Ork Battlewagon.

Next page Last page (finished product).
I have relatively little miniature painting experience, and no serious conversion experience. Most of my (Ork) army was purchased already painted (thank you, eBay).

But, I had a very distinct picture in my mind of what I wanted for an Ork Battlewagon. So I started work on it. The denizens of rec.games.miniatures.warhammer were extremely helpful.

I started with a model by Academy Plastics, of the IDF Merkava III tank.

The Merkava is over 7.5 meters long, and the model is at 1/35 scale. So, by my calculations, on Warhammer 40K oale (28mm) the model should be over 14 meters long (15 yards). And about 7.5 inches on the table.

It turns out -- happily -- that most 1/35 models are somewhat larger than the 1/35 they claim (the model is closer to 1/31). On the table, the model measures 8.5 inches by 4 inches (15.5 metres or 17 yards, by 7.25 metres or 8 yards).

Once fully assembled, with all of the add-ons, the battlewagon measures 10" long (18.25 meters or 60'), 4" wide (7.5 meters or 24') and 8.75" tall at its highest point (16 meters or 52.5').

I did not build the gun turret for the Merkava. Instead, I am keeping the parts from the gun turret aside, for other projects and/or decorating the Battlewagon.

My next step, was the first stage of conversion. Academy Plastics also makes a 1/35 scale US M9 tank. They make a small separate kit for a dozer blade add-on to the M9. I purchased the small (cheap) add-on kit, and set to work.

When I went to attatch the dozer blade, I realized that part of the front frame was in the way. So I immediately set about thinking like an ork. And it worked! I burned and cut away the bits of frame that were in the way, and attached the dozer to the front.

The scuffs and melted bits are welcomed by me, as they add versimilitude to the notion that this is the work of an Orky mek working in a junkyard of captured enemy bits. And, dammit, every time that something looks less than perfect on the battlewagon, that's my excuse!

So, next I waited for the delivery of various and sundry parts, so that I could begin stage 2.

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