2nd/3rd Edition era Land Raider conversion kit?

[Midwest]

Maybe I'm just crazy, as I've repeatedly asked this to friends and elsewhere, and it seems like I'm the only one that remembers, but...

 

Is anyone familiar with a bagged full conversion mail order kit to build a Land Raider during the era between the original being discontinued and the new/current kit being release?

 

I believe the conversion was based on reversing and/or flipping a Leman Russ hull and tracks. I *think* it came out around 1997-ish, as I vaguely recall it coming out around the time Gorkamorka was released. Since that came out in '97, I'm guessing this kit was released near the end of 2nd Edition, but it's possibly that it could have been the beginning of 3rd edition in '98. It may have been announced in White Dwarf or Citadel Journal, or possibly a mail order insert or something else.

 

Things to pre-emptively clarify (since people seem to keep misreading and go off on unrelated tangents when I ask):

 

* This isn't a conversion kit to make a LR variant like the Spartan. This was solely to make the stock Land Raider kit. It existed because GW decided to go years without producing an actual kit for this model.

 

* This isn't a one-off conversion for a Golden Demon or someone's specific army (iE I'm not talking about the stretch Death Wing Land Raider shown off in an old White Dwarf). This was "mass-produced" as an intended way for anyone to build a Land Raider to use in their army.

 

* This is a complete kit, using only GW parts (i.e. not the aforementioned DW Land Raider that used a historical WWI tank kit, or other conversions that used actual Land Raider kits). This was a self-sufficient kit offered directly through Mail Order, and was advertised as such - not a random one-off conversion from Golden Demon coverage or an individual army spotlight.

 

* This was not a Forgeworld kit or (AFAIK) contained FW parts. I believe it was mostly plastic, with possibly some metal bits from the current Predator or Leman Russ kits of the era (i.e. I'm assuming it used metal Predator sponsons and lanscannons from the Predator kit that existed at the time).

 

While it undoubtedly pales in comparison to the current LR kits, I've been wanting to track this particular "kit" down partly for nostalgia, partly to see exactly what made it up. As stated, I believe it was based on a Land Raider with bits from other IG and Marine kits - I vaguely recall the ad announcing it had a picture but I don't remember the details well enough.

 

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help!

[armarnis]

pretty sure that this must (if it has been) have come before gorkamorka, i had every WD from there on until ~110 or something like that and im certain i would have remembered something

[Doghouse]

Nothing I can recall but I know there were experimental phases with GW producing resin tank kits before the time of Forge World like the Ork Gutbusta. It might have been something along those lines maybe?

[Midwest]

I don't believe so. I recall them selling it as a bagged conversion kit, similar to the later pirate zombie kits they did in WHFB where they just combined existing sprues.

 

I really do recall this being a plastic/metal kit only, using parts of existing kits. I can't recall if the article or ad announcing it included the steps to make it if you already had the parts already, but I'm fairly certain there were no unique parts that were special made for the kit - I recall it truly being a kitbash.

[Noserenda]

Might have been something in a foreign white dwarf? There definitely wasnt anything of that like in the UK as i desperately wanted a Land Raider through 99% of the Period but didnt have the guts or knowledge to convert a Historical tank. Dunno if thats helpful?

[Grotsmasha]

I'm in Australia, and have bought almost every WD sincee 112 with the Sister on the front, and don't recall seeing it.

[Xenith]

Never seen or heard of it, and I've got every white dwarf since Oct 1998.

 

Land Raiders were not available in any form until they released the new one, as far as I know.

[Major_Gilbear]

Is anyone familiar with a bagged full conversion mail order kit to build a Land Raider during the era between the original being discontinued and the new/current kit being release?

 

I believe the conversion was based on reversing and/or flipping a Leman Russ hull and tracks. [...]

 

[...] This was solely to make the stock Land Raider kit. It existed because GW decided to go years without producing an actual kit for this model. [...]

 

[...] This was "mass-produced" as an intended way for anyone to build a Land Raider to use in their army [...]

 

[...] This is a complete kit, using only GW parts (i.e. not the aforementioned DW Land Raider that used a historical WWI tank kit, or other conversions that used actual Land Raider kits). This was a self-sufficient kit offered directly through Mail Order, and was advertised as such - not a random one-off conversion from Golden Demon coverage or an individual army spotlight.

 

[...] I believe it was based on a Land Raider with bits from other IG and Marine kits - I vaguely recall the ad announcing it had a picture but I don't remember the details well enough. [...]

