Plawolf's Storm Raven Makeover WIP

[plawolf]

Well I finally got my Storm Raven through the post yesterday and made a few changes once I got my grubby paws on it.

Overall, I am fairly happy with the the end result, just a few bits I am still working on before the configuration is set and I could finish painting in and adding in a few special details I had in mind.

The dred grappler is just the basic supplied one magnetized, seems to work well enough, but I am thinking of building a claw-like frame to stop the dred spinning around. However, the problem with that would be coming up with a design that could hold all the different dreds. I currently have the stock standard dred, venerable (which doesn't fit because of the extra two exhausts and would need some adjustment on, and I plan to get the new BA dreds and build one of each as soon as I am done with the Raven). Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

There are a few areas I am not sure about and would appreciate some comment or advice on.

Firstly, is the configuration of the canards, it looks more sleek with a conventional rearward sweep as depicted in most of the pictures, but the forward sweep shown in the last picture is more futuristic and seems to fit with the space marine feel better. I am conflicted.

Secondly, does anyone feel I should link the two tail booms similar to how the Valk? I could whip something up fairly easily with plasticard,but my version is already pretty back heavy and I am loathed to unbalance it more.

Conventional layout

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/4444/img0020ja.jpg (http://img600.imageshack.us/i/img0020ja.jpg/)

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/987/img0022jz.jpg (http://img545.imageshack.us/i/img0022jz.jpg/)

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8720/img0023hl.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/i/img0023hl.jpg/)

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7100/img0035bb.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/i/img0035bb.jpg/)

[plawolf]

With forward swept canards

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3349/img0037sl.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/i/img0037sl.jpg/)

[isotope99]

Coming along nicely.

Like the extra length from the tail but I would definitely join them somewhere for stability.

The dread looks good, I would be tempted to use the twin booms and mount grapples to keep it in place positioned near the front left and right chest panels. Remember that they don't have to be flush with the dread to look good which would leave room for different models.

I can definitely see the argument for forward sweeping canards to mirror the wings but the version in the last pic seems a little extreme, not sure how to fix it though without cutting them to be square at the front though :confused: which is obviously a little permanent.

The only other bit I would I would look at again is the valkyrie boom link section behind the air vent. It looks good in the top down views but the angle feels wrong in the side shots.

[plawolf]

Coming along nicely.

Like the extra length from the tail but I would definitely join them somewhere for stability.

The dread looks good, I would be tempted to use the twin booms and mount grapples to keep it in place positioned near the front left and right chest panels. Remember that they don't have to be flush with the dread to look good which would leave room for different models.

I can definitely see the argument for forward sweeping canards to mirror the wings but the version in the last pic seems a little extreme, not sure how to fix it though without cutting them to be square at the front though :confused: which is obviously a little permanent.

The only other bit I would I would look at again is the valkyrie boom link section behind the air vent. It looks good in the top down views but the angle feels wrong in the side shots.

Some good suggestions, thanks.

I have linked the tailbooms and they definitely looks way better for it.

Good spot on the fuselage link between the booms and engine housing, I was just being lazy and slapped the left over valk tail on when it does really fit. Since I already have the plasticard out, I made a new connecting piece and it looks distinctly less orky now.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1614/img0038ok.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/i/img0038ok.jpg/)

Hmm, imageshack seemed to have packed it in whilst I was uploading the new pictures. Will just have to make do with this one till they come back online.

[plawolf]

Rest of the pics.


http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5120/img0039bo.jpg (http://img51.imageshack.us/i/img0039bo.jpg/)

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/9484/img0040gc.jpg (http://img718.imageshack.us/i/img0040gc.jpg/)

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/2083/img0044ro.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/img0044ro.jpg/)

[Sanguinary Dan]

Gorgeous. And stolen :cool:

I assume you are going to fair in the canards? And definitely go with forward swept. Much more aggressive visually.

[plawolf]

Gorgeous. And stolen :cool:

I assume you are going to fair in the canards? And definitely go with forward swept. Much more aggressive visually.

Thanks, appreciate the kind words. :)

Yes, I haven't forgotten the canards, it was just that they were still drying off their base coat when I took those photos.

While I have your attention, I would like to see how you feel about this alternative configuration I have just whipped up.

It takes a lot more effort (and plasticard) than the 'down and dirty' original, but the Valk tail booms are better integrated into the design and looks like they are designed to be that way.

I have a few ideas about the back, which I haven't had time to finish yet, so no butt shot this time. ;)

Excuse the masking tape, I was just getting her read for a date with a can of primer.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3754/img0046cf.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/img0046cf.jpg/)

[plawolf]

Something strange with the image limit with the last post, here are the rest of the images.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8725/img0047vh.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/i/img0047vh.jpg/)

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8499/img0048mg.jpg (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/img0048mg.jpg/)

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/406/img0049ds.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/img0049ds.jpg/)

[wittdooley]

Don't like it. The tail is very un-Marine.

[Firebird]

Don't like it. The tail is very un-Marine.

Ah up to your normal subtly I take it? Anyways its not so bad its defiantly different.

