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Simple Question to Folks that have worked with the Rhino Chassis in the Past;

How do you Add Detail? What Bits do you slap on to stop your Rhino | Razorback | Predator | Vindicator | Whirlwind from looking like all the others? How do you stop it from becoming another Bland Rhino Chassis with a Gun on top?

Specifically, I'm looking for Detailing that would be applicable to the Vindicator.

Thanks for your Time,

Popsicle!

For me that would be a fluff question. Try telling a story about the tank. First of which chapter? Is it part of the main stream of the chapter or has it been "on tour" on another part of the galaxy for centuries. Is the crew still the original and trying to make it look like it always had or is it a new crew trying to leave its mark?

For instance, a rouge squad from the ultramarines might have been stuck with tyranid cleansing and whlie they try to honour their chapter (add extra badges) they still are proud for what they have done (add skull from large nid attached with chains). They also try to keep a tally so that they can recount their adventures (kill marks along the front/barrel).

This is just an example from the top of my head but if you give us a little more information I'll try to help out some more.

That's actually brilliant advice! The Chapter is actually the Raptors, as I didn't want to go down the Mainstream Route when forming the Purpose-Built-For-Gaming Army that I'm going to be beginning around Christmas! They're going to be Modelled and Painted based on the Taros Campaign; Dead Tau, Trophies of Tau Helmets, and the Drab Green Colours they wore at that time. I was considering going one Fluffy step further, and pairing them with 500 Points of Imperial Guard Catachans, whom they Battled alongside on Taros against Tau Forces. That way, I'd have 1,000 Points; workable for Doubles, or as a 500 Points Raptors v. Catachans! The Vindicator (to an extent) fits with the Fluff quite nicely, as the Raptors are supposedly adept with 'Surgical Strikes' - they'll be needing some Surgical 'Big Guns', then, won't they?

Thanks for your Advice, it really has helped! I'm thinking Tau Trophy Racks - I think there's even one on the Chaos Sprue. I might take a look. The Raptors will have gone a bit... savage... living in the Jungle with the Catachans. The Spike will not be too out of place.

+++ Edit +++

I made my tank Commander all 'Drive me closer, I want to hit them with my chainsword.'

i'd say add some decals appropriate to your chapter's fluff. also, add some kill markings ala current era fighter jets somewhere on it, perhaps in the shape of what it kills (a small outline of a tyrant or carnifex with some tic marks next to it... a chaos dread outline with a few more... etc).

If you want superb detail, you could get the Forge World doors specific to your chapter, otherwise you could just add trophies to the hull of special kills etc.

Drill out the exhaust pipes.
As mentioned the Chaos vehicle sprue is nice & the Chaos part of the vehicle comand sprue without the melta-combi or the demon face makes a good alternative sensor array.

Glad my idea helped. I really liked the idea of your raptors cooperating with the catachans. Maybe you could spin this in some way. Imperial guard satchels on the tank because the raptors help the catachans with transport duty so that the catachans can fight even better?
Maybe some freehand "united we stand"-style. With half a badge of raptors and half a badge of catachans?

Don't forget to post pictures as you start building.

I would echo that there are pretty simple paint based ways of making your vehicles unique. Weathering (linked to your preferred army combat environment), chapter, company, squad, vehicle, campaign and kill markings can also be used to tell an awesome story of the vehicles past exploits.

For physical additions I would check out pictures of real armoured vehicles and think of the kinds of random additional bits that a crew might need when in combat. If the Raptors are supposed to be surgical strike specialists then it might make sense for them to have less random stowage as the vehicles are unlikely to be out in the field for extended periods.

A good thing to keep in mind is who is using the Rhino etc.?

I like adding extra tow cables, fuel cans, gear in general for tactical marines.

Devastators I like to add extra plugs and what looks like battery packs, radar dish, spotting turret (bits from old vinidicator) extra stuff for charging weapons and detecting long range targets. Seems appropriate to add the missile to the rhino too since it should get in on the fun too.

Tech Marine, I used the winch from the new vindicator kit and made it more like a tow cable, I took the ports/mini-winch part from the landraider frame and shaved it down to fit a side door (bits exposed flush to hull the thickness is perfect, no door), glued on some hammers and spare flamer cylinders (from old kits) to show an added supply of gases for refills or for torches, an extra fuel drum etc, you get the idea: everything needed for a field recovery or repair. Add some large arm on the Rhino (use a IG Sentinel leg as basis).

