The cannon is a scratchbuild consisting of a broad variety of bits including:
- Leman Russ tracks;
- Leman Russ rocket launcher;
- Space Marine command vehicle upgrade;
- Chaos Biker front;
- various plastic tubing and bits
I'm actually rather fond of the regular Thunderfire Cannon, the Techmarine in particular is a fantastic sculpt. At the same time though, I figured I could do the unit justice by making something unique myself. Which, as is quite often the case with my wargaming, lead to me going massively overboard. A Cannon by itself just wasn't good enough, such a dangerous and technically advance piece of kit needs the diorama-treatment.
So the end product will also include two servitors. First up the heavy-duty loader/mechanic. This guy is an old Techmarine servitor, with added, converted Fabius Bile gear:
Secondly there's the data-processor, who will be directly plugged into the cannon:
Naturally a cannon needs somebody firing it, which is where this true-scale Tech-Marine comes in. Though he certain needs some more work, I am rather happy with how he looking thus far:
It really comes together when he has his servo-harnass on, though as said there are a ton of little mistakes and spots that still need finishing touches:
I figured I might as well go all the way and make the contrast between the regular Legion troops and the majestic (well, evil majestic in the case of the Astral Claws) Space Marines a bit clearer by going true scale with the Marines.
Let me tell you, true scaling is quite a challenge but I absolutely love the end result. Battle-brother Octavian above isn't quite finished yet and was actually just a tester, though I really, really like how his pose turned out. So chances are good he'll end up in the Retaliator Squad, every rapid-response, counter-attack unit needs a melta gunner after all.
And that does it for this week's update, though I'll be having a closer look at the true scale Space Marines later in the week. They make for an interesting challenge / learning experience, particularly when it comes to planning and tool use. Have a good week everybody!