Amazing Military Sci-Fi Modeling

Fun & Games
Amazing Military Sci-Fi Modeling
lemanRussTank1.jpg
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I did a massive double take when I saw this jaw-dropping model on Dinosaurs and Robots. “Wait, that’s a Leman Russ battle tank! From Warhammer 40K!,” I squealed to myself. Warhammer 40,000 is the “dark gothic sci-fi” tabletop wargame that almost put me in the poorhouse a few years back. One of the coolest things about the tabletop wargaming hobby is that there are actually so many different hobbies involved (the gaming itself, the miniature painting, the scenery building, the model converting, the writing fiction and scenarios in the gameworld).

One of my favorite aspects of the hobby is seen above at its finest: diorama modeling. Go to a Games Day or other tabletop wargaming conference and you’ll see miniatures and displays like this that will blow your mind. The quality of the painting, the level of depicted detail, the ingenuity of the “hacks” (e.g. the kitchen trash that’s been turned into realistic-looking model components) is tremendously inspiring.

These images come from an article on IPMS Stockholm, an international plastic modeling webzine. You’ll find over 500 articles on plastic modeling there.

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10 thoughts on “Amazing Military Sci-Fi Modeling

  1. Eric says:

    Thats a Space Marine Land Raider if I’ve ever seen one. The Leman Russ is more squat, looks more like a real tank.

  2. Gareth Branwyn says:

    Oh, I beg to differ, Eric. I haven’t played 40K in a while, but I’m enough of a treadhead to know what this is most definitely a Leman Russ. A Land Raider is much bigger, wider (if has to transport giant space marines!).

    And by “more like a real tank” maybe you’re thinking of the Chimera, which looks more like a modern tank. The Leman Russ actually looks like a “real tank,” too. In fact, it looks A LOT like the British Mk IV, from WWI.

  3. I have no mouth and I must scream says:

    Actually I think the reason it looks like a SM Land Raider is the turret has been removed and the basic body is a similar shape. There are other variants like the Destroyer Tank Hunter which is the LR with a large laser cannon mounted on the hull, like some of the German Tank Destroyers.
    BTW you could also check out boards like “Work in Progress”
    http://z11.invisionfree.com/Work_In_Progress/index.php?s=3c6aa53ae401989506155fb16e621975&

  4. I have no mouth and I must scream says:

    also gotta add
    @Gareth Branwyn
    “In fact, it looks A LOT like the British Mk IV, from WWI.”
    yeah by way of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” with the added turret(though that tanks body was longer than a Russ).

  5. Aud1073cH says:

    I’ve built scenery from scraps, old toys, second hand models, old circuit boards, cell phones, flashlights, etc.

    Warhammer 40k themed miniatures:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/aud1073ch/sets/72157601494076102/

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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