The proportions are a mess and the weapon systems on the front are really poorly positioned and make the model look cluttered. I think even the Stormravens weird little servitor turret was a better look than this weapon arrangement.
Once again they have ignored all basic aerodynamic principals and mounted the tail rudder in the dead air behind the fuselage, one of my main gripes with the Stormraven actually and the reason I cut and mounted my tail section higher and further back.
Someone needs a kick in the butt, it's not likely to happen and would actually really be pointless at this stage in the game but it's a bit of a shocker that this design made it off the drawing board. I doubt we can rely on Forge World to bail us out this time (Stormraven -> Storm Eagle) but I already have a few ideas of how to fix it ...AND... I actually think it's great that we have a new addition to the Vanilla SM Codex line-up, even if it's mediocre I think it will have it's uses if only in friendly matches.
So with that in mind, I have just ordered the bits from eBay I think I need to convert the model into something that looks at least a bit better and it won't take a whole lot of extra money to get the job done.
My plan is to extend the wing area and maybe change the orientation of the engines a little, I am going to use the assault cannons from the Stormravens turret that I have left over from the piece you can see above and mount them underneath the new wing sections next to the engines. I'm going to cut the tail section apart, extend it as long again and mount the vertical stabiliser in the airstream and not behind the fuselage.
I will document and photograph the process and with the parts ordered now, I'm hoping they will be here in time for the release weekend and I can get to it right away.
So, never fear, MWC is here! We've got your back on this one and hopefully you will be inspired to attempt your own conversion on the model once you see what I'm up to. Plus going off my other stuff you know I'll be after a 'factory finish' so it's not going to be out of the SM style.
Stay tuned.
Redscorps