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Just some pics of me starting up on my new army.

The list is here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/213341.page

This is a highly ambitious 2-3 month project. Hopefully I can get it completed.

I know, it seems silly to document steps but what can ya do. People always ask "how did he do that" in these threads, figured I'd give a run down.

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So, these are the bases. Cork for the win. Elmers glue for the win.

See? Cork bits manually broken up + elmers glue on ze bases...instead diorama!





Here's the metal figs resting comfortably in their cleaning solution. No, that is not mouthwash.

It's 'Blech-wite' from 'Westley's'. It's a great stripper, and it removes all the crap off metal figs that soap and warm water do not (unlike plastics).

Also doesn't melt anything, metal or plastic. Oh, it's a tire cleaner.



Now to use and clean up your cleaner, a few simple steps:

Do not swallow it.
Wear gloves.
Wear protective eye wear.
Do not splash it.
Don't leave it around for your kids and pets.
THOROUGHLY clean up everything and either throw stuff out or put it in the laundry immediately.
DO NOT BE A CHEAP ASS AND "save" YOUR GLOVES! TOSS IMMEDIATELY!
Do it all in a well ventilated room.
I let it sit for 3 hours in the solution, that's enough to clean the model off (paint requires a longer time period...like overnight or a couple days).
Do not contaminate your bloody cleaner with bloody soap.
Take them out with the left, and drop them into your right hand, then place them in your warm soapy water.
PLACE! No dropping of figs!
Put it almost all of it right back into the bottle when it's done, too. Easily reusable.
Hurr.

When to stop putting it back into the bottle:

See how it's murky? Yeah, you don't want murky or 'stuff'.





When this is all that's left, toss it out.



Put it up HIGH, idiot. This is 7' up...

More cleaning:

Prep is important. Have a good towel standing by to put your minis on.



Wow what a cluster...



Even after a soak, remember to rinse in cold water and rub the model in your fingers to make sure all residue is gone.

No, you don't need to use a toothbrush. Some people...



Ah nice and dry!



Now on to the first bit of work:

As my theme doesn't allow for unhelmeted heads, and I hate the Sister in Coif (Red, Yellow, or Black please) look...off with their heads!

Yes, it's a pain in the ass. I'll go into more detail on this later in the week.



I like how it looks, mostly. However I know what the final effect is going to be so...I wouldn't worry about how it looks unpainted.

Looking dead on:



Looking left:



Looking right:

Nice work there mate.

Love the look of those helmets on the Girlz. Well done.

Thanks!



Only 29 to go!

Wow, nice work.

By the way, what are those heads? They look familiar...

Pig Iron Production gask mask heads.

I ordered 100 of them a while ago.

Kismet? lol

You can see them here:

http://www.pig-iron-productions.com/gallery.htm

Im actually looking forward to your progress.
And i must agree with the others so far. Truly sumthin else with those helmets but certainly a cool and great looking change.

A little funky to see a chick with those PI heads, but I dig it so far, looks promising for sure. Nice work removing the sister's head so well too.

How'd you buy your cork? I'd heard it's available as a roll from arts or office stores, or you can dismantle pot holders and such too.

- Salvage

I bought it from Michael's, it came in like 3 sheets for 10 bucks. I used about half of one sheet for the bases.

Interesting - I'm looking forward to see where this goes...I like the use of the gasmask head on the Sisters. What'd you use to remove the coif head?

Clippers.

Good ones, from a hobby shop.

To be honest I really dislike the Pig Iron head on the sister. Maybe it'll grow on me.

I am looking forward to seeing the finished army though.

I dig it. Gives them a dead 'ard appearance.

You should try and incorporate that same 'no frills' look into more elements of the army.

grey_death wrote:I dig it. Gives them a dead 'ard appearance.

You should try and incorporate that same 'no frills' look into more elements of the army.

I plan to. The guard are getting the same heads, and a similar treatment.

To tie them all the elements together will be bases (all), paint scheme (all), and the heads (guard/sisters).

Not going to modify the GK, the heads are too small and the GK heads are a real PITA to take off. lol

Great tutorial! Nice step by step instruction for the dee de dee's of the world to follow.

I sorta like the heads. A different look to the nuns

Actually it makes them look like a technologically advanced unit of guard. I like it.

Clipped off 20 metal heads today, straight through 'em with minimal effort.

This is the damage to my clippers:





The brand is called 'Xuron'. Lifetime warranty. This is my 2nd pair in 15 years. A friend of mine tried to cut steel cables with 'em. Yeah, it's called wire cutters ya dumbass.

Oh, so that's no damage. No dulling. Makes a nice neat cut and it digs real well on the tips alone.

"Dig" = cutting out little pieces of metal with precision.



Smoothing it all out is the good ole dremel:



Anyway to convert is relatively simple, but I had years of experience (ok, a decade plus) and I previously converted a Sisters army.

So it's simple for me, but be careful.

You basically want to make a 'chop' across the head, angled slightly down in the front (so the blade in front of the face is lower than the one behind the head). From the top of the power armor curaiss to just around the mouth/lower jaw.

One solid cut.

Then use small digs to cut where the head is going to go, and remove the upper protrusion of the power armor where the back of the head was.

Finally, grind away to smooth everything out. Remember to have a good grip on the non-sharp areas of your model, and don't grind too long. Metal + friction = heat = burns.

