Many Hive worlds rely on Geothermal energy to feed the power-hungry
cities that cover the surface. This need is fulfilled by Thermal
Core reactors, which convert the liquid magma into electricity via steam
turbines. The latest in light-up terrain, this piece was built on
contract for the Seattle GW Battle Bunker. Stop by and say hi, and
tell 'em I sent ya!
Using techniques similar to the Incinerator,
this piece of terrain has 5 flicker bulbs stuffed into it. The large
deck ensures that there's plenty of shadow below for some dramatic lighting
effects, as the pic above shows. The deck also provides plenty of
walking room and cover, making it a very defendable piece of industry.
To see a pic before painting, click on the image above. The deck
was made from fiberboard cut in an octagonal shape, with wood railings
topped with wood cabs and Mordheim supports. I used textured vertical
blinds for the texture on the walking surface of the deck. The arches
are trimmed down inserts from CD cases, , which span the 8 legs made from
pieces of wood detailed with bits of plastic clothespins.
The glowing tanks are made from plastic baby juice bottles, which I masked off parts of before spray priming and painting, then removed the tape to allow the light out. Although there are 8 bottles, only four of them light up. In the center of the ring of bottles is a single piece of ribbed plastic drain pipe.
The Reactor is a seperate piece that sits on the deck and hides all the wiring and bulbs- one bulb in the middle, and four stuffed down into the bottles through holes in the deck. A fifth hole allows the cord up inside with the maximum concealment. The reactor is made from a plastic Ford truck hubcap, topped off by part of a sprinkler control valve system. This odd conglomerate was detailed with textured plastic, toy and model parts, including pieces from the new GW Cities of Death sprues and parts from the Imex Chemical Plant kit, and tentacles from the big Sentinel toy from the Matrix movie.
I primed the piece in flat black and dark brown before drybrushing subtle shades of gray. Dark red details were picked out and plenty of rust washes were added before the final brass and steel drybrushing and decals were added. I'm very happy with the end result- in fact, I may have to make another one for myself!