The 40k Thunderhawk Gunship has been a staple through the years with at least 4 models made from various materials- check it out!
It’s always fun to look back at how some of our favorite minis have evolved with the game but kept that classic feel. With the Space Marines constantly getting new minis, it’s cool to see that at least some of the old staples have stuck around!
Let’s be honest, we also all like to look at giant minis whether they have a history or not!
4 Thunderhawk 40k Gunship Models Since the 90s
It’s the mid-nineties, you open White Dwarf and this amazing mini is sitting there at the back of a giant Ultramarines force. Then, you realize you can actually order this bad boy, but the hard part? You have to come up with $650…
If you passed that part of the test and actually get this sent to you, you had to figure out how to build it! With terrible instructions and hundreds of parts, all pewter BTW, it was quite the feat.
But still, people made it through and completed the task!
If you want to watch a great video about this older mini, Squidmar has a great breakdown of it (see below). This is the giant force GW painted up for one of their Games Days, and man did the Thunderhawk really top it off!
Just look at all those metal parts! If this build doesn’t intimidate you, we may have some things that need building from you… Just the shipping on this had to be insane when you consider how much it weighed. At least you got a super sweet display box with it! Thanks again to Squidmar for these great pics!
If you want to grab one of these for yourself, the price is much, much higher than the original price tag.
This is part two of his journey to get his amazing mini, and he features all the pieces and his thoughts on the whole thing. Definitely worth the watch if you want to learn even more about the OG days of super heavies from Games Workshop- this existed before Forge World did believe it or not.
I put one of these together myself in the late 1990s for a commission, and it was quite the chore. For example, each pewter panel had to be pinned twice on each edge to support its immense weight. Finishing it was one of the most rewarding projects I have even worked on.
Epic Size
You can’t talk about the ship without mentioning one of the coolest versions ever! Again coming from the (mid) nineties, but much cheaper and far easier to build!
Well, with the penny for scale you can see why the price tag will be a little lower… Still, for such a tiny mini they were really able to pack the detail in there! There seem to be a lot of people with these laying around, so if you want one for your shelf or desk, you can probably get it for not too much cash on eBay!
I think there was an Epic: Armaggedon version of this released in the early 2000s as well, but my mind may be playing tricks on me at this point…
The Second Coming of the Thunderhawk Gunship!
Next came the resin version, but it is still giant and impressive. Luckily, we got to see this amazing one painted up by Kenny from Next Level Painting. This beast is huge! Ranging almost 20″ in both length and width this is a serious kit! Resultantly this beast needs a thick ol’ flight stand. Kenny and his brother David settled on a 1″ Acrylic post to support the model on its flight stand.
All sorts of awesome details cover this model, from multiple magnetized weapons mounts to a fully detailed interior cockpit. He even magnetized different Space Marine chapter hatches so it could literally be a drop-ship for any of them!
The primary weapon is interchangeable with a number of alternatives, lending the Thunderhawk some super heavy killing power as well as anti-armor and infantry punch as well! Imagine seeing this hulking thing strafe the battlefield in front of you and keep on rolling.
Many of this model’s interior details were sacrificed to provide greater structural stability, but all of the external details, like the massive Pod Racer-style engines have all the weathering detail you’d expect to see bare metal sustain in battle. To hear all Rob’s thoughts on it, check out the video below!
The 2017 Version
Rob was lucky enough to get the MK II version of the Thunderhawk from Forge World, and it’s awesome! If you’d like one of these, you can still grab them from Forge World for the low low price of around $735 (sarcasm).
Just be aware, they go in and out of stock these days, so it can actually be hard to get one.
There you have it! Just so much history for such a cool vehicle for almost 30 years now! If you need a serious, and we mean serious, painting project, this makes for a super fun one!
Do you have any versions of these? Have you seen the original one in person?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
