Finecast, Greenstuff and Mephiston

Welcome back citizens, this week aboard the Folly of War I take a look at Finecast and turn my hands to developing my sculpting skills. I finally took the plunge and invested in my fist Finecast miniature. For those of you who have been living in the eye of terror for the last year, Finecast is GW's all singing all dancing resin cast miniatures. There has been a lot (understatement of the year) of complaints about this new substance but I was willing to decide for myself about whether or not I liked it.


This is what my Mephiston would be based
on.

Firstly, the cost of Finecast is high. Compared to other miniature companies that use resin to cast their models (Privateer Press etc...) the cost of Finecast is huge. Now the model I wished to use was Astorath the Grim and he cost me £15. Even if I was using the whole of the miniature (I only needed the body for a Mephiston conversion) it is still steep. So far not impressed. Next up, Quality. GW prides itself on the on the quality of their products. Unfortunately, this particular model must have tip-toed by the quality control monkeys as the Jet Pack for the model had been obliterated by an air bubble. This was hugely disapointing as I expected the model to be fully formed (and gold plated at that price). There were also several other parts where the model had smaller bubbles and to top it off, the axe had snapped into. Things were not looking up and if it wasn't for the fact I did not need the pack I would have returned said model post haste. I am glad I didn't because something amazing happened...



His Jet Pack obviously over heated!



Having worked with metal miniatures for a long time conversion work with this material was (lets be honest) as painful as sawing your own leg off with a spoon. For my Mephiston conversion to work I had to made several modifications to Astoraths legs and feet. If I had been working with a metal mini I would be still sawing and pinning and not writing this. Finecast was a delight to work with and allowed me to repostion with the bare minimum of effort. On top of this when it came to painting the model I was amazed at the detail that could be seen on the model. Each muscular grove in the armour can be picked out with a brush meaning that washes and inks sit better on the model.

My final verdict... 5/10. If work shop can sort out the casting issues I don't mind paying for excellent quality models but I want excellent quality and air bubbles will not do. If you have had any problems or indeed successes comment below.

Disco Meph is in the house.

So on to Mephiston himself. I love Mephiston. He is possibly one of my favourite characters in 40k. The Vampire/Space Marine has got awesome rules and a fantastic back story. Nothing, not a thing could keep me from having him in the army...except when someone pointed out his current model looks like a 70's disco dance. I was not going to tolerate such a smear on Mephiston's honour. I would re-Vamp him (see what I did there... cause he is a Vampire and.. erhem). I knew that Astorath was the perfect stand in as he has the same armour but there was one tiny snag. Meph has a cloak and I have never sculpted anything larger than a playing card on a hat. So off I went into the warp (Internet) to find tips on how to make cloaks.

So here are some top tips on how to make a greenstuff cloak.

Tip one: Use vegetable oil! This kitchen cooking staple is great for working with the very sticky green stuff. I used to use water but found that it dried to quickly and I ended up with green stuff mess. I also lay the green stuff on cling film this allowed my to shape sheets of green stuff without leaving finger prints.

I first, needed to create a thin (2mm) sheet of green stuff, large enough, so that it is the same size as the model that will be having the cloak. I Smothered the green stuff in vegetable oil and pressed it flat between to sheets of plasticard. When I was happy with the shape I laid it flat on the cling film. Once the greenstuff had cured a little I chopped it into a triangle shape using an oil covered knife. Finally, to create the effect of flapping in the wind I used paint brushes.

Tip Two: If you over lay the paint brushes in an over and under pattern you can create a smooth finish.

Once the whole thing was dry I then attatched it to my newly converted Meph and Ta Dah...

And give us a twirl Meph...

 

Overall I am very happy with the out come. I feel that I have kept the style of the original model but updated him to match the current range of GW's Blood Angels. Well of I go into the warp, Mephiston leading the way. I can't wait to see him on the battlefield. Thats all from me this week so I'll see you soon.