Plastic Arco Flagellants

Welcome

With the release of the new Inquisitor Codex and still no sign of plastic flagellants on the horizon I thought I'd update this and share it again.

With the only option to buy expensive Finecast flagellants from GW I looked at a lot of other alternatives but decided it would be more fun and cheaper to make my own.  

What you need

A box of GW Ghouls

A box of GW Fantasy flagellants  (I used the bodies of these for psykers see end of post)

Modelling tools - Knife, files, sculpting tools, snippers

Green stuff

Patience

Plasters...

If you're worried about the green stuff I am not a sculptor by any means.  I have used it a few times and I can make do.  It is only basic stuff you need to do.

So without further ado here is how I made 10 plastic flagellants

Bodies

The ghoul bodies have a lot of bones, spines and fur etc on them.  I cleaned them up first taking off these off with a sharp knife and filed all the parts down smoothly. (This is where I needed plasters as the models are so small!)

I put the heads on next

Note I haven't based them.  This is because with a test model the base got in the way for sculpting the masks.

Mask

To make the mask I balled up some green stuff roughly the size of the head

Then using a size 0 flat clay shaper I wrapped the putty around the head.  The fact all the ghouls have long jaws is excellent as it pretty much gives the right shape for no effort!

By the way since I've started using clay shapers I have found it so much easier to "push putty" there are loads of clips on youtube showing techniques.  I always keep the shaper wet. I use medium firmness but occasionally firm would be good

Wait for these to cure before doing more work on them!  I blutacked them to a heavy book to stop them falling over.

The I symbol
I wanted to put the mark of the Inquisition on them but without using a transfer.  I used one of the brass etched Forgeworld symbols.

I rolled some putty around another tool then rolled it over a symbol to make an impression.  MAKE SURE THE PUTTY IS WET or you will end up with the symbol in the roll.  Leave this overnight so the masks and mold go hard

Put a really small ball of putty on the mask and roll the mold over it.  you may need to tidy up the edges carefully.  I found the best way was to use a really small sculpting tool tool while the clay is still soft.  I just blended any excess into the mask

Lioncloth
Next up I sculpted the loincloth.  I figured my Inquisitor wouldn't wanna be looking at a load of flabby flatulent (see what i did there) arses.  I put a roll of putty along the waist line and then pulled it down using a pointed clay shaper.  (Forgot to take pics of this part sorry, hence the finished after pic)

The arms
I did these last so they wouldn't get in the way of sculpting.  I based the models first.

I put the arms on with the hands still attached to try and get a natural swing of the arms so the model didn't look unnaturally posed.  Though I did want them to look unwieldy.

I snipped the arms off just before the joints then drilled holes to insert metal wire to sculpt the putty around.

Note I tried doing this part without the wire and it didn't work as the arms would sag out of place and look unnatural and wrong.

I then rolled putty around the arms and smoothed it over the wire. I had to file down some of them to make it properly smooth.

Leave a bit of wire free at the end to attach the flail (drill a hole in the end of the ball etc or they fall off easily)

I didn't want the arms to look like tentacles, these are grafts after all, so I put a small roll of putty at the tops of the arms to separate the flesh from the graft to make it clear where the flesh ends.  When painting them up this makes it easier too.

The finished gang!  I'm really happy with them and my opponents love them too right up until I roll 50 S5 attacks and decimate the unit they were just standing next to.  Of course they don't get another go as the entire army then points something nasty at them but I love them none the less.  Hope you like :)

I used the flagellant bodies to make my psykers.  In the Gaunts Ghost books it says that massed psykers aren't treated well and were kept in cages.  So I thought the tattered robes and chained heads etc would be perfect.  I gave them staves and eventually the will be chained to an Inquisitor or acolyte

I've also made plastic Crusaders and Death Cult Assassins