Golden Demon 2016 - Obliterator Conversion - Part 1

Hello all,

Today I am going to document as best I can the process I went through in the generation of my Obliterator conversion I entered in the open category of the 2016 Golden Demon painting competition.

I have always loved the artwork of the Obliterator from the 3rd edition of the Chaos Space Marine Codex but I never felt the miniatures captured the aesthetic, they were always too hunched over and deformed.

Due to the proportions of the artwork, specifically the ratio of the head to the body I decided to use the Daemon Prince model as my starting point in the construction.

After a little modification to the limbs and re-positioning of the standard model I made a large modification to the torso to allow the head to be recessed. I selected a nice square plinth I had laying around to display the model upon.

I could not find a suitable clawed hand in the Games Workshop range so I decided to make my own from styrene sections. 

After positioning the clawed hand I added a little green stuff to blend it in to the Daemon Prince arm. 

For the weapon arm I cut up a number of different diameters of pipe and stacked them together. Finishing with drilling out the barrels of the larger diameters.

Here I have added blades to the back of the combat arm, again made from styrene. I have also begun adding detail to the shoulder pads.

The head I selected for the conversion came from the Forgeworld model, Raven Guard Shadow Captain Korvydae.

Here is the sketched design for the plinth label. The phrase "kill, krush, rend them limb from limb" was taken from one of the Obliterator quotes from the Dawn Of War computer game. 

To protect the head which was already partially painted I used a stand in from another project. You can also see I am beginning to build up the torso creating a basic structure with styrene.

Here I am beginning to add to the basic structure of the combat arm including adding the pipework supports. 

The tubes were made from green stuff using my trusty tentacle maker.

Adding a few more details including pipework out of the top of the torso and on the front. 

Here I am using green stuff to sculpt the final form.

And finally here is a shot of the conversion installed on the basic form of the display base. The plinth label was simply cut from a can of coke and I made a few select folds to try and imitate aged parchment.

In part two I will begin documenting the process I went through creating the display base.

Don't forget, you you enjoy my work and you're in the market for hobby supplies, all manor of wargaming kits including Warhammer 40K all at 20-25% off retail please go check out 'Element Games' at the following link. I buy all of my models and hobby supplies from them and if you use this link to access their site I see a tiny contribution made towards my next project:

Return of the Serpent Guard - Golden Demon Entry 2014 - PART 3

A belated Happy New Year to everyone,

Today I plan on completing the documentation of my 2014 Golden Demon entry in preparation for my return to competitive painting in 2016.

Where I left off last year I had nearly completed the building and painting of the base but paid little attention to the unit. Looking back in hindsight I spent most of my hobby time working on the base leaving myself very little time to work on the actual models which are the important components of the piece.

I'll begin documenting the process of converting the unit.

Initially the Chaos Sorcerer I created was to be used in a totally different project but I wanted something at the front of the display base that stood out from the other models.

I began with the Forgeworld Cataphractii torso and sanded off all of the front features. Using Milliput fine I built up the body. 

Here again I have sanded off the detail on the legs and begun integrating a set of horns, which included widening the torso. I selected the head from the Forgeworld World Eaters character 'Terminator Lord Zhufor'.  Because the torso was so large I have to cut the legs and lengthen them to bring them back into proportion.

A shot from the rear. I kept the power pack and created the shoulder pads again with Milliput fine.   

Originally the plan was to use the lightning claws from the Forgeworld kit but I wasn't happy with them once I dry fitted them on the torso. More on this in a bit. 

This is his sorcerers book created with plasticard.  

 Preparing to cast some dastardly spell I'm sure.

 Here was how I approached tackling the custom lightning claw. I cut away the old fingers then allowed small sections of Milliput to harden which can then be sanded to shape.

The sanded pieces in position. 

Dry fitting the pieces. 

Adding conduit with greenstuff. 

Because he's a Chaos Sorcerer he needed a suitably skully trophy rack which was simply made with copper bar, a few skulls and a spike from the vehicle upgrade sprue. 

A simple cloak was made with greenstuff but it never made the final design due to issues with the base.

I wanted to create an original plasma cannon for the unit utilizing components from varying kits.

The components that make up the unit getting ready to be painted...........and this is where it went bonkers as it was two days till Golden Demon and not a drop of paint had been applied....ooops. 

 

 An early concept for the Serpent Guard banner.

I refined the design to the above as I thought it was too simple before. 

As previously stated I had two days to paint the unit and taking photos were not high on my list of priorities. After two shattering days and four hours sleep I had something to take with me.

It was a struggle but I finally had something to present, my most rushed project to date.

As expected I came away from the event with nothing to show but I had an absolute blast getting here...................but then a buddy messaged me a few months later to let me know that I had managed to grace the pages of Warhammer Visions, HUZZAH! 

All in all a successful project. If only I had spent as much time painting the unit as I did working on the base. The whole project was a learning exercise and hopefully I will be going into Golden Demon 2016 much better prepared. 

If you would like to see a video of the finished unit please check out the following link to the video on my YouTube channel and let me know what you think.

Also if you're in the market for hobby supplies, all manor of wargaming kits including Warhammer 40K all at 20-25% off retail please go check out 'Element Games' at the following link. I buy all of my models and hobby supplies from them and if you use the following link to access their site I see a tiny contribution made towards my next project. Alternatively click the banner at the top of the blog.

http://elementgames.co.uk/?d=10105