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hi guys, I have a little problem here I hoped you could help me with.

in advance for the new Ork 'Dex I want to build a Warboss and a Big Mek mounted on Bikes. but I'm stuck at the legs. actually, I'm kind of stuck with everything.

bit I really have no idea how to convert those legs. what tools should I use. and is there a good way to bend those large metal pieces withouth breaking them?

please help me.



p.s.: I just have to use this smiley

With metal minis you're pretty much stuck on how you go about em. You can either cut them off at the hips and use some plastics already in the shape, or cut the metal legs where you want to make the bend, file, and then greenstuff sculpt new knees ankles etc....

metals = paint in ze bum. But when you get them finished, they sure do look nice with all the extra detailing that is on some of the metal minis.

You have a picture of the models you're going to try and convert to be on the bikes?

I took up converting way back, before multipart plastic, so metal was the way to go. IMHO convering metal isn't quite as hard as one might think, even though it naturally is a tougher medium to work with. Also, I would say that it is quite a good thing that you will be working on a rather large miniature, since it will be less fiddly.

Anyway, I would recommend that you get a jeweller's saw ASAP. It is somewhat more of a hassle to use than a pair of pliers, but you will be able to make the cut pretty much exactly where you want, and with very little of the miniature going to waste. However, if you know for sure that you will never have use for a cut off leg, or whatever, the pliers will make a good alternative. Just be sure not to cut in such a way that you damage the piece you want to keep.

Furthermore, if you don't already own it, a modeller's drill, and some wire to pin with is invaluable. Surprisingly GW's drill is really good, although I cannot vouch for if it is cheap or not. In any case I strongly suggest that you pin pretty much everything when it comes to converting metal. I assume that you are familiar with the principles of pinning.

Now, I belive that you will do some serious leg work, since you want to make an Ork Boss on bike. Ork Nobs and Bosses have rather short legs, so you will probably end up using most of the lenght, if not all of it, in your conversion. If you reach the conclusion that mere bending is not enough, think carefully of where you'll cut the legs. I have done similar conversions to get Orc Boar Boyz, before the current line was released. So I would guess that trying to cut the natural joins, or just above a boot, or something similar is the way to go.

In any case you need to get enough space between his legs to get the Boss to sit down in the saddle, or at least enough to cover it later. Once you've gotten that far, decide if you want him loose, or affixed to the bike. In any case, it will be easier if he is affixed to the bike for now. That way, you can more easily decide how you want his legs. Cause you'll probably have to drill through his legs, and glue the parts you use in a shape that you shape with his new skeleton, made from wire.

So make sure that you use a wire that is flexible enough to bend. With this approach, you'll end up with a very strong bond, and a miniature that will not break when you lift it. Also, you will only have to cover minimal parts and gaps with greenstuff, since you'll be using much of the original parts as legs.

Oh, by the way. If you realize that you'll have to both bend the legs, and use the method I mentioned, it is probably smarter to do the bending before you saw the legs off. It is always easier to bend stuff when the parts are larger.