First Update (it’s a biggy)

The wheels were made of a short length of 42mm diameter pipe. This was capped, then dressed with foamboard "treads" and a lot of plasticard. My original intention was to cast these in resin, but that's expensive, so I did the cheap option. A tub of liquid latex ( �1.99), and a packet of resin plaster (�2.99). Bargain. The results aren't perfect, as you'd expect, but I think in this case that works. Once the finished plaster casts are toughened up with plasticard and paint/varnish they should be fine. Again worth noting I don't play 40k, so my models are display only. Not sure how this stuff would stand up to regular movement. They say the resin plaster stuff is tougher than normal plaster of paris, but I can't see any difference.

 

I had to adjust two of the wheels with a hacksaw, and they stood up to that well. My front wheels are slightly narrower than the rear, but should still work ok. I forgot to take any scale pics, so for reference a Space Marine comes up to the bottom of the top tread on each wheel.

Next up was the chassis. Foamboard lumps, a large cube of polystyrene in the middle, and Robert's your mother's brother. This was then cased in plasticard, and edged to hide my dire joints.

Then I started detailing. The rear exhaust is a funky pipe connector thing I bought from B&Q. A couple of quid for 2, but they just seemed like immensely useful pieces. Also on the rear we have an IG searchlight backpiece, an oil barrel, the connector from some IG heavy weapon, and a really cool wheel from an old M113 kit.

The engine bay is just more plasticard, decorated with two leman russ doors, the back of an old hk missile box, and another piece from the m113 kit.

The top has a raised section on the left, this will get a viewing port out the top (my grots aren't stupid orks, why shove your head out when you don't need to?). The right section is a normal 25mm base with the breech from a basilisk earthshaker and some more M113 details around the sides.

Finally the front has an old Rhino hatch (as a tribute to the Epicast Gobsmasha of old), and chimera front hatch doors on the other side (these are obviously tinkering hatches, when the grots need to get at the gun at high speed). The gun itself is a basilisk earthshaker cannon. Backwards. I chopped it at an angle to suit, then inserted some tubing in the breech and a wheel hub on top of the smaller pipe above and job's a good un. Actually really happy with how it came together. One of those things that clicked, like the grot gyrocopter.

Obviously stuff still to do. Next job tonight are the rivets on all the raised sections, though I'm not going to go mad with them. The wheels need plating as I mentioned, but other than that we're pretty much there. Might mount a twin linked big shoota on top. Not sure what this will count as in my army yet so that'll decide any periphery armament.