Got a great gift from the guys that run my local comic shop. They know that I was a fan of the
GK Dreadknight model, but I'm currently working on a Blood Angels unit so didn't buy it. However, they had the Black Box promo kit, and gave it to me, so I had another project.
Although the model is cool, I think the pose is terrible, so I set about correcting that first off. I didn't want to do major reconstructive surgery, so I tried to find an inspiration image that I could use as a foundation that I believed could be achieved with minor cuts and green stuff. Then I found this:
It's called The Motherland Calls. I liked the dynamic nature of the pose, even though the overall figure is relatively upright. Instead of calling at her comrades, my Dreadknight would be laying down Gatling Psilencer fire with the left arm. I would raise the sword as high as I could without the need to cut the arms. With that locked down, I set to work.
Step one was seeing if I could get the legs the way I wanted them. The parts were tacked together with museum putty, which also holds a variety of poses. When done, it cleans right off.
The feet attach with ball joints, so no problem getting this into position.
Next, the torso. I had to remove the peg that stops the sideways rotation, and then I was able to get it where I wanted. Also, this was about as high as the right arm would go without major cutting, which I wasn't willing to do. So a bit of compromise, but the more I looked, the more I liked it.
From the side, you can see where the legs attach to the torso. I filled them in with
GS, and then rounded off the tops of the leg attachments, in essence creating new ball joints.
I always base my figures as they come together, as I like to see a unified composition. This is done in the traditional manner using broken cork.
Test of the pose on the base. I didn't like the figure leaning forward, so this was adjusted. Also, the position on the base felt wrong, so I moved it to the left, and had the torso facing forward while the legs walk at an angle. Also, I set it further off to the left, creating a large zone of negative space. I may fill that later with some artifact or basing component (I've been wanting to use some bases from Scibor for a while, so I have been thinking about getting their kit which has the broken statutes. I think it could work well).
All together. The hardest cutting and filing came in modifying the pilot. I had to completely remove one leg and replace it with a donor part from another terminator. I also used an extra accessory (the large book) as way to hide any sloppy green stuff work on my part.
I added additional hoses, and a demon skull to the back to create some interest.
A better view of the back.
The pilot. I had some further smoothing out to do on the legs, but the book does a nice job of hiding most of the seams.
Shot with Chaos Black primer. The pose certainly captures the essence of the inspiration in my mind, so I was pleased with the result.
Some seams will need to be cleaned up (I always catch these after priming, grrr).
Additional details and green stuff blend together in a sea of black.
Almost ready for the demon hordes.
The Dreadknight is going to be painted in a non-traditional color scheme - right now, my inspiration is German armor from WWII (a grey Grey Knight?), with some details of Lozenge pattern from WWI. Lots of rust everywhere. Red and gold highlights. I'll be hitting this with the airbrush and brushes over the next few weeks. Thanks for looking.
