++++INLOADING DATAFILE 080++++ Scyllax Guardian-Automata Conversion

I'm sure that everyone has seen the new Scyllax Battle-Automata from Forgeworld, they are nifty new models and have some neat rules.  I like this unit as there have always been battle constructs in the lore that are mostly made up of lots of Mechadendrites but up till now there has never been a decent representation of such units in game.  So I decided to have a go at converting one for my Dark Mechanicum army.

Forge World's version

 My Version

This model was possible thanks to the Oyimaru Instant mold stuff.  I've gotten a bunch of practice using the stuff and it has really expanded the possibilities for cool conversions.  Rare parts aren't so rare anymore, and it also allows you to change how a particular bit is curved while it is still soft.

So the parts molded are all from the Hellbrute kit.  I molded up both cod pieces, the sarcophagus armor plate, the spine, the piston waist parts, and the back section that the spine attaches too.  It really helps that the Hellbrute comes in so many tiny pieces for this conversion, that makes it easy to make these molds.

To make one first glue the piston waist halves together.  Then glue the spine and back sections (it comes in two parts) together as well.  Glue the pistons onto those pieces so that they run from the bottom to the top.  Then glue the Sarcophagus plate to the "ball" from the pistons.  Glue one codpiece on top of the spine to make the 'hood" and the other below the chest (I actually just noticed that I didn't use that part, or if I did that I completely covered it in tubes.  Oh well).

The rest of the model is really a matter for using a tentacle maker.  I used a pewter cable bit from dragonforge to get the model posed right and to attach it to a base.  After that I just kept adding cables to build the "tail" and to blend the chest plate to the rest of the model.  This unified it all together pretty well.

I made 6 tentacles around a thin metal wire base, which allows for the tentacle to be bent into permanent shapes after the green stuff has cured.  If you try this technique make sure that you do it immediately after you mix the green stuff.  Once it begins to cure it will not bond strongly to itself around the wire, and that will make it prone to breaking along seams when you bend it, which you can see on some of the cables.

After this I plugged the "arms" into the sides and bent them into a cool pose.  It is easy to make the tentacles too big to the extent that the model overlaps its base a LOT, so if you try this take that into account.

I made the servo claws from some scrap plasticard, it was super simple to do actually.  Just cut two long pieces, glue them between two thin pieces and then add the round parts (made from chopping up a tentacle) to make them look like there is a motor.

The buzzsaws were neat to make.  I used a hole puncher to make the big circle, and a leather working hole puncher (you can find them at a arts and crafts store) to make the smaller one.  After gluing these together I just filed the serrations into the "blade".  It came out a little cog like, but it works well enough I think.

Once the weapons were finished I added a skull and tech-ed it out.  When I read the rules for the model I found that its armed with a bolter but the FW model doesn't have one.  So I added one and then he was done.

My girlfriend christened him a "death seahorse", so he shall be known as such henceforth.

All told its not a tough conversion to do and doesn't take altogether too long either.  It does take up quite a lot of green stuff to do, but that aside its essentially a free model!

I'm playing a game tomorrow at the shop, I will take lots of pics of the army all laid out.  Its small so far, but it is growing.

So does anyone else want to have a go at making these guys?