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In which I discover that explaining is way harder than doing.


So, I've had a few people asking how these things get built - hopefully this will prove informative.
If you want to build one, I'll leave you to choose how you want to source your bitz - Hoard-O-Bits has usually been a good to me, but you may find it easier to simply buy two tanks. You will definitely need one rhino-based tank kit - this is your core vehicle. Beyond that, you need:

another top piece (the part that comprises the roof and the tops of the track housings)

left and right INSIDE track housings (the bits that have the little seats on the inside of the transport compartment)

a full set of left + right tracks

I want to take this moment to point out that all mould lines and glue messes get cleaned up after I'm done building. I also want to point out that I am nowhere close to having this conversion down to a science. My method was arrived at through making it up as I went along, and if you can see moments in the process where you could do things better, I absolutely encourage you to do so. I'm no engineer. Just a dude with a big saw. If you read this and think "hey, wouldn't it make more sense to...?" Yeah, man. It probably would. Finally, very important: read the whole tutorial before you start. Anyone who ever built a piece of Ikea furniture will know this already, but it does bear repeating

That said, build your core vehicle.

This is what you start with. Floor, roof, inside track housings, the rear door and that weird bulkhead that goes in the middle. Next, get all your tracks together. You want to take every one of these bits and arrange them so that the little guide prongs that help fit them onto the wheels properly are on the outside. Then, glue each left piece onto a corresponding right piece. You want to end up with this:


That's the simple, easy stuff done. Go get your saw.

What we have here is an inside + outside track housing attached to a top piece, which has then been brutally sawn in half. This is purely because I find it easier to deal with the halves one at a time. What follows deals with the part on the left, but you'll obviously need to repeat everything for the right.


This is the difficulty: you need to cut along that red line - what's problematic about this is that the line (even though I haven't drawn it that far) passes right along the edge of the transport compartment and the little hatch bit. This makes it a little difficult to make sure that you're cutting a straight line along the edge of the track housing. The easiest way I've found is to press your saw blade flat against the little bit of track housing that overruns the transport compartment (what I've outlined red below) and then start cutting very, very gently. Don't try and force the thing or you'll end up with the saw skipping all over the place.

Once you've got a nice groove to guide you in a straight line, gradually shift the saw up and around so that you go from cutting toward the front of the tank to cutting toward the bottom.
You want to end up with this.

This image shows a point at which I've cut down through the top piece enough that I can simply peel the unnecessary part away from the track housing, leaving a nice little ledge that will tuck under the track guard of the core vehicle - with a few adjustments. Those are the red bits. Again, you want to be cutting along the red bits. The top parts are cut and shaved away so that you can fit them inside the track guard of the core vehicle. The lower red lines indicate cuts that you need to make to accomodate the tracks. Cut along the red line at an angle, being careful not to cut through the outside of the track housing. Then you should be able to simply pull and break off what's above the cut. It's best to cut off a bit more than you need - you've got a fit a two-long piece of track up this gap. Test the fit as best you can with one of the assembled track pieces.
We want to end up with left + right versions of this:


And that's the end of the hard stuff! Attach your track housings...

And attach your tracks!

At this point you're ready to attach whatever turrets, demolisher cannons, sponsons or whatever else you want to use to complete your tank.


Now get your green stuff / glue remover / whatever else and do whatever clean-up work you need to do and that will be IT. You've done it. You're the man. Enjoy your new tank!

Thank you sooooo much for posting this, I've have been waiting and nail-biting in anticipation for this tutorial!

Much obliged! You are a credit to the hobby!

Really nice work dude, those tanks look "Proper" I really like them, first SM tanks I've seen that a: don't look gay next to a Leman Russ/Land Raider and b: look cable of withstanding the recoil from firing a demolisher cannon, or withstanding the weight of 10 space marines inside. Will definitely be doing this mod in the future!!

Amazing! At first glance I thought you were using Land Raider chassis, which makes me wonder how would this would work on a Land Raider.
Thanks for distracting me from my armies and making me work on an expensive side project!

Your tanks look so badass, but that looks like entirely too much work (not to mention the price for the additional parts) to interest my in doing it myself. Good tutorial though.

This looks perfect to make some looted vehicules!

Those look really nice. Its amazing how the wider aspect makes them look so much more mean

Really cool conversion... I will give it a shot asap! A Vindicator build like this would be a perfect addition for my Iron Warriors...
Thumbs up!

Really nice. Ill see if I can find the bitz on ebay

They look amazing.

So tempted to try this on something like a baneblade...I know it won't end well though...

^ lol, it's definitely tempting to at least turn those things into Land Raiders. Amazing work!

BAD @$$ !!!
damn this is good looking stuff!

pretty cool could doubles as an ares patter raider too. just need 2 shields or maybe one

Currently trying this out myself. Just waiting on a few extra parts then I should be good.

 Nuclear Mekanik wrote:
Really nice work dude, those tanks look "Proper" I really like them, first SM tanks I've seen that a: don't

look gay

next to a Leman Russ/Land Raider and b: look cable of withstanding the recoil from firing a demolisher cannon, or withstanding the weight of 10 space marines inside. Will definitely be doing this mod in the future!!

Is that necessary?
Moving on, those tanks look neat. if I can find the parts, Id be very tempted to do that. Aww yiss.

Very Nice.
Might have to see what that big momma cannon looks like on one of these.

The tanks look soooo cool and mean.

It does look a bit of a pricey conversion unless you can pick up the bits cheaply, but the end result is amazing.

Land Raider next anyone!

Consider yourself shamelessly plagiarized for whenever a Command Squad of mine needs a Rhino!

Do you get any complaints about the size giving you some advantages?

davou wrote:
Do you get any complaints about the size giving you some advantages?

It's never happened yet. To be fair, they're a bit easier to hide behind - they also make it much more difficult to avoid terrain, requiring me to take dozer blades all the time in order to avoid constantly immobilizing myself. Ultimately, I've never played in a competitive enough situation that anyone would actually care either way and most people are just happy to run up against a fully-painted and converted army.

Glad everyone's enjoying the tutorial - for a guy who makes most of his stuff on instinct and trial & error, actually having to explain my madness to other people was hard work.

 ssspectre wrote:

davou wrote:
Do you get any complaints about the size giving you some advantages?

It's never happened yet. To be fair, they're a bit easier to hide behind - they also make it much more difficult to avoid terrain, requiring me to take dozer blades all the time in order to avoid constantly immobilizing myself. Ultimately, I've never played in a competitive enough situation that anyone would actually care either way and most people are just happy to run up against a fully-painted and converted army.

Glad everyone's enjoying the tutorial - for a guy who makes most of his stuff on instinct and trial & error, actually having to explain my madness to other people was hard work.

Great conversion! And I appreciated that last statement of yours - I myself am starting out and customizations are on top of my list!

Nice tut thanks i might give it a go

Does anyone reckon this would work with a land raider?

Wow this is awesome. Wish I some rhinos now.
Peace Spud

Absolute kudos!

I will definitely be giving this a go on a spare kit I have lying around, really enjoying the menace of the vindicator

I wish the kits came stock like this. :(

Have you had anyone take issue with the extra size of the hulls in a game?

I love the way that looks. Great idea and thanks for sharing it!

This is awesome.
I will definetely have to steal this idea for my custodes army.
Already ordered the bits. ^^

These looked really good. A bit bad I would have to pay twice as mutch.