Chimera/btr-60, Soviet style...

[ashhammer]

Hi Guys,

Been working on this for a few days. I wanted to replace my Chimeras in my Soviet Cold War army with a more appropriate transport. I was going to go with a BMP-2, but after a few sketches I realized that it would be too short. I didn't want to have this give me an advantage in a normal game of 40K. (It would also cut down on arguments about cover saves.)

So I switched track to the old BTR-60. So I started planning some things out and before I knew what was happening, I had a paper mock up in my hand. 48 hours later, I am at this point...




Now that I'm down to the detailing part, I had a few questions that popped up. I wanted to come to you guys to figure them out. Hopefully you can pick the better idea OR come up with an even better one.

Turret - Should I go with the standard Chimera turret or the conical turret of the BTR? I'd like to stick with the original look of the BTR. I'm also of the mind to use the standard Chimera turret to make the model more recognizable to my opponents.

Rear Hull - Should I go with the standard BTR rear with the port for the engine prop used while its in water or should I go with a door like on the Chimera? I figure an opponent would be intelligent enough to "imagine" a rear door, but I know I'll end up having a few arguments down the line because of it. You guys are a whole lot more laid back than some of the 40K tournament players, but what do you think?

I still have a lot of work to do. I need to make the little shield that pops up on the front to defect waves while its in the water. The little vision block ports over the front two seats need to be built. I'm also going to have to figure out the lights on the front corners. The modified doors on the top still need hinges too. Phew. Lots of work. Good thing I only need about seven of them.

[chip6793]

I can see your point about the BTR hull and the problems you see.

I think you should probably add the rear ramp as that will make it easier for your opponents to associate it to a chimera.

As for the turret, keep the Multi Laser barrel, but put it into a round turret. The normal chimera turret wouldn't look that good on a BTR hull.

[MrBigMr]

Got any pictures of it from the front and rear. Can't really see the width of the thing from these angles. I remember seeing some of those things in the army, and they were rather wide, even if they don't always look like it in photos. But other than that, looks nice. Not just nice, good.

As for the turret, how about getting a plastic steam tank turret to act as the base? It's round. If it's the right size, might look nice with some filing.

[elbacone]

what if you made some sort of prop in the lower section of the rear and two hatches in the top part of the rear?

[MrBigMr]

Maybe have the hatches lock against each other, rather than a bar in the middle, because that's the last thing you need when exiting a vehicle in a combat situation, something to get snagged on.

[ashhammer]

Chip6793, I think you're right. The stubby conical turret would be more iconic. I can use the multi-laser barrel (I have dozens of them) and a coaxial heavy stubber in it then.

MrBigMr, front and rear, check.


(Sorry, took off the GW parts so I can work on it.)

Elbacone, that is one of the ideas I was doodling after I posted my first message. What is the saying? "Great minds think alike".

[MrBigMr]

Yeah, that looks good. Could be a tad wider, but it'll work. From those corner shots it looked much slimmer. But so does the real BTR-60.

And I'd go with the last option with the side opening hatches. It might be least practical of the 3 for fast mounting and dismounting, but at least it would be up to part with the style of the rest of the tank.

[JakeW]

I'll go with the first one but with it all opening up to the top or down?

[D3V!L]

Have a look at the rear door of the german SdKfz 250 or 251. They had such a angled rear, too, at least on the early versions, and they had a door acros this angle.
The prop(s) could be mounted on the sides of the hull

[Chris_The_Invincible]

You talked about a propeller to make it move in water, and as a result I would go with option 3 (doors opening to both sides).

I like the build so far. I really must say so. I'm thinking of making a soviet army from WWII, that sort of thing.

[ashhammer]

Ok, small update. I have the front splash guard roughed out and the rear water jet started. I need to find a smaller globe for the headlights. If I can't, then the BB's I have will work.






Tonight I'll finish the guard, water jet, vision blocks and top and rear hatch. Then all I have left to do is the turret, I think. Anyone see anything else I can do?

[Dragunov]

Now that is a lovely build. Very precise and clean.

Have seen a few wheeled chimeras done and this one looks to be my favourite!

Nice work so far.

D

[ashhammer]

Thanks Dragunov! It looks ok, the symmetry on the front is off (by a lot), but I'm not too worried about it. Its not like my opponents will get down to eye level and check it out. I keep taking photos at a 3/4 view so you don't see it as much.

