Space Wolves Rune Priest Conversion Options

[RangerRuss]

So, here’s the conversion I’ve been working on intermittently since last summer. I originally bought this guy to fill out another unit of Space Wolves Terminators to make it more saleable on eBay, but after seeing how wanting this classic mini was for an updating, I couldn’t pass up the chance. My original inspiration came from the Librarian in Dawn of War. Anyone who’s played that game knows that the librarian looks awesome while in close combat, and it was that sort of dynamism I wanted this Rune Priest to have.



I’ve recycled most of the pieces from the original Rune Priest miniature, but parts from a Warhammer Fantasy miniature make their appearance too (such as the two wolf-head standard things). I also used the staff of a Space Marine power axe for part of the axe re-design. I’m utilizing a couple other pieces for touch-ups and these come mostly from the Space Wolves sprues.

When starting, I decided that a lot of the dynamism I was looking for would come from getting rid of that really boring Terminator helmet on the original miniature. Sure, it’s cool, but it doesn’t lend much life or character to the miniature, a point I think is underscored by the fact that pretty much all of Citadel’s new Terminators come without helmets. So, getting rid of the helmet was definitely the toughest part. Cutting the mask off was fairly easy with just an x-acto blade, but I needed to go out and purchase Dremel tool to get that part of the mini hollowed-out.



Once that was accomplished, I realized the brim around the opening had taken quite a bit of damage, and I had to replace the original wolf skull with a wolf skull from the Space Wolves banner pole. I like this one better anyway. I also had to replace one of the lenses with a scope from a bolter. I also needed to give my sculpting skills a work out, and the filigree trim around the brim was about the best I could accomplish, a disappointingly far-cry from the runes that originally bordered the brim (tips on how to sculpt runes would be greatly appreciated). Finally, I added a wolf pelt loin cloth and those two wolf-head standards to play up the Space Wolf character of the mini.



The left arm carrying the force-axe took the next greatest amount of conversion work, although it wasn’t too terribly tough. I knew that I wanted priest to be in the action of swinging or pointing the axe, so I had to cut the hand and the lower arm off at the elbow to get it out of that rigid right-angle position. I reassembled the axe with a longer shaft, a power-box from another axe piece, guitar string for the power conduit, and a spike (for good measure). I had to pin the lower part of the arm back to upper part, as the two were now thoroughly detached, and I sculpted elbow joint to make it look stretched-out. I needed to re-model the circular elbow pieces that you’ll find on all Terminators, so I just used two differently-sized cylindrical pieces from a shaft and scope to make that piece.




Now I come to my greatest dilemma: do I go for the force pike swinging backwards as though he has just slain a foe, or do I go for the threatening axe-pointing pose as though in the process of wicked rune-priesting? Or, do I go for another type of pose?

1:



2:



3:



4:



Suggestions, comments, critiques, and opinions about the cooler pose are all welcome!

**The original Space Wolves Rune Priest and the screenshot of the Librarian are NOT my images: they come from a Google search and have unknown authors. I provide them as a reference point for this article's readers.

This post has been edited by RangerRuss: Feb 23 2010, 10:09 PM

[YoungWolf7]

Welcome and great post. Being a converting junkie myself I appreciate the work you've put in and the struggle you've now got.

Here's my opinion (take it for what you will.):

#1 - While it looks dynamic, the arm just won't go back that far in that kind of armor. He also looks a bit too off balance to me.

#2 - The best of the 4 and got my vote. I would drop the stormbolter just a bit so that it looks like it's in more of a "ready" position. Something else that could help a bunch is to put him on the new 40mm base (which is required for any formal play these days) and have the terrain raised in the front. This will angle the body more vertical and give the impression that he's after a foe in front of him, rather than on the ground.

#3 - Overall I like the composition and aggression in this pose. The key problem is that the weapon now blocks his face. Since you wanted that change to be a key feature it doesn't work very well to accentuate it. If the weapon were straight out in front it wouldn't block the face and work much better.

#4 - The position of the weapon arm and head seems to suggest a defensive block more than an attack. I would expect to see a shield on his arm rather than a weapon. It could work with an open hand and some sort of spell effect.

I just finished a Terminator Librarian conversion myself: Master Irin. It's based on the new model, rather than the older ones, but I went through similar evolutions on it.

Thanks for sharing!

[Iron Mouser]

I am torn between 2 and 4. Maybe if the left arm was positioned somewhere between where it is in the two? Also, would it be possible to turn the head a bit more to his right? The arm position in 2 and the bolter position in 4 both seem to lead to something happening in that direction, but he is facing off to the left.