Tutorial 1

Sculpting the kroothound

Pitch Black Kroothound.JPG

1. The aliens in Pitch Black only have two legs. So I first cut off the front legs and sanded down the stumps.
2. I then glued the model onto the slotta base because it needs to be stable in order to drill and pin the wings.
3. I had to cut the harpy wings in half and had to sand them back so they fitted onto the body. You may have to sand off some of the spiky bits on the body.
4. Drill and pin the wings with the extra-fine drill bit (editors note - we are talking about 1mm here) and the really fine wire. This will give them extra strength.
5. When doing step 4, I strongly suggest using a two part epoxy resin such as Araldite Rapid.
6. Next build up the tails, they should have two tails with spikes on the end. Use wire and bend it into a shape you like. It is good to have more weight at the back of the model as the head and wings make the model top heavy.
7. Build up the tails using the milliput or green stuff. The spikes at the end are made from thin metal sheet (I used a tomato puree tube) folded over, cut to shape and then glued on using two part epoxy.
8. Tip: When doing tails, make sure you hook the wire around the top of the back legs. Get this right then remove the tail from the model and build up the rest it. Allow to harden, then glue back on the model and cover the wire with more milliput and sculpt accordingly.
9. Now for the head! The aliens in Pitch Black have pointy bits protuding from the four sides of the head. I used Saurus picks for the lower and upper jaw horns and Dark Eldar spikes for the side bit. Use two part epoxy for the larger bits and superglue for the smaller pieces.
10. Milliput all gaps around the horns for extra strength.

Next: Painting the miniature.