Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Red Corsair - Shaggy Fur Cloak | WIP IV

I managed to finish sculping the fur cloak for the Corsair. It became sophisticatedly massive, just the way I planned it to be...




I decided to leave the bottom of the cloak without fur just to make the thing a little bit less heavy. Thereby I was able to practice sculpting some cloth folding... Not sure if the outcome is natural or not, but guess the result does the trick, don't you think?

Little details like bones and skull hanging from the fur on the back break the dominant fur texture a bit, lighten the mood so to speak. It is always a good idea to add something catchy on the back of your mini, just so that the rear view wouldn't be so, well, dull.

Size comparison - Astartes vs. standard Imperial citizen

I did try to put a fur loin cloth for the Corsair, but I thought it was maybe a little bit too much and decided to let it go at this time. I'll definately consider of using it in my next Corsair project, to tie this mini and that together (furrr!).

Any final hints or tips before heading to priming?

22 comments:

  1. A very powerful and sinister looking figure, brilliant work!

    I think the folds in the cape look great, it looks like a very heavy material.

    I'm really enamoured with the sculpting work on the fur. How did you go about it?

    I've shied away from sculpting fur and chainmail up until now, but I'd like to give them a try.

    I don't think I have anything to suggest you add to the figure. It's fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing it painted.

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    1. About my fur sculpting technique... Use sharp pointy tool, needle or such, poke it in the stuff and while pulling it out, move it to the desired direction. Step and repeat, vary with different needles to add variance to the texture. Don't try to make the whole thing in one session. Be patient.

      If I find some time, I'll try to make a more detailed tutorial for this one...

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  2. The cloak was a nice way to finish off the model. I like the section without the fur, the folds in it look great. All the little pock marks and holes make it seem ancient like he is! I think the bones and skulls do add a needed distraction, so you do not get completely lost in a sea of fur, however ha ha. Awesome work!

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  3. This is just the greatest scaled-up marine ever.

    And yes, a fur sculpting tutorial would do very well indeed. Many of the ones I have seen have been underwhelming, but your fur looks great (lol?). And I love how the cloak gathers at his heels there; such a strong sense of weight.

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  4. Awesome man. Love the abundance of bits that you used. Great work. Waiting for the paintjob...

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  5. Fair play, this is fantastic. When you posted the concept art I thought the hook hand might be a little too much for my tastes, but it absolutely makes the model. I also think you made the right call with the backpack, it balances the mantle perfectly.

    If you like the idea of a loin cloth but don't want too much fur, how about chainmail? Not entirely sure the model needs it, but they do look cool.

    Looking forward to the painting!

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    1. I did try both fur and cloth version for the loincloth, but somehow it looked like very stuffed and therefor I decided to skip it. Guess the chainmail would have the same effect...

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  6. You better paimt it really well, so you won't screw the whole work that you've done while been sculpting this fella.

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  7. I really lobe your conversions, I would be really happy to paint this figure for a contest!

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  8. This is Great!

    The only thing that ends up working against the model a little bit is the backpack. Somehow I feel it's stuck being so wide that it lessens the impact of the Marine's massiveness, yet doesn't communicate the wider design of renegade marine backpacks. Maybe you reconsider tweaking it a little bit.

    Anyway, very much looking forward to paint! I built three more Legionnaires end of last year. It's a LOT of work mentally when it turns from a one off to a squad...

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    1. Hmm, I might try to make the backpack a bit more compact, somehow. Gaf Jones did suggested using a regular Space Marine backpack for the sake of the fluff. Maybe that would have been a solution for this matter too...

      So far this has been a tremendous project to work on with. There simply has been so much to fix and put together. I'm pretty relieved that soon I can start painting the thing. The more I spend time with this project, the more my respect grows towards your Legion project. It's just outstanding how you've been able to pull the things together in such a short time, if you take account of the fact that you sure seem to be very busy with the work and the family.

      It sure hasn't been easy to balance between the family life and hobby for me either... and I'm quite sure it won't be getting any easier anytime soon, when the kids grow older etc. I have a 4-years-old son and 9-months-old doughter, so I know it can get pretty hectic for time to time ;)

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    2. It's worth pointing out that the loyalist backpack suggestion was largely based out of my own vision of the fluff. Seems that's what they should have to me, but even the official Huron model has the old fashioned mark. Horses for courses, I suspect.

      In any event, I'm loving it. And while I'm here, I should probably point out that I'm a big Migsula fan too, can't wait to see more of your stuff man!

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    3. I'm guessing that it's more about the cohesion than the fluff in many cases...

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    4. Makes sense. It's fluffable too in any event; apparently there's mention somewhere (I'm guessing the Horus Heresy books) that the Chaos-style packs are an older mark that have better thrusters for void use at the cost of decreased radiation shielding, or somesuch. If I was a space pirate, I figure I'd try and get my hands on void gear.

      The cohesion certainly works, though. Whilst I like the idea of a more modern Chaos marine with newer armour marks, there's no denying that it's those packs that really scream traitor.

      I see you're also looking to create a group to go with this guy. Can't wait to see what you come up with, I've always thought the Corsairs would be perfect for a Warband.

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  9. Really awesome! Would it by the way be awesome to perhaps sculpt (or mouldpress) the Red Corsairs icon on the marine's shoulderpad or perhaps that shield bit on the shoulder?

    Will you be adding more marines?

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    1. I did thought of that, but I kind of like the old school way and want to paint the iconography by myself.

      I'm planning to do couple of more of these, but like migsula said, it will be a huge mental challenge to make more than just one of these...

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    2. You could of course try to go for a few totally unique characters. What Migsula did was create whole squads of Alpha Legionaries, who aren't that individualistic. In the case of the Red Corsairs, you could go in very weird directions. Note that many of their ranks aren't always members of the original Astral Claws or Tiger Claws chapters, there are also renegade Space Wolves and others in there.

      Another thing you could do is try to add some totally different types of marines in there, such as a Terminator or some sort of character like a Tech Marine of Apothecary.

      What about human servants/slaves/pirates who also carry the mark of the Red Corsairs?

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    3. I do wish to have a strong visual bond between the characters, so I might be sticking in painting them to represent the Red Corsairs alone. There's still a lot of space to move around when it comes to converting, but I might as well be sticking in regular rank-and-filer Astartes. I would like to think that this small group that I'm working on with is just a small sliced sample of a massive marauding fleet on action...

      I will be doing companion(s) for this group, a helmet carrier or something similar. I haven't given this that much of a thought yet though.

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  10. Thank you very much for you kind words, guys! I really appreciate your comments and support.

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  11. Wow, this marine is really impressive. His pose is wonderful, striding forward with cold calculating efficiency. The cloak came out really nicely too and does a good job of tying the model together. The only thing bothering me is that his finger is on the trigger of his bolt pistol. If possible, try and model his finger resting outside the trigger-guard of the pistol. I feel a small detail such as that would help build the character of the model even more, really driving home that he is a veteran of countless campaigns. Regardless of what you choose to do, fantastic model!

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  12. Thanks guys! The painting process has been going quite well actually. Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos of the finished Corsair somewhere around this weekend.

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