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: [url]http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Space_Marines/Space-Marine-Tanks/SPARTAN_ASSAULT_TANK.html[/url]

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.


As you can see, there's no detail, and the mdf details that are there are a bit... spare. Plus the tracks look bad.


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.



******* there were a lot of track links.


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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'.


It's beginning to take shape. Here's the roof in progress; it took about five hours.


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...


Both side panels done. Total build time, an episode or two of 'Helix' and a really bad horror film called 'The Tattooist'


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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


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.

[GoffWarboss]

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

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

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 [url]http://www.bitsandkits.co.uk/[/url])
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.

[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!