# Iron Falcons - Saracen Gunship



## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

I have been itching to throw this up on the site for nearly a week now but time constraints and other stuff just keeps getting in the way. With my Griffin Dropship project on hold whilst I await the ABS card arriving from the USA I thought I would make a start on one of the two Gunship conversions I want to make for my Chapter.

I basically wanted to do a conversion that would utilise just the Stormraven kit and plasticard, so that anyone else wanting to do the same would be able to follow a tutorial I plan to make (coming soon :biggrin.

The main thing I loathe about the Stormraven is that GW seemed to have several good designs but couldn't decide which one to use and just threw them all together making the 'butt-ugliest' kit I have ever seen (well, that and the Dread-ful Knight)!

My other contention with it is they have dubbed it a 'Gunship' which it aint...it's a flying APC - Gunships are just that...flying killy death machines with only one purpose - annihilate the enemy! Look at the Spectre Gunship...you get my point!

In the true spirit of the meaning of a Gunship, here is my vision of what the Astartes would employ. Think of the scene from Die Hard 4 with the F35 Joint Strike Fighter hovering over Brucie boy and trying to blow him away (or the Terminator Hunter Killers) and you get the kind of thing I am after.


Though not yet complete I have a few WIP shots to tease you with. I will put up some more info later today or tomorrow...for now gotta go to work. Enjoy. :biggrin:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking good mate! I look forward to seeing the end result here.


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## Maligant (Mar 27, 2011)

looking awesome. Another of your tutorials I'll be following once I get some spare cash and plasticard!


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Like the look of this project. Look forward to seeing the end product.


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

This has a boatload of potential, keep it up!


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## SGMAlice (Aug 13, 2010)

An excellent looking model.
Reminds me of G-Police, the old PSX game.

Looking forward to more

+Rep

SGMAlice


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks for the comments guys...glad you like it so far.



SGMAlice said:


> An excellent looking model.
> Reminds me of G-Police, the old PSX game...


Ahh, G-Police, that's a blast from the past. I had the PC version...I sucked at it :laugh:


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## Something Yellow (Nov 22, 2009)

Awesome! I'm definitely gonna use this when you make the "How to" guide


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## TheReverend (Dec 2, 2007)

Mate, this looks a boat load better than the Stormraven, I'm definitely making one of these when you put the "how 2" guide up! Looking forward to seeing the end result

Rev


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Cheers guys. I am making a start on the second one today so I will be taking numerous photo's to try and help folk out...a picture says a thousand words right? I didn't take many of the original as I was more intent on trying to make sure it worked out properly. It's definitely much more streamlined without having to resort to lengthening the model.


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

I made a start on the second model last night...mostly prep work and photographing but I got the main hull constructed.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I love this - they look deadly as hell and it seems a fairly simple conversion - make that 5 storm raven kits I need to buy now... not 3


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

*Shakes head* 

Putting us all to shame again. =-D

Keep up the good work man, it's an inspiration!


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Hi all...been a while since I updated this plog. Truth is I have been a bit lazy the last few weeks so the models have just been collecting dust. Anyway, got a bit of enthusiasm going again so I have been making in-roads to completing the second Saracen and documenting it as I go along ready for the tutorial. I have finally made a decision about a tail fin too. I am not having one...I think the model looks good as it is without cluttering it.

I gave myself a bit of a scare :scare: yesterday when I managed to knock a full bottle of liquid poly off my work table all over the kitchen floor...narrowly missing an open box full of new sprues and my box of prepped bits. I think I went through half a roll of kitchen wipe cleaning it up. Thankfully I have a laminate floor so it wiped up fine but man did I have a bad headache for the rest of the day.  Good job it wasn't super glue...my wife would have pulled my scrotum up over my head! :no:

Anyway, here are a few more shots for you. I forgot to mention that the main weaponry on this bird is swappable...no magnets required. Although my aim for the tutorial is to be able to build one of these purely from the SR kit I had a few spare bits so I have made myself some extra weapons.

The weapon options for the Saracen are either, TL Assault Cannons, TL Lascannons, TL Autocannons or TL Plasma Cannons. I also plan to hang some bombs off of mine, making it a truly versatile piece of air support either as a stand-off bomber, air to air fighter (great for hunting down pesky Eldar and Dark Eldar) or as close air support hovering over the battlefield.



































The different weapon sets will just slide into place and hold through friction. At the moment they fit nicely. I plan to spray them Chaos Black...hopefully if I keep it light there won't be too much resistance...we will see.



















Last but not least some show-off shots.


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Progressing nicely. Look forward to seeing it finished.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Very nice work Cypher! I love the way that thing is turning out, keep up the good work bud!


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Cheers guys. Gonna get some more done this weekend, time permitting. I am still working on getting all my stuff removed from Dikka Dikka...showing my solidarity for Heresy. :biggrin:


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## Mike3D6 (Jul 25, 2008)

Incredible conversion,looking forward to see it finished


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Dude thats a sweet, slick looking flier! Great job so far on the conversion and it looks awesome with out the tail fin.


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> Dude thats a sweet, slick looking flier! Great job so far on the conversion and it looks awesome with out the tail fin.


Cheers mate, I decided as these are both space and atmosphere fighters they didn't really need tail fins or indeed even traditional control surfaces...they use processes called Circulation Control and Fluidic Thrust Vectoring (FTV) which are actually very real, but currently experimental ways of controlling modern aircraft.


*Circulation Control*

Jets of air along the back edge of the wing change how air flows over the it. This can be used to induce the air flowing over the wing to flow around the back edge of the wing instead of simply flowing past. This produces more lift. By turning off and on jets strategically placed along the trailing edges of the wings, the pitch and roll can be controlled.

I have modeled my own version of this onto the engine cowlings just above the wings using part of the Hurricane Bolter assembly.


*Fluidic Thrust Vectoring*

Most next-generation fighter aircraft have, or will incorporate, some form of vectored thrust, enabling the pilot to control the direction of thrust from the engine. This greatly increases maneuverability and control of the aircraft, however, conventional vectored thrust technologies require a lot of complicated moving parts at the business end of a jet engine. FTV simplifies things by deflecting the thrust of the jet engine by injecting a higher pressure jet of air along the nozzle wall. This secondary jet deflects the thrust of the engine.

I didn't have to actually model anything for this, however, as a bonus GW nicely modeled what look like thrust vector vanes onto the eflux nozzles of the engines. 

On my model these are actually going to act in a couple of capacities. As air-brakes (I envision them all opening like the petals of a flower) but also as control surfaces controlled by the machine spirit to stabilise the fighter in atmospheric conditions. The machine spirit will also independently control thrust from each engine to help control yaw, similar to the way the real life B2 Spirit Stealth Bomber is thought to do.

I am hoping to get on and finish up the second one of these fighters I am currently building and documenting for a tutorial. Life has been getting on the way lately so I need to make an effort.


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## alasdair (Jun 11, 2009)

*Confused by the words, so starts humming flight of the valkyries*
:shok:

Lol just joking sounds really greaat. It is amazing how much effort you put in so it could actually fly! If only the space marines were as smart as you...


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