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The legs on Scout are magnificent. Really choice modeling. The mask looks good as well.

Yes have to agree the scout legs are some great conversion work, your eye for piecing is rather amazing.

I also like the use of the DE knight torso, not something that springs to mind for such a conversion but reinforces the heritage.

The only thing I have a little issue with is the rifle, don’t get me wrong you have meshed them together well but they still look like to separate pieces.
I think you need to reflect the ornate detail from the Ad-Mech rifle on to the Escher, to blend it into one piece would benefit from some simple GS work which I know you are more than capable of doing successfuly.

youwashock wrote:The legs on Scout are magnificent. Really choice modeling. The mask looks good as well.

Thanks youwasshock! That mask almost undid me...

lone dirty dog wrote:Yes have to agree the scout legs are some great conversion work, your eye for piecing is rather amazing.

Thanks LDD!

lone dirty dog wrote: I also like the use of the DE knight torso, not something that springs to mind for such a conversion but reinforces the heritage.

That DE torso has a long history of failing to fit a myriad of conversion attempts... so I'm really happy to find somewhere to use it, and with the consistent GW up-sizing each new range, those old DE torsos are now just the right size

lone dirty dog wrote:The only thing I have a little issue with is the rifle, don’t get me wrong you have meshed them together well but they still look like to separate pieces.
I think you need to reflect the ornate detail from the Ad-Mech rifle on to the Escher, to blend it into one piece would benefit from some simple GS work which I know you are more than capable of doing successfuly.

Goddamn you



Better?

PS - this is absolutely the smallest and fiddliest thing I ever attempted to sculpt...

Take this as constructive criticism on what is shaping up to be a great figure, but have you considered modifying the strap so that the front end attaches to the cleat that's near the gun's muzzel? The rear attachment point looks solid but overall the strap seems a little short.

Kickass fiddly detail work! I'm very impressed

Now...to think up something else fiendishly fiddly to suggest in an offhand manner

It’ll do :

Nice work, Lamby.

This is absolutely fantastic. Keep up the awesome work.

Turaxa wrote:Take this as constructive criticism on what is shaping up to be a great figure, but have you considered modifying the strap so that the front end attaches to the cleat that's near the gun's muzzel? The rear attachment point looks solid but overall the strap seems a little short.

Goddamn you ...

Ynneadwraith wrote:Kickass fiddly detail work! I'm very impressed
Now...to think up something else fiendishly fiddly to suggest in an offhand manner

No more please!!!

lone dirty dog wrote:It’ll do :

Thanks!

Dr H wrote:Nice work, Lamby.

Thanks!

complex57 wrote:This is absolutely fantastic. Keep up the awesome work.

Thanks!

So, thanks to Turaxa made the change to the strap on the Scout's rifle, here's the (admittedly better looking) result (although it looks like I'll need to sand the new strap bit down a little thinner):


Meanwhile; took a Sisters of Silence body, added the bare back of a Daemonette, and did some cut-n-sand sculpting to give her a proper butt to get this:




The head is a Daemonette head with the weird hair cut off and the skull sanded bald, and an Eldar Wyches hair part added:




As usual, it's about this point in construction where I start to wonder what load-out she's going to get...

Thanks for looking!

Early stages always have me guessing as to where you’re going with a model, the legs and torso match up quite well.

Those demonette heads always have that weird forehead, so are you going to be making her look more human ?

The Wyches hair is a good call.

 lone dirty dog wrote:
Early stages always have me guessing as to where you’re going with a model, the legs and torso match up quite well.

Those demonette heads always have that weird forehead, so are you going to be making her look more human ?

The Wyches hair is a good call.

Thanks LDD - often, it's the same for me... I mash some bits together and get sort of 1/4 of the way in and have to then think: "Mmm, how to finish?"
- Ah, the Daemonette head - I'm tempted to whack a pair of steampunk googles on her and be done with it but I'll probably end up doing some frustratingly tiny micro-surgical sculpting to 'humanise' her...


