Conanesque: A Fantasy Warrior Kitbash (update 5: February 2020)

Rogerbee wrote:Nicely done!

Thank you very much, Roger.

I was annoyed at not having done anything remotely creative lately (honestly, I haven't had the time, and I shouldn't have made any), so when a certain head sculpt from one parted out set and some pieces parted out from the CM Dragonborn set arrived, I just couldn't resist bashing together another fantasy warrior. I only ended up using the pants and fur-carrying belt from the Dragonborn warrior so far, besides the helmet, of course. Did the leather cuirass with craft leather and leather cord. For a quick simple bash I think it turned out ok.





What do you think?

For what it is worth (though this custom seems to get no love), if anyone is interested, the Dragonborn Warrior set has just been parted out by both Monkey Depot and (a little further back) Toy Anxiety.

Oh gosh, my bad... I think I missed this update. I actually think he looks great. That headsculpt is really, really nice and very handsome.  I'm not familiar with what the Dragonborn set is supposed to be, but what you did with this is great. I love the cuirass you made! I'm guessing you also made the footwear from the same materials?

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh gosh, my bad... I think I missed this update. I actually think he looks great. That headsculpt is really, really nice and very handsome.  I'm not familiar with what the Dragonborn set is supposed to be, but what you did with this is great. I love the cuirass you made! I'm guessing you also made the footwear from the same materials?

No problem. Figured as much, as you and Mark are usually pretty responsive and considerate
Thank you, glad that you liked him. I don't know who he is supposed to be, it's from the Soldier Story Medal of Honor Warfighter VooDoo Navy Seal Tier One Operator set SS106 (HERE). The hair styling (with the little ponytail on near the top of the back of the head that you can't see and the similar treatment to the beard) made me think he would be suitable for a fantasy premodern bash. The poor guy has scars, too, so definitely suitable for a warrior. If you do like the head, I believe you can find it at the usual places (or eBay) for a reasonable price. He could totally be a Jedi (or a Sith).

The cuirass is pretty basic (my first try) but I think it works ok, considering. The footwear is also my first attempt for a male TBLeague, and I wanted something a little more sturdy than what I had managed for my female fantasy warriors (those were flimsy and need some repairing by now). I used a pattern for making Roman socks (udones), although of course those were not meant for thick (in this scale) leather. Then some bindings, which are part wound, part tied, and part glued (but in such a way as to leave the foot removable). It ended up looking pretty messy and imperfect, but some of that is by design -- he's supposed to look barbaric and a little makeshift after all.

Ah, I never would have guessed where the head was from. It still throws me to see so many military guys with beards, lol. 

And the footwear definitely fits the barbarian vibe, so much so I almost didn't realize it was something you'd made and that hadn't just come with some kind of set until I looked more closely.

skywalkersaga wrote:Ah, I never would have guessed where the head was from. It still throws me to see so many military guys with beards, lol. 

And the footwear definitely fits the barbarian vibe, so much so I almost didn't realize it was something you'd made and that hadn't just come with some kind of set until I looked more closely.

So true, it looks odd to me too, but I suppose times they are a-changing...

And, Awww, flattery would get your everywhere... Thanks.

A couple more photos. Experimenting with my new computer and screen...

Experimenting to great effect! He just needs a furry hat and a cloak in that wintry climate, lol.

skywalkersaga wrote:Experimenting to great effect! He just needs a furry hat and a cloak in that wintry climate, lol.

LOL Very true... I think he was huddled up in a makeshift tent and when he woke up, it had snowed! He was awakened by the sound of footsteps crunching into the snow and rushed out sword in hand to confront the potential intruder. That's why he forgot his helmet and other stuff! Besides, he's too much man to let a little bit of cold bother him.

Really, I hadn't downloaded any photos on the new computer yet, and that was the first Microsoft Sign-In screen photo that I happened to find on it that was at all suitable.

LOL! Well, the backstory/explanation works for me.  

It really does look good though, and I'll be curious to see other backdrops as well. .

