What about a nice group project? The knight project

[24_Cigarettes]

@asslessman

This is what I currently have in the post enroute via eBeast. I fear though it may be too large a scale. I have a second manufacturer sourced but I hope it doesn't come to that. The rider I think will be a native Canadian not the typical cliché but something tasteful. The other option is a Mountie (RCMP) or perhaps a Voyageur. It will all depend on what options the mount provides.
@harry: I like your swine idea; a halfling rider is very original. If I am not mistaken are they not renown for their ciliary expertise? It seems to me that any halfling worth his salt would double his mount as his own personal larder. You've got a ton of room there to laden the pig down with provisions; one could even go so far as to have the items indicative of his home country or region.
Just a thought.
@axiom: wow great job thus far.

 

[Asslessman]

From what I've seen of the range, you should have too much trouble (maybe some filing here and there). You'll see the sculpt is actually quite good on this brand and to remove the prepaint i tried Dettol with no result and chose to dip my rooster(same brand) very little time in acetone with a good tootthbrush and then a good water+soap bath to remove any trace of acetone (it actually melts the stuff but very solowly so you have enough time to remove the paint without damaging the model.
Since you're form Canada, maybe some dark elf with a ballista on top? (I'm thinking of a rope from one antler to another to shoot huge arrows...)

 

[axiom]

Very much looking forward to seeing how the Canadian moose rider turns out! There's some tremendous ideas on the table chaps.

 

[Mister Rab]

My soon-to-be-a-swan arrived a few days back and I've selected a suitably chaotic looking rider (I'll get a picture of him up at the weekend as I can't ID him).

So, here is the mount for my knight: the ugly duckling

 

[Asslessman]

Good one there Mr Rab, the bent neck and general look seem to work fine for a swan, just a slight change in the beak and bob's your uncle !

 

[Just John]

Mister Rab - I ain't going anywhere near water around where you live if that's what the swans look like Wheres he from? He reminds me of that old citadel mini whose name I can't remember.

 

[Mister Rab]

I got him off ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261126685632?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

And don't be fooled... swans are such vicious creatures I'm quite sure there's something Chaotic about them

 

[axiom]

Ooh! Chaos swan! I've been looking at that model to see if it would work as a mount - I'll be keenly watching to see what you do with it.

 

[Mister Rab]

Well, I've got the "swan" glued and pinned and have selected a rider. I couldn't find him on solegends, but I think he's a mid-80s citadel chaos knight???

Ex-citadel Foundry peasant for scale.

 

[whiskey priest]

He's not a knight he's a chaos warrior. i've got one too. Nmb 16 on this page http://www.solegends.com/citcat1988/020 ... ors-01.htm
Can't wait to see this one finished!

 

[Mister Rab]

Thanks, WP - good spot! I'm not sure how I missed him, I've got several others from that page

 

[axiom]

Nice work! That's one fearsome bird.

 

[Mister Rab]

Off sick today, I thought I'd have a (slow!) go at my first bit of milliput sculpting to hide join lines, add a swan beak and put a saddle in place. Let's just say that my admiration for those who can actually sculpt something that looks like the idea in their head has increased even further. I think I'll leave trying to fix it until my migraine fades away a bit more

EDIT - fixed so that there is a vague semblance of English in my post. Back to bed.

 

[Asslessman]

Off sick today, I thought I'd have a (slow!) go at my first bit of milliput sculpting to hide join lines, add a swan beak and put a saddle in place. Let's just say that my admiration for those who can actually sculpt something that looks like the idea in their head has increased even further. I think I'll leave trying to fix it until my migraine fades away a bit more

EDIT - fixed so that there is a vague semblance of English in my post. Back to bed.

Well, if you want to have a first go at sculpting such things, milliput may not be your friend here. I'm definitely no good at sculpting but imho regular Milluput is way harder to work on than DURO (green stuff).
Only advice I would have : do not try to make things in once, it's the recipe for disaster. just make rough forms slighltly thinner than what you want and add on top. It's always possible to add stuff but removing some is a pain. I you want to make a beak, just make the right form, let it cure, then arrange it and make the lips (or the edge of the beak parts if you want), let it cure an dthen make a nice joint between the metal part and the beak you've just created.
I can only give you these advices and I hope if I'm wrong, better sculptors than myself will correct. On another hand, once you understand you just have to take your time, it's actually not that hard to achieve decent results.

 

[Mister Rab]

The shamefully clumsy evidence of my first stab

actually, the beak shape I'm fairly happy with, and the size of the saddle fits the intended rider. But it just wouldn't finish smooth. Still, practise makes perfect

 

[axiom]

Looking really good! Nice beak shape as you said. Remember you can sand milliput so if you're not happy with the finish, break out the sandpaper & needle files

 

[Asslessman]

Like Axiom said, it's looking good the shapes are right and milliput files really easily. You may consider finishing smaller details with green stuff if, it does'nt make cracks when bent or put in place like milliput does. If you want to add some easy fine details, I have somewhere a good tutorial to make belt knuckles.

 

[Mister Rab]

A tutorial sounds good, Asslessman, yes please!

 

[Asslessman]

A tutorial sounds good, Asslessman, yes please!

It' s taken from a french magasine, so I'll have to scan the pics and translate the part, it's actually very handy (I'll see what I can do tonight.
The rough idea is to add a square of puty on your belt and to roughly sculpt a smaller square in the middle. Let it cure, then add a little ball of putty in the middle and smooth it on the two sides where the lether strap goes, add a hole or two in the strap with a needle, let it cure. Then just add the other part of the strap and the tiny metla thing that goes through. it's about 4 steps (can be done in 3) and very easy. It also says when you make a lether belt, to always make it curvy in the center os that it looks less "flat", you can see most oldtimers used this (especially Jes).

Just to give an idea, the belts and all the green stuff job on the rooster knight was made in 3 nights. I could have taken more time per session to make it look better but I was impatient to see what it would look like.

Oh and rubber pencils are your friends (a hard one with an edge and a soft round one)

 

[Harry]

Milliput is a pain to sculpt with Green stuff is much better for what you are trying to do.
However as others have said you can file and sand it easily.

I am struggling to find a halfling to fit my pig ... so went back to the toy box and found a selection.

Got to be able to make something work with on of these.