And so: thanks to Lysimachus, the new Witchfinder retinue member has found her calling - as a Gladiatrix!

And with that - and the new GW Custodes release - came the idea for her weapon: the Gun-Spear!

Started with the coolest gun ever designed by GW:


Some careful knife work (to retain that wonderful detailing) and some re-gluing brings us to this:


Added a Sisters of Silence right forearm to the right upper arm and drilled through the fist to insert the brass rod for the basic 'spear' haft:


Drilled through the magazine-well and power-thingy to position the gun then trimmed and oh-so-very-carefully drilled into that Sister's blade to get the basic concept sorted for the Gun-Spear:


And an Escher arm combined with the Sister's open hand gives us the left arm:


Next up - a firing mechanism for the Gun on the Spear haft,  some sort of power-source, maybe some cabling, and clean up the gun-to-blade transition.

Still working up the nerve to resculpt the Daemonette forehead and nose...

Thanks for looking!

I’m loving the stance you have created with her, it’s almost like a guard stepping forward in a defensive manner, that moment before actually attacking.

How you decide to combine weapons is a mystery to me, any idea as to the finish for the bottom section of her boom spear ?

Good luck with the forehead detailing it’s a real pain trust me ha ha

Also I have to say as much as I can admire other people’s conversion and builds I never really wish to own them, however I have found myself wishing quite a few times to owning yours so for that I say well done sir ........ and I hate you for it lol

Nice work. Good pose.

Why does that weapon have both a sickle and drum magazine? Does it have some sort of dual-feed system so the wielder can switch between two different ammo types for various targets?

lone dirty dog wrote:I’m loving the stance you have created with her, it’s almost like a guard stepping forward in a defensive manner, that moment before actually attacking.

How you decide to combine weapons is a mystery to me, any idea as to the finish for the bottom section of her boom spear ?

Good luck with the forehead detailing it’s a real pain trust me ha ha

Also I have to say as much as I can admire other people’s conversion and builds I never really wish to own them, however I have found myself wishing quite a few times to owning yours so for that I say well done sir ........ and I hate you for it lol

Thanks LDD!
- See below for bottom section ideas...
- I cheated and sanded the forehead bump away, then sculpted a new nose - see below

Dr H wrote:Nice work. Good pose.

Thanks Dr H!

DarkSoldier wrote:Why does that weapon have both a sickle and drum magazine? Does it have some sort of dual-feed system so the wielder can switch between two different ammo types for various targets?

Hi DarkSoldier - I'm not sure but I think the round thing on these Admech weapons is not a drum magazine but a power-supply... or it could be a dual-magazine set-up, as you say




Detailing ideas for the Gun Spear - might add a skull above the trigger-handle.. might also add a power-unit down towards the base...


And I take it back - the little detail on the Scout's gun is not the smallest thing I've ever sculpted - this new nose for the Gladiatrix is!






Needs a bit more careful sanding with some super-fine paper - it wasn't until I took these pics I noticed it's a bit crooked at the bottom but I think I'll leave it like that cos it looks like it's been broken - and she's a Gladiatrix after all!

Thanks for looking!

So much character in all of these miniatures! I envy and admire your ability to sculpt and convert with such proficiency. Great stuff!

Noses are tricky to do at this scale. Good job.

Yes I agree with Dr H nose are a fiddly thing to do, either build in stages or carve back to shape.
Personally I build in stages as I hate carving as if you over do it the whole lot is knackered, so good luck with the shaping mate

 lipsdapips wrote:
So much character in all of these miniatures! I envy and admire your ability to sculpt and convert with such proficiency. Great stuff!

Thanks lipsdapips!

Dr H wrote:Noses are tricky to do at this scale. Good job.

