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Hi everybody!

I have been collecting IG for a while, intending to make an infantry based army. When my good mate offered me a basilisk hull with no platform or gun etc, as well as a selection of bitz, I jumped at the chance! I have cobbled together a pretty decent transport for a command squad, I think:











There are a couple other pics in my gallery from different angles. Here is a list of the parts/changes:
I used 2 rhino doors and a girder from the cities of death kit for a floor inside the vehicle.
I used an armour plate from a chimera kit as a sort of back ramp, with some hinges and a handle cut off some other random parts.
The displays in the back are from some SM kit, and an IG searchlight with the hood cut off.

The armour around the compartment - the front is 2 halves of a rhino hatch, one cut in half, laid end to end and sealed up to the other parts with greenstuff. The side armour is cut out of some buttresses from the cities of death kits. I was really glad the shapes fitted so perfectly on the chimera.

Weapons - I cut the front off a heavy flamer from the cadian command squad, sealed it to the hull mount with greenstuff. The weapon on top, I used a SM hatch. The gun is a heavy stubber (end trimmed off) from the IG vehicle kits, with a lascannon battery from a HWT and the stubber's pintle mount connecting it to the hatch, and a sight from an IG HWT on top. This is supposed to be a remote machine gun, one of the cooler toys they have on modern military vehicles.

I think that's it anyway. I magnetised the machine gun to swivel, actually the magnet is under the hatch. The occupants aren't stuck down at all yet, I will paint them seperately, but I will drill magnets into their feet and the decking, so I can remove them if the command squad ever disembarks from the vehicle.

Note: for simplicity I plan to use this as an ordinary chimera. If any sod wants to make me count it as open-topped and armed with a heavy stubber instead of a multi-laser, I am happy to do so - and I will come back next game with straken inside, and use it to mount an open-topped assault!

The only thing I specifically bought for the vehicle was the SM hatch (50p online). Passengers and some little bits were from my own collection, but for the great majority of this model I am indebted to a mate. Thank you sir, it is good to have friends.

Looks like a Salamander.

Other than that, great work, and hope to see it painted soon!

It does look a bit like a salamander but this design is still unique in its own right. Looks pretty cool!

I'd like to say, my design is far superior to this salamander! Obviously if I was really designing a military command vehicle, it wouldn't be open-topped. But at least in my version the officer can work without getting his head shot off! In that forgeworld vehicle the occupants would have to be lying down to get any protection!

I think the compartment for the command squad looks great!
although it looks a bit like a salamander, i like your design more
keep up the great work

That looks great,good effort.

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:I'd like to say, my design is far superior to this salamander! Obviously if I was really designing a military command vehicle, it wouldn't be open-topped. But at least in my version the officer can work without getting his head shot off! In that forgeworld vehicle the occupants would have to be lying down to get any protection!

But then again, if you don't plan on him being able to see out, and to use the radar/instruments for his observational needs...why not just enclose it altogether?

This is from a logical standpoint, the conversion is still extra cool

targetawg wrote:

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:I'd like to say, my design is far superior to this salamander! Obviously if I was really designing a military command vehicle, it wouldn't be open-topped. But at least in my version the officer can work without getting his head shot off! In that forgeworld vehicle the occupants would have to be lying down to get any protection!

But then again, if you don't plan on him being able to see out, and to use the radar/instruments for his observational needs...why not just enclose it altogether?

This is from a logical standpoint, the conversion is still extra cool

Yeah . . . maybe this is another thing to add for the '40k makes no sense' pile!

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Rommel in his open top command vehicle.

I like the conversion a lot.

If you think of doing more conversions you should look at plasticard for basic construction and panel detailing. It will save a lot of Rhino doors and other expensive GW parts.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Patton in his open top command vehicle

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:... my design is far superior to this salamander!

Wow. That's all the helping of hubris I need the rest of the year. It's entirely a matter of opinion, and as such should be prefaced with "I think".

Very cool!Looks more like a utility vehicle imo.Like an all around work horse.

Mabey if you add a radar dish and some antennas it will start to take a commanding look.

SgtSixkilla wrote:

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:... my design is far superior to this salamander!

Wow. That's all the helping of hubris I need the rest of the year. It's entirely a matter of opinion, and as such should be prefaced with "I think".

I think you failed to pick up on the tone of what I said. I was being less than entirely serious.

Killkrazy, interesting to see the open-topped WWII vehicles . . . although I maintain that neither of those were intended to be as close to the enemy as a 40k imperial guard HQ choice! I take your point about plasticard, but the point here is that all the parts were things I had lying around.

Thanks palehorse - I've got some antennas I will try out in various positions. So far they look a bit tacked-on, but I will keep trying to find a good look.

SgtSixkilla wrote:

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:... my design is far superior to this salamander!

Wow. That's all the helping of hubris I need the rest of the year. It's entirely a matter of opinion, and as such should be prefaced with "I think".

Everything people say is what they think, especially with regards to this things like this.

i like it realy shows how 40k combat (as far as the imperium goes) is just WWII combat with nukes and lasers................ and nothing under .50 cal

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:

SgtSixkilla wrote:

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:... my design is far superior to this salamander!

Wow. That's all the helping of hubris I need the rest of the year. It's entirely a matter of opinion, and as such should be prefaced with "I think".

I think you failed to pick up on the tone of what I said. I was being less than entirely serious.

crimsonmicc wrote:

SgtSixkilla wrote:

I-bounty-hunt-the-elderly wrote:... my design is far superior to this salamander!

Wow. That's all the helping of hubris I need the rest of the year. It's entirely a matter of opinion, and as such should be prefaced with "I think".

Everything people say is what they think, especially with regards to this things like this.

There was no indication that he was making a humorous comment. He even backed up his comment with justification for it. There's no way to infer tone from writing, and if it was intended to be humorous, he should have indicated as much.

That said, this IS a cool model, and it could just be a different pattern salamander to the one on FW, because they are very similar in design.