reach for the sky

7/25/2019 Reach for the Sky

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Reach for the SkyBy Dave Knowles

Come with us, fellow inquisitors, as we probe the mind of a madman and his crazed schemes

The Valkyrie

From a fairly early age I've been interested in aircraft, andas a child I built many models of them - mainly Airfix kits ofthings like Spitfires, B-!s, "ulcans and the like #hichhung from my bedroom ceiling for many years$ %hat phaseof my modelling 'career' died out #hen I got interested inminiature #argaming, but #hen I came across Forge&orld's range of (mm aircraft I immediately set aboutsaving up for one$ )nfortunately it #as around that timethat I became interested in Inquisitor and gave up on

(mm models and started #orking at *+mm instead$ater, #hen rumours surfaced about a (mm "alkyrieplastic kit, I built a (mm version of Inuisitor .aled, so I'dhave an excuse to buy a "alkyrie #hen it #as released$Fate intervened again though, and I became obsessed#ith the idea of building a *+mm "alkyrie instead$ At fist Ikept dismissing the idea, a uick calculation told me that it#ould have to be about t#o feet long, but the idea stuck atthe back of my head and refused to go a#ay$

%hen, #ith the /aster #eekend approaching, I #as faced#ith the prospect of four days off #ork #ith no real plans -originally I had been going to use the #eekend to #ork on

my kitchen, but #ith my parent's help I had finished thatsome #eeks earlier$ %he *+mm "alkyrie plan surfacedagain and I figured four days ought to be enough time tobuild one out of plasticard if I really concentrated on it$

Imperial Armour "olume contained plan and side vie#sof a "alkyrie, and these diagrams became my primaryreference for the pro0ect$ By scanning these and blo#ingthem up to the right scale I could take measurementsdirectly from them #ith no further calculations needed$&hen I printed them out 1on about eight sheets of A+23, Ialmost gave up on the #hole idea - the thing 0ust lookedenormous2 I persevered ho#ever and decided I needed

some more reference diagrams, so extrapolated front andrear vie#s from the side and plan vie#s$

Armed #ith these diagrams, I set about figuring out ho# I'dactually build a "alkyrie$ Fortunately the vast ma0ority of a"alkyrie is straight lines and sharp corners, there are veryfe# curves 1#hich #ould have been difficult to replicate

using plasticard3$ 4y plan #as to use mm plasticard forthe main body, 5$*mm plasticard for adding the paneldetails, and mm plasticard for the tails and landing gear$%he engines #ere the main parts that I #ould be unable tobuild from plasticard, but fortunately I realised that thediameter of the tubes I #ould need corresponded closely tothat of plastic pipes used in household plumbing 1and#hat's more, I had some left over from plumbing mybathroom a couple of years ago23$

)sing my reference diagrams, I uickly estimated ho#much plasticard I #ould need, and armed #ith a shoppinglist, I set out to my local model shop to gather everything I

needed$ )nfortunately it seemed as if my plans #ould failat the first hurdle as the first model shop I visited only hada small amount of 5$*mm plasticard and no mm or mmstuff$ %he second model and third model shops #ereclosed as it #as 6ood Friday, but fortunately the fourth andfinal model shop in 7reston 1%ransport 4odels3 #as open,and better yet they had a large stock of plasticard$ &hat'smore, they also sold plastic strips in a large range ofthicknesses #hich looked very useful, so I stocked up onthose as #ell figuring they'd save me time in the long run$7erhaps the most useful thing I found #as some lengths ofplastic rod #ith a +$*mm suare cross-section, #hichlooked like they #ould be perfect for strengthening key

points in the structure$ I also placed an order for all sortsof hatches, lamps, sensors etc fromBit8Box,a supplier ofindividual parts from 6& plastic kits, to add some muchneeded detail$

9ark 4agenta is an unofficial fan8ine and is not endorsed by 6ames &orkshop 6roup 7lc in any#ay$ %ext and layouts are : 9ark 4agenta and its proprietor$ Art#ork and characters are the property oftheir respective o#ners$ ;o part of this maga8ine should be reproduced in any form #ithout the express permission of the /ditor-in-


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All in, I spent about =>*-+5 on supplies - roughly the sameamount the (mm plastic kit #ould have cost me 1andconsiderably less than Forge &orld's original resinversion23$?

