Porky models - Ork (1) - Shoota 1

So you've had plenty of time to think about that puzzle.

Here's the pic again - last chance.

So where could they be cut and how could the pieces be used?

This is how I chose to do it.

A summary of the pieces. The barrel of the shoota has been separated from the rest, and the muzzle from this in turn. The magazine has also been separated and reversed to allow space for the axe head. The head of the axe has been separated from the haft. The front part of the slugga has been separated from the rest and inverted. Keep everything not being used on principle - you never know when it might come in handy. (And we have a stikkbomb arm still to make.)

As you can probably see, I also cut the hand from the shoota arm. This hand is moulded so that the shoota points across the body, allowing a left hand to support the barrel if so desired. Given the way the new shoota is going, attempting to hold it like this would be a bad idea, even for an Ork. I cut some plastic from the newly-revealed surface of the hand so that the angle of the surface changed - when replaced on the wrist the hand points more along the line of the forearm.

After the second picture was taken I also realised that the pieces would not fit together in exactly the way I'd planned, so I then cut the axe head down, removing the binding and the furthest bolt from the haft on each side. One of the bolts would be used later, but I hadn't worked that out then. What this demonstrates is that even the best laid schemes o' squigs an' Orks gang aft agley and you have to be prepared to improvise.

I glued them together and got this.

And the reverse.

It's looking hefty by this point, and if the Ork can't support it for that axe blade, another solution will be needed. I contemplated an upgrade to a bionik arm, but balked. It will make a good individual project. For now a simple, generic shoulder strap.

For this strap I rolled out a thin strip of greenstuff with a width slightly less than the width of the shoota, then cut the long edges square. I didn't think to photograph it while it was being made, or from above when in place, so the front view isn't especially revealing. It looks far skinnier than in reality. The reverse view lower down the page gives a better sense. The extra span of greenstuff is a random cable, a bit of junkyard chic.

The shoulder strap may seem to be one strip, but is actually two, and dividing a long length like this is a good idea to allow you to concentrate on one section at a time. The meeting point is the shoulder - the link-up is a little lumpy, but that can be dealt with by a little cutting or scraping, or a simple shoulder pad. For the fixing points on the shoota itself small rolls of greenstuff of the width of the strap were added.

You might be able to see - through the haze of bad photography - the rough texture of the greenstuff on the underside of the strap. Someone hadn't been applying all he knew. As we learn from this great resource at From the Warp, there are ways to prevent greenstuff sticking - don't let it happen to you!

Turning to the cable, this was rolled from a small amount of greenstuff and then pulled tight a little for a smoother texture. The end in contact with the shoota was capped with one of the bolts mentioned earlier. The intention was to have the cable hanging more freely with support provided by the band of fabric tied around the forearm. Sadly I'd already shaped the strap to hang at a certain angle and at this angle the cable wouldn't naturally fall where I wanted it. To deal with this I simply shortened it and had it follow the hand and forearm. It's still leading to a battery pack and is still a cable, but it's less recognisable and the point is less obvious.

The reverse then.

Here you can see that the cable covered the gap remaining after the hand was reposed. I've fixed it under the arm for safekeeping. The greenstuff is flexible enough that when the arm is attached to a body, I should be able to cut the cable at the armpit and run it to a location on a strap or possibly the belt by an indirect route. I'll probably then need to fill the gap between hand and arm properly.

The greenstuff between slugga and axe head is filling the odd space left there. I smoothed the greenstuff out while it was still soft and then scraped it level when dry.

Well, that's it for now. A big, shooty, choppy shoota hammered together from bits and pieces. I'll likely go back to it after some time has passed to see what else might need doing. The muzzle could probably be better integrated. It could also do with a dangling totem or two to make it even less civilised. When it gets attached to a body there'll also be the strap link-up to cover and cable to line up.

I hope it gave you some ideas and inspired you to try something similar yourself, if only to prove how much better you can do it. If so, bear in mind today's warning.

Plenty of lessons for me, and not all of them related to the build itself. For example, I really needed to take more pictures - I didn't put myself in your position and imagine what you wouldn't see. A few too many words got used instead.

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Update: I've now gone back and added several elements. The muzzle has been slightly better integrated - there is now a step down between the surfaces. I have also added a second longer and thinner cable in the position I wanted the original by suggesting it's under tension. This time the arm end of the cable is not attached as the greenstuff of the first dried harder than I expected. There's also a tiny plate connecting the surfaces of the slugga and shoota and I've sharpened up the link between slugga and axe head on the reverse. Here are the pics, including an oblique view of the strap and a view from below.

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So what about that stikkbomb arm?

Today's visual puzzle is second level and requires you to deduct the parts used for the shoota from the three original arms. Here's that first picture again.

It's in there somewhere...