There are so many ways to show extra armor in an unconventional way: Extra tank treads across the front as spare and extra protection (WW2 style), I cut up sprues and and line them up in a row it looks like an extra thick ablative armor, I got small pieces of metal "confetti" but you can use a leather punch and cut plastic disks out and glue them on in a grid and it looks pretty cool. I bought large "L" bracket plastic at the hobby shop and cut it to size to fit between the two ferrings at the front (covers for the tread) so you get one uninterrupted line across the front, looks like a good solid bar to run into things with (one half of the old vehicle krack missile launcher works too). You could use the same L brackets and cut them to a set size and glue them all over edges to show reinforcement.

For a "command" rhino (seems so inappropriate but sometimes they need a cheap ride) extra antennas, radar dish some of the ruined city odds and ends or bastion bits work nice, used extra sensors from the Landraider redeemer kit.

I have hacked up extra ammo packs from the devastator sprues and attached them to the hull of Razorbacks to show they are armed for an extended shootout.

I write all kinds of litanies on the hull (tiny squiggles to look like writing), what is shown all the time is put either the troop type symbol on the top of hull doors or the chapter symbol.

I think I have said enough for now, there is so much you could do beyond this it really is only limited by your imagination.

I saw one guy use the predator/razorback top hull and replaced the hole with smaller doors and the large venting worked because he made his Rhino into a hover craft. Used tubing inserted where the tread plates were and made a slight prow on the front, looked very cool, looked like an armored Zodiac boat. It can get a little nuts.

Valkyrie wrote:If you want superb detail, you could get the Forge World doors specific to your chapter, otherwise you could just add trophies to the hull of special kills etc.

I actually already had that planned; forgot to mention it, but Forge World produce some fantastic Resin Raptors Doors, with the Chapter Insignia, the Eagle, upon them; they look fantastic! Thanks for mentioning.

Talivzar wrote:A good thing to keep in mind is who is using the Rhino etc.?

I like adding extra tow cables, fuel cans, gear in general for tactical marines.

Devastators I like to add extra plugs and what looks like battery packs, radar dish, spotting turret (bits from old vinidicator) extra stuff for charging weapons and detecting long range targets. Seems appropriate to add the missile to the rhino too since it should get in on the fun too.

Tech Marine, I used the winch from the new vindicator kit and made it more like a tow cable, I took the ports/mini-winch part from the landraider frame and shaved it down to fit a side door (bits exposed flush to hull the thickness is perfect, no door), glued on some hammers and spare flamer cylinders (from old kits) to show an added supply of gases for refills or for torches, an extra fuel drum etc, you get the idea: everything needed for a field recovery or repair. Add some large arm on the Rhino (use a IG Sentinel leg as basis).

There are so many ways to show extra armor in an unconventional way: Extra tank treads across the front as spare and extra protection (WW2 style), I cut up sprues and and line them up in a row it looks like an extra thick ablative armor, I got small pieces of metal "confetti" but you can use a leather punch and cut plastic disks out and glue them on in a grid and it looks pretty cool. I bought large "L" bracket plastic at the hobby shop and cut it to size to fit between the two ferrings at the front (covers for the tread) so you get one uninterrupted line across the front, looks like a good solid bar to run into things with (one half of the old vehicle krack missile launcher works too). You could use the same L brackets and cut them to a set size and glue them all over edges to show reinforcement.

For a "command" rhino (seems so inappropriate but sometimes they need a cheap ride) extra antennas, radar dish some of the ruined city odds and ends or bastion bits work nice, used extra sensors from the Landraider redeemer kit.

I have hacked up extra ammo packs from the devastator sprues and attached them to the hull of Razorbacks to show they are armed for an extended shootout.

I write all kinds of litanies on the hull (tiny squiggles to look like writing), what is shown all the time is put either the troop type symbol on the top of hull doors or the chapter symbol.

I think I have said enough for now, there is so much you could do beyond this it really is only limited by your imagination.

I saw one guy use the predator/razorback top hull and replaced the hole with smaller doors and the large venting worked because he made his Rhino into a hover craft. Used tubing inserted where the tread plates were and made a slight prow on the front, looked very cool, looked like an armored Zodiac boat. It can get a little nuts.

Thanks for the In-Depth Advice! I'll be sure to put it to good use, especially the Tow Cables.

Thanks for everybody's input, all very useful.

Ha!
i made mine
-Get me closer i want to hit them with my bayonette!!!