WE noble conversion . . .

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:27 am

hey all

i'm currently converting the WE noble with great weapon model to be a DE noble with DoDP, i've done various things to make it look right, but most importantly i've taken the quiver off his back and filed away the vines on the cloak and green stuffed over the lot to tidy it up

but i was wondering if there is any reason why the cloak is so flat in the first place and if i should try and green stuff some folds into the cloak?

other work i've done to the model so far is

take out the sprite from under neath the log as well as the bit of root under that and replaced it with a pile of skulls

where the quiver stick out at the bottom it looked real messy so to cover that up i've added an extra bit of cloak coming down

and i've taken the blade off the model and replaced it with an excecutioners draich

i think thats it, but what do u guys think about the cloak? does it need folds?

Zeb · Post by **Zeb** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:47 am

Maybe you could add scales instead of folds. It will make the cloak "stiffer" so no folds are needed. It might also be better for WYSIWYG.
Have you used the champs draaich (or Malekith's), I would have thought that an ordinary draich was to small...
It sounds like a nice conversion, post some pics if you have the opportunity.

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:53 am

normally i would have used the champions draich, but i couldnt be arsed to wait for a mail order for it aand couldnt afford to buy a whole blister for it, so i asked one of the staff if they had any spare (a dark elf player) and they had a normal draich, but its actually bigger than the great weapon that was already on the model

i like the idea of scales, i hadnt thought about the SDC that he would've been wearing, thanks for that

i'll see if i can get some pics online soon

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:28 am

i've made it into a SDC and got some pics, i tried posting one in the album but i dont think it worked so i'm setting up a page somewhere to do it from there should get a pic up soon i promise

Setomidor · Post by **Setomidor** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:05 am

cant wait for the pictures

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 12:21 am

i finally sorted some pics, which should be at the link below:

http://photobucket.com/albums/a93/DEArchon/

i've almost finished painting it as well now, and i'll hopefully get the those pics up soon too

One-eye · Post by **One-eye** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:56 am

There is only one major fault i can think of. That is that the scales on the SDC look too uniform - very unnatural. Apart from that looks pretty good.

Seanzala · Post by **Seanzala** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 7:17 am

Very nice work, well done. Yes, the scales are a bit uniform as they are cut in, not individually sculpted but that way is very hard to do and takes a very long time. I say good work.

Sean

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:21 am

yeah i know, but when i undercoated it i was suprised to find that they'y dont seem as uniform as they looked, especially with the painting i've done on it, highlighting each scale in a slightly different way has moved tehm around a bit as it were, also where there is a couple of bits where it looks a bit messed up, i left those in because i guess as its a cloak made from dead animal, it had to be killed and it is likely that its been beaten around a bit since he got it so its likely to have a few slashes in it

glad you like it so far
i'll try and get the painted pic up when i get home tonight

Setomidor · Post by **Setomidor** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:29 am

well done! I know there are more people thinking about the same conversion.

I agree with the others about the scales, but will wait until i see the painted version :)

Xizor · Post by **Xizor** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:22 am

Nice job there.

However, you could drastically improve the SDC by rolling individual balls of GS and pressing them down to form individual scales. It takes a little while, but is definately the way to go, its also really easy to do.

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 7:09 pm

@ xizor cheers for that lol, had i know trhat before i would have tried that, but for know it will have to wait until i do my highborn in chariot, as i daresay that will be my next conversion project

but yeah i'm off down the pub now, but i'll try and grab some batteries for my camera and get some picks online asap

Malius · Post by **Malius** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 7:17 pm

pretty swish. i was going to suggest what Xizor said- it is the most effective way of moddeling a SDC. looking forward to seeing it painted

regards

Matt

Malachi · Post by **Malachi** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:24 pm

Well, I want to give alittle advice even though oyu have already seemingly painted the figure.

Xizor has described the SDC making manner to the book. If you haev not painted already please do it the look well achieve a better overall look. Also extend the cloak to be drapping the figure more.

The armour IMO is still too WE, I think you need to address this. You need to make it look more DE, not tree hugging. There is a mrked difference between the two races armour making.
IMO you need to sculpt onto the figure some 'angular' armour like what is present in some of the DE warrior sprues. also, in particular look at the executioners which you are in part basing the conversion on, they all have chainmail 'mouth' gurads and helmets, yours has none. A nice helmet on the hip ala Malus mounted would look nice. Actually, the psoe of the weapon does not look good either. Did you consider reversing the position, blade up?

I do not like the skulls, does not add to the model. Maybe a severed head....

My thoughts.

Cheers.

