When I first started this project it was late 2006. I’d come home from GenCon Indy determined to have a series of kickass entries for the 2007 show. I converted a Terminus (still unseen by virtually anyone but me) and then set to work on remaking my Deathjack. Little did I know that the cancer fairy had other plans for my future for the next 2 years. That’s all been well documented elsewhere on the site so I won’t bother with that.
After finishing up Remaking Vlad, I looked around the Lair to find the next project. My incoming commissions are still a little ways out so I needed something to keep my skills up and actually work on something of mine for a bit. I pulled out the Ork Warboss and slapped a little putty on him, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Then I laid eyes on my forlorn Deathjack, half completed and commanding me to pay him some attention. I picked up his carcass and looked it over with fresh eyes. I remembered what I was trying to do and why I quit. I had stalled because I couldn’t get the legs to look the way I wanted. Then I hit upon an idea…
New (Un)Life
Let me back up and start from the beginning. When the Deathjack finally came out I was simultaneously entranced and appalled by the mini. It had so much… potential. I loved Brian Snoddy’s artwork of it in the Monsternomicon. But the translation, although pretty close to the art, just didn’t have what I needed.
Studio model shot:
Although Ali McVey’s beautiful paint makes up for a lot, there’s still issues. This angle hides just how weedy the legs are. The upper torso is easily 2X the mass of a Slayer / Seether, but the legs are virtually the same dimensions. Ever see a body builder who is all upper mass with scrawny legs? There’s my issue. That and the tiny pinhead just completes the cartoon image for me.
The first thing I did in the beginning is look for an easy way to bulk up the legs. It just so happened that the Bane Knights came along and I had my answer. The shields fit nicely on the outer sides of the thighs and give added visual mass. The next issue was to give it more… life. I realize a 12-ton metal monster may not be the picture of grace as it lumbers down the field, but Cryxian creations have an inherent grace and speed to them. It is their strength after all. I’ve always thought the models should reflect that and tried to bring it out whenever possible. (Check my gallery for past examples.) This is where I stalled.
While I let that idea simmer in my brain I set about addressing other issues. Namely the Skulls of Hate. Hate them. Flat skulls? The spike just didn’t work for me either. I tried removing them, but that didn’t help either. I finally decided to just sculpt my own and started bulking up 3D skulls to sit on the shoulders, using Deathripper mandibles as the base.
Another change I made is I replaced the fingers. Even with those big old bear paws the fingers looked stubby and blunt to me. I swapped them out with Bloat Thralls legs. (Yes, each one is pinned.) I had to repair one that broke off at some point, but they’re all intact now.