Painting for Dummies -- Converting the Model

Posted by Ranillon on 30. March 2009 00:14

After taking the time to clean up my new model (and sweep up all the shavings doing so entailed) I need to convert it. If you remember the aim is to have a terminator captain with a pair of lightning claws (arguably, the best load out available to Deathwing commanders as they apparently haven’t been told about the new wonder Storm Shields – damn Imperial bureaucracy!)  This means I need to cut the two plastic terminator claw arms in just the right places to fit with the rest of the model.  Likewise, I will also have to cut Stern’s left metal arm at the elbow to accept the replacement part.  This way I can have the lightning claw and also preserve the shoulder heraldry of the original limb.

 In the case of the right arm it was a simple matter of cutting it at the elbow and sticking it on to Stern’s empty wrist that was built to accept his normal sword holding hand.  As already suggested I had to spend more effort on the other arm.  In all cases I used my jewel saw to make the cuts.  I find it ideal when needing to neatly cut such relatively large pieces.  After that all that’s required is a little extra shaving with the hobby knife to get a good fit.


Important Modeling Tip:  Don’t try using your hobby snips on pieces more than a half centimeter wide.  It just won’t cut cleanly and tends to leave a mark in the shape of a V.  Instead, use some tool that will allow you to saw your way through the model.  It’s more controlled and the result straighter.

The two pictures are views of the completed conversion.  Note how I made sure to keep the power hookups between the fists and shoulder intact.  For the left army I actually needed to cut the power line a bit short, but that was handy as the extra piece helped to extend the line on the opposite arm enough to reach most of the way.  To fill the last half centimeter of space I used green stuff – hobby putty which when mixed turns green and is, like many things, “stuff” – to fill in the last gap.  I molded it into the basic required shape and then let it set awhile to get less sticky.  Doing this allowed me to use my meager sculpting skills to better fit the piece in with the larger model without the putty still being so sticky as to be impossible to work with.

After all that it was a simple matter to add the sun crest behind his head and attach him to his wide round base.  Tada – I have my new Deathwing commander in one piece.  I have to say I like the final look.  It has motion and life to it as if he’s about to jump into combat.

More to come…