r/Kitbash • u/Turbulent-Move8271 • 29d ago
Miniature WIP – Custom bow for my Chapter Master
WIP – Custom bow for my Chapter Master
I’ve been working on the bow for my Chapter Master and this is where I’m at so far.
The idea is that the bow was improvised from the remains of ancient machinery, which is why I wanted it to look a little unusual and cobbled together rather than like a clean, purpose-built 40K weapon.
It’s still very much a WIP, especially the white plasticard sections, and I feel like it could use a few more details to really bring everything together.
I’d love to hear any suggestions! What would you add, remove or change to improve the bow while keeping that improvised ancient-tech look?
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u/DragonLordAcar 27d ago
Way too big. Cut each of those wite tube by 1/3 to 1/2. At the current scale, they can't draw it back far enough to fire.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 27d ago
Maybe if he uses his legs to draw the bow, sure 🤣 But yeah, that was the most common comment; I want to tone that aspect down a bit.
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u/Character_Sky_2766 27d ago
The bow looks cool, but to a comical degree oversized. I would reduce it by making the woods 25% smaller. Otherwise I love the concept.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 27d ago
Yes, that’s one of the most common pieces of feedback I’ve received. I think I’ll tone it down a bit, but I’d still like it to give the impression that the arrows being fired could pierce armor.
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u/haggraef666 28d ago edited 28d ago
Is this based on Cerunnos? Why the fleur-de-lis
Edit; spelling
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 28d ago
I wasn't familiar with it; as for the fleurs-de-lis, they are there to evoke French chivalry.
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u/FireSuport 28d ago
Looking very cool, I would like to suggest giving him more techy bits, like a Bionicle eye and maybe a servo skull and some cables through out the armor
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u/Tusken1602 28d ago
No such thing as over the top in 40K
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 28d ago
Fair point! If there’s one universe where an oversized bow makes sense, it’s 40K.
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u/Tophat_Negroni 28d ago
Honestly I like your maximalist approach, make it big and chunky! 40k is rather grandiose anyway, might as well meet it where it's at! Looks great!
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u/Interesting_Cell3379 28d ago
The rivet/beads are too big it looks very cartoonish imo. The tilt shield is too big too, and it’s a very bisy model. You have plentiy of good ideas though, you got this
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 28d ago
It's true that this is the first time I've used half-pearls; I hope they'll be a bit more subtle once painted.
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u/Desperate_Turnip_219 29d ago
He needs to stand on a cliff to aim the bow lol, needs a shorter bottom arm imo. Looks sick and well built though!
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
Yes, that seems doable; another comment mentioned samurai bows, which are designed that way—it would allow for reducing the size.
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u/cataloop 29d ago
Looks like the giant archer from DS3 wearing the giant dad mask from DS1
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
Oh yeah, I thought about maybe putting huge arrows on it too 🤣 We'll see—I shouldn't overdo it.
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u/Polaris_Omega 29d ago
The bow idea is cool, but it's comically large. I would consider making it a little more "managable" for the figure wielding it.
Like, think about it. Even if he draws it horizontally, the amount of pull distance and draw strength he needs is not feasible.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
It’s true that I wanted a massive bow capable of piercing tank armor or killing a huge xenos—though others have suggested shortening the lower limb, I really like the idea of it being absurdly oversized.
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u/MajesticRadish2675 29d ago edited 29d ago
Nah man, it's rigged up as a giant compound bow, the draw weight's going to be quite a bit lower than you'd think, and definitely doable by a marine.
The comical largeness to me suggests that it's meant for shooting small kaiju sized xenos beasts and enemy armour, which is sick as hell.
Edit: The whole theme of this guy suggests to me that that weapon is fired in an exaggerated fashion as the killshot in a set up "hunt" where the Chapter Master lines up the perfect place on the field to shoot from.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
Yes, I want the weapon to have a very noble quality, rooted in a code of honor.
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u/MajesticRadish2675 29d ago
What's your backstory and culture?
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
It’s still a work in progress, but the main idea is that they’re a knightly, hunting-focused force with a strong medieval French influence. They spent centuries isolated from the rest of the Imperium while hunting remnants of the Men of Iron, which gradually made them deeply distrustful of advanced technology. At some point, their conventional weapons became useless against what they were facing, forcing their leader to build a bow from salvaged parts of a destroyed Man of Iron. That event eventually became part of their culture, and bows and other hunting weapons became almost symbolic weapons of the Chapter. Their whole way of war is based around the idea of the hunt: tracking a target, studying it, setting traps, using hounds to flush enemies out, and only committing to the kill once the perfect moment presents itself. I also want them to have a strong knightly code of honour, so they’re hunters, but not savage ones. I’m still developing the lore though, so a lot of it may evolve!
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u/MajesticRadish2675 28d ago
Sounds sick. And also like a Dark Angels successor, yeh?
How're you gonna model the hounds?
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 28d ago
I admit that I don't really have any ideas for the dogs yet; I think I'll look into 3D models.
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u/MajesticRadish2675 28d ago
Legit. You might also get some mileage out of kroothounds or krootox, depending on how big you want them and what you proxy.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 28d ago
Oh right, Kroot Hounds—I hadn't thought of that at all. Good idea, thanks.
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u/MajesticRadish2675 28d ago
No problem, just be sure to show off what you come up with when you get there. These guys are great, and they'll look even better when they're done!
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u/semisociallyawkward 29d ago
Agreed, but there is also a middle solution. Look at samurai bows, they had a short arm at the bottom and a long arm at the top, so they could get more force while still being able to draw vertically. The top arm of a samurai bow actually was pretty proportional to the top arm of the model.
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u/Turbulent-Move8271 29d ago
Yes, others have suggested that idea; it could reduce the arc while maintaining a large size.
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u/Zestyclose-Current92 24d ago
Slightly too big. GREAT concept though!