A little damage to the power lines on the top of the model on either side of the head is almost inevitable, but it's allright it's fixable (more on that later).

Once the new slot is ready, dry fit it, adjust as necessary, then glue in place.

Very nice tutorial. Man I would have loved to have stuff like this when I was first learning...

--cue old man voice

In my day we didn't have any of these fancy interwebs or forum-a-bobs. We just glued an ork to a zoid and we were happy. Kids today...

nice looking stuff and a decent tutorial.

although if you are going to use a dremel to buff the neck area, why not just use the dremel to lop off the head?

(nitpic incoming)

Do not contaminate your bloody cleaner with bloody soap.

(if it's bloody, isn't it contaminated already? lol)

I am not sure if I like the PI heads on those girls. maybe after you get some paint on them, I might like 'em. All in all a pretty aggressive plan, good luck to you on finishing.

hmm I don't like the helmets on them... it makes them look like trannies....

For something as large as a head like these, I'd be cutting them off and then dremeling the hole myself as well. To dremel that much metal off, the friction will really heat up the mini, which is annoying to work with. Plus you get a bunch of trophy heads to save for bitz.

Are you going to Baltimore also? If so I hope to see you at the top tables with my Witch hunters

So, one of the few conversion opportunities for the Sisters...making special weapons.

Storm Bolter Sister. A more useless Sister there is not.





Multimelta parts. Hmmm.





One needed tool.



I also use nail files...the soft cardboard ones women use. You can manipulate what gets filed much easier than with metal files (I have those too) and it's very forgiving since it does not rip or gouge metal like the metal files do. You can also file your fingertips without injuring yourself, which is part of what makes manipulating it so much easier.

Kinda hard to see, but I basically cut apart the barrels but left the protrusion underneath with the sisters hand holding it...



Here I just clipped a good portion of the box off. No, I'm not going to take more off. It's a uhh special sister-issue cooling unit.

Plus if I wanted it to look exactly like a meltagun sister...I'd buy one.



Here's the multimelta bits clipped off.



Here's a side view with the side of the gun leveled off with the dremel, and the 'twin barrel' from the front smoothed into one (also with the dremel).



Here's ze bits prepped.



And here she is!





Took me about 30 minutes.

It might not look it, because I cut a little groove out of the back bottom part of the multimelta tip...but it really is on straight.

heheh...scope on a meltagun...

The angle on the muzzle of the weapon looks off in one of the photos, but not so much in the others.

Is this one getting a new head as well? If so, you might have been better off cutting her up completely all at once. Just a thought for the future ^_^.

Nice, simple conversion. IMHO, I think the canister would look better underneath where the clip is, but that's just a niggling point on my part. I dig the concept of a melta with a scope even more than a stormbolter with a scope. (Damn, beat me to it, GD)

grey_death wrote:heheh...scope on a meltagun...

The angle on the muzzle of the weapon looks off in one of the photos, but not so much in the others.

Is this one getting a new head as well? If so, you might have been better off cutting her up completely all at once. Just a thought for the future ^_^.

No, I need helmeted heads.

I like these heads, so they can stay.

Oh and I dropped the model and the tip bounced off. I repositioned it more carefully 2nd time around. lol

Meltaguns need big scopes, don'tcha know.

I know mine do, they miss all the time!

At least they aren't multimeltas!

Roll to hit...



Other one rolls to hit...



Yay! Armor pen...



Me...

Death By Monkeys wrote:Nice, simple conversion. IMHO, I think the canister would look better underneath where the clip is, but that's just a niggling point on my part. I dig the concept of a melta with a scope even more than a stormbolter with a scope. (Damn, beat me to it, GD)

The clip is built into the body, sadly.

I did try it a long time ago, and it didn't look right either.

Box with a canister and a meltatip is what it ended up looking like...when it was painted up.

lol I hope this ends up better when I paint it...

Oh and thank you.

Stelek wrote:The clip is built into the body, sadly.

What about instead of removing the clip, dremeling it down some and then cutting a chunk out of the backside of the canister? That way the remains of the clip would just slot into piece cut out of the canister. If it just looks like a box with a canister and a melta-tip, though, then meh.

Death By Monkeys wrote:

Stelek wrote:The clip is built into the body, sadly.

What about instead of removing the clip, dremeling it down some and then cutting a chunk out of the backside of the canister? That way the remains of the clip would just slot into piece cut out of the canister. If it just looks like a box with a canister and a melta-tip, though, then meh.

The piece I cut out is about the biggest I can cut, the robes and legs get in the way. It's not impossible to dremel, but it's one slip from a 'oops, next model' moment.

I know what you're getting at, but the clip is not a 'clip' it goes all the way to the robes.

i.e. It's wider than a storm bolter...built into the body...and it's metal.

I think with the 'overhang' of the canister where it's at now, and proper shading (plus most people won't look from under the models eye level to see the thing) I think it won't even be noticed.

Now that a few are on their bases, it's time to install another part of my theme.

Lava! Here's a single Sister with Lava.



Here's a Grey Knight with Lava.



And you can compare the gas mask head versus the new heads.

I think I'll have enough of both to (mostly) run gas in the first squad and the Fleur helmet in the second squad.



Of course, the lava has to be painted but that's down the road a bit.

Note the glue isn't dry, for the Elmer's eaters out there.