Concept

Ever since I first laid eyes on the pictures of the Stalker I've wanted to do a "leaper". I had it all planned out in my head, a Stalker leaping over the hulk of a downed warjack. It would be great! Then I received the model and started to question my concept. No turning back now. This project must simply just be done.

Basing

The first task at hand was to build a base that would be stable enough for a top-heavy model in this kind of pose. I would be adding a hunk of metal in the form of a wrecked 'jack, but I decided to lower the center of gravity a bit as well.

I carved out the center of the base, leaving only the outer ring. Then I cut a circle of .08" sheet styrene (or plasticard for those across the pond) to fit snugly inside the base ring forming a new bottom.

While this might seem like a trivial change, it doubled the recess in the top of the base and made it much sturdier overall. I added the upper torso of an old miscast Renegade and super-glued my basing material inside the recess and on the jack, forming a solid mass of stuff that won't just flake off over time.

I sculpted some more terrain features on the base once the glue was dry using green stuff.

Legs

Next would be the legs. My original concept was to have both hind legs planted in the base behind the 'jack, fully extended. With this in mind, I cut the legs at the first joint and removed the pistons.

At this point, I realized I had a problem. If I straightened the legs, the connecting piston would no longer line up. I would have to cut it off and resculpt it, or come up with another option. I was in a time crunch, so messing about with the legs much longer wasn't an option. Frustrated, I put the pieces down on my table to think. By happy accident, one of the upper thigh pieces was upside down in relation to the rest of the leg. Eureka! I decided to flip them over and add connecting piston rods to the housing on the leg. Problem solved, or so I thought.

The Pose

When the glue was dry I mocked up the legs with the body in position on the base. The next problem revealed itself. Not only did this make the Stalker look freakishly tall, it just wasn't appealing as a pose. Now what? I played around with options using poster putty to hold the limbs in place until I hit upon this "Wolverine" pose. It wouldn't work with the 'jack in front, so I swung the base around to place it in the back as a counterbalance.

I pinned both legs and arms to the body and I drilled a hole in the wreck and in one leg to mount the Stalker with a sturdy pin. Leaping pose achieved.

Paint

I kept the paint scheme simple to match my current Cryx force: black, bone, gold and green glowy bits with runes. I'm quite happy with how it all turned out. I think it's some of the best work I've ever done.

Until next time.

--YW7--