Cyclone Missile Launcher

[Doktor Claw]

Cyclone missile launchers are difficult to get hold of; you can buy them for vast sums on eBay, you can buy resin ones from Iron Dog studios, or try and make something yourself. The problem is that so many options for DIY Cyclones are vast, compared to the terminator they sit on. I have recently created 2 CMLs using Deathwind drop pod missile launcher pods and Hunter-killer missiles; things that you may well have lying around if you bought drop pods or any other vehicle. Unfortunately I have already assembled them, and it didn't occur to me to take pics during the assembly process; c'est la vie!

 

First step is to take the two sides of two deathwind missile launcher pods, clean them up, and glue them together as per the drop pod instructions. Once this is dry, clean off the winged skulls (red) from both sides of each pod. Put the pods side by side, facing the same direction. On the first pod, clean off AND SAVE the two oval vents on the left side (green), and also remove the other bits on there so that the left side of this pod is flat (red). On the other pod, repeat this process on the right side. You will now have two pods, with opposite sides smoothed off.

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6113/6364223881_4b95de29ca.jpg

 

 

Now take your razor saw; we're going to shorten these pods so they don't look quite so huge atop a terminator. Cut vertically through each pod in two places; 0.5-1mm behind the 'nub' where the missiles themselves would go, and also at the level of the second notch in the top of the pod. (red lines).

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6216/6364226033_3554102c67.jpg

 

Then take the missiles themselves, glue them to their 'nub', then glue the shortened pod together. Remember to put the missiles themselves the same way up on both sides. To make the top more interesting, I take one of the vents we shaved off before, and put it at the midline of the top of the pod, right where the sprue had been joined (see pics of completed launcher)

 

We now have two individual pods; next step is to join them. Take a hunter killer missile body then shave off the skull (green), and cut off the front pieces the bottom pieces, and everything behind the red lines. We want the bit that did have the skull on it (within red lines). On the other piece of the HKM (sensor pod and missile), remove the sensor pod at the red line, and keep the pod. These will make up the centre of our cyclone; the side where the skull was will be the top of the centrepiece, what was the front will remain the front.

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6048/6364226765_c1ea341974.jpg

 

Finally, this can be assembled. Take the HKM sensor console and glue it either vertically or horizontally onto the front of the choppoed-down HKM missile itself; if you glue it horizontally, you will have to trim it down to fit the pods on. Then simply glue the flattened sides of the pods to the HKM so that the deathwind missile racks line up with the front of the HKM.

 

Pics of completed (un filed/filled) product:

Side view:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6111/6364229309_589a6ef863.jpg

 

From the bottom:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6227/6364238313_4042f2b257.jpg

 

From the front:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6364257181_41ecbfc7a5.jpg

 

From there, some filling and filing are required, and also the making of a mount. The mount I will make out of greenstuff with an embedded magnet to allow it to clip on and off. This is not yet done.

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6043/6364246541_7886104fcf.jpg

 

 

As you can see, whilst it's definitely larger than a standard cyclone, it's not too much bigger (unlike the typhoon-based ones, which always look massive!) Hopefully this is of some use to people!