Conversion Corner - Darby "Gladiator" Lorensia

"That one’s more than an occasional hazard, a fulminating hiver of calculated malice." - Artur speaking about Darby "Gladiator" Lorensia.

I have always been a big fan of the creations of Requiem_82, particularly his Inq28 character Artur Cobain and his ragtag group of mercenaries. So you can imagine my excitement when he created a new version of the character and started an open invitational for people to create mercenaries for his growing warband. Always looking for an excuse to convert eccentric Inq28 models, I jumped at the opportunity to create someone who might have come to work alongside Artur. One of my favorite aspects of the original Artur model is that he is wearing a t-shirt for the 90’s grunge band Nirvana. This little detail adds so much character to the model, and makes me wonder what music is like in the 41st millennium. Following this theme, I decided that I wanted to create a character that looked as though they were a punk rocker, perhaps listening to the likes of Hüsker Dü, the Germs, and Black Flag.

Darby's plasma gun was modified from one I converted and cast for another project.

I sculpted several patches on her jacket (perfect for displaying her favorite punk bands’ logos) and crafted a series of spikes on her shoulders with plasticard.

To fit with the punk rock vibe I was going for in the model, I wanted to base the model on one with a cool jacket. Doralia Ven Denst, from the Age of Sigmar range, proved to be the perfect choice (who doesn’t love a trench coat?). With an X-acto blade, I trimmed off the metal shoulder pads and breastplate covering the upper half of her coat and resculpted the missing details. In place of the shoulder pads, I added smaller ones which I inset with small plasticard rods, reshaped into spikes. Using modelling putty, I sculpted a series of patches on different parts of her jacket, to be reminiscent of iconic patch cover jackets often worn by punk rockers. I resculpted a portion of her leg-long boots to make them shorter, ending just below the knee.

Darby also carries a holstered sidearm, complete with a few spare magazines in pouches.

I found the ideal head from a model for the Scions of the Flame Warcry warband, complete with a very fitting mohawk. I replaced the oversized crossbow carried by the original model with one of the smaller plasma rifles I converted and cast years ago for the Imperial Guard I worked on. I also gave her a holstered pistol (cast at the same time as the plasma rifle) and some pouches to hold additional pistol magazines.

Both of the plasma rifles I have converted to date, one scaled for a normal human and another for a Space Marine.

I am really happy with how well Darby transitioned from my head into model form. I think the punk/cyberpunk elements come through, while also allowing the model to stand distinct from the Witch Hunter she was based on. It was also great to finally use the plasma rifle I first converted over four years ago. I think Darby will fit alongside the other members of Artur’s warband, unique but still tonally similar to the others. Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

- Adam Wier