Tau Objective Markers WIP pt 4

Inspiration struck and I was able to move past a few design hurdles.

An Escape Pod and Ammo Dump

Escape Pod

I created the "nacelles" from square plastic tubing. There is a small piece of card placed behind the tubed to give a flat surface and add a little detailing. I ditched the idea of a proper canopy in favor of a small painted view port and this Tau bit from an eBay lot.

Ammo Dump

Boy, I tell you medicine bottle plastic is tough to work with!! I used my Dremel to cut out the doors and squeezed a pair of washers and a short length of cardboard tubing inside the bottle. This is where the weapons and ammo will mount--As a sort of spindle/turntable. 

A Med Bay/Bacta Tank

Med Bay/Bacta Tank
The only real progress here was choosing different bits. A cut down Ion Cannon will function as the interface/regulator. I plan on converting/painting an injured Tau Fire Warrior and filling the tank with tinted Water Effects.

Check out the past articles in the series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Crate 'n Barrel

We use a lot of small terrain pieces in Necromunda and Dark Heresy. These are my Sci-Fi/Modern containers.

These are made from various plastic, resin, and wooden pieces from Games Workshop, Forge World, Armor Cast, a craft store, and various other sources--For example, there is a piece cut off a Star Wars Miniatures Hailfire Droid.

Most of the "bundles" or piles of containers are individual pieces glued together and then glued to a plasticard base. The plasticard was then carefully trimmed to the shape of the footprint or the pieces. However, I originally had the plasticard base cut to rectangles, but I found that to unwieldy in play.

The two large cylinders in the back are wooden rings with 40mm bases glued to the top and bottom.

These tanks are made of pieces from a Pegasus Chem-Plant kit. I wanted some additional stand alone larger container pieces. The one on the left tank is on top of a 25mm GW round base, the middle one is on a medicine bottle cap, and the right one is on a small washer.

They are unique enough to be objective markers, but I intended them for general terrain.

Speaking of objective markers! The bottom row are my Necromunda objective markers. The are assorted resin and plastic bitz from Games Workshop, Forge World, and Armor Cast. They are on 20mm square bases that were simply painted my "Necromunda Terrain Blue".

The top two rows were made by Adeptus-B and we typically use them for "blip" markers, but they can be used for objective markers too! They are numbered 1-8 on the bottom. I flipped one over as an example, but the numbers are yellow, so I'm not sure you can see it.

Communications Console WiP

Here is something I started working on, it is a communications console. I will use it as an objective marker in WH40K and in our Dark Heresy campaign. Its a pretty simple assembly project.

A communications console.
(click on image to enlarge)

The main piece (the purple and silver part) is a stripped down body of a Transformers Constructicon (mixmaster, I think) that I had when I was a kid.

The top section is most of the Imperial Guard vox-caster from the Apocalypse Command sprue (the antenna has been cut off).

The "feet" are cut down Space Marine teleport homers. I used the top part of the homer as sirens for my Adeptus Arbites (counts-as) Rhinos.

The control panel is a piece I bought from a 3D print on demand store that I discussed here.

On the back is the antenna I removed from the IG vox-caster and a bit that came with the Imperial Bastion kit.

WIP: Necromunda Objectives

I am still waiting for my surgery to be scheduled, but I'm getting a little stir crazy in the meantime. As I sit reading blogs, and writing army lists the temptation to get back to the workbench was too strong to resist. I spent about an hour the other day, and a few hours today working on some objective markers.

As typical of my nature, I often start projects before I complete the ones already in progress. So I did not work on my TOEMP projects, or my Tau army, or even any WH40KRP NPCs. I was inspired to work on Necromunda terrain. I started by making sketches of buildings that were never finished by adding detail, or making changes to parts I didn't like. Then I started digging around in my terrain boxes, and pulled out a few small pieces. I decided to make some Necromunda objective markers in the same vain as my Tau objective markers, that I could also use for an IG/Arbites force.

I wanted the Ammo Dump to look like a pallet of supplies that the looters were chased off in mid raid. The painted parts were lifted off existing terrain pieces.


This is a rat coop. It could also house blood beetles, giant slugs, blind snakes or mutant dogs. The door slides up and down and is removable. There is room for a std figure, so this could be used as a makeshift prison for a rescue mission too.


For this piece, I took a hatch that wasn't based, or attached to anything. I simply added some detail and a partially demolished bulkhead.

The waterstill is mostly unchanged, except for adding a valve and faucet, and mounting to a detailed 60mm base.


The last piece was a computer terminal that was inspired by the scene from Star Wars where Old Ben was on the Death Star turning off the tractor beams. I have evolved it into a coms tower.

Tau Objective Markers Showcase

I have completed the first 3 of my Tau objective markers: A power station, a fuel depot, and a comm tower. These are the first army themed objective markers I have ever made, however I did make a few generic markers for Necromunda. You can check my earlier WIP posts about the Tau markers <WIP 1> and <WIP 2>.


POWER STATION: In hind sight, I think the power plant may be a little small, but I do like how it turned out. Although, keeping it on a 60mm base I'm not really sure how much bigger I could have made it.

FUEL DEPOT: This is my least favorite of the three... I should have done more modifications to the cap that I used as the basis for this piece... All I can see is the cap with some bitz glued to it!

COMM STATION: This is my favorite objective marker so far. The original plan was to have a technician interfacing with the console, but I opted for versatility and left a clear space on the base to place a figure.

Tau Objective Markers WIP pt 2

OK, I got three of the objective markers assembled and base coated...

COMMAND/COMMUNICATIONS TOWER: I decided not to include a mini on this piece. However, I did leave a clearing on the base to allow a figure to be placed by the little fly-out control panel.


FUEL DEPOT: The plastic cap that makes up the core of this piece, didn't take the paint well... I probably should have washed it first!! On the other hand, zap-a-gap didn't like it either, so it may not have mattered. As a precaution, I pinned all the add on bitz.


POWER GENERATOR: This was the easiest of the group. Although, I probably should have painted the inside of the hatch doors before final assembly.


If you missed it, here is <WIP 1> to this project.

Tau Objective Markers WIP

Any of these objective markers will be great in a standard game, but I did keep the Key Building Strategem from Cities of Death in mind while designing them.

WEAPONS DEPOT
I used a prescription bottle, a gun drone, and some legos. Think of a gun/equipment locker meets drop pod. This will be a great Ammunition Store Strategem.

CRASHED ESCAPE POD
This is part of a Batman Happy Meal toy and some tau commander bitz. I will use this for a Sacred Ground Strategem.

BACTA TANK
OK, this mock-up is a little crude... it will get better. Lots of found bits, and spare model parts in this one. Obviously this will be used for a Medicae Strategem.

COMM TOWER
This is the top half of my first attempt at a Sensor Tower based of the one by Forge World (found <here>), with a few tau bitz added. This marker could either be a Command Center or Observation Point Strategem.

FUEL TANK
The base of this is piece is a cap from a can of shaving cream with obligatory tau bitz. This is the Fuel Dump Strategem.

POWER GENERATOR
I used the toes from an old model robot, devilfish side hatches, and wooded discs to make this piece. Another obvious one... I'll use this for a Power Generator Strategem.