# Mammoth Tank - Stage 3 - Contruction



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

My order has finally arrived.

Rules for the Mammoth Tank so far are located in the link below and are very much subject to change.

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=68020

All except one crucial Rhino Chassis -.-

However construction will proceed on the front and top of the vehicle including the turret.

Here is all the parts i have to construct it with.

1 x Shadowsword Turret Sprue (for the turret)
1 x Inner Valkyrie Sprue (for the interior)



4 x Rhino Sprue (track hubs)



manufactorum sprue and a whole lot of other randoms to use as spares and random bitz to fill gaps and add asthetics.



First off is removing the track wheels, i tried to do it neatly in case i want to use them down the track. No pun intended. 



Next i attached the hub quarters together, just to minimise the amount of parts i was working with.



This carpet is going to be a bitch to vacuum.



Unfortunately the camera wasn't working for this photo, but its of me deciding between the sentinel missile pods and my homemade (2 x HK Missiles + Razorback weapon cover) I decided to go with the latter just because it shows 4 missiles overall and it looks a whole lot more beardy.



Shaved off the exhausts. Just didn't think they fit the overall design.



Plasticard to cover the back entrance, only because i plan to use the doors to have a hatch on top at the rear of the turret to expose the ammunition loading bay.



Measuring up a new bottom plate, as i used the existing bottom plate as the top.



Bottom plate put into place, remember nothing is glued yet, i left all that till the very end.



Missile Pods top.



Missile Pods bottom.



All glued and done.



And the both of them done minus the tracks. Two more to be done when the other one arrives -.-



Will get around to the tracks tomorrow probably, looking at doing a four wide section from the rhino tracks, so far looks alright.


----------



## HorusReborn (Nov 19, 2008)

ugh.. too many links post direct pics man, and you'll get some responses


----------



## Ste (Aug 28, 2008)

As horus said just add them as an attachment even will make it more likely to get some constructive criticism, good work so far though man 

-ste-


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Fix'd the pics, cheers Ste.


----------



## HorusReborn (Nov 19, 2008)

man oh man, you've got your work cut out for you there man LOL can't wait to see more! Thanks for fixing the links!


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

HorusReborn said:


> man oh man, you've got your work cut out for you there man LOL can't wait to see more! Thanks for fixing the links!


Oh man, I know. Unfortunately i'm on army exercise in a weeks time for a while, then i've got a cruise so it looks like I'll only get a chance to really dig into this around about mid october 

I hope to at least get the missing part ordered in before i leave however, and and the two front tracks.

You got any tips for mounting the turret on a swivel instead of a fixed position?


----------



## TheReverend (Dec 2, 2007)

Man, i hate sticking tanks together, so rather you than me. looks good so far, looking forward to seeing the end result.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

TheReverend said:


> Man, i hate sticking tanks together, so rather you than me. looks good so far, looking forward to seeing the end result.


I think the wost part about tanks is the tracks, they just never work for me :/

which is why im mounting mine for this project on bits of sprue


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Ok got one set of tracks done.

Pain In The Ass.

Added a piece of plasticard to the front to help hold the tracks in place.



Also added one half of the top hatch to extend the front armour downwards over the upwards facing track. I really just didn't like the way the front looked.



Tracks Upper



Tracks Lower



Rails on the bottom



All put together



And below (will extend further when more parts arrive. doing this another three times is going to be a pain in my ass.)


----------



## piemaster (Oct 9, 2009)

Well this is a really cool idea so +rep to keep you going while away. Keep it up man!


----------



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Looks promising so far. Will keep an eye on this.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

piemaster said:


> Well this is a really cool idea so +rep to keep you going while away. Keep it up man!


Thanks for the rep, I'm really quite surprised how well the tracks turned out, i didn't think just mounting them side by side would look half decent but I think i pulled it off O.K.

I can't wait to get back and hopefully have my missing rhino arrive.

Thats when I'll be able to actually measure up and construct the frame and turret.

Cheers,
Chris.