Thanks Dr H!

lone dirty dog wrote:Yes I agree with Dr H nose are a fiddly thing to do, either build in stages or carve back to shape.
Personally I build in stages as I hate carving as if you over do it the whole lot is knackered, so good luck with the shaping mate

Thanks LDD!
- I actually drilled through her weird septum and sculpted version 1 over the pre-existing end of her nose
- Version 2 I ended up cutting away her original nose entirely and sculpted in the new nose as one piece - which was then scraped down even smaller with a blade
- I won't be doing that again

The Witch Hunter and the Gladiatrix are done (only some minor clean up required before spraying.)

Here's the Witch Hunter with hair and coat-tails complete:





Ah crap - just noticed the hole in her left shin whoops!

And the Gladiatrix, nose surgery and Gun Spear complete, left arm and belt kit added:










One retinue member to go - I wonder who/what she will be...

Thanks for looking!

Great sculpting. I have mixed feelings about the nose surgery but it was skillfully done!

Lethal ladies are looking lovely.

Sounds like the nose has been a little challenging but the end result is looking good, although it still looks a little flat towards the end/tip of the nose unless you want that unique look.

How you missed that whole though ha ha

You say the witch hunter is finished but her feet look a little WIP, I think the model could benefit from some detailing like buckles and maybe some kind of sole that blends into the heel pins.

kestral wrote:Great sculpting. I have mixed feelings about the nose surgery but it was skillfully done!

Thanks kestral!

youwashock wrote:Lethal ladies are looking lovely.

Thanks youwasshock!

lone dirty dog wrote:Sounds like the nose has been a little challenging but the end result is looking good, although it still looks a little flat towards the end/tip of the nose unless you want that unique look.
How you missed that whole though ha ha
You say the witch hunter is finished but her feet look a little WIP, I think the model could benefit from some detailing like buckles and maybe some kind of sole that blends into the heel pins.

Thanks LDD!
- tbh, the nose-job is just to get a different face from the standard GW ones; femme faces are quite lacking if you don't want the screaming Dark elf look
- see below for the sad tale of the Witch Hunter...

Yes, yet again, a return... and of course, rather than finishing anything - returning with a new character!

A quick explanation in my defence: since my last post the Witch Hunter suffered a calamitous casualty at the teeth of Chaos - otherwise known as my cat - the only portions that survived were the arms and the head, as they were detached at the time of the creature's assault

I started rebuilding her - hopefully even better than before - but the motivation soured a little, so to breathe life back into my mojo, I've started on another character - though I'm not quite sure where she fits in the cantos of either the Rogue Traders, Kallatar's retinue, or the Witch Hunters... or possibly even something new.

Anyways - since I have quite a few of these old Daemonette bodies lying around, I started with one them:


And with the long skirts of Neferata from the Mortachs of Nagash:


Off with her legs!


Working on getting rid of the hanging jewel-things - sometimes over-exuberant knife work means greenstuff/milliput repairs:


And here's the body and the skirt together - took a bit of knife-work to get the torso to sit facing forward rather than sideways like Neferata's torso sits:


And here's the components of the left arm and sword - I set the Dremel up as a lathe to turn the greenstuff/milliput hilt:


And all attached:


Hopefully there'll be much more to come in a better timeframe than previously!

And as always - thanks for looking!

Shame to hear of the daemon-feline assault.

Good start to the new addition.

Nice sword.

Dremel as a lathe !

Mind. Blown

Could you send a pic, a tutorial or link on how to set this up as I have a "spare" Dremel !

Good headway on a cool character! Let's hope that the inquisition apprehends this fowl beast that savaged your miniature :(

 Big H wrote:
Dremel as a lathe !

Mind. Blown

Could you send a pic, a tutorial or link on how to set this up as I have a "spare" Dremel !

Seriously. I was still thinking about this this morning and shaking my head in wonder.

Great start on the new gal, even if she's being birthed from tragedy

- Salvage

She is looking quite grand. Way to rebound from disaster!

