This is my first “better jetbike” design from 2009, a very long time indeed before Games Workshop released the modern jetbike. I include the post only to show the genesis …more
Better Eldar Jetbike
System: Warhammer 40,000
Techniques: Kitbashing, sculpting, moulding & casting
Status: Archived
This project log dates from 2009-2015. Back then, it was a fairly common desire among Eldar players to want a better jetbike model. At the time, the current one was decades old, and it showed. While the bike itself holds up reasonably well, the guardian rider is very much not in line with the modern Eldar aesthetic and, perhaps worse, the posing of the rider (often referred to as “easy rider”) doesn’t fit with the idea of a lightning fast and agile combat jetbike.
Seeking to combat this, in 2009 I built my original “better jetbikes”, combining Dark Eldar and Eldar jetbikes to create a reasonable “modern” Eldar bike. This old “better bike” forms the first post in this project log. Afterwards I started a little side project that never appeared publicly. I was contemplating making more and more and more of these jetbikes (maybe 30 or so), for guardian bikers, plus shining spears AND jetbike mounted warlocks and farseers, and this made me a bit crazy in the head, so I decided I would create myself some “mod kits” that could be cast in home made 2 part rubber moulds and then churned out as necessary in resin. I had started improving on the design of the jetbike further and refining the posing and details on the riders, plus mocking up ways to make shining spears. I also bought myself everything I thought I needed for casting.
Fast forward to the Eldar “wave release” in April 2013 (the one where the Wraithknight was released). I had been pretty excited by some of the new releases and pre-ordered a fair number of the new kits, however for me the most interesting thing about the new release was the lack of any updated jetbikes. I don’t think I was alone in expecting that old “easy rider” Jetbike kit to be shelved in favour of something similar to the Dark Eldar reaver jetbikes.
For me though this was kind of a blessing in disguise. The lack of new jetbikes completely re-inspired me to tackle the jetbike casting project, and I decided to actually try making a mould. This is the first time I’d ever cast anything so as you can imagine there is a lot of learning to be done in this log.
The project peters out before properly finishing, mostly because GW eventually released a new jetbike that took the wind out of my sails a bit, and because I was playing less and less 40k. But it’s here for posterity anyway.
Jetbike Nose Cone
In the last week or so I’ve made a good start on the project. Firstly all my new stuff arrived, including the Reaver bikes, and I set about making an …more
Shining Spears Helmet
Just a small update tonight, on the Shining Spears. I first thought to use what I think is a Dark Elf cold one helmet but eventually decided to modify a …more
Helmet & Jetbike Detail
Just a small update today (when aren’t they!?) Firstly, not worth a photo particularly but I’ve finished the inside canopy part so that’s ready for casting. There’s some silicon release …more
Mould Making
Last night and this morning I started the process of making a mould of the finished part. Since I’ve also finished the shuriken catapults I decided to cast these at …more
Warlock Legs
Today I set out to pour part 2 of the mould. I’m itching to get on with making my first cast so nearly rushed into something I would have hugely …more
Start to a Farseer
A little more progress made in fits and starts throughout the week. Still waiting for the mould release agent, though I think it might be waiting for me at the …more
First Casts
I finally picked the mold release agent up from the sorting office yesterday and I have made my first cast. I’ve been mildly surprised to find it worked almost perfectly, …more
Moulding & Casting Troubleshooting, Part 1
An update on casting. I hit a snag where the mold seemed to get better technically which perversely led to creating worse casts. After about 4 or 5 successful casts, …more
Jetbike Fins
So far, I’ve been thinking of using the old jetbike fin attached to the ammo part from an Eldar missile launcher as the new fins. This looks like this: Speculatively …more
Warlock Leg Casts
Happily the leg casting worked out ok, my fears about poorly mixed rubber were ill founded. The mold looks like this: The pouring and air flow directions are as follows …more
More Jetbike Fins
A small update. The fins planned for the shining spear bike (using fins from the flyer kit) are now going to be the fins for all bikes. They just look …more
Moulding & Casting Troubleshooting, Part 2
Another “troubleshooting” type post today after my last one about fixing the canopy mould, for those interested in the technical details of the casting process. I stole a march over …more
Taking Stock
RIGHT! It’s been over a year since I actively worked on this project, but a new escalation league at my club (which I’m running) is bringing it back onto the …more
Zooming off the Production Line
The 40k campaign that will be kicking off soon has massively reinvigorated my interest in my Eldar. I’ve selected an initial 500 points that includes multiple models I haven’t painted, …more
A week of molding and casting
This last week has involved a lot of casting and molding in an effort to get the bikes ready. First, I cast up 4 left and 4 right pilot arms. …more
Canopy Transfers and Sticky Resin
I’ve spent the last week or so painting all the parts for my Guardian bikes in sub assemblies. There is not much to say about these. As usual with the …more