[Sanguinary Dan]

Thanks, appreciate the kind words. :)
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3754/img0046cf.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/img0046cf.jpg/)

The horizontal stab is too small. It look more like an afterthought than part of the plane. What about something like this? Gives you something that says "control surface" instead of "brace".
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb219/Brother_Daniel/DDFStormraven03.jpg

[wittdooley]

I don't see any reason to beat around the bush, but I'll clarify my opinion a bit more:

-- I get people removing the turret and air vent. It makes the model a bit more sleek.
-- Marine vehicles are very pragmatic in design. The SR design exhibits this in droves.
-- The SR lines really mimic and share the same lines as all other marine vehicles. Makes them distinctly astartes.
-- adding the Valk fins detracts from the marine feel. It's not in line with other marine vehicles.
-- adding the valk fins makes it a $120 kit. I don't get that, particularly when, IMO, it doesn't improve the design.

[plawolf]

The horizontal stab is too small. It look more like an afterthought than part of the plane. What about something like this? Gives you something that says "control surface" instead of "brace".
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb219/Brother_Daniel/DDFStormraven03.jpg

Hehe, well if you noticed, the 'vertical stablizer' was very much an afterthought and just intended as a brace instead of acting as a control surface. ;)

Areodynamically speaking, I do not think a control surface there would be able to do much anyways (looking at the P38, the other similar real world plane that comes to mind, the link between its twin booms was also just a brace and did not move at all, well unless it was damaged of course), and would not be necessary with canards and thrust vectoring engines all over the place.

Interesting suggestion with the valk tail, but the tapered design makes it impossible to do that without major chopping up of the valk tail. Maybe you can do that with your conversion, but I am happy with the tapered look with this one. :)

Thats a nice model btw, is it one of your SR scratch builds?

[plawolf]

I don't see any reason to beat around the bush, but I'll clarify my opinion a bit more:

-- I get people removing the turret and air vent. It makes the model a bit more sleek.
-- Marine vehicles are very pragmatic in design. The SR design exhibits this in droves.
-- The SR lines really mimic and share the same lines as all other marine vehicles. Makes them distinctly astartes.
-- adding the Valk fins detracts from the marine feel. It's not in line with other marine vehicles.
-- adding the valk fins makes it a $120 kit. I don't get that, particularly when, IMO, it doesn't improve the design.

Well, I don't think I was the only person to think that the SR design wasn't the most austetically pleasing thing GW has ever came up with. I felt it was only fair to back up with view with an attempt to make it look better. Which I feel I have managed. Its a purely a matter of personal taste and I am not arrogent enough to say categorically that my version looks better than the GW original, only that I like it better.

But if you fell in love with the original from the start, good for you to stick with your guns.

The valk tail was from ebay and only cost like $15 of something like that. I bought it a while back when I was thinking of scratch building an SR. I'm sure you can still find similar deals with a tiny bit of effort.

[Sanguinary Dan]

:confused: The trailing edge of the central section of the P-38 horizontal tail was the only part that did move. The two sections on the outside of the booms were fixed. Even if it's not part of the flight controls I still think it would look better if it were larger or, at least, a little further back along the booms.

And, yes. It was my first version SR from Valkyrie bitz conversion. At first I felt it was a bit too Ork fighta looking, but now that we have the real model it seems "closer" than my final version.:rolleyes:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb219/Brother_Daniel/NovaOpen2010202.jpg

[wittdooley]

Well, I don't think I was the only person to think that the SR design wasn't the most austetically pleasing thing GW has ever came up with. I felt it was only fair to back up with view with an attempt to make it look better. Which I feel I have managed. Its a purely a matter of personal taste and I am not arrogent enough to say categorically that my version looks better than the GW original, only that I like it better.

But if you fell in love with the original from the start, good for you to stick with your guns.

The valk tail was from ebay and only cost like $15 of something like that. I bought it a while back when I was thinking of scratch building an SR. I'm sure you can still find similar deals with a tiny bit of effort.

Agreed man. I think, for me, is that yours, as I said, makes it feel definitively non-marine to me. It's supposed to be a smaller Thunderhawk. The present model does a pretty nice job mimicking that to me.

Again, as you said, tastes differ.

[Bishop Odo]

Don't like it. The tail is very un-Marine.

I don't really agree, you know it’s a Val tail, hence it not Marineish. For me the issues is always how to make it look better, unique and different and that is totally subjective. If the tail was thicker and served a purpose, i.e. some take off thrusters, it would be better, IMHO. First thing I would do is add bigger engines, match the riveting details on the Val booms. The Vindicators fans seem out of place and non symmetrical, a triangle grill would be better, or a docking hardpoint or hatch would be better.

[wittdooley]

I don't really agree, you know it’s a Val tail, hence it not Marineish. For me the issues is always how to make it look better, unique and different and that is totally subjective. If the tail was thicker and served a purpose, i.e. some take off thrusters, it would be better, IMHO. First thing I would do is add bigger engines, match the riveting details on the Val booms. The Vindicators fans seem out of place and non symmetrical, a triangle grill would be better, or a docking hardpoint or hatch would be better.



Dude, look at all the other marine vehicles. The tail section of the Valkyrie looks nothing like any of the marine vehicles. Far too aerodynamic, fall too smooth in its edging, far too think and un-utilitarian.