GK Dreadknight Conversion - WIP

[plawolf]

I have never liked the baby carrier feel of the Dreadknight, so despite the fact that I got one on launch day, it has always been just a collection of primed parts sitting in a box in my 'To Do' draw.

Over the holidays I finally got round to it and after digging around in my bitz box, I chanced upon exactly what I needed - the turret canopy from my Stormraven, which became surplus to requirement after I made it a custom turret.

Well, enough talking, here are the results.

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/3999/img0631h.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/img0631h.jpg/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/633/img0632av.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/72/img0632av.jpg/)

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/6171/img0633py.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/img0633py.jpg/)

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/2053/img0634t.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/img0634t.jpg/)


On the whole, I am fairly pleased with how it came out, and it was a pretty straight forward conversion that was done in an afternoon. It will only take a couple of hours if I was to do it again, which I like. The only regret was that I was too eager to see how the thing would look in one piece that I did a shoddy job of treating the cuts I made to the SR turret, which I had to cover up with some GK symbols.

The guns have been magnetized and can be switched around or taken off depending on how I want to run my DK, same for the greatsword.

I also magnetized the arms, although that was more for ease of transportation, it does give me a limited degree of freedom in how I can pose the arms, which was a nice bonus.

This is still a WIP, and still needs some more painting, but if anyone has any comments or suggestions about how to change or improve it, I would be very grateful to hear them, and will incorporate any ideas I like into the design if I can.

[plawolf]

A few more pictures.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8092/img0635e.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/img0635e.jpg/)

Here is what it looks like without the guns and with the arms in a slightly different pose.

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2594/img0636cl.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/img0636cl.jpg/)

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1733/img0637pl.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/191/img0637pl.jpg/)

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8534/img0638qe.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/5/img0638qe.jpg/)

I had wanted to switch out the sword as well, but the Doomfist I made earlier seemed to have gone walkies. That's the problem with small parts with magnets - they have an annoying tendency to attached themselves to the bottom of metal objects and can end up in the strangest places.

I'll post more pictures of it with the doomfist if and when I find it again.

[Fizzybubela]

It's looking quite good. Might have to get one soon and try it out.

[plawolf]

It's looking quite good. Might have to get one soon and try it out.

Cheers. :) Let us know how it turns out, and if you want any different angled shots, just ask. I didn't take any shots during the conversion, but it was fairly straight forward what needed to be cut off and where the cuts should have gone, so hopefully you wouldn't run into any difficulties.

Just cut the bottom off the turret first and then use that as a guide for how much to cut off of the dreadknight.

[Fizzybubela]

Cheers. :) Let us know how it turns out, and if you want any different angled shots, just ask. I didn't take any shots during the conversion, but it was fairly straight forward what needed to be cut off and where the cuts should have gone, so hopefully you wouldn't run into any difficulties.

Just cut the bottom off the turret first and then use that as a guide for how much to cut off of the dreadknight.

I'd be happy to tell you how it turns out. :) So it's the turret with the servitor in and not the one with the marine in.
It might be a while until I do it as I need to get some more stuff for my Iron Warriors for my Armies on Parade entry.

[SotonShades]

I would have been tempted to add some more volume under the cockpit, as there doesn't look like there is enough room for the Marine's legs at the moment, but other than that I think that's spot on. Definitely better than the baby carrier.

[Fizzybubela]

I would have been tempted to add some more volume under the cockpit, as there doesn't look like there is enough room for the Marine's legs at the moment, but other than that I think that's spot on. Definitely better than the baby carrier.

Maybe I can do that on my one. :)

[plawolf]

I would have been tempted to add some more volume under the cockpit, as there doesn't look like there is enough room for the Marine's legs at the moment, but other than that I think that's spot on. Definitely better than the baby carrier.

Cheers for the kind comment, and good eyes on the limited leg room. I agonized for a while on whether to stick with the cockpit, and even got some tactical marines to compare where the legs would end.

It is just enough I think, it would be a tight squeeze, but there is just room for normal legs to fit if they are not straight. I picture the GK sitting on one of those leaning benches you see in some modern bust stops where you are not really sitting down or standing when you use them.

Not ideal, as I originally wanted to use a stormtalon canopy and some plasticard, but stormraven canopies with clear plastic seems to be hellishly difficult to get ahold of on ebay, and I wasn't prepared to scrap a stormtalon to make this conversion, so had to make do with what I had in my bitz box.

I thought about extending the bottom of the canopy out a little to make it bigger with plasticard, but I quite liked how the grill looked and also, if you extended the stormraven turret down, it would look like it would significantly limit the forward range of motion on the legs, and re-doing the legs was not something I particularly wanted to do. Maybe next time. :p

[plawolf]

I'd be happy to tell you how it turns out. :) So it's the turret with the servitor in and not the one with the marine in.
It might be a while until I do it as I need to get some more stuff for my Iron Warriors for my Armies on Parade entry.

Yes, it was the servitor turret that I used. I had to saw off the bottom, but it is a pretty straight forward task if you have the right tools.

And you don't need to tell me about putting projects on the que, this one has been pending for years now. ;)

[olberon]

think this one has to "grow" on me to be honest

[Fizzybubela]

Yes, it was the servitor turret that I used. I had to saw off the bottom, but it is a pretty straight forward task if you have the right tools.

And you don't need to tell me about putting projects on the que, this one has been pending for years now. ;)
Okay well if this one was pending for years then I can say that I will probably do it around October 2013.

[fuzzbuket]

very nice :D