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Hello everybody! I’m really excited to share this with all of you! Building your own Primarch is a satisfying and worth-while project, and though it can be a challenge, it is totally worth the effort!
For this Tutorial, I’ll be building Alpharius/Omegon of the Alpha Legion, based on the descriptions in Extermination.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
-a Terminator (torso, arms, legs, shoulder pads)
-a LOT of Greenstuff
-any extra bits and bobs you might want to use as decorations or iconography
-an Exacto Knife
-possibly a Dremel
For this, I’m using the Forgeworld Cataphractii Praetor model, but I would not suggest using it for your first attempt, as it is much harder to work with than plastic, and you can easily lose details even if you are careful. I’d suggest Grey Knight Terminators, as they are already somewhat ornate and all you have to do is cut off the psychic hood instead of Dremeling off the whole hunchback part.
To start, you’ll need to separate the Torso from the legs (if attached) and then cut each of the legs off at the thigh.
For the main body of the Primarch, you’ll need to add a blob of greenstuff between the torso and the hips, serving as the abdomen. This part will vary a bit depending on what type of Terminator you use. You may want to add a greenstuff belt on it as well, especially on the plastic models.
On to the arms! Terminator arms are just a little too short to be used by themselves. You’ll need to add some greenstuff between the torso and the shoulder, you will then use the blade of the Exacto to get the “flex subsuit” look. Then add some greenstuff to the wrist and then place your desired hand on the greenstuff like so
The legs! You may need/want to cut the legs again at the shins. Plastic Terminator shins are roughly the same size as a Primarch’s, only slightly shorter, but Cataphractii legs are more noticeably so, so you may want to cut it here and then add greenstuff between. Don’t worry about it being perfect right now, let it set up and then shave it down later. Now for the thighs, you’ll do the same thing, just add greenstuff and then let is set up. This is the big money-maker on the height of the Primarch. I always keep a Marine nearby when doing this part, and you’ll want to use the marine or other human sized model to make sure you’re Primarch is tall enough. The human sized model should come up to your Primarch’s waist area to have the right size. Another quick note, Plastic Termy thighs are much too thin to be Primarch legs, so you’ll want to add something to it to bulk it up, such as a some bits, greenstuff, chains, or whatever looks best.
Every Primarch deserves a freaking amazing weapon! Don’t stick your Primarch with a boring sword or power fist just cause its laying around, I promise if you put a little effort into converting one, it will be so much more worth it and you’ll enjoy the outcome of your model all the more for it. For Alpharius, I’ve decided to make his xenos weapon, the Pale Spear, a kitbashed Necron-type weapon.
Not every Primarch needs a cape, but some look really nice with one, not to mention that it can help hide some of the greenstuff that may not look very good on the back of the model. A simple cape solution is using thin carboard, obtained from cereal boxes, GW boxes, etc. It is thin, fairly flexible (for getting the shape you want), and can be hardened up easily by simply applying liquid superglue. It can be a good base to build off of if you want a greenstuff cape. For Alpharius here, I’ve added the cardboard as a type of waistcloth and then another one as his cape/Cameleoline, which I’ve added Greenstuff folds and Alpha Legion Symbol to.
The base is a much more important part to the model than you may realize. Though Primarchs are quite large by themselves, giving them a nice, tall base will give them the height they need to give them an intimidating presence on the battlefield, letting your opponent know he is in for the Primarch pounding of a lifetime! I've done some work to the Ferrus Manus base to give Alpharius the height I wanted him to have.
The head is simple, nearly any space marine head works for this (both Termy and power armored helms), so it gives you plenty of choices, whether it be helmeted or not. You will need to add some greenstuff to the neck to make him proportionate. For Alpharius I’ve done some work to a standard marine helm to give it a sort of Roman look similar to what he has in the Extermination artwork. Here's the complete model! As shown, he is just as tall as a Forgeworld Primarch.
That’s just about everything! You may want or need to add and make adjustments to your Primarch as you see fit, but that is all you need to know to make a Primarch Terimus style!
Questions, comments, Primarchs of your own to share?
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