I've written a rough guide to building a Spartan Land Raider, but it's rough.
So any questions and feedback will help me refine it and will be welcomed gladly.
I don't have diagrams, just WIP and pre-painting pics.
My version of a Spartan built with a Mk III Land Raider and a Mk II Rhino.
Spartan Land Raider. 300 points (at least)
BS: 4, Armour; F: 14, S: 14, R: 14.
Transport Capacity 20 models (power armour, or 10 Terminators)
Twin-linked heavy bolters (hull-mounted)
2x Twin-linked lascannons (sponson-mounted)
Heavy bolter (pintle-mounted)
Smoke launchers
Searchlight
Options:
May replace heavy bolter with:
-heavy flamer (? either Free or for 5pts)
-multi-melta 10pts
May take:
Extra armour (? either 15pts or should be standard)
A storm bolter 10pts
A hunter-killer missile 10pts
A dozer blade 5pts
If the Extra Armour comes as standard, with any increase to armour stats, then the points cost for the Spartan should be raised but I'm not sure by how much.
Parts list:Hull= One Land Raider kit, either the standard or Crusader - Redeemer type;
From the Rhino kit the upper, top or dorsal hull, the central floor, the front plus viewing slit, and the pair of upper doors for the hull.
The Rhino parts are freely available from Bits websites.
PH sponsons= 2 of each of the Leman Russ’ sponsors, either from the standard kit or the demolisher kit; 2x demolisher sponson Lascannons, and 2x IG heavy weapons team Lascannons.
Pintle Mounted Weapons: You can probably get away with the Crusaders Multi-melta, but if you want to do the others then it’s a Heavy Bolter, I suggest the Attack Bikes/Land Speeder one, and a Heavy Flamer, I used the Sentinel’s as a basis. And you will need the three hatches to mount them.
You will also need: Plasticard, plastic rod (square/oblong),
Assembling the hull. Assemble the Land Raider hull as normal, except for the assault ramps and the upper hull pieces.
From the main upper hull piece, the one that also covers the tracks, you need to remove the piece sticking out with the three studs on it. This is so you have more room to fit the Rhino bits.
When it comes to altering the Rhino top to fit in the Land Raider there is a fluke of design. The flanges (raised oblongs on the hull over the tops of the tracks), or at least the inner set, just fit into the gap between the Land Raiders track covers.
As such you just a few millimetres, about 3mm, either side of the Rhino flanges to act as a tab to fit between the Land Raider’s passenger compartment and the main upper hull.
Then you need to cut down the Rhino upper hull to just the main hatch. This means losing the vents and vox stuff at the back, the hatches at the front, and most of the track covers.
With my own conversion I kept some of the rhino hull between the main hatch and forward hatches for character. But this made the conversion tougher.
Next you need to work on the Land Raiders forward hull, this is the part where you mount the Twin-Linked hull weapon, usually Heavy Bolters.
You’ll need to remove the part that meets the back of the upper Assault Ramp, and some from either side so it’s the same width as the piece of Rhino hull you’ve altered. You will also need to work on the Assault Ramp hinges at the front, either removing them or cutting them down. You’ll need to keep the vertical part of the hull, just behind the Assault Ramp bit, so the top of the Rhino front plate has somewhere to stick to.
You’ll need to attach the cut-down Rhino hull to the back of the Land Raider’s forward hull. Because of my conversion I did this the hard way. The easiest way I can think of is to get where these two pieces meet to the same thickness, and then use plastic rod to connect them.
The front of the Spartan is made from the Rhino front plate and Floor. You’ll need to stick these two together first, I found that the best way was to get the inner sides of the passenger compartment from an unassembled Rhino and use them to hold the floor and front in place whilst gluing.
I even stick a rod of plastic between the front plate and floor to brace and hold them in position.
Now, you will want to dry fit what you’ve done together, but you can’t. Why? Because a) the Rhino floor is to wide for the lower door of the Assault Ramp, and
when in place the Rhino floor is higher than the Land Raiders, usually 3-5mm.
To solve these you will first have to cut a narrow strip at least from the internal lip, and possibly from the sides of the lower assault ramp doorway, a few mm from each side about 3-5mm above the Land Raiders floor.
You will then need some plastic square rod for between the two floors. I stuck a 3mm wide piece across the front of the Land Raiders floor, and another a couple of cm back. If it wasn’t tall enough I had the ability of adding strips of plasticard on top to raise it.
Once I got these so that I could dry-fit them together I started to box-in the front with plasticard.
Not easy as I had problems working out the shapes I had to cut out of plasticard. Instead of having one big piece either side I had two, one part for the side of the Rhino front and floor, the other for the Land Raider’s forward hull and any of the Rhino top that juts out. Mine has the upper of these plasticard pieces overlapping the lower.
I had to do it roughly first leaving gaps where the plasticard would meet the Land Raider’s main body, with the upper I also had to cut a notch for the forward heavy bolters recess. Luckily it would the main body along where the assault ramp would be.
I shaped it this upper piece to echo the shape of the armour where it has those recesses at the front side of the track.
Once I had these plasticard pieces in place, I assembled the main body of the Spartan. I then used wide strips of plasticard to add an raised edge where the plasticard would meet the rhino hull pieces, as well as where they met the assault ramp thereby covering the gaps.
Then all I had to do was GS any gaps and assemble model, ready for final embellishments and painting.
Spartan Land Raider Tutorial, Build your own (WIP).
