Let's scratchbuild a Spartan Assault Tank!

[YorkNecromancer]

So I'm trying to build a Space Marine Spartan Assault Tank, which costs £98, plus 12.5% postage. **** spending that kind of money! Time to break out the plasticard and get scratchbuilding.
Reference: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Space_Marines/Space-Marine-Tanks/SPARTAN_ASSAULT_TANK.html

This project started when I found this on eBay. It's a prototype from a guy who makes mdf buildings and scenery. I got this for £15. The body was made of 2mm mdf, and the tracks of cardboard.
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/129/4/2/original_1_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqfxz.jpg

As you can see, there's no detail, and the mdf details that are there are a bit... spare. Plus the tracks look bad.
http://th00.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2014/129/8/f/original_2_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqfxe.jpg

Initial skinning of the tank. I hated the cardboard tracks, so I got rid of them. I mulled over buying some pre-cast ones from Blood and Skulls Industries, but elected not. So, I had to make every track link by hand.
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/d/b/2014_03_15_22_51_22_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg3s.jpg


******* there were a lot of track links.
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2014/129/4/c/2014_03_15_20_29_23_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg4d.jpg

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Like, more track links than I expected, and I expected there to be a lot. Total track construction time: three episodes of 'The Killing'.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/b/a/2014_03_15_20_29_45_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg47.jpg

It's beginning to take shape. Here's the roof in progress; it took about five hours.
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/a/b/2014_03_15_22_51_52_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg3d.jpg

Here, I'm starting to build up the side panels. The roof is almost finished. The gun turret in the front took ****ING AGES to get right. So ******* fiddly...
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/2/0/2014_03_27_18_23_06_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg33.jpgg

Both side panels done. Total build time, an episode or two of 'Helix' and a really bad horror film called 'The Tattooist'
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/7/b/2014_03_27_18_23_18_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg2z.jpg

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Hey mods, I'm trying to add pics, and this new forum keeps making it impossible.

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Okay, I'm hoping this works. I've had nothing but problems with the forum doubling up the number of images I have posted for no discernable reason.

Sponson guns added. I had to scratch build both sponson, then cut and modify the guns in order to get them to fit correctly
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/129/9/7/2014_04_08_15_54_25_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg2n.jpg

The engine. I hate making curved surfaces. Hate, hate, hate it.

Build time, two episodes of 'The Musketeers'. Good show - it's what 'Atlantis' should have been.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/129/c/c/2014_04_08_15_55_25_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg0w.jpg

[GoffWarboss]

I'm interested to see what your costs are for the whole project, materials and time wise

[scottshoemaker]

I had my doubts when you started, but it looks like it's coming together in the last image. Great foresight!

[YorkNecromancer]

Here's the finished thing, primed and ready for painting.

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/129/4/4/2014_04_08_17_58_12_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqg0f.jpg

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/129/b/d/2014_04_08_17_58_36_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqfyp.jpg

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/129/1/9/2014_04_08_17_58_25_by_yorknecromancer-d7hqfz7.jpg


I'm interested to see what your costs are for the whole project, materials and time wise

Costs:
Initial tank - £15
Lascannons - £8 (sourced from http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/)
Plasticard (three sheets total) - £4
Styrene Rod (four lengths) - £1.20

So total cost maybe about £30 all in?

In terms of time? No real idea. Probably about a week of solid converting fun. If you're a gamer, it's not worth it, but I'm a modeller, so it totally was.

[Browntj007]

I'm interested to see what your costs are for the whole project, materials and time wise

No kidding! A work of art, for sure, but given the hours and hours...and more hours, and yet even more hours...well..my time is worth more than a few dollars per hour when the overall project is done. Add in the costs of supplies for the MDF, plasticard, bits, etc, and I can't believe this project will be cost effective. Beautiful work but wow - a price to be paid.

[YorkNecromancer]

Depends what you enjoy doing with your time. I loved literally every moment of making this; modelling is when I am at my most happy. My time is worth quite a lot per hour, but that means literally nothing here. I loved making this, so the fact it saved me money is only a bonus.

[SquigBrain]

Nice work! Although those treads still look way too smooth to me.

