On the Workbench [October] - Titanicus Part 2

As October comes to a close, I found time to put together the second Reaver Titan for my Legio Tempestus Axiom Maniple. I was really leaning toward the power claw, but in the end I decided to stick with the ranged weapon arms.  I'm hoping for some additional weapon options in the near future!  And, if I end up regretting the choice, it's a good excuse to build another Reaver! Regardless, I really see my Reavers and Warlords standing back to blast the enemy while the Warhounds and Knight banners get up close and personal with any enemy engines looking for a melee fight.

I magnetized this Reaver in the same manner as the first so it will be ready for any future weapon options.  This also gives me some flexibility if I want to try giving each Reaver the same weapons as well.

magnets attached

The upper arms are the easiest to magnetize by simply trimming off the locator nub and gluing an appropriately sized magnet in place, carefully centered on the arm. These magnets will socket into the weapons when they are attached as shown below.

holes drilled

Next comes the relatively easy, but scary, task of boring a magnet sized hole into each weapon body. The weapon was then packed with green stuff in sufficient quantity to allow me to firmly seat a magnet so it is recessed by the thickness of an arm magnet.  This approach forms the socket used to attach the weapon to the upper arm.

magnets in place while the green stuff cures

Make triple sure to manage you magnet polarities carefully!  For this project I made sure both Reavers use the same polarity so all of the weapons are fully interchangeable between them. The Apocalypse Missile Launcher was also magnetized.  This is a simple process since sockets are  provided for this purpose in the mold.

All parts attached

While the green stuff and glue cured, I took some time to apply Vallejo Black Lava to the Titan's base.  I left the base flat for the second Reaver so there would be some variation between the two engines. I also hope this will help the dramatic pose of the first Reaver stand out more when they are displayed together.

ground cover applied to the base

As you can see in the title picture for this post, the two Reavers now walk and are ready for painting.  They look a bit sparse without their armor plates attached. I expect to base coat and complete painting the skeletons before attaching the armor plates. Look for a future post on painting these engines where I attempt to recreate the blue-grey camo pattern of the Legio Tempestus.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!