Modeling Chaos Havoks with autocannons

[Moress]

Hi all,

 

Before when I wanted heavy weapons on my CSM, I would just buy a box of loyalist devastators and chaos-ify them. This time around though, I need havoks with autocannons, about 8 of them to be exact, but I'm not sure of a good way to model them, so I'm looking for some inspiration or advice from the community.

 

Thanks!

[Brother Ambroz]

Try using heavy bolters as a base, sawing off the gun and then replacing it with the autocannon.

 

Edit: Insane Psychopath did some very nice autocannons in his blog, he explains how he made them as well. Check it out.

[Azekai]

Nice link there, Tanith Ghost . . . assault cannon + heavy bolter = autocannon. Brilliant!

[iandanger]

Another way is to use brass tube or plasticard tube of a sufficiently small size, glue it to the front of the heavy bolter and add a gargoyle head as the mouth of the barrel. Useful if you don't have assault cannons lying around.

 

Example of my autocannon turrets:

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/8026374749_32bfe6a14b_n.jpg

Untitled by ianlogsdon, on Flickr

[Urauloth]

I was wondering about plasticard tube. I'm not sure what thickness would be ideal, but a barrel made from tube with an underslung support strut (a key visial element in a lot of chaos AC designs) would look pretty good on a heavy bolter or psycannon base.

[Paradigm]

Using small copper tubing is ideal, it paints better than plastic card and is farm more durable. I've scratch built autocannons and am a bit delinquent in completing a tutorial on them. Once my camera is working again I need to dedicate an afternoon, and build a couple. Here's a link.

 

The copper tubing can be found at any hobby shop, bring a miniature with you to ensure the scale is what you want. You can use plastic card tubing of slightly larger size for the heat shield and piano wire for the support that runs along the bottom of the barrel. You'll want a sharp hobby knife and a hand drill, and a pair of old dikes to cut the piano wire. Don't use your clippers as this will either break them or destroy the blade. It will destroy the blades on the dikes as well, but if they're old its not so bad.

 

Enough to build as many autocannons as you'd ever need should only set you back about $25

 

If you just want to scratch build the barrel and use a base model for the rest of it, consider using a multimelta. Obviously you'd need a new ammo feed and to clip some unwanted parts off, but it works out to be very useful.

[Urauloth]

Problem with the multimelta is giving it an ejection port, ammo etc (as you mentioned) while the heavy bolter and psycannon have these already. I've been contemplating a barrel-swapped psycannon for a while now, it's about the right size and it has a hefty looking magazine. Psilencer is cool too, what with the rotary barrel setup, but it's got no ammo at all.

[Paradigm]

Oddly enough the multimelta looks better than the heavy bolter. Though it might just be me. I wish I could find the photos; there was one I saved a while ago, very good conversion, used the ammo drum from a guard ac i think, and the barrel from a defiler's reaper. Looked very ergonomic, like it was meant to be carried that way.

[GodEmperorOfMankind]

I used anvil industries, as they had an autocannon heavy weapon the was spot on, and they sell fore grips to stick on the side. Just checked their site and they appear to have disappeared, they did say they were having trouble with the mould. I'll drop them a mail and ask.

 

the autocannons were £2 a go, and the foregrips £1.30 for 10 (or something like that)

 

Do mess, no fuss, just grab some chaos marines and stick em on!

 

EDIT: Unfortunately Anvil aren't reintroducing the item, the mould is worn out and they've decided to remould a new one using latest technologies, so there should be a new an improved one sometime in the future.