Before I got drawn into sculpting my first Chaos Dwarf, I was already making my first tentative steps in modelling units for my Chaos Dwarf army to be.
The first actual model I tackled was a Hobgoblin Bolt Thrower. Why? you undoubtedly ask. Well, basically because I had the base model for this conversion lying around already!
At one point I was planning to build a High Elf army, and for that, I had already bought a couple of Bolt Throwers on sprue off Ebay for cheap. They were stored at that and were only brought out again, when I began tampering with them.
This is the first of two to be initially converted. Actually, I only have the two right now, but I might do up another two later, just because they’re dead easy to make!
The first thing to do is alter/cut off/camouflage all the fancy prancy Squeekie bits. The originals are shaped to look like a soaring eagle, with a beaked head at the front, a tail like thingy at the back and nicely curved bow arms for wings.
So; off with its head! I cut the eagle head off and replaced it with one of the barrel ends of a Chaos Marine Tank. I added a couple of suitable horns from a Chaos Marauder and some putty to work it into the general shape (mailny raising the nose somewhat, so it looks less dragony and more bully. Heh: bully…) and presto. Wait; it needs a bit more. A bit more in the shape of a nose ring, for that contemporary bad-*ss ‘don’t mess with me’ bull look. I think that came from the end of a Chaos Marauder hand weapon.
I then used the small hooks/horns off the Chaos Marauder Icon to lengthen and meanify the bow arms, and a long one to replace the prissy tail of the eagle. Some putty and filing worked them in quite nicely.
I then turned the aestetically pleasing curved feet into cloven hoofs by cutting them down and adding the cleaves to the hoofs.
The arrow head was just not wicked enough, so I cut it off and replaced it with the tip of a Chaos Marauder Horseman spear. Nice and barbed…
A metal skull icon out of the bits box, with a puttied beard, some copper wire, twisted to create the bow string (pulled all the way through holes in both arms and the body; it’s one piece, superglued taut) and some plastic rivets of differing sizes form ‘The Tichy Train Group’ (because I’m too lazy to make them myself really) round out this conversion.
The second one will be basically the same, but I plan on making the bow at rest/released, meaning I will have to curve the amrs straight, model the arrow-holding part of the bow to the front etc.
I really like how this turned out. I aimed for an industrial look, as if the machines were created under the supervision of the Chaos Dwarfs, instead of the ramshackle contraptions usually associated with orkoids. It will be painted as if it was cast in metal, instead of made from wood or some girly sung-into-shape bones…
On to the next one shortly. So; what do you think?
Maybe it could look more ‘chaos dwarfy’ if you put some spikes on the front of the bow ‘arms’ and the top of the tripod ‘legs’, and added some rivets so it looked more ‘manufactured’ instead of painstakingly carved by an elvish weaponsmith. Maybe even a bit of damage to break up the graceful lines - maybe some rope tied around one of the legs, or in the area between the ‘stripes’?
Wow, looks good to me… I would file down the stripey bits too… but you could leave em… you could make it more chaos dwarfy with the paint job… the stripes lines of lava-like color or something…
Thanks gents; I’m pretty pleased with how it has turned out so far. I do share the sentiment that it still looks too elfy, but am still figuring out what it is that could be changed.
Following the above comments, I will at least follow the age old 40K converter’s addage; ‘when it doubt, rivet the heck out of it’, and add rivets to the arms of the bow.
The lines at the base of the arms didn’t bother me too much; they’re straight lines, pretty generic as such and do not strike me as particularly elvish. Filing them off is out of the question, as that would weaken the construction too much. I had considered adding rivets to them when working on the thing, but decided against that because the rivets would be in the way of the bowstring when it fires. I could putty them into one part, but I think that would take away some of the visual interest.
