Commander Conversion Project

[Seb]

Hi,

I just decided on my commander in my Space Marine army, which is going to be a chapter master in terminator armour with thunder hammer and stormshield.
I was choosing between the terminator captain and the Njal Stormcaller model but eventually settled on the terminator captain. ( http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catal ... rod1050241 )
Bought it at Wayland Games btw.

At this stage I plan to replace the original head with a customised chaos lord head (chop of the horns), give him an iron halo, hammer and shield.
I have no experience converting models but I figure I have to give him a face job with a dremel tool to make it happen, the weapons and iron halo will probably be easier.

I just wanted to ask you guys about converting models especially metal to plastic and metal to metal, any advice will be greatly appreciated. Furthermore are there any tools that you recommend?

and...

I ordered the chaos lord head and the iron halo bits from a site called Bitzbox, but they were out of stormshields and thunder hammers so I also would like to know if anyone maybe has some spare bits that they are willing to sell?

[me_in_japan]

interestingly, I just gave a bunch of spare thunder hammers and storm shields to Spevna today. I doooont think he has any specific plan for em, and I reckon if you asked nicely he could spare a set. Not sure though.

Can you post links to the specific chaos lord head and iron halo head? I'm happy to advise the best way to convert stuff, but I'll be able to give better advice based off what bitz you wanna use.

In terms of the main mini youre using, I think the right arm(bolter) should be an easy swap. Sticking plastic to metal isnt difficult, and a spot of superglue should do the job nicely. If you really want to, you can pin it (i pin everything) but some people consider it an unnecessary fiddle.

If the left arm is separate to the main mini it should be no problem either. If its the same piece as the main mini then youre gonna want to detach it using a razor saw. The GW one is actually very good, but I daresay any one would be fine. I find a razor saw to be hugely useful in all conversions, metal or plastic. Never, ever use a knife to cut metal, as it will damage both parts of the mini (ie the bit you want and the bit you dont) as well as being frankly not very effective.

Other tools I'd strongly recommend are a set of files, a decent knife with replaceable blades (OLFA do a decent one here in japan.) and the right glues for the job - i.e. super glue for metal-to-anything, polystyrene cement (plastic glue) for plastic-to-plastic, and 2 part epoxy for big jobs. You'll also need a small hand held drill (not a power drill) for small fiddly jobs. I've also heard a dremel type of thing is handy, but having never used one myself, I canny say.

Green stuff or similar 2 part putty (grey stuff is ace, brown stuff is good for things you want to sand later i.e. armour and swords, and milliput is good for large stuff.) is also vital, as you'll never get a perfect match between components unless youre working completely within a plastic kit.

Back to the conversion:

I have a sneaking suspicion that the head of that captain is moulded into the main body. Youre gonna have a poo of a time removing it if you dont have a dremel typey thing. That kind of deep-set piece removal is something Ive never done as I dont have the tools to do it, but as with all conversions my advice would be: go slow and careful - you can take away but you cant put back.

So, aye. Good luck with your plans. I'll be at the Joshin game on sunday the 28th, and along with Prim will be running one or two intro games of 40k for any newbs who fancy a shotty. If you can make it, I'll be happy to give advice on conversions or anything else you wanna know about the artsy creative side of the hobby. Dont ask me about how to win though, as I am not ver' good at that...

[Primarch]

Dont ask me about how to win though, as I am not ver' good at that...

LIAR!!!

Dont listen to M_i_J. He won the last tournament we held.

[Seb]

Thanks,

Bitz I ordered:
Iron Halo http://www.bitzbox.co.uk/product_info.p ... cts_id=127
Chaos Terminator Lord Head http://www.bitzbox.co.uk/product_info.p ... ts_id=2055

I will get a razor saw, but I don't know where to cut from, the wrists or just cut off the weapon and replace it on top of the hands.
The space marine terminator captain has both arms separate from the main body.
The head is moulded together with the body in one piece but i have a dremel tool so I think it will be alright.

So the green stuff is used to fill out cavities and make terrain on the plates? I have never used it before so don't know much about it.

I want to pin my model too, so i guess i need to get a small drill.

[Admiral-Badruck]

I can always show you better than it tell you and tell it to you better than it type to you. If you would like to make a trip up to Ogaki sometime I would be glad to help you work on any kind of conversion... I think in terms of volume I have done the most conversions out of any of the guys on this forum. So I know a think or two about it... MIJ is very patient and I need to learn to slow down at times.. because like he says it is hard to put back stuff that has been cut off... I work fast and so often times me end result is not as high quality as MIJ Dungeon lord or Spevna but on the models have taken my time on look good. If I do say so myself...

As for cutting the head out of a METAL terminator... well that is a bit ambitious for your first go.

For plastic models I have done like 6 head replacements.. for each I used some wood carving chisels and a drill bit about 3/4 the size of the head But for a metal model... I really would not know how to start that... my guess is just take it very slow with very hard chisel cut the face starting at the nose and work your way back. Once the face is flat use a medium sized drill bit to remove most of the head and neck... then use the chisel again to take out the remaining parts of the head and neck. after that you should be good to go... dremel tool could make it all a bit easier.. but I have never used one so I can't say...

I just had a thought I need to see if I can get my hands on some second hand dentist tools... anyone know where I might look for those...

If you come by I would be more than happy to help you take a crack at it...

[Seb]

Thanks Admiral,

It would be nice to go to Ogaki when I have some time off, I am sure there are lots I could learn from you.
Metal seems hard, but It'll probably be alright with my power tool.

By the way, where do you guys buy your green stuff?

[Spevna]

Invest in a dremel;

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-6v-CORDLESS-DIE-G ... 588b03ab2a

[Mike the Pike]

Chisels!
Drills!
Oh my!

Listen to our man Spevna and invest in a Dremel or a cheap equivalent from the DIY store. They are called routers here (ルーター) IIRC. I also recommend a set of modeling files. Both are great for chopping up metal terminators and also 'cleaning' up models, i.e. mold lines, flash etc.

As for the conversion, I have removed a number of metal heads and other body parts over the years. The metal used by GW is quite 'soft' so I just chop the majority of the head (or whatever) off with clippers. Then I finish the job with a Dremel-like tool. As for hands/weapons I usually chop them off at the wrists/forearm depending on the model (Do the gloves/hands match etc) then file them nice and flat with Tamiya model files. If the hand/head/whatever is quite heavy I usually pin it with a small paperclip before supergluing it in place.

[Mike the Pike]

Amazon.jp has router sets available from 1000yen if you can't get to a DIY store. But every large-ish Home center/ホームセンター should have something similar.
However, as with all new modeling tools, practice on something else first before attacking your precious center-piece model.

[Seb]

Thanks guys,

Yes, as I said I have a dremel tool so it probaby won't be a problem, just a matter of how skilled I am.
All I need now is some files, more glue, a hand drill and paper clips.

I am also interested in green stuff, do you buy it over the net or is there anywhere I can get it here?

Bits I would like to buy if anyone has spares:
Thunder hammer x1
Storm shield (the big one from terminator assault sergeant) x1