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Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Ork Freebooters: Sculpting Tricorn Hats & Frock-Coats

About a month back, my son said he wanted Flash Gitz for his birthday, so I figured I'd best come up with a plan... it's a week away, now, and I have 6 of them just about ready for priming, and another 4 in various stages of completion. My wife's going to be starting to paint 'em tomorrow. Anyway - along the way I worked out how to do tricorn hats & frock-coats in suitably Orky, over-the-top, Freebooter style.

This uses a mix of Assault on Black Reach Nobz and standard boxed Nobz. Obviously you can turn all Orks into Freebooters this way, though. (I did pick up a set of the Maxmini pirate ork heads, by the way, though that's not absolutely vital -- I used standard Nobz heads too.)

You will need Green Stuff, your sculpting tools of choice (I used: an old butter-knife, some craft knives, a spike, some wax-carving tools, and some Colour Shapers, but you could get away with just the knives and your fingers at a pinch), and your GS lubricant of choice (water, vaseline/petroleum jelly, or saliva; I used saliva, because it's the best middle ground between the two).

First up, take a Nob body. It's easiest, at this stage, to use one with no arms (or only 1 arm, if you're using AoBR Nobz and they come with 1 arm already attached), and no head. At this stage, though, you should make any initial piratey modifications you might want. For this one, I added an ork knife to his belt: it's orky, it's Freebootery, and it will stick out nicely from the frock-coat, so I bought a pack of these from a bits merchant and stuck either a knife or a pistol to each belt. This is also the time to add stuff like cyber-legs if you want cybork Flash Gitz (and, really, who doesn't? Who cares about the points -- they look cool).


Now, roll out some Green Stuff nice & flat, or just press it flat. I use a flattish-edged plate, well lubricated, for this (keep your tools, worksurface, & fingers lubricated throughout). You want a roughly oblong shape, but with the bottom edge wider than the top. This is going to form the back half of the coat.


You should aim to have the coat be about shoulder to knee length. It's OK to have some that are a fair bit longer, or a little shorter, for some variation among the group. I like to check it against the Ork at this stage to make sure it's about right.


Now, make a cut with a bluntish knife or modelling tool, from the centre of the bottom edge to just below the middle. This will form the back slit that frock-coats have to let your sword poke out & give you freedom of movement when you're on a horse... although for these Orks, its main function is pure style.




Cut out a couple of small rough oblongs at the top, so as to leave a space expose the shoulder armour (since these guys have a 4+ save). These cuts don't have to be perfect; you'll be tweaking the shapes as you go.


Now, place the coat on the Ork's back.


Press down on the neck area, so you know the coat's attached in the right place.


Work the GS in round the shoulders.




Expose those armour plates on the shoulders.


Now, fold the coat-tails up and back a little. You don't want quite as many folds and creases as when sculpting robes; these coats are much thicker "fabric" than that.


If your coat ended up slightly too long, like this one did, now is the time to fold the bottom edge in slightly, and flattten it out; it looks fine for the bottom edge to be slightly thicker than the rest of the coat, and to have a "hem", though of course it'd be better still to just get the coat the right length in the 1st place!


Smooth the folds out a little round the Ork's body.


Make a light crease up the middle of the spine, following the line of the cut that separates the coat-tails.


Prick a series of holes just to the sides of the crease, representing stitch-marks.


Flatten the upper sides of the coat against the torso.




Pull the sides back from any kit at the belt area, like weapons, ammo, & pouches, so as to show them off nicely. You will eventually have a slit up each side, as well as one on the back, so it's fine to flare the coat out a bit here too.


Trim off any excess from the shoulder area.


OK, for the front, we want 2 oblongs of similar length to the back section, but true rectangles this time and a little narrower. Get the 1st one ready (there's only 1 on this pic, obviously -- the back lump of GS is... just a lump of GS).


Push it on your model, slightly overlapping the neck.


The next step is to press it down solidly on the side of the model's torso, so that it joins up with the back part of the coat.


Smooth the join nicely.


Now, cut & scrape away the GS over the shoulder armour, and smooth it out.


Join to the back of the coat, behind the neck.


Fold the middle edge back on itself to make a lapel-like section.



Flare out the bottom edges, especially the corner, like you did with the coat-tails at the back.



Repeat the process with the other front side. When you first place it on, it'll probably be overlapping the first front side, so be sure to lubricate the join, so the two pieces of GS don't stick.



