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.

So about a year and a half ago I started into the hobby with IG. My first army grew massive and then I decided to see what else 40k had to offer and I sold and traded them off for several other armies. Everyone used to commented how much they looked like police with the paint scheme I used and I wanted to revisit them with my improved (not perfected) modeling and paint skills. When a local player sold me 50 primed IG for an assault squad I had laying around and $7 I was hooked.

Heres a little bit about the army I am going to create. I want a swat style army with pleanty of 40 flare. I am not going to try to match current swat models, rather use them for inspiration while trying to create "Cadian Swat: Xeno Task Force". The army will be made using concepts from the all to popular loved/hated leafblower scaled down to 1500 points. The army will be based on the current 40k range with the idea of keeping the army tournament legal becuase I am sure I will sell it one day.

I will first start with the vehicles as they are the bread and butter of this list, but fear not as I have some great ideas for the troops as well.

The project:
4x Swat APCs with .50 cal guns
1x Swat APC with .50 cal and a LRAD. (For psyker battle squad aka:LRAD team)The fluff is the squad uses the LRAD to make units run. Google: Long range acustic device for more info.
1x Manticore, Chimera with large sattelite dish and lots of radars. The fluff is its used to call in air strikes on the target.
2x Medusa, Chimera with swive rocket launcher mounts.
1x Valkyire converted to helicopter with apache style wing weapon mounts.

Project #1

Develop a Swat Inspired APC Chimera. x 4

Here is the picture that I used for inspiration, keep in mind I am not going to copy it, rather borrow ideas. (It was embedded until it was removed from my dakka gallery.)
http://www.joebrower.com/PHILE_PILE/PIX/JBTS/Charleston_APC.jpg

The first part of this project would require me to remove the raised areas at the top of the chimera kit. At first I tryed using a file. I was left with a very rough surface. Deciding this wasn't going to work I pulled out the Black and Decker mouse sander. Using 180 grit paper I quickly sanded away the turrent mount, back hatch and lasgun sponsons. I was left with this.



As you can see its a bit rough but I will worry about that on the final sand. Next step was to place some card so that I could fill the gaps with green stuff.



I filled in the gaps with green stuff (first time gap filling) and left it to dry for the final sanding.



Next it was time for the final sand. I again used the mouse sander this time loaded out with 240 grit paper to get a nice smooth surface.



Update 4/18/2010

Alright I put some more work into these chimeras with a deadline (self set) for completion by Wednesday.

First up, I have assembled and primed the hull of the chimera. Taking three of these things off the sprue, assembling them, running out of glue and giving them a bath before priming took some time. In the end the results are already starting to show. You should notice it has a nice smooth profile where the turret mount and lasgun sponsons used to be.


After that I got busy assembling the lights that should add that extra "bling" to the table. You can see a picture of them in action here at http://www.policecarmodels.com/miliflsyforp.html The video hardely does them justice. I picked two packs of lights (6 lightbars) and 4 battery clips. I will have to pick up a few more before this project is done.


I had to make a mounting plate for the lightbar using plasticard. It was simple to attach to the inside of the turret however; I did cut my hand when a piece of plastic came loose. Nothing serious but its the second cut so far on this project...


Last step for today was using greenstuff to attach the lightbar to the mounting plate. All in all test fit looks good and the lights are amazing.


Update 4/19/2010

Alright, to continue with my timeline I put in some more work. I am one pictures short as I added a clear window over the turret that I mounted the light bar. I would have posted a picture but its clear and not worth the extra work.

I added some decals using the testors decal system. It basically consists of printing your graphics on waterside paper then sealing it to prevent the ink from running off. Sounds easy right? I'll share a bit of my experience. First I bought Supercal decal system. The box was short on paper, the spray can had zero propellent and the ink still had not dried after a week. What a waste. So next up was testor. It was about 10 dollars less so a good deal over all. Since I would be putting white letters over black I picked up the white paper and filled in the background with black. Next up was trying to get it to print. I just got a new printer and it was having some major set backs. Once I finally tuned it in the black ink was low and I ended up with white lines running through the black. Not a big deal as I can just fill them in with some paint but over all it was a pain. The good news though, I have it dialed in and can easly make decals now and the results are well worth it as you will see below.

Ok so here is the picture. Its rough now as I have just added the decals. Once they are dry I will do my best to blend them and the matte finish should take the gloss right out of them.



Update 4/20/2010

Today I managed to get the turrets mounted and a few bits glued on. Everything is primed out and ready for some paint. I want to keep the SWAT feel so painting will be limited. The turret guns will be mounted once I decide on which one I am going to use. I have a .50 cal but its 1/43 scale and a little on the small side but I love the look. My other option is the pintel mounted heavy stubba with the end clipped and replaced with the multilaser tip on it. Its a bit larger then I like and it doesn't fit my weapon upgrades theme. I think I am going to stick to the .50 but we'll see.



