Screaming Skull Catapult Kitbash, Part 1

For this project, I'm combining the Ossiarch Bonereapers Mortek Crawler with parts from the Tomb Kings Screaming Skull Catapult to create a better-looking war machine. 

 

 

The reason for this kitbash (other than the fact that I'm attempting to convert every model in this army) is that I don't think the official catapult is substantial enough, and I'm not a fan of the skeletal serpent-things it's mounted on. Now, I've made no secret of my dislike of the Bonereapers' aesthetic, but the The Mortek Crawler has a lot going for it. I really dig the rib cage on the sides, the long bony throwing arm and its counterweight, and the giant pelvis-like platform with its skull pile. Plus, it's huge– The throwing arm reaches almost twice the height when vertical.

 

 

The Crawler's body is much too long for the catapult base, however. Obviously, the little Tyranid-feet have to go and I can get it to fit on the 60mm x 100mm base by cutting off the front portion. (I'll get to that later.) 

 

 

Since I'm ditching the feet, the machine needs another way to get around. I play with the idea of adding wheels (the plastic wheels are from a Tomb Kings chariot and the large bone wheels are from the old Arkhan the Black chariot. They fit on the machine surprisingly well, but look a bit out of place and leave too much room underneath. In the end, I decide to have the machine resting on the ground– Most war machines are built in place anyway, so that's not entirely uncharacteristic. 

 

 

On to the actual construction! While the top of the platform has a nice-looking pile of skulls, there's a weird "vortex" happening underneath. That needs to be addressed.

 

 

And the large skull seems to be growing out of the platform. The principle behind the Ossiarch Bonereapers aesthetic, as I see it, is that the constructs are not naturally-occurring anatomy. Rather, they are "fabricated" out of bone matter– Sort of like bone nanites that form together to create various shapes. The The Ossiarch wizards pull apart actual bones and reshape the matter (at the molecular level?) into new configurations. So, we've got this skull formed as part of the machine, with the small skulls being pulled out of the material of the larger construct. I mean, I guess that's what's happening here?

 

 

My goal is to make this machine look like it has been "constructed" rather than "molecularly fabricated," so I'm re-sculpting any odd-looking joins and adding bandage ties to bind the different parts together.

 
I start by cutting away the base of the skull where it connects with the platform, and scrape off much of the detail on the underside.

 

 

Next, I use Aves Apoxie Sculpt to form the cranium and reshape the underside of the platform to make everything symmetrical. 

 

 

 

The throwing arm also gets a major overhaul. I remove the ribbing and spiny protrusions and cut the arm apart. I carve the end of the bottom portion to resemble a "normal" bone, and turn it sideways to sandwich it between the two upper segments. Those are extended and reshaped with some putty.

 

 

Since I've effectively shortened the arm, I reconnect the claw with some floral wire, and extend it back to the original length.

 

 

The side rails of the machine's frame have these finger-like protrusions forming a ladder.

 

 

I cut those off and carve the center of the long part to look like it is two bones connecting in the middle.

 

 

When I began this project, I wasn't exactly sure how everything was going to come together, so I held off on making any major cuts until I was sure of the direction I wanted to take. At this point in the kitbash, I've got a much stronger picture of how everything is going, so I can safely chop off the front end of the Crawler's sides.

 

 

I glue the side rails in place...

 

 

...and smooth over the joins with putty. I also shave off the spiny ribbing on the vertical post and reshape the bottom. I leave that tab at the bottom because it is the contact point on the base and helps the machine sit level.

 

 

With all of the structural bones reshaped, I begin sculpting the wrappings over top. For this, I use brown Kneadatite putty. It's a little easier to control than the Aves, and I can get sharper detail with it.

 

 

Now it's time to start combining some of the details from the Screaming Skull– I cut the mummies free from their posts and carve out the back, leaving a gap where the post used to be and preserving as much of the bandages as I can.

 

 

This allows me to press the mummy onto the new catapult's post:

 

 

I need to take care with their positioning, because there's not a lot of clearance for the throwing arm. Luckily, they both fit.

 

 

With the mummies glued in place, I begin sculpting the bindings that tie them to the machine. I extend the wrappings from the mummies' bodies, and add a few more where the bones connect at the top and bottom. 

 

 

In part two, I'll fit everything together and begin working out some of the more mechanical details of the machine's operation.

 
'Til next time!