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Perched upon the bust of the Heretic General Pallas, Shrike steadies himself by plunging his lightning claw into the Heretic's stony head, surveying the battlefield before him for a target for his next strike.





This was a commission piece, built from assorted plastic parts, an Inquisitor model torso and some putty.

As always, comments and criticisms welcome.

Just a question on dimensions... is the claw short enough to not be coming out the other side of the head?

Otherwise, that is pretty friggin bada__!

Yup, the claws fall juuust short of poking out the other side.

Was this commission an idea you came up with or was this the commissioner's?

Looks much better then the metal model. My only problem is with the statue- his arms don't really look broken off enough. I suppose he's ment to be a bust (by his lack of legs), but it's hard not to look at it as a bit stuck on there. When you've seen it as a seperate bit it looks oddly unfinished as a bust like that, know what I mean? Adding some arms that end at his waist and a little pedistle (sp?) that tapers up to his waist would really go a long way toward getting your point across. I know you're going to say "No Marcus- he's a one off for ebay!" but I can't just throw out a "looks great!!!!" and not give some useful comments

Was this commission an idea you came up with or was this the commissioner's?

The commission was a 'I don't like the Shrike model, what can you make me?' type of deal.

My only problem is with the statue- his arms don't really look broken off enough. I suppose he's ment to be a bust (by his lack of legs),

Yup, it's just a bust. Like in the poem

I know you're going to say "No Marcus- he's a one off for ebay!"

Well, actually, he was a commission, as it says in the first post

But feedback is always welcomed.

I really like it.
I actually played a friend today who used Shrike as a flying HQ for his Ultramarines.Looked fairly nice compared to the ridiculous black model.
Second on the arms,at least make a little part of the shoulders stick out (Busts are usually round and full.wait.no....<_< >_> triangular shaped more than flattened out)

I like it. My only problems are the claw not going through the statue's head and his beaked helmet looks to much like a bird beak, but thats just me. Other than that its really awesome.

My only problems are the claw not going through the statue's head

But the claw doesn't go through the statue's head. The claws are as long as they should be.

and his beaked helmet looks to much like a bird beak,

That was the idea.

Other than the fact it defies gravity, the model itself is really nice even if I dont like the current lightning claws.

Other than the fact it defies gravity,

Which part looks like it is defying gravity???

Overall, like it. My only sticking point is the sole of the left foot has no tread detail. But that is just me...

Fantastic! i love the details, the bird skull on the shoulder, and the bird beak helmet is great, nice touch. I htink you did an excellent job, although something small like tread onthe foot would be a nice touch.

Very well done, you are a gifted sculpter.

That model looks AWESOME! I love the crap outa it. Lots of personality in the base and pose. I am not too sure about using a lighting claw imbedded in the bust as a way of steadying himself. If a claw can slip effortlessly into a material it will slip effortlessly out and through material. So he may as well have been trying to hold onto a water fall to steady himself. Though.... I guess maybe he could turn off his LC to stay there. I don't know. Superb job anyway!

If a claw can slip effortlessly into a material it will slip effortlessly out and through material.

Only while it's turned on...

My only sticking point is the sole of the left foot has no tread detail.

I'll admit I overlooked that, as it's just the way that foot comes.

I wish I could afford you

3 words.
yeah, bayb, yeah!

that's one heck of a conversion. great work. *thumps up*

mmm, very nice - how do you get your GS to look so darn good - especially on the fine details like the purity seals and the cords on his torso... i have just completed a compete mod of a termie body into a librarian - as soon as i take photos I will post, but in the mean time please tell me how you get your GS looking so good... and i had to edit this cause i just noticed the wings on the lower leg... damn you and your masterful GS ways!

Dude that is totally rad....
Capt K

just thought about saying - hey he should have a cloak... but then thought - yeh great idea *stupid* it'll last 5 seconds until he ignites his jump pack - just a scroched bit of material and a wisp of smoke...

mmm, very nice - how do you get your GS to look so darn good - especially on the fine details like the purity seals and the cords on his torso...

It's mainly just practice... The key to keeping GS smooth, at least from my experience so far, is fiddling with it the least amount possible. The more you have to manipulate the putty to get the desired shape, the harder it is to keep it smooth. But getting it to do what you want more easily is something that really just comes with practice. And it's different for different types of sculpting... there's quite a lot that I still need to work on.

aaaaaaaaaaaaargh... i hate it when people say - practice practice practice... here i was hoping you'd spill the "insider" beans on GS nirvana... alas it was not to be.

What tools do you use out of curiosity? that may be a factor for me since all i have is a "craft knife", a stamp collectors tweezer and a little plastic doo-hicky i use to roll the GS out with.

Another question - how do you stop the GS from sticking to what you dont want it to stick to - and get it to stick to the things you do want? And how do you stop it from slowly losing its shape as it cures? ie. i made a cape / cloak, not a very good one, but for a beginner i'd like to think it wasnt that bad either. problem is that the folds and "swishes" keep unfolding and un-swishing... darnit it makes me crazy and then i pull it all off and scrunch it up and start over...

