My first mod

[whitebeard]

Yeah, the scale looks great in this one. Thank you!

[QorDaq]

Hiya Lucas, cool first project! I look forward to seeing where it goes.

One thing that occurred to me while looking at the pics, is that this mini appears to be designed to be posed pretty much the way she is. I am unsure how this will ultimately translate to a thinner base since the lowest you can cut will be the bottom of the front foot which seems significantly lower than the rear one.

To me this means you will be trimming a bit off of the bottom, which will certainly lower the height of the mini and reduce it's overall bulk, but will still leave a fair amount of the height in the rear of the model. Which, in turn, seems like it may still not quite fit in with the traditional HQ based look?

Still, it's a great idea in terms of helping to customize a piece for your Girlfriend, and I imagine that the fact that you are taking the time to do it at all, let alone learning some new skills to make her happy, should likely go over well I imagine.

So, success to you Warrior!

maj!

[lucasdp]

Well, now I have to ask, what minis work on Zealot bases? At the moment, all my female HQ heroes are Reaper Bones and I was kinda hoping to put the others on these bases as well...

Are you asking because of the material? You can put all of them on Zealot bases (which are resin).
However, it's more difficult to pin them (absolutely necessary for metal miniatures) because their bottom is flat. You need to take care of the pins not sticking out at the bottom and scratching your gaming surfaces. Milling some recesses before pinning and then being able to cut the pins more thoroughly might be one possibility, but I've never done it.

Bones on Zealot (BoZ; doesn't that sound cool...) I would simply try without pinning at first. Just superglue, to see how well it holds up. It should, because the PVC miniatures themselves are so light. If they break, re-gluing is easy enough.

Thanks for clarifying, KK. I think I read something into your first post that you didn't actually intend to imply.

Hiya Lucas, cool first project! I look forward to seeing where it goes.

One thing that occurred to me while looking at the pics, is that this mini appears to be designed to be posed pretty much the way she is. I am unsure how this will ultimately translate to a thinner base since the lowest you can cut will be the bottom of the front foot which seems significantly lower than the rear one.

To me this means you will be trimming a bit off of the bottom, which will certainly lower the height of the mini and reduce it's overall bulk, but will still leave a fair amount of the height in the rear of the model. Which, in turn, seems like it may still not quite fit in with the traditional HQ based look?

Still, it's a great idea in terms of helping to customize a piece for your Girlfriend, and I imagine that the fact that you are taking the time to do it at all, let alone learning some new skills to make her happy, should likely go over well I imagine.

So, success to you Warrior!

maj!

QorDaq, you are 100% right and I was wondering who was going to be the first to point this out. I have taken into consideration that she is not standing on a flat surface and to work with that, I have decided that some of the rocks she is standing on will remain. To that end, here are a couple new pics:


Not glued or pinned or anything here, just set on top of the base, but she's already starting to fit in better!

[QorDaq]

Okay, so that looks pretty good. One HUGE advantage, is that the rear stone is roughly squared, so it could certainly be a piece of debris remaining from a collapsed column or piece of wall/ceiling which has fallen. I wonder if you could do a little carving in the rear piece to bring it closer to the edge of the base? This might help sell the look as well as tightening up the concept of being part of the actual base?

Not to suggest that you NEED to do so, I think with a little putty you can easily make this pretty seamless. Also, the blocks should help with pinning if you go that route.

I think this will look darn nifty when completed!

maj!

[whitebeard]

Looking great! Would be cool to free that front foot and only have the debris under the rear foot. But don't let me push you into ruining this figure. That Bones material is not easy to cut!

I tried to file the base of one of my bones models flat (like I have done with one or two metal figures). And I gave up. After 5 minutes I had hardly even scratched it!

What tool will I need to nicely cut the base of a the metal version of this figure? I'm sure some of you have done this before. An Amazon link would be very cool!

[QorDaq]

...What tool will I need to nicely cut the base of a the metal version of this figure? I'm sure some of you have done this before. An Amazon link would be very cool!

Maybe a Tungsten Dremel bit? There are different shapes for different tasks of course, but the one in that link may work for getting the bulk of the material removed. And, at ~$9 won't likely break the bank. Obviously a mask and eye protection is super important as well as good ventilation.