 

Well, firstly, I don't ever recall seeing it in the UK WD, nor in the Citadel Journal (UK editions - not sure if there were any other editions though!), and my collection of both certainly encompasses 2E and 3E pretty much in it's entirety.

 

Secondly, the most likely plastic kits at that time would be the classic Rhino, the Chimera, and the Leman Russ. The classic Land Raider and the classic Predator had been discontinued (or were only available via mail order) for some time. If it was the beginning of 3E, the Land Speeder may have been a parts donor too.

 

However, I do remember an article either about or by Ian Pickstock regarding his tank collection. I vaguely remember seeing a Mail Order flyer in which there was an offer to sell the various tank sprues separately so that people could make all-plastic Predators using Leman Russ parts added to a Rhino and so on, in imitation of his conversions. It was these conversions that apparently led to the release of the metal turret/sponson versions of the 2E Predators, and is also where the Predator Annihilator came from in design terms (noting that Ian collected Space Wolves, and the background of the tank was that SW Iron Priests came up with the first ones).

 

I also remember a conversion featured in WD by Fred Reed of a Deathwing Leman Russ, converted from a WW1 British MkIV tank with parts from a Chimera and a Leman Russ. I doubt that Mail Order would offer a set of sprues to "doll-up" somebody else's plastic kits with, but it also wasn't completely unknown for them to release such upgrade/conversion packs either.

 

Finally, I do recall seeing some conversions of tanks that had the Leman Russ tracks flipped around, but I don't remember any of these being Space Marine vehicles - rather, they were variant Leman Russes, Chimeras, and such.

 

If you think this was around 1997, that would be around the time that Epic 40k was released. This was the first time the Land Raider had been redesigned since the classic model, and would see further design development before the version we have now was finally released. Can you remember if the design was like the classic model, or was it more like the Epic40k version? From your reversed Leman Russ Tracks, I assume it was like the Epic 40k version...

 

If you can recall anything else it might help: Did it have a front ramp and side doors? Was it painted? Were there instructions on how to make the conversion? Was it GW (or a member of their staff) who did the conversion, or was it a feature on a player's vehicle? The last question I ask because I believe that some of the US WD had conversion guides for a "King Russ" tank conversion and such in them (although this was later - around 4E maybe), and Mail Order offered bundles so other people to do the same.

[Halandaar]

I'm afraid I've also no memory of it, and I had WD's as far back as the one with the free Skink and Bretonian Archer on the front (which I believe was when 5th Edition WFB came out, around 96).

[Midwest]

I'm afraid my memory of the build isn't that strong - all I really recall is that it flipped the tread/sides of a Leman Russ kit, used the metal sponsons from the contemporary hybrid Predator kit, and I believe it also doubled the treads (two-wide per side) to help add some bulk and width.

 

Since it was clearly a scratch-build gap-filler, and came out before the current kit, I think it was built to mimic the proportions and general appearance of the original 40k kit. I don't recall it used any kind of stretching of the Leman Russ tread assemblies to mimic the longer modern kit, nor used the mini-turret for the heavy bolters.

 

I honestly just don't recall what was used for the body, whether it was the Leman Russ kit, the Rhino kit, or even a Chimera body. Based on where I was living when I recalled seeing it, I'm fairly certain that it had to be late spring/early summer of '98 or thereabouts.

 

I'm American, so it's possible that this was a US-only thing, possibly a MO insert of some sort rather than something advertised directly in Citadel Journal.

[Sternenfaust]

You're talking about this, aren't you?

 

http://s842.photobucket.com/user/Soulcrusher6669/media/Inferno%20Knights/02ElitesLandRaider1.jpg.html

[Race Bannon]

That's a cute little Land Raider!

[Azazyll]

I go back to 1996 (in the US, WD 200 by the old numbering) and I have zero memory of that!  Pretty neat little conversion though.  I remember back when we were encouraged to do conversions as a much more creative time.

[Major_Gilbear]

@ Sternfaust:

 

That's pretty much what I was imagining, but I've never seen it in a GW publication before! I have to conclude that it was a US mail order only concept/offer.

 

Great find BTW! ;)

[Sternenfaust]

@ Sternfaust:

That's pretty much what I was imagining, but I've never seen it in a GW publication before! I have to conclude that it was a US mail order only concept/offer.

Great find BTW! ;)

"This land raider was a conversion kit from Games Workshop Mail Order that came out about a year before the current land raider kit."