Here is where I'm at this morning.




I will work on the turret tonight. Not sure if I'll be showing it off until later in the week. I have the feeling that it won't be as easy as it looks.

[Sonic_Monkey]

Oooooh - me likey! I'd love to see more! NATO vs Warsaw Pact IG would look awesome on a battlefield.

[Lt. Walke]

That it would. I would recommend pulling the tires away from the chassis, it will add mroe realism to it.

[Fr1Day]

Nice concept.

How do the guys get out of the back?

The sloping hatches are too high off the ground and trying to exit the vehicle with a 6 foot drop to the ground would be a good way to break legs.

Squeezing out of the side hatches one at a time also sounds difficult. Did they really all climb out of the top under fire.

[ashhammer]

Sonic Monkey, that was my thought on it. I have seen a whole lot of WWII armies, but not a lot of Cold War stuff. Now I just need to con one of the guys in my local group to build a Fulda Gap blocking force for me to steam-roll.

Lt. Walke, they will be out some. Right now I have them held on with a little bit of poster tack. You may not be able to notice it right now but I only have six tires. I need to track down another 50 of them.

Fr1Day, this is not the best fighting vehicle invented. The Soviets didn't put much thought into how the troops got out of any of their AFVs or APCs. At least it doesn't look like it. The good front line troops were gifted with the BMP-1s. Nice sleek low to the ground design. It was tracked, so it could keep up with the tanks. It also was so low to the ground that the gunner had to keep an eye on the troops who got out of the vehicle as it fired at chest height. Kind of demoralizing to be running into enemy fire and worrying about being shot in the back by your own wheels.
The (crappy) BTR-60 went to lesser troops. Which is what mine are.
Basically my troops are going to be a rear echelon guarding force for a long range rocket artillery force. So my footies are going to be protecting a pair of Manticores (converted to look like SAM launchers) and a Deathstrike (converted to look like a Frog 3 launcher).
Here is a link to a picture of American OPFORS troops getting out of a BTR-60. US Army media page. It isn't that easy to get out of. I converted mine to have a big top hatch, but the original had one small and one medium hatch on top. I didn't think my guys would be able to shoulder a lascannon out of that hole. So I gave them more room.

Looks like I'm done right now. One shot of the finished CMR-60 and one with a finished Guardsman (my only one right now).

[Klaus, not Santa]

Excellent!
Comes together quite nicely!
So how did you do the back then? *edit - uh, I missed yesterdays update! The rear doors look very good. *
Cheers
klaus

[Digits]

I really do like this model! Grats - it looks brilliant and the conical turret is far more fitting.

[Fr1Day]

Yes I think yyou are right, I heard the Soviets put fuel tanks in the doors for the BMPs. That must have made it hard to get out in an emergency.

I do like the model and think it looks like a good cross between a recognisable shape and the GW rules.

Like to see it with some paint on.

[ashhammer]

Thanks guys! I'll put up a PIP post in the Guard section once I get around to painting it. It will be a little while as I need to produce at least seven of them.

Wish me luck.

[chip6793]

7 of them!!??? Are you sure you didn't just get out of some crazy place?? Hehehe

Regardless, it looks brilliant! I'm glad you went with the round turret, it most certainly looks a lot better than it would have with the original Chimera turret. Beautiful job and I would love to see the completed transport squadron once it's fully complete.

[ashhammer]

Yep. Seven. You can't have a mechanized force without transports.

[MrBigMr]

That's good. Army flashback-inducing good. Would have rather gone with an autocannon turret (14.5mm machine gun, after all), but multi-laser is fine too.

Now make one command one with speakers that play Kalinka on an endless loop and in between tells the enemy to come over to your side and have some bread.

[ashhammer]

Oh I wish the autocannon option was in the new codex! I'd love to have a few more of them in the army. It would have suited the conversion better too. I'll live with the multi laser though. With three shots I figure I'll at least hit once with it.

I'm actually going to put loud speakers on my command one. I'm going to have Creed as my army commander and he has double the range of orders compared to a normal officer. So that would make sense. I may end up doing his as a BTR-60PBK with the extra command radios. I'll see once I get the additional ones made up. One thing at a time or I'll never get done.

Kalinka... on an endless loop... that may actually be a good idea. My opponents would be ready to kill themselves after a few minuets. May be advantageous...