It was a good day for working outside but after an hour my knee was complaining loudly though silently so l gave in and retired inside to my painting desk.
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| This 40mm Elastolin Saxon was a conversion done last year. I had taken a broken Roman Centurion and added a head, arm, and shield from one of the remaining gold plastic vikings that I bought nearly 20 years, ($10 for 100 of them). However, I screwed up that conversion: the head was too small for the body and was cut at the top of the neck while I had previously taken the Centurion's head at the base of the helmet neck guard (in other words right down to the shoulders). The result looked like the converted figure had a shrunken head and no neck. It bugged me every time I looked at it so I finally decided to bite the bullet and replace the head. This time, I took a head from a slightly bigger broken figure and cut the neck close to the body. I think the result looks more like a bodyguard or minor noble and less like a freak and so was well worth the minor effort. |
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Next up was to add another Huscarl to Helgin's household, one that fit in better with the others. I started with a broken Viking chief (see a spare one of these on the conversion's shield side.) and added some fur texture to his tunic. This time I took the helmet and spear arm from a spare running viking (like the one on the new figure's spear side) and yet another gold shield (like the one in the background), then added a wire spear. Now he needs some paint.
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| Lastly, when I bought a deceased gentleman's collection from his widow a number of years ago, one of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders had lost his head, rifle and most of his chest. (That is actually a green stripe on the kilt, not a yellow one.) I started to convert him into an officer but only started. He's been glaring at me for close to two decades and since I am satisfied that I've finished experimenting, it seemed like a good time to refresh the Argyle's which meant finishing him. The head came off one of my Black Watch who rebadged to the Gordon's and now wears a pith helmet, the arm is homecast from one of the Casting's moulds. The repair work isn't my best ever and I need to tidy the neck before painting at the very least, but once he's painted up he'll do. |
>the result looks more like a bodyguard or minor noble and less like a freak and so was well worth the minor effort.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, no pinheads or pencil necks allowed!
Hägar's next horrible, hellishly heinous, hostile heist begins to loom ever larger from the prow of his approaching longboat. Or alternately, from out of the mist of the worldwide web.
A spirited officer conversion.
ReplyDeleteThose charging highlanders are spirited regardless of rank!
DeleteAlways liked your 'dark age' figures they have a certain 'Hollywood' style , pity they are not avaiable nowadays .
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I lucked into a handful at fleamarkets at Wargame conventions, then lucky finds on ebay gave me enough unpainted figures and kits to give me skirmish level forces as a start
DeleteGreat conversion work with a splendid end result.
ReplyDeleteThanks, even more important to me was that I enjoyed the process again.
DeleteLooks like fun. Always liked converting figures.
ReplyDeleteMe too, something a bit unique or closer to the image in my head at least.
DeleteGoing well there Ross with the Conversions to extend your Troops. An old mate of mine -Gordon- use to do a lot of Conversions - he worked mainly on Britains metal 54mm. Cheers. KEV.
ReplyDeleteBritain's are a good starting point for conversions.
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