Chaos Raptors: Conversions

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**RSJake**

Well, I had several Vanilla Space Marines that I had converted to Chaos(World Eaters) several years ago (mostly just adding toothpick spikes and horns and axe arms from the WHFB chaos boxed set, I hadn't heard of Green Stuff yet).

So, now what used to be my "Assault Squad" CSM, are now going to be my Raptors. I started off by cutting the exhaust ports off of the backpack (much like another Dakkite did, but instead of using 'Nid Gargoyle wings, I made my own), I then drilled holes to put paperclips in, and bent them to look like wings:

Then using that, I made a template to cut out of paper:

Then I soaked the paper in a Elmer's Glue/water mixture, applied the paper to the back pack, and hung it up to dry:

After it dried, I applied Elmer's Glue and toilet paper to the areas where the wing bones would be, and strung some of it out accross the back of the backpack as well to give it a sort of "possessed back pack" look.
Which is going to be my fluff for the squad: After they had made sacrifice and prayed for possession, they were granted possessed back packs instead so that they can get to the killing that much faster...or something like that.
(sorry, no WIP pics of this stage.)
Then after a Base coat of Blood Red, I went to attach it to my CSM...that is when I dropped the Marine, and every piece imaginable broke off of the little guy! So, I went for my second choice figure, and put the wings on him:

So, what do you think? Any comments? Suggestions of how to do it better? I've only just started on my second one, so there is time to change the process if it needs it.

Thanks, and have a great Day!

**Weiss**

It looks like a good conversion, but I would use some different colors on it, throw some metal colors on the backpack, maybe add some fleshy colors on the muscle part of the wings and then throw a nice wash on it, like badab black or the mud one..

**RSJake**

Thanks! Yeah, I haven't done any painting on it yet, and I was wondering how to go about it color-wise, thanks for the tips! And I'm still waiting for my washes in the mail. Never used them before, I'm excited!

**RSJake**

Well, it's been a while since I posted on this thread, but I have some updates! I was looking at Tipios' Raptor thread http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/323770.page and it gave me some ideas!
I just spent my allowance on Paint, so I don't have the money to get Gargoyle wings, so I thought I would try my hand at using GS (gray stuff in this case) to make them. I had seen a tutorial somewhere on making GS wings, I don't remember where...so I decided to give it a try.

I started with an ordinary SM backpack and added a jet intake and exhaust I had made, added a piece of a Bic pen for the "barrel" of the jet:

Then added some paperclips for the wings:

Then, I rolled out a good size piece of GS and cut it to shape, and layed it on the front side of the framework, then pressed the wing into the frame to hold it in place:

If you are going to try something like this, cut out the battle damage holes before you put it on the frame, or wait until the GS cures...trust me!

Here is the back side of the "jump" pack showing the paper clips and where I have started to fill out the fingers of the wings:

I then worked on a "mouth" for the jet intake, to try and make it look more like a possessed jet pack:

I still have a lot of work to do to fill out the body, and finish up the wings, but this is where it is now:

I have one question though: Are the knuckles on the wings too big? Or does it look OK?

There are additional pictures in my gallery, if you are interested:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-33713-12152_Chaos%20Raptors.html

C&C appreciated, thanks for looking!

**Element206**

Your first attempt at the conversion turned out pretty nicely. I like the shape of the wings but I agree about the color...at least give it a wast of delvan mud to tone it down a bit and add depth.

**tipios**

Well RSJake, this is a fantastic sculpt job, and the jump pack conversion is a great Idea. The mouth intake is a nice touch. We just need to see it on a CSM

I would say the knuckles are too big, but other than that, it is a really good alternative to having to buy them. Good Job.

**Baron von Felixton**

Your sculpting skills are rather dandy! Would love to see the finished product

**Peter Wiggin**

Very ambitious first time project! Its rough, but I love it.

You can build wingpacks on the cheap using CSM backpacks and clipped Nid Gargoyle wings. You'll get the same result with a fraction of the work.

