Author Topic: Taking a hacksaw to my Scylla! (Read 665 times)

Gladius-XC · « **on:** 21 February 2024, 20:03:52 »

I've got something a little different than what I usually post. One of the last miniatures I got before taking my 20 year hiatus from Battletech was the Scylla. I loved the artwork, but was disappointed by the miniature. The forearms were way too long and the legs were canted backward, making it look like it was in the process of falling on its butt.

I finally decided to do something about it, and broke out my hacksaw.

I started by shortening the arms to bring them more in line with the proportions of the artwork. I chopped off the legs at the knees and pinned them so that they rose straight up, placing the weight of the torso over the heels.

Next up, I'm going to fill all the gaps with green stuff, and build up the autocannon to more closely resemble the artwork. I don't plan on making it an exact replica, but I'd at least like the top to be sloped. I'm also going to add some extra detailing to all those flat surfaces, like the jump jet housing on the back.

17thRecon · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 February 2024, 02:00:37 »

Looks impressive, and functional, even if it loses a bit on the dynamic pose of the original, which, while it had some motion to it, it did, like you said, look as if it was starting to fall. Now it looks like a wall of serious firepower getting ready to unload. I’m picturing a medium recon mech in an urban environment turning a corner and running smack dab into that, with the pilot’s last thoughts being “Oh Snap” before that Scylla unloads an Alpha. The way you modded it actually looks more like the original TRO art than the original mini, so kudos, and I’ll be interested to see the final version.

Luciora · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 February 2024, 02:04:44 »

I like it!

ColBosch · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 February 2024, 02:42:58 »

This looks great! It seems to better match the original artwork, too.

agen2 · « **Reply #4 on:** 22 February 2024, 05:21:22 »

jimdigris · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 February 2024, 08:19:22 »

It does look better that way; not so unbalanced.

Daryk · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 February 2024, 17:51:05 »

Excellent modding! :)

Gladius-XC · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 February 2024, 20:27:56 »

Quote from: 17thRecon on 22 February 2024, 02:00:37

Looks impressive, and functional, even if it loses a bit on the dynamic pose of the original, which, while it had some motion to it, it did, like you said, look as if it was starting to fall. Now it looks like a wall of serious firepower getting ready to unload. I’m picturing a medium recon mech in an urban environment turning a corner and running smack dab into that, with the pilot’s last thoughts being “Oh Snap” before that Scylla unloads an Alpha. The way you modded it actually looks more like the original TRO art than the original mini, so kudos, and I’ll be interested to see the final version.

The one reservation that I had about making the changes I did was that it ended up just standing there. But I also think that's a reasonable pose for a 100 ton wall of foamed titanium, steel, and weaponry.

Gladius-XC · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 February 2024, 06:32:03 »

Today I worked on filling the gaps in the knees and arms that my repositioning created. I also added some bulk to the autocannon in the right torso, in order to make that match the artwork better too. I then added some detail to the back carapace and upper rear shoulder area because there was just too much blank space. Once the gray stuff hardens, I'll clean it up a little and add panel lines.

Daryk · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 February 2024, 06:47:58 »

Good progress! :)

ISD · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 February 2024, 05:39:20 »

The pose definitely looks much less awkward

Cergorach · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 February 2024, 08:20:19 »

Very nice!

klarg1 · « **Reply #12 on:** 03 March 2024, 14:56:31 »

The Scylla is not one of my favorite sculpts. You did a great job taking the existing parts and placing them into a much more cohesive configuration! The arms look much more "natural" in your version.

Gladius-XC · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 March 2024, 06:39:55 »

I finished painting my Scylla. I decided to do her up in the colors of the Turkina Keshik. While I doubt that a Second Line 'Mech would find a spot in such a prestigious unit, the colors were too striking to pass up!

avon1985 · « **Reply #14 on:** 16 March 2024, 13:53:45 »

Very Sweet!

worktroll · « **Reply #15 on:** 16 March 2024, 21:02:51 »

Excellent paintjob! You've converted a monster of a mini into a real monster. Prime work!

Wasteland Warrior · « **Reply #16 on:** 17 March 2024, 07:21:37 »

Great mod, beautifully painted. Well done!

agen2 · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 March 2024, 08:58:43 »

Well done.

Daryk · « **Reply #18 on:** 17 March 2024, 09:34:09 »

Excellent paint job to finish off that outstanding mod work! :)

abou · « **Reply #19 on:** 17 March 2024, 18:25:03 »

That is one beefy boy. What did you think about the sculpt in general?

Gladius-XC · « **Reply #20 on:** 17 March 2024, 20:12:10 »

Well, I really like it now. The original was also decent, just with some questionable parts. There were also a couple of areas on the back that lacked detail, but I think that the front has a lot of detail. The back is pretty easy to fix by adding some greebling. If you have the tools to work with metal, the modifications that I did aren’t hard. So overall, I’d say that it’s a pretty solid model.