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:21 am

thanks for the advice all, i'll bear it in mind for future conversions, especally the info for the sdc! but its done as its done also, you way think that the weapon pose does not look right, but technically it is, if i move the weapon round he'd be holding it the wrong way round, the blade simply follows the direction of his hands, i dont know what you mean about basing it on excecutioners, its not its simply how i saw the conversion in my head from WE noble to DE noble, the draich from the excecutioners is a DoDP

as for the basing . . . it was simply one of my ideas to cover up some of the mess made by removing the sprite and understanding what he's standing on, which i decided would be a big assed horn rather than a branch or log, i was going to try and scuplt the reast of the skull for the large horn, but i'm not that confident with my GSing, so a pile of skulls seemed to do the trick, especially seeing as i had lots spare anyway, tho i do agree that it removes from the dynamics of the model a bit because he's not always going to have a pile of skulls at his feet . . . oh well its pretty much painted now anyway so i'm gonne go and try adn take some pics for you of it thus far...

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:35 am

ok heres the pics i managed to take before my camera died, i'll give it another go soon once its charged, tho i'm back off down to unii tomorrow so it mite be a while before i can post improved pics

http://photobucket.com/albums/a93/DEArchon/

they should be in there with the previos ones, let me know what u think and what you think couls possibly be improved, dont ask why the skulls have bleeding eyes . . .they just do

the armour does look wuite a bit better than the pic, as i said i didnt hae long to focus it right before the low battery light was flashing at me, it doesnt help taht the armour is varnished either, doesnt do any favours for the pic atm

Bloodtemplar · Post by **Bloodtemplar** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:43 am

Your conversion skills are drastically better than your painting skills - at least by the pictures. First, there's the glaze. I'm not sure if it's the flash from the camera or does your miniature look 'wet' in all light? Second, the base needs a lot more work. Third, as already said, the scales can be done better by pressing them in individually.

The idea is good and I especially like the blade though you could highlight it more to make it look more sharp.

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:57 am

i wouldnt go as far as saying it looks wet in normal light, but as i said it is varnished so it is shiny its more the light from the pics and the fact that the armous is very blurred . . . in fact . . .those pics are shocking, i just had a good look at them, i'll try and get some better ones when i can, tho for that i mite have to wait till i get to uni so i've got 2 lights to cancel the shadows and batteries in the camera to give me the time to get the camera set up

what more needs doing to the base do you think (i dont want comments like "it needs redoing", constructive critisism here) as i said it isnt finished yet

i'm not sure how o improve the highlight on the blade, its already got 4 differnet colour and an ink wash on it . . .not that you can really tell from the pic lol not that i wanna blame it on the pic, it could all be pants, but i think its looking ok, and until i can get another pic up you'll have to trust me that the pic doesnt really do it justice

Georc · Post by **Georc** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:30 am

@ DEArchon

Good Idea but badly executed.
I had planned myself using this miniture for my promised Tullaris conversion form the special Characters debatte:

http://www.druchii.net/viewtopic.php?t=36184

So I allready have made many thoughts about this conversion. I think this woodelf noble is the right base to start this conversion and it was the right choice for your own. But I think you must do more than change the swordblade and add some badly sculptured skales to make this a good conversion. There is need for sculpturing a new armour. You can´t hide this light armour wood elf stuff in your painting (which is too thick, thinn your colours ) also there is need for some chainmail elements to protect his legs and to hide the wood elf originals, also there is need for some heavily armourd feet. You should orientate more on the current miniature range so that this really nice woodie becomes a really evil dark elf. I have to wait until this miniature will be released here in Germany also I need some mail order bitz to complete the conversion. If you like we can try it together. I will send you the list of bitz needed, if we have all we need we open a new thread and making a step by step conversion in there I show "HOW TO" and you follow, if you have done we will make the next steps. In the End you have a Tullaris as well

What do you think?

Regards GeOrc

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:40 am

that could be cool, as long as its not too expensive (i am only a poor student lol) but it would be good to get the advice from someone who definately seems to know what they're doing

Georc · Post by **Georc** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:24 am

@ DEArchon
I´m a poor student too, that´s why I have only money for greenstuff and have to sculpture my miniatures by my own... joke, no it won´t be expensive, we need the Woodelf highborn and some bits for the axe. I allready have a plan and until now we needn´t more than the parts for the weapon. all other things we have to sculpture. Í will write you PM about the stuff we need, if we have all and can beginn, I start the new thread and beginn with the first steps.

Regards GeOrc

Setomidor · Post by **Setomidor** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:25 am

I think its a great conversion actually. Sure the scales could have been done in a different way but im sure youll try that next time.

I´d try to add some ground textures around the skulls to make them kind of sunk - in, like some high grass etc.

Dearchon · Post by **Dearchon** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 4:29 pm

@GeOrc yeah PM me and i'll see what i can get done, tho i'll have to wait till i get paid next, not sure when that will be

@Setomidor: yeah the basing isnt finished, i've added some sand into it so far, still gotta paint that up then add some static grass and some longer grass too then i'm gonne go over the painting and see if anything needs touching up and stuff

Malachi · Post by **Malachi** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:23 pm

@ DEArchon & GeOrc,

Can anyone get on this converting action?

I already have the model.....I love to convert......just hate to paint!

Although I am no longer a student and don't have an issue with money...

Cheers,

Malachil

Zeb · Post by **Zeb** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:27 pm

I would like to sign up as well!