Here is a picture of them all lit up. Its even better in person. This picture gives a good mix of blue, red and one transition shot. I have to have a video of them up soon with the lights going. (Not the best quality though)



Updated 4/26/2010

Ok so here is the final painted version. The paint is not complex nor detailed. The goal was to keep it simple. The metal is boltgun metal with black wash. The flamer got some additonal tin bitz as it adds a slightly burned look to it. The ammo box got a green paintjob.






Alright, there it is. Thoughts? Comments?

The Medusa project has begun, check page 2 for the first glimpse.

Can't wait to see what you do with this

I am so tempted to put up the first completed model but I want to get the other work that went into it posted first.

nice work- I wanted to change my Vindicator a little bit so i bought some 1/35 scale zimmerit-(sp) plastic sheets and cut and filed them to fit on the panels of the model- It worked really well for me. I like what you are doing. BTW - is that a .50 sniper rifle on top of the swat bus?

The inspiration pictures uses the sniper, I am going to use a machine gun as it will more accuratley represent the 3 shots per turn the multilaser gets.

I am impressed by this already, in part due to the effort you're going through just to make them look perfect. I will definitely keep an eye on this.

WOOT got to love the M113 APC. Can't wait to see how you do this conversion.

I'm liking the initial concepts very much!
I have to say that I'm glad you've smoothed the Chimeras down. I always found them too lumpy myself.

I did a SWAT team a few years back but I kinda lost em It was nothing as ambitious as this though.

Nice, my riot shield guard look scarily like the pic.

*subscribe*

cosmic pixie wrote:Nice, my riot shield guard look scarily like the pic.

*subscribe*

I picked up 20 riot shields for my platoon. I will put one up here as soon as this batch of Chimera's are complete.

I want more of this cake!!!

It is courageous to start with a vehicle.

w0chtulka wrote:I want more of this cake!!!

It is courageous to start with a vehicle.

I picked up two chimeras to start. Things went very well with the first so I picked up a 6 pack of chimeras for $146 from my local game store, no tax. I hope to have the first 4 chimeras done before Wednesday. That are set up nice with flashing lights and all.

Though I love what your doing, I don't like the idea of EVERY member of a platoon having a riot shield. Usuall, the lead man carrys one, unless there is of course a riot lol.

Mabe trying some dynamic posing is in order. Make guardsmen appear as if their "stacking up"(getting in line to breach a door, like in Rainbow 6) would do the trick.

Can't wait to see more.

brother_zach wrote:Though I love what your doing, I don't like the idea of EVERY member of a platoon having a riot shield. Usuall, the lead man carrys one, unless there is of course a riot lol.

Mabe trying some dynamic posing is in order. Make guardsmen appear as if their "stacking up"(getting in line to breach a door, like in Rainbow 6) would do the trick.

Can't wait to see more.

Not a bad idea to keep in mind. Might make it weapon poses look better if they have two hands free.

Brother Zach is indeed correct. The point man will sometimes (not always) carry a Level III Ballistic Shield.

Now you cannot hold and fire an assault rifle in 1 hand. It doesn't work.

So what if you make your sergeants with shields and laspistols? A shield is a CCW after all

Iron_Chaos_Brute wrote:Brother Zach is indeed correct. The point man will sometimes (not always) carry a Level III Ballistic Shield.

Now you cannot hold and fire an assault rifle in 1 hand. It doesn't work.

So what if you make your sergeants with shields and laspistols? A shield is a CCW after all

Sound sold to me. I will take a crouching IG with the shield and a pistol I picked up from theassaultgroup.com. The regulars will have M16s with under slung shotguns and the auto cannon team has a .50 cal. That should do well for two squads of ten. The hard part will be trying to get a more dynamic pose as if they were stacked up ready for entry.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just a quick update, two of the 3 tanks have the hull assembled and I will pick up some more glue tomorrow and get them primed. Pics again sometime tomorrow evening.

Do you plan on getting some MP5 for your guys??? And maybe some small ones (those with small magazine and short barrel) for shield guys. That would look badass.

w0chtulka wrote:Do you plan on getting some MP5 for your guys??? And maybe some small ones (those with small magazine and short barrel) for shield guys. That would look badass.

I was trying to get through the vehicles first, but since everyone keeps asking I will throw some pictures of the weapons the troops have in a bit. Here is the breakdown of weapons:

Platoon troops
-Sargent, riot shield& pistol
-Platoon troops, M16 w/ underslung shotgun
-Autocannon teams, .50cal w/ bipod

Veteran squad
-Vet trops, HK MP5
-Meltaguns, M16 w/ underslung M20

CCS
-Plamaguns, M60E3 Machinguns

The only troops I have yet to figure out is the flamthrowers. But I am sure I will figure it out.

