Cadian 127th Regiment

186 - WIP Hydra Conversion: Part 2

Thanks for reading my previous post on this, if you haven't read it Part 1 can be found here. I'd left the Hydra at a good point but it was definitely lacking some detailing. Using a few bits of blu tac, I came up with the following rough ideas and then posted the question to the Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) page on Facebook to get some opinions and additional ideas.

A rummage through the bitz box and I found some items that could be used. So the bits are from the old Leman Russ kit and the tank accessory sprue.

Trialling with two doors and a heavy flamer promethium tank.

Two doors and a tool/ammo crate.

Double doors with the promethium tank.

Whilst waiting for some answers I got to work on the top of the tank. The big mounting ring is from the Puppets War Pegasus kit and will be what the flak turret sits in. I added a vent and hatch from the old Leman Russ kit - the hatch was from the side of the turret. The two small hatches are from the Sentinel kit (I think) and were cut down to be a bit shorter. The power pack is also from the Sentinel kit and matched up well with the turret ring. Anyway, back to the back now.

The Facebook feedback led me to the above. General consensus was double doors so the crew might be able to actually fit stuff in. An exhaust was also suggested so the promethium tank had some holes drilled in it and it became the exhaust. Hatch handles were added as a step ladder and a nice big tow hook was slapped on as well. Please ignore how wonky some of these pieces are - I didn't realise quite had bad it was until after the glue had dried.

I also butchered another set of tank track guards to get all three pieces to fit on the Chimera chassis. Why GW didn't make this possible confuses me.

My next challenge will be the gun barrels which as you can see above are bent in every different direction. How would you approach them? Heat and bend them back or cut them off and use plastic tubing/brass rod to create new barrels? Options would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

185 - WIP Hydra Conversion: Part 1

Greetings readers. Once again I jump from project to project like a flea looking for a better meal. Well the new project involves me doing some more creation and conversion which I haven't gone near since following instructions to create my set back Chimera's Calyx and Crepitus.

The project is something I've hinted at before, first when I was trying to find a different Hydra option and then again when I bought a Pegasus AA kit from Puppets War to create the alternative. My plan was to take a Chimera kit and then build a platform/compartment on the back for the quad autocannon turret to sit on.

First thing was to build up the Chimera chassis but I didn't add the top piece or the rear floor part.

I knew that I didn't want the any overhang off the back of the chassis. So with the second part of the floor resting in place, I made a rough mark where I wanted the back to end, just behind the round detail.

I grabbed the saw and cut the section apart before sanding the edge smooth. I didn't glue it in place right away though. A quick mock up of the vertical back plate showed I'd have to get rid of some of the guide pieces - the image above shows where I removed one. Once I'd tidied this removal up, the floor was glued in.

I added a couple of pieces of sprue across the floor. This is to stop the vertical plate from moving and to give it something else to glue on to.

I also glued in a piece on the back of the crew compartment. After a bit of careful manoeuvring, it should support the top armour piece. I could have probably used a smaller bit of plastic but it was a convenient scrap lying around.

I measured out the top section and then cut out a piece of plasticard to fit. I used a plastic scriber this time round and it was much neater than my previous attempts at cutting plasticard.

A section of plasticard was also measured and cut out for the back as well.

I also measured and cut out some triangular pieces that will fill the gaps on the sides. These are big enough to sit on the guide pieces on the sides. I used a few square "things" I had lying around to make sure everything lined up nicely - magnets and a metal ruler were helpful!

Here is the compartment all glued together, but I haven't glued it to the chassis yet. Square things, the magnets and metal ruler were all very helpful again. I'm waiting on a set square to turn up to make things simpler next time round - it also makes it simpler for figuring out if my cuts are straight.