 

one last one - got any 60/65mm (dread sized) bases and 40mm (termie sized) bases that you would be willing to trade/sell to me? I will cover the postage costs (im in cape town, south africa) thanks.

What tools do you use out of curiosity?

Most of my work is done with a little spoon-shaped sculpting tool and a hobby knife. Various bits will also call for pins, pieces of pipe or rid, a paintbrush (the non-hairy end), a metal ruler, tweezers, and a piece of waxed baking paper (for rolling out thin pieces)

Another question - how do you stop the GS from sticking to what you dont want it to stick to - and get it to stick to the things you do want?

That can be a little tricky. Handling it only with your sculpting tool (lubricated with a little water) is a good start. If I'm attaching a piece that I've shaped off the model, for example, I'll just poke the tool into one end, push the GS into place, and then just smooth down where the tool was.

And how do you stop it from slowly losing its shape as it cures?

That one's a little trickier. GS has a certain natural tendancy to try to slowly morph back to its original shape. The trick here is to attach your cape to the model in as many places as possible (a billowy cape can contact the miniature in quite a lot of different places) to help keep it stretched out... and to keep an eye on it as it cures, and rework it when necessary. As the GS gets harder, it loses its bounce.

one last one - got any 60/65mm (dread sized) bases and 40mm (termie sized) bases that you would be willing to trade/sell to me?

Nope, sorry.

This is a nice conversion but to me the corpse is just really badly executed and looks horrible. Not only is the lightning claw not going through the head, but the whole cadaver just looks really un natural and un dynamic. It would look much better with some motion or some exposed bone, right now it just looks like a torso part from a model kit, and this is really too obvious.

 

Having said that 10/10 for Shrike

2/10 for his undead friend

Posted By Gundammecha 08/18/2006 5:08 AM

This is a nice conversion but to me the corpse is just really badly executed and looks horrible. Not only is the lightning claw not going through the head, but the whole cadaver just looks really un natural and un dynamic. It would look much better with some motion or some exposed bone, right now it just looks like a torso part from a model kit, and this is really too obvious.

 

Having said that 10/10 for Shrike

2/10 for his undead friend

 

that would be because the "corpse" is actaully going to be a stone bust not a dead body! - a bit of a nod to the whole edgar allen poe poem!! insaniak has already mentioned that. also the blades wouldnt come out the other side as they arent long enough

millest

Not to mention the fact that if it were a corpse, it might need to be from the same size range. Notice how the bust is the Inquisitor range rogue trader? If people can't get past physics and anatomy, you might want to clarify that it's just a piece of stone, for those who don't realize what this version of the word bust means.

The claws really look like they should be sticking out the other side. I know you've said it is too short, and it might just be the pictures, but I'd appreciate it if you would'nt mind measuring the left lightning claw and comparing it to the one in the bust.

And another thought, wouldn't his lightning claws slip out of the bust as easily as they went in? Power weapons are meant to do that. But he has initiative 5, so balance shouldn't be a problem; maybe he just wants to further show his disgust for the traitor by destroying him in all forms, even inanimate.

Sorry dude

I didn't realise it was a statue. Its early here and I'm still tired! lol

Scale wise now you mention it it does look a little large, but it must be one of the smaller inquisitor models as it doesn't

look that huge compared to Shrike.

I agree with the power weapon pint, if this were a staute then wouldn't the lightning claws totally destroy the head in a cloud of dusty smoke, a la the columns in the lobby scene of the matrix?

 

 

The model is very nice. I was more impressed with General Pallas. I laughed very heartily at that. Did you come up with that or was that part of the commision? That is a bad reference in the best GW sort of way.

/Was Lit Geek in HS
//Walks past EAP's grave at least once a week
///Saw Ravens play last night.

insaniak has already covered the fluff behind beings able to hold on with the power claw. Imagine that the things can be turned on as easily as clenching your fist, and turned off as easily as relaxing your grip. So he plunges the claws into the statue while on, then turns their field off while he pauses for a moment. Some of us imagine the power fields as being incredibly destructive sheaths over the weapon, but it could also stand to reason that they could just excite the area around the blade in such a tight area to make the thing behave more like a light saber or something.

Excellent execution by the way. If the model is truly done then ignore this, but the claw going out the other side of the head might not be such a bad idea after all. One of the things I've learned with art is that it's more important to be pleasing to the eye than to be absolutely accurate. The fact that these miniatures have most of their appendages completely out of proportion is proof enough of that. "Heroic" type miniatures make a mockery of realism with their own proportions and with the equipment they carry. So, even though I'm sure you've measured the claws and found that they would not protrude out of the other side it might be considered since that seems to be the only problem that everyone keeps harping on.