Help me fit mecenary character on griffon, please

[demi_morgana]

Hey,

Few weeks back I found oldie second hand griffon, adopted it and was looking for someone to ride it.
I had some candidated but last friday I discovered a few really old and abandoned models in local book shop - one of them was Suleiman al Ebollah (whatever) - character from Dogs of War. The guy has lots of potential imo - good material for chaos champion.

The problem is it turned out there's no space for the cloak on beast's back
The cloak causes the huge gap between saddle and rider's ass.

Overall my sculpting is filling gaps at best so I need some ideas / suggestions / advices to deal with the thing.
My first thought was to cut off / bend parts of cloak which don't fit and then repair damaged sculpt.
But since the cloak doesn't fit like fucking hell maybe it's better idea to cut off as much of it as possible and then add new greenstuff robe?

[whiskey priest]

Is it where the cloak interferes with the wing? I'd cut off a chunk of the cloak so that it kind of slots over the wing and then green stuff round the gap as if the raising of the wing had gathered up part of the cloak.

[ninja_butler]

Be brutal: Chop off a big chunk of the cloak and then rebuild it with Greenstuff. Don't faff about with it, use a pair of normal non-hobby cutters and chop off more cloak than you need to. It's much easier to replace the missing part than to force the cloak to fit.

To make the new cloak, mix a small amount of Greenstuff, let it sit for 10 minutes, then roll it out flat and very thin like you're making pastry. Let it sit for a bit longer and then cut out a rectangle. The Greenstuff may still me sticky and awkward to handle. Apply it to the model and gently push it into place; use a dental tool as a rolling-pin to blend it in at the edges. You can use a chunky piece of Greenstuff instead of a flat layer, but you might find it difficult to get the shape of the cloak right.

Let it set.

If the shape looks okay, start adding strips of Greenstuff to create raised folds - Use tiny amounts, the size of a grain of rice is enough. If it doesn't look right, just peel it off and start again. You might find a curved needle mounted in a pen casing useful for making cloaks.

btw, are you sure a scimitar is appropriate on a Griffon? That guy looks like he's gonna chop the bird's head off.

edit*
Greenstuff + 30% polymer clay (Fimo, Sculpey) is good if you want a longer setting time and a softer medium.

[demi_morgana]

Cheers guys

I think I wanted to read severe operation might be the best solution. I like both models and really don't want to see the arabian dude riding original stupid looking placcy pony.

As for the weapon - it can be enchanted weapon! Casting bolts of raw chaos mana!

Ooooor...
The guy is about to perform suicide attack:
he is flying as high as griffon can then he's chopping mount's head off and 2 corpses (one screaming like hell and other bleeding rapidly) and falling down on the enemy ranks! It's even worse than throwing cut off heads into besieged city!!!

Ia, Ia, Ia!!! Al-shoaramaaa, ebbollaaach, chaaaooossss!!! BOOOM!!!

[ninja_butler]

Have fun! When you first cut away a part of the miniature you might have a moment of "OMG, what have I done? I've ruined it" but have faith, it'll work. DOn't forget the vaseline.

[demi_morgana]

I DID IT!
The cloak is no mooooaaah'!!!
I also cut off some trousers (?) or whatever this griffo-terrorist is wearing, so it finally fits the saddle!

What is also discovered is the fact the griffon sculpt is either just fucked or I for wrong tail - there's pretty lot of fur to be added.
But it's nothing compared to the whole cloak mess I suppose

[ninja_butler]

You mean where the tail joins the body? Yeah, that's common. If you have any brass rod, I would drill a hole in the tail and pin it to the body for extra strength, Greenstuff alone will not be a strong joint. If you don't pin it, the tail is liable to fall off.

[Sturmpioneer]

What in the hell is the Vaseline for? Or do I not want to know?

Is the griffon head separate from the body? If it is, how about putting a spacer in between? This could give enough clearance for the cloak. Fill in the gap with greenstuff.

I prefer the hack operation myself but maybe this is an option.

[ninja_butler]

What in the hell is the Vaseline for? Or do I not want to know?

Is the griffon head separate from the body? If it is, how about putting a spacer in between? This could give enough clearance for the cloak. Fill in the gap with greenstuff.

I prefer the hack operation myself but maybe this is an option.

Lengthening the neck would mostly work, in fact I wish I'd thought of that! But the cloak would still have to be re-sculpted so that it drapes to the shape of the mount. Vaseline is a favorite lubricant for working with Greenstuff, it also "melts" into the Greenstuff which aids blending and helps it stick.

[demi_morgana]

There should be "edit" button or I shouldn've been having a beer while cutting (and posting)

What I also discovered is the fact the griffon sculpt is either just fucked or I got wrong tail - there's pretty lot of fur to be added.

What in the hell is the Vaseline for? Or do I not want to know?

Is the griffon head separate from the body? If it is, how about putting a spacer in between? This could give enough clearance for the cloak. Fill in the gap with greenstuff.

I prefer the hack operation myself but maybe this is an option.

Lengthening the neck would mostly work, in fact I wish I'd thought of that! But the cloak would still have to be re-sculpted so that it drapes to the shape of the mount. Vaseline is a favorite lubricant for working with Greenstuff, it also "melts" into the Greenstuff which aids blending and helps it stick.

Nope, the head is part of the torso. Besides I think making cloak is easier than sculpting feathers.

Thanks for the vaseline tip - will give it a try.
As for our patient - I was hoping to get raider resculpted separately from the griffon (for easier painting) but there's really not much space between the guy and wings so I think I will have to assemble whole model and then add greenstuff. Hope to post a pic or two tonight for further consultations