Need some advice on my Penal Legion Explosive Collars, and Ears

[TSINI]

Ive been putting my Penal Legion troops together the past few days, and I need some advice on the Explosive Collars

These are the ones I'm thinking of using, theyre washers painted boltgun metal. I like them because of the "shaped to explode inwards" effect they give
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsZH8SLJlcI/AAAAAAAAAes/0NYIIv2ZmN4/s400/penal+001.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsZH70D2BZI/AAAAAAAAAek/rgKfHpVGuEk/s400/penal+002.jpg

What do you think? do they look goofy and ruin the model, or do they look right?

I honestly can't tell lol


Also as a side note, i've accidentally bought 4 of the heads without ears, i'm not too nifty with the green stuff, so what should i do? I may resort to buying some more heads, but i was hoping not to.

[Aldramelech]

Works for me.....

[PostWarFolk]

Where are those heads from?

[solecize]

Not bad, but they still look like washers to me. You might try to make them thicker by gluing two washers together. Or if you wanted to take it really far you could put a little green stuff in between two washers to make them thicker and you could add some bitz to the outside as a control module or some other tech. Something with a big red button might be cool, and would add some nice uniformity to the army.

http://deadworkers.com/files/40k/penal-collar.jpg

[The AKH]

They look fine to me - Solecize's comment about thickening them would add to the effect, though.

As for the lack of ears, you could always drill little holes in the side of their heads where the ears should be, and paint them with streams of blood coming down - as if their ears have been forcibly removed as some sort of punishment. They are Penal Legionnaires, after all!

[Aldramelech]

Excellent Ideas

[TSINI]

Where are those heads from?

HassleFree Miniatures, Kev does such amazing work, even these conversion heads are beautiful.

http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/ definately check them out - they send sweeties with your order

the one shown on my mini is the middle one from this set (this set has ears)
http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/catalog/l103thumb.jpg

(this set doesnt have ears)
http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/catalog/l102thumb.jpg

solecize,
I do like the idea of thickening them and i was thinking about some kind of "tech detonator" thingy, I'll give that a go - the only thing I'm worried about is giving them a "giraffe neck" look. but we'll see. A* for the technical drawings :D

The AKH, a nice idea, I might as well do that to at least one head, I have 1 spare, i'll see how it looks.

Adremalech, cheers for checking back :D

[Aldramelech]

Dont forget the free badge! lol

Love those heads. Appearing on 501st vets soon.......

[PostWarFolk]

Thanks. I've been looking for shaved heads to make up my PL. Yours is coming out great. I like the collars.

[Logan]

The collars are cool, a nice quick conversion.
For the ears be brave with the green stuff, just stick a tiny ball of putty (as small as possible) where the ear should be, stick something pointy in it (pin, knife point, etc... ) and wiggle it about a bit to make the hole.
If it comes out a bit lumpy and mangled you have an authentic cauliflower ear, the true badge of a hard man convict.
Don't fear the putty, you'll be surprised what you can do if you try.
Pep talk over, back to being grumpy and negative

[TSINI]

Thanks. I've been looking for shaved heads to make up my PL. Yours is coming out great. I like the collars.

this was exactly my reason for buying them, i'm going to put barcodes tattooed on their shaven heads




The collars are cool, a nice quick conversion.
For the ears be brave with the green stuff, just stick a tiny ball of putty (as small as possible) where the ear should be, stick something pointy in it (pin, knife point, etc... ) and wiggle it about a bit to make the hole.
If it comes out a bit lumpy and mangled you have an authentic cauliflower ear, the true badge of a hard man convict.
Don't fear the putty, you'll be surprised what you can do if you try.
Pep talk over, back to being grumpy and negative

okay Logan, you've convinced me to have a go. I have messed about with greenstuff, but I just havent been brave enough to do fiddly bits like this. but I will get on that today.


Right well, I still have a lot to do then :D

[TSINI]

Just Thought I'd wrap this thread up with a current picture of the squad so far, their newly updated collars (with detonators) and their WIP custodian

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsdnaEloOxI/AAAAAAAAAf0/B_fix7iDUXw/s400/penaltm+001.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsdW2ZTb-FI/AAAAAAAAAfE/CLDIKuGyVN8/s400/penalexpl+002.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsdW1w7xwRI/AAAAAAAAAe8/8H3jkEJjABA/s400/penalexpl+005.jpg

Cheers for all your help

TSINI

[Aldramelech]

Yep, good stuff that. Their how Ive always imagined they should look.

[PostWarFolk]

It looks uncomfortable to a convict.

[Lord Azaghul]

You can definitely tel what it is supposed to be, but it does have a bit of an 'unnatural' look to it. I do agree that the tech bit does look better. My first thought when I heard the idea was a cord with a lock around it - sort of like the primer-cord the military uses - however the down side it that it probably wouldn't 'pop' like the current ones do!

[solecize]

Just Thought I'd wrap this thread up with a current picture of the squad so far, their newly updated collars (with detonators) and their WIP custodian

Wow- that turned out really well- good job on the detonators- that makes the collar. What did you use for the detonators?

[TSINI]

Wow- that turned out really well- good job on the detonators- that makes the collar. What did you use for the detonators?

hehe, actually that was a bit of a lucky strike of genius.

I was looking for something I had lots of because I needed 9

on the Imperial tank accessory sprue the spade has 2 mounts to hold it onto a tank. I chopped these off, and cut a section out to glue them onto the collar. I left a little bit of the spade handle (about a millimetre long) for the "big red button"

fidly work, and frustrating when I kept dropping them or cutting them in half!! but a little perciverance and some emergency glueing bits on and it seems to have paid off



Also a small update, I have sculpted the other 4 guys' ears now, so they are done and dusted. I just need to do tattoos and barcodes and i'll stick pics of them up

[ColCorbane]

They're looking really nice mate, how many are you planning to do?

[TSINI]

They're looking really nice mate, how many are you planning to do?


just the one squad, 9 legionaires and their custodian (shown below)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/Ssdntuf-9oI/AAAAAAAAAf8/jKW3y8SSghc/s400/penaltm+003.jpg


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dKzBWK8cqBI/SsdnaEloOxI/AAAAAAAAAf0/B_fix7iDUXw/s400/penaltm+001.jpg

I'm more a fan of conscripts, cheap and they die easy. they're a hoot!

I figured I'd have a go at making these guys to add a bit of colour to the army, and gives me a stubborn unit that would be quite good at following the conscripts up the board towards objectives, or holding back assault squads from my frontlines

my next project, when I find some spare cash, will be a roughrider squad on dirtbikes, probably followed by another roughrider squad "count as" a K9 team of dog handlers and rabbid german shepards.

I've noticed at tournements that ork bikers squads have so much shooty power, coupled with their ability to have permanent cover saves. they can wipe out my conscript squad in 1 round of shooting. So I've set about modelling some anti-assault teams, to take the fight to them. a kind of, counter attack force.