Dark/Glade Rider Conversion 1st attempt - pic heavy

Greynightmare · Post by **Greynightmare** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:11 pm

This is my first attempt at properly "converting" a whole unit... and please before you comment take into account the following:

I am a poor painter, admittably.

This is as i've said my first ever (proper) conversion attempt.

These bits are all from models I've already made so some are painted (badly) or scratched and generally in bad condition.

So taking all these into account...

What do you think of my converted Dark Riders: - Ma

All of them are Glade Rider Horses and legs, as well as all having DE warrior chestplates.

The command have DE warrior helmets to allow them to stand out when I paint them, whereas the other two have wood elf scout heads to give them that black, cloaked and hooded, feeling.

Constructive criticism or any comment suggestion wanted and welcome... taking into consideration the above points!!

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk27 ... C_0136.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk27 ... C_0138.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk27 ... C_0139.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk27 ... C_0140.jpg

Cathel · Post by **Cathel** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:32 pm

Difficult to say because the pictures are blurry.
Also the different colors make it difficult to judge because they distract my eye.
From what I see in pictures one and two it looks good to me.
To get more detailed c&c I would advise for shots of single models.

Regards

Cathel

Greynightmare · Post by **Greynightmare** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:33 pm

..ok thanks, but did you expand pictures to full size?

Ke'hl'ash silinrul · Post by **Ke'hl'ash silinrul** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:35 pm

For me pictures are not blurry.
As far as I can see it is a nice conversion. You gave the unit a much needed momentum by angling the spears u and down and they look like charging. I lie it.
But as you said the parts are in a real bad condition. So clean them up, spray them black and I believe that the unit will look great. You need to remove the mold lines (specially those on the hooded heads).

Irtehdar · Post by **Irtehdar** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:35 pm

Firstly you said this is your first attempt ever of converting. You just need some routine and you will be great at it. Those conversions are quite good. I had been doing conversions for about a year before I got to the stage your at now.

What 'Ke'hl'ash Silinrus' said.
Mold lines needs to be cleaned and so does the paint.
Id suggest you fetch the smallest hobby knife you have and just get to it. Those things can be pretty easily be scraped down to be more smooth if you use a gentle touch. Id suggest you take an old model you dont mind sacraficing and test your technique out before going to the real models.
Mind you dont need to scrape the paint off. Just scrape the surface so it gets a smooth surface at which you can then apply an undercoat and subsequently paint on.

For the paint itself I have a suggestion to a very easy approach you could use. It wont look fantastic but it might be helpful.

If you start out by undercoating the models I would advice you to instead of highlighting use repeated shading to achieve a result. I noticed your horses are drubrushed which essentially is an approach that requires alot more practice than washing.
If you start out with a bright colour and then repeatedly applies the GW inks it will shade down in afew washes. (again i sugest you use a sacraficial model for practice, you can just spray it and try again until you are comfortable with it)

If you feel that the ink is covering too much you can wipe it off with toilet paper.

Greynightmare · Post by **Greynightmare** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:22 pm

Thankyou all, I will take all this into account, I have actually undercoated now and am just about to go and practice/do the mold lines, I will post pictures up when finished

Thanks again

Matricide · Post by **Matricide** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:45 pm

I have to say it's a really good idea, if no new DR models are coming then I'll probably steal your(?) idea ;D

But yes, it's blurry. A tip I have for using DE warrior spears for cavalry is either using the standard bearer lance-like spear which doesn't look too heavy for a fast cavalry unit, and have it straight up for the units to look more casual.

Or use the spear designed to go straightly forward, if you cut off a little piece and use a little bit of green stuff to make it go forward instead of to the side it'll look like they're a split second from impaling their targets.

I'm looking forward to see the newer pictures ^^

Draknir · Post by **Draknir** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:48 pm

The conversions are pretty neat, although I'd remove the mould lines from the parts... and I'd also cut off those grass-things that connect the hooves to the base.

Sith · Post by **Sith** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 5:52 am

Some well executed ideas there. You've convinced me to use the Glade Girls' steeds for my conversion too...and I was skeptical for a long time.

The leather 'armor' on the horses could make for a good place to paint small DE runes...

Greynightmare · Post by **Greynightmare** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:15 am

@ Matricide - No it wasn't my original idea, I saw it somewhere when googling DE conversions, but there was no pictures so apart from the idea I have worked from scratch.

Right I have the new pics, the models are actually fully black and undercoated though they look grey due to the flash on my camera, there is also no individual model close-up shots as again my camera blurs such shots

Hope you enjoy

I'm glad you all like the idea, and have decided to do more, buying another unit of 8 soon and I have 3 ready for converting, I probaly won't put pictures of these when painted as it will be a while because I have yet to decide on a colour scheme, though if people would like me to I can put pictures up of the rest that I convert :?:

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Matricide · Post by **Matricide** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 12:29 pm

Heh. It looks so much better undercoated and with the lines removed, now I can actually see properly how they look : D

I think they're looking great, seems using full Glade riders as DR are being used pretty freqently, but that sucks. This idea is so much better. Even if they look a bit heavy with all that armour and their large spears they're real DE now, not WE with darker robes.

Agrem · Post by **Agrem** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 12:32 pm

I think you could remove those horrible things that attach the legs of horses to the base. Would look more beautiful to my eye atleast.

Rising son · Post by **Rising son** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 1:35 pm

Nice conversions there. Still a few messy (mold lines) spots on the horses' chests and legs though.
Also, IMHO the banner seems too big and unwieldy to be practical but that's just me.
Keep up the good work.

Matricide · Post by **Matricide** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:24 pm

Yes, removing mold lines / plastic parts around the hooves is needed.

But beeing his first time converting, I think it's absolutely great work. I'm definetly borrowing the idea if no new GW models arrive.

Greynightmare · Post by **Greynightmare** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:49 pm

Thankyou EVERYONE for your feedback it has really helped!

Hehe ye I missed those mold lines on the horses, much harder to see on the models when not in flash-photo!!

Thanks for pointing them out
I'll try and clean them up before I paint them and I agree with the grass things but without them I'm worried they'll be much more prone to leg snapping

I'll see closer to the time of painting.

But yes, thanks again and if any of you do indeed use the idea, I'd love to see how a expierienced convertor could handle this project (pics?

) any of you doing so, best of luck

Thanks Again

Endra divini · Post by **Endra divini** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:20 am

Very nice. I will definately give this a try for I hate the dark steeds we have currently.

Really great work.

Bluespira · Post by **Bluespira** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:33 am

They look awesome - I have glade riders that I have removed the grass stuff from their feet and they seem plenty sturdy without them. (I dropped the box with my WE army loose inside of it and they survived just fine! The horses did anyway... =o)

Lord temnir · Post by **Lord temnir** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:18 pm

I like the look of you riders, but IMO they should all have a hood or wear helmets to make them look more like a regiment belonging together... at least that's the way I've converted mine

Dark/Glade Rider Conversion 1st attempt - pic heavy

Dark/Glade Rider Conversion 1st attempt - pic heavy

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