Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm working on a scratchbuilt Ad. mech army for the student nationals using the Imperial Guard list.

As I plan to cast all the Skitarii from my owns sculptsit seemed appropriate to scratchbuild the tanks as well

The Chimera
First of the production line so its a bit shaky, I plan 5



I'm redesigning a few things. I've almost decided on a turret

The Wedge is the best at the moment


though I'm considering the box




I'm also working on a Basilisk




Though it still needs riveting

I'm planning a Medusa barrel, but not certain on how to build one on the cheap

C & C welcome as always,

~ Bob

Cool tanks! Personally I would take box turret, but also give the sides and back beveled edges. Like the CSM predator turret.
Or add ammo boxes at the back like the Leman Russ' have. ^^ Just my 50ct!

I agree with you on point, however i found it quite fiddly just to get the angled front plate. Though an ammo box might work, I'll try it when I get back from london next week.

In the meantime I've been working on mobilizing the rest of them;


as you can see I have the hulls and most of the mechanical bits done, although I haven't yet built enough legs.

I have two methods for building legs

making them from scratch;

Which takes ages

And Casting them in resin

which has quite a bit of sloppy casting, but at least does all the rivets for me

Which do you think is better?

I also have a thunderbolt - vendetta crossbreed


But as I'm using solely as a Vendetta it need to look a little less like a thunderbolt, I think, without major structural changes preferably.

Thanks

~Bob

I've finished building a medusa barrel which will eventually go on the second artillery chassis, when I get round to making it.





It's a little shoddy on the underside as I couldn't find plastic tube of the right side.

I've also uploaded some greens of my Skitarii infantry


I've also painted the first unit, based on casts from the lefthand sculpt above


~Bob

Walking artillery, genius! It reminds me of a scene in star wars episode two where you have all the huge walker marching across some plains. The Thunderbolt 'ahem' Vendetta looks great. Looking forward to seeing some of it painted up!

Cain

Nice AdMech! Like the walker tanks, and the castings looking good

I hadn't actually though about the star wars prequel walker, but now you mention it I do see the similarity

so the 'Vendetta' needs a bit more work, or just a more blazee attitude when it goes down on the table

thanks for the comments

At the moment I'm working on electronics/mechanics inside the Fourth squad chimera and slowly on the legs


this one is just a forward/off/reverse switch, and thankfully the motor can lift the weight with the batteries in.

~bob

Whats the electrics for? Please dont tell me these actually walk!!

What would be the point of a walker that doesn't walk?

just forward and reverse at the moment.

I'm working on a method of steering one of them, but I'm not sure it'll work with the extra motor weighing it down

Dude thats awesome, please put a vid up

Btw, did you play CoDMW2 today, swear i played against a grotbob today

They move! Looking forward to the completed model.

@Vitruvian - Not me, my Xbox died months ago

Also Video as asked



I was going to try a second shoot, but the batteries on the tank died

It may take me a week to finish the legs, electronics and riveting for the rest

~ bob

Fantastic! It is really coming along

Very, very cool conversions! Love those tanks, I would do such a thing myself if I was more talented, had more free time and was flying rodent gak insane!

Cool! How strong are the abtteries? Where they just dead when you took the pics or does the walking take a lot of energy?

Freakin awsome! Never again shall you have to pick up your tanks

The batteries were pretty dead when i put them in. They'd be powering my Warlord for a while.

Been distracted lately making flatpack terrain for my uni games soc;



hopefully I'll get back to the tanks soon

Flat batteries does kinda explain it . Tterrain's looking nice!

That's talent!

Thanks for the comments.

I've been working on some more legs so that I can get the rest moving;



Also a different variant of the wedge turret, based on a suggestion;



And I've dug out my earlier prototype, putting it up here before it heads off to the breakers yard (I need the plasticard);



~bob

Urgh! Riveting is such a pain, as is the flu I have atm.

I've rebuilt my Medusa barrel as it was a little lopsided.

I'm thinking about a Colossus, but the 24" minimum range keeps putting me off, plus the limited target profile (MEQs in cover which more than 24" away)

Must get round to designing some sentinels....

~Bob

Ah, an eternity of construction and I now have built 7 Chimeras and 2 basilisks.

This ought to be enough for my Student Nationals army, but I still have to paint them by next month.

In the mean time I've been distracting myself with Dark Mechanicus troops for the op. for.



This army will have Marks defined by the paint scheme for the most part.
Rusty armour for plague marines, dark metal for the undivided and silver for Thousand sons

Painted 3 Chimeras (one minus a turret), the basilisk and medusa



I've still got a stack of 5 more to paint.



but I'm still missing a lot of middle legs, and half the tank don't have the electrics installed



Two Weeks left till the nationals

~ Bob

Wow this is really great , your very talented in the scartchbuild department , are you sure your not working with the adaptus mechanicus ;-) , so does any of the chimeras actually walk ? , amazing build anyhow , thanks for sharing !

i am not talented enough to define how epic this is!

your plasticard skills are great

I love the legs. Very creepy.

You, sir, are quite mad. But in a good way.

Thanks for the comments.

I have some closeups of two of them

A Chimera, fifth company, first platoon, command transport


A Medusa, Balistiari Fourth company, Second platoon, First tank


I've finished a few more and undercoated the rest
All ten built so far, the rear 3 chimeras are only under coated at the moment


So far one tank is autonomously motorised, 3 tanks are fly by wire.

One is in the process of having a radio control unit installed, one more will be autonomous, and the rest will be fly by wire.

~ Bob

Oh my god! It crawls! IT'S ALIVE!!!

This just went from a slightly lame plasticard project to one of the coolest things I have ever seen in the world of 40k.

Incredible!


Oh, and I like the paint scheme.