Land Raider MkI...or Mk1.5

[Machinator]

So I took a break from building Fellblades to work on a commission of a Mk1 Land Raider. The customer had purchased the Forgeworld MkII Land Raider upgrade kit but wanted it in an older style. He asked if I could build it using the new Land Raider body but incorporate my Liberator Pattern 1.0s wrapping them all the way around. Always up for a challenge here's what I put together:









As warned working with the Forgeworld kit was a pain in the @$$ as nothing on the body seemed to fit together right. The sponsons were thankfully less of a hassle. But in the end it worked out and looks pretty good.

The treads where a bit more difficult. As they are quite a bit longer than the standard LR treads I had to widen the radius at the very front of the track unit so that they wrapped around properly. This was done by adding a couple of plastic strips that added about 1/8 of an inch thickness around the track front. I then chopped off the raised edge along the top of the track unit and raised it up about a 1/4 of an inch making a continous path for the treads.

I then rounded off the sharp edges and began putting on the treads and after some adjusting I actually got them all to fit (40 on each side). Finally it was patched and cleaned up. I also added some 0.35 inch rivets to blend toegther the new with the old.

So now it's off to it's new home. Hopefully the owner will continue on this thread and show you guys what it looks like painted up. Overall a fairly quick and fun project.

[Firebird]

You should come up with a kit like this just make your own side sponsons, and sell them on ebay so i can by 3!

[MaltonNecromancer]

This is pure win. Just a beautiful conversion.

[Machinator]

Since doing this project I was asked a number of times to do a tutorial on how to replace the standard treads with my Liberator Pattern 1.0s (you can also use the same process with the Oppressor or Krusher Pattern 1.0s). Well I finally got around to building another one (for the same customer no less) and I documented the whole process as best as I could. So here we go.

First up you want to remove the ridge that runs along the top of the outer track plates of the Land Raider so that you have a flat surface going all the way across.



Also on the outer track plates there is a recessed portion on the angled front portion that needs to be raised up so that it is flush with the rest of the edge. I did this by gluing a 0.03x0.06 inch strip of plasticard. I them patched it and cut the grooves in it so that it matched.



Next you need to increase the radius at the front of the track section so that the larger treads can smoothly go around. I did this by gluing two strips of 0.060x0.125 inch plasticard (or you can use one strip of 0.125x0.125) along the entire front section. You want to do this on all four track plates.



In order for the wrap around treads to clear along the top of the tank they need to be raised up about a 0.25 inches. In this case I glued a 0.25x0.10 inch strip of plasticard along the top of all four plates and made it flush with the outer edge of each plate. I them patched and sanded the joint smooth. You can then assemble the two track sections (don't forget to install the front access ramp and its opening mechanisms. The other thing you will want to do is smooth over the sharp edges where the new plasticard meets the model to that the track has a smooth transition.

[Machinator]

As there are some different armor layers on the outer track panels along the back I added a few extra piece of plastic to get them to match. It's not necessary but it a nice touch to get everything to blend together.



At this point you can begin wrapping the treads all the way around the track sections. I like to start in the very front with a couple of treads and continue along the top and bottom. In all you will need 39 treads per side. The Liberator Pattern 1.0 pack comes with 40 treads so you will need two packs all together (if you decide to use the Oppressor or Krusher Pattern 1.0s you will need a 3rd pack as the treads are shorter). The section I leave to last is the angled area on the rear top of the treads section. As the treads are a little short you will need to sand this area down until you get the two ends to meet. Then the tracks are done!



Lastly you assemble the rest of the model. There will be some tripping to do on the front top plate to remove the part of the tab where there is no longer a slot (if you’re also using the Forgeworld Mk2 kit prepare for a lot of swearing as nothing fits together right). The last modification is to the top plate. As the armored plates above the track sections are no longer needed you just need to trim off the two sides and finish the assembly.

[Machinator]

Finally you can add new rivets and the like to finish the look. Then it’s ready for paint!









Hope this all helps

[BrotherAlpharius]

You took a vision from my mind and made it flesh (or plastic/resin at least!).

Thanks. It will be a few months but when I get as far as ordering my Land Raider I'm going to be ordering some of your tracks and having a go at this.

[Machinator]

Well it took a while but the original Mk1.5 Land Raider was finally painted and WOW what a paint job it is!

Courtesy of Jim Wappel:

[Emerald Rose Widow]

gorgeous, just gorgeous.

[Meph]

Damn, that's pretty pretty bling bling!

Nice build, nice paint job!