Kitbash: Swamp Thing Balrog, new pics 2023-04-15

[barad_dur]

2023-04-15; new pics page 3; lightened up the chest, abs and thighs for some contrast
2023-04-06; new pics page 3; put on light base coat for a green color scheme
2023-04-04; new pics page 3; attached 3d printed balrog head, continuing to refine wings
2023-02-12; new pics page 2; working in new head
2023-02-10; new pics page 2; lowering right shoulder, beefed up left shoulder
2023-02-06; new pics page 2; cut off the head and plan to shorten the neck , started detailing wings
2023-02-04; new pics page 2; cut out bulbous top of head and back of neck, thinned right wing section
2023-02-03; new pics page 2; finished removing huge bump in back , added collar bones
2023-02-01; new pics page 2; getting rid of hunch back , streamlining top of wing joint
2023-01-30; new pics page 1; beefed up chest , refined shoulders, blocking in new head features
2023-01-29; new pics page 1; continued working wing fingers and repositioned end claws
2023-01-28; new pics page 1; reworking abs, detailing wing fingers
2023-01-24; new pics page 1; increased arch of left wing webbing, removed inside wing fingers
2023-01-21; new pics page 1; continuing to thin out wings, threw on a coat of primer
2023-01-18; new pics page 1; thinning down and removing clumpy parts of wings
2023-01-17; new pics page 1; replaced wings, cutoff lower face, and replaced tail
2023-01-16; new pics page 1; started reworking Swamp Thing Balrog bash

Decided to rework my swamp thing balrog bash.
Original bash composed of Jayco Bayou Beast body, Steve West Ernie head, screamin red dragon wings/tail

Going to:
- change wings to use CM Studios Dino-Dragon wings
- slim down neck
- modify and extend tail
- rework back and add spikes
- maybe modify (open?) mouth

Original bash :




Cutoff old screamin red dragon wings, note how thick the original neck was


Adding CM Dino-Dragon wings, slimming down neck, beefing up chest

[barad_dur]

Cut the lower face and jaw off as I plan to try to sculpt something more balrog-ish
Cut off old modified scream’n red dragon tail and replacing it with a tail from an old busted dragon statue

[bucketfoot-al]

Looking verrryyy interesting ... looking forward to seeing more of the vision ...

[barad_dur]

Thanks B-A!

This was one of the very first bashes that I ever did and so I hope now to make it look a lot better.
Attached the other wing and started blending in the new tail .

The CM dino-dragon wings need a lot of clean up and detailing as usual.
You can see the difference detailing makes as my Xenomorphus-rex-dragon bash used the same CM wings.

[barad_dur]

Working on cutting off the rough and clumpy parts of the wings and thinning them down.
Removed wing arm biceps and forearms.
Will add resculpted wing arms and fingers.

[bucketfoot-al]

Can't wait to see what this critter's HEAD is gonna look like!

[barad_dur]

Thanks B-A; yeah, me too ! I want to try and replicate balrog face and lower jaw, so we shall see …

Continuing to thin out wings.
Will then have to resculpt fingers and add back in the webbing details.

Threw on some primer just to see the changes so far all tied together
So far so good , I think the new wings and tail already look much better than original bash versions

[tay666]

This is looking very interesting.

[barad_dur]

Made the bottom of the left wing much more arched between wing fingers.
Removed all finger details from inside of left wing.
I Will resculpt wing fingers and reposition finger claws to be more symmetrical.

BEFORE




NOW

[barad_dur]

Reworking the abs, extending them further down the torso.
Detailing the wings.
Making top of wing arch more pointy and aggressive
Roughed in new underwing fingers
Will add end of finger claws back on later

[barad_dur]

Continued roughing in wing fingers
Repositioned finger claws

[bucketfoot-al]

Curious to see how this one turns out - weird looking head - should be an interesting diversion from the recent dragons!

[barad_dur]

The head is the Ernie bust kit sculpted by Steve west (I added the horns).
I really like this bust and have used it for other Minotaur kit bashes. See pics below.

I already cut off the bottom half of the head, and I am going to totally change the top half as well.
My goal is to make a head that looks like the balrog head from LOTR (hopefully).
I will also likely shorten the neck a bit too.

ERNIE BUST




ERNIE MINOTAUR KIT BASHES

[bucketfoot-al]

OK. After those last two photos of previous bashes someone HAS to say it:

You have a WeIrD imagination!!!

[barad_dur]

Removed eyes, started blocking in new face structures
Refined shoulders and backside
Beefed up chest
blocked in joints in wing wingers; I will have to slim down wing fingers and joints a bit
Made some spikes that will run down the neck, back spine and tail

[barad_dur]

Threw a coat of primer on to see how it looks all tied together.
Although a bit large, I think the wing fingers look kinda gnarly so I don’t think I will reduce them much in size.
Lots and lots of refining and detailing to do, but so far so good…

[bucketfoot-al]

Nice going - Your threads are what all "in progress" threads ought to be. Showing every step, soliciting input (which then motivates you to keep going).

Side question for the curious - when and how did you acquire your taste in building up demons & dragons?

(In my case, I was pretty much obsessed with dinosaurs and Harryhausen movies as a kid, so that is what I build as an adult ; the same way old-time horror movie figure builders got into those characters through the old B&W flics) ...

... looking forward to your answer ...

[barad_dur]

Thanks B-A.
I really do welcome and appreciate feedback while I am working these bashes.
I find it curious that my kit bash threads get quite a lot of views, but very few people provide comments?
(So don’t be shy you people out there - feel free to provide constructive criticism)

As long as I can remember, I have always liked dinosaurs, dragons, and fantasy creatures so my creations reflect on that. My dad also liked monster, fantasy and horror movies; and I have many great memories of going to the drive-in theatre with him to watch all-night monster/horror movie events. Of course all the sin-bad and other harryhausen movies influenced my taste in creatures and demons.

Oh, and as a kid, I could draw pretty good, so I drew a lot of dinosaurs and my own creature creations.

[tay666]

I always check when there are new posts, but I don't comment unless I feel I have something to add to the conversation.
Or to offer a bit of encouragement every now and then.

Usually, I don't have much to say early in the bash, as honestly, most of the time I have little idea of where you are actually going with it.
Once things start taking shape and I can see what you are doing, then I usually add my 2 cents.

[barad_dur]

Well Trevor , truth be told, early on I do not always know where the bash is going either!!

Your consistent viewing of my bashes and your inputs are highly valued.