----------



## morfangdakka (Dec 31, 2006)

This does look like a promising start to an interesting project. I'm kind of surprised you didn't go for two sets of baneblade tracks instead of the four rhino tracks. Either way this could be a really epic build if done right.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

morfangdakka said:


> This does look like a promising start to an interesting project. I'm kind of surprised you didn't go for two sets of baneblade tracks instead of the four rhino tracks. Either way this could be a really epic build if done right.


unfortunately two sets of BB tracks are slightly too wide for the rhino, and two sets of LR tracks are too small, 3 being way too wide.

Just so happens you get a near perfect amount of pieces too with the rhino sprues.

I'm gonna take it real slow and put as much attention into every part as i can so as not to ruin the model of a triviality.

After the tracks are completed I'll end up getting a whole lot of user input as to how i should construct the frame, base and turret. I'll make a few concept models with blutac as supports and maybe host a poll.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Size comparison between the mammoth tank so far and a Stormlord I'm converting.



Rear atomic engine bay so far.used a razorback top and two Stormlord engine tops. Gonna surround it in grills and cords and stuff later, will also reverse the inlet on the left side so they both face the atomic core.



Middle crew compartment so far. added the bolter and consoles from the razorback sprue to cover up blank portions of the valkyrie rear.



Rear view of the crew area, should get working on a cockpit to fit in the empty area.



Angular shot of the crew cab



Final pic of the series till i get back.

assembled the other shadowsword cannons, cut the turret up to extend it both sideways and rear.



Cheers guys, will probably get around to this again early october, or if the part im after has arrived before my 5 day break at the end of september ill get to it then.

Thanks for all your input and support.

Chris.


----------



## enieffac (Nov 24, 2008)

I suppose it's a bit late for this idea... but if I was going to make a tank... I would start with the Halo Scorpion Tank (made by lego) and add 40k vehicle bits. I think your plan is quite a bit more ambitious and 200% more sportsmanlike than mine would be. I think your tank has great potential as long as you are careful and precise with the exterior armor plating.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Just found out that this next week is not the field phase, meaning i will be at home for nights and may even get a chance to assemble the last rhino and the frame.



enieffac said:


> I suppose it's a bit late for this idea... but if I was going to make a tank... I would start with the Halo Scorpion Tank (made by lego) and add 40k vehicle bits. I think your plan is quite a bit more ambitious and 200% more sportsmanlike than mine would be. I think your tank has great potential as long as you are careful and precise with the exterior armor plating.


I intend to create a frame out of sprue to give me an initial shape and play around with cereal box card till i get a shape i find appropriate.

Nothing will be glued together or cut until i am 100% satisfied, and so are you guys, with the final product.


----------



## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

This is a massive build. I love kit-bashing. Have some rep.


----------



## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

This looks very impresive. One piece of advice. It might sound strange but some sort of suspension on this thing would really help. The problem with super heavies in game is that when they hit terrain with no articulation they sit up on an odd angle and look weird. With a tank this size it will be very noticable. Most repworthy also.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

shaantitus said:


> This looks very impresive. One piece of advice. It might sound strange but some sort of suspension on this thing would really help. The problem with super heavies in game is that when they hit terrain with no articulation they sit up on an odd angle and look weird. With a tank this size it will be very noticable. Most repworthy also.



I have also noticed this quite often and have thought of each track hub being joined to the body by a cylindrical device of some sort, allowing them to rotate on that axis.


----------



## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

Yes, good plan. Especially if the pivots are closer to the rear of the front tracks and the front of the rear tracks. My only ultra superheavy is an imperial leviathan, but it was based on a 1:16th sturmtiger with full suspension and working tracks. Means that when it straddles a terrain piece the suspension comes in to play and looks good, rather than canting over at an odd angle wih most of the tracks in the air.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Ok I'm back at last, and happy to see that bitz barn have since shipped me the missing rhino free of charge. However I'm a bit stuck for where to start next, its a pretty massive project for me to do by myself, and one i should have tackled after getting a few more low-tech conversions under my belt but wheres the fun in that.

