How should I equip my unarmed monsters?

[GimmeYerGold]

Cannibalize eeery day!
I would recommend getting some spears from some other models.I'll bet you could find some spears that fit your purpose. You might have to cut of a hand/arm holding the spear though.

Look for "Warhammer bitz". There are entire shops full of this stuff.

What I would do is search for Warhammer goblin spears. Warhammer Orc spears, I can tell you straightforward, are too large for HQ orcs in my opinion.

Ah yes. I am in favor of cannibalizing rather than scratch weapons. Thanks for the helpful leads! Now let's see what we can find...

These are called "goblin spears," but I suspect from their size they're orc spears?


These look like they could be useful for a variety of monsters.


These shields look handy, too. This is an addictive avenue!

Like KK recommended, these are inexpensive, but I won't be needing everything I order.

Is there anyone in the US who might like a grab bag from these three pictures? I'd only need a few of those spears at the most. I can't guarantee what you get, but the postage should be low, and that's all I'd ask from you.

I'd be happy to send a fellow "Innmate" a gift of bitz!

[wolfie907]

id be interested

[GimmeYerGold]

id be interested

Cool. I just sent you a PM

[TMU]

You can also make a spear from skeletons weapon (don't know the word ) but since you don't have spares, buying is the best solution.

[Malcadon]

I drill into the fist of my plastic figures and mount the weapons on modified toothpicks to make the weapons and items interchangeable. I use precision tool screwdrivers to drill-in the holes. I use some kind of jeweler's wires that ends in a hook for the lantern-pole and mountings (lantern, bell, severed heads, etc.). The toothpicks are all white wood, so I used a brown ink wash to make them look more weathered and natural. The ink soaks in nicely, but you still have to wipe-off the excess ink. When done right, the ink really highlights the grain of the wood. I'm still trying to think of a good way to mount shields in a modular way.

(note, these pictures are a out-of-date. I have been replacing the plastic chains with real chains, that golden sword now as an "Eye of Thundera" painted on the hilt, most of the non-weapon items have been painted-up, and I have made more weapons and items)

[Goblin-King]

Even if you don't want the weapons to be interchangeable drilling a hole through the hand and sliding the entire weapon in is a good idea, as it lessens the chance of breaking at the glue point - Imagine just gluing two spear ends on top and bottom of a hand. It would break just by looking at it. The idea of using the original hand works as well if the hand fits the model.

Also I actually think those spears are in fact goblin spears! When GW first switched to pure plastic their first line of goblins were freakishly huge. I got a regiment of night goblins and - I KID YE NOT - they were almost twice the size of the old fashioned metal ones. Those were dark times. And actually when I stopped playing fantasy all together, partly due to this.

They should never had let Kev Adams go...

[knightkrawler]

that's why I recommended looking for Goblin spears and indeed, what GYG found are those.

[GimmeYerGold]

I drill into the fist of my plastic figures and mount the weapons on modified toothpicks to make the weapons and items interchangeable. I use precision tool screwdrivers to drill-in the holes.

Even if you don't want the weapons to be interchangeable drilling a hole through the hand and sliding the entire weapon in is a good idea, as it lessens the chance of breaking at the glue point - Imagine just gluing two spear ends on top and bottom of a hand. It would break just by looking at it. The idea of using the original hand works as well if the hand fits the model.

Ah, yes. Drilling into the fist is a great idea--it's actually less work, more sturdy, and much neater than trying to line up two bits of a weapon on either side of a fist. So silly of me to consider even trying that sloppy idea!

The lantern in Malcadon's second picture makes me wonder how I can make a Tonberry mini...

[GimmeYerGold]

that's why I recommended looking for Goblin spears and indeed, what GYG found are those.

Thanks for confirming, KK.

If anyone's interested, I found those spear and weapon bitz in this ebay user's shop: http://www.ebay.com/usr/window-box

[Malcadon]

Yes Goblin-King, the spearheads are goblin swords. It felt like the goblins had too many swords, and I like to switch-out the monster's weapons (in the case of Goblins: Hand Axe, Shortsword, Spear, or Broadsword at the cost of a shield), so I made them into spears. HQ plays so much better when the monsters are not limited to they old default weapons (and armor), and it adds more challenge when they make good use of them.

The lantern-pole in the second pic was more of a "Before" sample for the modified lantern-pole above it. I misplaced the lantern, but it has a metal hook at the top like the bell and severed heads. I have also been working on a simple hooked grip to allow figures to freely hold such items. This would be ideal for the lantern-holding Barbarian form WHQ - who, through this modification, would also be able to carry an axe with his off-hand like those badass barbarians in the covers!! \,,/_ YEAHHHH!!!

Just a heads up: Drilling into knuckles don't work on all fists. For example, the hand of the BM Man-At-Arms is just big enough to be drilled into with that size hole. I had to be *vary* careful in the process to get it just right, and even then, the thumb and fingers are so thin that it has become the weak-point on the figure. If the figure falls on the floor - an inevitability in gaming - the weapon will brake free, taking the fingers with it, and it would likely be a bitch to fix! This is worst with my Dragon Strike Bugbears, as they have smaller hands (my best hope would be that the impact would brake at the wrist, were I cut them off to rotate the hand to give the figures a more natural pose with an axe or spear). The soft plastic used by GW is nice to work with, but also weak with this kind of modification, and the green plastic used in BattleMasters is the complete opposite - their natural jaggedness being a bitch to work with!

Otherwise, this should not be an issue with Hero Quest figures, as they are made of a strong plastic, and they have freakishly big hands. The only way I can think of to brake their weapons weapons off, is through deliberate abusive or careless feet, and even still, that would brake the figure regardless, and the weapons would likely holdup better then an unmodified figure!