Pingo attempts to make an intersex werewolf out of 14532: Aislinn, Shadow Tracker

[Pingo 109316]

This is something I've been thinking about for a friend's character.  I include for posterity most of the discussion I had about it on the current Randomness thread:

 

On 3/14/2017 at 11:09 AM, Pingo said:

Genderfluid lycanthropes

 

On 3/14/2017 at 2:22 PM, Pingo said:

 

Not just a fun-sounding phrase with good rhythm.

 

A gaming friend is planning to play one.  Now I'm looking for possible minis (I mean, one could just get minis of different genders and use them alternately, but it's interesting to see if one can manage an intersex one).

 

I'm looking at taking 14532: Aislinn, Shadow Tracker and maybe filing down her chest some.  She's huge -- tall, I mean -- but she looks like she could be a convincing ambiguously gendered lycanthrope.  I've not filed down bits before, but this looks doable.

 

On 3/15/2017 at 8:03 PM, Mad Jack said:

If you're looking to give that one a breast reduction, easiest way to do it is simply slice both breasts completely off and then use greenstuff to build them back up however much is necessary - filing down a rounded surface like that into a different curve and making it look good is serious work.

 

 

 

On 3/15/2017 at 9:21 PM, Pingo said:

 

Er.  Maybe it's just me, but even tedious filing seems to me a simpler matter than "slicing" anything off like that.  What tool would I use to slice and what if it should slip?

 

And between hardware store needle files, even smaller craft store needle files, and bead reamers, I have a lot of filing tools.

 

 

On 3/15/2017 at 9:25 PM, Sylverthorne said:

 

Bearing in mind that I haven't seen this thing you plan to modify, I'd probably start with the nippers. ^^;

 

On 3/15/2017 at 9:56 PM, TGP said:

 

Jewelers saw maybe. 

Depending on clearance with other limbs. 

Or nippers like the girlblin said. 

 

But if you are very comfortable and familiar with that variety of files what you are familiar with is probably the best choice. 

 

Have you considered just up-armoring the figure with androgynous armor components?  A (shocking I know) curaiss that in no way resembles a metal corset or brassiere...FTW. Add green stuff in layers, build it up little by little. 

 

On 3/16/2017 at 2:27 AM, Pingo said:

 

It's Aislinn, Shadow Tracker.  As you can see, she's not particularly overendowed to begin with, so gentle filing looks a plausible way to get to the effect of small pectoral muscles.  Also she's already smooth there so I wouldn't have to try to recreate the texture of fur.

 

In the end I did a bit of gentle shaving with a fresh X-Acto blade, then filed the rest of the way.  (I don't presently have Greenstuff, nor have I used it before.)

 

This is what my copy of Aislinn looked like unmodified:

 

 

And this is what Aislinn looks like now that I've tried a bit of filing.  The filed areas are much shinier than the rest of the figure which seems to make them look rounder than they really are.  Possibly they are not yet plausible pectoral muscles, but I'm hoping to help the effect with paint.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Pingo
Got it wrong and don't wish to cause harm. Also tags needed fixing.

[Mehman 1199]

Excellent job! At first, I was scratching my head in confusion at the name. A "genderfluid" werewolf? What in the Nine Hells is that?! Then, after reading what was written and seeing the model, it all clicked - a shapeshifter that's forgotten who it is was or who never knew in the first place. That may not be the actual reasoning behind this model but it works for me.

 

Anyway, the model looks suitably asexual (or whatever it's called now) with the work you've already put into it.

[Sylverthorne 23665]

Genderfluid .. doesn't quite work like that. I think. I'm not actually sure /how/ it works, but I tend to think of it like the little bubble in the level; sometimes you're nearer one side, sometimes the other. Sometimes you're in the middle. I have no idea what the level levels against, and I'm not planning to discuss it any further out here. ^^;

 

Leaving the complicated gender stuff.. it looks like that will work nicely. I hate pointy boob-plate anyway, it's a dangerously stupid design.... and the matte effect of primer should even out the shine (always seems to when I hit a polished mini with it). Looking forward to seeing what else you do.

[Pingo 109316]

10 minutes ago, Sylverthorne said:

Genderfluid .. doesn't quite work like that. I think. I'm not actually sure /how/ it works, but I tend to think of it like the little bubble in the level; sometimes you're nearer one side, sometimes the other. Sometimes you're in the middle. I have no idea what the level levels against, and I'm not planning to discuss it any further out here. ^^;

 

Leaving the complicated gender stuff.. it looks like that will work nicely. I hate pointy boob-plate anyway, it's a dangerously stupid design.... and the matte effect of primer should even out the shine (always seems to when I hit a polished mini with it). Looking forward to seeing what else you do.

 

You're right, of course.  I'm sorry if I have been disrespectful.  Genderfluid is a more dynamic way than any single figure can convey, and my friend is probably going to use different figures at different times anyway . 

