[Inquisitor Dionzi]

{Edit} 10/24/2012
Hi everyone,

For all of you here on the Conclave, I want to let you know that SkyFall Miniatures is now up and running in London, Ontario, Canada. I'm still in the process of designing miniatures, but I am opening my manufacturing facilities to custom moulding and casting requests. I am looking for a web-designer and graphics designer for www[dot]skyfallminiatures[dot]com.

For those who are wondering, I am equipped with a functioning vacuum chamber, and as such can mould/cast most things. I also use a silicone rubber that allows me to cast low-melt metals.

I can be contacted through PM or via my e-mail as posted on my profile here at the 'Clave.  I look forward to working with all of you, and providing you with high-quality resin castings for all your hobbying needs!

Best,

Dionzi

*** ** ***

So, basically I'm aiming for a traitor Inquisitor who bound a portion of daemonette of Slaanesh into herself...and is mutating.

Aiming for a big claw on the left hand (like a scythe), clawed right hand, MIU psycannon, left foot booted, right foot monstrous, and tattered trousers, with chitin sorta sprouting all about.

In-game, apart from my own Inquisitorial Machinations, I imagine this mini can be used as a daemonhost/daemonette/unbound daemonhost, a mutant, a really-bizarrely modded Techpriest, or anything else. I'd like your feedback as to whether you think this would go across well as a mini for the community: as I sculpt her, I think she'd be fine as a basic mini for even an Eldar or female Inquisitor, as long as some judicious re-sculpting is done.

Will post as things develop - I'm working on the boot and face now. The MIU psycannon will be tough, check out the development sketch. I'll update the sketches too.


/Dionzi

[Shannow]

Glad this monstrosity/woman is back! Really looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

I particularly like the motion in the model, at the moment it definitely looks in pain...

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

Thanks Shannow - Shaiyleigh's been...10 years in the sculpting! She was originally supposed to be an ephemeral character, but I've decided it'd be cool to see her on the gaming table. I hope to get this sculpt done soon...I have a couple commissions I've gotta finish, so I'll be working on her in between drying times for my ProCreate. 

Ugh. I hope I never have to solder another armature together.

FYI: in the composite photo, you'll see a figure study that I did to get the positioning of the joints correct, as well as the motion/posture of the musculoskeletal system; 3 different concepts for her claws and some development for the chitin on her right thigh; two designs for the armature itself, and the outline for the sculpt of her face (good thing I found that, actually...). I also mucked about with putting chitin *over* her chest, but I know gamers and that wouldn't have gone over well [].

Three concepts for MIU psycannon as well as firing arcs and positioning on the miniature proper. The B&W photo beneath with chunks cut out is a former WIP shot, before I realized her head was too small for her body (ugh!), and I'd chopped off the claw so I could redesign it.

[MarcoSkoll]

I, too, am looking forward to progress on this one.

I have one request though. Is it possible to get a ruler measurement or scale shot? I'm trying to work out just how big this gal is...

Ugh. I hope I never have to solder another armature together.

I'm interested as to why... I'm a self admitted Teflon solderer (in other words, completely non-stick), but soldering armatures still doesn't feel like any great chore.

Although, I do tend to "cheat" with armatures where soldering them is only a formality - a single loop in an upside down Y shape (arm wires come later). The only soldering, if you can be bothered, is a dab at the split of the Y to stop it levering open - but as long as you're not clumsy while bulking out the first stage of the pelvis, the putty can hold it well enough too.

...before I realized her head was too small for her body (ugh!)

Perhaps the angle isn't showing it, but the scale of that head looks pretty good to me.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

Oioi.

She's precisely, from heel to tip of head, 54mm. Because she's up on the ball of one foot, she stands about 57mm in length, and from the top of the base to top of head, about 53mm.

When I soldered her armature (in 2001!) I tried to use a combination of a 25w iron and a butane soldering torch. I set my desk on fire and melted my keyboard.  I'm trying to figure out a better way of making armatures (GSGav and I had a project addressing that issue that sorta...fizzled...because I was writing a seminar paper [50pgs for those not in academia] on the influence of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky on the evolution of Soviet Russia's imagery campaigns...).

Yeah, the head is foreshortened, so it looks right :S So what I'm doing now is building it back up to the proper scale, and hopefully with the proper detail too.

/Dio

[MarcoSkoll]

How odd. I would've had her as a taller model, but I guess it's just tricks of proportion.

I tried to use a combination of a 25w iron and a butane soldering torch. I set my desk on fire and melted my keyboard.

I'm not exactly surprised.

Surprised you were using a soldering torch for soldering tiny fragments of wire, yes. Surprised you set your desk on fire when you did, no.

Soldering torches are designed for soldering copper pipe (basically a huge heatsink) together, so the flame temperatures are something like 1300 degrees C. For comparison, most electronics scale soldering (armatures included) is done in the range of about 200 degrees. The soldering iron alone should have been just fine.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

In my defense, I was 10 years younger, and it was a butane torch (with a 0.7cm flame), not a propane torch. I miss those days. I could be stupid and get away with it. Not so much any more.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

As an update: I'm resculpting Shaiyleigh's face for the 4th time; her right arm is sculpted and attached (and fixed); her feet be finished; I will be cutting apart her right hamstring & buttock and resculpting it; and I am in the process of sculpting the shoulder-mounted MIU psycannon from scratch.

Any suggestions on how I should make the mount on her shoulder?  Any preferences on weapon design from the sketches above?

And by the way, my compy's wonkied, so I'll upload pictures when I can.

[Dolnikan]

I like the design in the middle drawing.

[Heroka Vendile]

That's looking great so far, can't wait for the finished product.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

Here's a couple photos from the promised update

[Shannow]

Excellent stuff! In particular her face looks very good, can't wait to see the finished painted version!

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

Thanks Shan!  I'm going to be cutting off her face and her right hamstring because, to me, they don't look quite right. 

As far as painting goes, I'm heading in to Toronto Friday afternoon next week (before 3 days of teaching the game "Go" to some 23,000 people) to get some semi-clear silicone rubber for mold making and some aluminium-fill polyurethane resin: I'm gonna make me some *real* minis

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

Hi Everyone!

Greenstuff Gav, me ol' matey, suggested I cut off Shaiyleigh's face and resculpt it.  This is attempt #5, phase 1. Phase 2 will involve putting her eyeballs in and sculpting her lush, full lips.

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

So...I'm disappointed with the new sculpt for Shaiyleigh's head/face. So...guess what. I cut her off at the neck!

And then I spent four hours accumulating faciomusculo-anatomical research material. Dammit, I'm gonna get her face right this time.