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Hey, I've been toying with using bears as attack bikes in my Flesh Eaters army and I bought up two yesterday. Nothing is permanent, and admittedly they are really large, even for 40k, but they are carrying heavy weapons and a space marine.
Anyway, here's a size comparison:



And here's some more worked on shots; I think I will give the rider a spear, add some chain and more wiring, flesh out the sculpting and add some more armor plates to him.

GW makes Kislev bear riding models. Look into those, as they might be to a better scale.

And possibly look a weeeee bit less like a toy bear with bitz stuck on it.

However, the one(s) you have could make nice dreadnoughts...

I immediately thought of Sgt. Grumbles.

http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF098-Sgt._Grumbles.jpg

I think they look fine, but then I used to want to have Dino Riders toys as a kid.

I like the targeter you gave the bear. What I think it needs is straps made out of card.

The only problem I have with the bear is the modeling on it is less defined than maybe what you would find on a model made to be painted. In that case, I agree with TragicNut.

But if you want to keep the toy bear, you're going to need the straps.

Yeah-maybe I wasn't really clear with what I am showing-this is tacked together to get an idea of scale and whatnot. I will probably work up something similar to Sinaer's inquisitor on a carnasaur. I think I will use my own armor plating instead of the plate I put on his haunches.

What do you guys think of the seat. Would you rather see some converted legs with a saddle?

With regards to the weapon system: I am keeping the targeter because it's pretty classy, I will also probably throw more cables on the bear, some nose cables for good effect as well, maybe he needs a power plant. The actual weapons will probably be pretty clean and shoulder mounted as is now so I can magnetize them.

I'll do something more tomorrow once I grab some thick plasticard.

Well, props on the madness of the project. Personally I think making him a dread with multi-melta / ccw is a far better counts as option. But if you go attak bear still I think losing the marine is the better take. He looks pretty weird perched up there on top of the giganto bear, and I think anyone who can handle the bear running around on the 40k table isn't going to notice the lack of marines on this "attak bike."

That said, modeling a marine laying down on the bear's back and clinging for dear life is a proposition

I do like the targeter system, and I think continuing to mod the bear and integrate its weapons / control system would help eliminate the need for the bike parts and marine just tacked on there.

- Salvage

"Who is driving? OMG BEAR IS DRIVING! How can this be!!??"

I love the idea, though I agree that putting a marine on his back is over kill. This would probably go over a lot better with Space Wolves type marines, or even a northern looking counts as army with lumber jacks with power axes, or something.

Of course, I know there is a poster out there of the "Bear Cavalry: You are pretty much f**ked now, aren't you" variety. Mirroring that would make for good times.

The army is Flesh Eaters-a Carpathian themed Blood Angles army. I am shooting for something grim approaching on classy. Like cursed and damned marines sort of reaching for the more traditional Blood Angles highly decorated and stylized armor and weapons.

graypaint wrote:I am shooting for something grim approaching on classy.

Nothing says grim-verging-on-classy like an attak bear

- Salvage

I really like this idea! Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you!

Now, how about a polar bear with care bear tummy as an apothecary?

You know you want to...

al-Majid Agandhjin bin Ahfal al-Rashid

Couldn't have said it better myself Salvage.

You could name him "Brother Gund"!

I don't know that I think it works from a "serious" perspective. I mean, space marines are probably pretty close to a bear in strength, so why mount a gun on a bear instead of a marine? For close combat and because they like big pets? I can see that for an unmounted bear "bike", but it seems that the chapter would need to be fairly bear centric to make it work. (Like Space Wolves, but with bears.)

I kindly submit the "Ultra Ursines" or "Malnovae Ursinii"

Wehrkind wrote:Couldn't have said it better myself Salvage.

You could name him "Brother Gund"!

I don't know that I think it works from a "serious" perspective. I mean, space marines are probably pretty close to a bear in strength, so why mount a gun on a bear instead of a marine? For close combat and because they like big pets? I can see that for an unmounted bear "bike", but it seems that the chapter would need to be fairly bear centric to make it work. (Like Space Wolves, but with bears.)

I kindly submit the "Ultra Ursines" or "Malnovae Ursinii"

Of course as we learned in the "Why do you play the army you do?" thread, you can still have a Space Wolf drinking the bear's precious bodily fluids/proteins. Possibly with more Clerks references thrown in.

No. No. Teddy bears are just to cute. Find a meaner looking bear. Smokey just doesn't do it. Right idea wrong bear.

On the scale of that Bear: considering it's carrying a Space Marine, a ray gun, plus probably a whackload of ammunition and what looks like the beginnings of an armoured skirt, it probably IS about the right size.

...and all animals look meaner with red eyes drybrushed yellow and random red-and-black smears on their paws and maws...

I like the idea but I think you need more armor on the bear... think Golden Compass.

- G