Centurions to Obliterators conversion - seeking advice

[Grand Master Laertes]

Hi guys, I'm not really a new memeber here, but it has been a long time since my first posts on B&C, and I have been simply reading those pages for years, looking to wonderful conversions and paintjobs, searching for inspiration and new techniques to try. Now, however, I feel that I should stop lurking and become a part of this marvellous community.

 

Lately I have been painting and converting new Chaos models to add to my army for a new Campaign I organized with some friends and ex-colleagues, and as I never had an Obliterator (for I never liked the models), I started to convert a box of Centurions to make some of my own. I always tought that I would use the Centurions this way, but I only get into the project thanks to Krautscientist and Biohazard from B&C, for their outstanding conversions are matchless mines of inspiration.

 

Walking in the shadow of such great masters, I think I am walking on a good way, and I am pretty satisfied with what I achieved until now, but not fully pleased. I think my models are missing something, some essential detailing, but I cannot figure out what it is, so I hope someone here could help me with his/her own ideas to reach an illumination state.

 

Enough talking, though, let the photos speak for themselves:

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/823/he1ri.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/849/xj5dm.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/819/qv6y.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/840/n71r.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/822/3ye6.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/822/bx6o.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/822/n707.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/853/ofcg.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/280x200q90/849/v0dt.jpg

 

 

So, what do you think of them? What kind of details could I add them? My first thought is that their hands are too plain, but what could I add there? A wrist-mounted weapon? Chainsaws? Lightning claws? A chaos star brass etching from forge-world? I am really stuck in the middle of an ocean of possibilities, without clear directions for the nearest shore.

[Darth Mustard]

welcome out the shadows , lurker :)

 

Oblis are looking good.

You should try to resize your picks and integrate them directly in your post so that we could have a better view of them.

 

I really like the integration of the bloodletter´s head as a chest ornement.

My plans for theses would be to take them as far as possible from the original model by adding more details 

 

Some trims on the armor piece should work 

you can get inspired on that by Biohazard´s approach on trim too here

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n235/Stovie_2006/Biohazards%20Worldeaters/F508A770-1B4B-4738-A646-A396E4FF2426.jpg

 

I would do more GS work on the armor too, more daemonic faces, the first one you did are really nice,

 

Maybe some pikes and horns on the side of the legs

really leg your idea of ¨toes¨

 

since you built them to a campaign, would they have a specific role or belong to a specific god ? maybe that can get you inspired for some killer details? a trophy referring to the army of one of your regular opponent?

 

keep us posted

[Grizzly_bear]

They're looking great brother, I would echo the more green stuff idea though, perhaps green stuff flesh over the legs, chest and arms? Given what oblits do and the original art work and models of them.

[Grand Master Laertes]

First of all, thanks for your compliments, I am really happy that you liked them.

 

You are right, Darth Mustard, I will resize all my future pics.

 

Biohazard's trims are really nice, but I don't know if I am skilled enough to do something similar. Moreover, I wouldn't know where to find some plasticard in the city I live in. Maybe the greenstuff is the way to go, both with more daemonic faces and exposed flesh parts. These last ones would be a bit of a challenge, as I never scuplted something similar from scratch, but only ever used GS to repair the anatomy of miscast models, but perhaps it is worth a try.

 

Thanks again brother, I will keep you updated as soon as I can work on them a little more!

[KrautScientist]

First of all, I am happy that my Centurion conversions managed to inspire you. You've also chosen well regarding Biohazard as a source of inspiration, because his World Eaters conversion just rock!

 

Regarding your own Centurions/Obliterators, I think you're off to an excellent start! The overall builds are already looking great (except for that one, whacky Possessed head that I hate with a passion -- that's strictly a matter of personal taste, though).