Clearly these are not finished being painted. lol

**RSJake**

@Element206: Thanks, I liked them well enough, I just knew I could do them better. I might still use thos wings, and maybe add some more detail to them, so there is more variety to the raptors.

@tipios: Thanks! I need to trim down the knuckles a bit, I got carried away. I will get some more work done on them tonight and tack it to a CSM for size comarison!

So, I think I'll stick with the mouth, should I add eyes? Or no?

@Baron von Felixton: Thank you! I will try to get a finished product by next Monday, I'll be out of town most of this week, so mostly weekend work time.

@Peter Wiggin: Thanks, I could have gone the gargoyle wing route, and it would have been alot easier, but I don't have any, so I'd have to buy them with money I don't have...and I already have the GS, so these are pretty much free. Also, mine would look alot like yours, and Tipios', and while that would not be a bad thing, I really like to have my stuff be unique! Anyway, it's fun!

And along the lines of variety in the raptor squad, I also have one more in the lines of a Pre-Heresy jump pack, that I might save for one of my HQ choices, and run him with the raptors. It's still very WIP, but it's coming along:

I will get this one and the possessed pack on CSMs tonight for scale reference!
And yes, the jets are a bit crooked, I have to fix that...

Thanks again for the comments all!

**Peter Wiggin**

I really like that last backpack! The Jet Turbine look is awesome as hell!!

FYI the World Eater's Heresy era jump marines used turbine packs.

Yeah, I got the Garygoyle box set months ago. I've found that any Nid box set makes great "spare parts" for CSM conversions.

That copper wire you have on the fuel tanks is super pimp. Props on getting the bends without having additional kinks in the wire. Thats actually pretty damn difficult to do.

**RSJake**

Thanks Peter! I really like the Jump packs over at Chapterhouse Studios (shown in picture below), but as stated before, I have a lack of fundage, so I made my own, based off of those, mine are somewhat skinnier than most I've seen, but we make do.

I do plan on making a Pre-Heresy World Eaters army at some point, and then I may fork over the coin for a more professional looking set of packs. And the Mark III armour from Forge World! Sweet! I'm getting ahead of myself for now though! The wire I used on the jump pack is the main wire inside an old coaxial cable. I don't know if they still use the same stuff, but it's a gold mine of materials!

**Peter Wiggin**

Yeah, electronics in general make for good parts sourcing.

**RSJake**

Well, I didn't get much done last night. Darn that "How I met your Mother"! But I did get some pictures taken!
Here is what the possessed Jump Pack looks like on my CSMs:

and on my Blood Priest (he will count as Khorne Scorcerer with Warp Time in case you were wondering):

And here are some shots of the Turbine-style Jump Pack, on a CSM and then on the Blood Priest (I'm really liking the look of it on the Blood Priest, I really need to get him painted!):

I think the Jump Pack itself is a good size, the jets are just a bit skinny, but I think it will work.
Comments? Critique?
Thanks for looking!

**RSJake**

Well, I got a bit more done on the Wing-Pack, and I'll get a bit more done today before I snap some pics, I am starting to agree with some of the comments...I think for the rest of the squad I'll go for the Gargoyle wings, at least I'll have one scratch-build that I can point out, and the others will go ever so much faster!

I'll post pics in the morning!

Thanks for looking!

**tipios**

The winged jump pack size is perfect. Good job.

The twin jet pack size looks ok too me, maybe try some fins on the bottom.

Good job so far

**Peter Wiggin**

Excellent early conversion work.

I'd reccomend using spit and fingers to smooth out your GS a bit in the future, other than that its awesome to see folks using their imaginations and a bit of ingenuity to build things.

**RSJake**

Well, not much work done on the Wing Pack this weekend. I thought I'd get more done, but I was lazy. I did a bit of work to one wing, and took off the teeth around the intake, I'm still going to have teeth there, just different ones.

