Tiberian Wars - GDI Amphibious APC

[Buzzbomb]

I have done a few models using the EA Game series Tiberian Dawn/Sun/Wars  as inspiration. There is just some cool kit amongst the vehicles
In the reuse/recycle box I have this Fuchs, that has been trashed somewhat and also had a false start on another build some time back.
I had a thought bubble, using some Aliens APC Wheels from the Halcyon kit. I replaced the kit ones with much better 3d Printed versions, with the more correct tread.
So the old wheels were spare


That led to digging out a few fan images from the web on the GDI Amphibious APC. It can hold 20 odd troops in the game so it would be  a big sucker


Sometimes,  subtle hack work is not efficient, so got out the big guns, the dremel and saw attachment.


Bit of plastic card and I think I have the basis for moving forward. Bit of scaleorama to 1/48 to get some size and now...... Play time

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Looks like you have all of the boxes checked.  Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. 

[Old Wombat]

Hope it looks as good as the Orca!

[Buzzbomb]

On a bit of a roll with this one. Plus I reloaded Tiberian Sun to get a few skirmishes in, now have to try and not make that a time sink

So all in all, I might have been just as well scratching the entire thing from sheet. The kit form does give a solid base for the card to bond to though


Started adding some detail in.


See how we go with the next bits. So, propellors or waterjet for the propulsion ?
Propellers, look cooler, but waterjet might be easier to do. Decisions, decisions.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

More armour = More better! 

[Old Wombat]

Unexpected!

I'd go with waterjets; they're a bit more efficient & less liable to be damaged.

[Gingie]

Is there anything better than a whif with gobs of white p-card?!?

[Ramba]

Very cool and great scratch building skills.

[Frank3k]

This is coming along great! I'd go with the waterjets. Props can look out of place on a futuristic vehicle.

[apophenia]

Nice! This is looking really good! 

... I'd go with the waterjets. Props can look out of place on a futuristic vehicle.

Agreed. And waterjets get around needing drive extensions to turn the props. That'd be one more thing to break as Old Wombat noted.

[Steve Blazo]

Looking good, love all the white plastic !!   

[Buzzbomb]

Thanks for the encouragement

Right then, work has progressed, most of the layout build work is now done. Well so far unless something else pops up.

All the wheels now available thanks to a couple of casts. As above I was thinking 1/48, looking at the reference pictures it is large, but putting a 1/48 figure next to it it looks stupid huge.
For some reason the 1/35 figure makes it look more believable. Powerplant could be a small, self contained hydrogen/tiberium reactor, electric powered independent hubs. Still fit quite a few bods inside.

round the clock we go. Front

Rear, with water jets. Bottom set are steerable

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Lovely! 

I thought that truncated cone shape in the first image was part of your build but then realized it was just the bottle stopper on some small container behind the model which shows up at other spots in the following images.  1/48th or 1/35th?  Looks great as a 1/35th subject. 

[Frank3k]

I think it looks better in 1/35. The rear hatch is a great idea, too. The waterjets look great.

[Old Wombat]

1/35 is more realistic but 1/48 works for a lot of that "overscale vehicle" art common with sci-fi.

[apophenia]

That is too cool!  I love the  hydrogen/tiberium reactor and motor-in-hubs non-linear hybrid drive concept 

That "stupid huge" thing does seem to be common in sci-fi. Good call on going with a more believable 1/35 scale. Makes it look less like a movie prop and more like something that could actually do the business - on this planet or elsewhere 

[Buzzbomb]

Thanks team.
Solution to the whole scale thing appears to be not have any reference points and you can make up your own mind.

Pretty much going to call this as done.
Couple of homemade GDI marking decals and a few scavenged from one of the left over decal boxes.
Lights are done with mostly craft goodies, like round diamante thingies and sparkly jewelly things.






Also the other Tiberium Sun/Wars builds as a comparison, Orca Bomber and NOD Venom

[Old Wombat]

Looks good, BT!

To me the Stryker windshield scales it at 1/35, but that's 'coz I know what it is & my brain automatically goes to that scale.

[Frank3k]

Looks good - if a Brutalist designed APCs, they would look like this.
Are the lights smooth domes or faceted? all the small jeweled pieces I've seen (at least on Amazon) look faceted.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[apophenia]

That looks fantastic!

And, I gotta say, your take looks waaay more plausible than that reference GDI Amphibious APC 

[Gingie]

Never seen the Venom before...looking at it makes me want to yell "COOOOOBRRRRRAAAA!" before diving into a wall of AA fire.

What did you use for the body? Looks like a dolphin animal?

[Buzzbomb]

Never seen the Venom before...looking at it makes me want to yell "COOOOOBRRRRRAAAA!" before diving into a wall of AA fire.

What did you use for the body? Looks like a dolphin animal?

Mostly 1/72 helicopter, a bit of submarine, plenty of sprue and a ton of car bog

[Gingie]

OK, now I'm even more impressed you arrived at that organic shape the old school way!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Yes!  What Gingie said, hard to believe that started out as a proper kit bashing.  Bondo is your friend!