Today the BrushThralls are going to have a little fun and try out something new: a joint article to showcase one miniature, the Stalker. A nimble and fierce jack that strikes fear in all, and with its agile form, it can also put a touch of intimidation in the best of modelers. So first off, I'll get us rolling by doing a quick walkthrough on how to pin and fortify the construction of your Cryxian Stalker.

After a solid once over with a file, we need to take a serious look at how to pin this beast. Start off by drilling holes in the arm and leg sockets. I tend to hit one side, go about half way, then attack it from the other side. Often if you can take your time and aim well enough, you can get one solid hole going all the way through. The leg socket is a little different as it angles into the main body and will not allow one solid shot through the mini unless you intentionally go against the grain. Next, drill into the arm and leg where they meet the sockets. I tend to make a small flat spot with a file before I start to drill, as this will allow my drill bit an area to grab ahold of. The drilling into the limbs is something you best take your time on, as poking the drill out the other side, or getting off center can happen much too easily.

After our holes have been drilled, glue pins into the limbs with Zap-A-Gap and let them sit for a while to dry. Once we have all of the parts ready to roll, you can start to dry fit each side to figure out your pose and placement of each part. The trick with the legs on the Stalker is that they usually need to wrap around the clawed arms. And here is where we learn that pewter bends to our will. Take one of the rear legs and push the lower part of this leg outward.

With our rear leg giving way, then take the front claw from the same side and placed in the main body, tuck it inward slightly to a desired position that can work with the rear leg.

There's another way you can gain you a little bit of ground for a better fit. Use a small pair of pliers to tweak the pin slightly in a direction that will allow for a more natural pose where the limb joins the main body. After you have tweaked, bent, and danced around this dry fit, you should be able to find a position that can work for you. At this point, you can make the choice of either cutting your pins down to assemble your Stalker or leave your pins long, so you have a hand hold that will allow you to paint each part of your Stalker separately to be assembled later.

Now attaching your Stalker to a base is another question that may come up. The rear legs are actually a little easier than it may first appear. Simply drill into your base, and use a small portion of the long cleat of the rear leg and glue that directly into the hole. The front claw can be done similar, but personally I choose to file one of my front claws down enough, to allow me to place a long pin and fully secure the claw to my base, with a pin that runs all the way through.

Now this is just enough of the basics to get you rolling as I have applied this to my personal Stalker, but as you will soon to see from a few of the other BrushThralls, the Stalker can be taken to much greater lengths.

Until next time
–DD–