Marathon LOTR/TH WIP Custom Builds..Reaper/Rider Wraith Redone & Finished.

Man that looks awesome!

Cheers guys! I replied to each of you twice but my browsers kept crashing! I'm hoping it was only caused by some foam I'd put in the gap where my floppy drive used to be to block up the hole, I think it was causing the hard drive beneath it to run too hot, taken it out now and seems to help already fingers crossed!
Added the chains and collars to the skulls, the arrow shaped bone piece on the front, not a big change but does help complete the focal/optical armatures of the design to draw the eyes in and not confuse the brain, I learnt this trick while doing my foundation course in illustration and graphic design. Sauron's a big boy so he covers up a lot of detail anyway and I haven't even lengthened his robes yet! The EL Wire parts arrived too.

That is looking really cool! The fact that Sauron can actually sit on it is a real bonus. You do get things like this being built without the articulation of the figure being taken into account.

You mentioned being able to keep your PC cool, this is paramount, if you can fit additional fans, do it.

CHEERS!

Rogerbee wrote:That is looking really cool! The fact that Sauron can actually sit on it is a real bonus. You do get things like this being built without the articulation of the figure being taken into account.

You mentioned being able to keep your PC cool, this is paramount, if you can fit additional fans, do it.

CHEERS!

Well I'd be rather embarrassed if he couldn't after all this work and having made from scratch for him!
He sits very well, not a slouching slob like me but looking very authoritarian! Mind you it took me years before I could slouch, I used to be way too pent up and literally sit on the edge of my couch!
As for fans, got one in the front and one in the back, both very big and pumping out the hot air while cool air goes in that hole where the floppy used to be, I only put the soft foam in for protection against any metal getting in there but I guess it was too dense. I did try to duct tape a bit of scrim on their first but it kept falling off! Just worried about the odd ricochet BB or pellet causing a short inside.
Look what the neighbours left outside for me this morning! A goldmine of material! Again..

How thoughtful of them.

My PC has 3 fans at the front one at the top and one in front of the radiator for the liquid cooler for the CPU. In this weather a liquid cooled CPU has become an absolute must.

CHEERS!

Man that throne is so cool looking. Fantastic work.

Rogerbee wrote:How thoughtful of them.

My PC has 3 fans at the front one at the top and one in front of the radiator for the liquid cooler for the CPU. In this weather a liquid cooled CPU has become an absolute must.

CHEERS!

Indeed! It's 27c in the shade here with the room cooler on, just had to turn the rear external fan for the PC around and put a freezer block behind it to pump cold air in.

Stryker2011 wrote:Man that throne is so cool looking. Fantastic work.

Thank you! And it's finished! YAY! Having a lap full of a heavy black woollen coat is not the most comfortable thing to do in this heat but had to unstitch the lining and remove all the inner material to get what I wanted for the back of the throne (that coat came from a bag of clothes left outside a while back too! Found some nice stuff in this one as well including a massive black thick cotton 'throw' to put over my couch now that I've washed a dried it) ; I just screwed it in place and used a black baby safety pin to position it so nothing fancy (sorry to disappoint dadrab but who ever sees the back of a throne? maybe an assassin..). Anyway still got the palantir to do but below are some cool pics of it with the other Wraith but no Sauron yet...sort of a teaser and I still need him to work on the palantir's light up feature.

It has come out glorious. And the top of the throne matches Sauron's headgear, so when he sits on it, the effect is amplified, like a sort of magic fusion of ruler and seat of power. It does strike me how light and silverish everything looks, but then I remember that ideally it would be displayed darkened, so that Sauron's flames would stand out. It's also cool to see your other GOT figures in the background. Am I missing something or do you show only 8 wraiths? Or is that the ninth one with the wolf's head helmet behind and below?

Damn, brah.

That's great work.

You're absolutely correct about the back.

Marvelous build and I thank you for taking us with you.

GubernatorFan wrote:It has come out glorious. And the top of the throne matches Sauron's headgear, so when he sits on it, the effect is amplified, like a sort of magic fusion of ruler and seat of power. It does strike me how light and silverish everything looks, but then I remember that ideally it would be displayed darkened, so that Sauron's flames would stand out. It's also cool to see your other GOT figures in the background. Am I missing something or do you show only 8 wraiths? Or is that the ninth one with the wolf's head helmet behind and below?

GOT? I think you mean LOTR! Getting your fantasy franchises mixed up! There are 9, the Reaper Wraith is on the right side in front of the Gondorian Wraith with the pike, I have been thinking about giving him a bit more of an elaborate helmet inspired by Locki's from Marvel to make him stand out more and give him some additional height too. The Wolf head is actually the Rohirrim Wraith's shoulder pauldron. And there's a Wolf Predator on the other side behind on the shelves which confused me initially about your question . Thanks for liking it! I feel if I made them dark they'd just get lost to the background plus they are ethereal spirits which glow/luminess in the film.

dadrab wrote:Damn, brah.

That's great work.  

You're absolutely correct about the back.

Marvelous build and I thank you for taking us with you.