 

So this was in 1999? The "new" Land raider kit was released in 2000, if I remember that correctly. I'm quite sure this was not in a german White Dwarf - never saw this before.

[Halandaar]

So this was in 1999? The "new" Land raider kit was released in 2000, if I remember that correctly. I'm quite sure this was not in a german White Dwarf - never saw this before.

 

Yeah, it did come out in 2000, White Dwarf 245. Crazy actually to think that kit is so old.

[Major_Gilbear]

So this was in 1999? The "new" Land raider kit was released in 2000, if I remember that correctly. I'm quite sure this was not in a german White Dwarf - never saw this before.

Yeah, it did come out in 2000, White Dwarf 245. Crazy actually to think that kit is so old.

Dunno, the quality of finish and casting on my Land Raiders certainly shows their age!

I also don't know how popular the kit is - although like the Terminators I assume most marine players have at least one - but I wouldn't be surprised to see it re-done in the next year or two because it's such an old (and iconic) model.

Anyway - looking back, what surprises me more is that it took GW so long to replace the classic LR! They kept the Rhino in production for years, but the LR was dropped from regular sale for a really very long time.

[Jolemai]

Never seen the before ever

[Jolemai]

So many classic metal components in that too! 2 x Attack Bike heavy bolter, 2 x Annihaltor lascannon, 2 x metal smoke launcher, hunter-killer missile, Mk I rhino antennae, dozer blade, Rhino hatch, and a Russ base. Don't recognise the panels over the tracks...?

... and yes, I want to make one An updated version could make a counts-as Proteus?

[Charlo]

So many classic metal components in that too! 2 x Attack Bike heavy bolter, 2 x Annihaltor lascannon, 2 x metal smoke launcher, hunter-killer missile, Mk I rhino antennae, dozer blade, Rhino hatch, and a Russ base. Don't recognise the panels over the tracks...?

... and yes, I want to make one An updated version could make a counts-as Proteus?

Pop on a 3rd TL-Lascannon instead of the Heavybolters for the true Proteus experience :D

[Midwest]

You're talking about this, aren't you?

 

http://s842.photobucket.com/user/Soulcrusher6669/media/Inferno%20Knights/02ElitesLandRaider1.jpg.html

O. M. G. YES!!!!

 

Thank you so much!!!

[Shadow Captain Vyper]

As I recall, to elaborate, I believe specifically it was an insert that came inside the 99 Mail order catalog. I think I actually have my 99 Mail Order Catalog at home, but I did in fact build this kit. As mentioned its Leman Russ Tracks, Rhino Body, Annihilator Sponsons (Pewter), and you could go a couple routes on the weaponry on the top. When I built mine I used the dozer blade as well.

I remember it because nobody else in the club had a Land Raider, just me, so it felt pretty cool. On the other hand, I recall that the Annihilator sponsons broke off on the regular due to being so heavy and super glued onto plastic. 15-year-old me never thought to look into something more serious like JB Weld to solve the problem.

Oh, and then the real kit came out the next year, I bought one of those, and when you put them side by side the Mail Order kit seemed embarrassing to even own, due to how small it was. One guy in my club did have the old RT era Plastic Land raider kit, and it was shorter/stockier/taller than this conversion, but still quite small as well. The new Godhammer kit was truly awe inspiring when it came out. Ahhh, its like reliving an old lost love (Its also the reason there's a small part of me that wants to build a token Black Templar force just to have an excuse to run 2-3 Obsec Land Raiders and try to make them work)

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane!

[Shadow Captain Vyper]

Oh, and I believe the panels on top (@ Jolemai) are a combination of two parts. The "end" pieces are actually access hatch/doors off the Leman Russ Track sprue. Specifically where the sponson is covering (Its to go on there in case you build a Leman Russ without Sponsons). The top piece of track guard is actually a hull component of the Leman Russ as well. Im sure I could find it by looking at sprue photos. IIRC, there used to be (or still is) track guards for the Chimera, and this mail order kit recommended trimming down those for track guards on this kit, I believe that is what I did. This fella seems to have improvised.

[Sternenfaust]

Oh, and then the real kit came out the next year, I bought one of those, and when you put them side by side the Mail Order kit seemed embarrassing to even own, due to how small it was.

I remember staring at the picture of the Ultramarine Chapter in the 3ed Codex and desperately wanting to own at least one of those Land Raiders (the old kit). I got into the hobby in late '99, so it was impossible to get one. The new kit a year later was stellar and, at least in my group, a real threat on the board.