As far as resurrections goes I think this is actually an improvement and the body posture makes for an interesting pose.

I think the cat has actually inspired a build here, maybe you found your muse

Dr H wrote:Shame to hear of the daemon-feline assault.
Good start to the new addition.
Nice sword.

Thanks Dr H!

Big H wrote:Dremel as a lathe !
Mind. Blown
Could you send a pic, a tutorial or link on how to set this up as I have a "spare" Dremel !

Thanks Big H
Here you go - Dremel (fake Dremel anyway) as a lathe:

This shows lathing detail into brass tubing - to lathe a 50/50 mix of GS and milliput, I stick a blob of the mix on a wire or pin, roll the blob into a sausage and leave enough pin extended so I can insert the pin into the collet of the Dremel head - I'll take some pics next time I'm doing it

lipsdapips wrote:Good headway on a cool character! Let's hope that the inquisition apprehends this fowl beast that savaged your miniature :(

Thanks lipsapips!

Boss Salvage wrote:

 Big H wrote:
Dremel as a lathe !
Mind. Blown
Could you send a pic, a tutorial or link on how to set this up as I have a "spare" Dremel !

Seriously. I was still thinking about this this morning and shaking my head in wonder.
Great start on the new gal, even if she's being birthed from tragedy
- Salvage

youwashock wrote:She is looking quite grand. Way to rebound from disaster!

Thanks youwasshock!

lone dirty dog wrote:As far as resurrections goes I think this is actually an improvement and the body posture makes for an interesting pose.
I think the cat has actually inspired a build here, maybe you found your muse

Thanks LDD!
- I'm still rebuilding the original Witch Hunter, the skirt is yet another new character

Thanks all!!!



K][LL YOUR DARLINGS...

To move ahead, sometimes you have to kill your darlings...

Suffering from some major hobby mojo for some time now - it's been well over a year since I last put paint-to-model, for instance - I decided that while the idea of building the Captain's 'raptor-like' dropship was (and remains) a goal, the execution of the Hemlock conversion had gone awry; meaning, I had the top, the tail, and the VTOL thrusters, but couldn't come up with a decent hull and flightpod design that took the fighter and made it a dropship - which after all, was the initial intention. So - typically me - I started on a new ride for the Rogue Trader crew and the Inquisitor Kallatar's retinue.

Recently inspired of the brilliant techno airships of the artist Ian McQue



... and discovering the more retro look of the Kharandon airships - vs the ultra-sleek Eldar Hemlock - work commenced on converting an Arkanaut frigate into a 40k-esque Inquis][tor/steampunk transport... Though I quickly discovered that scale-wise, there was no way the frigate could conceivably carry enough people to function as a troop-transport; so another quick change of tack (haha - see what I did there?) and the frigate-into-transport plan morphed into the frigate-into-Gun Skiff plan.

So first up - what else? - guns!!!

Upper turret with twin-linked rotating 100mm cannon - made from some Imperial Guard tank bits and strips of styrene:



Of course, then I realised those midget rounds in the mag-trays are just too small calibre for the barrels size, so covered them up with some styrene sheet and milliput/greenstuff:



With the upper deck cannon fleshed out, time to build the lower turret that will replace the mouth/beard of the Arkanaut frigate - so took this old Tau turret shell:



Added a styrene rim to this plumbing tubing:



Detailed up the mini-gun barrel from the Nemesis Dreadknight:



and look at that - a Minion gun!



Made some additions to the frigate's turret bed:



Then used some superglue dots and a handy clip-thingy to tack the hull halves together...



Then took a hacksaw and carefully...
OMG what have I done!!!



Oh well, too late to back out now!!!
So I just kept cutting and sanding...



Until we ended up with this:



Aaaaaand...


Unfortunately, the lower turret support pylon doesn't quite fit in the hole yet, so no pic today of the weaponry in place.



Tune in soon for more mad modelling adventures!