It #as no# 0ust after lunchtime on 6ood Friday and I #asall set to begin, but #as no# faced #ith the uestion of#here to start$ In order to simplify the build, I decided I

#ould approach the "alkyrie as a series of boxes #hichcould be built separately and 0oined together later$ 4y plancalled for the cargo compartment to be the first box,follo#ed by the front fuselage 1and cockpit3, the t#o tailbooms, the t#o #ings, the fuel tank 1on top of the cargocompartment3 and the t#o engines$

I measured the dimensions of the cargo section straightfrom my diagram, scored and cut the plasticard and started0oining the bits together$ %he right angles #ere easy - I 0ustcut any off-cuts into little triangles and used them tosupport my 0oins, cutting triangles to support the other 0oinstook a bit more effort, but #ith the help of a protractor

1something I hadn't used since school23 I got the anglesright$ &ith my first box almost complete I realised t#othings - firstly that it had taken me a lot longer than I hadestimated, and secondly, that it #as far too flimsy2 Small

lengths of the plasticard #ere uite stiff, but given the si8eof the "alkyrie it #as far too flexible, and so I #as forced togo back and build up an internal structure to strengthen thecargo area$ I did this by adding a simple 'honeycomb'structure using sections of plasticard$ &ith this done, thecargo area felt much sturdier, and after my earlier setback,I #as no# thinking that this idea might actually #ork$

It #as no# /aster Saturday and all I had built so far #asthe basic shape of the cargo compartment??@ but I figuredthat #ith #hat I'd learned the day before, progress ought tostart speeding up$ For the #ings, I cut out the top andbottom surfaces from plasticard, and used the +$*mmsuare rod to strengthen and support them$ 4ostimportantly, I made sure to leave about +5mm of plastic rodsticking out the end of the #ing #here #ith #ould 0oin tothe fuselage to support them$

I then started #ork on perhaps the most complex 'box', thefront fuselage and cockpit$ At one point I toyed #ith theidea of buying a > scale helicopter kit and using this

cockpit area to detail the "alkyrie, but in the end I decidedthat #hile this #ould be very impressive, it #ould 0ust taketoo long and the price of a suitable kit #ould almost doublethe cost of the "alkyrie$

/aster Sunday #as spent building the t#o booms tosupport the tail, and the tails themselves$ )nfortunatelythe booms needed to be a lot longer than any of theplasticard I had, so I had to 0oin t#o pieces end-to-end andsupport them using more of the +$*mm suare rod$ I alsobuilt the five tail pieces$ %hese #ere made from a sectionof mm plasticard, and #ere the first parts to #hich I added

Technique 1: Cutting

&hen cutting plasticard,the best approach is tosimply mark the line #ithpencil, and then cut alongthe edge of a metal rulerusing a sharp knife$ Aseries of shallo# cuts ispreferable to trying to cut straight through in one go$%here are a couple of advantages to this method@ the first

is that you're less likely toslip and either cut theplasticard in the #rongplace or a#ay from theline@ and the second is thatit's not necessary to cut allthe #ay through theplasticard$ Instead it canbe scored and then bent to

break it along the line - this is far uicker than cuttingright through every time$

4y final tip #hen cutting along the edge of a metal ruler isto make sure your fingertips are no#here near theedge - it may soundobvious, but it's all tooeasy to uickly run theknife along the edge of theruler and slice into the endof your finger 1easy andpainful, as I found out23$

&ith thinner plasticard, such as 5$*mm, it is often uickerto cut it #ith a sharp pair of scissors$ %his does not really#ork #ith thicker plasticard as it bends and #arpsbet#een the blades$

? As it turned out, I had overestimated the amount of mm plasticard I needed, so had plenty left over for other pro0ects, so the actual cost of the "alkyrie #as a bit less$

?? I had also cut out some of the sections for the #ings, but hadn't yet started them$

Technique 2: JoiningIn my experience, the best glue to use on plasticard isliuid poly 1such as that sold by umbrol3$ Simply brushit along the edges to be0oined and press the t#oparts together$ Be carefulho#ever, the glue #orks bymelting the plastic slightlyso it can be '#elded'together, but if you let it runover the surface of theplastic it is all too easy toend up #ith a fingerprintimprinted in the plastic$ After the 0oin has hardened,more glue can be brushed along the edge to furtherstrengthen the 0oin$

In order to get the correct angle bet#een parts, it is oftenessential to use smalltriangular brackets 1assho#n in the exampleabove3 - to this end, I foundit very useful to mark anyright-angles on off-cuts asmany parts 0oin at right-angles and by marking

such angles you canuickly make brackets #ithout having to be constantlymeasuring plastic off-cuts$