Your plasticard work looks far superior to the exposed MDF!

[YorkNecromancer]

The treads will be weathered during painting. :)

[GoffWarboss]

No kidding! A work of art, for sure, but given the hours and hours...and more hours, and yet even more hours...well..my time is worth more than a few dollars per hour when the overall project is done. Add in the costs of supplies for the MDF, plasticard, bits, etc, and I can't believe this project will be cost effective. Beautiful work but wow - a price to be paid.

yeah, thats what i was wondering, i'm handy with plasticard, but i prefer painting to modelling, yeah, I think for me, time isn't as easy to come by!

[YorkNecromancer]

I'm the other way round; I enjoy painting, but I ****ING LOVE modelling. :)

[dwez]

No kidding! A work of art, for sure, but given the hours and hours...and more hours, and yet even more hours...well..my time is worth more than a few dollars per hour when the overall project is done. Add in the costs of supplies for the MDF, plasticard, bits, etc, and I can't believe this project will be cost effective. Beautiful work but wow - a price to be paid.

Quite often though the process is reward in itself. You're right you could put a value on the time spent building something from scratch but when you commit to doing something like this I'm not sure any scratchbuilder is actually seriously considering the $ per hour value. Whatever you're doing it's most likely simpler and more cost effective in the long run to buy it, what price do you put on each hobby hour?

I think if you're going down this route so long as you're having fun doing it you should actually be reducing the cost of the model because you're entertaining yourself much as you would going to the cinema or watching a Blu-Ray. If it's not fun then you should definitely be buying it and feeling comfortable about the up front costs.

[YorkNecromancer]

The objective is to travel, not to arrive.

[Lord-Boofhead]

I'm the other way round; I enjoy painting, but I ****ING LOVE modelling. :)

I'm the same but with converting, I'm always working on some crazy conversion or another. I'm known as 'the conversion guy' locally. Most my armies are 80% converted or kitbashed.

[GoffWarboss]

One of the great things about this hobby is the depth, so much to do and different people like different things, as long as everyone is having fun, its all good!

[Denzark]

Yorkie

I think this is awesome. Good skills to you fella.

[YorkNecromancer]

That's very kind of you, Denzark. :)

[Denzark]

NP - credit where its due! A thought - with the amount of 'skinning' you did, do you think you/one could have carefully cut the inner shape (anything under the plasticard) from some of that thick blue/pink insulating stuff? Thinking hot wire cutter or even a sharp knife and a steady hand?

[YorkNecromancer]

Yes, it would be entirely feasible to do so, although having attempted as much in the past, I would recommend foamboard over insulating foam if you're doing Imperial tanks. It lends them more solidity, and forms an altogether tougher 'roll cage'. I would suggest that insulation foam would be better suited to Eldar vehicles, what with the difficulty of making smooth curves in other ways.

[Daniel Walthall]

Wow! That is some nice scratch-building! It's great inspiration for me too, because I've been building 4 scratch-built rhinos recently. I might just have to attempt something larger soon. As to the discussions of the amount of time involved: If you start with a decent template (or just cut your own out of cereal box cardboard or thick cardstock) a nice metal ruler, and a sharp hobby knife, you can make more progress than you might think in an evening, assuming you already have some experience with building terrain/mock-ups out of foamboard. The rhinos I'm making were about 40% done after only 4 hours. That was one Saturday evening. Now 2 of them are nearly done, and the other 2 just need about 2-3 hours to finish.

So overall it looks like it's going to have taken me about 10 hours to build 4 scratch-built rhinos, and they are more convincing than I thought they would be! I even added rivets and other small details. (of course that's 10 hours for construction; I don't count painting since you have to paint the official kits anyway)

Anyway, thanks for sharing all those photos! Great stuff. :D

[Drak'Shal]

Care to share the link for the MDF base? Love this by the way, it's just as good as the FW one and the tracks actually fit on it...

[Martin Lymer]

Noce work. Here's one I scratchbuilt last year 8222

[thedaringdragoon]

Follow a link to this thread but sadly the pictures are gone :(

[YorkNecromancer]

Pics are back now! :)