Let me know what you end up going with, and, I too would be interested in hearing other people's ideas on this.

maj!

[knightkrawler]

What tool will I need to nicely cut the base of the metal version of this figure? I'm sure some of you have done this before. An Amazon link would be very cool!

I use a Proxxon MiniMot: http://www.amazon.de/Proxxon-Modellbauer-Gravierset-Fr%C3%A4sger%C3%A4t-MICROMOT/dp/B000S8DEDE?ie=UTF8&keywords=proxxon%20minimot&qid=1461300611&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
The thing cost me 60 € and was absolutely worth it.
Drills, files, sands (you need a buzzsaw and drill bits if it's not included in that awesome set)...
Go for drill bits in different sizes, .5, .7, 1mm, and 1.2 mm. Paperclips are mostly 1 mm, so that's your everyday pin and bit size.
If it's out of your budget or you generally can't put it to work as often as it takes to make it worth it, no problem.

These are the alternatives you need to make that hobby work:
a Trumpeteer modelling saw: http://www.amazon.de/Trumpeter-9909-Hobby-Mini-Razor/dp/B001JJVUEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461300827&sr=8-1&keywords=trumpeter+saw (this needs some practice as it will bend, but try to let it swing freely, it will find its way)
and a pin vice: http://www.amazon.de/Modelcraft-Vice-Double-Ended-Swivel/dp/B01D4VYFWU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461300874&sr=8-2&keywords=pin+vice
I haven't seen or used that particular model above, it's just an example.
Plus, some sand paper in different grains from rough to fine.

Also, a very sharp blade like in some x-acto knives http://www.amazon.de/Fiskars-1390-Cuttermesser-18-mm/dp/B0039B5RM8?ie=UTF8&keywords=teppichmesser&qid=1461301177&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3 is - DANGEROUSLY SO - efficient in cuttin off bulks of metal as well. The technique is important, as you seesaw your way slowly through the metal. Works on hard plastic, too, specifically HeroQuest miniatures.

[cornixt]

Bones plastic slices really easily but is terrible for filing because it is so rubbery and often just flexes - you need coarse files.

[whitebeard]

I use a Proxxon MiniMot...
a Trumpeteer modelling saw...
and a pin vice

Thank you VERY much KK! I have a "Dremel" tool already (equivalent to your Proxxon) but it would not have been my first choice because the "white metal" still contains a fair amount of lead. Making the lead airborne sounds like a bad idea and I thought there was a type of jewelery hand saw that you guys who re-base all of the time preferred. If the Dremel is indeed the best tool, then I can do this without much trouble and I do have a good mask for this sort of thing.

I think I will free both feet and cut behind the knee of the back leg so as to extend it a bit further down. This way I may be able to get away with a more rough stone looking base instead of a discrete step.

[knightkrawler]

I use a Proxxon MiniMot...
a Trumpeteer modelling saw...
and a pin vice

Thank you VERY much KK! I have a "Dremel" tool already (equivalent to your Proxxon) but it would not have been my first choice because the "white metal" still contains a fair amount of lead. Making the lead airborne sounds like a bad idea and I thought there was a type of jewelery hand saw that you guys who re-base all of the time preferred. If the Dremel is indeed the best tool, then I can do this without much trouble and I do have a good mask for this sort of thing.

I think I will free both feet and cut behind the knee of the back leg so as to extend it a bit further down. This way I may be able to get away with a more rough stone looking base instead of a discrete step.

When sawing and filing, especially with resin (!), I use a simple dustproof mask. They come in threes for a few bucks.
After, I wait half an hour for the stuff to settle and then I vacuum my workspace.
Interestingly, I use the dremal almost only for drilling, not for filing and sawing because I'm too lazy to constantly change bits and because in general it's less safe and less clean (sounds a tad stupid and wrong, I know).
That saw linked to above and my regular files and sandpapers still get shitloads of work to do, whenever they deliver the results that I want. The dremel is kind of a last resort for filing and sawing.
But for that price it really is an awesome acquisition. It's not that you're only gonna be able to use it for modelling...

Resin dust is very light and will stay airborne pretty freakin' long. Don't inhale it (cause you won't just exhale it if you know what I mean), and don't underestimate this stuff.
I should have posted this along with my actual tips.