Defiler AT-AT Mash-up...

[Denzark]

Hello Chaps

Would appreciate your comments on these WIP shots. This is the result of a cacked-up defiler off ebay and an ancient AT-AT kit (which was going to be some sort of command sentinel) now due to give blood to the blood god.

Questions- would you accept this as an opponent and do you think GW Throne of Skulls at Warhammer World will?

[Mike Dunford]

Personally, that looks like the kind of thing that I'd enjoy seeing on the table in a friendly game, but would have big problems with in a tourney. It's the size that does it for me - the things so big it could theoretically be used to block line of sight to a good chunk of your force during the first couple of turns.

[gwensdad]

If it were finished up and looked really really cool I'd accept it in a 40K game as a regular defiler.

But really, this is why they invented custom apocalypse data sheets. A Deamon Engine of one of the powers? An one-off Chaos Space Marine or Traitor Adeptus project? A Traitor Knight? Lots of possibilities there...

[ThePov]

Honestly, I'd say put a tail on it an use it as a Brass Scorpion. Since it would be an Apocalypse model, I wouldn't have any problem with playing against it. As a Defiler, eh, as said above, I'd let it slip in a friendly game, but I highly doubt it would fly with the judges at any respectable tournament.

[Malficfret]

That is one cool looking defiler! As far as I am concerned, Projects like this are what this hobby is all about. Good on you!

[Schnitzel]

I'd say make an Apoc datasheet for it. Looks like it could be some sort of nasty large assault vehicle. Can carry up to 20 models, or 10 terminators or something of the sort.
Pretty cool.

[Craz]

Hell, just from the fact that seeing that would make my month, I'd let you use it.

You've made one nerd very happy today. :)

[Denzark]

Hell, just from the fact that seeing that would make my month, I'd let you use it.

You've made one nerd very happy today. :)

Take it you're a SW fan Craz - thanks for the kind comment!

[TSINI]

i don't wish to sound horrible, i'm a massive star wars fan, and a 40k fan. and while i love to see things i recognise, i just can't get my head around WHY you've done this

are there any other star wars themed models inyour army, ie a darth vader or emperor palpatine lookalike chos lord, because then it would be quite funny/cool to have a gimmicky army ike that

but if your're simply using it for its shape, it should be desguised a lot more, under some greenstuff, or plasticard sheeting/detailing. you need to make it something that looks unique, or people will simply ask why you've stuck more legs onto an ATAT and brought it into a 40k game.

[Denzark]

i don't wish to sound horrible, i'm a massive star wars fan, and a 40k fan. and while i love to see things i recognise, i just can't get my head around WHY you've done this

are there any other star wars themed models inyour army, ie a darth vader or emperor palpatine lookalike chos lord, because then it would be quite funny/cool to have a gimmicky army ike that

but if your're simply using it for its shape, it should be desguised a lot more, under some greenstuff, or plasticard sheeting/detailing. you need to make it something that looks unique, or people will simply ask why you've stuck more legs onto an ATAT and brought it into a 40k game.

Going back to another thread on non-GW models, I was luck enough to have a Dad who was a master modeller - having represented 2 different Games Workshopys in 2 different categories at UK Golden Demon in the 90's. A lot of my early modelling was other company's stuff but with bang on GW made weapons.

This AT-AT was originally going to stand alone with GW Weapon swaps in my Guard Army. I then thought if I posed it with all legs bent crouching down it would make a cool defiler - a spare Leman Russ Turret was going to be the Battle Cannon and the hatch would have replaced with the Daemon Head.

But then I thought I needed something with more GW parts obvious and looking a little closer to the original. Hence this version.

As to getting your head around 'WHY' I wish I could answer that - could equally be asked 'WHY' a 30yo man with a 2 year old nipper spends so much time and money on this plastic crack rather than saving for my son's education lol!

But, main reasons are:

1. Exisiting kits already have far more surface detail than plasticard, take paint better and are less time and effort than milliput.

2. Not including my time this has come in at £20-ish and has been far more of a modelling challenge than simply following instructions.

3. Never been totally happy with the defiler model like the legs just not the uber vulnerable turret with strange heid on top.

4. Exclusivity. I'd say this is pretty unique. I sort of like the 'wtf - hang on a minute - is that - no it can't be' I would not be trying to get any extra benefits for it, and it is built wysiwyg with Autocannon, Hflamer and Battle cannon.

Now my only hope is that the extra size (potentially blocking LOS) is considered weighed off by if it's bigger it can be hit more often.

[Mike Dunford]

I like doing conversions myself, and this one is definitely cool. About the only suggestion I could think of on the model itself might be trying to see if you could come up with one more set of legs. Aside from that, it looks pretty good, and I definitely think the AT-AT type head with weapons looks much better - and more demonic - than the GW version.

As far as the size trade-off goes, I did think about the improved hit possibility, but I don't think it's enough to offset the advantages. That's particularly true since a model that size retains the LoS blocking advantage if it's a wreck. And, from a tourney/mathhammer perspective, the increased blast radius around the model isn't a huge disadvantage for you (wound on 5, save on 3 works out to expecting to lose ~1/9 of the chaos space marines around it when it goes), but could be a further disadvantage for some of your opponents. (If it's killed by orks in close combat and blows up, it should kill ~1/4 of the boys inside the blast radius.) You'd have to play test it a bit to be sure, but overall I suspect that it would give you a slight advantage over a standard defiler, which you wouldn't be paying extra points to field.

I don't care about that kind of thing at all during friendly games. It's a cool model, you've had fun building it, hell yeah I'll let you play it, and I'll get a kick over whatever extra damage it does to my boyz - getting wiped off the board by the explosion of the vehicle you just destroyed is one of the things being an ork is all about. I'm totally cool with that. I'd probably be cool with a custom rule set for the thing, and it would definitely make a fantastic addition to an apocalypse game. But people put a lot of time and effort into figuring out tourney forces, and I think it's always best to err on the side of fairness in tournaments.

[Superpedro]

gotta agree with most of these guys, awesome model, I'd absolutely let you play it as a super heavy transport in apoc, but it's too big to be a defiler and it won't fly in a tournie. not enough GW parts for it to be used, and it's way off scale. very nice model tho, i like what you have created. I for one completely understand why you made it.

[BuFFo]

Looks great to me. I would be honored top play against it in a regular game as a defiler.

[Denzark]

Guys

thanks for all the positive comments. Being a tight ar*e I think I will still submit to Throne of Skulls prior to the tournament to see if they swing it - but if not plan B is to get a 'Vanilla' defiler. If I do this I may have to go with adding the tail to make a Brass Scorpion for home Apoc games.

I simply didn't consider size vs LoS so appreciate the hints. Annoying becuase the secnd defiler of the list is to be the turret on an old Jabba the Hutt toy tail, with 2 forgeworld fex arms, as a Nurgle twin DCCW fighty model with slug base rather than feet!

[entendre_entendre]

the previous posts have covered my thoughts on this (awesome, but not tourney legal), but from a modeling PoV I would add at least 1 more pair of legs, then you would have a giant AT-AT bug that spits pie plates for apoc!