[MOC] Centaur w/ Tailgunner

[socalbricks]

Centaur w/ Tailgunner (1) by socalbricks, on Flickr

Centaur w/ Tailgunner (2) by socalbricks, on Flickr

Some time after the city of O'Rai was destroyed, it civilians, now nomadic, encountered a clan of centaurs. Both groups had come into conflict with the various gangs of robbers and mercenaries that patrolled the plains and woodland of southwest Avalonia. A heavily armed, coordinated and agile cavalry was needed. The two groups chose to band together, and came up with the idea of combining a centaur and rider, with both of them often training together at a young age. This strategy would prove quite effective, with horde after horde of robbers falling to hoof, blade, and arrow. Riders now had a "cavalry" they could coordinate attacks with, and centaurs had their flanks (their one weak point) protected. 

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A few months ago, back when I was researching weapons I wanted my centaur character (Ayra) to carry, I stumbled upon video by a YouTuber named Shadiversity, who mentioned that one of a centaur's best weapons would be a friendly human/elf/drawrf/etc. riding on its back. This gave me some ideas, and I got to building. For simplicity's sake, I chose to use Ayra as a template. On top of the addition of a "tailgunner", I also added clothing/barding to the character's lower/"horse half". This mitigated the open studs that existed on the original version, and in my opinion makes things look much cleaner overall. 

Centaur (w/out Tailgunner) by socalbricks, on Flickr

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 Shadiversity Video Link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNRf9VVAHIk" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNRf9VVAHIk</a>

Link to the original version:

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by socalbricks

[Littleworlds]

A fun idea, excellently build. the barding works indeed really well and makes sense as a layer of protection for her.

[socalbricks]

8 hours ago, Littleworlds said:

A fun idea, excellently build. the barding works indeed really well and makes sense as a layer of protection for her.

Thank you so much!

[zoth33]

Neat idea.  Really cool design, I like the hooves and legs.  The barding looks good.  The weapon is pretty awesome too.  

[Grover]

Very nice work!  I'm glad to see more of Ayra.  I love the story and idea behind it.  Builds seem more realistic when there's a need-based story behind it (as in, why would an archer be on the back of a centaur?  You explained it well).  I like the colors  and the barding.  The only criticism is that the picture could use more light.  The black and dark green are exceedingly difficult to photograph; trying to find the right amount of light to show everything without washing it out is hard.  In this case, some of the more recessed areas tend to have low contrast.  Other than that, though, great job!  I'd hate to get hit by that blenderizer of a polearm!

[socalbricks]

4 hours ago, zoth33 said:

Neat idea.  Really cool design, I like the hooves and legs.  The barding looks good.  The weapon is pretty awesome too.  

Thank you! 

[socalbricks]

2 hours ago, Grover said:

Very nice work!  I'm glad to see more of Ayra.  I love the story and idea behind it.  Builds seem more realistic when there's a need-based story behind it (as in, why would an archer be on the back of a centaur?  You explained it well).  I like the colors  and the barding.  The only criticism is that the picture could use more light.  The black and dark green are exceedingly difficult to photograph; trying to find the right amount of light to show everything without washing it out is hard.  In this case, some of the more recessed areas tend to have low contrast.  Other than that, though, great job!  I'd hate to get hit by that blenderizer of a polearm!

Thank you for the kind words! I'm happy that you like the build/character! I also completely agree with your feedback regarding the lighting. My current "lightbox" consists of a sheet of white paper and a few lamps. It's not ideal, so hopefully I can get a proper lightbox in the future. 

[soccerkid6]

So cool seeing centaurs get more attention in the guilds!

I love the large weapon Ayra carries, and the idea of a partner for additional protection in battle makes perfect sense

[socalbricks]

On 10/30/2019 at 6:45 PM, soccerkid6 said:

So cool seeing centaurs get more attention in the guilds!

I love the large weapon Ayra carries, and the idea of a partner for additional protection in battle makes perfect sense

Thank you!

I'm very happy with how the weapon (a halberd) turned out. In regards to the 'Tailgunner" idea, I'm surprised we don't see more of it in fiction, especially considering how lethal and effective of a combo it can be!

On 8/25/2019 at 4:39 PM, Grover said:

The only criticism is that the picture could use more light.  The black and dark green are exceedingly difficult to photograph; trying to find the right amount of light to show everything without washing it out is hard.  In this case, some of the more recessed areas tend to have low contrast. 

Here's some pics with better lighting!

Shores of Avalonia by socalbricks, on Flickr

Gallop by socalbricks, on Flickr

Ambush by socalbricks, on Flickr

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by socalbricks

[Grover]

Great lighting!  Natural lighting is the best.  I love the ambush picture!

[(Luc)ky Luke]

I really like the design especially the hoofs, tail and the weapon! You inspire me to try and also make centaurs! 

[neonic]

Weird, but great creation  the tailgunner is a nice thing too.
And very cool axe too.

[socalbricks]

On 11/25/2019 at 7:10 PM, Grover said:

Great lighting!  Natural lighting is the best.  I love the ambush picture!

Thank you! I'll take natural lighting over my desk lamp any day!

On 11/26/2019 at 7:07 AM, (Luc)ky Luke said:

I really like the design especially the hoofs, tail and the weapon! You inspire me to try and also make centaurs! 

Thank you! I'm happy I inspired someone. It means a lot!

On 11/26/2019 at 8:48 AM, neonic said:

Weird, but great creation  the tailgunner is a nice thing too.
And very cool axe too.

Thank you!