Building a Better Heldrake Part 2: Using the Tentacle Maker

Conversions are what happens when ideas meet plastic. Old School here to get into the second part of Building a Better Heldrake. This time, I want to show you how to crank this conversion into overdrive using a simple tool and some Green Stuff before I move onto the sculpting.

In the last post, I showed you the simple basics of the model as the plastic parts came together in hopes that others could attempt to make their own Heldrake conversions along this template if they want. This post is all about one tool - Green Stuff Industries' Tentacle Maker! As you can see in the photo above, the green stuff cables that I rolled out with the Tentacle Maker really fleshed out the midsection of the model.

For some reason this photo only published super huge, so it had to be constrained to be published. I am displaying it just to give you a top down look at the model.

My idea was to add a cable-style musculature, similar to the Juggernaugh,t to the creature to hold up the rotting flesh and bone of the rest of the model. I imagine that the Warpsmiths and the Sorcerers get together and make these things from machinery and human sacrifice, combined with dark rituals.

Overall, I am happy with the neck and the waist and I am now ready to add in some of the musculature around the legs and the shoulders.

I am excited to finish this model and get on to the painting stage. I think it will be a perfect future goth dragon for 40k.

Here is what I am working on for the base. Being part of a Word Bearers army, I like the idea of using the bigger bases to display ruined Imperial chapels and iconography.

Again, another constrained photo

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Green Stuff Industries. Without their SAW 050 or the other Tentacle Makers they provide, I would not be able to make conversions like this in a reasonable amount of time, if ever. I don't run ads here on DFG, but I do like to talk about quality products that I think work and this is one of the best tools for your money you will ever invest in.

With all that said, I will complete the modelling portion of this by the end of the weekend, along with a Tau commission I have in the wings right now.

Comments and feedback are always appreciated.