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by Stefano
Introduction:
Ever since I fell for the strigoï bloodline, I wanted to convert the necessary models to represent the visible bloodline powers like “bat form”, “monstrosity” and “regeneration”. The former I created somewhere in 2003 from a standard Strigoï model, using the wings of the dark Pegasus (the one Morathi of the dark elves is riding). It was actually the first model that forced me to use green stuff to cover up the gap between the wings and the back of the Strigoï. The final result of this winged model be seen on my vampire counts page.
Having covered the bat form bloodline, it was time to take on the other two. I figured “monstrosity” and “regeneration” could be combined in one model if I converted it right. My first thought was to use the Gorger from the Ogre kingdoms for he really has a monstrous appearance. However, after carefully considering the possibilities to fit the fully metal model on a regular infantry base, I dropped the whole idea, leaving me without a suitable alternative. Fortunately, my workbench consisted of more plans than only this one, so I “forgot” about it until I laid my eyes on the new rat ogres : plastic multipart monstrous models ! So after buying one of them from my friend Stijn Aerts (also known as “Queelocke”), the plan went back on active status.
Conversion
stage:
The model I had in mind needed to look bestial, muscular, full of healing scars for the “regeneration”, also large enough to cover “monstrosity”, and blend in with my two other Strigoï models. For the bestial and monstrosity bit, the rat ogre parts served quite well, so apart from the not-so-Strigoï-looking-rat-ogre-head no extras were needed. Having recently bought a box of ogre lead belchers, I found a perfect replacement in the standard ogre sprue.
First, I converted this ogre head to give it a more bestial look. I dismembered the lower jaw and glued it back into a lower position, attached to the moustache. To perfectly fit into the strigoï bloodline, I enlarged his ears with green stuff, added small spikes on top of his bald head, and cut some fangs from the sprue holder itself.
Having
converted the head, it was time to deal with how the head should fit the body.
Just replacing the rat head with the ogre head gave my model a look of being
hit in
the face with a bowling ball, so it had to come out more to the front. The use
of a drill and a piece
of
paperclip did the trick, leaving a large gap between the head and the torso,
which would be filled with green stuff later on.
Secondly, I filed off all details on the other body parts that made reference to skaven, and with some twisting and bending, I managed to get the model on a regular infantry base. Thanks to the parts being in plastic, it only took me a few minutes before this job was done, instead of hours of sawing and filing in case of metal ones.
The only things left to do required green stuff. I started with the scars using a small dot of green stuff, rolling it into a ball, and pressing it onto the body. Then, copying the surgeons on soaps like e.r. and the like, I made a long incision in the top, and widened this opening. With the correct shading and highlight, it’ll look as if it were healing wounds. Finally, I had to model a neck, perfectly fitting the hairy body and the bald head. First I pressed some blobs of green stuff to give a first shape to the neck, ensuring all seams and holes were filled. After carving out a throat first, it was time to give the beast some hair implants. A sheet of green stuff (created by flattening a green stuff sausage) was applied to the top of the neck, and left like this for some minutes to give it the time to stiffen up a bit. The hair was then created by cutting small strips and then pulling the ends downwards to create a hair flow identical to that on the torso.
Looking at the result, I was quite happy with my achievements. It fulfilled all the abovementioned criteria, so I couldn’t wait to mess up the model with some paint
Used parts:
- 6th edition plastic rat ogre (the one with the spines
- 6th edition ogre head
- Green stuff
Painting stage:
The selection of colours to paint the model was quite easy : copy-paste from the other two models I already had. Just to be complete, I will describe it anyway. After the black primer, I started with a dark brown undercoat. The flesh parts were then painted with dark flesh and subsequent layers of a mixture of dark flesh and terracotta, with a final highlighting of the latter. The scars received an extra coat of flesh wash to give it a “fresh but healing wound”-look. The fur was done in a similar way, but without the terracotta mixing part. For teeth, nails and horns, I applied my standard “skeleton procedure”, which can be found on the “grave guard conversion page”.
For the other details, I took red for the cloth around his waist, just to blend in with the rest of my army (mainly black and red colour sheme). The metal parts were done in boltgun metal with a black wash, then again boltgun metal drybrush, and highlighting with chainmail.
The final result can be found in the following pictures.
Used paints:
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Skin : Dark brown, dark flesh, terracotta, flesh wash
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Cloth : Red gore, blood red
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Metal parts : Boltgun metal, black ink, chainmail
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Horns, nails, teeth : Bubonic brown, flesh wash, bleached bone, skull white
Basing stage:
Again, this was easy, for my entire undead army is based in the same way : a base of dried and grinded concrete, followed by some brown flock and a pile of skulls and bones to make the hero blend in nicely in a regiment of skeletons
Used materials:
- Gravel : Grinded concrete
- Grass : Brown flock
- Skulls and bones : spare parts from skeleton and zombie sprues
Varnishing Stage:
I always spray two layers on my model. First a coat of gloss varnish to ensure good resistance against wear during playing, packing and unpacking of the models, followed by a second coat of matt varnish to avoid a gleaming shiny look. For those details that may gleam and shine (like gemstones, metal parts, wet parts) I apply a layer of gloss varnish by brush.
