Church Tank: WIP #3

I couldn't decide how to mount the cannon onto the tank. Problem solved this weekend when I realise it's the right width to fit inside a Rhino hatch. Glued in place, then the back of the hatch has been sanded down, so when the cannon's mounted, there'll be a little tilt upward. Pleased to have solved this puzzle.

Threw a few more pieces of ridiculousness on the tank and it still looks perfect 40k. Smoke launchers where the old turrets were, lights from the Imperial Sector box, and a few ornamental statues.

Inside there's more lights, some cogs, ladders, lions, tigers and oh my!

Straws? Of course there are straws. I love straws. They're roughly glued into place, and all the glue will be painted to look like an abundance of ugly weld marks and verdigris.

A point to note about the scenery build. On the top of each post is a small but important detail that should be the correct way up.

Can't see it?

So when assembling the church, I realised this just in time and had to flip several over of these inserts to be the correct way up before the glue set. Detail, detail, detail.

Now we're at the point where the tank will need priming. Just need to get the airbrush working and a free evening to make this happen ...

Church Tank: WIP #2

So things have moved on a little. There's now a top and a front, but look below to see there's even an inside too!

My mad little preacher, for it is he who will inhabit this monstrosity, would live in the tower and preach from the pulpit at the front. I'd like to think this tank has seen a lot of action in its life, and so the tower is heavily damaged from battle.

You'll notice the front pillars are ruined, to reflect incoming damage I'd expect a vehicle like this to take. Plasticard has replaced the

Yes, the cannon isn't fitted into the hole yet. Haven't worked out to do with it yet!

My traditional problem is remembering to add detail. So there's an inside to this tank. I picture it being servitor heavy, as they work the engines and cannon while the mad preacher exhorts the enemy to repent.

To carry on the theme of the damaged tower, I've used a broken panel for the floor as though a projectile had crashed right through the tank.

The pulpit is the more ornate terrain from the Kill Team box, but wrapped around the more practical box constructed from older, Imperial Sector flooring. I like the image of the Adeptus Mechanicus building something, only for the Ecclesiarchy to take it away and put gaudy, gothic detail on it.

Couple of small details added onto the pulpit. One corner is full of melting candles, and the other is a religious book that I'd imagine the preacher will be screaming reading from.

At this point I haven't committed to gluing tank to tower. There may well be magnets. Ideally I'd retain access to the insides, but we'll see how that goes!

Church Tank: WIP #1

This is a little bit of playing catch-up, as these shots have already made it to Instagram - but were lacking a detailed description.

I picked up the Kill Team starter box last weekend as I thought the scenery was suitably gothic for this project. The sheer amount of scenery you get in the box made it a real steal for the price point. The extended length of the pieces compared to the older Imperial Sector kits gives everything a grander feel. Coupled with an old, original Baneblade that was gathering dust in a cupboard ... we have the start of the project.

Constituent components being clipped out and lined up to gauge what we want to do. You'll note some of the older Imperial Sector pieces here, as I have a second box of these still to build at some point - so was looking to incorporate some of the more military themed items.

I want a grand front to this tank, so we start with the largest arch, then add panels behind it to reinforce the church theme. By the end, they'll all be stained glass ... hopefully!

Dark chocolate digestives are essential on larger build projects. But it was a reminder that I do need to start running again, because they're giving me a winter coat ...

So at this point we have the main structure. It's literally the chassis of the Baneblade, as the turret and front plates over the tracks meant it felt too tanky and not churchy enough (technical term). It still feels like a box on top of a tank though, but we're heading in the right direction.

Church Tank: Introduction

I stumbled over the work of artist Kris Kuksi (https://www.kuksi.com/) a few weeks ago. His sculptures are incredible; the intricacy and finesse is worth your time. What drew my eye in particular was his  insane Church Tank ...

... so now I'm on a mission to build my own version for 40k. The plan is that it can be the centrepiece of a board as terrain, an objective or a NPC unit.