Hello everyone!
After spending some time painting up more Deathwatch Vets over the last few days I thought I’d just cover a topic that is daunting to anyone that’s new in the hobby.
Kit-bashing.
What is kit-bashing? Well, in a nutshell when you kit-bash a miniature what you’re doing is using parts from other kits and other materials to create a unique model of your own creation. This could range from bits of plastic, wire, to putty or moulding material. It also involves a lot of cutting so a cutting tool like an X-acto knife is a must have if you really enjoy this aspect of miniatures.
You obviously can use whatever you think would give your miniature the look that you want. Kit-bashing is an aspect of the hobby that is a pretty endless avenue to express creativity. I myself have not gone so far in terms of kit-bashing but there are lots of great kit-bashers out there on the web like Pete the Wargamer. Here’s a video where he goes through his creative process in creating a Raptor Kill Team that’s pretty cool.
I’ve not been in the hobby that long but I have accumulated quite a stash of extra parts from all the kits I have so far which is how I created the guy below:
Here’s how I pieced him together & where each piece came from:
- The chainsword comes from a Blood Angels upgrade sprue
- The combi-melta, torso and legs all came from the Deathwatch Veteran kit
- Sarge’s head comes from the Deathwatch upgrade sprue
- The power pack originates from a Devastator I believe but I’m not too sure as it was a left over bit I had from a second-hand Tactical Space Marine Squad sergeant
Some tips to note when kit-bashing:
- Read the relevant codex if you want a kit-bashed mini to be legal for WYSIWYG in a Warhammer 40K & Kill Team game; but if you just like minis and not too keen on gaming then anything goes lah
- Some cutting is sometimes needed to shave off some bits of plastic. You can use a hobby knife or a clipper to cut or shave off bits you don’t need
- The simplest way to kit-bash is to just use ready parts from leftover bits from other kits in your collection
- Dry-fitting is an important part of kit-bashing to ensure that your custom miniature can be assembled properly as sometimes some parts don’t play nice with each other so be ready to cut or clip off bits from the parts you intend to use
- If you’re working with material that requires moulding; a specialised tool certainly would help; some advice I have received is that some dental tools work for this purpose (I’ve not gone to this extent but I am toying around with the idea)
After doing some searching online I found some Army Painter products that are available here in Malaysia! Here’s a link to collection of Army Painter products that can be found in Wolf Game Shop on Shopee. Enjoy!
https://shopee.com.my/shop/408083790/search?shopCollection=106289672
Storm Gate Games 