Those Space Marines and their flyers, whenever the enemy figures out their weakness they adapt and overcome.
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Hmm, why and how did I convert a Storm Eagle?
Answering the first part of that question is easy: I wanted one, I had lots of time, I had little money. I had picked up a Stormraven in a trade, and decided I would try my hand at converting it into a Storm Eagle (which looks so much cooler!). I had tried something similar previously with … not good results, but I was a more experienced modeler now, with a lot more time.
This leads to the second part of the question: how? Sadly, I do not have step-by-step pictures, or even a way to exactly replicate it, as I just kind of fiddled around with it as I went. I do have some pointers based on lessons learned:
1. Do research. I scoured the internet for pictures of the Storm Eagle (the actual FW model) from as many angles as possible. I decided what features I could get rid of (the slight delta wing being the most obvious) and what features I needed to keep to make it obvious what my conversion was. I also looked for other people’s conversions, trying to get an idea of what I wanted to incorporate and what just needed to go.
2. Most websites I visited state to assemble the Stormraven and then start adding the extras. After doing this, I have to disagree. Use the Stormraven parts to trace out your cuts on the plasticard before assembling the Stormraven. Then, glue the extension (the plasticard) to its respective side. This allows you to brace the joint (probably necessary) and ensures a good fit (necessary) before gluing it all together. Only after you are happy with the extension should you start assembly, and then it’s assembling your Storm Eagle.
3. Unless you have a lot of practice or skill, don’t expect your cuts to be perfect. Plan on using greenstuff to fill gaps or do some minor sculpting. This was intimidating to me at first, but became one of the funnest things as I could cover what were originally mistakes.
4. Make sure you have a clear vision of what you want it to look like when finished, and don’t change it without (very) good reason. I changed my design twice, and once had to go back and pull everything off to go back to what I had originally envisioned. Being flexible is key, but trust yourself as well.
5. Everything used in this conversion was either from the Stormraven I started with, a previous Stormraven I had built (some of the extra details), or my bits box. A list of what was used includes:
- Games Workshop Stormraven (base kit)
- Extra Stormraven bits – one set of lascannons, extra details on the top, extra landing gear used on missile launchers
- Land Raider bits – the interior doors are used on the top hatch, you could also use the lascannons if you don’t have extra from a Stormraven 🙂
- Rhino bits – two extra top hatches (used for Predators or Razorbacks), cut down so it’s just the small doors
- Drop pod bits – two fins left over from a previous conversion (cut down to just the tips), four missile launchers (sides cut off and glued together to make the Vengeance launchers)
- FW Salamanders Rhino doors – I have several sets for a Salamanders army I am working on, they were a last minute add to this and make it really cool, I think
- Polystyrene sheets (plasticard) – I used 1mm and 2mm thicknesses
- Polystyrene tubing – not sure of the size, as it was the remnants from a previous project
- Greenstuff
Altogether, a fun, rewarding project that took about two weeks, start to finish.
“We want it to fit more Space Marines” Major Tom to ground control…
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About the Author: Joshua Dunkerly