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the panel detail$ %his #as done using 5$*mm plasticard,cut to si8e and glued in place #ith a small gap bet#eensections$ %o neaten up the edges of the tails I used someof the plastic strip - the plastic strip #as proving #ell #orththe extra expense$ I could have managed #ithout it, but itsaved me a lot of cutting and measuring$

/aster 4onday #as the last day of my estimated build

time, and it #as clear I #ould not be able to finish buildingthe "alkyrie in the time I had planned$ o#ever, I tookheart in the fact that I #ould have the basic shape done,and 0ust have the detailing to do later$ 4onday's pro0ect#as the engines and fuel tank - I cut lengths of >*mm pipefor the engines themselves, and short lengths of +5mmpipe for the inlet co#lings$ %he 0et no88les #ere built fromplasticard, #ith a #heel from an Crk #ar buggy as theactual outlet$ &ith these parts done, I #as no# ready tostart the assembly process, and decided to 0oin the cargocompartment, front fuselage and booms$ I could then do adry fit #ith the rest of the bits$ %his #as the cumulation ofthe #eekend's #ork, and it #as great to see the #hole

thing finally take shape$

%o add detail to the "alkyrie, I then started covering it inpanels cut from 5$*mm plasticard - as #ith the tails, thepanels #ere glued in place #ith a small gap bet#een eachone$ %his process, #as anything but uick - measuring,cutting and gluing all of these panels seemed to takeforever 1and as I could only do a couple of hours eachnight after #ork, did in fact take a fe# #eeks3, but once

done the "alkyrie #as much improved$ %he extra layeradded additional strength to the structure, and it #asstarting to look really good$ Further detail #as added usingthe plastic 6& parts 1such as the hatch on the side of thefront fuselage and the air filter above the canopy, a handfulof Forge &orld brass eagles I'd had in my bits box for a#hile, and yet more plasticard$ Small rectangles ofplasticard #ere added all over the "alkyrie to representaccess panels and the like$ I also used plasticard andguitar #ire to detail the engines$ For this, I found that theliuid poly did not stick #ell, and instead used acombination of superglue and impact adhesive$ %heturbine fans #ere made by cutting small triangles of plastic

and sticking them to a circle cut to the correct diameter$%he hub in the centre #as a 'skirt ball' from an old 9alekkit, a model I'd built years ago #hich had since fallen of myshelf and smashed$

Cnce the detailing #as complete, I #as finally in a positionto 0oin the #ings and engines to the fuselage$ At this point,

I spent uite a #hile 'flying' the "alkyrie around the houseand revelling in ho# cool it #as looking2 %he final stage#as to build and attach the landing gear - I left this untillast so as to make sure the "alkyrie #ould sit level, andafter an hour or t#o #ith a spirit level and a file to ad0ustthe landing gear struts I finally got it 0ust about perfect$

%he completed "alkyrie measured about t#o feet in lengthand had a #ingspan of over eighteen inches - it #as big,and painting it #ould take ages if I #ent to the level ofdetail I #ould normally do$ Instead, I decided that its si8e#ould mean less highlighting #as necessary and sodecided to leave the colours fairly 'flat'$ After a blackundercoat, I sprayed the #hole thing grey 1literally using upa #hole can of paint on one and a half coats3$ %hen, #ith abig brush, I painted the metallic areas, the blue panels andthe black cockpit$ I mixed up a load of grey paint, almostidentical to the spray, and used that to touch up all theplaces I'd caught #ith one of the other colours and #ith theremainder I uickly #ent over some of the panels so the

#hole thing #as a bit less uniform$ A fe# #ashes and a bitof highlighting on selected areas, and the painting #asdone$

As #ell as things like tail numbers, unit insignia and otheridentification markings, real aircraft have all manner of#arning labels, stencilled notices etc, and I #anted toreplicate this on the "alkyrie$ %o this end I shopped aroundon eBay and got hold of a transfer sheet for a > scalea#k 0et trainer$ %his supplied me #ith more than enough#arning triangles, 'do not step' markings, and other randomlabels and bits of text$ Bet#een these and some 6&transfers, I managed to make the "alkyrie look reasonablydetailed #ithout having to spend too long on the paint 0ob$

Technique 3: Clean-Up

It is almost al#ays necessary to tidy up the 0oins bet#eent#o bits of plastic$ %hiscan be uickly done byscraping off any excess#ith a modelling knife, and

any final tidying up can bedone #ith a file$ Al#ays#ait until the glue has driedand the plastic re-hardenedbefore doing this$


