Tuesday 22 January 2019

Strontium Dogs - Hornby Toad

I really enjoy making figures, but I particularly enjoy making figures that are completely unplanned. A week or so back, Jason Fulford, keeper of the excellent Rogue Heresy blog sent me some junk Rogue Trader and Judge Dredd figures. The figures had clearly been donors for other conversion projects and were variously headless or weaponless - perfect conversion fodder.

Included in the group was a headless One Eye Schumaen from the Judge Dredd perps range, who ordinarily looks like this:


It just so happened that also on my desk I had the chaos toad familiar, which had just snapped at the ankles, and a damaged Blood Bowl human kicker. If you put all 3 figures together, you end up with something like this:



I envisage Hornby Toad (name courtesy of cheetor) as a rather unpleasant, miserable mutant - perhaps he has a pervading swampy odour and questionable morals. Nevertheless, he's yet another Search/Destroy agent scrapping to make some money and stay alive in the bounty hunting game.

Hornby Toad encounters the human-mutie criminal collective known as the 
Star Lane Space Pirates at one of their strongholds.

[The lovely scrap fort walls in the picture above are from a forthcoming Kickstarter from Fogou Models. I'll be taking some more pictures and showing some details in a future blog.]

I went for a range of blues for Hornby, with a pale greenish skin. It's not often I go for a colour scheme with such a limited number of colours, and it was fun to make all of the blues work alongside each other.





Hopefully he'll see action with (or against) Johnny Alpha in some games soon!


23 comments:

  1. I don't know how you push it further with each conversion, but you manage to. I'm in awe. Can't wait to see him on the table.

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    1. One day I suspect I'll run out of ideas. Hopefully at that point I will have made every figure I need for gaming though :)

      Cheers Tom!

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  2. Another great conversion bringing broken or incomplete figures back or using them in conversions is a worthy activity in and of itself never mind how cool your's are.

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    1. I totally agree, it's so much more satisfying to save a junk figure :)

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  3. Very inspiring, as always - the 2000 AD range is where many of my own recent custom jobs have come from. For me it all started when a slightly older friend was cleaning out his collection to sell on Ebay, and I was handed a Riot Judge with a squashed head and asked if I could make something out of it.

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    1. Those riot judges are great figures too! They're neutral enough to have potential in a huge variety of settings.

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  4. I have almost zero knowledge of the Dredd range of minis, but every conversion you do of on them makes me want know more. He looks ace Jon! Well done on yet another top conversion :)

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    1. The Dredd minis are well worth looking at. OK, some of them are too distinctive, and others are a little odd looking or have exaggerated features. But many of them are ripe for repurposing as RT scum or civilians.

      Thanks Shane!

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    1. Simple but effective I think! Thanks very much.

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  6. You know it's right when you could swear you saw the character in the comics.

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    1. Perhaps you did see him? I can't guarantee I didn't copy the concept subconsciously :)

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  7. That is very nicely done. He reminds me of Puddleglum from C.S. Lewis' 'The Silver Chair'!

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    1. I'd completely forgotten about Puddleglum - it's been years since I read that book. He's a little shorter though ;)

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    2. Ha ha yes! For me it was the combination of the expression on his face, the skin colour and the feet that did it!

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  8. I can't think of anyone better suited than you to get a gift of some unloved 80s miniature parts.

    Great combination of parts, as always.

    The limited palette is a great way to give that old four colour, 1980s print finish that I associate with classic 2000AD.

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    1. Unloved 80s miniature parts are always welcome here! Glad he hit the authentic period vibe :D

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  9. Saw this on facebook, another fun conversion. I've only tried to limit my palette once. It was interesting.

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    1. Thanks Sean. Funnily enough, I painted this guy in a terracotta suit to start with and it looked awful. Switching it to blue just suddenly made the colour scheme work.

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  10. Proof that sometimes less is more when it comes to conversions. Good work from sculpting to final paint job.

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    1. Sometimes the simple, easy conversions are most satisfying. Thanks!

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