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Hi
I went to my local GW store today to buy a Dreadnought as I wanted to get a Sniper Dreadnought (Two twin-linked Autocannons, one for each arm) for my army. However, I asked before buying it and it turned out that it didn't come with the weapon and that I could buy one and build the cannon arms for it. This gave me an idea so I brought some bases later on. I went to the nearby Hobbyco and brought a 1/144 HG Guntank model for $15 AUD. The idea was at first to use those cannons to create the Autocannons for the arms, but I decided that I would try converting the Guntank into a Dreadnought. This is also my first conversion.

So the plan was to turn this.

Into a Dreadnought.

So far it looks like this. At the time I was working on it I hadn't thought of posting it on Dakka so I don't have any pictures of it earlier on it construction. However I will explain how I made parts of it if anyone asks.





As it is going to be a Sniper or scout like Dreadnought the idea was to try to make it retain the bulkiness of the actual Dreadnought, while trying to reflect it as a scout/sniper. Also the plate for the Dreadnought has a slight bend in it allowing it to keep the shape of the Guntank underneath it, which is still blocky.

it reminds me of th old reaver titan epic model

Hmmmm not sure about the shape, seems to round and the over head cannons are grossly oversized

I think you have a pretty good set of bits there to construct a convincing dreadnought. I think the legs and guns need a bit of work, but the torso looks very good already. Here is a picture showing the dreadnought in "schematic" detail.

http://www.3d-palace.com/forum/attachments/wip-critique-allowed/4946d1200017816-wh40k-dreadnought-dreadnought-44.jpg

The cannons are as they come at the moment, I kind of like them as it seems to add the the whole sniper theme a bit. Also as there are no Dreadnought Autocannons (I know about Forge World making some XD), maybe the Master of the Forge used some from some Predator wrecks XD

I actually looked around a bit for one with decent cannons, they can be shortened though without wrecking them so that can still be an option. But in gameplay it's going to be measured from the hull, which is the same as a normal Dreadnought. It's slightly rounded a bit as I wanted it to have a more of a scout dreadnought feel to it. Of course it's not complete and I will probably have to fix up some parts. I also picked up the one in the below picture in case I wanted to make an Ironclad, of course I'll be buying the actual model when it comes out anyway.


This is where I got the long range cannon idea from.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

Wrexasaur wrote:I think you have a pretty good set of bits there to construct a convincing dreadnought. I think the legs and guns need a bit of work, but the torso looks very good already. Here is a picture showing the dreadnought in "schematic" detail.

http://www.3d-palace.com/forum/attachments/wip-critique-allowed/4946d1200017816-wh40k-dreadnought-dreadnought-44.jpg

Thanks for the picture it should be useful, I'm also compairing it to a Dreadnought that I have while I have been building it.

Looks like anima so it doesn't look anything like 40k. I'd try again but not use a robot to make a dread.

Don't worry I intend to make it look more Space Marine like, I've only spent about an hour on it so far and most of that was finding what parts are best for it.

honestly the tracks are the best part of that model, and if your not using them i'll take em

Yeh I like the tracks as well. Either I'm going to try to make the base a Razorback or save the tracks for the next Rhino, giving me a few pieces that can be used as extra armour. Actually I might buy another one just to have a 1/144 Guntank. I've never actually brought any smaller than 1/100, but the 1/144s are a fair bit bigger than I thought and are actually alright. XD Games Workshop not making some parts actually helped me find out about something better.

Anyway more WIP pics. I also think that I've finished it now anyway. Besides I wanted it to have a unique feel to it as my chapter is more on the side of Ad Mech than following the Emperor, so it kind of fits in with it a bit to have some custom designs that could have been prototypes made by the Master of the Forge.

And before anyone starts mentioning alternative parts, the challenge of this was to make a Dreadnought out of a Guntank 1/144 HG model, and the leftover Rhino parts from the Vindicator set and Rhino set. Another challenge is to have it ready to use in a game on Sunday now XD. Also didn't use the Autoadjusted images this time so it shouldn't look as bright.


