Man in the Machine: Karchev the Terrible Conversion

Karchev has received a huge boost in popularity due to Mk III and Mad Dogs.  The concept, while reminiscent of 40k Dreadnoughts, is solid.  An angry, broken, patriot, he lives on within an iron body.  He deserves a large, intimidating model, and here I present a guide on converting an updated Karchev the Terrible.

For WIP photos and instructions, keep on reading!

The Kodiak plastic kit is an ideal base for Karchev’s warjack body.  It’s slightly bulkier than a Juggernaut, and the legs are a very close match for the art and old metal model of Karchev.  Start with this giant metal bear, and pick up the necessary Karchev bits!

Fitting the Karchev-pod into the space where the head should be on a Kodiak is easy.  Trim down the raised armor at the front of the torso piece as seen here:

Testing the K-pod with sticky tac to ensure placement.

Karchev has a pair of armor plated rectangles to keep sharp objects away from his delicate life support tubes, which are just about the right size and shape to fit where they would on the official model.

His distinctive loin armor is a nice change from standard warjack loadout, but looks a bit tiny on anything but the original metal model.  To solve for this, I shaved down the raised portion of the Kodiak’s codpiece and to fit Karhev’s on top.  His cape-skirt hangs from its original frame in the back, but I removed the side skirts for a cleaner look.

Kodiaks have large armor plates over their fists, which are pretty close to Karchev’s design.  The three spikes in a triangular pattern are the main draw, but the shovel-fists are a little big when compared to the art.  Luckily, Ruin was based off the same multikit, with slightly smaller armor plates on the right arm.

A perfect fit!

Naturally, Karchev doesn’t have an Orgoth shield on his left hand, so I had some drilling, shaving, and sculpting to do if I was going to make this work.

Two right hands no more!

I think it’s lazy to just stick Karchev’s smokestacks on top of the Kodiak assembly, since it makes them overly tall.  Luckily, they’re about the right height on their own.  Remember to pick up two smokestack pieces, since you need both sides for the model.

Carve off the raised portion of the torso and stick those bad boys directly on.  Sculpt a little rectangle around them to emulate the armored bay that supports the smokestacks to blend the join.

Karchev has a distinctive left shoulder pad that isn’t seen on another warjack chassis.  Shave down the edgy goth studs from the Kodiak’s left shoulder, and extend the raised portion with greenstuff.  Most people have leftover spikes from the Berserker multikit, which are a perfect fit for this piece.

Sunder, Karchve’s axe has a unique sculpt that I felt needed to be maintained through the conversion.  An axe from an Extreme Juggernaut is a decent substitute if you don’t feel like sculpting.  Lop off the bottom of the axe from a Karchev right arm, pin the pieces together, and add ridges to the haft.

Fill the holes for the piping on his back, since we’ll be moving the Kodiak pipes to the front of the torso.  Apparently, steampunk life support involves huffing coal fumes.

Putting it all together gives us this hulking madman.

Look for an update once I get him painted up!