Sky's kind concern got him a makeshift cloak, and this time he didn't forget his helmet, as he tried to explore some ruins before sunset... (yes, I know about light direction, but we're trying to show a figure, you know... )

Another great custom, GubernatorFan. You really have a great eye for mixing parts from different figures together to create a brand new whole. Of course, then I end searching for some of these parts while my wallet calls me inappropriate names. Oh well.

Nekk-ra wrote:Another great custom, GubernatorFan. You really have a great eye for mixing parts from different figures together to create a brand new whole. Of course, then I end searching for some of these parts while my wallet calls me inappropriate names. Oh well.

Thank you very much, Nekk-ra, I'm glad you liked it. And if it inspires you to make your own kitbashes by stocking up on parts, I wish you well and apologize for any stress to your wallet. Seems like one has to keep an eye out and pounce on the rare deals (or no deals but items one really "has" to have). In my experience, helmets, swords, and sometimes boots tend to command the heftiest prices (the sword here was from an inexpensive letter-opener, thanks to shazzdan for showcasing it), the other items are often affordable enough to buy more than one at a time. This does influence what I buy and what I have available or have to make myself (as do various other factors), but sometimes some pieces just call out to you, right?

No love? Like the Skywalker, I saw this for the first time today.
Fortunately this is not Instagram and the post won't be drowned in the new feed as quickly.

Always nice to see some fantasy leatherwork,  that two coloured sandy brown vest is great and looks very universally useable. With bare manly arms in the cold or some hot sandy arena pit, I am sure it serves him well. 
What I like about the footwear, it covers the ankle joint, but still does not hide the toes.

An yes, soldier story has many nice unique headsculpts.

That's gorgeous! And I'm not getting so cold from looking at him now. 

The backdrop works really, really well, imo. Not sure if it's meant to depict a real place, but it resembles a fantasy-ized version of Dinas Bran...

Ovy wrote:Always nice to see some fantasy leatherwork,  that two coloured sandy brown vest is great and looks very universally useable. With bare manly arms in the cold or some hot sandy arena pit, I am sure it serves him well. 
What I like about the footwear, it covers the ankle joint, but still does not hide the toes.

An yes, soldier story has many nice unique headsculpts.

Thank you very much. My leatherwork cannot compete with that of some others (not least yours or the fantasy world of Ephiane), but I think it (almost) makes do for this character. The vest is loosely based on an ancient Greek cuirass, but in leather (supposedly there were some of those around, too). I wish the back part of the footwear didn't stick out as much (should have made a bigger cut out, probably), but otherwise I agree completely. In fact, believe it or not, I was thinking about you and your hatred of the few remaining exposed joints on TBLeague figures, when putting this together. Which is not to say I endeavored to cover all of them. But when I posted the penultimate photo above, I noticed the light had just hit that part of the body, and I thought to myself "Oh no, Ovy will see and hate that!" But then I resigned myself to my fate and placed my trust in knowing you are a better man than that.
Soldier Story, DAM, and MiniTimes are among my favorite companies when it comes to head sculpts from parted-out sets. Of course Hot Toys can achieve an even better quality and sometimes a better likeness, but with them we're pretty much stuck with big-name actors; nor are they infallible.  

skywalkersaga wrote:That's gorgeous! And I'm not getting so cold from looking at him now. 

The backdrop works really, really well, imo. Not sure if it's meant to depict a real place, but it resembles a fantasy-ized version of Dinas Bran...

Thank you, I'm very glad you liked it. And see how your wish is my command. With the exception of the occasional Star Wars backdrop, all my backgrounds are of real places or things -- whether printed or projected on the computer screen. I didn't catch or look up the name of this castle, but it is a real set of ruins somewhere in Europe (I think). The first one with this kitbash (with the gate tower) is on the Black Sea. Which is my excuse as for why the kitbashed warrior is so (relatively) neat and clean. He had just been washed... on an empty beach (cue U2 lyrics and tunes)... The three background images in recent photos are all from the Microsoft sign-in screens.

That's great they are real places -- even though it's a fantasy 'bash, still nice to see!

