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Hey Dakka, welcome to my first P&M blog, I hope it doesn't suck too much....

I've been slowly getting more and more into the 40k hobby since I 'got the bug' again late last year. I run a guard army and don't get chance to play many games, but after my sound thrashing by a Dark Eldar force yesterday, specifically several squads getting decapitated by jetbikes, I've decided I NEED a hydra!
I've never been too keen on the forgeworld model, apart from the horrendous price a friend of mine bought a couple and the barrels were all bent to hell, even after a lot of hot water treatment they were never fully straight. Also long, brittle resin parts + me = broken minis!

Anyway, my guard army has an 80's Soviet vibe, (insert shameless gallery plug here http://www.dakkadakka.com/core/gallery-user.jsp?u=35930 ) so I decided to pull another one of my ebay horrors out of the second hand tank motorpool and convert it to a hydra. The look I'm going for is a more 'guard-ish' and boxy version of the Soviet ZSU-23-4 Shilka, an awesome piece of 80's anti-aircraft goodness.




I have an old model hellhound from ebay and I figure I will never use it as I have a couple of new hellhounds to build when I get around to it, so it's just volunteered to be my base vehicle! Here it is in all it's...um...greenness.




First things first, and the fuel tanks and turret have to go. They'll be re-listed on ebay sometime soon unless they disappear into my bits box, never to be found again! I already have a solid idea for the turret base, I have a Sky satellite dish adapter with a couple of co-ax plug ends inside that I made having my lunch at work today. Waste not want not. Here's the turret base:




And here's the semi stripped chassis with a test fitted turret to make sure the scale isn't too weird.







OK, everything seems to be to scale, and I've already managed to slice my thumb open, so all systems are green. Time to flesh out the turret and get a rough 'working concept' fit to make sure it's not going to look ridiculous. Next step is some 3mm plasticard for the side of the turret to give an enclosed look and make it look a bit less like a satellite adapter. I have the remains of a very cheap KV-1 kit and I'm going to use the barrel mount to fit my anti-aircraft cannons. The barrels are going to be some of the excellent Old Crow white metal ones, I have a ton of these after a rather large order to Jez a while ago.
Here's my test fit and 'proof of concept'. It should look quite good I think.





Well, that definitely has the kind of look I'm going for! I've roofed the turret with more plasticard, rounded the front turret edges and fitted the barrel mount. I've got a radar dish and a nice radome to fit, but I'm not sure of placement yet. I think I'll remove the front hatch, fit the radome there, remove the heavy bolter and fit a thin front hatch from a Leman Russ in it's place.

Time for a blue-tac test fit!








Most definitely exactly the look I am going for!
Next job is the bolter removal, although it seems a bit solid. I wonder if I can cut around it and get it out without too much accidental self-harming? Then start on a mount for the radome on the front I think and start adding targeting stuff to the turret.

I'll update this as and when I get chance to. Thanks for looking.

That is remarkably cool Will you be building up the front of the mantlet more?

Also why are you removing the HB? It neeeeedses one for full anti-jetbike fun

wow im liking the idea o.o keep it going im interested in the result

Ok, so not got much done tonight as I'm off out for a meal. I've filled some holes with greenstuff ready to sand down and done a bit more on the turret, changed the radome to a roof mounted one (made from a hatch and a Leman Russ gun!) which I think looks much better, and I'm slowly detailing it up.

Looks damn good.

Well, after a long day at work I've done some more to my hydra build.
First of all I've used an old Leman Russ gun barrel and resin blocks as my exhausts, and detailed the top of the engine bay to give a bit of interest. I've also done some small detailing and messed about with the hatches on the front and fitted a turret ring for the (heavy!) turret so sit on.






The turret has been a bit of a nightmare as the quad metal gun barrels are so heavy they tip it forwards out of the peg hole. To combat the problem I've sleeved the turret mounting hole with a thin rubber cylinder, and also added a metal hatch and the metal armour plates from the original hellhound turret behind the turret pivot, so it balances nicely, although it's bloody heavy!

I've done some more detailing on the turret, adding a smoke launcher, some brackets, and a metal aerial. I've removed two of the barrels as they were in the way and only tacked in with suoerglue anyway, I need to beg, steal or borrow a dremel to drill the holes for the barrels to mount properly, hopefully I can do this tonight or maybe tomorrow.







All things considered it's coming along nicely

very soviet! very professional

Basic modeling is done, yay!

All I have to do now is get some base paint on it, and drill the heavy bolter out later (I can't be bothered right now!)

Ok, first coat of paint is on, general colour scheme will be the same as the other tanks in my gallery, so it starts with a Tausept Ochre base from the old air brush.







Can't wait to get some more paint on it tomorrow!

More done!

Second shader coat is on, the tracks have been sprayed a black undercoat and I've done a weak devlan mud wash. I really need to get a moisture trap for my airbrush though: it's 'spattering' more than I'd like which is bloody annoying!

That is looking fine I like the smoke damage.

I managed to grab another hour or two to slap some more paint on.

Most of the weathering is done now, I've always over-weathered my tanks in the past, so I've tried to reign it in a bit more with this one!
I also managed to find an ancient CSM decal sheet, with a couple of green hydras on it! Score! They are now gracing the side and back of my hydra. (You can see them better if you click the images & zoom in)

I've drilled the heavy bolter (kept as part of the model after following flintys advice, cheers mate ) and smoothed the seams so the mold lines have disappeared, but not fully painted it yet. I've also just started painting the glass, optics and green gaiters for the guns, I'll probably finish them tomorrow.

I reckon another couple of evenings and it'll be done.

It's finaly finished, yay!

Link to the finished tank here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/378561.page#2985417