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So, I am attempting to scratchbuild a Thunderfire cannon. Shopping around, looking for materials. However, I don't actually own a Thunderfire cannon, nor do I know anyone who does. Can anyone give me an idea of their dimensions? I know what they look like, but am not too sure on how long they are.

They fit onto a 60mm base, and the main gun mount on the carriage is the same size hole as a rhino hatch ring.

I made the gun on mine from 4 pieces of 5mm tubing, with a larger tube surrounding them and holding them in place (ring at the muzzle end, more tube for the main body) some spare CoD bits and spare tracks from a robogear kit, plasticard and sprue for the motive section.

i used various hatch bits to make the base, and a whirlwind turret for the weapon itself. the launcher comes off for storage/transport. i could also easily swap it onto an actual whirlwind if i wanted to.

i've got three of these built. here's the breakdown on parts for the base :

3 x guard dozer blade mounts (the old ones)
1 25mm hex base
1 leman russ hatch base plate (old style)

the hex base is put upside down with the russ hatch base plate put inside so that it is also upside down. the turret fits snugly into the mount this makes. then the stabilizer legs are made from cutting up the dozer blade mounts in what, i hope, is an obvious way.

You're off to a great start, simply by asking for dimensions. I'd recommend keeping a mini close at hand for comparison at all times. I tried scratchbuilding one a while back without having anything for scale reference and it ended up being severely oversized. I'll offer mine up as proof that A) you can make a recognizable, if not particularly snazzy (granted, I didn't finish detailing once I realized it was a useless behemoth) approximation with nothing but cardboard and workshop scraps and B) if you don't start at the proper scale, you'll never finish at it.

Thanks oadie! You've inadvertently given me the best help with the pictures, since I have the same exact Techmarine fig you've used. I'm planning on mounting the barrels inside of an old tube of lipstick, that way I can make the gun telescope in and out, and was briefly worried that the tube would be too small.

If I used thunderfire cannons, I think I'd shop ebay until I found some old thudd guns. If you build one I imagine anything with quad gun barrels would be acceptable.