue might be spicier add ons still! Or the plasma cannon sponsons from the new Demolisher kit... Ok so who does NOT want their plasma sponsons? GIMME!

To be fair, bolters ain't that bad when you've got enough of them :p I'm only having one level done up with lascannons for the moment though, probably the upper level of the central tower, otherwise I'll end up scaring people off before I even deploy my army!

And good luck with plasma cannon sponsons, I think you'd have to keep the gets hot rule for it to make it fair, imagine four of those getting hot on the same turn, maybe 4 automatic glancing hits? At +1 for the reactors being internal?


You can always put a Defence Laser on top of the central tower, I'm considering one for mine. If only I could fork out for Phaeton Pattern Autocannons from FW.... that mount is awesome!

I'm planning on possibly making up a defence laser similar to the ones done by GW as an optional replacement for the central tower at some point. That one may take longer than the shield genny though, domes are awkward.

The Plastic Surgeon
08-05-2009, 05:22 AM
And good luck with plasma cannon sponsons, I think you'd have to keep the gets hot rule for it to make it fair, imagine four of those getting hot on the same turn, maybe 4 automatic glancing hits? At +1 for the reactors being internal?


That may not be necessary considering that it's unlikely that you'd get to shoot all 4 at the same time (one in each direction) and if you look at the Executioner that spits out 5 templates without ever getting hot and all in one turn... it's really not that scary.

Valdore
08-12-2009, 04:28 PM
Ok, just a quick update, I haven't forgotten about this or anything, I've just been busy starting on the repainting of my army, a fortress like this needs a nice army to defend it, not a hotch-potch collection of models!

The painting is on hold for the moment as I've run out of three things, undercoat, propellant & decent weather!

The latter seems to have been looking up recently, so tomorrow will be a trip for undercoat and propellant I think, then I can get that show on the road.

Other than that, I've found some decent model train textured plastic for the walkways, I'm just deciding how to do them for now, I think it will likely be cities of death walls, those little ones from the manufactorum sprues, then I'll make up the wall underneath the heavy stubbers with plasticard. Suggestions welcome.

Also, 1,100 views, I hadn't been expecting that :) Particularly when the original topic on Tau Online has just over 500 at last count, so consider the official thread moved over here ;)

Valdore
09-17-2009, 03:17 PM
Right, not so much progress, but hopefully something that will fire me up and make me get something more done on this project!

Today I managed to scab a lift into my local GW with a friend. First revelation, it was possible to fit the entirety of the fortress (bar the armoured skirting) into a sports bag, as well as numerous guns, defence lines, mounts etc. with it. The armoured skirting sits quite nicely on top of the bag as well

Second, it looks pretty awesome on the table, though a 4' x 4' table isn't big enough, particularly when it's the four hilly sections of the battle board! We just about managed to fit it in the middle.

Third, necrons are rubbish at planetstrike when it comes to 1500 points. Managed to wipe out most of his army turn one (everything that he had on the board anyway, and I didn't even fire everything) He called it there. The later game, a couple of the younger players in the store playing marines vs my friends necrons, the game lasted longer (2 turns before they had to depart) and the necron player managed to hold more objectives than them. So I'm waiting to see what the fortress is like on a bigger table, and in a longer game where it might come into play a little more. And when I'm playing as a defender in a larger game so that I can hopefully defend it more vehemently than those poncy smurfs did!

So anyways, some pictures of the setup (prior to my game) and of the chromeheads vs smurfs (kids faces pixelated for my own personal assurance):

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Game_1.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Game_1.jpg)

The toaster warriors survey the well defended fortress before them, analysing attack patterns and weakpoints:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Game_2.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Game_2.jpg)

The smurfs rear defence:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Game_3.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Game_3.jpg)

The smurfs forward defence, defending the only entrance to the fortress:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/th_Game_4.jpg (http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d139/JCspeedy/Warhammer%2040k%20stuff/Imperator%20Contego%20Fortress/?action=view&current=Game_4.jpg)

Comments & criticism welcome as always.

Lord Azaghul
09-17-2009, 03:47 PM
I'm gonna parrot everyone else...that is freakin' awesome. You've given me some great ideas for my imperial defensive line table!

Btw -it looks great painted!

person person
09-19-2009, 01:36 AM
Awesome

Whitehorn
09-19-2009, 04:01 AM
Your first thumbnail really doesn't do your work justice and didn't draw me in, but I'm glad I looked at the gallery. Excellent plasticard work and a very nice project you have going on there. I'm notsure the large flat in the centre pulls the composition together very well though, the shape just doesn't seem to flow with the towers.

Valdore
09-19-2009, 01:56 PM
Nice to know about your opinion of the landing pad Whitehorn, hopefully it will look better painted up, and once the walkways are made and in place. The barriers will be continuous when they are done, which should help, but a valuable opinion, I'll think on it ;)

As for the thumbnails, I just shoved them up as they were in the list, not the best way to do it I can assure you :p

Herald of Nurgle
12-20-2009, 09:14 AM
Damned British weather...

Do you do commissions?

Valdore
01-01-2010, 04:33 PM
Sorry, been out of it for a while.

I might be convinced to do a commission, PM me about what you would like and I'll see what I think ;)


Further to this project, I've recently purchased a fortress of redemption. Needless to say I'm figuring out how to add it into my indomitable fortress! At the moment I'm planning on making it up as normal (though with two silos rather than a silo and lascannon turret. The tower will be separated, not stuck on, and it will take the place of one of the outer turrets. Who knows, I may even get it all painted eventually!

person person
01-01-2010, 04:36 PM
Good luck!

snikrot
01-02-2010, 10:19 AM
yours defiantly looks more like a fortress than a large bastion like the GW version