30k - Heavy Conversion
In 30k every Legion has unique traits, and they're not always obvious. As an example, the Blood Angels and Imperial Fists were present during the Siege of Terra, and in the lead up to that conflict received larger amounts of "new" equipment. So, while the Dark Angels would still be wearing MK III armor by the time the Emperor dies, it's fluff-friendly to put your Blood Angels in all MK VI.
One real oddity of the Blood Angels list is that you can take Assault Cannons anywhere that you normally could take a Heavy Flamer. Unlike modern 40k, where an option is simply removed from an army list if the kit doesn't provide the needed parts, Heresy is full of instances like this where you an take an option but no kit exists. Or, at least, a kit exists, but it's resin and permanently out of stock. (Still not sure why the pirate companies can keep things in stock but Forgeworld can't...)
So, when I found myself building a Cataphractii squad, I knew I wanted that Assault Cannon. They've been a favorite of mine since 2nd edition, their rules aren't bad now, and they're thematically appropriate for the army. I reasoned, i could just convert one from a normal Terminator kit. It could even be as easy as sticking a normal termie arm on a Cataphractii model and calling it a day.
Problem is, this is the Assault Cannon I landed on:
That is the Wolf Guard Terminator Assault Cannon, and I picked it because it has that cool ammo belt, and because it was generally the cheapest. I figured, I would just scrape the wolf stuff off, and stick it on. That proved harder than expected, as the big wolf head on the top is actually covering part of the hand. By the time you cut it off, you have to resculpt the hand, the cowling around the hand, and the handle the hand is holding. At least the talismans and skull came off easily...
Since the hand on he Assault Cannon was wrecked, I turned to the official heavy weapon from the Cataphractii kit, the heavy flamer. It had an intact hand, and the arm details match better. (Fringe on the shoulder, correct plates on the gauntlet) The placement oft he secondary fuel tank is a bit of a pain though, making it very tricky to cut it away smooth. Even being very careful, I wound up with that tank hose going to nothing.
But, a lot of cutting and posing and tweaking and gluing later, this is the result I got:
Getting the arm in the right position so that the ammo belt would fit to the correct spot on the back was a heck of a thing, but in the end it actually worked. I actually drilled and pinned the Cataphractii arm to the assault cannon to ensure the conversion won't fall apart first change it gets, and glued a little technie greeblie to cover the stray hose that was hanging out, and even I don't notice it when looking it over.
And yes, I drill my barrels. All of them, even on an assault cannon. (I mean, I already had the drill out...) I finished him off with a raised power fist, just so it's clear to the viewer that he's having a really good time waving that assault cannon around.
How does one say "Wooh, yah, get sum!" in High Gothic?
One real oddity of the Blood Angels list is that you can take Assault Cannons anywhere that you normally could take a Heavy Flamer. Unlike modern 40k, where an option is simply removed from an army list if the kit doesn't provide the needed parts, Heresy is full of instances like this where you an take an option but no kit exists. Or, at least, a kit exists, but it's resin and permanently out of stock. (Still not sure why the pirate companies can keep things in stock but Forgeworld can't...)
So, when I found myself building a Cataphractii squad, I knew I wanted that Assault Cannon. They've been a favorite of mine since 2nd edition, their rules aren't bad now, and they're thematically appropriate for the army. I reasoned, i could just convert one from a normal Terminator kit. It could even be as easy as sticking a normal termie arm on a Cataphractii model and calling it a day.
Problem is, this is the Assault Cannon I landed on:
That is the Wolf Guard Terminator Assault Cannon, and I picked it because it has that cool ammo belt, and because it was generally the cheapest. I figured, I would just scrape the wolf stuff off, and stick it on. That proved harder than expected, as the big wolf head on the top is actually covering part of the hand. By the time you cut it off, you have to resculpt the hand, the cowling around the hand, and the handle the hand is holding. At least the talismans and skull came off easily...
Since the hand on he Assault Cannon was wrecked, I turned to the official heavy weapon from the Cataphractii kit, the heavy flamer. It had an intact hand, and the arm details match better. (Fringe on the shoulder, correct plates on the gauntlet) The placement oft he secondary fuel tank is a bit of a pain though, making it very tricky to cut it away smooth. Even being very careful, I wound up with that tank hose going to nothing.
But, a lot of cutting and posing and tweaking and gluing later, this is the result I got:
Getting the arm in the right position so that the ammo belt would fit to the correct spot on the back was a heck of a thing, but in the end it actually worked. I actually drilled and pinned the Cataphractii arm to the assault cannon to ensure the conversion won't fall apart first change it gets, and glued a little technie greeblie to cover the stray hose that was hanging out, and even I don't notice it when looking it over.
And yes, I drill my barrels. All of them, even on an assault cannon. (I mean, I already had the drill out...) I finished him off with a raised power fist, just so it's clear to the viewer that he's having a really good time waving that assault cannon around.
How does one say "Wooh, yah, get sum!" in High Gothic?