+ inload: Tutorial – building Truescale Terminators +

+ Building a bigger Terminator +

+ Recently I've been playing about with building Terminators to complement the enlarged Marines of my Blood Angels project [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] for the Alien Wars. +

+ The Primaris marines are great for creating better-proportioned Astartes than the older kits, but doing so means the Terminator kits look a bit small next to them. This tutorial will help you make Terminators that complement the Primaris marines, while retaining the classic Terminator aesthetic. +

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+ This tutorial will show you how to build a Terminator based on the Custodes Aquilon Terminators. The result will look something like this:

+ What do I need? +

+ The tutorial for the normal marines [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] tried to make things as cheap as possible, but for this, I'm afraid there's little way round it – these are pricey conversions. If you can get just the parts you need on the second-hand market (my approach), you can save some cash. Alternatively, you might find that you can sell on some of the unused parts from the full kit to recoup some of your money. Alternatively, you can substitute some parts. I think the legs, torso top and torso back are the most critical parts – the rest can be easily substituted more or less successfully. +

+ For this tutorial you will need: 

Required parts from the Aquilon kit.

• Superglue
• Craft knife and cutting mat
• The following parts from the Legio Custodes Aquilon kit:
• Torso front
• Torso back
• Torso top
• Left arm
• Right arm
• Legs
• (Optional – hip guards)
• Shoulder pads – I used Master-Crafted Miniatures Large Veteran Shoulder Pads

• The following parts from other kits :
• Ranged weapon – I used Storm Bolters from the Iron Hands Gorgon Terminator kit
• Head from standard Terminators

+ As with the marine in the earlier tutorial, the exact parts you select will depend on the pose etc. you want; experiment and enjoy. I've kept the basic version in this tutorial fairly simple, but have gone to town on the others with parts left over from my Ultramarines project. I'll come back to the sergeant to give him a little more decoration later. +

+ This is a suprisingly simple conversion – it's worth noting that you need no greenstuff or sculpting tools; it's all done with a craft knife. Nevertheless, it can be quite intimidating, so this is intended to make it as clear as possible. +

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[VAL-request=OPTIONAL] + If you find this tutorial useful, please consider using this Ko-fi exloadlink to support the blog's free tutorials. + [+exload:GRATITUDESPOOL//+]

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I_ Use a craft knife to carefully remove the filigree detail and the eagles from the arms and legs.

II_ Cut the top and bottom off the circular belt buckle. You can use the rivets in the corners to help guide your cuts.

III_ Trim the sides flat, then carefully remove the detail. If possible, try to leave the corner studs in place. They provide some nice neutral detail.

IV_ Use clippers to remove the top part of the eagle. Be conservative with your cutting – it's best to leave too much on the torso, as you can always trim further. Try to cut the cut as flat as possible, using the existing lines of the model to guide you.

V_ Use a sharp craft knife to cut the eagle from the front. I've done half here to help illustrate. In the step IV image, you'll see that the eagle's wing has a natural join to the torso top – use this to guide your cut.

VI_ Once you've cut the other side off, make sure the front is flat. You can file it down, if you prefer that to the knife.

VII_ Use the knife to trim down the remaining part of the eagle on the top of the armour. This area is slightly curved; I recommend you simply work particularly slowly and carefully. 

VIII_ Trim the front of the arched 'hood' away – again, you can use the rivets of the original sculpt to help you get it even.

IX_ Trim away the lightning bolt filigree from the front of the torso. I chose to leave the Crux Terminatus in place, but you can remove this too, if you like.

X_ Place the knife as shown on the collar. Make sure it's nice and straight.

XI_ Make a single cut to trim away the top part of the collar.

XII_ Shape the collar to taste. I've added a central dip, and carefully thinned down the front to make the curve even.

XIII_ The exciting bit – simply assemble the model to finish. This gives you the basic Terminator, which you can embellish to your heart's content.

+APPENDNOTE+ I'm in the happy position that the Blood Angels suit the ornate backs of the legs and torso that the Aquilon Terminators have; but if there's interest, I'll come back with a more in-depth part II to this tutorial that replicates the supporting struts on the legs and so forth. Please let me know if that's of interest. +