A quick interruption to the theme of Neglected Models today, but I had so much fun making Gor Halfhorn, and the model was so well received, that I decided to try my hand at making my own version of Grendl Grendlsen. As with Gor I’m actually quite taken with the official model but there’s no way I can afford all of the Necromunda heroes that I like the look of, and as I have the bits to make Grendl available I decided to give it a shot.
Gor has a lot of characteristics that make him stand out, characteristics which can then be played upon to make a kitbash that is recognisably him. Grendl on the other hand is pretty much a generic squat – the excitement comes from the fact that he’s a squat at all, particularly in an era when the term is associated more with a race being canned than with the space dwarves themselves. Needless to say this made the task of recreating him that much harder as there were fewer obvious traits to copy. Here’s how he looked on the first attempt.
Overall there’s nothing especially wrong with him but I still wasn’t terribly happy. He may have Grendl’s gear but he still just looks like a generic squat, plus the way he’s holding his weapons blocks his face from in front, making him look defensive and weak rather than bold and strong. Time to try making a few adjustments, including making a head that’s more reminiscent of the official Grendl. Of course this did involve cutting two tiny heads in half and splicing them together, undoubtedly the hobby activity most likely to wrack my nerves and bring me out in a cold sweat.
Before becoming trapped on Necromunda following the assassination of his liege, the Rogue Trader Constant Gerrit, Grendl was a banner-jarl of the Vega Rams mercenary company. Having spliced on the new helmet I was intending to shave off the Imperial Guard insignia but, after consideration, decided to leave it as a nice visual reference to his heritage amongst the soldiers of the Imperium.
I feel this second version is definitely an improvement, although I may still make a few more tweaks before I paint him so if you have any feedback I’m all ears.
Convert or Die 
May 23rd, 2018 at 9:16 am
Looking good mate – the head of that hammer is still a bit in the way though… any wiggle room on that?
May 23rd, 2018 at 5:36 pm
You know, I was really hoping that the hammer was just a case of me looking at it too long and that other people wouldn’t see it. Ho hum – looks like he’s going to need a tweak there then. The trouble is the whole arm will probably need adjusting and the way the Kharadron arms are sculpted that won’t be an easy case of snipping off the hand and turning it. Somewhere, I’m convinced, I have another arm which might just have a better angle, if only I can find the damn thing – otherwise this might be a case for greenstuff. Right, thanks for convincing me, come on Grendl – let’s get your arm off..!
May 23rd, 2018 at 5:52 pm
I’m sure you will pull it off nicely. I meant the conversion, not poor Grendl’s arm, haha!
May 23rd, 2018 at 11:04 pm
I reckon it’ll be worth it dude… or could even try moving the hammer further down in his grip so the head of the hammer is lower?
May 23rd, 2018 at 3:11 pm
Nice job! I hope you keep doing more bounty hunters, it’s really fun to see what you come up with.
The hammer does look a little awkward still, but it might be the pictures, I would maybe try to move his arm a little lower and/or move his grip on the weapon a bit higher. Alternately, I would have him holding the hammer with the butt on the ground. I feel the pose on the original model is slightly wonky too, it’s just something to do with the hammer.
Love the helm with goggles though. The work on that was probably a major pain in the ass, but made him instantly recognizable as Grendl!
May 23rd, 2018 at 5:41 pm
Cheers! Nah, it’s not the pictures unfortunately (see my reply to Alex above), the hammer arm just needs fixed. I knew about it but I convinced myself I’d just been staring at him too long and that other people wouldn’t see it. Alas that was wishful thinking at its finest.
I’ll definitely keep doing bounty hunters. I really like the look of Eyros Slagmyst and I don’t think I can do him justice, so at some point I’ll probably just buy him. I don’t like Belladonna at all though, which of course get’s me thinking about how she could be done better, so maybe she’ll be the next one.
And yes, making the head was nerve-wracking but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. All the more reason not to drop the ball with the hammer now!
May 23rd, 2018 at 5:54 pm
Eyros is pretty sweet. Him and cyber pup are probably my two fave. I have the first set (minus Gor), and like Mad Dog Mono. Yolanda is not bad, and could be pretty cool with the right color scheme. When I’ll get around to painting any of them though, ugh!
May 23rd, 2018 at 7:56 pm
Aye, I do like that set as well actually, and three for the price of one is a fairly appealing bargain, so I’ll probably pick them up myself at some stage. As you say though the “to paint” pile is still of Everest-like proportions…
May 23rd, 2018 at 8:06 pm
On the topic of cyber pups, I just saw a conversion you did using Gryphhounds. I don’t know the size of those, but they might make a good body for a cyber pup? There has to be some good mastiff minis out there, but I’m not finding anything too inspiring at the moment. The Reaper Bones Hell Hounds might work, but I hate taking chances with the Bones plastic.
