Building a multi-part sisters of battle kit

[Smurfben]

The middle one doesn't have a helmet on, it just looks a bit that way because of her hair. I think you're right about the size though. they are too big for the dark eldar parts I've used

[Smurfben]

Hi everybody!

 

I was just re-reading through a couple of the older comments and I realised that I've been remiss in my duties as a host and not answered a question posted by ElDuderino!!! I hope  you can find it in your heart to forgive me!

 

Question: 'How much does each sister cost to build?'

 

This is a really good question for me to address because some of you have been in personal contact with me about making your own :) The truth is (unfortunately) that they are more expensive than the average 'out of the box' army and almost on a par with the expense of the official models!

 

The shopping list:

 

• 2x box of Dark Eldar Kabalite Warriors: you get 4 female torso's per box so this will make a squad of 8 sisters. £36
• 25mm 'cracking hair dos' female heads from Statuesque. £1.90
• Brother Vinni post apocalypse female heads: £1.66
• Umbra pattern bolters from Forgeworld: you may also want the heavy and special weapons too. £11
• Green stuff. My local hobby shop sells it for £5
• Various bits from your own bits box: purity seals, grenades, bolt pistols etc...
• Total Cost: £55.56

This is the raw cost of making a squad of 8 sisters of battle. This doesn't cover the backpack issue either. You will have to find your own solution to creating that part. It's something I've been struggling with myself.

 

However, If you are clever and a canny bargain spotter you can bring this cost down a bit.

 

1. Instead of buying 2x boxes of DE Warriors, why not buy 1 box and source the remaining torso parts from ebay and various bits sites? This is what I have done. You can normally pic up another 3-5 female torsos for £5 or so. One box of DE Warriors has enough arms and legs in it to make 10 sisters, so really you just need to find the female torso parts.
2. Why pay full price for GW products when there are discount online stores available? I'm mega lucky in that my local hobby shop is an independent retailer and sells all GW products at a discount. I am also a member of the largest local gaming club and we get an additional discount onto of that when we flash our membership cards. For me a box of DE is about £14. Not bad at all! Wayland games is selling them for £14.40.
3. Buy in bulk. If you buy several packs of the heads you will save on postage and some company's (statuesque) give you a discount on how many sets you buy. If you buy a load of parts to get you started with initially then you'll probably find that those parts stretch a long way.
4. Somethings you won't need to buy again. The greenstuff will last me this entire project!

So there you have it. On the face of it, it's not much cheaper to do it my way that buy the official models but it can be if you follow some of my tips above. That's not really the point of my project though. I'm happy to spend the money on my models because it was never about building a cheap sisters of battle army. For me the creative possibilities and the learning experiences of doing a project of this scale are worth paying for :). Having said that, I am a student after all, which means the more money I can save here and there the better. If anyone has any further suggestions on how I can cut the costs further or if anyone knows of any bits they think would go well with my models then please leave a comment!

 

Anyway, I hope this answers your question and was of some help at the very least!

[Skoby]

Amazing stuff, looking at the costs, if youre already sculpting details over the torsos wouldnt any of the male torsos be suitable for converting? From pics I have seen online theyre still pretty slender, to make them fit it looks like they would just need a bit of filing down around the waist and a greenstuff boob-job.

[ElDuderino]

I definatly forgive you hehe. Thanks for the parts run down! They were actually cheaper to make than i thought, it's quite ridiculous that they're still cheaper than the official models. Trade some female torsos and use regular bolters and it's probably cheaper than a new plastic SOB box from gw would be.

[Kronus Stormbringer]

This all looks great! keep it up

[Smurfben]

Heya!

 

I've finished the Sister Superior and also touched up the heavy flamer details. I thought I'd show you the results. Sorry in advance for the darkness of the pics. I had to you my android. The colours are much better I promise!

 

 

 

 

 

I've also been working on something pretty cool today! I'll leak a few pics when I'm a little more ready :p

[Aqui]

I do like the Sisters' armour. Gives them a "knightly"/plate armour feel (despite not being Knights, obviously )

[Smurfben]

Thanks :) I too am very fond of the plated look. For me I like the idea that it's a proper suit of armour rather than an enclosed environment like spacemarines.

[Smurfben]

I've been very busy with club related business recently (specifically painting 50+ boards of terrain for a 5 game tournament happening in April?!?!) but that's not to say I haven't been able to squeeze in a little hobby time for myself :)

 

I received my sanctuary bases from dragonforge earlier last week. I always buy my bases from dragonforge because I honestly feel they are the best quality on the market. I have never received a faulty base, nor a poor cast, nor even significant flash! Seriously consider them for your own basing needs :) Anyway, I'm not being paid by dragonforge so on with a pic...

 

 

Much better than my rubbish greenstuff ones!

 

Also, I've been working on my canoness. She's being constructed and sculpted from a number of different parts, which I can walk you through no problem.

