Hydra Flak tank...Forgeworld monster!

Zeke · February 16, 2009, 08:47:27 AM

Something a bit different I thought. Something to take me out of the modelling doldrums after doing waaay too many serious builds just lately.
This item fits into the 40K Warhammer type universe, where everyone in existence is fighting everyone else...not a very good looking future...

...but they sure do have some good looking machines to fight with.
Anyway, this beastie is an air-defence item. following along the lines of the Gepard or maybe the NsU-23 type thing...big guns, pointing upwards, you know what I mean.
I picked this up at the SMW show in Telford last November and have just started putting it together so I thought you'd like to see some it.

This here is the box contents...you're looking at £40 worth of stuff right there...

basically you get a plastic tank from the Games Workshop side of the universe and then ForgeWorld do their own, seriously mad, seriously brilliant resin conversions for it.

Those are the main resin parts and even though they are usually pretty good from these people, there are sme serious flaws.
The first of which is the fact that there are two Left-hand guns in the box and not a left and right as needed for the conversion. I've phoned them up and a very nice chap called Ed has told me that they will cast a replacement and send it on it's way...no sign of it yet though...

The other flaw is a HUGE seam line along one of the cannon units...

Now that's going to take some smoothing off I can tell you...oh well...

Mossie · February 16, 2009, 09:03:55 AM

I do like GW stuff, but I think it's dear & that's before the Forgeworld guys get their hands on it!

Glad you're willing to part with the moolah though, I can at least watch!

Looking forward to this one, there's some great 40K armour. Looks like you've already had to sort out some severe warping on one of the cannon barrels.

sotoolslinger · February 16, 2009, 10:50:23 AM

Well that is a cool concept. If it was me I would replace those barrels with tubing rather than try to fix those flaws.

Zeke · February 16, 2009, 11:06:29 AM

sotoolslinger, I thought of changing them but because they're resin the warpage was a cinch to sort, just dip it in hot water and straighten, then drill out the muzzles...

The main hull of the tank is very easy to assemble...these guys could teach the main-stream makers a thing or two about track location...

I did do some scratchbuilding of the upper hull plate though as it was just a crap fit between the resin bits and the plastic.

Steel Penguin · February 16, 2009, 11:14:44 AM

a word of warning with the gun barrels, you may want to go the tubing direction as ive known some of the forge world resin to have " memory" and slowly revert back after being straightened.

Mossie · February 16, 2009, 12:41:30 PM

Or you could drill the barrell & insert some brass rod to prevent it doing so. You'd need to drill right into body & be careful doing so.

sotoolslinger · February 16, 2009, 01:08:32 PM

Good work on that straightening. Looking good so far.

Rafael · February 16, 2009, 01:28:41 PM

That is a wonderful land machine there

Rafa

cthulhu77 · February 16, 2009, 01:41:45 PM

Neat work ! Yeah, I would just replace the barrels...they will droop after a year or so. (barrel viagra?)

Zeke · February 16, 2009, 02:14:30 PM

Quote from: Steel Penguin on February 16, 2009, 11:14:44 AM
a word of warning with the gun barrels, you may want to go the tubing direction as ive known some of the forge world resin to have " memory" and slowly revert back after being straightened.

really?...oh bugger...I might just replace them after-all then...

Zeke · February 16, 2009, 02:16:01 PM

Quote from: cthulhu77 on February 16, 2009, 01:41:45 PM
Neat work ! Yeah, I would just replace the barrels...they will droop after a year or so. (barrel viagra?)

Right, that's it! They're in for the chop when the new unit gets here!...damn it, I was hoping this would be a quick kind of thing....hmmmph!

John Howling Mouse · February 16, 2009, 03:39:26 PM

mmm....me loves resin greeblies....

BlackOps · February 16, 2009, 04:34:39 PM

Ya gotta love the 40K stuff for it's all out burliness! Always looks like it means business. Looking forward to seeing this one progress.

Sisko · February 16, 2009, 06:16:22 PM

Considering the expensive nature of the Forge world gear (for us Aussie's) I would be extremly pissed off if that is the quality of the resin that you would get!!!!!

I like the Hydra flak tank very cool design. I am inspired to make my own, from what I have seen it doesn't like the it would be to hard a modification.

Sauragnmon · February 17, 2009, 07:24:39 AM

Save yourself the chop work, and just drill a decent bore into the barrel, drop a piece of brass tube down the inside - you'll keep the surface detail, and on the plus, you'll Really have the drilled bore look. You could even go for broke and do a little rifling effect on the inside of the tube when you do that. Run it all the way to the muzzle, then you can drill the muzzle brakes as well. Of course, you Might want to have, or ghetto-rig, a Drill Press to do that with. But, it'll save you the pain of losing some of the barrel detail, having to re-do chunks of the design, and it'll let you hold onto a few other parts of it.

Two pennies on the table. I thought it might make a better half-way solution. Just make sure your barrels are 100% straight before you drill, or do it slowly.

This is making me want to take a couple pics of the Falcon I did somewhere around here... where'd I put it...