 

As for possible ideas: I'd take a look at either adding additional weapons to the hands (the smaller Meltaguns and flamers that come with the Centurion kit work great for this, as do the melta or plasma weapons from the Raptor kit) or try some Ogre gauntlets. The former option will give the Oblitz the appearance of being equipped with any possible weapon in the first place, while the latter option will give you suitably baroque and chaotic decoration at very little extra work. You can also try to mix both ideas.

 

Regarding the trim on Biohazard's Oblitz, those are actually readymade bitz from a vehicle upgrade kit Subtle Dischord designed -- he's selling the stuff too! That said, Biohazard's idea of cutting those bitz to size and use them on the Centurions was sheer genius as well!

 

Hope this helps! Keep up the amazing work! :)

[Darth Mustard]

I think you can try some trims in GS you seem skilled enough with that strange green sticky playdo :D

Plus I heard you could sand GS too.

 

How about trying to integrate some chaos (or DE) shields on the armor legs or the arms ? If you have any of course

 

Mine would be, if I ever built some, dedicated to Slaneesh so I'm picturing them as an old small keeper of secrets : 4 arms, a taurus/bull helmet, maybe a claw or two.

 

Depending on the gods they are afilliated to you could play on a similar approach.

[Grand Master Laertes]

@ Krautscientist: wow, one of the great masters himself is commenting on my post and appreciating my work!

I'm not really fond of that possessed head too, but I don't want to use the same bare head twice in my army, and all the other possessed/mutated heads have already been used on other models. If it wasn't for this self-imposed rule, I would have probably used the mutated head on the upgrade sprue of the CSM box.

As soon as I have a little time I will try with the smaller weapons of the Centurions kit, if I can figure out something. As for the Ogre gauntlets, which Ogre kit are you referring to? Looking to the pictures on the GW site the only interesting bit seems the bracer of the Ironblaster gunner, but I am probably missing something.

@Darth Mustard: yeah, you are probably right, trims shouldn't be too difficult to realize with greenstuff... if only I did'nt glue the bits yet. Yeah, I know, this is a great mistake for a converter, but, you know, sometimes you are simply overcome by a frenetic haste to see your models without all that bluetac. I should try to be more zen-like.

Your idea of integrating Chaos or DE shields seems very promising, I should have some of them somewhere in my bits box. I should be able to do some tests tonight.

Small keeper of secrets-like Obliterators? Brother, I hope you will seriously thinking about realizing something similar, the result could be seriously amazing!

[Darth Mustard]

well another tip of trims would be to use thin plasticard bands. You can bend them by putting to nail polish remover on them with a brush. It kind of dissolve the plastic but keep it rigid enough so you should be able to place it on already glued parts.

 

 

"Small keeper of secrets-like Obliterators? Brother, I hope you will seriously thinking about realizing something similar, the result could be seriously amazing!"

Me and my big mouth... :D

 

I really like what I see in your photo profile. You should post more of your work here. It looks really well painted and interesting. 

 

[KrautScientist]

@ Krautscientist: wow, one of the great masters himself is commenting on my post and appreciating my work!

Aw, enough already ;)

Regarding the Ogre gauntlets, regular ogre fists are pretty useful because you can shave them down to serve as armour plates -- that's what I did on my own Centurion conversions. The fists and gut plates from the Mournfang cavalry have a nice, studded look going on that is a great fit for chaos models, if you ask me -- but then I may be biased because the great maw design on some of these parts is also a great representation of the World Eaters legion badge ;)

Hope this helps!

[Grand Master Laertes]

Thanks KrautScientist, now it is clear what you meant. The bits seem great, I shall see if I can find some of them.

I will post some more of my models, Darth Mustard, but I need to find some time to take some decent pictures of them. Work keeps me occupied most of the day, and if in my free time I am not with my girlfriend, I usually spend it painting, converting and playing, rather than setting up a sort of light box, photographing and then editing images (yes, it requires me a lot of time because I'm a bloody perfectionist in everything I do, even if in the end the results are not so perfect )

I should have some old picture, however, taken a couple of years ago with my old camera, so as soon as I am at home I could try to find them.