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So for a while now I've been looking for good alternatives to the Storm Raven.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/327587.page

I'm working on 2 promising alternates and would like some input. I might end up finishing both or one might become terrain.




Option 1 - Republic Attack Shuttle about $35



Option 2 - Star Trek Runabout about $25

Both have good boxy looks but are still much better than the Storm Raven. The Runabout is OOP but widely available on ebay, plus I've seen it used before by long-lost Dakkite Task who used two Runabout tops to make these.



So I have both of them, here's how the match up. Sorry I don't have a Storm Raven to compare but that's kind of the whole point.



The Shuttle is clearly too small, it's 1:120 scale, and there's no way guardsmen could fit through that hatch, much less termis.



It's a real shame, if it was just 10%, 20% bigger I could live with it but oh well.

BUT! I could put a cargo pod under it... The small cockpit can be justified with a servitor crew who only need to poke their heads up and don't have to get in and out. I also like the fact this is not one of the major Star Wars ships so it's not quite as recognizable.



(the 'pod' by the way is one of my scratch built Hydras with the guns off, oddly enough it's also build around a Star Wars model)

As for the Runabout it's a much better size and doesn't really need much work to 40k it up. Some skulls, some eagles, some guns and should fit right in with the Arvus Lighter and other 40k fliers.



I picked up some Valkyrie jets thinking I might replace the warp nacells which are the most Star Trek looking element. They proved too small but look great sitting above the hull and really bring the ship into 40k. (well once I actually put both of them on they will)

One question then is what to do wtih the nacells? I can put them on and paint them as fuel tanks or anti-grav units or leave them off. I could also replace them with some sort of plumbing unit.




So anyway it looks like the Runabout is the way to go but the Shuttle might still make some interesting terrain or an alternative.

Thoughts?

There's a few more images here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-518-14619_Guncutter.html

I like the Star Trek ship, just add some guns and it looks perfect! I'd love to see how you paint it up!

I would say the use of the Star Wars Shuttle is spot on - looks like it was designed as a carrier. Would it though be possible to split it in two (nose to tail) and add some plasticard to make it wider and thereby also used as a troop carrier?

The Star Trek runabout is perfect, like you say a few additions and remodelling the existing nacells (is that what they're called?) would work - maybe extend the wings out above and use them as landing gear similar to the floats on water planes??

Will watch your progress with interest...

Hmmm. Put lots of guardsmen types of symbol and make it a more rigid form.

I like the runabout idea.... that with a little work would fit right in to the 40K world.

The Runabout looks like a great starting point tbh. Should take kitbashing and plasticard easily.


Subscribed btw. Love this kind of stuff.


The other model looks like a fantastic starting point for Eisenhorn's Gun Cutter imho.

good call on that startrek hull, needs some more.. idunno, substance. subsrcibed and following your progress

Got a lot done on the Runabout yesterday, still needs some icons and details but it's mostly done.



I kept the weapons a bit understated (by 40k standards) just a chin turret and the typhoon missile pods.



The (sigh) BLOOD!STRIKE! missiles will also go under the hull and be pretty understated.

Comments?

Funny you should choose the RAS model.

I'm going with that STYLE for my own (my marines are based off the 501st legion mob, so a star wars theme army).

I'm putting a pod underneath the hull to hold the troops/dread. Top SR turret will be a chin mount instead.
Other weapons will be cheek mounts or wing mounts.

chromedog wrote:Funny you should choose the RAS model.

I'm going with that STYLE for my own (my marines are based off the 501st legion mob, so a star wars theme army).

I'm putting a pod underneath the hull to hold the troops/dread. Top SR turret will be a chin mount instead.
Other weapons will be cheek mounts or wing mounts.

I look forward to seeing it. It's a great model and I'll do mine up as terrain.

I've had an idea for a while of doing an isolated spaceport, a few pads (upside down plastic plates), trucks, cargo containers and ships.

I really like the size of the runabout; it looks like a vehicle that could actually transport a few troops, for a change.

However, that size could actually be a problem on the tabletop, don't you think? That thing is longer than some weapons can fire. It might even be hard just to position somewhere, depending on how big the base and flying stem will be. And the exit ports could be so distant from each other that the content would be able to disembark in a huge area.

Nevertheless, I think the coolness and size outweigh any gameplay problems that might come up.

And I just realized its not even that much bigger than a Valkyrie...just much bulkier.

@KK: Heh.

I will be taking some liberties. The basic shape will echo your concept, but it will have to be more bricklike and 40k. Will get some pics up shortly. My aim is to have it finished for my GK (Who have RED/White markings) in April/May.

Engines are no problem. I have enough turbine intakes from some old robogear bits and exhaust nozzles come from Artiline 70 permanent markers (dried out pen - cap makes a good jet nozzle).

Sageheart wrote:I like the Star Trek ship, just add some guns and it looks perfect! I'd love to see how you paint it up!

Ill agree. maybe make a cargo pod or bay if you need more size.

I quite like the looks of the RAS not seen that before.

For some reason all of the republic stuff doesn't scale well - but rebellion era and the jedi starfighters trade federation droids do.

RAS is seen in the Clone wars stuff (animated).
First used in the movie, and is a semi-regular in the series.

