Undead Delight!

After sitting on this Cryx boxed set for, what seems like, an eternity, I was finally able to put it in the queue of projects to start. I've edited and uploaded all of the other 10 Day Boxed Set articles thus far, so I knew that I had a challenging task ahead of me (which is probably why I've put it off for such a long time!). After assembling and painting up the Stalker, combined with seeing previews of the new DeathJack, I knew that I needed to start fielding some painted undead monstrosities!

For those of you who have seen the 2005 Privateer Press catalog, you will notice that the Cryx models have been given a new paint job. I'll do my best to replicate the paint job in the catalog, rather then the, now deprecated, paint job seen on the website. 10 days, eh? I'll do my best...

Paints Utilized (Days 1 - 5) 

Vallejo Model Color Line
    VMC-141: English Uniform
    VMC-120: Buff
    VMC-110: Deck Tan
    VMC-803: Brown Rose
    VMC-869: Basalt Gray
    VMC-998: Bronze
    VMC: Glaze Medium
    VMC: Metal Medium
 
Vallejo Game Color Line
    Polished Gold
    Brassy Brass
 
Citadel Line
    Chaos Black
    Goblin Green
    Sunburst Yellow
    Skull White
    Bleached Bone
    Regal Blue
    Graveyard Earth
    Boltgun Metal
    Chainmail

Model Preparation

5 models, 10 days. Seriously, what was Ark thinking when he suggested that we do this? The first step, of course, is to clean the models of flash and mold lines. I received a decent batch of models, as there were very few mold lines and flash. I also give my models a bath in Simple Green or dishwashing soap. Combined with a good scrubbing from an old toothbrush, this bath will remove any mold release agent residue that might still be in the nooks and crannies of the models. The residue often doesn't allow decent paint adherence, so it's better to be safe, than sorry, and give them a bath even if you cannot visibly see much/any residue.

The Cryx Boxed Set comes with 5 models: 2 Deathripper BoneJacks, 1 Defiler BoneJack, 1 Slayer Helljack, and of course, the warcaster Deneghra. Fortunately, most of the models are fairly straightforward in their assembly process. Let's review what each model looks like, and what parts you should possess Note: Due to a major screwup on my part in utilizing Actions in PhotoShop, I overwrote most all of my 'popup' pictures for the first 5 days of this article....remember, always have backups.....

You should have 9 pieces for the Slayer: head, cowl, torso, legs, left and right shoulder, left and right arm, and shoulder spike bit, as well as a large base.

For the Defiler BoneJack (pictured on the left), you should have 4 pieces: body, cannon, left and right legs, as well as a medium base. For the Deathrippers, you should have 2 of each part pictured on the right: body, lower jaw, left and right legs, and 2 medium bases.

Lastly, Denegrha comes in 3 pieces: main body, head, and witch barb steam pack, as well as a small base. If any of the above items are missing, including the stat cards for the models, e-mail the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . They will take care of you in an efficient and expedient manner.

Assembly

I'll start off with the BoneJacks first. You must be really careful when working with the legs of the bonejacks. While the piece looks fairly sturdy, the pistons between the upper leg and foot are quite fragile, and will break easily if too much pressure is placed on them. Just a word of warning, as I've seen many people with severed Bonejack limbs, and it wasn't from a well placed attack. I am going to pin the legs of the Bonejacks to the body using one long axle, drilled straight through the torso.For all my pinning, I utilize a 3/64" drill bit, and matching floral wire.

If you need to, you can use an Xacto knife to find the center point in the torso, as shown in the left hand picture above. After starting the hole, I place the 'jack in the position on the right, to ensure I'm drilling straight across the body.

Again, using an Xacto knife, find the centerpoint of the metal pin, and drill your pin hole. Cut a length of floral wire a bit longer than you anticipate you'll need. It's always better to have extra length, than not enough length. Drill a receiving hole in the opposite leg. Test fit, and get lay the parts aside for a moment.

You'll want to sand flat the barrel of the Defiler's Sludge Cannon, and drill a hole as well, to make it more realistic looking.

