Double Axe - where?

[Jon Potter]

I'm new to the miniatures board and to painting minis in general, but a Warhammer 40K enthusiast took it upon himself to turn me on to painting minis and it worked. I've thus far done one fig (for use as my D&D PC) and the results were decent enough that I want to do another.

My current PC uses an orcish double axe and I can find nothing to match this. Has anyone else seen one somewhere that they can point me towards? The kicker here is that my PC is human which adds an additional wrinkle. I'm not averse to doing a conversion (transplanting a head, weapon, etc.) although I've never tried and I might be biting off more than I can reasonably chew.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jdvn1]

I ran into the same problem before. The only mini with an ODA I've ever seen is a plastic D&D mini. The Eye of Gruumsh.

 

[Davelozzi]

Dwarven Forge makes an orc leader with a double axe, though I don't know how easy it'd be to convert him to human. You might have to swap the head (& feet) out entirely.

 

[D'karr]

You might want to take a miniature with a polearm like the Reaper Warlord Templars below and get a weapons pack with axes and do a conversion by removing the polearm blades and replacing them with axe heads.

That conversion would be easier than removing heads.

 

[Jon Potter]

Well, no luck finding an ODA-weilding mini that is appropriate (But thanks Davelozzi for posting that Dwarven Forge fig). And D'karr, those polearm Templars were a consideration, but they're just too heavily armored; my guy wears leather.

So... I've opted to do a conversion using the Games Workshop bits that I've attached to this email. I've never done a conversion, but hopefully it'll end up looking similar to my Photoshop-ed image.

The pieces parts are due to arrive on my doorstep tomorrow and then I'll get started.

 

[Drachenherz]

Interesting...

Let me know if you need some help. I do conversions all the time. Good fortune!

 

[Jon Potter]

Let me know if you need some help. I do conversions all the time.

Well, I'd certainly appreciate any pointers you'd care to share. My understanding of the conversion process is that it should go something like this:

1) clean and prep the pieces (removing any flash, etc.)
2) snip the axes below the head and the staff at the approrpiate places
3) file the surfaces
4) drill pin holes in the axe heads and the staff using my little hand drill (Admittedly, this is the part that I'm the most nervous about. Drilling lengthwise into that staff seems daunting.)
5) snip a paper clip to make the proper-sized pins
6) test for fit and make any needed corrections to the pins/holes
7) use a little superglue (or JB Weld, as another thread suggested) to hold the pieces together
8) let dry overnight and proceed as I would with a normal out-of-the-box mini*

Clearly this is a simplification, but am I on the right track? Would you do things differently?

*Yes, I did take a look at the GW website and realize that the mini itself comes in two pieces, but I'm less worried about pinning the arms on the torso than I am about converting that staff.

 

[Drachenherz]

OK, the drilling into the shaft is far easier if you use something to start a guide-hole. I use an etching stylus and eyeball the positioning to get as close to centerline as possible, tap or press firmly to start a hole, then drill. For something this thin, do NOT use a paperclip. Go to a hobby store and get some thin steel wire, @ the same thickness as the antenna wires issued with BattleTech minis (approx. #72 drillbit size) and find some good, tough, wirecutters. You should only need @ 1/4 inch of wire at most, but more is OK. Drill into the axeheads @ half way, and then into the shaft the rest of the way. When this is done, you're ready to start with the gluing. I'd suggest thick gel super glue rather than JB Weld or other epoxy types, since it is far easier to use and the glue can be squirted down the shaft or placed directly on the wire, which is then inserted. Let me know how this turns out.

 

[Jon Potter]

Let me know how this turns out.

Thanks for the advice. It'll probably save me some heartache!

Bad news on the conversion front is that the mini I chose is currently on its third round of back-ordering and was not included in the package with my paints, etc. I should have it about 2 weeks.

According to customer service it's Games Workshop's most popular mini of the year. Who knew?

 

[Drachenherz]

Here's an idea: Go to the Reaper Miniatures website and order a weapons pack plus whatever figure fits your character best. The axehead which best fits the lok of that which you ordered is in Weapons Pack 2; you can order individual sprues through the Boneyard section of their online store. Here is the link to their site: www.ReaperMini.com. Good luck!

Hate to tell you, but GW is always late with backorders and special orders, in my experience, and a good 50% of the time they send the wrong items!