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My take on Hydra conversion.

A bit of lathe time to bore out the turret to SM size made this conversion way easy. I like the idea of a missle defense system better then AC based anyway.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/214074-Imperial%20Guard%20Hydra.html?m=2

Very interesting. Problem is they look a lot like some kind of Manticore so better make sure the opponent knows

Those aren't hydras. Those are manticores.

ph34r wrote:Those aren't hydras. Those are manticores.

This.

Aside from that though, they look very nice.

My only other gripe is that despite IG and SM both being the IoM their tech and designs are very different. I would suggest adding more rivets to the turret to help it sit more in line with the current guard theme.

kenshin620 wrote:Very interesting. Problem is they look a lot like some kind of Manticore so better make sure the opponent knows

I always tell my opponents, hasn't caused any issues so far.

i also made a similar Manticore conversion before the kit came out.
not to knock your hard work at all, they look fantastic! and as long
as your opponent knows what's going on, i wouldn't see an issue.
check out my gallery to see how i did mine.

Dude, just use GW quad gun in the Aegis defence line or Bastion whatever. Seen this done and it looks perfect. Or get some autocannons from HWS and use your imagination!

OP mentioned he doesnt like the AC visual

spireland wrote:My take on Hydra conversion.

A bit of lathe time to bore out the turret to SM size made this conversion way easy. I like the idea of a missle defense system better then AC based anyway.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/214074-Imperial%20Guard%20Hydra.html?m=2

I have to say that this is a very confusing conversion. That's a fairly common way to convert a manticore, and well, those are manticores. They're a multiple missile system. An autocannon needs to be an autocannon, or some sort of bolt/shell weapon, imo.

It would be better if there weren't rules for the manticore (it didn't exist) because then people couldn't confuse it with the manticore, but as it is, they can and will I think.

Great conversions/execution overall, though I would like to see it with the turret set at the back of the tank (might look a bit more like artillery).

kenshin620 wrote:OP mentioned he doesnt like the AC visual

I know but to be fair, isnt a missle defence system on a chimera a manticore I know what spireland said about not liking the look of the AC but a hydra flak battery, is a flak battery is more bullets not missiles. But I must agree with targetawg this is a very nice conversion! But what use a hydra? they are not really worth the points in my opinion. Hey now you have a 2 in 1 hydra/manticore

I agree with Targetawg. Nice conversion but thats a Manticore not a Hydra.

Aegis Gun's actually look pretty terrible as a Hydra conversion all the barrels are too short and it looks tiny.

World War II model kit AA guns look slightly weedy so you have to custom make the Hydra or buy forge world.

Meh I think aegis looks good, but its a personal touch. But thats a good idea Avariel.

Avariel wrote:
World War II model kit AA guns look slightly weedy so you have to custom make the Hydra or buy forge world.

That would depend on what SIZE AAA from WW2 you are using.

Yes, a FLaK20mm would be a little small, or the .50cal the allies were using.

88's are Basilisk sized guns, and definitely NOT small. I made up an AAA gun mount for planetstrike games that would fit into a chimera/basilisk hull and it's huge.
There's no mistaking this for a manticore. Yes, the guns that size ARE meant to be a piss-take of GW's huuuuuuge guns.


OP could always do an upscaled M-163 AD vehicle (it has a gatling cannon), or the LAV AD vehicle (MISSILES AND a gatling cannon).
Missiles by themselves just make it look like a manticore.

Part of the manticore/hydra confusion is because GW has retconned (surprise!) the models making the Manticore for 40k. Epic Manticores weren't the style we have now, they used the same turret as the hydra. And in Epic games Manticores could fire AA missiles.
If you don't like the quad autocannons (and I DO like making my things different from others) the gatling gun idea has potential.
I'm thinking something like a Punisher cannon or even better a titan sized mega-bolter (make it from plastic tubing) sitting on the rear of a Chimera chassis in the style of Italian semoventes (see pic)

You do know that the "epic Manticore" was actually the "original" Manticore, and is still available from Forge World yes Brotherjulian?

Looking back on the thread I see that you already built your missile defense tanks, have fun with them. They are your models, but everyone's first assumption will always be that they are manticores

I think it might help with the confusion factor as I have two manticores in the list, so it's easy to tell what is a conversion.

Well, if you do not like stock Hydras, and want to avoid confusion, you might always pattern yours after, say, a Tunguska gun/missile air defense vehicle Russians seem to love these days. Also, there's always the option of changing the way autocannons themselves look by means of an external fairing for instance.

spireland wrote:I think it might help with the confusion factor as I have two manticores in the list, so it's easy to tell what is a conversion.

Or your opponents might think that your manticores are all hydras?

I've literally seen that exact conversion used for a Manticore. Although it's a cool idea I would not recommend using it.

