Asmus Toys: Eowyn in Armor

[RandomHero]

Hey tankgirl, can I ask how hard it was to do everything you did to your figure? It looks amazing! I am probably going to buy Eowyn in the near future as I'm hoping their sculpts will continue to improve for the LOTR line and I'll want to do the all of the Elf/human warriors they produce. That said, I am not someone who knows how to futz with figures AT ALL, and I'd be more than skittish to try with the price you pay for these, so was everything you did hard or can a beginning like myself make Eowyn into the masterpiece that you did?

 

[superdoug]

That is fantastic! I think I am going to have to steel that pose. I have them posed together right now but in more of a stare down pose.

 

[tankgirlfuzzy]

Hey tankgirl, can I ask how hard it was to do everything you did to your figure? It looks amazing! I am probably going to buy Eowyn in the near future as I'm hoping their sculpts will continue to improve for the LOTR line and I'll want to do the all of the Elf/human warriors they produce. That said, I am not someone who knows how to futz with figures AT ALL, and I'd be more than skittish to try with the price you pay for these, so was everything you did hard or can a beginning like myself make Eowyn into the masterpiece that you did?

Hi RandomHero, sounds like you have no experience with figures or modeling, so I'm going to have to be a wet blanket and say no, a beginner cannot do the things I did, certainly not on a first try. I altered every piece on that figure, some of them completely scratchbuilt from leather. Everything's been painted, dyed, weathered. Not saying you couldn't learn, and maybe you might be a quick learner. But I wouldn't try any of it for the first time on such a figure. Better to get some practice and build up your skills on simpler projects first.

If you look back about a year on this thread you'll see all my mods scattered over several pages. Better yet, you can visit my OSW thread where I put it all together into a dedicated thread. I show lots of before and after shots and describe what I did, but I don't go into a step-by-step on the how-to because it assumes some familiarity with modeling techniques. That said, there are some things I did which might be simpler which you could try, such as making a cloak or adjusting the baldric so it's configured correctly. Maybe cut the legs shorter so she's not so leggy.

Have fun!

 

[Bucky Underbelly]

That is fantastic! I think I am going to have to steel that pose.

Not only is it dramatic and dynamic, getting him down on his knees also neatly sidesteps the problem of him not quite fitting in a detolf because of his helmet spike!

 

[tankgirlfuzzy]

Not only is it dramatic and dynamic, getting him down on his knees also neatly sidesteps the problem of him not quite fitting in a detolf because of his helmet spike!

Yes, even on his knees he's a full 12+" high, as tall as a regular figure! I have a new cabinet with adjustable glass shelves where I've spaced it at over 17" to accommodate horses and tall gear, but I bought him as an "accessory" to Eowyn, so on his knees he'll stay!

 

[SithThundercracker]

I recently redisplayed some of the shelves looking for more dynamic action...here's Eowyn's (inspired by Tankgirl!):

 

[Fremen]

Not bad.

 

[superdoug]

She is a good figure in my opinion. I wouldn’t mind a 2.0 since Asmus keeps getting better though.

 

[Anthrapoid]

I have officially lost my mind... or to put it another way, I am starting to make an actual 1/6 chainmail hauberk for Eowyn, (and the small section of mail on the helmet) using 2mm stainless steel rings. I purchased a 1080p usb powered microscope that I feed directly from my pc to my 40" HDTV. I'm working on the chainmail under the microscope with super-small jeweller's pliers, and monitoring my work in 1080p on my lcd tv set.

I have no idea how long it will take to complete the piece, but I am determined to make it look perfectly scaled and accurately constructed for Eowyn. I'll post pics when I have something to show.

 

[Bucky Underbelly]

Wow. I'd love to see some shots of your work station. That sounds bananas! Good luck!