Thank you so much for following! Would be bloody boring without you guys to help me along and be company! I'm not exactly a party animal any more with the whole agoraphobia bollox cramping my style..

PC's should really have internal fans for cooling. The problem you have is that your PC is an off the shelf job, so you may not be able to mount the motherboard in a new case that would allow for proper cooling.

The throne looks so good, well done!

CHEERS!

Rogerbee wrote:PC's should really have internal fans for cooling. The problem you have is that your PC is an off the shelf job, so you may not be able to mount the motherboard in a new case that would allow for proper cooling.

The throne looks so good, well done!

CHEERS!

I've actually got a large internal fan at the front that's ducted to the giant heatsink on the processor, I cleaned all the parts when I dismantled the PC last week and it's running well (the fan) I just use an external one right next to the rear vented section as an exhaust fan, so it sucks cool air in from the front and blows hot air out the back. If/when it's still going slow tomorrow I'll take the PC out from under all the printer and monitor stuff on top of it and pop the lid to get more air in.


Anyway back to the build... I've masked patterns on the weapons' hilts and started painting the Palantir, this is either how to do it or how not to do it! I was going to paint images of the battle on it but realised that could go so wrong so many ways so I've decided to have the Palantir in standby/screensaver mode where it's illuminated but not connected to any 'feed' as it were. I'm going with the classic marble/planet looking swirling pattern using a daft amount of different shades going from neon yellow all the way down to black eventually. Also painted the skeletal hands that will hold it over the fire (which I also started painting) a bit like an Art Deco statue of sorts.

Looking good!

CHEERS!

Rogerbee wrote:Looking good!

CHEERS!

Thanks! The 10cm of white EL Wire I bought is useless for the effect I want so I'll order another 50cm of yellow when I can.
Taken the PC out from under all the stuff, applied new heatsink paste (the other stuff might not have been working very well) and popped the lid leaving it propped open with the external fan switched on to let more air circulate around everything. I'll no if it's working when the room temp hits 26c as that seems to be the edge of the kill zone.

Just moved the room cooler back away from the PC and directed it's fins downwards. I'll have a look on line for cooling systems.

That really isn't the way to go. You might be cooling it, but, you're also leaving the components open to dust and dirt. The other thing is that I don't think you could get other cooling for that type of system. They really weren't designed with modding of any kind in mind. If you really want a more practical solution then putting the hard drive into a new case with a motherboard and stuff you can easily mod would be the best way to go. This was precisely why I never went back to off the shelf stuff when I built my PC.

Compared to that, the staff will be easy....

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This is just a temporary thing for the hot days, I wouldn't leave like this all the time, I'd be tripping over it for a start! I used to take the side cover of my tower PC in my old place for the same reason, just blasted it with air from one of my compressors now and again to get rid of any fluff and dust. I've looked into a water cooling system and could easily build one for this PC for around 50 quid but I'm not convinced it would be any better than fans, You Tubers keep going on about how quiet the systems are but I've yet to see someone say it actually cools more efficiently. With motorcycles it makes sense as when a bike's engine is running but the bike isn't actually moving the engine isn't getting any benefits from air cooling where as water cooling still works. Have you seen any info that proves water cooling on a home computer (PC) is more effective? Please pm me if you can give me some insight on how well it works vs. fans, the water reservoirs just look so small to be cooled by a radiator and fan alone, ie. it looks like once the water has warmed up it won't have time to cool down by the next time it reaches the components it's meant to be cooling. Thanks.

Done more paint on the palantir, moved on to metallics like gold, brass, rust (next copper and black) and finished the weapons too, also ordered the 50cm of yellow EL Wire.

That Palantir is looking awesome.

Stryker2011 wrote:That Palantir is looking awesome.

Thanks! I'm going to coil the EL Wire inside it through a hole in the bottom so I can light it up (it should be much more effective than the torch I'm using to give you an idea) and the flames as well in the base.

Damn, that looks mighty good.

Funny you mention liquid cooling, my CPU is liquid cooled. Even in this weather the temperature of the processor doesn't get above 35 degrees. With the stock fan, even with all the others, on a day like this it could get to over 65 which is not good at all. DIY just wouldn't be the way to go. For a properly cooled PC you have to build from the ground up with proven components. Each part has it's own warranty so you're well covered if stuff goes wrong.

The palantir is looking great by the way

CHEERS!

dadrab wrote:
Damn, that looks mighty good.

Thank you sir! Unfortunately just got an email saying they're out of the 1.3mm yellow EL Wire and won't be restocking but have offered to send me some 2.4mm or 3.2mm instead, not ideal but should work.

Rogerbee wrote:Funny you mention liquid cooling, my CPU is liquid cooled. Even in this weather the temperature of the processor doesn't get above 35 degrees. With the stock fan, even with all the others, on a day like this it could get to over 65 which is not good at all. DIY just wouldn't be the way to go. For a properly cooled PC you have to build from the ground up with proven components. Each part has it's own warranty so you're well covered if stuff goes wrong.