May 24th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Hmmm… Yeah, the Reaper Bones Hellhound looks a bit too much like a hellhound for my liking (which is fair enough really) and good mastiffs are hard to come by at the moment. I think I’ve seen people use the Guild Hounds from Wyrd. Dunno how those look in the flesh though, I’ve not been keeping up with Wyrd for a long time now but I know their old metal models were pretty spindly and small. https://www.wyrd-games.net/plastic-build-instructions/2015/12/6/guild-hounds
Anvil have cuber hounds coming as part of the Daughters of the Burning Rose kickstater but to be honest I thought the dogs were pretty disappointing, especially in comparison to the rest of their stuff.
Oh and there’s the little dog previewed as part of the Rogue Trader game.
As for the Gryphounds, well reminded – I really need to get those beasties finished – and yes, I’ll definitely try mine as cyber-mastiffs in Necromunda now you’ve put the idea in my head (I’d have got there eventually!). Here they are next to, for comparison, an Escher, a Goliath and an Orlock. The dogs are pretty beefy but then they’re gene-bred cyberhounds for killing heretics with, I reckon they should be up for intimidating a ganger.
May 24th, 2018 at 2:39 pm
Wow, those GryphHounds are big. Makes sense, but I think I want something a but shorter. Just realized that the Reaper Hell Hounds I was looking at, were on a Kickstarter, and don’t seem to be on Reaper’s site yet. These are the ones I was thinking of:
[img]https://doubledowndice.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-24-at-7-30-47-am.png[/img]
Not sure of the body, but the heads look workable.
The Rogue Trader Doberman looks sweet, but I really want a Rottweiler. Without the ForgeWorld prices, haha!
May 24th, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Try that image again:
May 25th, 2018 at 9:29 pm
Hmmm… Still too hellhoundish for me I think. I may end up paying for the Forgeworld hound eventually, even though it’s a right gouge, it’s just such a nice model. One to save up and treat myself to perhaps. Have you see the Hound of Vengeance from White Tree Games?
https://white-tree.pl/en_US/p/Hound-of-Vengeance-1/432
Only just discovered them this evening. It’s 32mm scale so maybe a bit on the big side but this would probably be less noticeable with a dog than with a human.
May 25th, 2018 at 10:02 pm
Oh, that hound is a really nice find! Yea, the Forgeworld hound is a beaut and very tempting. If I used the Reaper Hell Hounds, it would probably only be for their heads. Though the body on 3 isn’t bad. Wonder if Azazel picked them up?
May 24th, 2018 at 10:49 am
I think you’ve done a fine job mate. I dint think the head of the hammer is a problem but if it’s not right for you then adjust away. Funny how the slightest angle or position of a tiny arm or head etc can get under our skin as hobbyists hehe. Oh and yeah cutting and splicing heads is an extreme sport. Cutting faces off, although fun, has caused me to slice my finger tips many times. What I need is a miniature vice grip.
May 25th, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Aye, a little detail like that can really bother me about a conversion – although I’m usually more forgiving of other people’s work than my own. Not to worry, I quite enjoy working out how to fix something like this – and being so pleased with the head means I’ll never be able to tolerate the arm being wrong.
A vice grip is a handy tool but owning it and remembering you own it are too different things – hence why it’s a miracle that I’ve got any finger tips left and haven’t just whittled them down to the bone…
May 25th, 2018 at 10:03 pm
Eewwwlll what a visual! A man with no flesh on the ends of his fingers, just bone.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
And scrimshawed at that – I just don’t know when to stop!
May 24th, 2018 at 8:16 pm
Tidy! The Kharadrons are nice to work with, aren’t they.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
They’re excellent to work with. Was just checking out your squat operatives – very inspiring. I might make a few more Kharadron based squats to hang out with my Orlocks, thematically I reckon it’d make a lot of sense.
May 25th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Nice work here, but I have to agree with the others on that hammer arm. I think part of the issue is that it’s facing “inward” – both the angle of the haft as well as the head, while typically both face slightly outward. The rest of him looks great, though – especially his head.
I’m looking forward to your tweaks so I have another great set of reference shots for my eventual rip-off.
Again. 😉
May 26th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
You’re right about the angle of the hammer (dammit – why didn’t I see that?!) Sadly that’ll be a really fiddle to fix, but I’m sure I’ll get there (cue much swearing from off-stage!)
May 26th, 2018 at 11:21 pm
Rotating his hand at the wrist might help a bit. You would be able to see better than me though, obviously.
May 27th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Normally that would be my first move but the kharadrons are tricky for that, you can’t really see it in the pictures unfortunately, but he’s wearing a glove which would take quite a lot of resculpting if I cut it at the wrist. It may come to that yet mind you but I’m hoping that when I get the time to sit down with him properly (all available hobby time is focussed on getting the ogryn done before the end of the month) I’ll find an easier solution. 🙂
June 1st, 2018 at 1:22 pm
Sounds like a plan. I haven’t opened my Kharadrons yet, so I’ll be interested to see your solution for my own future reference… 😉