Got My Head On Straight

So still waiting for the wreck marker... sigh. I've been occupying my time by working on Cygnar stuff and trying to figure out the conversion process for the Thunderhead. I'm also doing the basics on the big project after him. Cutting apart and reposing legs is trying work. Especially to create a dynamic leg stance. :D

But more on that later...

Well, finished the neck and it is nice and solid. Realized something during the process, Without the plug, Rök had an issue with back of his head... as in there wasn't one. Had to sculpt a completion to his noggin.

Even then, it still is going to get covered up as a part of the mane extension I put in. The idea even gave rise to a mold of a Mauler's mane. Something that spurred a slight conversion to my Earthborn Dire Troll.

But anyway, pics of Rök.

And there you have it. I've cut a deal with my local pressganger to get the wreck marker I need, so pictures of Rök's legs mounted to the base will be coming later in the week. And now, a glimpse of things to come...

My most ambitious conversion to date.

Hand's Down

The Axe Hand is completed. Did the final green stuff work last night and it turned out well. I'm still working on the re-sculpted neck, going back for a third time soon to bulk it correctly from the shoulder.

A delay from my FLGS has me stalled until I get that Khador Heavy Jack wreck marker. I accept nothing less, but I was able to grab the elusive Sylys Wyshnayllr so things are adequate.

But on to pictures and a fun look at up coming projects.

The left side of the wrist is now bulked up slightly and he now sports some handsome spikes through out the remodeled area to blend the conversion into the area. 

Since I will be a little stalled, I'm going to move back onto one of my early conversions. With a little help from a new friend 

I converted the surfer pose to jack-fu. I also stripped that lousy paint job I gave him. I think the Thunderhead will be a little more threatening once I am done

Head and Shoulders

Getting ready to pin the head to the torso, in prep for tonight's green stuff work.

Big Meaty Fist now with Big Honkin Axe

The first steps of green stuff are done. I have to go back and do some follow up work to better scale it, but the base is done and not bad looking.

Waiting on the base to come in and I have greenstuffed the gaps in the torso and legs, so I'm going to start work on the head and neck later today. Pictures then!

Green Stuff Thumb

Got the basics of the axe hand done. It is pinned and nicely positioned. All I need is some Green Stuff and things will be good to go.

And from there its green stuffing the gaps on the legs and torso while getting the head and neck situated. After a conversation with Javaman on the PP forums. I'm going to definitely file and pin rather than try to make the head fit the body.

Then it will be a little break as I wait for the next piece to come in.... the base.

You may ask, "Why a Khador wreck marker?" 

1. Its big and heavy, so once pinned to the base and Rök's front foot is pinned to it... very stable model. 

2. The red will give a bit of contrast to the blue-green of the troll flesh

3. Rök lives in Scarsfell, which is in Khador. 

4. Borka wants those pesky Khadorans off his lawn.

"I see you punks! You dug up my ferns last week, Butcher! You, Sorscha, and that Tzepesci kid from down the street!

Off the Top of My Head

Figured I'd give this a go as well since it was asked on the PP thread about this conversion project. http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?104092-Heavy-Metal-R%F6k-Conversion

The head swap... probably the easiest thing in the project (and that includes basic assembly of the mauler body!)

As you can see, the heads are roughly the same size. The Mauler's mouth is a little bigger, but Rök's beard is  the thing taking up most of the face. Given the shape of the brow, I'm beginning to suspect that Rök is a character Mauler in the same way Cygnar's Ol' Rowdy is a character Ironclad. Interesting since Mulg was just... Mulg. He may be a dire troll, but no one can really pin down what type of dire troll. 

The real question comes of HOW to attach the head to the torso. I've clipped the peg from the back of the head and filed it a little, but the question remains of what to do. Both options are still viable, though I may go with flattening the end of the torso's neck an pinning the two flat surfaces, just because it is faster and simpler than making the back of the head concave. 

Now as an addendum to my previous post. My marks on the hand were a little to conservative. I had go back and cut again, but I am still not satisfied fully. I will probably file the hand some before pinning. 

After a dry fit, having the palms mesh isn't working. Having the back of the hands touch  on a slight angle creates better lines and allows me to green stuff the palm as folding in with the wrist. 

With the base still being a concern, I wonder if the metal of a light warjack wreck marker would be better than the converted wreck of a plastic jack torso. Thoughts?

For those about to Rök...

Rök assembly is going pretty well. I still need to locate a suitable "posing stone" for him, but the pieces are ready for assembly minus the head.

