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So I've never really done any conversion work, and I feel I should get a bit into it (though I'm still aiming at spending the most part of the time painting which is why I enjoy most).
But what knowledge do I really need to get into converting, from what I gather most conversions are just re-aligning some parts/limbs and changing weapons. Will I be able to make do with just green stuff and some pinning material?
How do you guys come up with ideas for conversions, I have one that I came up with and want to go through with, but in general I have a hard time coming up with neat things to do with conversions.

Cheers

There are no hard and fast rules for conversion, it can be as simple as an arm/head swap to something as complex as entirely rescuplting part of a model. For starting off, though, here are a few tips:

1) If it can be done with plastic, do it with plastic: Until you are very good with GS, try as much as you can to use or repurpose plastic/resin parts as they will look better. For starting out, if you do need to use GS, try and keep it as simple as possible. Ambition is great, but until you've got some experience and practice GS can look bad. Certainly do experiment with it, but practice before going for any GS work other than gap-filling and the like.

2) Vision is key: While there is a certain amount of fun to be had from just pulling out handful of bits from your bits box and seeing what happens, it's usually best to have an idea where you want to take the conversion. I find that doing a very rough sketch beforehand (and I'm talking stick-person level rough from a few angles) can help, as I can get a feel for the pose and what I'm going to need to cut/glue/sculpt. Having a plan is always a good idea, and furthermore, always check your pose is going to look good before gluing anything. Blu-tac is your friend here.

3) Inspiration: If you're struggling to find anything ideas-wise, then the best ways I've found to get going are to look at the gallery on here and just trawl through until I see something that inspires me, to look at some artwork for the game and base it off that, or just to think 'what would be really cool?' If you're not overly fussed about gaming with the pieces, you can do a lot more with the conversion, and among most gamers, Rule of Cool will take over anyway, so basically, if you like an idea, just go for it.

In terms of materials and equipment, I'd say that a good knife, clippers and a file or two are essential, and a sculpting tool is also handy if you're using GS. Having a set of tweezers for fiddly bits and a pen or pencil for planning stuff is also handy. You then need a bits box of some kind, preferably something you can group stuff by race/type/usefulness in (multi-tray toolboxes are great for this). GS is always handy, and possibly some liquid GS for gap-filling. Plasticard is a godsend really, you can do so much with it, so if you can get that it will come in handy. A couple of sheets of different thicknesses and some plastic rod would be a good starting point.

Hope that helps. Really, the best advice is just to go for it. Don't be deterred if stuff doesn't work, and remember that it's all just a bit of fun.

Conversions can be as simple as swapping bits (kitbashing) or as complex as cutting styrene to make an almost entirely new model. I suggest expanding on the bit swapping and work your way up to more extensive modifications requiring green stuff as sculpting and not just as gap filler. Then get your hands wet with styrene and see what you like to do best. Looking at the "Best Conversion" thread from the beginning should be a pretty good way to get inspired.

Google - forums - cool mini or not etc... have a look around for ideas and inspiration. Some armies are easier than others - Tyranids for example are pretty easy going both with kit bashing different parts together and with greenstuff additions - others can be more tricky.

Just experiment and see what works.


As for working with greenstuff a few tips:

1) Layers - if you're doing anything that isn't really filling in gaps then work in layers. Add a small amount, let it cure then add a little more and slowly build up the layers until you've got to the final one.
It increases the work time, but it makes it a lot easier since trying to work with a large blob can be counter productive (you adjust one area and it pushes the other side out of shape - and attempts to correct that push the first area out of shape).
You can use heat to speed the curing process a bit.

2) Water/vegetable oil - Always lubricate your tools otherwise the greenstuff will stick to them and make work a lot harder.
Water works fine, oil works well also with the bonus that the oil tends to remain on the tool for longer (so you don't have to re-wet as often). Downside if oil is once all the greenstuff work is done and fully cured you have to wash it like you would resin otherwise the oil will mess up painting.

3) Colourshapers (also called Clayshapers). Grade 0 would be ideal to start with, go larger if you want to work on large detailed surfaces. They come in a range of colours from white (softest) to grey (medium) to black (hardest) and ideally you'd work from hardest to softest to get the smoothest transition.
These work well for shaping the final areas of green stuff as you can work the tool over the greenstuff to smooth it down and give a good flush finish whilst not having fingerprints as you would if you use your fingers. A set of 5 various shaped heads per colour isn't too expensive and provided you don't get the tips near superglue they should last a very long time - well worth having even for just working on filling in gaps (great at smoothing over joints and speed things up no end compared to using the metal tool).

4) If you're doing any extensive limb building or connections use a pinning set and wire to build a skeleton underneath to work to. That will give a firm foundation to work with and makes the overall building up of layers of greenstuff a lot simpler

5) Consider using needles, blades, a set of clay shaping tools and other items to help you as you work with the greenstuff. Google around and you'll find these tools can be used for various effects such as cloaks - chain mail - scales etc...
Don't assume everything you see is made with a simple tool and lots of work - often you'll find that there are various tools that can give a very good result very quickly without a lot of work (eg most rivet/bolt dimples are made with small tools as opposed to trying to shape and attach little balls of greenstuff onto the surface)