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Got asked how I make these in my blog so thought I'd put a tutorial here too.

They don't take very long to make with a bit of GS skill and you don't have to fork out crazy money. I also think they look more in keeping with cadian size models than using SM meltas.

They come out looking like this:


You'll need a lasgun, I prefer the cadian one that has only a hand on the grip, as the free handed arm fits nicely under the new grip you're going to make.
Also needed are a thin bit of tube - I use cotton bud/q-tip, a bit of GS, and some guitar string.



1: take a lasgun.
2: Chop it down to look like this (take off the barrel and ammo clip, also the raised button/light bits off the surface so its pretty much flat above where the ammo clip goes)
3: Glue on a suitable length of tube for the barrel. Base the length of this on an actual melta and you won't go far wrong. The one in this pic is about 1mm too long really. GS on the front grip and the details. A thin bit of plasticard glued to the underneath before GS-ing makes this easier as you won't spend half an hour fighting with the GS to keep it straight.
4: GS the barrel detail (I did a crappy job of this as I was only doing it for demonstration) and bend a bit of guitar string for the cable and glue that into place once the GS has set. I use .56 gauge and bend it around a citadel sculpting tool until I have the right curve. Once its glued in place you can add a little bit of GS detail where the cable meets the weapon at each end but thats up to you. You can see the ways I've done that in the top picture.

Very easy, I made the above one in about 10 mins.

Hope this is useful to someone

Hmm, not bad. This could fix my all-encompassing need for moar melta...

very handy, now do one for plasma guns from bolters and you will be a god I'll have to give this a shot tomorrow

Pretty good stuff,I'll probably be making use of this in the near future as I'm doing a bit of converting .

I like the tutorial, but i really like those characters you've green-stuffed....fantastic work!

I like it! will try it out soon!!

Hrm....

Now... to figure out how to uses this as a basis for combi-meltas.

Cool, easy fast and compact. Might just have to try this out for my Veterans, and if you were to make this a combi melta, well i don't know but i would like to know.

Cool stuff, but if you lack the GS talent and you have a manufacturum it'[s full of melta-looking smoke stacks you can use as melta barrels.

If we had some kind of karma system, i would give [positive karma to this post. I dig it.

Glad this could be of some help guys. Hardest bit is getting the curve on the really thick guitar string the right shape.

Tried it out with a bolter earlier and works just as well. Only need to add a spacer to the front after removing the barrel to get the right length. I'll do another couple tomorrow and take pics during and bung it in this thread as welll.

I like your solution better than mine.

I start with a flamer. Cut the tip in half, cut off the tank. Run a piece of trimmer string between where the tank was, and the tip. I'll post pics when I get home.

Nice work!

Great tutorial.

It was easy to follow and the pictures illustrated the steps nicely

Put it on wiki. EVERY IG PLAYER NEEDS TO SEE THIS!!!

Wish I stumbled across this before i bought 5 melts off ebay for like 15 bucks.

Can't you still buy them in packs from GW? Not too awful long ago they were 6 USD for 5 meltas.

grizgrin wrote:Can't you still buy them in packs from GW? Not too awful long ago they were 6 USD for 5 meltas.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1400031&rootCatGameStyle=
Is this what you mean?

grizgrin wrote:Can't you still buy them in packs from GW? Not too awful long ago they were 6 USD for 5 meltas.

OMG those Metal Meltas are such a pain in the to convert. I had to use crouched Guardsmen from my HW teams because the guns were so heavy. Then I had to chop off the hands from GL or LG and then they wouldn't stay glued to the bodies with their weird curved wrists. in the end I had to use as much GS as the OP used to convert theirs just to get the guns to stop breaking off every other game. I was just glad that I had them crammed into Chimera so the wouldn't make my army look ugly.

Promotion of IP theft is not permitted on Dakka. Further violations will result in suspension of posting privileges. -Mannahnin\

Hmm... I'm all for doing your own version of stuff, even if its closely based on the original model, but the products at the link seem a bit too much like theft to me

Element206 wrote:I like the tutorial, but i really like those characters you've green-stuffed....fantastic work!

This, I'd like to see a tutorial for those masks.