Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

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Philipp Gross
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Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Philipp Gross »

In the wonderful wacky world of Warhammer 40.000 the Imperium of Man's standard heavy tank is the 300 ton Baneblade, sporting eleven barrels of hell to defend against any horrors a brutal uncaring universe might throw at it. Here you can find Raoul's build from last year with an excellent introduction to the subject matter.

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But the same chassis is also used for a range of specialist versions, usually sporting a huge weapon in a casemate superstructure. One of them is the Shadowsword, equipped with a long range laser cannon to destroy the huge bipedal war machines known as Titans. Thanks to Adam we also have one on the site. His build is a smaller version, with the largest Imperator-Class Titans being considerably larger. Common to all Titans are potent energy shields which render conventional weaponry virtually useless. The Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon is one of the few weapon systems effective against such targets. Naturally it is equally devastating against lesser protected opponents. Originally designed to be used by Titans, it's main drawback is its ravenous appetite for energy. Since the Baneblade chassis is not equipped with a high energy fusion reactor, its power comes from a large capacitor array that has to be charged between each shot by the tank's combustion engine. To maintain a reasonable rate of fire, the tank has to remain immobile to fully dedicate its engine power to the attached generators. Therefore it is vital to keep the vehicle well protected and as far away from hostile forces as possble.

So much for the lore of this monstrosity. As mentioned in the Christmas Thread, Raoul graciously gifted me this kit and the itch to get started has grown ever since :lol: Raoul did a short review of the contents in this build, so I'm diving right in.

The build starts with the running gear, which looks complicated at first but goes together fairly quick:
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The overall construction is fairly simple, as is typical for a tabletop kit. Games Workshop took some effort to hide obvious seams and gaps, but in some areas they are quite visible, most of all the fuel drums on the back:
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Instead of filling and sanding the seams I tried my luck with my compass cutter and masking tape. If it looks bad after primer, I'll change it for styrene.

The wheels are moulded attached to the hull sides, due to the closed nature of the running gear there's not much visible anyway except for the outer wheels. I suspect the "real" tank would have a suspension somewhere between a Churchill and a Char B1. Note the embossed part number, which makes life easier for those who cut first and ask questions later :lol:

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That's all for now, I suspect the rest of the build won't take much longer...unless I start superdetailing, which I probably will :lol:

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Vincent Power »

I think you will be having fun with this one Philipp. :)

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Philipp Gross »

I haven't had this much fun with a model for a veeeery long time :lol:

After two more evenings I'm about 80% done, and let me tell you, this beast is MASSIVE.
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I had to do some extra detailing since the casemate roof featured a lot of simplistic detail moulded in place. And yes, I'm sure a tank from 38.000 years into the future might have asbestos wrappings :lol:
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And of course, it comes with a tank commander in the traditional pose.

The monstrous gun barrel needed a lot of filling and sanding, and while I was at it I added some Meng nuts. I really like Meng nuts. :lol: I also felt compelled to add a gun travel lock, lest the machine spirit becomes annoyed by a bumpy road and throws the targeting cogitator out of alignment...
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The equally monstrous exhaust array looks a little familiar... By the way, the thing on the right is a shrine to the Machine God, supreme deity of the Cult Mechanicus of Mars, which, by an acient treaty, supply the Imperium of Man with all its wonderful toys.
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And yes, due to the modular nature of this kit the seam between the (unglued) casemate and engine deck isn't really fitting that well.

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Bryan Krueger »

That's a heck of a thing! :o Should look good with some serious weathering.
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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Philipp Gross »

Thanks Bryan! Not sure yet how I'll paint it, but it will probably be based on one of the more bizarre real world camo schemes :mrgreen:

More bits and pieces added, basically all that's left are the tracks:
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Normally the sponsons carry small turrets with laser cannons on top, considering the aforementioned energy problems, I thought it would be reasonable to delete these. Besides, I think they look silly... HERESY! *BLAM*

I further expanded upon the travel lock, now with cable to retract it under fire:
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And finally a size comparison....yep, I'll get back to the Panzer IV soon :oops: :lol:
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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Raoul Kunz »

Ah, the 40k stuff, loverly silly in all the good ways! :mrgreen:


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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Shawn Ramsey »

Man what a effect pin washes will have on this. All the raised detail will really stand out for sure.

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Vincent Power »

I didn't realise how big that thing is Philipp. :o Seeing it next to the Panzer IV really shows off its size. I like all the extra detail you're adding too. Most impressive. Can't wait for the paint. :)

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Philipp Gross »

Thanks everyone! :D

Yep, it's huge! If it were 1/35 instead of the 1/48-56-something 40k is, it would probably be twice as big :shock:

I'm thinking of a winter camo, either the Soviet "track" pattern from Winter 1941/42 or an interpretation of the scheme seen on this SU-122.

Right now I'm stuck with the tracks, which aren't exactly pleasant to work with. Everything is big and clunky and only vaguely fits, and in addition there are large gaps between the links. But I really don't want to glue the tracks to the wheels until after I've painted and weathered everything.

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Re: Shadowsword Super-Heavy Titan Destroyer

Post by Philipp Gross »

Hold on, didn't I post my last update here about 2 weeks ago? No? Okay.... :oops:

Anyhow, here's the beast after a base coat of XF-13 and some white on top. My original plan was to recreate the crosshatch pattern used by the Red Army in the winter of 1941/42, but I think I'll leave it like this:

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Haven't yet decided on markings, but it just needs an over the top Latin name somewhere on the hull or gun. My current favourite is SOL INVICTUS....because it's got a huge laser gun, after all... :lol:

Detail painting and weathering will be fun :D

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