Last night, I had the idea of using pieces of a cities of death building to serve as a wall where your team could stack up. Might take some experimenting, but it might work for modeling your guys as if they are stacked. It also gives you room to work on some guardsmen shooting around corners.

Thats excellent idea here.. i recommend using it. This army is going to love some scenic basing. Some objective hostages would be totally awesome too...

brother_zach wrote:Last night, I had the idea of using pieces of a cities of death building to serve as a wall where your team could stack up. Might take some experimenting, but it might work for modeling your guys as if they are stacked. It also gives you room to work on some guardsmen shooting around corners.

I am far from an expert but I usually build a display board for the armies I have. With this on it might be a bit harder but something I am definitly considering once it is complete.

Now this is a damn cool idea! A good start, i'll be keepig an eye on this one.

Scenic Bases FTW. I kind of wish that I had done that for mine.

MOAR pleez

I vil be vatchink very closely.

I was contemplating building something similar for my Necro' gang, so I will be paying particular attention to this log. I like the look of the smooth topped APC, will you be putting hatches, webbing and baggage uptop?

hyperviper6 wrote:

w0chtulka wrote:Do you plan on getting some MP5 for your guys??? And maybe some small ones (those with small magazine and short barrel) for shield guys. That would look badass.

I was trying to get through the vehicles first, but since everyone keeps asking I will throw some pictures of the weapons the troops have in a bit. Here is the breakdown of weapons:

Platoon troops
-Sargent, riot shield& pistol
-Platoon troops, M16 w/ underslung shotgun
-Autocannon teams, .50cal w/ bipod

Veteran squad
-Vet trops, HK MP5
-Meltaguns, M16 w/ underslung M20

CCS
-Plamaguns, M60E3 Machinguns

The only troops I have yet to figure out is the flamthrowers. But I am sure I will figure it out.

@ w0chtulka: MP5K? Doesn't have a smaller mag, though, IIRC. Furthermore, they aren't fireable with one hand while you're holding a shield. Those shields are heavy, and you can't control something on full auto with one hand. Using semi, you might as well use a pistol since it weighs less.

@hyperviper: Why RAS shotguns? I think M16s/4s would be fine as is for lasguns.
Love M2s as autocannons, but they feel a bit "heavy" for SWAT. You don't really have other options, though
I assume you mean M203s for meltas. AT4s or SLAWs would be too "heavy", again, but an M203 can't really punch armor. See above about "options", though.
For the plasmas, why M60s instead of 240s or 249s? And then why E3s instead of the newer E4s?

I'm just nitpicking because you seem to be holding yourself to a high realistic standard.

And what you have planned is excessive for SWAT, but the idea is damn cool (as are the conversions thus far) so you're forgiven

I'll see if I can rustle up a SWAT kitlist in a little while...

EDIT-Here we go:
Class III Ballistic Helmet.
Black Nomex balaclava.
Black flame-retardant jumpsuit.
Black boots.
Heavy assault vest or Plate Carrier (often w/ shoulder and groin armor).
Primary weapon (usually MP5).
3-point sling.
5 mags (2 linked).
2 flashbangs.
9mm.
3 mags.
Black pistol belt.
Left thigh rig-SMG/AR mag, flash, flash.
Right thigh holster-9mm.
Electronic ear protection, linked to radio.
Gloves (Nomex or Kevlar for flash/fire protection, often knuckle insert).
Black dump pouch.
Knee/Elbow pads.
Gas Mask/pouch.
Tie-ties.

@Iron_Chaos_Brute

I guess I may have over stated my ambitions in the title. I intend to make a xeno swat force inspired by modern swat. Their weapons are based on the line from theassaultgroup.com as they are readily availible. They will have equipment much more advanced then regular swat as they have to deal with xeno forces. That said, I have high expectations for the vehicle while average for the troops as I am using second hand aka: recycled IG for this project.

I still expect an amazing project but not near some of the stuff I see here in Dakka.

With that reguards, thanks for the detailed info and I am always open to suggestions as you guys have provided some great ones already.

hyperviper6 wrote:@Iron_Chaos_Brute

I guess I may have over stated my ambitions in the title. I intend to make a xeno swat force inspired by modern swat. Their weapons are based on the line from theassaultgroup.com as they are readily availible. They will have equipment much more advanced then regular swat as they have to deal with xeno forces. That said, I have high expectations for the vehicle while average for the troops as I am using second hand aka: recycled IG for this project.

I still expect an amazing project but not near some of the stuff I see here in Dakka.

With that reguards, thanks for the detailed info and I am always open to suggestions as you guys have provided some great ones already.

OK, I gotcha. I'll go back to Oohing and Aahing.

Alright so a new and fun update for you guys.I am off to bed.

Where is that update??


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ah found it... being on the top it was little bit confusing ) APCs look great.