Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm working on some space marines, mostly for the sake of cool conversions. I have my first squad (some assault marines) built and primed, but the cc weapons just dont look right. The shape and style of the weapons is what i'm going for, but they look unfinished. Any ideas on how to make the weapons fit in and look more finished?

-Jim

I think you coupld probably add a bit to the weapons with some detailing, to suggest a few things:

Power cables down the spear shaft thing
Hanging icons
Trophies
Inscribed Words
Texturing (wrapped clothes, hand grip, battle damage etc)
Vents, rivets, weld lines etc all add great detail aswell.

You're right in that the theme of the weapon looks really good, but the niggling details turn it from simplistic toy looking into a visual representation of battle worn metal.

Yeah id add some detailing on the spear shafts, and remove the other long cables from the end, other than that they look really nice

Pose is half the look I think. I like the one in the right back corner with the sword pointing down. How about making him fly belly down (pinning) on a bit of an angle. Like he is "flying assaulting" into the enemy? Would also work for yr first image model.
Other than that...cool looking models nice touch with the long swords.

http://www.freewebstore.org/Zinge-Industries/Flexible_Ammo_Belts__amp;_Cables/cat658642_584137.aspx

I love what you've done.


What I would add would be the previoulsy mentioned scrolls and detailing to the shafts.

I would also use a smaller diameter cable on the end. I think a smaller cable would allow you to put more "flex and curves" in the look and give it a more "in-motion" feel. If you follow what I'm trying to say?

Why have you got a Paladin head in there? Or GK terminator, IDK...

i like the idea. Could you use 2 or 3 finer cables joined together in a bundle instead of just one thick one?

The shaft does need more detail too, as others have said.

Really nice work. Consider perhaps using a thinner cable, and attaching it mid-way down the shaft instead of at the shaft's end. As it is, it looks like it would be more cumbersome to use in battle.

They look great though, good work.

Allright... Scrolls and maybe some battle damage will be easy enough to pull off. I think I will replace my green stuff cables with the ones Capitansolstice suggested. I'll post some results once I get the cutting and gluing taken care of.

Thanks guys,

-Jim

Something else I noticed, very noticeable on the first photo, is how the models which have been pinned to look as if they're flying still look like they're running on the ground: the feet in particular look unnatural for something which would be flying.

As everyone else mentioned its the power cables that kinda mess with the look. The staffs themselves are pretty good. Just some detailing and they'll be fine. I don't see the big deal with using gk bits with sm. I've done some conversions my self doing that sort of thing.

I'm not all that familiar with 40k fluff... Is it unusual for gray knight equipment to show up in other chapters? Are they not compatible with other space marine armies?

I think the cabling might be a bit extreme and unwieldly

They look like they have hoses hooked up to the weapons. Gives the look of vacuum cleaner attachments and not "we're here to kill you".

I have some .3 mm plastic rods that are rather flexible. If I bundled them would they look better than the current hoses, or do you guys think that the hoses should be eliminated entirely?

-Jim

Thinner hose would definitely look better, but I'd at least seriously consider scrapping the whole idea. There's no precedent for the requirement of an external power source for the chainsword used as a head, so if you're merely interested in adding a bit of variety/detail, there are plenty of less cumbersome options. I fully realize that hypothetical practicality isn't always at the forefront of model design (especially in 40k), of course, but it's something to think about.

Honestly, though, the more I look at these the less sure I am about giving up on the idea. It's novel, it's a point of visual interest, and, if positioned properly, can add a significant degree of dynamism. Perhaps you should try one or two models with thinner cabling, either using the plastic rod or guitar strings, and see how it looks. If you slice the current cables off cleanly, replacement would be a snap, should you decide to come back to this design.

Regardless of the cable issue, I think the weapons could use some more detailing, overall. Some texture on the haft would go a long way, as would more elaborate collars (the current tube sections are a bit plain and chunky).

I see I'm late but I'll ehco Oadie. The motor that powers the chainsword is on the weapon, and you'll notice that most power weapons don't have a cable connecting them either. The ones that do are almost always to the wrist from a powerfist.

Some of the poses are a bit weird, and they are too big.
But otherwise I really like the idea.

Allright. I'm going to try some alternate options for the staff weapons and power cords.

Any thoughts on the mk viii style collars? I did most of them with .5mm plastic. As no one commented they can't look that bad, but I thought I would ask.

-Jim

Breotan wrote:They look like they have hoses hooked up to the weapons. Gives the look of vacuum cleaner attachments and not "we're here to kill you".

This! But I suppose you could always pass them off as..



A clean-up squad.