The palantir is looking great by the way

CHEERS!

Thanks!
Well useful to know water cooling actually works, I'd be using PC specific parts and not bits of my sink for a change! , a build from the ground up would just be too expensive and cooling system is a cooling system, we use VW oil coolers on Harley choppers for example.

Added the copper and night time pics, black should be the last next.

Looking good!

Building a PC isn't quite as expensive as you might think, building it bit by bit means you can spread the cost and take as long as you want. I was on the dole when I built mine. I started in Feb and had all the parts by about August I think. I kept to the maximum spec I could afford. I got lucky on a few bits and scored some OEM parts. CCL in Bradford was where I went. I'll PM you their site address if you're interested.

Have fun with the LOTR build

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Rogerbee wrote:Looking good!

Building a PC isn't quite as expensive as you might think, building it bit by bit means you can spread the cost and take as long as you want. I was on the dole when I built mine. I started in Feb and had all the parts by about August I think.  I kept to the maximum spec I could afford. I got lucky on a few bits and scored some OEM parts. CCL in Bradford was where I went. I'll PM you their site address if you're interested.

Have fun with the LOTR build

CHEERS!

I don't doubt it especially as I have a few towers lying around to work with but I'm too busy building figures for now! You going away or something? Just the way you added the last bit.

Well I got too brush happy even with a .00 so ended up with too much black, sanded bits back to build up again reducing the black; I've also sewn an extension to Sauron's robes and finished painting the fire.
Gone back to the Reaper Wraith to make him a cool helmet so he will stand out more, it will reflect his dragon culture.

No, I just kept things on topic at the last minute, LOL!

CHEERS!

Looking very promising... but I've got to ask... are you trying different looks out or is the wraith going to wear a headgear that is half Dwarf King (or is it Gamorrean Guard?) and half Lord Underbite (or whatever his name is on Venture Brothers)? I am sure it will look good, although the jaw part might be so prominent as to detract from the grim reaper feel of the look.

I'm just playing around with parts for the helmet but I do like that jaw with a set of fangs/teeth as a visor, keeps with the dragon look and reminds me of that cool costume Mickey Rourke as the sadistic King Hyperion in 'The Immortals' that is a cross between a scorpion and a venus flytrap. Besides before people were questioning why a Wraith would have a skull even if it was a helmet and I had to defend that decision with lengthy explanations! I know our tastes don't always coincide as I saw your comment on the Pscylock(?) thread about the DC Aquaman and Cyborg costumes that I actually think are beautiful and your thought on 'less is more'. Not having a go at you at all, we all have different tastes thank goodness or this would be a world full of clones (although to be honest when I lived in Florida it often felt like one, all the main steam girls looked exactly the same! LOL); but after surviving torturous years of sitting through art history lessons with endless slide shows I think it only fair that I bore you with the actual 'less is more' philosophy. It's not a golden rule at all, it's merely a style of design promoted by the Bauhaus school of art and design in Germany during the 1920's and 1930's until it was shut down by the Nazis for promoting communist intellectualism.
Anyway.. nearly done with the palantir (again) just needs some more delicately applied black this time .

I was just curious whether you meant to use both pieces or were testing to use one or the other. I see you mean to use both and I am sure it will be as glorious as usual when finished. At present it reminds me more of Tom Hardy/Mad Max Fury Road than Hyperion. By the way, while I agree Hyperion had a good look and the film did have a few cool visuals, don't start me on how God-awful that movie is... so much so that the goofy low-budget version of the Minotaur myth starring Tom Hardy was far more tolerable.

GubernatorFan wrote:I was just curious whether you meant to use both pieces or were testing to use one or the other. I see you mean to use both and I am sure it will be as glorious as usual when finished. At present it reminds me more of Tom Hardy/Mad Max Fury Road than Hyperion. By the way, while I agree Hyperion had a good look and the film did have a few cool visuals, don't start me on how God-awful that movie is... so much so that the goofy low-budget version of the Minotaur myth starring Tom Hardy was far more tolerable.

A minotaur movie with Tom Hardy? I've got to see that! What's it called? I still haven't watched Fury Road yet, had it for months now!

More faffing around with parts getting them to fit for the helmet, not easy to hold them all together for pictures so they're not centred very well, I'll be adding long vertical horns/dragon spikes to the top of the helmet too. Pretty much finished the Palantir again but it's still not lighting up as much as I'd like but I have to concede a lot so it looks good when not lit which would be most of the time.

Just think how much easier your job would have been if, like the emperor in Star Wars, Sauron and his magic used blue light/fire/lightning -- which would be easier to see.

Something that might be really striking is if you painted the skull-helmet a darker metallic gray/back, leaving your two-piece outer helmet more pronounced and silverish on top of it. Just an idea.

Fury Road is great. The Tom Hardy Minotaur movie is called... wait for it... Minotaur! It was made in 2006. Be aware that although I pointed out that it annoys me less than Immortals (which was despicable), it really does not mean it is really good. But if you approach it with low expectations, you would find it quirky off and amusing.