Prepare to drive.

Captain MAGpie's Damocles Command Rhino

A Forgeworld Build

LEL. He got owned.

First time I saw this model, I just HAD to get it. It looked like an incredible amount of fun to paint and I had a few ideas with some extra details.


That said, when I had the interior painted up and the kit build, I made the decision to leave the roof detached, so that (at any point) I can pop it off to show off the interior. After all, it would be a shame to hide all those details.

Well, that's when a tiny bit of a problem presented itself. It was just not detailed enough. The driver compartment was empty and the tracks abruptly stopped.

Not happening if you don't have a driver Lord Helmet...

So, I fixed it. Track were no real big deal, just lay down spare tracks all round. Driver though.

Good thing, I just build a Stormhawk, and the "Stormtalon" pilot bit was just begging to be used.
Just a few trimming of plasticard, loads of cutting and filing, and we were golden. I had a driver!

So the build. Although this is not a tutorial, I'll take you along on the journey that was this fun little project, hopefully inspiring you to do something cool with your Command Rhino.

Panels painted up. The keyboard was simple. Dry-brushed with white. Worked like a charm.
Then a sharp marker and dot dot dot... letters on the keys.

Slapped a poster on the door, took 2 spare bolters and shaved of the hands gripping then (was gruesome work) and installed a gun rack. Cause... hunting wabbits.

Speaking of the posters. Actually quite simple. Just made a template (which I will drop in below here) and printed it out. Waited a few hours for the ink to dry properly, and took a 50/50 mix of stock standard PVA glue with water and coated the whole sheet. Again, left it to dry. Then I cut it out and I had laminated posters!

Generic wording. Nothing too special, but at the correct scale its VERY hard to read. So, its ok.
The point is effect and atmosphere, and they achieve that.

I did the same with the purity seals (also included above in a verity of sizes). It works quite nicely. The wax-seal bit was made from putty and then just painted red.

What is nice about the PVA glue method, is that you can shape the paper quite nicely to give a wave, folder, warn.. just about any effect.

Brother! That guy over there, he is cheating!

He is their self-proclaimed MVP. What do you expect, Brother?
Indeed. Squad 4, focus on Player xXxDoomFuryFirstsofFuryNoScope69xXx

Ha! He rage-quit. Scrub!

To fit the seat I had to remove the divider wall again, but I was fine with that. I did not like the way it attached to the roof.
The seat, as I said was just bits from the Stormtalon that I had left over.
The door in the back was cut from the original rhino divider bit. The console part is now snugly and safely in my bitz-box. The floor panel was from the back door of a rhino that I replaced the door with some hydraulics etc in a build I am still working on. Was not needed. A floor like this can very easily be made from fin mesh stuck to a flat board, and then covered in PVA glue. The glue will shape nicely into the contours and you will have a very convincing mesh floor, like I used in my Big-Burd Mk I below. Though, I really should have used finer mesh. Was all I had at hand at the time unfortunately. Came out ok enough.

Metal Mesh floor in place.

looks very convincing once painter up. Note to self, use finer mesh.

Alternatively is using the mesh or flooring roller such as those from Green Stuff World, and making a floor from putty.

I was just lazy.

Driver seat from spare bits and plasticard off-cuts.

Door window is actually hollowed out. You can see through it.

I lined the two doors up by actually hollowing out the peep-port in the two doors, and using that as the alignment reference.

Aah... a comfy fit. Just how I like it.

 

Then I test fitted the driver...

Shoulder pad is to big!

Yip, Goofed. Well, kinda, I guess. I forgot to take in account the very Special-K size of Space Marine shoulder pads and placed the driver to close to the side. I could have avoided this entirely if I measured it properly, but I did not. So either take the whole things apart or... cut a hole.

I cut a hole.

Made it seem as if it should be there by placing a screen on it and a poster just to... blend away any evidence of unplanned actions.

Worked well, actually, and if I do this again, I think I will actually do the same, but slightly highers to add a few extra screens. Possibly the ones I cut from the original divider wall.

Ok, its fine. Cut a hole in the side panel, add screens and a poster.

Planned. See, I planned this.
This was all planed from the start..

Why does Brother AceDriver look constipated?

Was happy so far. Driver was in snug, track all round. Front plate almost ready.

Windows are cut from a soda bottle. You can see through em... sort of.
Weathering took its tole, but it still looks pretty convincing.

Simplicity, but with loads of silly details. I liked how it was coming together. Just few small details left to go.

in the end, I put quite a few small things into the model. Helmets and Bolters, made the front windows actual window, glued a silly naughty poster on the inside next to the driver. Why? These are Space Marines man...
Cause it was fun, that's why.

The photo is by Kirchos. Does some stunning cosplay photography. Go check him out.

I folded in half and roughed it up a bit so it looks like its from a magazine upon suggestion of my beautiful misses! Thanks Star!

Think the Sisters are going to appreciate this?
I think its going to get hot in this Command Vehicle...

 
Then I stuck a whole load of antennae on top, cause, well, reporting live... (Picture was taken just after I primed the exterior waayyy before I actually decided to "properly" tinker with the kit. Suffice it to say, I had to re-prime a lot of areas.)

So, we can contact the Battle-Barge with this thing?
Brother, we can contact Holy Terra with this thing...

 
Final touches were also on the outside. Wanted to give it a dozer-blade. Did not have a spare one around so made one using the roof-hatches from the left-over parts of the kit. Simple but effective little add-on. I unfortunately had this brain-fart AFTER I already painted the kit. So... guess who was doing touch-up -_-

Imperial Aquila is still on the front plate here.
I had to remove it first before I could glue the pistons on.

Last bit of painting and final bit of weathering and dusting and I was happy.

Coming to you live from the LZ, this is Vicky Clandestine report for INN!

Hope you enjoyed it. And as always, I would LOVE to see you take on the build. Post up picks or links to your Command Rhino.

Captain MAGpie,
Styrene Addict