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.

@ Theophony: Yes they'll have tails, little stubby ones that extend about 3 or 4 vertebrae from back of the body.
Similar to a real leach really, only these canoptek ones have legs, I think they just look creepier that way .

Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything, but I have been working on several new projects,
one of which is a new fantasy Terrain piece, the Dwarf Statue.

I've almost finished work on the master sculpt (see pics below) which will then be cast in resin,
and hopefully available to buy later this month.

The Statue will come with a selection of options, including a choice of weapon, Battleaxe or Warhammer.
Also included are a pair of armored shoulder pads and helmet mask.

These options can be mixed and matched, and so far I've discovered 12 different ways to assemble the Statue.

I still have a few more details to add to the master before I start molding and casting, and will bring you an update as soon as I can .
If anyone has any questions or feed back on this project please comment below.

That looks really, really good.
The scales and the platted beard are just awesome.
You've done really well sculpting the lines on the armour plates so straight, parallel and neatly.
Faces are hard and you've certainly pulled a off a good broad gnarly look to it.
It would be good to add the same angular knotwork on the battleaxe and warhammer

Oh yes
That is awesome. Great job hk.

How did you do the beard?

@ OneManNoodles: Thank you, and yes the Hammer and Axe will both be lavished with detail,
I'm still finalizing the design but it will incorporate more of the dwarf style knot design.

@ Dr H: I found the best way to make a good looking platted beard was to actually make a platted beard,
so I rolled out three strips of putty and platted each one together, then repeated the process until I had enough pieces,
very time consuming but worth the effort .

That is a great statue you have there!
And 12 different ways to combine, that's a real feat!
I love the sclaes on the arms and legs
Cheers
klaus

This looks awesome! Reminds me of the huge Dwarf Statues to each side of the entrance or Erabor in the Hobbit film! The beard is definitly my favourite!

Ooooh.

Very nice. Hard to tell the scale though. A mini next to it in the next WIP photo?

@ Klaus, not Santa: Thank you, the 12 different options are only small differences,
but it should be enough choice to let people build their statue, and not have it look like everyone else's.
A little individualism goes a long way .

@ MagosBiff90: I actually saw the Hobbit for the first time recently while working on this project,
and it's definitively helped my inspiration.

@ Red Harvest: yes your absolutely right, should of included a scale pic to begin with,
but I'll make sure to include one in the next update.
In the meantime here's the statues approximate height: 190mm (7 1/2 Inch's)

A quick update on my Dwarf Statue sculpt.
I've almost finished the axe and hammer, and have also added some more detail to the Armour.

Here are a few pics including two Armour variants, and a scale pic with a warhammer plastic Dwarf (these things are so tiny,about half the height of a space marine).

With the next update I hope to have the sculpt finished, and start work on the molding and casting process,
which I will be covering in detail, showing how I make my molds, and cast the final version in resin (for all those who have been asking for a tutorial )

These look really cool. I especially like the masked helm and pauldron versions. I think they'll be AMAZING on the table. The modular break at the top of the kilt throws me for some reason. It's too abrupt or out of line with the section above or something. It's like it's a different scale from the kilt down (like the abdomen and torso should be scaled up just a hair to match).

Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic!

Impressive. Thanks for the shot w/ the mini. Always helps to see the terrain in a context.

@ mars2024: Your right, the join between the torso and the legs doesn't line up,
this is due to a design change I made half way through the sculpt.

I've corrected that now, and the two halfs line up neatly.
But thank you for the feedback, its always useful to have a different perspective on the deisgn,
helps me to fix things I might of missed .

 hk1x1 wrote:
@ mars2024: Your right, the join between the torso and the legs doesn't line up,
this is due to a design change I made half way through the sculpt.

I've corrected that now, and the two halfs line up neatly.
But thank you for the feedback, its always useful to have a different perspective on the deisgn,
helps me to fix things I might of missed .

wip pics, please?

@ the shrouded lord: No problem, here's some early WIP pics from start to finish.

Great work

But if he's sculpted out of vitalite won't that be a problem on the three sunny days we'll get this summer?

@ monkeytroll: lol, "three sunny Days" thats a little optimistic, I'm still waiting for snow .

See, the fact that we didn't get any snow makes me think it'll be unusually warm this year - hence three days

Really nice work on the Axe and hammer.

The helmeted version is looking great..... the armoured beard is a great addition!

Here are the first two complete resin test casts of my Dwarf Statue, Their not perfect, but these are the 5th and 6th versions
and are the best results so far.

I've got a new piece of equipment on the way, which should help me improve the quality of the castings.
In the meantime I'll be painting up these test pieces, trying out different techniques,
I'll post the results here when their done.

Nice work, really impressive.
Few tips to help with the bubbles:
Try using a bit of talcum powder just puffed in to the finer bits before you put the sides of the molds together.
Also try "painting" in a bit of resin, with a lollipop stick or whatever, into the parts where air will collect before putting the sides together and pouring in the rest of the resin. I've not tried it myself and it sounds a bit messy for a 2 part mold.

@ OneManNoodles: Thank you, and thanks for the tips as well, their always welcome .
I did use talcum powder a few times, but it got clogged up on one occasion and ruined the cast,
so I've decided to work without it. As for painting in the resin, it does work but like you said it can be a bit tricky.

The best technique I've found for getting rid of bubbles is to agitate (vibrate) the resin once it's in the mold,
by gently shaking or tapping the mold, this causes the bubbles to dissipate. (but also makes your arms ache )

I'm planning on using a vibrating table, which can keep the mold moving as I pour the resin,
this should hopefully provide a much more effective result.

Nice looking statues turned out looking spot on, think I might invest in a couple of theses for a display of my dwarfs

You could just carve the bubbles in the resin to look like crumbling stone damage, I have found using a make up brush (ask the misses first ) gently dip it in the talc and brush the mould.

This seems to prevent the clumping of talc but still leaves enough dusting for removal.

Great work hk. Love all the little details.

Yeah, LDD got there before me. I use a large soft brush to talc my moulds. You don't want any loose talc in the mould. I brush it on then knock off any excess and that seems to always work well for me.

It's always nice when presents arrive at your doorstep, especially when their unexpected ones.
A few months ago I was a winner on this online competition, (which I'd completely forgotten about)
and today I received my prize, an almost life size resin Servo Skull.

I've already got plans to build it some little robotic arms, add some extra detail here and there,
and fit in a battery pack with some LED's to light up the eye and sensors,
might even turn it into an Adeptus Mechanicus Servo Skull.

What do you guys think?, Any ideas let me know .

Why is the skull's eye socket so crimped?

@ Warboss_Waaazag: Yeah I was wondering why they designed it like that,
I was thinking of actually Carving the eye socket out properly, and sculpting in a more realistic one.

Those dwarf statues are amazing. Is the skull a purchasable item?

@ Camkierhi: Thank you, and yes the skull is available from a company called Plastik Krak.