Forge World Hydra - Build Guide

In this post I’m going to try to help you go from the bag on the left to the model on the right quickly and easily.

This could be a very offputting kit if you are an inexperienced modeller or if this is your first hydra. but it needent be, a few simple fixes for some of the kits issues will see you autocannoning your opponents into dust in no time.

What you’ll need:

• clippers
• scalpel
• file
• sculpting tool
• clay shaper
• glue
• greenstuff
• plasticard
• lube
• a hairdryer

The first thing is to use the hairdryer to turn the badly warped cannon you can see in the bag into the much straighter cannon you see before you.

Heat the part, one bend at a time with the hairdryer until it becomes pliable and bend it into shape, let it cool and viola. repeat as many times as needed and in small bends untill it looks spot on.

 

Next, assemble the chimera chassis to this point, its worth noting here that this is my first time building the “new” chimera and wow is it an easy kit. brilliant!

 

Attach the hydra top plate to the back piece, creating two sub-assemblies, this can take some fenegling and the pieces may need some heat to reduce warping.

 

Its important to note here which chimera back peice I have used and that I have removed the two big locating studs. this makes the rear panel fit much better imo.

 

Glue the two sub assemblies together. You can now begin to see why I say this isn't a beginners kit, even unwarped and assembled carefully the kit is flawed.

 

But the back seems to fit okay.

While that sets up, assemble the guns. please take pains to ensure that the barells are level with each other.

For this model I’ve decided to add the crewman you can see, simply because on the FW website he looks so comfy in the hydra :)

 

Time to dress the chassis. I’ve gone for heavy bolters here and the usual hatches

 

I did however decide to shave down the internal ring on the cupola so it would sit flush to the hull, I felt this helped the profile of the tank and didnt distract from the turrets.

 

All the panels and hatches in place.

 

The first stage of dealing with this awful holes is to glue some plasticard in place. just sit it inside the seam and run some glue down.

For ease, leave a log strip until the glue is set, then trim off.

The tracks on this generation of chimera couldn't be easier.

 

Just clip off and lay them out for ease of planning. (make sure the track direction is consistent on both sides)

 

And there you go. beats the old one hands down.

 

The its time to infill those holes, and to run some weld seams into any other gaps.

 

Start with a sausage

Flatten and smooth until happy.

other small gaps can either be invisibly mended or run in GS and roughly smooth into ridges to resemble weld seams.

 

There we have it, two Hydra. If I wanted to add more detailing I could do that now, but I’m feeling these as a fairly basic pair, I’m going to let the turrets do the talking.

Next up for assembly, another elysian squad. these guys are getting grenade launchers, which will be harder than the plasma, and the sgt is going to be a real headscratcher as I cant have both elysian sarges have mechanical arms.

The problem is twofold, theres no fat at all ont he squad, no spare bits, and the elysian codex (therefore kit) gives the sgt a lasrifle, which we cant do with the new IG codex.

I’m sure I’ll work something out, stay tuned to see what :)

Off the production line

Spent a little time modelling this weekend, Got my Trukk finished, built anyway, and primed, so as soon as I’m feeling brave I’ll get stuck in and start on that.
Here’s some pictures of the finished beastie

I wanted it to look well used, and maybe like it was something these guys spent a lot of time in.
I also very much didn't want it to look like the kit :)



I think something about the yellow I plan on using gives me that “afrika korps” feeling and I wanted some of that to be reflected in the trukk.
The observant among you will notice in the background there are some boyz-in-progress. hopefully I’ll finish those off this week and get some pics snapped.
As always, your comments are welcome, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Waagh-Orks In Progress

I thought I’d share a WiP and the first germ of an Idea with you.
Over the last few days, when I’ve had the time I’ve been chipping away at an Ork Trukk build, the vehicle will accompany the Boyz you’ve seen me painting in the last few posts.
I didn't want to build a vanilla trukk however, as that's exactly what I did with my first one, for the AoBR boyz I Painted as Blood Axes.
Here’s it’s current, (very WiP) state

The structure Is basically complete, enclosed engine bay, four wheels, running boards etc. the back flatbed needs aosme more structural work, maybe a tailgate or some more side plating I’m not sure. and the whole things needs detailing – rivets, bolts straps metal panels and bands etc. maybe even a bodged headlight or two.
the devious plan is however two fold.
building the model this way has enabled me to save a few components.

I believe I might just see the germ of a trike there for my Big Mek.
Once I get this finished up and primed I’ll get some paint on the rest of the Boyz, then its onto the two-wheeled lunatics.

AoBR Grey Knight Terminator 2

Judgement day? hrm maybe not.

Anyway I've produced another of these guys, a little more refined this time, a few changes, nothing so significant that he looks out of place next to his brother (*see last pic) but hopefully a little improved. some more colour which I hope will add to the unit as a whole, and a slightly different construction which has hopefully slimmed down the pads a little, while still keeping them as huge as I wanted :)

I've a good few more of these to produce, and they are quite intesive, but I think worth it, what do you think?

AoBR Grey Knight Terminator Conversion

Well, "ish". I thought I'd paint him up before I posted him, It's been probarbly one of the more diffcult things I've tackled, from the point of view of being happy with the result.

I've also been quite frustrated by the slow progress due to a stinking cold, well actually two stinking colds in a row. not my year it seems for those. anyway with a little help from Ron (thanks Ron) I'm kinda happy with it.

I can list some flaws that I want to correct next time out of the gate, The border width isn't consisent on all the pads, and the supergule does some funny things to card (my first time using card, and wow, both eaier and more difficult than plasticard at the same time) and theres some flat out errors, like he has no magazine on his bolter *ahem*

for m though, the main goals were that it "reads" as a grey knihgt, and that it fits in with the rest of my army.

here he is

I'd be delighted to hear any comments, have more flaws pointed out, be disagreed with, agreeed with or, well, anything really.

oh and I know he's a bit wonky on his base. I'll fix that :)

Shoulder the dissapointment

I wasnt happy with last nights shoulder pad attempts.

Both of them were too large in my eyes, and so today i set to to have a fettle.
I only did 1 pad, In an attempt to work quickly and make some descisions.

this first one apes one of my earlier Power Armoured =][=. Its rough and not entirely pleasing, but the size is a little better.

This, I dont know, this just dosent work for me, something , I dont think the original plastic has enough bend in it.

This is a slightly better proportioned take on Ron's pads. I'm leaning more in this direction.

I tried a "lobstered" look, but the results were too bulky to be worth photographing.

Maybe I need to pad out the greaves to balance the additional "weight" up top.

man, the thought of doing upwards of 15 of these guys if I eventually use Ron's method.

ouch.

I wonder if Card is easier to work with.