I kid, I kid... I love both the minis and game from the Warhammer Fantasy range. Next week I will post some pics of my Daemons to prove it. Till then... heavy artillery!
When it came time for me to create my Medusa siege tanks, I considered a few options. The cheapest route seemed to just buy Basilisk kits, and modify the barrels of the guns somehow. Last weekend I saw a guy at the Battle for Salvation with this sort of conversion, and it looked great! I think he added a plumbing fixture to the mix as well, and the result worked perfectly.
Unfortunately, because I had already commited to a more "chaos-esque" aesthetic, I knew I was going to have to produce something with a bit more snarl to it. I have always loved the Hellcannon model, but never had a use for it. Till now.
The model itself is a bit clunky, and required some serious pinning and putty work. Mounting the bit was also cumbersome, as the heavy weight of the pewter cannon could easily turn the chimera chassis into something that rolled over when placed on the mildest of slopes. I had quite a few Defiler sprues in my bits chest, so I grabbed a few of the weapon-mount arms, and tried to build a functional support chassis. I think the overall effect is suitable, and most importantly, the tanks don't try to do somersaults when deployed on a hill.
Again, I wanted to incorporate some barbed wire. On this model, I went with the etched brass barbed wire that Forge World provides. I wrapped it around a think brush handle, then placed the wire around the cannon itself, as if to ward off would-be saboteurs. I followed up the wire with my standard searchlight and smoke-launcher treatment, and added a hull-mounted heavy flamer pinched from a land raider redeemer sponson.
Making two of these guys was not a small investment of time, but I like the uniqueness of the models, and how well the barrels fit in with the rest of my artillery. While I have yet to post it, I did make a booklet for each of my opponents to view with vehicle descriptions, to avoid being accused of "modeling for advantage." Perhaps "modeling for confusion" is more appropriate?
Or maybe just "modeling for bankruptcy".
Wow Dan, your painting was always impressive, but it has truly become something special. I am really impressed with your army, all I can think about is them fitting nicely in say the Gaunt's series, or any of the other cultist plotted stories. They are really excellent. Your modeling skills are excellent. Thanks for putting them online for us to enjoy, and for me to feel utter shame in my own skills. :)
ReplyDeleteGodzigla, keep at it. Practice makes everyone better.
ReplyDeleteI would love to do this for my second medusa, but I doubt I can afford the cannon plus another chimera hull. I think I will do another scratch build, cheap but challenging.
Holy good gravy! That is one mean looking tank!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, guys. Chaosgerbil, you gotta watch ebay like a hawk for bits. Like. A. Hawk.
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