Painting the obligatory triangles/dags on one or two of the strips might do the trick though. Actually, and I’m being masochistic here now, I could cut the outermost of the bars into triangles/dags for added effect…
I do like the tripod as it is now; the hooves precicely convey the image I was going for and the rest of the construction is techy enough to just paint it as metal and leave it at that. In my mind, the warmachines and other equipment, at least those for their allies, are being churned out by the enormous forges and factories of the the Dhawi Zhar, with the labour provided by their innumerable slaves. But with the designs and construction plans being drawn up by Chaos Dwarf engineers. I imagined this along the lines of russian WW2 assembly lines; rugged and sturdy design made through cheap labour, minimally embellished, but capable of standing a lot of abuse. Think movie Uruk-Hai equipment, but ever so slightly more elegant, and of course (Chaos) Dwarfish.
The idea of adding some repairs is interesting though and I will probably incorporate one or two, just like some nicks and superficial scratches here and there, to represent them being (mis)handled by their indifferent Hobbo crews (bunch of gits…).
@ Fequiil: it is pretty much the right size; I’ll post a pic with a Hobbo next to it later.
One thing that bothers me is the "bow string" so to speak.
The arm is bent back, but the rope is almost straight, it seems it should be placed behind the "plate" at the end or something.
snowblizz
Good point. However, the way I see it, the arms are bent back right now, because the bow is cocked and all the energy put into the bow is stored into the arms.
when I get to building the other one, you will see one in released/fired position. I plan on making the arms almost straight on that one, with the slide holding the arrow positioned all the way to the front...
One thing that bothers me is the "bow string" so to speak.
The arm is bent back, but the rope is almost straight, it seems it should be placed behind the "plate" at the end or something.
snowblizz
Good point. However, the way I see it, the arms are bent back right now, because the bow is cocked and all the energy put into the bow is stored into the arms.
Blind Berzerker
Well yes, but you won't be able to release it as the string will either snap, or stop at the point it is fully "extended". Which it looks like it is at right now.
Or in other words, the string seems to be in "rest" position yet the bowarms are "primed". You need to have some "slack" in the string when when the arms are "primed", which is why the string is usually pulled back beyond the arms in a ">". If I could make some pics this might be clearer. But basically when at rest the string should be straight.
If this makes any sense?
you won't be able to release it as the string will either snap, or stop at the point it is fully "extended". Which it looks like it is at right now.
Or in other words, the string seems to be in "rest" position yet the bowarms are "primed". You need to have some "slack" in the string when when the arms are "primed", which is why the string is usually pulled back beyond the arms in a ">". If I could make some pics this might be clearer. But basically when at rest the string should be straight.
If this makes any sense?
snowblizz
Darnations! :mad You are right good sir...
I was aiming (yes, yes...) for something like a recurved bow with the added marauder Icon hooks, to further the Eastern theme. But it seems I've shown a remarkable degree of misinterpretation of the subjectmatter there...:~
I will have to give this some thought, but it does appear the GW sculptors never took this in consideration, and I blindly went with their design.
I could always pretend nothing's the matter and if I'm called on it, just claim 'it's magic' (as sometimes is the very last DM resort in my group, to much hilarity). Also, when those dang Hobbos fail to hit anything, I can always claim it's that darn prancy Elf design that doesn't work...:P
That pictures does indeed illustrate the problem. You are essentially mixing both on the same model.
I think that the entire backplate, the round thingy will be pushed forward, that seems to be how they fire the volley. So the rope should really be passing behind that, it would give you some more “bend” in the rope. But that’d require remodelling it a bit, which probably isn’t worth the hassle. For the next one perhaps.
I tried looking at the original model (on GW’s pages, don’t have it myself) for how they figured it would fire but it’s not entirely clear where the string should go IMHO. Usually they do make an effort to think of this. I know they have mentioned it at some times, but they may not be doing it for all models.
Sorry to rain on your parade there, it’s a problem I’ve been struggling with as well. I bought some wire to make bowstrings/ropes for the hobgoblin boltthrower and have been planning how to use it, so that’s why it popped up for me.
This is one great looking bolt thrower
