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Well, the Imperial Guard bug has at last bitten me.. I've always wanted to do an Airborne Imperial Guard army, but I've never come to like the Valkyrie design.. So, with a bit of brainstorming, a question popped up; "Why not convert the whole shebang into a LAAT/i Gunship from Star Wars?


Thoughts, suggestions, has anyone tried this before? All help greatly appreciated!

I think it's possible with a lot of work. Might be just as easy to find a model kit of the actual ship and add GW mods to guard it up. If you were set on making the valk mod you should move the cockpit above the main transport bay and then mount the wings over the back of the cockpit section.

I'ts definitely doable, like jtw1n said it'll take a lot of work, but if your willing to put the work in then, my advice would be get a lot of photos from every possible angle to get a good visual feel of the thing.

Then you'll want a flat nose the cockpit right at the end of said nose, engines high up with the wings and thin the whole back end down.

Hope some of this helps. ( i may go do my own now !)

Wolf

Y'know I had plans like this awhile ago trying to get the whole open side door effect, never did come up with a nice working solution though.

I actually want to "defile" a Valkyrie kit for this project, as I don't want to "guardify" an existing LAAT/i model..

So you're wanting to ruin a $58-$60 model rather than a $26.99 model?

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=RM1865
Admittedly, it's for sale only in US and Canada here--but there are other places you can probably locate them.

I think making a LAAT should be easy:

1: Move the Valk's wings further back along the fuselage.

2: Remove a large portion from each side just like the Heavy Bolter doors.

3: Using an Immolator canopy, build the laser cannons and attack them to the Heavy Bolter mounts.

Hope this helps.

Valk

Make an entire clone trooper army to go with it.
And be sure to make all Leman Russes into those six-legged walker things.

I've been playing with the thought of building a Clone Trooper Imperial Guard army, since I want them to be High Tech, but converting a Russ to an AT-TE would be.. well.. a pain in the arse to build.. might do it some time in the future and use it as a Baneblade, which fits more properly..

The Way I see the Valkyrie into LAAT/i conversion:
1. Lengthen the transport compartment
2. Cut and adapt the Valkyrie cockpit to the top of the transport compartment with the tip of the nose standing a tad out of the front.
3. build up an "upper level" above the transport compartment and add the wings and engines from the Valkyrie bit..
4. adjust the whole hull to the lines of the original LAAT/i design and add the weapon systems.
5. paint and enjoy..

thoughts/suggestions?

Sounds like a plan, dont forget about the bottom and the outward slant it has.

Are going to thin out the transport compartment as well as lengthen it ?

Actually, I fear that if I would thin out the transport compartment, the added weight on top of it would be to much for it.. instead, I'll leave said compartment just the way it is, only lengthen it accordingly.. EDIT: Just found out I need one and 1/2 transport compartment for this build.. hmm.. I might go hunting for Valkyrie bits on Ebay.. if not another crazy conversionist has a half transport compartment lying around in their bit box, that is..

As for what kind of Valkyrie it will be, I'm eyeing upon the Vendetta variant, and buy a couple of heavy weapon teams in order to get those juicy lascannons.. or have all weapons interchangeable with magnets.. so I can switch from LAAT to LAAT/i.. -I believe it's the LAAT that has those "clone hamsterballs" on the sides-

Well even with the LAAT (with hamster ball) as you put it, would do fine as a counts as Vendetta as they shoot lasers so in a fluffy kind of way that fits the Vendetta Idea better

Built properly It would be strong enough to hold the extra weight, BUT for simplicity reasons I would leave it myself as well

So how do you think you'll go about adding height to this the Valkyrie model ?

careful... by removing the tail boom, you'll have a few internet tough guys accuse you of modelling for advantage by removing what they consider to be the hull. i suggested doing that to fit the valk in a carrying case and all of a sudden i was a cheater. you'd have to do the same to continue the LAAT asthetic.

has anyone actually bought the model that kanuluwen linked? i'm not sure of the scale. i've got a "counts as IG" clonetrooper army made up of the WOTC star wars minis figs and the star wars transformers vehicles (which scale nicely). neither ideas are usable in most tourneys so you may want to consider that if you play in them alot.

