Opener for the Imperial Guard Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Description:

Initial idea I plan to hack up a SM Land Speeder and merge it with an Apache model cockpit to create a light, fast attack choice, air craft used to hit mostly ground targets. This aircraft will have two wing mounted air-to-air short range missiles, two flack canisters for anti-missile defense and two hull mounted Hellgun Gatling-gun style model attack weapons.

Fluff:

++Incoming Message.....++
++Transmitter - Astropath 34552Z4T55/AG51++
++Reciever - Astropath 058459ER34/445A++
++Author identified as Commissar Rainman++
++Date 586/M.39++
++Thought for the Day: If man could fly the emperor would have given him wings, and he did and it was wonderful.++
++Displaying.......++

With the approval of General P.J. Altimite, Commander 14 Imperial Guard Cadian Army,

I am sending a request to the Directorate of Mars. It has come to our attention that several zeno and heretic forces now field weapons of speed and quick strike. The “flyers” are but a gnat in the side of the forces of the imperium but even a gnat can hinder the final outcome of battle and total domination. The speed is the greatest asset only the wonders of the loyal Space Marine’s land speeder make attempts to swat the flyer. The current ground-to-surface defenses are somewhat less than adequate.

It is with this that I request the Directorate use recourses to contest these gnats. We the Armies of the Imperial Guard leave this up to your discretion.

There is only one emperor and he is ours.

Commissar Tatilius Sterg Rainman.

Mar’s answer: The Peregrine Falcon a.k.a Mosquito



Named after an extinct bird of prey and well nicknamed for its humming engines replicated from the space marine land speeder frame the Peregrine Falcon entered testing battle on the fire fields of Cadia. The weapons platform was designed to answer the increasing number of short range, high speed battlefield aircraft encountered throughout the empire. Most notably the Eldar & Chaos corrupted Eldar jet bikes, Tau Piranha, Necron hover capabilities and Chaos’s flying mutations. This aircraft will in no way replace the combat effectiveness of a Vulture, Lightning, or Thunderbolt. It can in no way replace the lift capacity of the Valkyrie or Aquila for it has none.

The cockpit’s tandem configuration of the aircraft is designed to provide some protection for the crew. The fully enclosed cockpit was centered on the aircraft because the Imperial Guard pilot and gunner do not have the protection or bulk of a space marine power suit. This also puts the gunner on the nose of the aircraft providing for the most accurate shots.

2005-11-06 IG Peregrine Falcon

Wow two weeks in a row, winter must be setting in. I am trying to finish the wings to finish out the main body. Soon I hope to mount them on the upper portion of the model.

I concentrated on the landing gear this week. Now I was looking more for functional than spectacular.





These are sponsons gun holders off of the Land Raider sprue. I cut the two horizontal rods sticking out the front and back. I cut the shock, put a pin in it and glued a portion the previous horizontal rods making the front shock. I shaved down the upper part until it was flat with the molded hinge looking part. I then glued this onto the wing.





Erik

2005-10-30 IG Peregrine Falcon

Wow has it really been almost two months? Ok I do have an excuse but let’s just say I have been busy during the day which limits my modeling time at night. I have also had a modeling how too, dilemma.

I stopped by the local Hobby Town and picked up some additional sheets of styrene. I am going to use them to accent the main components and cover up some mistakes. I should have gotten a right angle but did not, oh well.

The biggest problem noted or the one I found most dis, and this might be why I waited so long, was that someone noted that most IG aircraft have the capability of vertical takeoffs. For example the Vulture, the Aquila Lander, or Valkyrie, all have this capability. The Peregrine did not. My problem was finding something to fill in that modeling example. My biggest problem was finding a takeoff thruster to resemble the Valkyrie or Vulture’s.

Here is a picture of the Vulture highlighting the thrusters.



I also have been working feverishly on my basement, so I guess the old adage about taking some time off to help find a solution was true. I happened upon some wall mollies, anchors for screwing in screws into sheetrock. Low and behold they are just about the right size for the thrusters. What I did was this: The wall mollies are molded with three connecting fingers. When you drive the screw into them the fingers split creating a pressure restraint on the sheetrock.



I split off one of these fingers with my hobby knife, creating one small finger and one large finger. Using my hobby file I widened the gap between the fingers. The width is so the molly slides over the end of the wing. I then glued this assembly in place. I will be putting a cover or creating on next time I have a hobby weekend. I also plan to work on getting landing gear.





Erik

2005-08-14 IG Peregrine Falcon

Time flies when filled with work.

It has been about a month since I put in a late night of modeling. I have not however forgotten what I was doing pulling down my model every now and then to reflect on my goal and plan out my evening. I have finally received the final part for my IG Dread Apex. Please go and check it out: http://mrskinner-igdread.blogspot.com/. I hopefully will be basing it this week and dry brushing through the weekend.

I first started on an idea I had while removing all the foam furniture protectors for cleaning carpets. I am going to build a base with a rock pillar and the Falcon skirting the column. I also wanted to use the ailerons and rudder controls. Thus I cut out the two rear ailerons. Not pictured was how I glued them back into place.