First I shortened the legs a bit, they're also going to try to keep this shape. As walkers according to the rules can climb up buildings. This way it can be explained that the feet contain a similar technology to the Jump Packs the Assault Marines have as a way of letting it climb buildings.


Next I shortened the cannons to make it look a bit better and it probably will allow it to actually work in a normal game.
Maybe cannons like that later if I ever do an Ork one. Of course they'll have to have random plates hanging off them, maybe some little guys as well.


Although it doesn't look like it in this picture the cannons are the exact same length.


At first i was going to use sprues to make the feet and kind of give it hawk claws to make it work with the chapter name a bit, however after they were done they looked too much like Chaos so I changed them for some of the Rhino roof hatches. These will, of course, not remain the rounded akward shape they are in the picture and will be reshaped into a more squarer version. I did keep the back claw though and that's on both of the feet.


Also with each Dreadnought I try to give it a different colour to try to make it stand out a bit more from the rest of them. As the idea of the army is that it sees the red Dreadnought as a spiritual Primarch, although thats only because it has been around for longer than the chapter and kind of with the story I thought of for them lead to the creation of the chapter. Basically the Dreadnoughts are respected around the same level as the chapter master, the Master of the Forge. funny thing is that I can think of a background for it all, but I can't come up with names XD.

Anyway for the Tactical Marines it Green is for the Plasma guns, Red for Flamer and Yellow for Missile Launcher. The Dreadnoughts are coloured differently and more to fit in with the general theme of them. I think that the colour that would suit this one would be Dark Angels green as that kind of goes to the Sniper Scouts, who in my chapter wear black armour and a Dark Angels Green Camo Cloak. They aren't really used anymore, but the idea behind the design of the Dreadnought being this way is that it could be a design made with the scouts in mind.

Hmm having the weapons high make it look a little Tau like. It needs better legs too. They just don't look like they could walk. Waddle maybee but not walk. Why not get on ebay and pick up a cheap drednought , then use the legs off that. The tracks are nice , tou cold make a wall-e conversion with them.

You can buy Wall-Es the size of Dreadnoughts anyway so why not just use one of them as a base? Actually, I just got an idea for an Iron Clad Dreadnought made out of a Wall-E I might try to do that next
Thanks for the idea.

I looked closely at the legs on an actual Dreadnought before making the legs for this one.
The barrels on the legs are supposed to represent some reinforced hydrolics (actual Dreadnought has toothpicks hidden behind plates) as I wanted it to be different and not have the armour plates on the front, but still look like it could justify the armour 12. In design sense they're basically the normal dreadnought legs, but look a little more powerful. There are also at notches at the sides that make it look like it has a much larger range of motion than a normal Dreadnought's legs. The notches are kind of hard to see, but they make the legs look like they can slide back and forth as well as up and down, the holes at the tops of the legs are there to also added to make it look like it could move better.

I agree though they do look a bit strange, well very strange. But, it's designed as a prototype made by a Master of the Forge, so that's the point slightly I guess XD
Also it's kind of supposed to look Tau-ish as that is the insperation for it in the background story I have thought up for it. It also has the aiming camera thing from the Rhino's Hunter-Killer missile thing on the rounded part above where the dead guy is put, it also looks like it could move and the point was that if it's long ranged it should have something to make it look like it could actually see and aim at what it's shooting at rather than firing in a random direction at a possible enemy picked up by the radar dish on the top. For all it could know it might have just shot some poor farmer's tractor. But it does make it look a little more Tau-like at the same time XD

As soon as they release a Dreadnought with Autocannons this one is being replaced with it though. I guess when that happens I can point out how unstable the design looks and say that they dropped it for the more traditional model.

n0t_u wrote:You can buy Wall-Es the size of Dreadnoughts anyway so why not just use one of them as a base? Actually, I just got an idea for an Iron Clad Dreadnought made out of a Wall-E I might try to do that next
Thanks for the idea.

