Maybe, or maybe standing with his head sticking up out the top, holding on to the roof with his right and the bolter with is left. Or, however he fits in there...?

I like the look of him sitting there but it seems maybe out of place. I'd expect that with, like, a guy hanging out of a helicopter or something like that. On a ground vehicle it looks slightly off. His attention looks sort of downward. What does he expect to see there?

EDIT: On a second look, I think what looks funny is that the dangling legs makes him look too casual. Doesn't look like he's going to battle. Looks like he's just out for a ride, shooting the breeze. What does it look like with the running board?

HaHa good point on the head direction. The pigiron heads are metal and I was having trouble positioning them without having a giant neck (Wolf16 alluded to the same problem).

I thought of him just being ready to hop out but maybe you're right, I'll put him inside the car. I have to make a second one and didn't want the passengers to look the same on both. I was planning to have a guy as you described (one comes with the kit basically) in the other one.

I'll have to revisit these guys as your feedback has made me agree...

edit: The running board won't even fit at the height I want to put the wheels.

Maybe if he's hopping out he could be ready to jump a little more dynamically? Maybe about to grab that giant knife hanging right by him?

Can I chime in here?

I would say to put your pintle heavy weapons operator from the front seat into a standing position behind the driver compartment. You could have a seated scout in the front passenger seat aiming a bolter.

Another option is to make the missile launcher into a sort of turret atop the crew area?

Just a suggestion, hope it helps one way or another!

modelglue

This has to be the coolest Space Marine vehicle of all time! I am in awe, and thoroughly inspired. No standard land speeders for me anymore. ( I'm in the middle of building ork vehicles though, so this idea might end up being "orkified" and used for a short wheel base trukk.)

Thanks again for sharing your conversions...

Ha ha no problem! It's pretty simple to do. Just a bit of cutting and plasticard and you're on your way. I'm sure you can make ork buggies just as easy with it.

I appreciate everyone's comments so far. I've raised the suspension about 5 mm over what you can see (pretty significant) and removed the guy with his dragging feet. I also added modified foot support as was suggested. I really appreciate everyones comments.

Modelglue: I tried to see what it would look like with an above gunner but it just seemed odd to sacrifice a stable position in the front seet for a tripod based weapon above. I'll let everyone know that whether I take a suggestion literaly or not, it still inspires thought. So I thank you all for that. I should have a final model this weekend or early next week.

I think I'm finished putting this together. I have a second one still to work on but this one is done. I think I'll paint it up along with a 5 man scout squad so that the I can play it functionally in game. Will be a lot of work for 125 points though. After comments from a few people I raised the rear end up and added running boards. I had to raise them a bit from the standard which means they're not connected that well sadly. I've broken them off three times now (the piece was meant to fit into the skimmer but now that it is shortened the floor boards don't sit the same). So I may end up leaving them off as they break over time. Here's hoping.

I also removed the guy that looked like his feet would get stuck on the ground. I think this guy blasting away is a bit better. Interesting point, if the angle of his gun is traced outward it falls ~12" away at head level. Perfect for rapid fire



The one thing I am debating is putting wheel covers on the back wheels. I didn't on the typhoon patterns but it looked better on those. These were left off to maintain the same look but it may be better to add some. Thoughts on this?

Hmm, I agree that it needs something. On the Typhoon, the rear wheels were tucked away enough, but here they stick out and unbalance the model visually.

You might be able to get away with just plasticard mudguards?

I'm seriously digging these, Theambit! Maybe a bit more of a suspension system would be nice, and would possibly raise the profile a bit to keep it more in-line wiht stock land speeders?

Also, I can't help but hum a tune to myself when looking at these...

Orpheus I refuse to make one of these:



Haha. They aren't the same height as stock speeders and that won't change. You can't make a good looking ground vehicle with 3" of lift.

I think I'm going to cut the wheels off and replace them with enclosed wheel wells. Might make it look a bit more sleek and I'll try it on the 2nd one before cutting up the first.

No no no, I said CLOSER to the original profile, not all the way up there! But right now, they'd deserve a BS of 1 or 2; the slightest bump or even rock would tilt the entire chassis as-is and throw off their aim.

That is a FINE conversion! Very nice work, Amb!

Just a thought - did you consider putting the missile pods on the diagonal panels adjacent to their current horizontal position or is that panel too narrow?

Thanks Mauler, I just didn't like the pods on the side. It seemed more practical to shoot them from the roof.