Wolf wrote:Well even with the LAAT (with hamster ball) as you put it, would do fine as a counts as Vendetta as they shoot lasers so in a fluffy kind of way that fits the Vendetta Idea better

Built properly It would be strong enough to hold the extra weight, BUT for simplicity reasons I would leave it myself as well

So how do you think you'll go about adding height to this the Valkyrie model ?

Well, I guess that's where I'm going to use the tail boom for, with added plasticard or something similar to to get a nice, fine line on the hull.. Say, can one still buy the Russ sponsons without having to buy the complete kit? With a bit hacking and glueing they would become superb Guardified "hamsterballs".

warboss wrote:careful... by removing the tail boom, you'll have a few internet tough guys accuse you of modelling for advantage by removing what they consider to be the hull. i suggested doing that to fit the valk in a carrying case and all of a sudden i was a cheater. you'd have to do the same to continue the LAAT asthetic.

Bah, those rule lawyers can stick that issue in a pipe and smoke it.. I do what I want with MY models.. if they don't want to play because of something so insignificant, they aren't even worth playing against.. It's all about having fun and have a few laughs..

warboss wrote:careful... by removing the tail boom, you'll have a few internet tough guys accuse you of modelling for advantage by removing what they consider to be the hull. i suggested doing that to fit the valk in a carrying case and all of a sudden i was a cheater. you'd have to do the same to continue the LAAT asthetic.

ferrumignatus wrote:
Bah, those rule lawyers can stick that issue in a pipe and smoke it.. I do what I want with MY models.. if they don't want to play because of something so insignificant, they aren't even worth playing against.. It's all about having fun and have a few laughs..

Here Here ! You should be able to find those Sponsons on Websites that sell Warhammer bits, Bitzbox for the UK, the bits barn is a popular one for the US

You're not the only one with that ide.

Problem with a LAAT/i is that it is THUNDERHAWK sized, not Valkyrie sized (carrying capacity of 30 infantry models). I have seen a 28mm scaled LAAt/i for sale (it was a scale model, not a 'toy' with moving parts for around $350AUD)

That Revell Snap-tite model is a little smaller than a valk (it's scaled at roughly 20mm.) when it should be the physical size of a T-hawk (13-14 inches).

I'm going the easy route and just making my own LAAT/i dropship in 40k as my 501st SM T-hawk counts-as. It will look like a more angular LAAT/i and will have the faction weapons equivalents in the various positions (twin heavy boltersx2 in the nose, twin heavy bolters and lascannons in the wings, swing-out heavy bolters [crew manned] and a top mounted turbolaser).

Of course, having access to my own vacformer will make parts of this job easier. I just need to assemble all the right bits and enough plasticard to do the job.

I am fully aware of the fact that the technical specifications of the LAAT/i brings it more closely to the Thunderhawk then the valkyrie, but then again, it's a remodelling project.. So I am steeled to meet both positive and negative feedback on this project when I get the ball rolling..

I'm going for two of these beauties, and in order to do so, I'm going to buy two Valkyrie sets and try to find a cheap one on either Ebay, or ask one of my connections in the gaming areas where I and they live.. Someone got to have a spare crew compartment out there somewhere in Norway..

As for the "nicknames" for my "Larties" -as the Clone Troopers so lovingly call them-, My first will be named "Bad Kitty", whilst the second will be named "Papa Dragon".

Fluffwise, there is also the clone wars Assault shuttle which is a smaller dropship/flier that's more akin to the valkyrie.
(it's used in the Clone Wars series on Cartoon network).

[would also probably work as the new BA/GK assault boat too since it has a front ramp).

My Larty will be named "Bantha Poodoo".

Heh on the "bad kitty".