Deathwatch RPG - Ultramarine conversion

I've had a trawl through images on my phone and here's my first hobby post:

A friend has decided he may run the Warhammer 40,000:Deathwatch RPG for our gaming group but wanted us to have miniatures prepared for our characters beforehand.

My partner decided she wanted to play an Ultramarine, but wasn't confident she could replicate the insignia of the chapter and asked me if I would do it.

She knew full well I would, I was practically chomping at the bit to do it because there's nothing I find more addictive than madly converting and detailing miniatures... Well maybe chocolate... And Tea...And probably sex...

But i digress...


The Insignia

The insignia wasn't too hard, I just paid attention to the reference material I had at hand.

(when using any metal tools with green stuff, I prefer to use vaseline as a lubricant to make the job a lot easier.)

• I started with a piece of green stuff in almost a "shield" shape, like a square but with the bottom two corners rounded.
• Using an embossing tool* I worked from the center out making a circle.
• I cut the channel at the top and took away two "v" shaped sections at the top right and left and had the recognisable basic shape of the Ultra symbol.
• Then it was just a matter of cleaning up the edges with a silicone clay shaper** and making sure the symbol was an even thickness overall too.

*embossing tools come in a variety of sizes, they look like a thick metal needle with a ball on the tip. one of my favourite sculpting tools and available cheaply in most craft shops
 
**I can not stress enough how wonderful these tools are to work with green stuff. Maybe a little pricey for some, but they are worth it.

The Name

I also used this project as an excuse to try sculpting a name for the first time.

• I applied a long rectangle of green stuff across the bottom of the banner.
• Using a thin tool (I can't remember what off hand, possibly a scalpel?) I measured out five equally sized boxes.
• Then it was just a case of pressing into the putty to make the shape of the letters.
• I worked on the "I" in the middle first and then worked outward in both directions.
• The two decorative pieces on the ends of the name were an afterthought it was just left over from sculpting the name and was originally going to be cut off.
• Then I just had to make sure it was an even thickness and the edges were pushed in a little straighter.
• The Ultra symbol was made in exactly the same way as the first on the shoulder pad, as was the smaller one on the chest.

When the putty is fully cured I just use an old brush to clean away the lubricant.


The Rest

The joy of working on a miniature for an RPG is that I could also add on all the little extra details like purity seals, scrolls and various other paraphernalia that would be lost on a miniature in a unit for mass tabletop gaming. I think that finding the right balance of detailing is just the thing to really bring a miniature to life.

And here was the completed miniature.

Nothing spectacular, just a kitbash from various plastics and a little sculpted detail.

I'll have to take a picture of it to post up now that my partner has painted it.

Reet.. that's enough of me.