Post by Hivefleet Oblivion on May 8, 2012 21:05:57 GMT
My dad made these pods - he says that if GW ever make a pod kit he'll commit suicide!;D . We thought other people might like this method. Here he is to say how they were made.
Hi, the "before" pic above should show how simple it is!
Curtis found the polystyrene eggs at a brilliant UK shop called Boyes, which sells loads of craft bits cheap. 70p. (It looks like Amazon also sells something similar at �5.99 for 10). (Edit: I just checked, the eggs you need are 12 cm, 8cm is too small. A Boyes in one town only had the smaller one, so we will get curtis's granny on Egg Patrol.)
I sawed the top off using a knife I'd heated with a candle...
then I glued on the infection-pod thingy from the Genestealers sprue, on top of greenstuff strands. Three lines of green stuff down the sides, as you can see, which I flattened then grooved using a standard greenstuff modelling tool, to look like the tyranid muscles between the carapace plates.
Then I added the carapace plates using greenstuff again, in sections from the top. I made a paper template for each trio of sections; mixed the greenstuff, then rolled it flat with a round scalpel handle, just like making pastry.
Template:
Once I've rolled the greenstuff, I leave it to cure for 45 minutes or so - it's easier to work.
Cutting it with a scalpel often gives a ragged edge - sharp scissors are much better. You can pull the sections gently so they follow the curve of the egg.
I squash the bottom of each plate, or add odds bit of surplus greenstuff, to smooth the bottom edge so it's doesn't show as a bulge on the next greenstuff section. I add some striations with the sculpting tool now, when it's soft, but not too many as the greenstuff might buckle or distort.
Normally I do just one row at a time, so I don't get fingerprints etc on. But today I had enough left to make just one extra section.
Tomorrow I'll cut off a section at the base, so the spore looks as if it's impacted into the crater.
When all the sections are completed and the green stuff is fully set, I use a scalpel to cut those distinctive nicks/notches in the carapace. That part is oddly satisfying. This is probably the messiest spore we've done as I was in a hurry and trying to use less greenstuff. This one used around 18 inches, so �4 worth, the others have thicker carapace plates and used a lot more.
I've worked out a new method of making tentacles, if it works I'll post details soon...
The one I'm working on is Number 3 - we saw nib's dull deployment list and are getting more ambitious. In a few days it will look like this!
Still haven't found a good way to make the tentacle things, I plan to glue spikes on the end at some point. Curtis does most of the painting but I did these two as a surprise for when he was away, despite the mockery of his mum.
As he said in an early post, the eggs are easy - and cheap, as long as you don't count the green stuff, I think each one uses about 32 inches! Cheers, Paul.
Keep it up.