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The Arvus Lighter

After finishing the "alkyrie, and painting it in Inuisitorialcolours, my Adeptus 4echanicus /xplorator 4agos #aslooking 0ealous and #anted his o#n transport$ %hus Istarted #ork on a second aircraft, an Arvus ighter 1I'mobviously a glutton for punishment23$ aving learned a fe#lessons from the "alkyrie build, I #as sure I could build the

Arvus a lot more uickly$ %he first thing I did different #asrather than making my o#n plans, I started out using sometemplates designed to allo# people to build (m cardboardvehicles, and simply doubled all measurements 1templatescan be do#nloaded from the B&< Archive3$ %his alonesped things up a great deal, as someone else had alreadydone a lot of the hard #ork and the templates allo#ed meto build the fuselage, cockpit and #ings uite uickly 1theengines and landing gear I built in the same #ay as on the"alkyrie3$

%he second thing I'd learned #as that measuring andcutting out the panels from 5$*mm plasticard #as one of

the most time consuming parts of the build$ %his time,rather than measure and cut individual panels once theaircraft #as assembled, #hen I cut a section out of mmplasticard, I also cut the 5$*mm plasticard for the panels atthe same time$ %hen, #hen it came time to add the paneldetail I simply had to cut the 5$*mm plasticard into sectionsand glue it in place - this alone saved me no end of effort$

%he rest of the Arvus build #as very similar to that for the

"alkyrie - it probably cost less than =5 and the techniuesare #ell #ithin the ability of most even vaguely competentmodellers so I hope some amongst you #ill have beeninspired to have a go yourself 1and if you do, please sendin photos to Dark Magenta and #e might even featurethem in our letters page3$

Baptism of Fire

I finished the "alkyrie 0ust in time for the %en+%en event inDork, #here it #as a big hit #ith the other players$ I didn'tmake up any rules for it 1although if you #anted to, I guessthe '7ut the 7edal to the 4etal' or 'Feeling the ;eed For

Speed' articles on using vehicles in Inquisitor#ould be agood place to start3, instead I planned for it to be used asan ob0ective or 1occasionally mobile3 scenery$ Someplayers became obsessed #ith the idea of their characters'stealing' the "alkyrie and escaping in it, and the 64shandled this admirably by making up rules on the spot$%he first time someone tried to get onboard the "alkyrie

their Eogue %rader got as far as opening the rear ramp#hen a stray missile deviated from its target and detonatedinside the "alkyrie #recking it$ ater in the day ho#ever,the same Eogue %rader managed to climb inside, battendo#n the hatches and prepared for take-off$ As the"alkyrie started to lift off, the opposing #arbands attemptedto stop it - a po#er-halberd armed Inuisitor sliced openone of the side doors and her lithe death cultist follo#ersleapt inside@ #hile at the same time a Skitarius attemptedto cut his #ay into the cockpit using a breacher and aheavily-armed 7raetorian servitor destroyed one engine#ith a super-krak missile$ )ltimately they #ere

Technique 4: illing !aps

&here t#o pieces of plasticard 0oin at a non-right-anglethere #ill almost al#ays be a slight gap left bet#een theoutside edges of the t#oparts$ %o eliminate thesegaps, you could file do#n

or trim the edges so thet#o pieces fit flushtogether, but this #ould beextremely time consuming$Filling the gaps #ithgreenstuff is anotheroption, and #as the first thing I tried, but forcinggreenstuff into the tiny gaps takes forever and I uicklybecame disillusioned #ith the slo# progress I #asmaking$

It #as at this point I had a brain#ave - #hen I fitted thene# #orktops in my kitchen I had bought some


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unsuccessful, and the "alkyrie limped out of the combat8one trailing smoke 1and in the process stranding the restof the Eogue %rader's team at the mercy of some veryangry members of the Inuisition and Adeptus4echanicus3$

o#ever, the "alkyrie related highlight of the day #asprovided by one of our very o#n editors, Eobey

'7recinctCmega' enkins #ho #as seen running around thehall 'flying' the "alkyrie and making 0et engine noises like asmall child - unfortunately no one #as uick enough #iththeir camera to capture the event2

I've since used both aircraft in a fe# more games and theyhave al#ays proved very popular$ At the very least, theylook great on the tabletop, and they can be used to add

extra narrative options to a game$ For example, ;7

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