Tuesday 20 February 2018

Building a 40k Skaven Tank - The Ratchikoma Appears!


Every Clan Rat worth his salt is going to want to be seen cruising about in one of these bad boys! 

For my first vehicle, I wanted to make something interesting and unique for my 40k Skaven without it being completely unrecognisable when the army goes to war. This conversion is probably about 90% Onager parts with just a few additional bits. A lot of it was jostled about and repurposed though to make it work.

The major difference is obviously that I have created an insectile segmented body; with a frontal section and head that attaches on to the rear cab by a new joint. It wasn't that hard to achieve, and in the end, I made a connection with an old dreadnought arm and a spare Tau part from the Ghostkeel. I flipped the actual cab round 180 degrees and then mounted the weapon on top of the crew hatch like a turret. 


It might be a bit outside my Squaduary pledge, but being as I finished 10 men and a Dominus for my 40k Skaven, I thought I might as well paint up the only other thing that you get in one of the Start Collecting sets. So if I can, I'm planning to finish this beast by the end of February.


I'm pretty happy with the frontal lens array and little manipulator arms.


There is room on the balcony for a crewman (rat man). I've built him, but I stuck him on a base to be painted separately, and forgot to include him in the pictures. I wanted at least one Skaven on it to tie it  definitively with the rest of the force without resorting to just gluing some additional armour on a doom wheel or anything!


I've dubbed it the Ratchikoma, as the basic design is based almost exclusively on the Tachikoma tanks from Ghost in the Shell. I always wanted to build something akin to one of them, and now I have. It'll be pretty blue once I get some paint on it too; which I'll find hilarious. I've added a few pictures below that show it's very non-40k counterparts.



I'm really happy with the conversion (so much so that I want to make a second one!). I'll have to get this one painted up first though. I think what I like the most is that it has that sinister feel that is really cool and fitting for an "evil" army. Check back later to see how I get on.

PS. Who else thinks this thing would be an excellent addition to a Dark Mechanicus force too?


17 comments:

  1. The Skaven Doomcrawler! I guessed correct :) Ace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it wasn't that hard to guess what I'd be making. There is really only one "big" thing in Mechanicus at the moment! (barring all of the stuff you get in 30k)

      I'm happy with how it came out though. I just need to get it painted now. After that, it'll probably have to be more troops.

      Delete
    2. It’s a cool half AdMech and half Xenos Necron insectoid look, it’ll do great for a Dark Mechanicus Army... when you buying the Mole and Termite for these Rats? ;)

      Delete
  2. Before I had even scrolled further down the post I was thinking that this looking like the walkers from ghost in the shell. Well Done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I always wanted to build one for 40k, and for my Skaven it seemed like the perfect match for something I could do with an Onager.

      Delete
  3. Dude that's awesome! your creativity and talent is inspirational! keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Just wait till I paint the thing!

      Delete
  4. This is an unholy creation...and for that, I love it. It is slightly unsettling, to be entirely honest.

    I recently finished my own Onager bastardization...but now I kinda want to get another and make something similar to this.

    Very, very good work. Though...how do the crew get it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, one will ride it from that balcony to give orders. Other than that I kind of envisage it has no crew and is run by an evil AI, or some type of implanted "brain rat" in the central dome.

      Delete
    2. Or just an unforttunate rat welded inside.

      Delete
  5. :O
    Jaw droppingly good. The waist join looks a little fragile and back-heavy, do you think it'll hold up on the table?
    I want to make one of these now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's solid as a rock. Plastic glue helps, and there is a second joint that isn't as visible in the pictures that goes from the back of the body to the underside of the cab. It is very stable on the table and not as back heavy as it might look. I always design conversions to be durable and practical, as otherwise there'd be no point!

      I want a second one now myself; and I haven't even painted it yet!

      Delete
  6. Looks amazing man. An excellent adaptation of an already great kit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. It's rare to make a conversion that looks this different, but includes almost entirely the same parts as the original kit. It reminds me of those "alternate build" pictures you used to get on old Lego sets.

      Delete
  7. Snap! When I was looking at that was exactly what I was thinking it reminded me off. Well played.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anyone know what that disk like part on the front is from, the part that makes up the spider like face

    ReplyDelete