 

It might be better to say I'm inspired by the concept to try to do up a figure that isn't strongly gendered, in a way that I hope is interesting.

 

If I've gone too far I can edit the title and dial it back a bit.

[Auberon 15683]

I don't know about fluid, but you can certainly make a mini androgynous.  Female build, some muscles but not too much, and no breasts is probably as many boxes you can check off at 28mm. 

[haldir 45853]

21 minutes ago, Auberon said:

I don't know about fluid, but you can certainly make a mini androgynous.  Female build, some muscles but not too much, and no breasts is probably as many boxes you can check off at 28mm. 

 

 

or just use a elf 

 

Nice conversion so far.

[TGP 76023]

1 hour ago, Pingo said:

Genderfluid is a more dynamic way than any single figure can convey, and my friend is probably going to use different figures at different times anyway . 

 

The concept I got out of the title was a shapeshifter (werewolf) that could switch genders during the transformation from wolf <—> were. Man transforms to wolf, wolf reverts to human, but this time a woman...  ...next shift to wolf is a she-wolf... and so on. 

 

...it would be pretty handy for a character that was a spy (unless it is random because curse).

 

Not nearly as good as being Odo from DS9, but handy. 

 

@Pingo does the character have a full-wolf, four paws on the ground, form? (Those are usually gender unspecific in 29mm sculpts.)

[Bruunwald 3601]

2 hours ago, Sylverthorne said:

Genderfluid .. doesn't quite work like that. I think. I'm not actually sure /how/ it works, but I tend to think of it like the little bubble in the level; sometimes you're nearer one side, sometimes the other. Sometimes you're in the middle. I have no idea what the level levels against, and I'm not planning to discuss it any further out here. ^^;

 

Leaving the complicated gender stuff.. it looks like that will work nicely. I hate pointy boob-plate anyway, it's a dangerously stupid design.... and the matte effect of primer should even out the shine (always seems to when I hit a polished mini with it). Looking forward to seeing what else you do.

I don't think that model has "pointy boob plate."

Those appear to be leather straps binding the clothing tightly across the whole torso and around the breasts. That would be useless over metal. The only reason for the design is to hold cloth or leather tight against the body.

 

Those pauldrons might be metal.

[Guildenstern 4590]

Leaving aside the confusion inherent in a lot of the gender discussions of today - because yeah, it's confusing and not really conducive to discussions about minis per se.

Then take that idea and use it restricted to a mini, or a backstory for a mini, and not only are you not being disrespectful imo, but you are perfectly fine to use it (again imo).

It makes for a much more interesting take than simply 'androgynous' (man/woman looking). Especially in terms of a shapeshifter! how do you show that?  What kind of representation would work for the character?

 

I like this thought a lot.

 

Not least of all because one of the current games I'm running with my friends in Oz includes a shapeshifted hawk that becomes a wood elf. We still haven't actually decided on the gender of the hawk, it isn't necessarily the same as the elf - why should it be? if you can change your species at all, why be limited by simple gender.

 

Anyway, I like your project idea and am looking forward to seeing how it progresses!

[Sylverthorne 23665]

3 hours ago, Bruunwald said:

I don't think that model has "pointy boob plate."

Those appear to be leather straps binding the clothing tightly across the whole torso and around the breasts. That would be useless over metal. The only reason for the design is to hold cloth or leather tight against the body.

 

Those pauldrons might be metal.

 

... so, it might be faulty boob-physics? . .. gods above, the weird things we find ourselves discussing.

But the filing and shaving have fixed it, regardless, and it looks good.

[Glitterwolf 207254]

Looking forward to see how you pull this off.

 

 

[BLZeebub 2535]

First off, I actually like her with filed down breasts (won't see that sentence written often!).  Giant boob-cones for armor is flattering, but as several have pointed out, here and other places, it just isn't practical and sometimes makes one squirm to suspend disbelief--I get the same sense of discomfort when looking at shields with deep decorative cuts and whatnot.

 

Second, I think you might be confusing genderfluid with intersexual or androgynous.  I like the idea you're going for though.  If you have multiple options you could have a cismale, cisfemale, and the androgynous version you've struck upon.  So the character could hit both ends and smack in the middle of the spectrum.  The concept reminds me of something...maybe Odo-like shapeshifters?

 

Carry on.  And...lets see it painted soon!

[Pingo 109316]

I think I'm going to need to retitle this thread.  I got it wrong and it's a delicate subject.

 

Also, is anyone else seeing the five tags at the top as one big tag with commas inside it?  I think something may have gone wonky, because when I look at the post in the editor they are five separate tags.

[Glitterwolf 207254]

1 minute ago, Pingo said:

I think I'm going to need to retitle this thread.  I got it wrong and it's a delicate subject.

 

Also, is anyone else seeing the five tags at the top as one big tag with commas inside it?  I think something may have gone wonky, because when I look at the post in the editor they are five separate tags.

 

I see a big tag with commas too.

[Pingo 109316]

Fixed (I hope).