Creating a Packard Mk I Walker

Started by Terry37, 15 December 2016, 08:14:30 PM

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Terry37

I've started cleaning and doing the necessary conversions for my first Weird WWI army based off the series by Joseph Nassise – "The Great Undead War", the Americans. One of the things mentioned, but only as a mention are 25 foot tall walkers – which is perfect for a Behemoth element in a HotT army.

So, I decided to go about creating one that might have a little bit of an American feel to it, and I want it to be unique as well. I love the Pendraken 10 MM armored vehicles for my HotT armies because most of them fit nicely on the allotted base size (true, HotT does allow deeper bases to fit the model, but I prefer to try and stay at the minimum size).


So, starting with a Pendraken SFH9 model I looked at what my possibilities might be. Yep, remove the top section and replace it with a new one. It actually took a couple of hours to hand cut through the metal to remove the top, but it was worth it.

Then I had to figure out what to use for the top, and since this is to be an American walker I thought I'd best use the White Armored Car body. Sorry, I didn't get a picture before I cut it down (another couple of hours sawing through metal). But I basically removed part of the front section making a cut about 2 MM behind the front fenders. I then removed the rear portion just at the end of the main body.


Here you can see the various pieces I will be using, but can also get an idea of the body portion of the White A/C I am using. For fun, I said why not mimic an M3 Lee tank, so I putty filled the original turret hole on the A/C body so it can have a machine gun turret offset on the top (I'm using one of the turrets from ME19 Austin A/C) with a hatch added to the right top area, and a 57 MM gun set on the side like the main gun of an M3 Lee. To do this I then cut and filed a cut back area on the right front side of  the A/C body.


This is still very much a work in progress, but this picture will start to give you an idea of the planned finished model. You will notice that the original lower body of the walker figure is wider than the new A/C body I will be attaching, but I have plans for fixing that, and hope to show you in the next pictures I take.

One aspect of this model that is going to fun to me is the camouflage color scheme. I found a vintage art picture of an American railway gun that was camouflaged in white, yellow, soft red brown, mid-green and violet, all edged by a black line. By the way, the black edging was not for artistic sake, but was considered a key component of camouflage at the time – it was to help hide the view slits which were weak points. You were supposed to always have the black line go through the area where the view slits were, but I know it wasn't aways done. I also want to say that I like to peg pieces I add when doing this kind of conversion because it helps hold the model together, so I will be that with this one as well.

More to follow,

Terry
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fsn

 m/

Excellent stuff, Sir!

Please keep us abreast of your progress. Needs a big white star or two on it.
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Ithoriel

Impressive stuff, looking good so far!

I'll echo fsn in requesting pics of progress.
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Terry37

Thank you Gentlemen,

I will keep posting pictures until it is finished. This being for a World War I army I don't think a white star would be the right marking. I am thinking of maybe a playing card symbol that the Americas used/copied from the French, and maybe an American roundel on the top, but we'll see.

I am having fun with this one,

Terry
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Steve J

Great work and a nice bit of info re: the black lines 8)

fsn

Can I just point out that you're saying no to a star because it's not historically accurate on a 25' tall walker?   :-\
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O Dinas Powys

Quote from: fsn on 16 December 2016, 08:08:14 AM
Can I just point out that you're saying no to a star because it's not historically accurate on a 25' tall walker?   :-

You're not a fantasy/sci-fi gamer are you Nobby?  ;)
(I know, even though it's fantasy  :o  ;)  )

Luddite

Excellent work!

As for insignia, yeah the star-roundel would look good.

Point of order though - would the Americans have enough time to develop materiel during WWWI?  ;)

Joseph Nassise's "The Great Undead War" has a typically American-centric focus which is very disappointing.  I have no doubt the British Tommies and French "Hairy Ones" (poilus) could handle a few stahlhelmed zombie hordes without the massively inexperienced Doughboys getting involved.   :P
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toxicpixie

That's a real labour of love!

I think French/British markings are likely the way forwards - a very cursory web search reckons as much.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47211/thread/987154948/US+markings+in+the+Great+War

Some nice insignia piccies here though, which could be worked up into markings?

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/WW1%20Army%20Insignia%20Identification.html
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fsn

Quote from: O Dinas Powys on 16 December 2016, 11:11:57 AM
You're not a fantasy/sci-fi gamer are you Nobby?  ;)
It's that obvious is it?

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Terry37

FSN, a very fair observation, i.e.  a walking war machine in WWI. To help explain this let me share my approach to building a HotT army. First I determine the source/theme for/of the army, and in this case it is the books by Nassise. This prevents  an army being created of just super elements, but what ever is derived from the source. Therefore I feel limited pretty much to just what is mentioned or described in the book. After that I defer back to as much historical accuracy as possible for the time period the army is being built.

During WWI the Americans used the roundel similar to the British, french and Russians in Europe, only being red, blue white from the outside in. I have read references to the star in the circle being used at this time too, but most references say it was used only in the US - strange, as I cannot imagine why it wasn't also used in Europe during the war. So for me the star being used would be out of place regardless of my creating a walking machine that really never existed, except on page 124 of "By the Blood of Heroes".

Now this brings me to your question Luddite - did America have enough time to develop material. In this pursuit again using the book as the guide, we are now in the 7th year of the war so  it is taking place in 1921. Add to this that Tesla is often referenced as developing American weapons, and one of the characters, Dr. Graves, is also developing many things - such as robots, single human flying apparatus, and one that is also part of my army - a suitcase gun!

Now the suitcase gun is just way too much fun and I have worked up an acceptable facsimile of it. It is described as starting off with what looked like a Vickers HMG, but with all sorts of belts and glass tubes on it, a hand crank ont he side and a large glass ball where the gun sight would normally be, with the front of the gun sitting on a small tripod. The operator cranked the handle to build up a special kind of electrical charge that only affected dead tissue so was for use against the German zombies. Here's a picture of what I've done for it based on the description.



Toxic Pixie, that is a couple of good references, thank you for them.

In closing I know it is an America/German focused story, but I will say it is the British infantry who saves their bacon in the end!!! At least we're not taking claim for capturing the enigma machine aboard a German U-Boat!!!!! I even balked at that one.

Terry
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O Dinas Powys

Quote from: fsn on 16 December 2016, 01:50:52 PM
Quote from: O Dinas Powys on 16 December 2016, 11:11:57 AM
You're not a fantasy/sci-fi gamer are you Nobby?  ;)
It's that obvious is it?

I've had my suspicions for a while  :-\ 

However, not understanding the need to be totally authentic in a fantastic, hypothetical, extrapolateory scenario was the final piece in the puzzle  ;)
(I know, even though it's fantasy  :o  ;)  )