Behold my land raider achilles. There's a ton of resin bits piecemealed onto this guy. I removed the front assault ramp too. I can't wait to give my weak biker army something to hide behind.





Responding to a distress call on M37.142, two squads from the 3rd company and a supporting Argonought of the Night Hawks Chapter set down on Truvel XI. The Adeptus Mechanicus maintain a forgeworld in the Truvel system which contains many planets classified as dead worlds. After four expeditionary fleets from the Mechanicum had vanished on Truvel XI, the Night Hawks were summoned for aid.

The Night Hawks quickly scoured the desert planet searching for the lost explorer vessels and came upon what could only be described as the prow of a ship extruding from the planet's surface. As they approached, the ground began to shake as defense systems activated and metalic men rose from beneath. Comms failed and the air was filled with the roar of gunfire. Surrounded by a legion of cybernetic constructs with no where to run, the fate of the battle brothers seemed all but assured.


Rallying under sergeant Brunel, the men positioned their bikes to use as cover and quickly formed a defensive position amid the barren wastes. Aided by punishing blows from their Argonaught's typhoon launder and replenished by supplies contained therein, the Marines held on.


The sound of empty clips begain to ring out as the last "Iron-man" slumped to the ground. The vox crackled and hails were finally received. Mechanicum ships quickly arrived to collect the damaged cybernetics for study. The ship was later identified as millenia old human technology, priceless in the eyes of the Adepts of Mars. What use it was to them is unknown, but in gratitude for the heavy losses suffered on Truvel XI and the archaotech recovered, the Truvel forgeworld dispatched a Land Raider Achilles to Korak Prime; a true testament to the bond between Mars and the Night Hawks.

The venerable Achilles was not a thoughtless prize but a well considered gift. The Night Hawk's combat doctrine was well known to the Mechanicum as was their lack of tactical dreadnought armour and by extension, need for standard land raiders. As such, the Achilles, which is ill-suited to carry assault teams to battle hosts a thunderfire cannon, a symbolic weapon of the tech marines of the Adeptus Astartes. The weapon's tremor round's ability to disrupt enemy movement synergizes perfectly with the Night Hawks' practice of out manouvering their enemy. Permitting this oft-stationary weapon to be taken into battle by the fast moving Night Hawks on a nigh indestructible shrine chassis solidified the bond between Mars and Chapter, of whom both would call on one another innumerable times in the future.

More story here: http://theambit.blogspot.com/2012/02/tr ... -part.html

DAYUM that looks good. I can't wait for the painted pics to be posted!

I meant to post on your blog, but now that you're on here too.. what kit did you swap the sponsons from? They're very retro and suitably reinforced looking. Which settles a grip of mine about flimsy looking marine tanks.

- Tael

I've been plowing through painting this for the last two days. I posted this poor photo from a cell phone so I think I'll hold off on painted pictures until I get a real camera.

Tael they're from a 3rd party guy that sells on ebay under 'Skull and Blood Industries' I believe (Machinator if you google it). He has quite a few nice kits.

The paint I have on it already really pops out all of the detail bits. I can't wait to finish!

Oh, now I am really excited, that model looks cool, the sponsons are awesome and the fluff to it is nice.

I cant wait to see the pictures of the painted model.

That is one beautiful machine! I am looking forward to the painted version, do it will be easier to identify the parts.

I must also say that I quite enjoyed the little short story you posted on your blog. The character of your Marines really comes through and it is interesting to read of their peculiar quirks. Any possibility of modeling the trophy necklace on your Marines? I'm sure Space Wolf torsos would come in handy since some have necklaces modeled on them.

I think the Shadow Guardians would clash with the Night Hawks since your boys have such close relation to the Mechanicus and my Marines tend to bend the rules a bit. Total tangent, sorry.

Wolfs16 I was thinking most of the trophies would be smaller and easily portable such as an incisor. Small things you can toss in a little bag or wear around a wrist/necklace. The SW stuff is huge. I think the Nighthawks would sooner take a small scale from a beast than it's entire head for exmaple, or a tuft of hair rather than a massive tooth of a wolf. They're meant more as sentimental items than bragging rights. Maybe I'll explain that better; part of why that one fellow has an aroma is because his trophies are a-typical. Mabye I need to model 1 guy as such

Edit: for the most part the stuff on space wolves is way too oversized in my opinion. Either way it would all probably fit under the armour.