I looked closely at the legs on an actual Dreadnought before making the legs for this one.
The barrels on the legs are supposed to represent some reinforced hydrolics (actual Dreadnought has toothpicks hidden behind plates) as I wanted it to be different and not have the armour plates on the front, but still look like it could justify the armour 12. In design sense they're basically the normal dreadnought legs, but look a little more powerful. There are also at notches at the sides that make it look like it has a much larger range of motion than a normal Dreadnought's legs. The notches are kind of hard to see, but they make the legs look like they can slide back and forth as well as up and down, the holes at the tops of the legs are there to also added to make it look like it could move better.

I agree though they do look a bit strange, well very strange. But, it's designed as a prototype made by a Master of the Forge, so that's the point slightly I guess XD

Yeah but a Master of the Forge would not consult an Ork Mekboy for advice on how to make a dreadnought. The dreadnoughts are based on STC technology and are not supposed to be that varied. In addition, the legs look like they can move the model from left to right and not forward or back.

This piece might work well as a stand in (for friendly games) but doesnt serve the purpose of a legitimate dreadnought model. I'm sure it would be fine for a game with friends, just be wary of taking it to tournaments.

I never intended it for tournaments so it's all good then
When I think about it though, I guess my design/build ideas are a mix between Orks and SM which is very wierd

No offence its a good start and practice makes perfect but the is just no good mate it looks like a slap together gak ass job, it in no way shape or form resembles anything space amrine like. sorry to sound rude but start from scratch and but stuff together that fits rather than just slap gak together( unless its orky)

No offence its a good start and practice makes perfect but the is just no good mate it looks like a slap together gak ass job, it in no way shape or form resembles anything space amrine like. sorry to sound rude but start from scratch and but stuff together that fits rather than just slap gak together( unless its orky)

No offence its a good start and practice makes perfect but the is just no good mate it looks like a slap together gak ass job, it in no way shape or form resembles anything space amrine like. sorry to sound rude but start from scratch and but stuff together that fits rather than just slap gak together( unless its orky)

I never said it was good, or that I was good at this. Just that this was the first one I've done. I also realise it looks crappy especially where the legs attach to it
But it was cheap and an alright stand in until the actual weapons come out. I'd rather hack apart a $15 thing and wreck it by making it my first conversion rather than buy the $69 Dreadnought and wreck that
If anything I guess it can be used in an Ork army later.

In the future I would build it from scratch, but this was quicker and as it was going to be a temporary thing anyway.

I like it a lot, given the materials you're working with! Great work so far!

The profile of it reminds me of some of the AT-43 models:





http://www.frpgames.com/new/cart.php?m=product_list&c=1223&ref=goo&gclid=CO-V-f7uhJsCFQJHxwod-XhkpQ

Keep going and lets see what it looks like after you add a few more bits to it

forge world sell twin linked autocannon for left and right arms know as the mortis mattern which is only fielded by DA armysyou can pick up the set of two for probably 30 AUD

Looks a bit strange. Work on those legs but besides that its coming along quite well. Lets see that epic finished project soon

Well I have it painted so it can be used in a game tomorrow, but I might work on it after that game anyway.

Any suggestions on how to fix up the legs.
Also thanks to everyone for the comments and Lextheimpaler for telling me about the forgeworld ones. The people who worked at the GW store I went to said that they only made them for one of the arms and not both. I might order them later, but hopefully they just get around to making a Dreadnought that actually comes with the weapons it can get. I'm not going to add anything to the base like I was going to originally as the idea is that when the actual one comes out it's getting that base, although I might change it a bit so it can work with the Orks I have. But, that would be after it comes out.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1034-.html

That's the Autocannons? I'm already going to order them, good to know they look alright. But it is Forgeworld so I'd expect them to look good anyway. This one is just going to be a stand in until I get a Dreadnought and give it those arms. Good thing is that I'll get to play a couple of games to see if its worth the $69 for Dreadnought and $30 something for arms.

So I should add armour to the front of the legs and reduce the size of the top of the legs as well to make them fit more into place with the body of it then?

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/acatalog/SPACE_MARINE_DREADNOUGHTS.html Here!!

I see them, thanks.