Back in the late 90's, Lara Croft was a big thing. The Playstation game was a worldwide hit, and the female fiction character was a teenager favorite, pinned on many sleeping rooms walls. From the dark jungle ruins looking for archeological treasures to the dark industrial ruins looking for archeotech items was a small leap, and her entry into the Necromunda world (introduced by Gang War magazine #4) was not much of asurprise.
The first time I was reading about this special character, I was a bit « Mmh...Wtf... ». (I never had a Playstation, and was already in my midtwenties in the late 90's, too old for the teenage fantaisies that were fueling her fad). But the modelling challenge was interesting, and the dynamic of the finished miniature was great, so I gathered the different models and... put them in a drawer, from which they were retrieved two weeks ago !
To build this model you need three Citadel miniatures (a BB Elf cheerleader, an Escher ganger and a W40K Callidus assassin) plus a bounty hunter backpack.
You first have to cut the cheerleader in half and pin her lower body. You will also shorten her heels and bend the legs forward to mimic a running gesture. (The upper body will go to your bits box).
The first time I was reading about this special character, I was a bit « Mmh...Wtf... ». (I never had a Playstation, and was already in my midtwenties in the late 90's, too old for the teenage fantaisies that were fueling her fad). But the modelling challenge was interesting, and the dynamic of the finished miniature was great, so I gathered the different models and... put them in a drawer, from which they were retrieved two weeks ago !
To build this model you need three Citadel miniatures (a BB Elf cheerleader, an Escher ganger and a W40K Callidus assassin) plus a bounty hunter backpack.
You first have to cut the cheerleader in half and pin her lower body. You will also shorten her heels and bend the legs forward to mimic a running gesture. (The upper body will go to your bits box).
It's now time to inflict the same fate to the Escher ganger. You then cut her left hand and pin it. Now, it's time to work on her back, to get rid of her ponytail and huge sword in scabbard. I decided to keep the military style pouch on her left waist. (The lower body will go to your bits box).
Time to sacrifice the Callidus assassin, and amputate her left hand with the« Necron » pistol, and cut her braided ponytail. For this, my advice will be to start from the forehead and go very slowly with a sharp cutter, so as to scalp her whole braid, including the thicker base).
At this point, I wanted to strictly follow the magazine conversion, but for those without this W40K miniature, I guess it would be easy to find a hand withsome plasma gun to be modified, and sculpt her ponytail braid, thus sparing the cost to get this model for only two bits.
You then glue her bodyparts together and test her back pack fit and position. (Some new cuttings on her back may be necessary).
She's starting to look great ! (But in dire need of pants).
The backpack was intended for a bulkier miniature, and I found it too big and too much of a moving armory for her slim outine. She looked a bit like a pack mule, almost tripping from its heavy load. So I decided to modify it.
Both the shotgun barrel and the sword scabbard were shortened. I also sculpted a bigger hem on the shotgun holster, and added a purity seal on it. The teeth of the chainsaw were hidden by a scabbard extension. The spikes on the handle were cut off and the grenade was smoothened to become a tin can. I wanted a less agressive and more civilized backpack, but still including some military gear.
Now it's time to sculpt some details and fill mismatches. The magazine conversion adress the mandatory requirements : the hair, the shorts and her breast, with some pouches on her belt (hence the good idea to keep the one on her left waist). I decided to go a bit further and add her typical gunstraps on both thighs (which, to be honest, are nothing more than amilitary garter in her lore) and get rid of the proposed gun holster on her right thigh, since it was blatantly too small to holster any of her hand weapon... I went for electro-magnets on the straps, to which she can just put her guns at will.
Time to paint !
I went very sober for the base, just concrete rubbles, so as to make the model stand out on its own.
A new female gun for hire in my collection, and she's looking great next to Mad Donna or Bonnie Annerson.
Time to sacrifice the Callidus assassin, and amputate her left hand with the« Necron » pistol, and cut her braided ponytail. For this, my advice will be to start from the forehead and go very slowly with a sharp cutter, so as to scalp her whole braid, including the thicker base).
At this point, I wanted to strictly follow the magazine conversion, but for those without this W40K miniature, I guess it would be easy to find a hand withsome plasma gun to be modified, and sculpt her ponytail braid, thus sparing the cost to get this model for only two bits.
You then glue her bodyparts together and test her back pack fit and position. (Some new cuttings on her back may be necessary).
She's starting to look great ! (But in dire need of pants).
The backpack was intended for a bulkier miniature, and I found it too big and too much of a moving armory for her slim outine. She looked a bit like a pack mule, almost tripping from its heavy load. So I decided to modify it.
Both the shotgun barrel and the sword scabbard were shortened. I also sculpted a bigger hem on the shotgun holster, and added a purity seal on it. The teeth of the chainsaw were hidden by a scabbard extension. The spikes on the handle were cut off and the grenade was smoothened to become a tin can. I wanted a less agressive and more civilized backpack, but still including some military gear.
Now it's time to sculpt some details and fill mismatches. The magazine conversion adress the mandatory requirements : the hair, the shorts and her breast, with some pouches on her belt (hence the good idea to keep the one on her left waist). I decided to go a bit further and add her typical gunstraps on both thighs (which, to be honest, are nothing more than amilitary garter in her lore) and get rid of the proposed gun holster on her right thigh, since it was blatantly too small to holster any of her hand weapon... I went for electro-magnets on the straps, to which she can just put her guns at will.
Time to paint !
I went very sober for the base, just concrete rubbles, so as to make the model stand out on its own.
A new female gun for hire in my collection, and she's looking great next to Mad Donna or Bonnie Annerson.
