First impression: they're big. Really big. Much bigger than my Old Glory elephants. They're also scary. The OG elephant kind of shuffles along. The Crusader elephants are running, and they have a mean look in their eyes.
My second impression was that they were going to take a lot of work. That's a big gap between the neck.
Obviously that gap on the trunk is too large to just leave.
In fact, there were large gaps everywhere. Superglue alone wasn't going to cut it. I had to break out some Squadron green putty that I usually reserve for 1:35 models.
I gooped the green putty on pretty thick, then levelled it out with a toothpick.
Next, I sanded the putty down to get a smooth surface. The I used a hobby knife to mke some cuts where the elephants' skin folded. As you can see here, only two of each elephant's feet are touching the ground. I drilled holes in those feet, inserted brass rod, and glued the other end of rod in holes I made in the Litko bases. These elephants shouldn't be going anywhere.
The completed elephants look pretty good. I didn't want them to look identical, so I varied the howdah color slightly. I probably should have changed the blanket and the tunic on the mahout as well.
I also set the elephants at slightly different angles. The fellow in the front is as the sculptor intended. The fellow behind has three feet on the ground. It makes for a good contrast, and it really makes these guys look like they're moving.Looking at this shot, you can still see where that seam is on the base of the trunk, but it's a lot better than the huge gap before the green putty.
You're right, the running pose looks very dramatic. Fortunately, the elephants wrinkly skin hides the seam on the trunk. It's barely noticeable—in the photo at least.
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