When you flare out the coat, especially that front centre edge, try to get a few short, stiff-looking, straight folds, rather than a long curve. Again, this makes it look more like heavy coat fabric.


Ooh! Almost forgot the collar. You want this kinda shape -- again, the round-ended butter-knive comes in handy!


Place it behind the neck.


Flatten it in the middle, pressing it firmly in place so it doesn't fly off.



Blend it in to the rest of the coat.


If, like me, you've not managed to get the whole of the bottom edge of the collar attached to the neck, you may have to kinda jam it down a bit...


Shape it to taste. You probably want to smooth it off a bit better than I did, too... unless you don't mind slightly tatty-looking Orks.


Attach suitably piratical head and arm.


After you've added any extra arms necessary, you'll need to pop a tiny amount of GS on just next to the shoulder armour to form a short sleeve -- like, even shorter than T-shirt-sleeve-length, so as to still show off plenty of greenskin muscle.

Now, the pirate hat. This is for a tricorn (three-cornered), but you can use similar techniques for a bicorn (2-cornered) too. This one's going on a Battlewagon gunner, who'll be on the Freebooters' Looted Wagon (work in progress...).

Take a pea-sized ball of GS.


Flatten it out into a circle -- around 20mm or even 25mm diameter is OK, but you can do various sizes.


Neaten the edges a little (though tatty pirate hats can be made just by leaving the edges a bit rough).




Press it down onto your Ork's head (ensuring the head's in the middle).


Just lift up the back edge a little...


... then the front 2 edges at the same time.


Tweak it till you're happy with how it looks -- there are loads of slight variations in the angle of the folds, and they all look pretty good.


Lovely...


For a bicorn (2-cornered hat), Napoleon-style, just fold the back up the same way, and fold the front up in 1 fold parallel to the back fold, rather than 2.

Five almost complete Flash Gitz, plus a Painboy (wearing a bicorn hat; the light on the hat is made from a cut-down push pin), and a powder grot (in a tricorn). For the Snazzguns, I wanted something that looked like oversized, double-barrelled flintlock muskets, to maintain the Freebooter look, so they're made from brass tubing, Ork bayonets, green stuff, and lock/trigger sections from Kroot rifles. Incidentally, the Git on the far left of the pic is the one whose coat I made earlier in the tutorial, now with added tricorn hat and Snazzgun.

This message was edited 19 times. Last update was at 2009/06/01 01:50:22


My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
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Made in us
[DCM]
-






-

Is it just me, or are the pictures not showing up?

I'd love to see them!

   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Hmm -- dunno. I can now see 2 of the pics. I've only uploaded them this evening, in the last couple of hours, so are they maybe taking a while to show up?

They're all here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/user/13192-Ian%20Sturrock.html

Oh, and the 2 I can see are really small. :( Think I may have put URLs to the thumbnails in, instead of the pics... will try to sort it now.

Edit: think I've sussed out how to make it work, with the first couple -- will sort the rest out now... may take a few minutes though!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Right, apologies for the faff involved in sorting out the pics. :( Should all be working fine now though.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2009/06/01 01:31:54


My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
-






-

They are there now!

Very nicely done!

   
Made in za
Junior Officer with Laspistol





South Africa

I love ork pirates.I love them!!!!!

Good job and nice tutorial.

"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."-Groucho Marx
 
   
Made in au
Stormin' Stompa






YO DAKKA DAKKA!

The hats are awesome. The snazzguns are perfect too.

   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Thanks all. The hats are actually way quicker & less fiddly to do than the coats are, too.

My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






Scyzantine Empire

Now I know just what to do with those AoBR boyz I've been saving... Thanks! This is great!

What harm can it do to find out? It's a question that left bruises down the centuries, even more than "It can't hurt if I only take one" and "It's all right if you only do it standing up." Terry Pratchett, Making Money

"Can a magician kill a man by magic?" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. "I suppose a magician might," he admitted, "but a gentleman never could." Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

DA:70+S+G+M++B++I++Pw40k94-D+++A+++/mWD160R++T(m)DM+

 
   
Made in is
Thunderhawk Pilot Dropping From Orbit




Iceland

i have one question , on most of your pictures your using both hands ... how do you take the picture ??

KILL THE MUTANT lol

Nice toutorial though =D Up next ... making the ork's pen....

