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I am about to purchase a Valkyrie.

I have not played 40K since the late 1990s, but have been installing electronic special effects in the models for quite a few years.

This model is going to be a prize at a local game shop's tournament.

What I want to know is, what is the most popular configuration of this particular model? I would like to set it up and install the effects in a model that actually gets some use
on the tabletop.

Thanks,

Cent13

Well the vendetta tends to be popular (3tl las cannon variant).
But if your just using the standard kit, the rocket pods and multilazer are the most used.
Can't wait to see it finished!

I like to use rocket pods on mine - they provide a good opportunity for customisation: You can have white rockets, red rockets - and they could have very compact electronics inside them.

Why not magnetise it? That way, the winner can select whatever setup they want.

Agrred, magnets, easy to do

Yes I think magnetising it would be the best thing, what a fantastic prize...

If you are going to ''electronize'' the model, you should put a red/green light inside the passenger room.

You also could make the wings like in Avatar or Halo: 3 or Halo: Reach... Examples will be added soon (I'm typing in quick reply)

And after you see the examples you should make the rotor blades spin.

I have been reading your feedback. I have also done some homework out there.

There are two flavors - the Valkyrie and the Vendetta. They both transport troops well.

The Valkyrie seems to be poor at killing tanks. But it is very good at killing smaller stuff. Lots of it. And all while traveling at top speed - 12".

It seems to be ideal for holding in Reserve.

The Vendetta does an excellent job of killing tanks. But only if it does not exceed 6" in movement per turn. More than that and it loses two of the three twin-linked lascannons. It is good for opening the game and knocking out as many enemy vees as you can, and acts as a very good firepower magnet.

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I will go with the Valkyrie. It has a more flexible mission profile.

I have also seen what electronic mods have been done for YouTube. The fellow in Germany seems to have done the most for his model. I can duplicate all the effects he uses and add some new twists of my own. Flashing gun barrels synchronized with sound effects - easy. However.... I still have not figured out where he keeps his power source. I cannot tell from the video whether it is external to the model or not. He does not address the power supply, while other YouTube videos do.

I have been considering the option of turning this Valkyrie into a tilt rotor model, but that would require an additional V-22 model in the correct scale (probably 1/48, at the very least). I don't want to spend that much on the project. And besides, the electronics are going to be hard enough as it is. Installing them and building the circuit boards will be easy - making it so the new owner can easily change the batteries is another matter.

Cent13

There's quite a few spots where you could keep a reasonably sized power source.

Underneath the pilots within the cockpit subassembly and in the engines themselves immediately spring to mind.

Agreed; I have seen the engine nacelles used to stow AA batteries and an on-off switch.

Originally I had intended to reserve the infantry bay for batteries, but it seems that is not necessary with the german fellow's design:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyi9_5MxB2s

Not entirely sure what he is using for a power source. High density, that is for sure, and small. But I may be making more of this than is actually there.

After careful examination, I have determined the electronic lighting effects can be achieved with gadgets salvaged from the dollar store. And those are usually powered by nothing more than AG13 button cells, possibly a CR2032 lithium cell. I may go that route myself, though the 'working' radar scopes in the cockpits will have to be run by a 4017 chip and timer.

The wing strobes I would replicate with LM3909 chips, LED flashers which run on 1.5 volts. As for the LEDs, I have plenty of every color, as well as a good range in SMD.

Cent13

I recently finished my Storm raven gunship with LED’s. I used 3V to keep everything small and hidden.
I have headlights, laser (the light in the front) cockpit, interior & flashing landing lights.
Everything is hidden and it still remains a very playable piece.
*at least as the Templar get to use one…….

It depends on what I use for generating the FX.

Stuff salvaged from the dollar store will usually run about 3v. I plan to use 4.5 volts and drop it with a resistor to the various sub-systems.

The reason I need 4.5 volts is twofold: first, I need it to operate white leds, which typically need from 3.6 to 4 volts. Second, I need to operate the 4017 chip and 555 timer and while they will work on as little as 3 volts, 4.5 is best.

That said, where did you stow your batteries, what kind did you use and how do you replace them?

Cent13

If your question is directed towards me, this is what I did.
On the Storm raven the 3.0V holder is in the scoop behind the top gunner. The scoop is magnetized and removable. The power button is the gunner itself. I used a simple push on/off button so with the slightest of pressure down on the gunner it lights up, another push and it turns off.
Another model I did was for my Tau army. The devil fish has a push on/off built into one of the legs of the landing gear. Push down on the Devil fish and it lights up, push down again and it turns off. The hardest project to date was hiding a battery in the Devil fish being the interior is detailed and there is no real good place to hide a battery.
What I did was removed the front guns and hid the battery behind it.