Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h329/Ken_Krout/IMG_0885.jpg

I made a multi weapon 15mm tank. It is styrene plastic and I was thinking about making it in 28mm. THe only problem for me is that my press is pretty small so I would have to make about 4 molds to create a 28mm version. That means setting up 4 different dies and making a pile of each sprue then adding them together to make a kit. Cost will be about $15-18 per tank kit in 28mm. I would most likely add some more detail to it. You can see more info about it and my medium infantry at my blog- http://proxiemodels.blogspot.com/

Would there be a market for such a tank in plastic? I was also thinking of having a friend make it in 28mm resin but the cost would be higher.

Just looking for a few comments on deciding to proceed with a 28mm plastic or resin version.

Thanks.

It's a little basic, but if you can detail it up a little and do it for that sort of price, yeah, I think it would do ok as a stand-in for a particular weapon-heavy battle tank.

With more detail on it, and a low price (like the rest of your stuff), I think it would sell pretty well. For $15 a pop and if it was looking decent, I would get 4-6 of them. I've bought a shedload of bases from you recently, and was/am very happy with the speed and service.

By "More detail" I'm thinking typical tankish details like rivets, handles, etc, not a thousand tiny skulls.

I'll tell you what i'd like to see. I'd like to see sprues of just torsos or legs or heads. That way if you're converting a guard army you can keep the Cadian arms and then swap out heads (already common, but with plastic sprues can be cheaper, maybe 20 heads for $5-10 in plastic) or toros or legs to make a new look..

I'd love to see traitor guard torsos and legs on the cheap. there are Forgeworld sets and and I think Kromlech has a set of torsos (5 torsos with backpacks for $10) that look good, but if you want to do a traitor guard army you'll have to spend a bunch on converstion parts or time and effort on conversions.

I'd pay $5 for a sprue of 10 toros or 5-10 legs. The torsos you can copy and paste ten times as they don't need to be fancy or individual, but the legs I could see being more difficult to design and would need more variety.

That being said, your price for the tank seems extremely resonable and I'd be interested in one at that price.

looks good, shame your overseas to me but they look amazing, I am sure for that price even at at detail quality you will sell alot.

The tank actually has some fairly good details on it, I just did not do a super paint job on that pic. I never thought about just torso sprues, the medium infantry is designed to be a generic and easy to paint sci-fi force. As for other types of troops, I am expecting to make a varitey of female sci-fi troops if the men turn out ok. A light militia, a medium basic troop, and a heavy elite sprue. There will be one heavy weapon sprue and the basic infantry will have a couple of extra arms so you can convert some to crew and simply buy the heavy weapon sprue as needed. Still got lots to do but that is my list for this spring, barring any major disasters.

As far as prices go, I am not looking to get rich. Just want to offer a reasonable product at a reasonable cost.


And I do ship overseas, it just cost more.

Any $18 tank will get a look from me at the very least. If you are going to go through all that work though I'd make it modular enough that you can produce APC and self propelled guns on the same tracks.

I personally would love to see that "rolling" tank you did in 28 mm. If I'm going to buy a cheap armored vehicle, one that is unique to my army is better than one that looks like a GW vehicle only not as nice. What happened to it anyway - I don't see it on the site?

Torsos and legs would be fabulous. Robed legs would be fairly easy to do, and if they came with a separate base with the feet modeled on, even easier.

Love what you're doing, keep it up!

Marthike - I've bought stuff from Proxy/Ken before, and his international postage is very reasonable. That's one reason I'd be willing to get 6 tanks as soon as they're available.

kestral wrote:Any $18 tank will get a look from me at the very least. If you are going to go through all that work though I'd make it modular enough that you can produce APC and self propelled guns on the same tracks.

Stylistically it'll fit right in next to Imperial Guard stuff and it's a fraction of the price so if you can get the detail up and provide enough weapon options you should be guaranteed sales there. I don't think anyone makes a plastic tank that'll just drop right in like that so you might as well take advantage of the fact you happen to have done so and run with it. Your task is made considerably easier by the generic nature of IG weapons and the dated sculpts (with even the newer parts on the retooled sprues having to sculpt down to match the style of the chassis). Plastic all the way, baby.

I agree that it would be a waste not to make it modular. You could get away with just making covers for the engine section – which is incredibly sexy, by the way – to make it an APC or a SPG or what have you but you'd get a better fit and be able to have an open deck on the SPG if you planned ahead and made it removable.

Looking at how the parts fit together, it might even be an idea to produce plastic wheels. They'd probably sell well anyway but it looks like a quick job with a knife and file to remove the tracks, glue some plasticard over the side gap and add the wheels.

That turret is really too small for a tank. About right for a not-Chimera though. Weapons are crude and oversized (but that's probably just a consequence of being sculpted for 15mm). Sponsons really need their tops raised to the level of the track gaurds; they're too skinny as they are and it looks odd to have nothing under the, er, the, uh, the swivelly bit.

There's also a large potential market out there for Ork bitz. Scratchbuilders would snap up wheel and track sprues faster than you can cast them, I'm sure.