Miniature conversion
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Miniature conversion refers to the practice of altering the appearance of a miniature or model so as to deviate from the standard version purchased in a boxed set.
This practice is quite common amongst hobbyists who play miniature wargames such as The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000, as well as many of the other games produced by Games Workshop and many other games and miniature manufacturers. In these circumstances, conversions generally consist of combining parts of different models and modelling putty (such as Milliput or Kneadatite also known as "Green Stuff") to produce a new model with a unique appearance, which is generally a centrepiece of the player's collection, representing a powerful character or monster, or similar.
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[edit] Reasons for Conversions
There are many reasons why a hobbyist might want to convert models, some hobbyists convert (model) their miniatures for pure enjoyment, whereas sometimes they are forced to convert their miniatures to stay in line with the rules for their army (e.g., weapon changes, mounting miniatures on steeds) Some people spend more time converting their miniatures than painting them or playing the actual game, and some hobbyists extensively convert every model in their army so that they can have a unique force. Some hobbyists will convert a model not for their army, but just as a way to clean out their "bits box" and to have fun.
[edit] Weathering
Weathering is a widely popular family of conversions that many hobbyists practice. In its simplist form it is adding imperfection to make the model look 'used'. Common forms of weathering include everything from adding battle damage and creating men in non-standard attire for wargamers and military modellers to adding rust or dirt effects.
[edit] Head swaps
Head swaps are a very easy way for wargamers to create unique models. As the name suggests the head of one model is substituted for that of another. This technique is very useful for wargamers when making multiples of the same character to allow equipment to be chosen more easily to help tailor an army for different situations. Normally the head that is to be kept will be cut (normally sawn) from the body as low as possible to avoid damage, the recipient body will normally be decapitated higher up to preserve the torso. The two pieces will be filed to the right size and glued together, possible with the help of pins for strength.
[edit] Bits boxes
Bits boxes are collections of spare bits and pieces of model kits left over from models that have options of multiple parts. The spelling "bitz" has been popularised by Games Workshop in recent years, reflecting Ork speech patterns in the various Games Workshop rulebooks, codices and official novels.
Recently, Games Workshop added a new service to The Lord of the Rings SBG, enabling enthusiasts to order parts of metal miniatures (shields, crossbows, swords, etc) to allow less expensive conversions.[1]
