Mecha Competition Build – Part 4: The Final Submission

Rosan Lancer Victorious vs Necrosnight — Necrosknight vs Rosan Lancer

This is Part 5 of my Necrosknight competition build. If you haven't already, check out Mecha Competition Build – Part 4: The Final Week

After weeks of building, painting, weathering, modifying, changing plans and probably spending far too much time staring at the same diorama, the Necrosknight vs Rosan Lancer competition build is finally finished.

The final photos have been taken, the submission has been sent in, and there is nothing left to do but wait.

And honestly… it feels a little strange.

This project started with a rough idea of a battle between the Necrosknight and Rosan Lancer and slowly grew into a much bigger project than I originally expected. From building and modifying the two mechs, to adding battle damage, creating the desert environment and trying to capture a sense of movement in the final scene, there was always something to work on.

Now it is finally sitting there, finished.

The Final Diorama

One of the things I am happiest with is the overall composition of the scene.

I wanted the diorama to feel like a moment captured at the end of a battle rather than two models simply standing opposite each other. Having the Necrosknight's scythe caught in the Rosan Lancer's shield while the Lancer strikes back helped create the sense of movement I was looking for.

The dust and debris around the models also helped push that idea further. Rather than having everything sitting cleanly on the base, I wanted the environment to feel like it was being disturbed by the fight.

Looking at the finished piece, I am genuinely happy with how it has come together.

There are definitely things I would change, but I think the final scene tells the story I wanted it to tell.

What I Would Change

The biggest thing I have noticed looking back at the finished models is the colour of the mechs themselves.

I think they could have benefited from more colour and contrast to help them stand out against the desert environment. There are plenty of details on both models, but I don't think I made the most of them from a colour perspective.

I feel adding colour to the mechs, especially the armour, would allow me to create a more visually striking battle damage and helping to stand out from the background.

The problem was time.

With the competition deadline approaching, making major changes to the colour scheme would have been difficult without risking the rest of the project. Sometimes you have to make a decision and move forward rather than constantly trying to improve something that is already working.

Similar to my Takiyasha paint job, you need to know when enough is enough.

I think this is something I will keep in mind for future projects. I will have to try and plan the build better.

Planning the Diorama

The biggest lesson I am taking away from this competition is probably to plan the diorama earlier and more thoroughly.

I had a general idea of what I wanted, but I didn't have everything worked out before I started building.

That meant I constantly found myself changing things.

I'd build something, think of another idea, change it, then come up with another idea and change it again. While changes definitely improved the final result, it also meant I spent a lot of time working backwards.

Next time I want to spend much more time planning the composition before I start.

Things like:

Where the models will be positioned
What the focal point will be
What colours I want to use
Where the major environmental elements will go
How the base will frame the models
How I want the viewer's eye to move through the scene

Having those decisions made earlier should give me more time to concentrate on the actual painting and finishing.

Competition Time

Now comes the part I have absolutely no control over.

There are a lot of incredible submissions in this competition, and seeing what everyone else has produced has been both intimidating and motivating.

If I'm being completely honest, I don't expect my entry to place.

There are some seriously talented builders and painters competing, and seeing their work has made it pretty clear just how much there is still for me to learn.

But I'm okay with that.

This is the best model I could make with the time, skills and experience I have right now.

And that is something I'm proud of.

Rather than looking at the other entries and feeling discouraged, I've actually found them really motivating. Seeing what other people are capable of has given me plenty of ideas about where I can improve and has made me want to push my own painting and modelling further.

That's probably one of the best things I could have gotten out of this competition.

What I Have Learned

This project has taught me a lot.

I've experimented with different ways of creating battle damage, worked on environmental effects, tried to create a sense of motion and spent far more time thinking about composition than I normally would.

I've also learned that having a good idea isn't necessarily enough.

The more ambitious the project becomes, the more important planning becomes.

I don't want to lose the willingness to experiment and change things. That is a big part of why I enjoy the hobby. But I think I can be more deliberate about when I experiment and when I stick to the plan.

Hopefully, the next competition build will show some of that improvement.

What's Next?

With the Necrosknight and Rosan Lancer finally finished, it's time to move on.

I've still got a Goblin on a Squig sitting unfinished from an earlier project, which you can read about here, so that will be getting some attention first.

After that, I'm looking forward to getting back to my Nurgle Blood Bowl team. I've still got plenty of work to do there, and after spending so much time working on a single diorama, I'm looking forward to jumping between a few smaller models again.

But before any of that happens…

I need to clean my desk.

And probably the floor.

After working towards a deadline for so long, my workspace has basically disappeared under paints, tools, materials and bits of miniatures.

There is currently so little room that starting another project would probably require me to build it on top of the previous one.

So the next project isn't painting.

It's cleaning.

Final Thoughts

I'm really happy I entered this competition.

The finished diorama isn't perfect, and there are plenty of things I would approach differently if I started it again. But that's exactly what makes these projects worthwhile.

Every build gives me something to take into the next one.

The Necrosknight vs Rosan Lancer project started as an idea for a competition entry. It ended up being a lesson in planning, composition, painting, weathering and, most importantly, pushing myself outside of what I normally do.

Now all that's left is to wait and see how it goes.

Whatever happens, I'm proud of the finished piece.

And if nothing else, I've already got a list of things I want to do better next time.

For now, though…

Competition build: finished.

Workspace: absolutely not finished.

On to the next.

And remember: Always Paint Your Way