Monday, February 16, 2015

SHOWCASE: Tau Crisis Commander


A showcase of my long completed Crisis Commander, Hayato. Pics and words after the break.


I painted this guy up just before summer, you can see work in progress HERE and HERE. I heavily modified the model's pose, cutting most of the leg joints and pinning them in several places. Frankly, the original pose is awful. No matter how you position it, it looks like he's flinching away in terror.


I try to make most of my models have a dynamic pose, but I think this is one of the most successful. I'm really pleased with the way he looks from all angles, and the model conveys a sense of confidence and power that makes for a great centerpiece to the army. I magnetized the weapon hardpoints so I can change his loadout. He looks a little ridiculous with all this gear on, but he's certainly built to kill.


It's a shame the kit isn't made from plastic. The redesign is exactly what the dated VX88 suits needed, and I'd like to use this elsewhere in my force, but finecast is such a terrible medium. Even after hours of sanding and puttying, there are still several spots on the model that look wrong.


I've been experimenting with asymmetry in a lot of my recent projects, and I think this one works well. There's something about the single red arm, and the contrast against the white, that I find really appealing.

-trip

1 comment:

  1. Just found your blog, I think I'll be adding it to my reading list!

    I just wanted to comment on the bit about asymmetry - i think it works particularly well with Tau thanks to the model design, which often incorporates such elements (hammerhead with the off-centre turret, one large shoulder pad and the helmet on fire warriors etc). I seem to recall waaaay back when they were first released an interview with Jes Goodwin picked up that they wanted to emphasise their alien-ness by incorporating a lot of asymmetric elements.

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