You may recall a post on Fresh Coast 40k recently where author Valace2 discussed possible changes to the Thunderhawk and how to use it. After discussing it with him for quite a bit I worked out a trade where I'd receive the Thunderhawk. This Thunderhawk is going to be the centerpiece to my Mantis Warrior Space Marines army!
I never really was that impressed by the Thunderhawk model (and that goes for my Tyranid Hierophant, as well - once I actually saw it in person I loved it) as it looked a little flat with not a ton of detail. It is possibly because most of the Thunderhawks you see in the books or on the web are fairly monochromatic. It is a fairly old model. Maelstorm did a great job of painting it in a Space Wolf scheme, but I had to obviously get rid of that for my Mantis Warriors. You can see it below as painted.
I liked how Maelstorm magnetized the various parts. I was able to pop off the FW Land Raider doors so I can replace those. I also popped off the top wings with Lascannons so I can re-paint those easily in a yellow color.
I masked off various parts (Maelstrom painted the inside and I wanted to keep that, and the various engines) so I could spray prime it green. I really didn't feel that it needed to be stripped. I masked off the tail section because that will be yellow as well.
A lot more work has to be done - I am going to edge highlight the whole thing, weather it, decal it, and add window panes to the cockpit. I have a flight stand from Dragon Forge on the way. Watch the blog for more updates!
Well if it overwhelms you and you get frustrated I think it would also look good in a Maroon and Black Flesh Tearer color scheme.
ReplyDeleteThe Thunderhawk is a horrible kit that I cannot recommend to anyone. I spent weeks trimming, grinding, filing, filling and reshaping the malformed components. The front hatch had a resin sprue blob the size of a small Red Bull can that had to be removed with a bandsaw! A 4" tabletop belt sander was used to remove so much extra material that my workroom was covered in layers of resin dust (wear a carbon mask!). The doors and door openings were so misshaped that they would not go together. Unless you buy one already built - avoid the kit like the plague. Forgeworld should be ashamed of this product!!
ReplyDeleteLooking good so far! Can't wait to see more - keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteEven though I despise the quality of the kit I look forward to seeing the facelift.
ReplyDeleteGood on ya! It'll look great.
ReplyDeleteWhen it's done can my marines catch a ride? DA don't have any flyers yet and the drop pods are really crowded.
Dark Angels can take a Storm Eagle, its kinda expensive when tooled out but its a cool flyer.
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