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| While Richard is busy mewling in the pit of despair that is his dead computer, I'm free to make a long overdue post! After popping into my local GW and picking up some models (Glade Guard or White Lions....Glade Guard....or White Lions.....BOTH!) I had ample opportunity to get some building done! I'm a builder first, painter second and gamer last, which probably explains my win/loss ratio. |
First thing's first, know your kits! As a Wood Elf player I have access to 3 plastic kits, Glade Guard, Glade Riders and Dryads. There are plenty of metal models with which to work with but converting plastics is far easier. Being primarily an Asrai player I'll be focusing on the Glade Guard and Rider kit with special mention to a few bits and pieces. Once you have whatever kits you need in hand look over them and consider what they can be mixed with or ways to implement the cool extras that are always available like extra weapons or scenic items. At this point it's a good idea to either raid your bits box for suitable parts or even buy several different kits at once!
A standard Glade Guard is assembled as follows.
The pieces break down to a pair of legs, a torso with the arms attached, the head and the cloak. It's a good kit and makes for some great archers. But! The kit has a trick up its sleeve. Armless torsos. It might not seem like much but using these armless torsos and the accompanying arms (a mix of bow and sword wielding ones) plus a few bits from your bits box you can create a wide variety of poses and weapon load outs.
The first example builds an archer using the bow and "arrow drawing" arms so is essentially just a standard archer pose but the addition of one of the root pieces takes it to a new level. Wood Elves all have Forest Strider so of course they can all go Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and walk on trees! Well, roots and branches.....
Moving on....
While it's not in the rules it's always fun to change up the weapon choices for some models and it also mixes things up a bit, always handy when you're fielding 30-40 of the same trooper!
As well as using the sword arm I've used a bow arm, cut the bow off, added a shield and strapped a loose bow onto the back, just to keep things consistent. The right arm has been cut at the forearm and repositioned into a better pose. Details like the repositioning of the arm and addition of the bow make a good conversion great. It's not just about the core pose but the small details therein.
Getting a bit more advanced now....
Similar to the first conversion I've posed this chap on some roots. The arrow is taken from the Empire militia sprue, the left bow arm has been cut and repositioned and the torso has been filed down to sit at more of an angle. All of it comes together to make what I consider quite a dynamic model, especially when compared to the standard build shown at the start of the article. Plastic Waywatcher anyone?
And finally, it's always great when you find a key piece that just gets those gears turning. So one Glade Rider spear and a shield later....
Glade Guard cannot take spears or shields but it's a fun conversion that adds to the army.
In conclusion, conversions can really take your army to the next level, add that personal touch and give you a greater sense of ownership over your models. While other people can make similar conversions no one will have that exact same model! I love to build, cut, sculpt and swap models around and I'm always looking for new inspiration for a great conversion, be it a simple head swap or making one of these,
Into this!
Always test pieces in a dry run before gluing things down and always keep the details in mind, a tilt of the head, a rotation of the wrist ad the addition of some thematic accessories (the Dryad sprue has an owl that I'm itching to use on something!). Oh and remember kids, always use a sharp blade and cut away from yourself!