Dreadnought modelling question

[brennus]

I've had a metal Dark Angel dread sitting around my house for years, and about two years ago I finally hunkered down, assembled it, and painted it. However, after looking at it for a while, I decided that I'd like to embellish it a little bit. Adding a crux and a purity seal is easily done, but what about the legs?

 

I left the model in two pieces - upper and lower - so that if the dread got destroyed, I could just remove the top half and leave the legs on the table to emulate wreckage or rubble. I am considering gluing the old metal sarcophagus to a set of the plastic venerable dreadnought legs. Could this work? Can the plastic legs support the metal body? It's quite a heavy chunk of metal. Is there enough room in the top part of the legs to drill out a hole for a dowel or plastic pin, so that I can strengthen the place I glue the two halves together? And would the whole model be so top-heavy that I need not even bother?

[Raven Angel]

I don't thnk so. The plastic legs are not anywhere near strong enough to hold a metal top.

[ShinyRhino]

You'll run into one major problem...

 

The legs of the plastic kit have a rounded top socket, so they whole thing can be dynamically positioned. You'll have to chop that rounded hemisphere flat, which will seriously degrade the structural integrity of it, and if you're not careful, break the legs entirely.

 

If you can cut the socket evenly and without breaking the legs, it can support the weight. I just don't recommend doing so. You're better off adding decorative bitz to the metal legs, or perhaps some freehand.

[Brother_Dan'l]

Sorry, but I agree with the others that plastic legs are a non-starter. Even if you went to all the effort of refitting the waist it would snap off at the ankles within minutes of your first game starting.

[brennus]

Well, that's a damn shame. I rather like the old Dark Angel sarcophagus better than the be plastic bit you get.

 

Beggars can't be choosers, though. I suppose I'll have to buy a plastic venerable dread and see what I can do with that. Thanks for the assistance.

[Hemal]

Could you not simply use the metal front piece of the sarcophagus and combine as appropriate with the plastic bits? And as fo rteh plastic legs - pinning is always a useful thing to do, a decent stiff pin will hold it fine surely!

[winterdyne]

I reckon the legs could support a metal torso and weapons. If you pin the bejesus out of them. You'd need to bore out the mounting hole in the bottom of the metal body with a large drill followed by a reaming bit to accomodate the plastic legs' dome. This done, when assembling the plastic legs, stuff the dome part with greenstuff. This will help with pinning the torso on. You'll also want to pin the legs through the base and secure those with greenstuff too, should stop them snapping at the angles.

[Durus]

I used the metal front plate from the old SW dreadnought to with a plastic kit to represent a venerable dread a few years ago, just when 4th ed codex SM came out. Just the front plate though, not the entire torso.

 

If I remember correctly I used pins in the feet joints (the weakest part of the legs) and to attach the torso.

 

Never had any problems with it.