 

[Bravomite]

What an undertaking! Can't wait to see the finished results and good luck

 

[Anthrapoid]

When I came across the photos below, I knew what I needed to do for Eowyn. The work this guy did is really nice, but I can tell he used 3mm rings- a bit too large for Eowyn's chainmail. At 1:1 scale, a 3mm ring would be 18mm in diameter.
I carefully scrutinized and measured Eowyn's armor from the film, and found that the rings of her chainmail appear to be 12mm in diameter. Thus at 1/6 scale, my 2mm rings are accurate. I had a really hard time finding 2mm rings that were not either stirling silver or nickel-plated copper. Eventually, I found one source in China for genuine stainless steel 2mm rings, so that's what I'm using.

 

[Matner77]

That's Michael York isn't it

 

[Anthrapoid]

...and so it begins.
I received the stainless steel chain from China today, and it's a better match to Eowyn's chainmail than I hoped.
Each ring is made from square extruded wire, not round. That is an exact match to the wire that makes up Eowyn's chainmail.
I couldn't be more pleased with it, so I ordered four more rolls of the stuff.

My technique involves nipping each welded ring open one at a time, then stitching together lengths of chain, in the correct 4-in-one weave, row after row, until a large rectangle of mail is formed. Then I'll construct the 'hauberk' pattern from that sheet.
The photos below were taken with my USB microscope. The bottom photo shows one of Eowyn's extra hands, so you can see how small 2mm really is. Each ring appears to be about the size of one of Eowyn's thumbnails...

 

[Bucky Underbelly]

This project is INSANE.

And I LOVE it!

Best of luck, man! Looking forward to seeing your progress! And I hope it doesn't drive you completely out of your mind!

 

[Anthrapoid]

Someone requested photos of my workstation for this project, so here it is.

Without some kind of system to make the process possible, the chains would just be a blurry mass of tiny metal bits, and I would have no control or direction, which would drive me to immolate myself like a Buddhist monk on a bad acid trip.

Because the 2mm rings are SO tiny, I needed to come up with a design that holds everything perfectly still for the microscope. Manipulating and linking each ring with small tools will be difficult, so having a stable image on my HDTV is critical.

After considering all the problems I may encounter during the process, I think I produced a 'jig' that addresses them all. The starter chain will be mounted to the under side of the wooden rod with a fine steel guitar string running side-to-side along the length of the rod. The guitar string will be laced through every alternate ring in the chain, while every other ring will hang down lower, unlaced. That will establish the required foundation for the weave pattern to be correct and consistant.

Mounting the chain along the under side of the wooden rod has a dual benefit: it gives me access to the rings with my tools from the front and rear, and it allows me to roll-up the chainmail sheet as it grows so it stays out of my way.

After I have completed a few rows of mail, I will start turning the rod, slowly rolling-up the sheet a bit as I go. The rod also allows me to keep the microscope at a fixed height throughout the entire process.

The suction cup mount & microscope (pictured top left) can slide freely side-to-side in a slot I created from white styrene. As the horizontal work progresses, the current work area can be easily centered on my tv screen just by sliding the microscope over a bit.

I added two wooden dowels near the base to rest my hands on while I work. Soon enough I will clamp this contraption onto my work table and begin weaving!

I need to produce a rectangular sheet of chainmail about 7.5 x 15 inches in size; I have no idea how long that will take. After it's done, then the real fun begins- making the hauberk armor to fit Eowyn.

When that phase begins, this device I built will be rendered useless. I'll need to create a different kind of jig, perhaps a hollow frame that matches Eowyn's body dimensions made of thick wire, painted black, and mounted on a base that can rotate- and which also fixes the microscope's view onto the work area... I'll worry about that later.
Probably MUCH, MUCH later.

 

[warlock664]

What function does the peanut butter serve ?

 

[Anthrapoid]

What function does the peanut butter serve ?

I smear it all over my naked body to relieve the tention.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Smooth or crunchy?

 

[Anthrapoid]

Smooth or crunchy?

Smunchy.