The Deathripper and Defiler's jaws can be glued straight on. There is enough contact between the 'U' in the lower jaw and the hose housing on the throat to securely hold it in place.

Test fit all the pieces to ensure a good fit, and glue away! Remember, use the glue sparingly. When it comes to gluing, less is definitely more.

Lastely, prep the join between the bonejacks and the base. I'll leave the tab on the right foot of two of them, and remove it from the other, to allow for a running pose.Cut the tab off with your cutters, or an Xacto knife. Because we've done this, you'll need to pin the other foot to the base. For those bonejacks with the tab left in, we have another minor problem... The slot in the base is not wide enough. Carve it out until you can fit the tab into the base. Be careful, as trying to shove the foot into the slot will result in breaking off the foot if too much pressure is applied.

The Slayer Helljack is a bit more complex. 10 total pieces, rather than 4. In addition, to position the arms in anything but the 'default', we'll need to utilize a Dremel. I plan on painting the Slayer attached to its base, so we'll begin by removing the tab and gluing it onto the large base.

I snip off the tab with a set of cutters. Sand off whatever remnents are left after removing the tab. Don't remove the pin in the right leg, we'll use that to attach it to the base.

To prep the base, flip it over, and drill a starter hole through one of the receptecles on the base. Flip it back over, and carve out your starter hole until it is big enough to accept the peg in the leg of the Slayer.

Don't mind the GreenStuff in that picture, or the fully assembled Slayer, we'll deal with it later. What I do want you to notive is that the other foot doesn't sit flat on the ground. When we work with GreenStuffing some gaps later on, we'll use the leftover to create a rock.

Next, we'll attach the upper torso to the legs. You have two options here: use a glob of GreenStuff to help secure the pieces together, or very carefully pin them pieces together. While the former is a bit easier, I don't know how durable it is over a long period of time. I've elected to pin the pieces together.

Next, take the spikey bits and glue them onto the shoulder pieces. You'll likely need to sand the triangular wedge of the spikey bit to fit properly into the shoulder. Even after sanding, it is not a perfect fit. Notive the gaps between the spikey bit and shoulder. We'll do some basic GreenStuff work after the Slayer is assembled to remedy this problem.

Pin the lower arms to the shoulders. Again, utilize an Xacto knife if you need help finding the centerpoint.

The next step is totally optional. If you want the 'default' pose of the Slayer, skip this portion. Notice that the shoulder has a chunk cut out of the collar. This fits nicely with the tab on the upper portion of the Slayer's legs, and provides a nice contact point for glueing. The problem is, it provides a fairly limited range of motion for posing the arms. I grind off the tab with a Carbide Cutter for my Dremel. This allows full range of motion, and there are still many contact points between the collar of the shoulder and the torso of the Slayer to glue the pieces in place.

Here is what the Slayer looks like after gluing the arms into place. All that remains is to attach the head and cowl.

It's hard to see in this image, but I've set the pin a bit off center, and at an angle. This will automatically angle the head when set into the body, allowing for a more dynamic pose.

After doing a couple of dry test fits with the cowl and body, I've determined the easiest way for these pieces to bond well is to shove a chunk of GreenStuff under the cowl. I know I'll be using some GreenStuff soon, so I mix a batch up and throw some on. Cut off about 1/4" of GreenStuff, twist, and mix thoroughly.

For the rest of my GreenStuff work, I'm going to use a dental tool (haven't invested in any decent sculpting tools yet). Flatten out the GreenStuff until you have a very thin layer to work with.

Cut a few strips from the layer and apply them to the gap between the shoulder and spiky bit. I'm also going to place some behind the right side of the Slayer's head, as my repositioning of the head created another gap.

Let the GreenStuff cure a bit, and then smooth it over with a wet finger, or the dental tool. Continue this process until the seam between the GreenStuff and metal disappears. Glue the cowl on, and you are ready to rumble!

Deneghra is quite easy to assemble. I swith to a 1/32" drill bit and a paper clip to pin the backpack and head into place. Now see, I like her head on a pole, it's very fitting.

The Metal Army

Well, that was fun....time to let the GreenStuff cure.... Day Two is a light day: just sand down the GreenStuff, if needed, and prime.