Ragnarok Finished

I finished the Ragnarok today.  Paint color is Vallejo US Green, which is similar to Catachan Green.  I did some sponging with boltgun metal, I might try something darker next time, like a rust-brown.  I applied Tamiya weathering powder (soot) over the entire hull and then came back over with a dry brush of the green to blend it in.  I didn't find much room for stowage on this tank but I at least found space to hang a rolled up tarp.  The camo netting on the gun is made by Verlinden, it comes in a huge sheet and is pre-stained.  I applied it the same way most do, with some watered down white glue.  Here the pics...

I might still do some more detailing on the battle damage on both sides to make it stand out more.  Here's pick with the armor skirts removed, I'm partial to this look, I think...

That's it for now.  Up next are my mechanized rough riders.  C&C is always appreciated.

The war goes on,

Hessler

Ragnarok Tank - Opinion Needed

After going back and consulting the picture of the Epic Armageddon Ragnarok, shown here...

...I decided to revisit my Ragnarok and add some side armor. What I have come up with is this, just roughed in mind you...

Here is the tank without the side armor...

which should I go with?

Input is greatly appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Ragnarok Tank

Finished up on the first of three of these. Here's pics...

This thing even looks cool from the back. Yeah...the backs of tanks never get enough respect :-)

As I haven't started the second & third of these, I will take the opportunity to move on to my next unfinished build...Mechanized Rough Riders, first revealed HERE.

That's all for now...C&C is always appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Unfinished Projects...There Is Hope

Sitting down to finish projects can really be a challenge for me. Fortunately, I have found the strength to attack it with full force and I made some good progress.

Here are some pics of my "Copperhead Valkyrie". The canopy will be added after everything is fully painted. Also the top of the body is removable so I will be able to paint inside.

One of the things I notice right away as I post these pictures is that the rivets on the lift jets look too big. There is one size smaller on my rivet press that I started using and if I make another of these, I will use the smaller rivets. Also, I have a tool that allows you to make "dimples" in your surfaces, very similar to the GW rivets on the original wing surface. Here's a pic and an example of what it does. I used .20mm plasticard for this example.


Next are two "Tiger Russ" tanks from my armored column. These were based on the Tamiya 1/48th Tiger I kit and turned out really sharp. Again, riveted and 40k'd up as much as I dare and primed and ready for the paint booth.

Finally, I will put up another pics of my hobby assistants. They are very quiet and have a great disposition. I never would have thought a pet could so perfectly mimic my own personality...but they have succeeded.

Well, that's it for now. Up next on my hobby "to do" list is completing 2 of my Ragnarok Tanks and after that, it's time to tackle my mechanized rough riders.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Tiger Russ

Here is some progress I am making on the second of my Tiger Russ MBTs. It still relies heavily on the Tamiya 1/48 Tiger 1 model but I have incorporated more of the Leman Russ turret this time to achieve, what I think, is a better result. Pics to follow...

Above is a pic of the first tank I did, provided to show the difference in the battle cannons.

I have built the LR turret directly into the structure of the Tiger model. I covered the gaps with plasticard and extended the cannon. To the immediate side of the cannon is the co-axle heavy bolter. I still need to do a little patching around the HB.

This shows the detail of the bottom of the turret housing. You can see how the GW turret fits into the other turret. I used thin shims of cardboard to stabilize it in the rear.

Below are some more comparison pictures of the Leman Russ and the Tiger Russ. While I can't say the GW design is bad, it definitely doesn't suit my tastes. I guess I just want to be able to have some variety.

That's it for now, C&C is welcomed.

The war goes on,
Hessler

We Have A Winner

I have finally made some strides in the war of the heavy tank. After some preliminary mods to a 1/35 Merkava tank kit, I have found the design I am looking for. The main design element that ties it in with GW super heavies is its dimensions. It has a nice wide chassis and is relatively short in its height. Some pics...

I have mounted two heavy stubbers to the turret. They are from the GW Stormlord kit and are mounted on swing arms that I scrounged from a Valkyrie. An additional heavy stubber has been mounted on the co-axle of the turret. Rules wise, I may consult the VDR on this one.

I'm still in the building stages on this one but I couldn't help myself and decided to post a few pics anyways. Work continues on my next to Tiger Russ variants and I am hoping to post an update for those this weekend.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Heavy Tanks

My lack of posts recently hasn't resulted in less tinkering...

This will be the first of a few different heavy tanks that I am putting together. The FW Macharius & Maclador are both superb but are far beyond my spending limit for a single model. In order to stretch my dollar and my modeling enjoyment I am continuing to turn to the world of plastic scale models.

This first experiment is with a Tamiya 1/35 King Tiger. It fits in with the "Tiger Russes" I already have and gives a nice middle ground between a standard MBT and a Baneblade. Here's the visuals...

Close-up showing armor plate detail

Shows twin-linked heavy stubber

Shown for a relative scale

And more scale...

Progress on the turret, crew, and heavy bolters

Yeah, a twin-linked battle cannon...

It might be hard to believe, but I am not entirely happy with the way this has turned out. In comparison to the GW Super Heavies, it is all-around taller and bulkier...a rather unfortunate dose of 40K reality. In order to maintain some sense of continuity in the feel and look of my tanks, I may have to go with something modern.

Does anyone else wish that GW would come up with something else in the way of tank design, especially in light of the newer super heavies and the lastest FW designs?

More to come...

C&C is always appreciated.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Cry Havoc...

...and let loose the dogs of war! I have returned, dear readers, with more tanky goodness from the forges of Sadoukad 16. I am working on 2 test models to use for my Russ MBTs. Here is the first one...

The base for this is a Tamiya 1/48 Tiger Tank. I am a new fan of this line, as it seems to match up great with GW minis. In addition to the size, these 1/48 scale kits include a die-cast bottom hull, with axles. Not only does it allow for fewer steps when building, the hull gives some real weight to the model and makes it feel extremely TANKY.

I did my best to work in some 40k-ish details...rivets, larger cannon, imperial icon, etc. I'm pretty happy with the way it's come out and I have 2 more on the way.

Here are some pics of my second test model...

It's based on the Russian KV-2 Heavy Tank. The kit is from the same 1/48 scale series by Tamiya. I have gone and started to do some additions to this tank to make it simillar to the DKK Ragnarok.

Another pic to show scale. I think this 1/48 scale works really well with my IG foot sloggers.

A close up of the front. I "boxed out" the front of the chassis to allow for installation for a heavy bolter and I have completed one of the front remote turrets as well.

Here's a comparison to the GW Russ...

(BLURRY...sorry, it's getting dark here...)

So that's it for now, priming will happen as soon as this current system of snow goes away. I will also have pics of my Senitnel Helis.

The war goes on,
Hessler

A Tank Builders Dilema...Sponsons?

I have seen evil and it's name is Forge World resin...without a doubt, the most frustrating modeling experience I have had. The Mars Alpha pattern Vanquisher fought me every step of the way but I have prevailed.

The Mars Alpha hull comes with the heavy bolter built in...so it stays there. The question now becomes: Since I already have some limited anti-personnel firepower, should I add sponsons with more bolters? Or should I leave the sponsons off altogether?

Here's some pics...

Below we see my answer to the turret being to small for the hull...layers of masking tape held in place by a coating of zap-a-gap...perfect fit.

Thanks in advance for your input.

The war goes on,
Hessler