Saturday, February 5, 2011

Empire Steam Tank Conversion

Chitty-Chitty... Bang! Bang!
While we wait for the first entries for the 'Spring-Thaw Painting Challenge' to roll in I thought I'd post something completely off the beaten track. Here is another golden oldie that I've excavated from the display cabinet and dusted off (literally) - an Empire Steam Tank from a previous edition of Warhammer Fantasy.


I converted the base model to make it reminiscent of something Leonardo da Vinci would dream up - sort of a Renaissance Steampunk Land Dreadnought kind of thingy. The kit was virtually all white metal and almost every part was warped or somehow misshapen.  I think about of quarter of this thing is composed of metal pins and Green Stuff filling gaps and holding it all together. Some of the engineering crew are courtesy of my friend KevinH to which I muddled around with their poses and  harmonized their colours. The model weighs a ton. I can't remember all the whacky stuff that this bad boy could do in the game but I do recall it was pretty rude. It got to the point where I felt a little guilty putting it on the table - an emotion I deftly learned to stifle. ;)

I know, like a sail would have any chance of moving this thing - but it looks cool and, really, who can deny a tank with a crows nest?
Another friend of mine, Sylvain, has just finished building a lovely Wood Elf army that is quite the terror. Now that I look at this thing again I really think his pointy-eared, hemp-wearing, tree-huggers need to be introduced to some Imperial Heavy Metal... 


"Toot! Toot! Parp! Parp!"