What model should I use for the CSM exalted champion?

[robmisrov]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the hobby and I need help with a chaos space marine army I want to build. One of the HQ I want is the exalted champion but I don't know what model is needed for him. Maybe I can use a chosen model?

 

Also can I physically build a dual plasma pistol chaos lord or aspiring champion? For example, is there a left hand plasma pistol and a right hand plasma pistol in a chaos space marine box, or modding and spare parts are needed?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Kindest regards.

[Grotsmasha]

Iirc, Varak Tattersoul is the Aspiring Champion from the Dark Vengeance box set, and you should he able to find him pretty cheap on eBay. He *might* be available separately from GW?

 

Cheers,

Jono

[robmisrov]

Thanks, you are right, it is sold in the troops section, separately or in a box that have him and 10 cultists. It seems he is a 1 pose only model (a right hand power axe and a left hand combat knife) and I want to give him a powersword so it can be converted to the MurderSword relic and a bolt pistol.

 

I get him and try to find a chaos spacemarine or chosen right arm with a powersword and cut it by the forearm and cut the aspiring champion by the forearm too and glue the powersword in him? Or I buy a chosen box and hope that you can build a chosen with powersword and boltpistol directly from the sprue that come in the box?

 

Thanks again in advance, I'm totally lost on how you actually build the models with the exact weapon combinations you have in the list you want to make.

[Grotsmasha]

The best thing I can suggest is to spend a little money now on getting the right tools. Get everything you can from a hardware store rather than GW, the tools will be as good but cheaper. You'll need a knife that has replaceable blades, clippers, a pin vice drill and some small wire to match your drill bits (1mm) is fine for most weapon swaps.

Clip the bulk of the sword off, but leave a small amount of it against the Hand which you will trim off with your hobby knife. Then drill a small hole, depth depends on the thickness of the sword, into the sword hilt that you wish to attach. Drill a deeper hole centred into the hand. Using super glue, glue to he pin into the sword and allow to dry. Once dry trim the pin so it fits fully into the hand but has a much length as possible. Then add superglue to the pin and plastic cement AROUND but not in the hole in the hand. Position the sword so that it is straight, and centred. You may need to hold it a moment before the glues will hold it true.

Rinse and repeat without the pinning for a pistol, there's a lot more area for the glue to provide a good bond.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[robmisrov]

Thanks for your wise words, I will follow your advice.

 

Happy new year.

[Khornestar]

Seeing as how over time I've bought like 10 of this one model, I thought I'd chime in a bit too. First, Grotsmasha offers some great advice.

 

Second... well, a list:

 

1.) There is unfortunately no Chosen box, short of buying the Dark Vengeance starter set. The Chaos Lord there has a power sword, but it doesn't make good conversion fodder due to the contact points. Too much work to be a starter project, IMO. However, rather than cutting the beautiful model apart... you could just use him as an Aspiring Champion. Yes, as part of the boxed set's narrative he's supposed to be a Chaos Lord, but there's no reason you can't use models interchangeably for different roles. He's more or less already ready to go. He can be had for ~$10 U.S. on eBay. If you really wanted to, you could cut off his plasma pistol and replace it with a bolt pistol easily:

 

2.) If you don't have a problem with the pose of the Aspiring Champion, you can just clip the axe away and replace it with a sword. See my Word Bearers praetor as an example:

 

3.) For what it's worth, if you don't "need" him to be pointing/holding a pistol, there is one holstered on his left hip. For purposes of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) on a model, it could be satisfactory.

 

4.) When you're building a model, swapping out gear becomes easier or more difficult depending on the parts you're using. Historically, for units with power armor (space marines, chaos space marines, grey knights, etc.), they've come in different parts that all fit with each other. For example, a Blood Angel's head will fit in the torso of a Dark Angel, you can attach the torso to a Space Wolf's legs, and toss on some Chaos Space Marine arms and it all meshes together well (more or less). Nowadays, the newer kits are not designed to be modular like that. They're designed in such a way that there's more or less only one way to assemble a given model. Therefore, unless you go out of your way to cut the models up, use sculpting putty to fill in the gaps and such, you can't "easily" mix and match any more.

 

5.) Some people who REALLY want to represent the gear they have in their list will magnetize the models so you can swap stuff out interchangeably. This is usually easy if you use the older models/parts. For example, you glue a magnet in the shoulder socket of an arm holding an axe and in the torso where the arm connects. Then, if in the next game you want him to have a sword, you have an arm holding a sword magnetized as well. You just pull one off and replace it with the other. This is more work in the sense that you have to paint extra arms and stuff, but not really a huge deal and once you get the hang of it isn't all that difficult, either.

 

6.) I would humbly point out that, unless you're going to some crazy WYSIWYG tournament, you don't always have to represent the model's gear exactly. For example, I think as long as you told your opponent, "This dude has the Murder Sword," then it would be cool to just have him holding a power axe or something. That being said, I do find it fun and satisfying to chop models up and give them a unique look, so the extra work is worth it. Just food for thought!

Edited December 30, 2017 by Juggernut

[robmisrov]

Thanks for your detailed explanation Juggernut, I'm truly lost in the modding/kitbashing part of the hobby. I though about the chaos lord option you give me, but the elaborate cape he has is to much classy for an exalted champion. I will try to build someone like your awesome Word Bearers praetor but only replacing the poweraxe with some fancy powersword (its perfect he has the holstered pistol on his left hip, thanks for pointing it out).

 

Also, thanks for the magnets tip i will try to build a hellbrute with all possible weapon options magnetized, but first I need to buy the proper tools and use the drilling/pinning technique from Grotsmasha.

 

Thanks for your time and experience Juggernut and Grotsmasha, I feel motivated now to start my project.

 

Cheers

[Khornestar]

Good luck, be sure to take lots of pictures and show us your work!

[Leonite]

While a bit late to chime on this: Keep the Axe after you take it off. That's a REALLY good axe, my juggerlord uses it.

[Closet Skeleton]

The Raptors kit has plasma pistols of left and right handed varieties.

[robmisrov]

Thanks for the info on plasma pistols Closet Skeleton.

 

Happy new year.

[MaliGn]

Just to add that the champion model has a combi melt attached to his backpack that you may not want to equip him with so you may want to source an extra backpack from somewhere

[TwinOcted]

It's worth pointing out that both of Tattersoul's arms are separate from the body, and can be replaced with almost any Marine arms easily.

[robmisrov]

Just to add that the champion model has a combi melt attached to his backpack that you may not want to equip him with so you may want to source an extra backpack from somewhere

 

You are right, I have just check the sprue photo in GW online shop, Can I put any chaos spacemarine backpack in him?

 

Other solution is cutting the little ammo that comes out of the weapon and painting it like an old rusty weapon, then I can say it's a trophy from the past or something.

[robmisrov]

Thanks for the tip TwinOcted I will look for a fancy powersword arm, maybe one from the raptors kit if it fits and looks well, because I need raptors anyway and I don't need the powersword on the raptor champion.

 

Cheers to everyone.

[MaliGn]

 

 

Just to add that the champion model has a combi melt attached to his backpack that you may not want to equip him with so you may want to source an extra backpack from somewhere

You are right, I have just check the sprue photo in GW online shop, Can I put any chaos spacemarine backpack in him?

 

Other solution is cutting the little ammo that comes out of the weapon and painting it like an old rusty weapon, then I can say it's a trophy from the past or something.

When I switched his backpack I had to use a small piece of sprue as a spacer for his new one if I remember rightly, but then I used a custom backpack made of a black templates one and some helstrider legs from AoS....