Monday 16 May 2022

Legion of the Damned Landspeeder Progress

 



Hi folks,

A couple of months ago this Landspeeder showed up on eBay for a princely sum. Knowing how rare they are to find complete and unassembled, I put my order in very quickly and added it to my Christmas list. Landspeeders are one of the few vehicles that Legion of the Damned can field according to the 2nd Edition army list, so I really wanted one to add a bit of variety to my army. I could take a Rhino as well, but I prefer to teleport my marines in; it is so much more characterful!




All of the parts were accounted for and in excellent condition. I think the base is a more modern one, which I am not going to complain about. The original was such an awful thing. As it is, the model will be prone to snapping due to the weight of the model on such a fragile stem. I am sorely tempted to use metal rod instead, but I'll give the clear base a go first. If I ever have to repair it, I'll be using something a lot more robust.









Interestingly, two of the pieces have different year stamps on them. It makes me wonder if this box was a "Frankenstein's Monster" kind of deal. Again, I have nothing to complain about, especially considering they are both from the mid-90's.

I spent an hour or so trimming metal flash and mould lines with my hobby knife. Metal Landspeeders are notoriously difficult to assemble, so I have taken my time putting it together. I left the engine block overnight to set and will keep it as a sub-assembly. Attaching the seats was probably the most frustrating part (so far, at least), as slight bends in some of the parts have left odd gaps. I doubt you will notice on the finished model, otherwise I would pull it apart again and carefully bend the parts back into shape. 






Hopefully, I'll get some time tomorrow to undercoat the parts and get started with the free-hand flames. 

See you across the table,

Marc


5 comments:

  1. Boy, I sure don't miss working with the old metal kits; but I sure do miss seeing them! Brings back all the joy I felt in the mid-late 2nd edition time frame of Warhammer 40K when I first got hooked.

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    1. I have always loved converting figures, but damn it was hard in the old days!

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  2. Lovely find!
    But man, I would put in so many pins to hold that thing together. But even that looks to be not that easy with the realtivly small connection points..

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    1. Cheers, I have already installed some strategically placed pins and will probably add some more. Some of those surfaces are very thin, I have to drill very carefully ;-)

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  3. This is so cool. Despite the '94 date on this, I wouldn't go hobby sober for a few years yet I have no recollection of the model at the time. I think it was only when I fell off the wagon that I discovered these were a thing. Although I think all Land Speeders, whatever the era, are imperfect I think they all have their unique and quirky aesthetic. Looking forward to seeing how this goes.

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