I'm thinking of constructing a frame out of either plasticard or sprue bits and bluetacking bitz to it to get an idea for its looks. input?

I've also gotten a bit stumped as to how i could attach the wheels.

It would be great if my 40k mates here weren't FIFO and could actually help me on this.

Cheers,
Chris.


----------



## gundamboy195 (Aug 17, 2010)

WB man! god that's a massive build. i'd keep going on the lower hull for now, finishing it up before moving on to the turret. Get it to how you want it to look first, so you can scale the turret to it without any problems.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

What do you think of the spacing of the hubs and size of hull in my previous set?


----------



## piemaster (Oct 9, 2009)

I think the suspension idea is a good one. The proportions of your turret look spot on - not too wide which is good. Mammoth tanks didn't have that wide a turret, as far as I remember. As has been said before though, I do think you should make sure you have the hull all sorted before you move onto the next stage (as hard as it is to do that however).


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

piemaster said:


> I think the suspension idea is a good one. The proportions of your turret look spot on - not too wide which is good. Mammoth tanks didn't have that wide a turret, as far as I remember. As has been said before though, I do think you should make sure you have the hull all sorted before you move onto the next stage (as hard as it is to do that however).


Yeah i know what you mean, i sit there looking at all the turret parts and am just itching to get into it, but i must resist.

I got really annoyed with the rhino tracks, so i ripped them all off in a fit of fury,m cut the rhino backs down a bit so they no longer stick out, and have widened the rhino to fit two baneblade tracks for aesthetic purposes, and so i dont go mad trying to fit four track sets together perfectly.

I've also done some work on the driver whose permanently attached to the tank in his little cockpit, will provide pics of the entire kit as soon as i get my sd card for my camera fixed or find a new one.

Any ideas from anyone about how i should actually join the track hubs to the hull?


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Ok so managed to dig up another old school digicam however only one pic wasnt blurry enough that it hurts the eyes.



what do you think of the new track hubs?
will put them together with simple shape plasticard in line with the rhinos hull, also will use the wheels cut off the rhinos and some more card to raise the baneblade tracks and give the entire vehicle some height.


----------



## Azwraith (Apr 23, 2009)

man this is awesome,

im from perth (beckenham) and you better let me come see this shit when its done!!!!
(or if you need some help)


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Well my only mate who is seriously into 40k is fifo and is barely ever in perth to help me with this, if it comes to it later on i may actually need a hand


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

*At long last, a new post.*

It's been far too long.

At least now i have finally gotten over the whole 'what do i do, what do i do??'
stage and moved on with some REAL construction.

Although it may not seem like much i now have an actual model of how the other three track hubs will look like and this will make the other three easy as pie.




last bit to do on these is the rear tracks, which are near completion anywho, and final details that will be added once the vehicle frame and shape in itself are completed.

decided to cut open the rhinos and make them wider to accomodate the dual BB tracks. Also used plasticard to make large plates. (anyone know how to cut plasticard straight?

I plan to fill gaps with green stuff so don't panic at my terrible cut lines





a few more shots. cut wheels from the rhinos i found in my bitz box mounted on sprue to hold the tracks up, turns out half the wheel + sprue is the perfect height. f**k yeah.



My work area at my friend's place.



tracks mounted, will post more after work in the next couple days.


----------



## humakt (Jan 2, 2008)

I have just moved this thread to Project logs as it seems like a more appropriate location.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

humakt said:


> I have just moved this thread to Project logs as it seems like a more appropriate location.


Thanks for that, didn't even see a project logs page when i first made this thread :/


----------



## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

GO GO GO, this looks awesome + rep for you my converting friend!


----------



## DrinCalhar (Jul 10, 2010)

This will be so huge, nothing like a Titan but yeah nothing comes close to the god-machine.


----------



## Beaumont (Jul 21, 2010)

Yeah but titans stand upright so they always look bigger 

From a structurally sound point of view i believe my vehicle would be in a superior position.


----------

