SHOWCASE: 40K Scale Warlord Titan
~Hi guys,
You all know how we love to bring you the finest Warhammer 40k crazy projects from across the globe. Well get a load of this Warlord Titan brought to you by California’s Dave Smith. Dave, take it away:
Why Did I Do It?
I built the Warlord simply because I wanted titans in my games of Apocalypse, but couldn’t really afford the Forge World Warhounds or Reavers, well I could… but I’m married with kids after all. At first, I was going to make a Warhound, but figured that GW would eventually make a plastic kit in the future, and I might as well make something big if I was going to go through the effort of scratch building.
Project Overview
I started with the Epic mini and I scaled it from that. A lot of people think this thing should be huge… like six feet tall, but I’m used to the epic scale and I based it off that. I like the size and it will play well with existing Reavers. My Warlord is about 28 inches tall. Basically, I compared the mini to other epic minis like Leman Russes and Land Raiders and built it from there. Actually, its scale is a little bigger than Epic comparatively.
I roughed the whole thing out in foam board and was too lazy to snap pics of it after that. I layered thin sheets of styrene plastic “armor” on top of the foam board to tighten up corners and to build in the “crevices” between armor plates. It’s equipped with two Volcano Cannons which can be separated from the arm if I choose to add a different gun, but nothing else is built at this time.
I used a lot of bits from my Leman Russ Battle Company, but even that wasn’t enough. I cast a bunch of bits from the Imperial Sector and Space marine kits—mainly skulls, eagles, and engine pieces. I also used Forge World brass etched eagles. All the styrene, bits, and paint added up to be about $200 bucks in materials. I kept running out of styrene and had to buy more. Don’t cheap out if you build one of these things, it’s worth it in the end.
Originally, I wasn’t planning on using a base, but the upper body was so top heavy, that I felt I had no choice. My only regret is that the ankles are a bit “wobbly”. I should have been more careful and reinforced them with wood or something. When I started, they felt firm.
I used Photoshop for my banners. I scanned in Baneblade decals to start with and added from there.
Big tip: I used wood glue for my foam board and strips of cut-up Bristol board (thick art paper) to cover the foam. Also, get “The Chopper”, a styrene cutter; it works great and is worth the cost.
Eventually, I will add a crew to the cockpit and LED lights, but that’s another project. I want a Reaver crew, but Forge World doesn’t sell them separately. If anyone can help me get a crew, let me know. I fielded this baby in a huge Apoc game at the LA Battle Bunker where it was finally destroyed by four Necron Pylons. It is on display there, so check it out if you are in the area. I also play Epic at the bunker on the last Saturday of every month, so stop by or join the club.
Dave Smith has been into Warhammer 40k and Specialist Games, like Epic, since 2nd edition. He was an Outrider back in the day—back when you got the games for free and a few weeks early. He has kids, so he’s been into GW off and on during the last four years. Dave is a professional artist of sorts, mainly as a digital painter. As a part of Liquid Graphics, he colored popular comics like X-men, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man. Lately, he teaches Photoshop/Illustrator and paint backgrounds for Eli’s Dirty Jokes (starting with episode #30), so check them out on Youtube.
~Give it up for Dave folks. That may be the finest Warlord I’ve seen since Apocalypse has hit the scene. She’s the right scale, and ready to rumble on the tabletop in style. I’m sure Dave will be along soon to chime in on your comments.
