Project Log: The Emperor's Champion, Part 1

Magnus Romero, The Emperor's Champion was one of the first models I had painted for my Black Templars when I began collecting the army back around 2001. As much as I love this model, it's starting to show its age, and its time to upgrade him to Primaris status.

 

I had a second model that I was intending to convert into a more dynamic pose. I cut it up with a jeweler's saw, preserving the important parts like the shoulder pads, head, sword, and the one leg greave that wasn't covered by the cloak. The play was to use these pieces and parts from plastic marines to rebuild the body. This is as far as I got:

 

This time around, I'm using parts from the Primaris models in the 8th Edition starter box, and the essential bits to recreate the model. I'm going to attempt an Inq28 style on this and keep things gritty and covered with detail.

 

I spent a fair amount of time deciding which parts would work best. I bounced between the ancient (standard bearer) and the lieutenants, and eventually settled on the lieutenant with power sword. (I'm still undecided on the arms; they'll come into focus once the legs and torso are posed.)

 

I trimmed off the artifact on his belt, and scraped the wings off the breastplate. I'll be sculpting a cloth tabard, so that purity seal might have to be moved, but that will come later.

 

I trimmed the tops of the knees so I could sculpt greaves closer to the original champion.

 

I used green stuff modeling putty to cover and smooth over the leg detail. The edges were trimmed a little, but I wasn't too concerned with the "sharpness" because they would be covered with another layer of putty and rivets.

 

To sculpt the trim, I used brown stuff putty, which is a little easier to control, and cures harder. Once it was fully cured, I cut rivets from a thin styrene rod and fixed them in place with superglue.

 

I touched up the thigh with more putty, and sculpted the cross on the left shin guard. For the skull in the middle, I sliced a skull off the back of a marine's hand and glued it in position.

 

I glued the right leg on and now the pose is taking shape. Since the holster is empty, I'll have his pistol in one hand, and the black sword in the other.

 

I started making the tabard by rolling some green stuff putty out on a flat plastic surface.

 

Once it was cured, I thought that I could flex and fold it into position. However, while it's was pretty flexible, I couldn't get it to hold its shape, or get any tight folds in it. So it looks like I'll have to go back to the drawing board on this one.

 

'Til next time!