Chamelon Skink Conversions

[Matzotyl]

So instead of spending lots of money on GW's Chamelon skinks a friend at my local game shop gave me a great idea of how to convert my own so I figured I'd share with you all what I've been working on so far.


First I cut the crests off of the top of the skinks like so, to get them to look a bit more like their chameleon counterparts:




Then I started off molding the eyestalks and tails out of green stuff:







This is all I've gotten done so far, and it's my first time working with Green Stuff. What do you guys think? I'll keep this thread updated as I make progress.

 

[Crowsfoot]

Brilliant, I was looking to do some camo skinks and this is just the type of thing.

 

[Matzotyl]

Brilliant, I was looking to do some camo skinks and this is just the type of thing.

Cool, I'm glad to be able to help you out in some way. I feel like this is WAY more cost effective because you get a Skink Regiment that contains 24 Skinks for $35 USD, where (I'm assuming you only get 5) Chameleon Skinks for $24.75 USD. You still have to buy the green stuff for $10 USD but you're roughly spending $20 more to get about 5x the units you would compared to just buying one set of Chameleon Skinks.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

That is a great money saving strategy.

 

[Matzotyl]

That is a great money saving strategy.

Thanks! I thought so too. You'd probably have to spend close probably double or three times the money I spent to get close to the same number of Chameleon Skinks (24 units). It's a little bit of extra effort to convert them all yourself, but well worth it in terms to money spent if you ask me.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

They look really good. It's amazing that with only a few small changes, they really capture that chamo skink aesthetic.

I would definitely use this idea, but I was fortunate enough to get a bunch of metal chamo skinks in an Ebay Lizardmen army purchase that I got for a good price.

 

[Matzotyl]

They look really good. It's amazing that with only a few small changes, they really capture that chamo skink aesthetic

Thanks! It's really cool to get the feedback from you guys that gives me the idea that you guys like what I'm coming up with for my custom builds and conversions.

I'm probably gonna end up painting them some very, very bright colors like pinks, purples, and oranges but I haven't decided yet what I'm gonna do.

I would definitely use this idea, but I was fortunate enough to get a bunch of metal chamo skinks in an Ebay Lizardmen army purchase that I got for a good price.

Oooh nice. Ebay is always an option but I felt like this would have been better cuz I got to walk out of the store with the stuff today, rather than wait to see if I won the auction. But hey, whatever works right?

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

I'm probably gonna end up painting them some very, very bright colors like pinks, purples, and oranges but I haven't decided yet what I'm gonna do.

That sounds awesome, I can't wait to see them.

Oooh nice. Ebay is always an option but I felt like this would have been better cuz I got to walk out of the store with the stuff today, rather than wait to see if I won the auction. But hey, whatever works right?

You're right that waiting to see if you won the item (and waiting for the shipping!!!) can be quite the pain in the butt. I usually only buy on Ebay in instances where I am getting a very good deal (or if it something that can't be purchased in-store... metal minis, forgewold Slann, etc.). At the end of the day, I guess I'm just cheap!

 

[Matzotyl]

That sounds awesome, I can't wait to see them.


You're right that waiting to see if you won the item (and waiting for the shipping!!!) can be quite the pain in the butt. I usually only buy on Ebay in instances where I am getting a very good deal (or if it something that can't be purchased in-store... metal minis, forgewold Slann, etc.). At the end of the day, I guess I'm just cheap!

Or thrifty lol.

But yeah Ebay has just as many benefits as it does disadvantages. I for one don't wanna deal with the giant hassle metal models provide, plus all the ones I've seen my friends paint never come out looking right due to the metal. Plus I hear they're a giant pain in the @$$ to build.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

I personally like metal models, but I'm well aware that I am in the minority. They have a nice "weighty" element to them that I appreciate. They are tougher to build, but pinning, epoxy or higher quality super glue can go a long way. They are also far more difficult to convert. Those things don't particularly bother me though. The only thing I dislike about metal models is that paint chips off much more easily.

What I really hate, is Finecast. Thank goodness that GW gave up on that stuff. I refuse to buy finecast!

The nice thing about buying metal models off of ebay is that stripping the paint off them is much easier because you can use harsher chemicals without damaging the model.

 

[Matzotyl]

I can see how that's an upside in regards to taking the paint off. I'm not too fond of fine cast either personally lol. I mean, it's OK, but it feels like they're much harder to paint than the standard plastic models.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Finecast is to fragile for my liking; way to prone to damage. Plus they have no weight to them at all. It just feels like a very low grade material, and GW charges an arm and a leg for it.

I'm glad GW has finally outgrown its Finecast stage.

 

[Matzotyl]

Ugh I know. Paying $50 for a Slann is ridiculous cuz they're fine cast models.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Ugh I know. Paying $50 for a Slann is ridiculous cuz they're fine cast models.

That's exactly the instance where I would seek out a deal on ebay for a metal Slann.

 

[pendrake]

Finecast is to fragile for my liking; way to prone to damage. Plus they have no weight to them at all. It just feels like a very low grade material, and GW charges an arm and a leg for it.

I'm glad GW has finally outgrown its Finecast stage.

What material are they shifting to?

 

[Crowsfoot]

Cool, I'm glad to be able to help you out in some way. I feel like this is WAY more cost effective because you get a Skink Regiment that contains 24 Skinks for $35 USD, where (I'm assuming you only get 5) Chameleon Skinks for $24.75 USD. You still have to buy the green stuff for $10 USD but you're roughly spending $20 more to get about 5x the units you would compared to just buying one set of Chameleon Skinks.

Very true and you can make say 10 Camo skinks and use the remaining ones for conversions, Im buying some as we speak!

 

[Matzotyl]

I haven't heard of anything in that regard but let's just hope its the regular plastic

 

[Crowsfoot]

That sounds awesome, I can't wait to see them.


You're right that waiting to see if you won the item (and waiting for the shipping!!!) can be quite the pain in the butt. I usually only buy on Ebay in instances where I am getting a very good deal (or if it something that can't be purchased in-store... metal minis, forgewold Slann, etc.). At the end of the day, I guess I'm just cheap!

99% of my models are from Ebay, I have saved around £400 buying this way and it's not being cheap it's making your money go further

 

[Crowsfoot]

I personally like metal models, but I'm well aware that I am in the minority. They have a nice "weighty" element to them that I appreciate. They are tougher to build, but pinning, epoxy or higher quality super glue can go a long way. They are also far more difficult to convert. Those things don't particularly bother me though. The only thing I dislike about metal models is that paint chips off much more easily.

What I really hate, is Finecast. Thank goodness that GW gave up on that stuff. I refuse to buy finecast!

The nice thing about buying metal models off of ebay is that stripping the paint off them is much easier because you can use harsher chemicals without damaging the model.

Me too, the metal models just feel "right" compared to the plastic and finecast ones.

 

[Matzotyl]

Very true and you can make say 10 Camo skinks and use the remaining ones for conversions, Im buying some as we speak!

Awesome I'd love to see them when they're done! I have 24 normal skinks and I'm converting that entire box of 24 into Chameleons. I can't wait to see my opponent's faces when I deploy 24 scouts in two units of 12 on their back line to shoot at their monsters, important characters and war machines on Turn 1

Maybe since the minimum unit size for Chameleons is 5, I could beak it up every now and then and deploy four to five units of a small amount of Chameleons.