Getting there, not too much left, definately more work than I thought it would be...

And added some details to the Jet Pack:

I'm going to take Tipios' advice and add some stabilizer fins to the back, and that should do it. I'll add some more pics whene I have some paint on it and the Blood Priest, just waiting for my order of new paints to arrive.

Thanks for looking, and C&C welcome as always!

**RSJake**

OK all, I need some opinions. I was going to get some Gargoyle Wings on eBay, and I think they make fantastic Jump Packs, however I was looking at the Chapterhouse Heresy Era Jump Packs again, and I finally noticed the price! Pretty inexpensive! I hadn't ever looked at the cost before, as I just figured they were out of my reach. So, seeing as the prices are actually quite comperable, which would look better? Possessed Jump Packs with wings, or the Heresy Era jump Packs, with maybe some spikes and such added to them? I will keep the ones I've made so far, and use them somewhere, most likely for Characters, but I would like my squad to look similar to each other, or to add variety, should I mix and match?

Let me know what you think Dakka!

**tipios**

Well you know I would go with the wings

the chapter house packs look cool, but if you get the wings and add them to the backpack with the bic pen conversion, it would be more of your creation.

**RSJake**

I know! I'm torn between the 2! I like both ideas!

I currently have a bid in on Wings on ebay, but if I don't win those, I may go the Jet pack route...and there will always be my Pre-Heresy World Eaters that I want to work on at some point...So, for now I will leave it up the Ebay gods.

If I win the auction, wings...if I loose, Jet Packs. Unless I change my mind...I've been married for far too long to be decisive!

**tipios**

Lol! changing of mind is normaly the job of the wife

well in my case it is

The fate of the packs is in the hands of ebay.

**RSJake**

tipios wrote:The fate of the packs is in the hands of ebay.

So it is written, so it is done!

Yeah, I'm not usually this indecisive, but when it comes to my minis, I have a hard time leaving good enough alone. I may just end up getting both and magnetizing them to switch them out...or better yet! 2 Squads of raptors!

Why didn't I think of this before?!?!?

OK, picture this: M41 World Eater Raptors with the possessed packs, and a squad of PRE-HERESY World Eater "Assault" Marines painted in Blue and White with the Jet Packs!...they fell through a Warp hole or something...

Wadda ya think?

**tipios**

That is the best option, just make them all

and the warp excuse works for me.

**RSJake**

I am really excited now! I wish the Mark III armor from Forge World wasn't so pricey, or I would get those too *drool*, but I will most likely just have to go with Berzerkers with trimmed down Chaos stuff. Well, thanks for letting me bounce ideas off of you Tipios!

**tipios**

Anytime

**RSJake**

Only a couple days left on the ebay auction for the Gargoyle wings, and it's already getting close to my max price...I have my fingeres crossed that no one else bids on it!

If I don't get them, I'll just get the Jet packs, and do wings later if I find more I can afford!

Wish me luck!

**tipios**

Good luck

**RSJake**

Yay! I finally won an auction for the wings! Took long enough! I'll get to work on the Jump Packs soon after they arrive!

**RSJake**

And since my wings will hopefully be coming in the mail soon, I have my prototype finished! I've had it mostly done for a while now, but I added what, when painted will hopefully look like fur. I didn't sculpt eyes for it, as I got closer to being done, I felt that putting eyes on it would make it look silly, but let me know what you think: eyes or no eyes. I also changed the teeth, I took off what I had, and added the teeth I'd been saving for my Ork WarBoss conversion.

Well, coments? criticism? Let me know what you think Dakka. When I get my Gargoyle Wings, I'll get to work finishing off my squad, and well see what they all look like together.

Thanks for looking!

**RSJake**

The Gargoyle Wings showed up today! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

I hope to get started on the Jump Packs soon! And the one I made is a bit bigger than the new ones, so I can stick it on a HQ model, and it should look fine!

Hope to have something to show you soon!