   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Heh-heh, doesn't everyone have a third hand, or a prehensile feeding-tentacle, for that kind of a job...?

If not, the easiest way is a pact with the dark lords of Chaos, but if you don't mind a bit of hassle you can use the time-delay function on your camera, and a tripod (or maybe a pile of books instead of the tripod, if you'd rather save your cash for buying ancient Gob Smasha models on eBay).

My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




This is great work, can you tell me what is this green stuff used to make these details?

Dave
   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Thanks Dave.

It's a 2-part modelling putty. If you buy it from a wargames supplier it'll usually just be sold as "Green Stuff", though I believe the trade name is Kneadatite.

I should be posting some pics of the first painted Flash Gitz and the undercoated Looted Wagon later, too, BTW.

My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in se
Dakka Veteran





Really looking forward to seeing them painted, they already look fantastic
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




Thanks for the reply and I'll be looking for it next time I'm in the LHS.
Dave
   
Made in us
Moustache-twirling Princeps





PDX

Very cool stuff. You may have just inspired a Pirate-theme for me when I do my Stompa (ship-like) and the Orks (pirates). Thank you, good sir.

   
Made in gb
Battlefortress Driver with Krusha Wheel







When you say to keep everything lubricated, do you just use water or is there something else?

 
   
Made in us
Khorne Rhino Driver with Destroyer





Pennsylvania, USA

I am new to the realm of sculpting in Miniature modeling, now what I would like to know just as a quick question, I have done my home work, I would like to know how long do you let you Epoxy (Green Stuff) Cure for?



Redbeard wrote:Yes, I can see it now. How do you select which Marines get to be Terminators? Is it due to experience? Capability? Prowess? Nope, it's just if you're tall...

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Made in us
Hellish Haemonculus






Boskydell, IL

I would also like to know what you are lubricating the Green Stuff with. Also, nice job on the modeling work. I never realized how easy tricorn hats would be.

Welcome to the Freakshow!

(Leadership-shenanigans for Eldar of all types.) 
   
Made in gb
Battlefortress Driver with Krusha Wheel







With an aim to getting the lubrication question answered, I've started a new thread found here. Hopefully someone will help us!

 
   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

I used saliva -- just don't lick the green stuff at any point!

My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in us
Screamin' Stormboy




Plantersville, Texas

Thanks for the info, I really like the Pirate Orks/Flashgits.

Your coats came out great do you have any painted yet?
   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

I do -- my wife painted a bunch up for my son's birthday, I've just not gotten around to getting a really good photo of 'em yet...

My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in ca
Squishy Oil Squig




Ontario

I can't wait to see the painted ones eagerly awaiting their appearance on Dakka

 
   
Made in gb
Stubborn Dark Angels Veteran Sergeant





Teesside

Sorry about the delay -- my wife's been doing the painting, and it's taken her a while!

I got my awesomely talented friend Simon (of http://www.confundo.net/ ) to paint the Freebooter Battle Barge (usually used as an open-topped battlewagon).

Flash Git "Skully". He's a Cybork, hence the right leg (which is taken from an old Space Crusade android mini). His double-barreled Snazzgun is slung over his back. Body is from the Ork Nobz kit, head is one of Maxmini's pirate Ork Nobz.


Flash Gitz round their Battle Barge (The vehicle was made by me from a couple of old-style Rhino sides, a bit of foam, scraps of rusted and non-rusted metal, brass tube, and the "ram" on the front is basically a 28mm scale armoured van scratchbuilt by someone else years ago & then accidenntally damaged...)











My painting & modelling blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/699224.page

Serpent King Games: Dragon Warriors Reborn!
http://serpentking.com/

 
   
Made in gb
Cultist of Nurgle with Open Sores





warminster

great tutorial man well done

a cow and a calf are cut in half, and put into some cases, to call it art, however smart, casts doubt on arts hole basis. 
   
Made in ca
Squishy Oil Squig




Ontario

Truly phenominal models my friend something to be truly proud of.

 
   
Made in us
Irked Blood Angel Scout with Combat Knife




Portland, Oregon

Love the conversions!

DR:90S+G+MB+IPw40k11+D+A++/fWD389R+T(T)DM
"I shall reap a terrible bounty from the death that I sow in your name. Father Nurgle..." Typhus, Herald of Nurgle

Armies:
Blood Angels 3000pts.
Death Guard 2000pts.
Rebel Grots: WIP. 
   
 
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