Kitbashing in 6mm scale- Land Raider Excelsior and Rhino Primaris

 One of my hobby projects at the moment is creating a Black Templar force in 6mm scale- mostly just for the hobby of it, but also so they could be used for Epic Armageddon etc.

I have so far completed a few tester tanks and infantry stands (see below), but was missing something as a leader for my force. I don't currently have any of the original HQ miniatures from Epic, and rather than searching on Ebay- I thought it might be fun to try and create an HQ miniature. Sculpting isn't something I massively enjoy- and creating a 6mm model is way beyond my skill level, so I hopped online to look for vehicle HQ units. I vaguely remembered there being a kit which was unique to the store at Warhammer World, and there they were; the Land Raider Excelsior and Rhino Primaris. I had a 3d printed mini of both, so all I would need is to dip into my bits box...

My Crusade Force so far- just missing those HQs!

From the start, I knew I didn't want to try and create the exact miniatures- but something which could be easily identifiable on the table as a 'unique' vehicle model, and to give a Black Templar version of things.

I started with the Land Raider, which gave more space to work with, and is what I'm viewing as the 'warlord' of my army- picking out a small aquila, I trimmed it down to fit on the front of the tank.

The perfect size- I think this aquila might be from the drop pod kit

A perfect fit!

This gave some ornamentation straight away, a grander piece of decoration compared to the blank surface of a normal Land Raider.

Next was what to put on top. I was inspired here by the recent model for the Sisters of Battle in 40k- The Triumph of Saint Katherine. I really like the throwback to medieval ideas of Relics, and the bodies of saints having holy properties- which feels like it fits in really well with the Black Templar aesthetic. 

The Triumph of Saint Katherine

I liked the idea that as a crusading chapter, the Black Templars might mount a particularly important Marshal or Chaplains body onto their Land Raider Excelsior, so that in death they could keep fighting for the Chapter. I wasn't going to find anything this detailed at a 6mm scale, so I needed something which conveyed the idea of a tomb. I originally looked at the small relics with bones that come with the Intercessors kit- but the bones looked far too large for a person at this scale. In the end, I found this bit of a small chest, which I felt looked enough like a coffin/sarcophagus that it could be painted in that manner.

The chest I decided on- around the right size at this scale. I think the bit originally came from a Bretonnia sprue, but I'm not quite certain...

The other thing to consider was the weapons- the Lascannons were fine, but the Excelsior has a Gravcannon at the front, so I needed to alter the Heavy Bolters. In the end, I decided not to completely remove them- at this scale, they wouldn't look different enough for it to be worth it. Instead, I found a small light/scope which could be added to those Bolters to give the feel of a Grav-amp, and I liked the ending result.

The Grav-amp

When I glued the pieces on, I decided those two bits looked a little isolated on the top- so for the finished model, I found two pouches to add to the sides- to act as chests for the Chapter relics or ancient technology, and a marine to sit in the hatch to hold the plasmagun the tank can be equipped with.

The end result for the Excelsior

The Rhino ended up being a much simpler kitbash. As a smaller model, and being a slightly less grand vehicle- the key thing about the Rhino Primaris was it needed to look like it could act as a communications hub. The smallest bit I could find which would do this was a satellite dish- not perfectly sized (a touch too big)- but at this scale, sometimes it is about conveying the idea of what it is, and not worrying about it being strictly scale-accurate.

The Rhino with the dish- I ended up clipping off the dish's stand, as it felt a little too tall with it on.

When it was stuck on then, I had the HQ pairing ready to go- the Land Raider would just need a plasticard base, and I'd be ready to spray on the basecoat.

My Land Raider Excelsior and Rhino Primaris ready for painting

The painting followed a very similar scheme to how I have painted the other tanks in my force- using all Citadel colours here. I started with a rattle can undercoat of black (the natural choice for a Black Templar force!).

I don't try to do an edge highlight at 6mm, but instead drybrush on the next layers for black. I drybrush on Corvus Black first, and then Eshin Grey, which picks out the edges nicely, and still conveys a black colour.

I used Khorne Red for some of the panels, the weapon cases and parts of the Satellite dishes. I also used red for the marines shoulder pads- as I wanted him a sword brother to be manning the guns on the HQ tank.

The gold was Retributer Armour with a light Nuln Oil wash (you can't slap it on with these tiny models) and the silver metal was Leadbelcher followed by Nuln Oil for the weapons and pipes.

I used Mournfang Brown on the chests, with some Nuln Oil following up to give it a leather feel, and then used Lothern Blue and Yriel Yellow to pick out some of the lights.

The final addition was to freehand paint on a Maltese Cross on the Land Raider (the Rhino didn't have a big enough space left).

Behind the sponson guns, I carefully painted a cross on each side in Corax White, and tidied up with Abaddon Black. They didn't end up perfect, but are small enough that they're easily identifiable, and look fine from a distance.

The painted miniatures

For the bases, I started with a quick layer of Zandri Dust- coverage isn't important, as it is just there to stop the Black showing through the basing layer.

For basing, I really like the Citadel Texture Paints, and I've been using Armageddon Dunes for this project (fitting for Epic Armageddon, and the dark models pop out well from the sandy colours).

Finally, I pick out the edges of the base with Mournfang Brown- and the job is done!

Both of the tanks painted and based!

The great thing about these little 6mm projects is you get something great in a short space of time- the creativity of the hobby, but the idea was conceived, started and completed in two evenings.

I will leave some close-ups and the army so far below- hope you enjoyed, and this won't we the last you see of my Black Templars!