I received a very pleasant surprise when I sawed off the peg on his axe hand.

Notice the direction of the edge of the axe hand. 

Rök's axe hand is tilted at an angle AND it is only 3/4 of a fist. The large manacles on the Popeye-like forearms of the plastic kit hide this.

You can see they are roughly the same size, though the axe hand is a bit thicker. 

With axe hand being effectively the same size as the regular Dire Troll Mauler hand, it gives me more options  in where to cut for conversion. The axe hand is a tad thicker (fists being thicker than open hands), but green stuffing around the hand instead of trying to rebuild the wrist is much easier and far faster. 

A slight diagonal cut and we are in business. 

Now the main thing will be matching up the halves. I'm going to initially match the palms as when you clench a fist, your palm's relative position doesn't change.

I should have more when I take those steps and I'll show the much easier fun and games of working with the head.

Second Hand Rök

Restoration: Cygnar is slowly progressing, but a decorative snag has me gritting my teeth. Instant Molding some Cygnuses (Cygni?) emblems has met with a few issues as I try to give my Sword Knight Centurion, Hunters, and Stormclad a little more polish.

Second Hand Trolls is in full swing as I am putting the finishing touches on the Earthborn Dire Troll assembly while finishing up some green stuff on my Borka Kegslayer conversion.

However, yesterday was 4/11 and the release of several long awaited Wrath and Domination models. Circle gets their arc node trees. Cygnar gets their anti-infantry Hunter in Minuteman (Happy dance). And last but not least, Trollbloods got their new plastic Heavy Warbeast kit and the Rök upgrade kit.

My thoughts on plastic kit are back a month or so ago. My opinion has not changed. Though I will discuss the forthcoming plastic warpack another day. My attention is firmly on the beer swilling, axe swinging dire troll.

While I could have settled for the plastic kit to make Rök, it defeats the principle of army name. (As in as many models as possible are going to be refurbished derelicts or those that just need a new home.) So it had to be heavy metal Rök for my tastes. The big problem was judging how big the upgrade parts would be based on an unreleased plastic kit. All the photo comparisons had that axe hand looking awkward for any dire troll other than the Bomber to hold.

A few guys on the PP forums are doing just that, building off the metal Bomber (since it is the base of the plastic kit). And those will be solid conversions, but I knew what I needed to do. Mauler.

Acquiring a metal Mauler in a trade from my local Press Ganger, I began sketching out the ideas and examining the key parts. The left hand looked to be a problem and was going to require some green stuff work to buff those dainty wrists to make it look at least adequate.

With RHQTV and Steamforged.tv (Both great youtube channels. Subscribe and visit their parent sites.) doing upgrade unboxings alongside the plastic kits, I still had a problem judging the scale. More than a few judged the idea unworkable.

Confident in my trusty dremel, jewler's saw, and tube of green stuff. I squared my jaw at the nay-sayers. I stand here now to proclaim that while I will have to work at it, the task is not some Labor of Hercules. Behold!

As you can see, the left hand is effectively the same size. It is that wrist joint that is all the trouble. Fortunately, when you make a fist your wrist widens as a muscle moves along the side of your arm. So I have an out in design once I clip the round peg. Its all up to execution from there.

Now to the rest of the pose. I really like the Domination art for Rök (with the spread wide howling stance) Thus I began to look at the torso and legs of the Mauler. Using a towel and pliers, I re-positioned the left foot downward which forces a complete re-positioning of the stance. Given a yet to be determined object (likely a plastic torso from a Khador jack), Rök will have right foot planted on his "kill" as he roars in the art pose.

The torso connects oddly to the waist as well. So to defeat the "hunch", there will be a few inches of torso extension to have Rök more upright than his Mauler cousins.

But to get the arms correctly positioned will require another cut and epoxy. The ovals the arms connect to will have to be removed or trimmed to allow for the rotation. The rest will be green stuffed in once pinned in place. You can see the joint in the picture below.

Amusingly enough, the head is going to be the easiest thing to get on.

Once I clip the peg, I'll take my handy dremel and hollow out the back slightly. Once satisfied at positioning and fit, the head will get pinned and get green stuffed to fill in the gaps. That thick beard and mane will be quite handy at hiding the conversion.

So there's the outline for what will one of my more dedicated conversions. It's slight compared to the Mulg I am working on, but it will be satisfying to have a proper Rök and not a plastic pretender.

Till next time. Peace, Love, and Good Gaming. 

(And a little free advertising for Beasts of War as well. Check them out too!)