Dreamforge Leviathan Crusader Build Begins!

Miraculously I had a (relatively) work-free evening last night and after snapping some pics of the unboxing of the beast I couldn't help but get started with the build process. I don't plan on rushing through the build, and after I got started it became very apparent that this kit needs care and attention paid during the assembly process - that's not to say that the instructions aren't clear and concise, but there are a LOT of fiddly bits, and some of them need to be put in place in very specific order. Suffice it to say I did a lot of dry-fitting and re-fitting before I ever brought any glue to the party.

The lower legs are about a zillion pieces, with ball and socket articulation at the ankle, as well as pivots at the heel, knee and rotation at the hip (along with a further ball and socket). In addition there are a number of pistons that attach, stretch and articulate along with the multiple axes of rotation. I was astounded at how well it was designed. Unlike the FW leg pistons, these were designed to fit in any position the builder could imagine, with no cutting or trimming required.

One thing that I noted was that up to a certain point, the two leg structures are built identically. HOWEVER, at a certain point in the process the left and right legs become defined, and after that point you need to be very sure that you know which is which! I didn't add any of the leg armor plates as yet, as I wanted to be sure I was happy with the leg posing and positioning on the base, and be sure they would fit in the pose I have in mind. It looks like that won't be a problem, but on something of this size and complexity, it's definitely worth taking the time to be extra sure everything fits the way I intend.

Before I could be sure the leg poses would work, I needed to get the pelvis and hips put together. More ball and socket articulation on the spine and hips means that it seems one can really get some dynamic poses out of the model!

At the moment it's just standing on the base, and not glued down, but I was rather pleased at how well it balances as-is! I'm still considering what I want to do to the base so nothing is permanently attached as yet. In fact, the legs are held in place primarily by screws and friction, so there's still plenty of opportunity to change up the stance before anything gets permanently glued in place.

I realized that I hadn't included any models for scale in the shots thus far, so I grabbed a handy Tech Priest. He barely comes up to the ankle - it's gonna be big!

Speaking of - the initial intent was to use the model as a Warden Knight Titan, but it's becoming apparent that it's going to be significantly larger than the Knight Errant I've built.Not only is it going to be half again taller, but it's far more bulky. The armor plates that go on the legs will add a lot of apparent mass to the final model, that's for sure!

In game, I have a feeling it will be used as a proxy Warhound, though if memory serves Warhounds aren't allowed close combat weapons. No fear though, as the shipment that arrived also included a left-handed Vulcan cannon, for twin mega-dakka goodness! So far so good - I'm hoping to get some more build time in over the upcoming weekend (presuming I don't end up working. Again.)...