OK. Restless and bored, can’t concentrate on school project on a Saturday night, decided I wanted to make something weird instead.
My DIY IA established links with the Dark Mechanicum, and I’ve got my counts-as Obliterators squad of “Legio Cybernetica robots”, but I wanted something more. Kicking around my hobby room I started thinking about the Defiler that’s been sitting in its box for quite some time now. I also started thinking about how my two built Defilers are permanently kitted out for assault roles. I have my bipedal Defiler in a standard set up, but as my first conversion he’s kind of wonky. Since I always end up with my pair of Defilers covering the battle field with their cannons for the first part of the game anyway, I’ve been meaning to make a dedicated long range Defiler with magnets for options. Digging around in my bits boxes I also ran across some old Sentinel pieces and a Predator turret I haven’t built yet. A plan began to brew…
Once I had the image in my head, I couldn’t stop myself from making a battle cannon turret out of the Predator pieces:
I toyed with the idea of having just a regular Rhino variant with a Big Gun to fit in with my mechanized heavy infantry theme:
But then again remembered my Dark Mechanicum allies and the need to make something even weirder. Here is my working concept for when I finish posting this and head back into my laboratory:
Not entirely sure what’s going to end up happening, but I am excited to find out! (Writer’s Note: this WIP was originally posted on the B&C in several parts throughout the process of designing and constructing this vehicle.)
More on my Dark Mechanicus Stalk-Tank. The Rhino hull is modified and assembled, also wearing extra armor, with the tracks cut off and covered over and the leg sockets added:
Still not sure how I’m going to add the optional weapons, but I’m about to go stare at it until I figure it out. I know that magnets will be involved, it’s just a matter of where…
Responding to some forum feedback: Thanks! I got the idea from the HH book Mechanicus. The vehicle in that was called a Stalk Tank wasn’t it? The one with the crazy AI that was trying to kill the protagonists before they got to the Void Dragon’s prison? I think that one had tracks, but I kept imagining it with legs, and I’ve seen other legged tank things called Stalk Tanks linked to the Mechanicus, so I just went with it for a name. I could be wrong about it, but either way I’ve got myself a leggy Rhino that’s all tooled up for ultraviolence now:
For the twin-linked Heavy Flamer (alternate Havoc Launcher) I’m working on an underslung mount. The flamers need to be forward, so that’s the only place I could think to put them:
I’m still not sure about this, but for the twin-linked Reaper Autocannons (alternate twin-linked Lascannons) I’m considering making them hull mounted in the larger space on the front glacis of the Rhino. This would involve trimming the Reaper so it wouldn’t stick so far out, and then figuring out how to magnetize it without looking totally wonky in case I lose my mind and want to pay the points for the lascannons (or the next codex makes it cheaper):
Back to the laboratory for some more mad science! And by that I mean hang skulls and chains and spikes all over this thing…
Nearly three hours later:
Another manic fit of activity completed. Maybe it’s now out of my system so I can concentrate on preparing for the last week of the semester when I wake up later…
Full frontal monstrosity:
The oblique shot:
The rear (I just noticed that piece of plasticard got knocked crooked before the glue dried):
Close-up of the front:
Closer-up of the turret and the TC:
The undercarriage weapon hardpoint:
I ended up not magnetizing the Reapers. I did shorten them, though, because I think it would have looked silly having those long barrels poking way out in front. I at first couldn’t think of how to magnetize the hull mount, but then after I had glued the Reaper on and was looking at it I figured out how I should have done it. Too late, but it can’t be helped now. But I think if had left the barrels off the receiver on the Reaper I could have put magnets on the front of it and then glued the receiver to the front and then just had interchangeable barrel ends for the different load-outs (Reaper, lascannons, heavy bolters). Too late for all that, but something to think about for anybody who has a go at their own version.
I was thinking about this while brainstorming the weapons, but I think if I had based this on a Vindicator it might have been better. The Demolisher cannon could be jiggered into a Battle Cannon, and then maybe use some Razorback parts for the secondary weapons. I don’t know, that would have some issues too, but could also be neat.
And with that I am really, really tired now…
Thoughts from as I post this to RA:
This was mostly designed because I’ve been wanting to have a dedicated fire support Defiler for a long time, which is why I had the kit sitting untouched on a top shelf when I got the urge to make one. I had an idea for it that I’d been putting off, but sitting in my hobby room looking at all my spare bits and other unfinished projects I started to see this come together. Reading through the above you can see how my though process was working, and I really didn’t know how it was going to end up when I started. That sort of converting is fun to me, but this is the blindest I’ve ever gone in. The really sad thing about Chaos Marines, who have all these wonderful avenues for converting, is that our codex options are over-costed and under-effective. This is, after all is said and done, an interesting thing that will sit in the corner of a table lobbing poorly directed Ordinance fire for a couple turns, maybe get a chance to shoot it’s more reliable weapons as the enemy closes in, and will then be taken out in hand-to-hand before it gets a chance to strike back. If it’s not cracked open by a first round lascannon shot that is, but that might be a better scenario. Defilers are big and scary looking and tend to draw more target priority fire than they really deserve. So on the upside, if you’re converting weird-ass outrageous counts-as Defilers then maybe you can get a psychological edge, causing the enemy to direct fire at a 150 point vehicle while your actual hard hitters maneuver into position. That’s what I use them for, anyway. My usual two Defilers I run as a pair of assault monsters with all the extra DCCW attacks. This stopped being quit so effective when the Grey Knights came out. Power Weapons, high initiative, and Invulnerable saves are just on the rise, and the Chaos Marines haven’t caught up yet. I am holding out hope for an updated codex soon, and optimistic about it because the most recent codices have been very cool.
But this was a fun thing to build, and I like taking my army to the FLGS and showing off it’s weirdness. If I could only concentrate long enough to actually get any of my vehicles completely painted…
Reviresco!
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