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I finally put my hands on some cutting tools and tried my hand at converting.

First up is a prototype jump pack for a Firewarrior. I used the end of a fusion blaster, two drone antenna bits, and the top of a Firewarrior's shoulder pad. Very simple.







Sorry for picture quality. My phone doesn't have a macro setting that I can find.

Next I wanted to give my new Tau Commander a different look. Try to make him look a little sleeker. So I cut up the jump pack/torso. I made some bad cuts and had to use a lot of of greenstuff. I am a total n00b at using greenstuff. Hopefully I can cover up some of the imperfections during painting.











Trying to get a clean cut on the one leg at the knee was pretty hard. I am not sure how the pros do it. But it ended up being a fairly rough cut using a small photo-etched saw. And straightening that arm was PITA! I think I had to make 3 cuts, and had to pin it.

Looking for constructive criticism and hopefully some tips to make the process a bit easier!

Looking good.

The FW jetpack is nice, but I think you need to use a lot of bitz to make it. How about replacing the drone bit fins with plasticard?

I prefer Milliput to Green Stuff for bulk filling. It's cheaper, and sets quicker to a harder finish which can be sanded, carved and drilled. It can easily be shaped with wet tools while soft.

Personally I use two different Milliputs (medium and fine), Green Stuff and Brown stuff, depending on the application.

The best kind of saw for the cuts you want to make is a jeweller's saw or coping saw. It looks like this;



The thin blade can go round corners. It often snaps, so you buy spares in packs of one gross and just put a new one on. This means the blade is always sharp. The kerf is minimal.

The standard GW style back saw is good for straight cutting.

Thanks. I haven't made anything with plasticard yet. You are correct though, if I wanted to do a whole squad of them that is a lot of drone antennas! And I would have bought a jewelers saw a few weeks ago but the hobby shot I was at just had the blades, no saw. I will get one on amazon. I must say though, when I had to cut off all the weapons on my previously assembled crisis suits, the photo etched blades made very smooth and thin cuts. They are kind of a pain to work with though. They bend really easy.