Machine Guns and Cannons (Ground, Vehicle, and Aircraft Mounted Weapons)

[dy031101]

Nah, I don't concern myself with converting existing kits- I intend to resume practicing "digitized" modeling.  

[Maverick]

Donny, funnily enough, I've seen art online where the WH40K is almost to scale rather than the deformed look of the 28mm models.  In addition, there were a series of larger 54mm models released where the anatomical proportions were a lot better.  Admittedly, these were for a different gaming system, related to the fantasy type 'Warhammer' series rather than the 40K stuff, but it does prove that the sculptors are capable of producing believable things.  It seems the smaller scales are where the real problem lies, but I remember having white-metal miniatures back in the D&D days of the late 70s - early 80s where anatomical correctness was sometimes missing and at others quite obviously there.

As for digitized modelling of the genre, I think it lends itself to the current fad in 'Steampunk' in addition to the WH40K universe and the Gothic look of some of the stuff looks quite good if one discounts the obvious failings.

I'm actually a bit confused with WH40K sometimes, mainly because on the one hand you have laser armed troops in power armour whilst in other instances they are almost WW1 in look.

Regards,

Mav

[dy031101]

What'll happen when I start might not be just making things to scale- it'd still have covered suspensions (like ARL-44) with six roadwheels per side and a high track run, a hull-mounted cannon, and maybe (just maybe) two sponson- or hull-side-mounted MGs, but that might be where the similarity ends.

And no energy weapons.

[Maverick]

Look forward to it Donny.

Regards,

Mav

[dy031101]

(Currently toying with the idea of having for the tank a footprint somewhere between a Conqueror and a Chieftain.)

(A similar play in the past on the Baneblade superheavy ended up getting just this far.)

[Maverick]

Best of luck with it.  It's kind of funny mentioning the Chieftain/Conqueror along with the WH40K types.  They'd be that low slung in comparison to the 40K ones that you'd hardly notice them.  With the way WH40K works, a Chieftain, M1 or T-80 would look, in effect, like some light tank.

Regards,

Mav

[rickshaw]

Has anybody else noticed the way in which AFVs in WH40K have slowly started evolving?  Their turrets in particular are starting to catch up with the concept of sloping plates for deflection purposes.  Now, if they could only get rid of the useless sponsons and lower the hulls, they might start getting close to some sort of intelligent design.

Sponsons were abandoned in naval warfare because they made big, comparatively weak holes in the main side armour of the ships, let water in and what's worse "splash" and invariably ended up producing only increase casualties, rather than adding to the defence of the ships.

Tanks moved away from them for similar reason - turrets were more sensible and less prone to "splash" from bullets and could be more easily sealed against chemical weapons (fewer points of ingress).

[Maverick]

Hence my suggestion that some of the earlier stuff had more of a WWI feel to it rather than Sci Fi.  I believe the differences are predominantly Space Marines vs other humans in most instances.  The Marines having the tech and the others having lower tech vehicles and equipment.

For those interested, there's a Wiki type site: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page

Regards,

Mav

[Old Wombat]

Don't know if you guys ever saw these but the Gundam M61A5 "Sevomente" (manufactured by Bandai but now OOP) is a beautiful illustration of how a "super" tank should be built!

(Although, if I recall correctly, "sevomente" in Italian military parlance refers to self-propelled artillery.)

[Maverick]

Our very own Greg Ewald (cthullu77) built one very similar to this IIRC.  It was reviewed on Modelling Madness and was part of the UC Hardgraph series and also produced by Bandai.  I've got one of their Hover Trucks and it's streets ahead of anything GW (Games Workshop) has produced IMO and is also in 35th which makes conversion & accessories that much easier.

Regards,

Mav

[dy031101]

They'd be that low slung in comparison to the 40K ones that you'd hardly notice them.

I guess it won't be so much when I add a hull-mounted autocannon...... but yes, lowering the height is part of what I want to do along with a bigger turret and a more-conventional length-width ratio.

40mm/L60 might not allow me to do that...... I don't know about the 2-pounder Pom-Pom, so I guess right now it'd be Mk 108......

[Old Wombat]

I have a funny feeling a couple of the photo's may be of Mr Ewald's build because I got them from the interweb & I seem to recall "ewald" being part of the photo ID for at least a couple I looked at (if not copied for these illustrative purposes).

I wish I'd had the spare cash to buy a couple of these when they were out (& the hover trucks, too). [sigh]

[rickshaw]

I've never quite understood the fascination with having multiple guns on a tank, in the one turret.   If I was interested in improving rates of fire, I'd invest in a really fast autoloader (and a good FCS).   A single gun will always be inherently more accurate than two separated guns firing together or even separately.

[Weaver]

I've never quite understood the fascination with having multiple guns on a tank, in the one turret.   If I was interested in improving rates of fire, I'd invest in a really fast autoloader (and a good FCS).   A single gun will always be inherently more accurate than two separated guns firing together or even separately.

I suspect it's mostly a matter of visual shorthand. You can stop the movie for two minutes to explain why a 140mm gun is so much better than a 120mm one, but the second you see a tank with TWO GUNS you instantly "know" it's twice as powerful as the rest....

[pyro-manic]

It looks cool. No other justification necessary, or possible. The M61 is a vehicle of the Gundam universe, remember - 20-metre tall nuclear-powered robots (more often than not piloted by untrained teenagers) duking it out with lightsabres and beam cannons. Trying to think about it from a "realistic" angle is a futile exercise IMO.

I'd love to have got an M61 kit or two, but IIRC they cost about a hundred quid each, and I just couldn't afford that.