It's essentially their Valkyrie.
The gunship (LAAT/i) is more heavily armed but also larger (more T-hawk scale as it carries 30 troops).

The current line of models seem to be whatever scale will fit in the box, so fighters and the Republic Gunship are closer to 28mm while the shuttles are way too small.

I just got the ARC fighter, can't wait to put it together.

I'll say this from experience: The Landraider hull turret looks ace on the top ring of the Runabout.

Cool project, can't wait to see more pictures.

I like the runabout a lot... but I agree with a previous poster that it's just too long to be practical. Can it even come on the table with a 12" move without having to turn sideways?

I think it might be possible to shorten it considerably without damaging the overall look. Remove the fuselage behind the wings, and take a section out of the front neck... That should bring it more into line with current modeling practices while still make it beefy enough to be a believable transport. The nacells could even be shortened a bit front and back.

Anyway... it's a great idea! I'll be watching your progress with great anticipation.

Platuan4th wrote:I'll say this from experience: The Landraider hull turret looks ace on the top ring of the Runabout.

THanks!

Any pics?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Gitsplitta wrote:I like the runabout a lot... but I agree with a previous poster that it's just too long to be practical. Can it even come on the table with a 12" move without having to turn sideways?

I think it might be possible to shorten it considerably without damaging the overall look. Remove the fuselage behind the wings, and take a section out of the front neck... That should bring it more into line with current modeling practices while still make it beefy enough to be a believable transport. The nacells could even be shortened a bit front and back.

Anyway... it's a great idea! I'll be watching your progress with great anticipation.

My thought is I'll do a flying base on a CD an that will count as where the model is for gaming purposes. THe Valk is 12" long and it's not caused any major rules problems.

I've got an ARC-170 fighter I use as a "lightning" for club Apoc games.

(it has two lascannons on the wings and missiles and is a fighter. What more do I need?).

Although it is technically a 1/72 model, it is large enough that no-one seems to care much about it.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:My thought is I'll do a flying base on a CD an that will count as where the model is for gaming purposes. THe Valk is 12" long and it's not caused any major rules problems.

Sounds like a good solution!

SCORE!

Sort of...

So I finished Guncutter 1 (Skywarp)



Mostly icons from the Dark Angel sprue since I have tons of them.

Armament is the 4 BLOOD!STRIKE! missiles, TL typhoon missiles, and TL assault cannon.

So that's 2 S8 and 4 S6 shots (all TL) with an additional 4 S8 as an option. AV14 will laugh but everyone else will have something to sweat.



Now I'd also like to do 1 more so I got a kit from ebay. Not only was it missing the transparent bitz but the bottom hull was warped too.



By cutting it up and using plasticard I might be able to make it work.

But then at a used toy shop (The Toy Exchange in Wheaton, MD, check it out if you're in the area) I found another one!

Fortunately the box was open so I could check it



Opps. Even worse. So the shop let me have it for $5.

I asked if they had another, they guy was doubtful but took a look and...



It was unopened and in perfect shape!



So not I have more runabouts then Captain Sisko (yeah dated reference, do you kids today even know who Sisko is?) and half of them are even usable!

The other 2 will either become a Task pattern lander (2 top hulls stacked) or if I can't make that work there's always the classic crashed shuttle terrain piece.

Back to the salt mines.

Leave some for the rest of us!!

;-)

I've been really tempted to pick up the Kazon fighter kits, but not sure how they scale as much as the starwars stuff.

The runabouts are coming along nicely, I quite like them the way you've done them, simple and efficient without going OTT on the weaponry.

You may be able to warp the polystyrene back to near true again by putting it in boiling water to soften it.

It will go hard again when cool.

Gitsplitta wrote:Leave some for the rest of us!!

;-)

Want to make a Chaos one? I've got 2 that have been through the warp!

That's a-fixin' to look epic. The BLOOODSTRIKE! HURRR! mounts are much more subtle than the name would suggest.

Got some stuff done over the last week or two.

First up, I did an artillery conversion I've been meaning to try for a while.



The Uberphallis class artillery platform (aka a manfactorum pipe glued to a bastion las cannon) is an incredibly versitile piece of equipment, able to shift from being a Griffon to a Basilisk to a Collasus to a Medusa with little more than a hand wave and a change of points.



The hulls are Star Wars Mini Tie crawler tracks with an old rhino hull and plasticard. They also serve as my Hydras.



Usually I just use the quad guns from the Ageis line but I finally did a proper turret with guns off a Gundam Custom Arms H model.



Of course as soon as I finished I realized that the hull was recessed too deep for the turret to actually fit. SIGH. Back to the drawing board.



Since it looks like I need Inquisitor Angrybald to actually play my Daemon Hunter army I certainly was not going to pay $20 for him. One bitz box raid later and...

Inquisitor Wolfram Ersatz was born! The funky clockwork angel from the Empire General kit counts as his eagle.

And oh yes I finished Guncutter 2, Thundercracker.



Still needs some bitz and the (sigh) BLOOD! STRIKE! missiles but it's pretty much done.



I also started my alternate Monkey.

Monkeys...

God damn monkeys in my Daemon Hunter army. Monkeys with multimelta/heavy flamer/las cannons...

Monkeys.

@#$%!

looking good