 

The front:

 

 

I bought a warmachine model, Ashlynn D'Elyse, and chopped off her armoured 'high heels'. I also chopped her at the waist and removed the legs using my dremmel. I really like the way the cloak billows out from behind so I wanted to use that. I then took some Dark Eldar warrior legs, added the armoured high heels and pinned them under the cloak. I had to greenstuff the thighs from scratch, but you can't really see them because of the tabard, which is good. They weren't great :p

 

I then pinned a Dark Eldar torso, which I trimmed at the waist, to the cloak and legs and angled it in the pose I wanted. The arms are a combination of bits from the official canoness model, Dark Eldar arms and a Cadian commanders plasma pistol (space marine equivalents are a bit too large). Finally, I've been embellishing the armour with sculpted details. There are still quite a few I'd like to add, such as a rosarius, purity seals and a book, but I think she's coming along nicely.

 

The back:

 

 

Not much detail on the back. I just wanted to show you how the cape flows :) I'll be using the backpack you get with the canoness model, which has a burning brazier in its top. It's the fun little details that make a character model stand out I think :)

 

What would you guys like to see added?

 
 

[Barabbas Sogalon]

I haven't been through here for a while, so first I must say that the finished sisters look great. Second, how about adding a sabbat pattern helmet to the canoness? Another touch could be a chain of prayer beads somewhere on the model.

[Smurfben]

The prayer beads are a fantastic idea thanks! I have been sculpting the hair for her head so I won't be using a sabbat helm I'm afraid but don't worry, some sisters will have them!

[Knight of the Raven]

I'd suggest to magnetize her back... but then I seem to remember that jump packs are verboten for canonesses.

 

Her work in progress looks fantastic. I like that she has a 'mere' chainsword.

 

And I love the Dragon Forge bases as well. I never had any flash on them. I went back to using nothing but sand on my bases, but maybe one day I'll go back to them.

[Smurfben]

Hi Knight of the Raven, I'm glad you like her. Yeah, sadly the days of giving your canoness a jump pack are long gone :/ She'll be hanging round with a command squad loaded to the back teeth with heavy flamers instead :) The reason she has just a chainsword is that canonesses can get very expensive very quickly. I thought about giving her a power axe, but in the end it's just a bit much for a very mediocre character. I'm hoping the flamers and the plasma will make up for that!

[Aridene]

Great to see this project is still going. Great work Smurfben.

[MordentHex]

I know a old fella back home that would cry if he saw this, Great looking sisters dude!

[Smurfben]

Thank you all for the kind comments as always. I thought I'd post up a quick little 'Hi ho' just to let you all know the project is going strong still and the are more pictures on there way. I've managed to paint the flamer sister for the squad and I've all but finished off the sculpting on my canoness. I'll see if I can grab a few minutes tonight and take some snaps.

I've also made a start on converting the first of many repressors for the force. I think these vehicles are brilliant, and I'll be making good use of them in my army. I just need to get the top right.....lets see now

[Barabbas Sogalon]

Is a repressor the one with a plough at the front?

 

Can't wait to see the canoness finished.

[Sentinel Guy]

Dude we haven't spoken in ages.  Glad to see you're still knocking out some awesome figures.

[Smurfben]

Hi Barabbas, yes the repressor is the forgeworld variant for sisters of battle :) My dozer blade won't be as large I think :(

 

Hey Adam how are you? We should have a proper catch up sometime, maybe I could come and visit :)

 

I was able to take some snaps on my lunch break, which is nice. They're not the best but they'll give you guys some idea of where I am. First up is the flamer sister.

 

 

Here's the comparison shot with the heavy flamer. I'm happy with the proportions.

 

 

 

The backpack is a resin cast on this model and it didn't come out so well as you can see. Oh well, perhaps a solution will present itself soon and I can replace it.

 

Here's the Canoness...

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure I want to add much more in the way of detail to her, but then I'm always up for suggestions :)

 

[Sentinel Guy]

Hey Ben I'm good thanks. You are always welcome to pop on down for a visit mate (although you better bring a boat at the moment ). Maybe if I can grab a few days off of work I can come up and see ya. All I need to do is persuade 100+ middle aged women not to break their PC's for a week...

The sisters look sweet bye the way.

[Smurfben]

I've been working on the first of many repressors :) It's basically an immolator that I've raised ever so slightly to incorporate the fire ports. I'll be adding extra armour and a dozer blade from forgeworld and then I think she'll be all but done!

 

What do you think so far?

 

 

[Smurfben]

Hail brothers! I bring you the very latest in Sisters of Battle goodness! I have finished off my initial squad of 5 plastic sisters and I for one am delighted with the way they look! Now I have to build four more and add the priest and I'll have my first full strength squad.

 

 

 

 

 

So what do you think?? A couple of the next built will come with sabbat helms :)

[Barabbas Sogalon]

They are great! The superior's book is a characterful little detail. I really look forward to the sabbat helms!

[Smurfben]

Thank you Barabbas! I've been looking forwards to using the helms myself :p I've got a mold and it's working nicely :)

[Knight of the Raven]

They look wonderful.