Dynamic dreadnought posing

Looking for some tips, especially when it comes to materials, necessary to dynamically pose a dreadnought.

I'm building two right now, and I really want to vary up their appearance, maybe raise a leg into a bracing position for the riflemen.

As for the arms, which I'll likely never use I want to see something other than straight ahead, I'd like to play with them and their positions. Similar to what Beamo went for, now it doesn't have to look like Beamo's Bjorn, but I'd like a few ideas.

I'm not bad at conversions, but I just don't want to ruin a 50 dollar model without some game plan, I'm not dealing with Orks here.

Watch this video. It really helped me starting out, as when you watch the motion of the dread, it gives you an idea of how the parts would interact with each other in real life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRyOH9avLS4

from there, you see where you need to make cuts, and what areas you need to rebuild to get the most natural look. It's not as complicated as it may seem; There isn't a lot of mobility to the torso itself, it's all in the knees, ankles, and the way the rods connecting the thighs and groin interact. As long as you have a pin vise and an assortment of brass rods, you're mostly good to go.

This photo will give you an idea of the parts I'm talking about altering.

Attachment 174

For arms, there are a few things you can do. With some greenstuff, you can simply build out the socket at an angle until you get where you want it to be. It yields a simple but nice clean look to the arms. Doing it like I did on Bjorn is a lot more complicated, but makes for a more visually interesting look at the inner workings of the arm socket, but I wouldn't bother with it unless you're trying to take the model beyond a solid tabletop quality.

After the fact, I realized I could have done a more realistic set of hydraulics on Bjorn's arms, but it would have been a huge pain to magnetize, so I'll probably reserve it for my thousand sons contemptors I'm going to make.

For most changes, you don't have to screw with the feet. They're really only an issue if you're trying to create a running dread, or if your base is particularly uneven.

Hope this helps. :)

http://www.coolminiornot.com/204462
http://www.coolminiornot.com/276039
http://www.coolminiornot.com/275559
http://www.coolminiornot.com/259670
http://www.coolminiornot.com/259294

Some CMON inspiration. Not a lot of dynamic dreads out there, except that first Chaos one. :)

Looks like these two from FW have some of the more interesting leg poses

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/P...davendread.jpg
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/P.../mkivironc.jpg

Thanks.

I'm building four right now (with TL AC arms, so the arm posability won't be that hot until I start modding the arms after the fact). I just want a little dynamism. I want a dread that looks like he is in motion, one leg in front of the other, not running, but walking. And another looking like he is bracing against the terrain to shoot. The other two I haven't set my mind on.

There's a technique involving hot salt that seems useful for posing infantry arms and legs. Not sure if it'll work on a dreadnought's tree-trunks, but here's the link: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum...st/318880.page