When a Joke Conversion Turns Into a Real Hobby Idea
Sometimes the dumb ideas are the best ones
This started, as many great hobby ideas do, with us looking at a ridiculous image and immediately thinking: wait, this actually rules.
Dubry dropped a screenshot that had exactly that kind of energy — over-the-top, a bit silly, and somehow still incredibly inspiring. His first reaction was basically that it was amazing, and also that you could almost call it a cool Skaven miniature… even if the Skaven involved were not exactly being shown in the most flattering way.
Naturally, the chat escalated immediately.
Michał was instantly sold and said he wanted to do the same thing, but with dwarfs. A moment later he figured out the model in question was Gotrek Gurnisson, and that it was an official miniature rather than a mod or fan sculpt. Which, honestly, only made the whole thing better.
Then Ender delivered the key piece of hobby criticism:
This must be a fake. Fyreslayers don’t wear trousers!
And really, that is the kind of deep setting knowledge we rely on in this group.
The real hobby spark: stealing ideas across ranges
The best part came a bit later, when Dubry tried sketching out the idea further. In his own words, it came out a bit nonsense — but with tons of potential.
That is such a familiar stage in hobby planning. The first draft often looks awkward. The proportions are weird, the visual balance is off, and the whole thing can feel more like a meme than a finished concept. But sometimes the important part is not whether version one looks good — it is whether the core idea has enough energy to keep pushing.
And this one definitely did.
Michał immediately started thinking in bits-box mode and pointed out that he has loads of Sylvaneth fragments that could be reused in Skaven projects. That is exactly the kind of cross-range thinking we love: not just building what is on the box, but looking at totally different armies and asking what textures, trophies, basing elements, or narrative details could be stolen and repurposed.
He also floated another gloriously unhinged idea: maybe just buy a box of Fyreslayers and convert them into scenic basing material for Rat Ogors.
Which is, to be clear, extremely funny and also potentially very cool.
Why this works as a hobby tip
Since this is going under hobby tips, here is the actual takeaway from our nonsense:
1. Bad mockups are still useful
A rough concept does not need to look good to be worth exploring. If the underlying image in your head is strong enough, a messy first pass can still point toward a great conversion.
2. Look outside your own faction
Some of the best conversion ideas come from completely different ranges. Dwarf parts in Skaven builds. Sylvaneth bits in mutant rat monsters. Hero models repurposed into trophies, victims, terrain details, or base decorations. Warhammer kits are often much more interchangeable than they first appear.
3. Think in layers, not whole models
You do not need to convert an entire figure from scratch. Sometimes one strong element is enough:
- a body on a base
- a helmet as a trophy
- broken weapons
- armor plates as scrap
- wood, roots, or stone fragments to change the silhouette
That makes ambitious ideas much easier to test.
4. “Technically difficult” does not mean “bad idea”
Dubry rightly pointed out that making this work cleanly might not be simple. And that is fair. But difficulty is often a sign that an idea needs planning, not abandoning. Dry-fitting, blu-tack mockups, and checking scale before cutting can save a lot of pain.
Our favourite kind of hobby momentum
What we liked most here is how quickly a dumb visual gag turned into a genuinely usable conversion concept. That is one of the best parts of the hobby: half the time, inspiration does not arrive as a polished masterplan. It arrives as someone posting a cursed image and everyone else going, “wait, hold on…”
Will the final version be easy? Probably not.
Will it look incredible if it works? Very possibly, yes.
And honestly, that is enough for us to call it a good hobby idea.
If nothing else, this chat reminded us to dig through the bits box before buying something new — although, to be fair, it also briefly convinced us that buying Fyreslayers purely to turn them into Rat Ogor basing material is a completely reasonable life choice.
Which it might be.