Fetterkey wrote:I've literally seen that exact conversion used for a Manticore. Although it's a cool idea I would not recommend using it.

I agree.

It's just like saying 'I don't like the look of bolters on my marines, so I'm going to give them all Lascannons, but they still count as bolters...'

It just seems silly to me, replacing a weapon with something that looks nothing like the original because you don't like the original weapon. If you don't like the autocannon, then make your own similarly large calibre AA canon.

Fetterkey wrote:I've literally seen that exact conversion used for a Manticore. Although it's a cool idea I would not recommend using it.

It's interesting how the feedback on Dakka has been really negative. I've used the Hydra's in my local gaming scene (store pick up games, and a few FLGS 1850's) for the last six months, and had zero issues with them. Maybe nobody wants to tell me they don't like it, though I have gotten a bunch of positive feedback.

As to the conversion looking like a manticore I have seen one like that a long time ago, but since the new kits have been out I haven't seen any.

I'm just not a fan of how most converted Hydras look and wanted to do something different. I guess I went too different!

There is no doubt about it that your conversion looks cool, its fricking awesome. But I agree with people when they say it does not look like a hydra

spireland wrote:

Fetterkey wrote:I've literally seen that exact conversion used for a Manticore. Although it's a cool idea I would not recommend using it.

It's interesting how the feedback on Dakka has been really negative. I've used the Hydra's in my local gaming scene (store pick up games, and a few FLGS 1850's) for the last six months, and had zero issues with them. Maybe nobody wants to tell me they don't like it, though I have gotten a bunch of positive feedback.

As to the conversion looking like a manticore I have seen one like that a long time ago, but since the new kits have been out I haven't seen any.

I'm just not a fan of how most converted Hydras look and wanted to do something different. I guess I went too different!

I hope you don't think I'm being too negative or rude. I really like the conversion, but you can't post in P+M just for white lies and compliments. Opinions that are asked for are given, and people are honest.

I would like to emphasize the fact that I like the conversion, and am constructively criticizing as opposed to just saying 'I don't like'.

You can see the points I have made in previous posts.

Nicly done but, as said before it has a feel more akin to the Manticore, still looks good.

That being said you could have just built a gun mount that looked like the Chimira and plonked for plas-tubes on it like i did

@OP: Love it. I hate the idea that simple firearms can hit something moving as fast as a skimmer, so the SMS works well for me.

spireland wrote:It's interesting how the feedback on Dakka has been really negative. I've used the Hydra's in my local gaming scene (store pick up games, and a few FLGS 1850's) for the last six months, and had zero issues with them. Maybe nobody wants to tell me they don't like it, though I have gotten a bunch of positive feedback.

Often people you know in person are unlikely to criticize your work because it can create hurt feelings and such. Nobody's denying that it's a well done conversion, it just looks exactly like a common manticore conversion.

Wow. Jeezus! People be H8ing.

Had you used the crayon launcher it would look more like a Manticore in that they have literally 4 multi warhead missiles. That is not the case. You have actual Manticore models fielded along side these things so there really isnt any way to confuse the two.

What is so "Flak" about the hydra rules anyway? Not like it gets a blast template when shooting. The rules to the "actual model" is flawed to begin with, so you cant really knock someone else's representation.

Just substitute the idea of "saturates the skies with shrapnel" with, "long range guided missiles" and there you go. I would imagine that there are alternate types missiles other than krak and frag in the 41st millennium. The Tau missile pods have similar stats, maybe his "manticores have replaced their normal payload with those.

Jeezus. Have some imagination. We have all seen worse. Like the reaper autocannon from a defiler mounted on a chaos terminator... just kiddin' bruh.

NoBaconz4You wrote:

spireland wrote:

Fetterkey wrote:I've literally seen that exact conversion used for a Manticore. Although it's a cool idea I would not recommend using it.

It's interesting how the feedback on Dakka has been really negative. I've used the Hydra's in my local gaming scene (store pick up games, and a few FLGS 1850's) for the last six months, and had zero issues with them. Maybe nobody wants to tell me they don't like it, though I have gotten a bunch of positive feedback.

As to the conversion looking like a manticore I have seen one like that a long time ago, but since the new kits have been out I haven't seen any.

I'm just not a fan of how most converted Hydras look and wanted to do something different. I guess I went too different!

I hope you don't think I'm being too negative or rude. I really like the conversion, but you can't post in P+M just for white lies and compliments. Opinions that are asked for are given, and people are honest.

I would like to emphasize the fact that I like the conversion, and am constructively criticizing as opposed to just saying 'I don't like'.

You can see the points I have made in previous posts.

Nope, I was looking for feedback. Perhaps "negative" wasn't the right adjective when describing the posts, perhaps substituting "I don't like" as you suggested would be more accurate.

Thanks though to all for the feedback, I appreciate it, good and bad (like or dislike).