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How do people like to model Plasma and Melta guns on imperial guardsmen? I know that GW make models for these units, but I was wondering whether there is a good way to make plastic ones as the only plastic meltas and plasmas I can find are in the command squad box.

You happen to be in luck, for I have an all plastic solution for you.


Click the 3rd link in my sig.

Or just follow this link instead.

Melta guns from flamers are pretty easy. I haven't figured out a good way of doing plasma guns on Cadians though.

Catachans are easier because the hands are separate from the guns.

If you have leftover weapons anyway then just attach them in place of flamers & grenade launchers.

Plasma gun:
Start with a lasgun.
Carve out a middle section and make sure you have a nice area with right angles that you can fill with green stuff, and then just sculpt it into a heat sink. Then take a flamer, knock if it's tip and use it to replace the lasgun's tip.
Start with a bolter:
same thing as aboove, just slice off the bolter's magazine, and then add a lasgun's battery cell to the back of the bolter where it's angled at 45*. You may need to do some filing on the back to provide enough space for the power cell.

Melta Gun:
Starting with a flamer, knock off it's tip, and carefullt culpt the meltagun tip. Then add a cylinder to the side of the weapon (it's the melta fuel, you'll see the same thing on the melta gun). No good at sculpting? Grab a styrene straw and a pin vice, plan out where you will drill, and drill out the holes. Add a second thinner straw inside it to give it the right meltagun look.
Start with a grenade launcher. Add more detail to the barrel's tip to make it fancy like a meltagun's. Cut off the drum and replace it with a set of cables or fuel lines running to the operator's back, connecting to either flamer fuel (which doesn't look that convincing...) or to a modified vox caster (quite convincing look)

Other things you can experiment with are all your extra heavy weapons you don't anticipate using. Mortars can make for interesting stuff, the tips from autocannons can also make for interesting representations for weapons.

http://madrobotminiatures.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_12&products_id=50
http://madrobotminiatures.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_12&products_id=51
http://www.anvilindustry.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_104&product_id=223
http://www.anvilindustry.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_104&product_id=222


There are also the FW weapon packs. Meant for SM but the ones in the Guard command squad box are also space marine sized. They aren't bad deals either working out to about $1.80 or so per weapon.

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Space_Marines/Space_Marine-Infantry-and-Accessories/LEGION_PLASMA_GUN_SET.html
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Space_Marines/Space_Marine-Infantry-and-Accessories/LEGION_MELTA_GUN_SET.html

Check out the Tutorials board on this very site. Guard special weapons are a regular thing to find there.

GW does (at least until the new website went up) sell 5 for £3, in both varieties.

Just snip off the SM hand and glue it on a guardsman.

 notprop wrote:
GW does (at least until the new website went up) sell 5 for £3, in both varieties.

Just snip off the SM hand and glue it on a guardsman.

How do you do this with cadians who have their hands integral with their guns?

I haven't really seen any lasgun -> plasma gun conversions that I like.

with a hobby knife, a pair of snips, and a file. Cut off the excess of the gun. There is one pair of hands in there where the hand is not attached to the lasgun, you can use this pair. Alternatively, you can cut off the flamer or the granade launcher and use that hand, and glue the grip sticking out from the side...