Aun O Vader
15-10-2006, 11:27 PM
Right, as a lot of Tau players have commented, the GW Tau battlesuits look pretty static, and the models don\'t always look their best if you use them from the box! I\'ve been thinking about this quite a lot recently and have been messing around with a couple of spare arms that I had knocking around (yay for broadsides!) And I think I\'ve come up with a pretty quick, easy and effective way of converting battlesuit arms to make them more posable. So this is my step-by-step guide, with pictures!
First a list of tools, I used a hobby saw (just a fine toothed saw I bought from a hobby shop not GW), a pin vice, some brass rod and some super glue, thats it!
1. Start by carefully cutting the arms from the sprue, then clean all the mould lines off. This is what you now have.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/1.jpg
2. Next you want to make two very small cuts with a hobby saw into the joints at the elbow, the aim is to create a gap between the shoulder pad and the forearm. You can just about make this out in the picture!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/2.jpg
3. Now you want to use the hobby saw to cut the shoulder pad away from the elbow joint, by cutting from the outside edge into the gap you created in stage 2.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/3.jpg
4. Now carefully cut the small joint part away from the forearm and then trim it from the main elbow joint. This bit can be a little bit fiddly, and you need to be careful not to cut too far!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/4.jpg
So you\'ve now got three parts of the arm. Now is probably a good time to do some cleaning up, to make sure that all the parts will look and fit right when you stick the parts together.
5. using a pin vice drill a hole into the forearm section at the angle where you want the arm to fit to the shoulder pad. Drill a hole in the shoulder pad for the second part of the pin to fit into. Cut a piece of pin to size and attach it to the forearm hole making sure that the bit sticking out is long enough to get a purchase in the shoulder, without being too long to fit snugly. This is what you should now have.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/5.jpg
6. Now glue the other part of the pin into the shoulder pad. Angling the arm out or in depending upon the pose you want. Don\'t forget that you want to make sure that the arm will fit around the body of the suit.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/6.jpg
7. Finally take the smallest part of the elbow joint and glue it into place making sure that it fits correctly and looks like it is still part of the joint!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/7.jpg
And as if by magic you have a set of XV-8 arms now in a postion to match whatever attitude you want your suit to be in. This whole article was knocked together in about an hour, including photography and writing!
Watch out for the next thrilling installment, creating pin and magnet connections for your weapons, allowing your models to be truly customisable!
First a list of tools, I used a hobby saw (just a fine toothed saw I bought from a hobby shop not GW), a pin vice, some brass rod and some super glue, thats it!
1. Start by carefully cutting the arms from the sprue, then clean all the mould lines off. This is what you now have.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/1.jpg
2. Next you want to make two very small cuts with a hobby saw into the joints at the elbow, the aim is to create a gap between the shoulder pad and the forearm. You can just about make this out in the picture!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/2.jpg
3. Now you want to use the hobby saw to cut the shoulder pad away from the elbow joint, by cutting from the outside edge into the gap you created in stage 2.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/3.jpg
4. Now carefully cut the small joint part away from the forearm and then trim it from the main elbow joint. This bit can be a little bit fiddly, and you need to be careful not to cut too far!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/4.jpg
So you\'ve now got three parts of the arm. Now is probably a good time to do some cleaning up, to make sure that all the parts will look and fit right when you stick the parts together.
5. using a pin vice drill a hole into the forearm section at the angle where you want the arm to fit to the shoulder pad. Drill a hole in the shoulder pad for the second part of the pin to fit into. Cut a piece of pin to size and attach it to the forearm hole making sure that the bit sticking out is long enough to get a purchase in the shoulder, without being too long to fit snugly. This is what you should now have.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/5.jpg
6. Now glue the other part of the pin into the shoulder pad. Angling the arm out or in depending upon the pose you want. Don\'t forget that you want to make sure that the arm will fit around the body of the suit.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/6.jpg
7. Finally take the smallest part of the elbow joint and glue it into place making sure that it fits correctly and looks like it is still part of the joint!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/gordonjljones/GW%20pics/7.jpg
And as if by magic you have a set of XV-8 arms now in a postion to match whatever attitude you want your suit to be in. This whole article was knocked together in about an hour, including photography and writing!
Watch out for the next thrilling installment, creating pin and magnet connections for your weapons, allowing your models to be truly customisable!