Now that you say it, yes, Hot Toys is bound to portray known actors. I mean, Soldier Story does actors too, but in a slightly different way. That Jake Gyllenhaal from End of Watch comes to mind. Who is not really Jake Gyllenhaal from End of Watch but a NYPD dog handler or something.

Hah and don't fear that I might come around the corner once you don't cover a joint. But I grew up in a world of seamless bodies so I might be a bit spoiled.

I really like that fur coat, the color completes the outfit.

By the way, I am sure he 'borrowed' his blade from some elf?


About the second castle:


It's Rocca Calascio in Italy.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocca_Calascio

Oh crap! How did I miss these?! I like your new character, Ian. Very cool. Nice job on all the clothing. The new fur looks good for your winter background. That head sculpt works perfectly for that pseudo fantasy/historical time period.

GubernatorFan wrote:A couple more photos. Experimenting with my new computer and screen...

That's a good use of the Orcrist keychain. It has a fair bit of weight so you need a figure with good arm and hand joints.

Ovy wrote:Hah and don't fear that I might come around the corner once you don't cover a joint. But I grew up in a world of seamless bodies so I might be a bit spoiled.

I really like that fur coat, the color completes the outfit. By the way, I am sure he 'borrowed' his blade from some elf?

About the second castle: It's Rocca Calascio in Italy.

Lucky you, grew up in a world of seamless bodies, did you?

The fur is not strictly speaking new. I had it lying around for reasons I forget, but I believe it has seen action before. For example here


and here (sorry about the image quality... it's Bronze Age!)


The sword (from a keychain letter-opener) is supposed to be from Lord of the Rings, but (if I recall correctly) belonged to Theoden, the king of Rohan.

And thank you for figuring out what actual castle this was. Did you just happen to know that or do you have ways to summon magic?

Stryker2011 wrote:Oh crap! How did I miss these?! I like your new character, Ian. Very cool. Nice job on all the clothing. The new fur looks good for your winter background. That head sculpt works perfectly for that pseudo fantasy/historical time period.

Thank you very much, Mark! Glad you like it. About the "new" fur, please see my response above -- just repurposing something you have seen before. Glad you agree about the suitability of the head sculpt. I think it is almost like the "Viking" sculpt they did for a modern urban PMC (or whatever it was).

shazzdan wrote:That's a good use of the Orcrist keychain. It has a fair bit of weight so you need a figure with good arm and hand joints.

Thank you very much, and for drawing my attention to it in the first place. Funny you should mention it, in certain poses, the sword would cause the hand sculpt to turn around its axis; since it was doing it fairly slowly, I was trying to snap the photo before it became too apparent; but in the end I was able to find a few positions where the weapon balanced well enough to stay static.[/quote]

He killed the puppy!    






LOL, jk... but still.... why u hurt the cute widdle puppeh.   

Poor, poor, Anubis. This guy is just mean.

skywalkersaga wrote:He killed the puppy!    LOL, jk... but still.... why u hurt the cute widdle puppeh.

Stryker2011 wrote:Poor, poor, Anubis. This guy is just mean.

Well, it goes something like this... "Puppy," as he is endearingly (or perhaps sarcastically) known to his "friends" is not the real, benevolent god Anubis, but an impostor, a rabid murderous Anubite that lays in wait for unsuspecting passers-by in caves and ruins, ambushes them, and shreds them to pieces just to satisfy his insatiable lust for blood and gore. But our man Manfred possessed just the right amount of caution, skill, and fast reflexes (or was it just luck) to slay the hellish fiend and triumph over evil... once again... The real Anubis will now get to see the murderous impostor get judged and punished for his crimes in the Afterlife.

See here:

"Rejoice, Anubis, thy honor has been avenged!"

Aww, well he can be forgiven in this instance. ;D

Fitting end. How sad is it that the statue’s head is bigger than the one that came with the figure...

Stryker2011 wrote:Fitting end. How sad is it that the statue’s head is bigger than the one that came with the figure...

I noticed the same thing, so crazy!