I have also finished attaching an outrigger assembly to one help hold the wing and two hold each an antitank missile taken from the Imperial guard Tank Accessory Sprue.





I have cut my wings from a 2mm thick piece of plastic card. I would have liked 1mm with some thin additional material for armor but the local Hobby Town did not have any, shucks. I will have to work on the ailerons for the main wing later I plan to finish the APEX first.

Erik

2005-07-17 IG Peregrine Falcon

Well I was looking at the Falcon and recalling some of the comments made to me by the guys at Boot Camp. I began to get a bulking out idea and unSM my Land Speeder. The back bottom of the Land Speeder is two exhaust jets. I assume these are for vertical takeoff. These are unacceptable in my view. Off they had to go. Now these were cuts that took several hours. Since the back was now being held on by only a piece about ½ inch thick I did not want to be too aggressive and have the back end fall off. I cut the vents close to the part themselves I want to save these and use them as wing assists to the vertical takeoff.




Using my Dermal I cut the slanted sides off of the top piece of the Epic Scale Imperial Warlord Titan. I had bought three of these things just for the feet to my Heavy Sentinels but the exhaust for the top part looks great elsewhere I plan to use one on the back of a tank as well.

I plan to use the arm cannon or Gatlin gun for my strafing weapons.

Erik

2005-07-10 IG Peregrine Falcon

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the model I was to aggressive last time when I glued in the canopy I also have several smudges on the clear plastic. I think this is a trademark of mine even when I used to do truck, NASCAR or other models those with windshields always got smudged.

As I was saying I glued before I got set but have been able to adjust. I have been thinking about the crew and wanted something like a flight suit not the ground troop in armor. I thought I might have to do some major filing on the shoulder pads but remembered I had at least one or two Sentinel crewmen.

I dug up one and made the plunge, this could quickly turn into a single man operation if this customization did not work. I shaved off the hips and legs of the SM that are in the speeder chair. I had to file down the legs to just get the guy to fit, and after looking and fitting some more I should have kept filing. The front top part does not fit smoothly because the canopy hits the gunner (front guys) helmet. Like I said I glued the canopy on too soon. I am also going to have to trim down the underside of the canopy to make room for the shoulders and such. I used the Vox-Caster head from the Cadian Shock Troop Infantry Sprue. I cut off the little nub of an antenna it just did not fit.

I replicated the process for the second crewman. ONLY problem, the space within the crew compartment is not exactly huge. I ran out of the half inch or so I needed for the lower legs and feet of the rear pilot. I filed off the legs back to the knees. I intend to put a console panel over this to hide the fudging of the legs. The problem is I intend to not glue the top part of the speeder to the bottom so you can see the custom cockpit.





When I glued the canopy on the model the front was a BIG gap. At first I was trying to build up some armor plate with the double headed eagle. Then while digging for the Sentinel crewman I came across the tank accessory sprue. I used one of the track guards to make an intake vent and cover the canopy miss-glue.







Since the SM sit side by side and I wanted a tandem seating I ended up with a mess of, for lack of a better term, white space on the left and right back side of the canopy. I used the foot pad of the chair piece.

If I recall there was a groove or step down from the base of the chairs to the grated floorboard. I had cut on the front side of that groove to preserve the chairs and this step down. I then trimmed down the floorboard pieces and fit them behind the canopy. I will get some narrow strips of card to hide the holes.



Erik

2005-06-27 IG Peregrine Falcon

What a night of customization. I have been working my way through this hobby knife and file in hand.

I will try best to describe my actions but the first part of this customization actually took place three weeks ago. I have not posted updates because I lacked a camera.

This is a converging of a Revell-Monogram 1183 Thunder SquadronTM SnapTite® Apache Helicopter Desktop and an SM Land Speeder. I have chosen the Revell-Monogram model solely on cost. The fact that I intend to only use the canopy, wings and a few odds-and-ends I did not want to spend hardly any money.

I am basing this flyer off the SM Land Speeder so that, when I refer to the “model,” I mean the Land Speeder

I first took the upper portion of the model and removed the middle bar that goes down the middle of the speeder. I then cut into the hood section carving out a rectangle section that fit the canopy of the Apache. I had to file a groove, using my round file, in the top part of the canopy to accommodate the notch on the speeder. I did not want to cut too aggressively at that section it was already appearing weakened.

I glued a piece of card within the overhang of the model the end result was something like pictured below.




I then began work on the cockpit of the model. The bottom portion of the model was the base. I wanted to keep several portions of the crew area so with my hobby knife in hand I began trimming down the chairs.

I think there was a console or something between the two seats. I cut this console out nicely to keep as a bit. I cut outlining the chair portion I ended up with two chairs trimmed closely to the pads leaving nothing less than a 1/8 inch or less around the pads. I kept the cuts square or 45 degrees to keep with the bulky look of the IG.




Erik