Welcome back and happy Tanks-giving!
This blog will focus on the ever illustrious Empire Steam Tank, a benchmark of imperial engineering and a powerful addition to my ever-expanding Reikland army.
As some players might recall, the steam tank comes in a standard Conqueror pattern of design, but many various options are also available. I wanted to make sure my tank could accommodate as many of these combinations as possible, at least within reason. With this in mind, magnetization became the only viable option. Likewise, as only one tank is allowed per 2000 pts of army, I don't think bringing a second tank will happen often, if ever.
Fortunately for me, I already had (most of) a classic metal steam tank! Unfortunately, it was quite damaged and needed its paint stripped. Without further ado, it got the ol' dunk with some other High Elf bits.
One piece missing, however, was the rear turret hatch. There was no way I was scouring eBay for a new one, so I instead opted to try out Blue Stuff, from Green Stuff World. Blue Stuff is pretty much a quick setting, reusable mold making goo that can be heated up in boiling water to create a press mold. I've seen some people online do incredible stuff with it, but I found myself struggling quite a bit. Either way, it's a nice tool to have in my arsenal, but I don't think I'd rely on it for more than simple bit duplication or the like.
 |
| The dry fitted replacement hatch. |
As those familiar with the old metal kit know, the steam tank has a lot of bits. Like, a lot, lot. These have some pretty intense mold lines and is notorious for its difficulty to assemble. Below are just a sample of the various parts, not the entirety. These took a ton of sanding, filing, and polishing to ready for assembly.
 |
| Look at all of these lovely gaps! |
 |
| Definitely no gaps needing filling here! |
Once prepped, the various pieces were glued together and their gaps filled with modeling putty. This was a labor of love and took a considerable amount of time.
Speaking of difficulty in assembly, one of the worst culprits was the boiler system for the tank. It simply doesn't sit neatly on the rear of the cabin, so I decided to create a plasticard spacer to ensure a sturdy, wiggle-free connection.
 |
| Simple as. |
 |
| Ooh la la. |
With that portion figured out, I still needed to magnetize my turret. This was similarly accomplished with plastic card filling plates, just with additional magnets.
 |
| Nice and swively! Also, please note the plasticard hinges I created for the duplicated hatch. |
🙋
But Nick, what about all those cool variants? How are you going to pull that off?
Good question. Per usual, "magnets" is the answer. However, even with the power of magnetism, I needed parts to actually magentize. Since I had nothing to work with in the physical realm, I went digital. Using Blender and my trusty digital calipers, I modeled some fancy tank hatches and hellblaster muzzles to further accessorize my steam tank. Another additional part I did sculpt by hand was an armor plate to fill the cannon's port. You'll see that in photos below.
With all the parts printed and ready, it was time for priming and painting. Given the number of parts to paint, this step took a minute. However, after doing forty greatswords in a row, it felt like nothing!
Also, here is a comically large base.
Anyway, let's look at some finished pictures!
Sigmar's Hammer
This is the most simple tank variant. Without main weapon or turret, the Sigmar's Hammer variant is a brtual battering ram that grinds enemies into paste - no fuss, no muss.
Drachenatem
Translated as "Dragon's Breath," this is my custom build for steam tanks. I like reliability in my forces and can't stand misfires. However, I still love the durability of the steam and access to the very nasty steam gun, which can put out a vicious Strength 3 with -3 to armor saves breath template.
Conqueror
The good ol' Conqueror pattern tank is the default, and most common design. The main cannon, despite being weaker than its bigger brother, packs a nasty punch and allows an additional cannon on the field.
Alter Kamerad
Translating to "Old Fellow," the
Alter Kammerad is a truly nasty piece of work. In addition to the steam gun, this variant replaces its cannon with a mini Hellblaster Volley Gun. While not quite as strong as the full sized version, it still can spit out a rain of lead shot and keep enemies wary.
Below are some other callout images which I'm proud of. Since I only plan on painting one of these things, I wanted it to really stand out as a centerpiece for the army.
Great stuff. I forgot there was a few variants. I always found the inclusion of runefangs and steam tanks to forces to be.....questionable. There's so few, and so many battles. I suppose it's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of special characters either. The world is large and your struggles are meaningless......
ReplyDeleteThank you! Funny you mention runefangs and special characters... 6th ed was a little strange as the lord choices for Empire (at least non-magical and non-priest) were effectively "special characters." For example, you can take an Elector Count or Grand Master, both of whom, at least for Reikland, are named characters (Karl Franz and Kurt Helborg, respectively).
DeleteFittingly, my "elector count" will always be represented on the field as Karl Franz, though in 99% of cases he won't be using special rules and will just have the standard fare.