Having enjoyed painting up my Airfix Mighty Antar, I decided that I should revamp my old Matchbox Battle Kings Tank Transporter for use in my Harad games. Of course, the tractor unit of the tank transporter is quite unlike any vehicle I have ever seen. The tractor unit has an almost Gerry Anderson feel to it, and as such has a certain charm to it.
 |
| Battle Kings K-106 Tank Transporter tractor unit. |
 |
| When first released in the 1970s, Battle Kings were painted in metallic colours. |
 |
| The trailer was later used for transporting a helicopter in a later Super King set. |
 |
| Both ramps are present! No scratchbuilding required! |
 |
| Trailer comes with cable and tools! |
 |
| The beast with an Airfix Attack Force Centurion. |
 |
| The view from above. |
 |
| Disassembling the cab for spray painting. The cab is held together by only one rivet which had been previously drilled out to replace the rear wheels. |
 |
| Stylish silver interior, complete with tools and work bench. |
 |
| Grey primer for the cab. |
 |
| Flat black for the interior and chassis. |
 |
| Grey for the flatbed trailer. |
No prizes for guessing the next steps, assembly, painting with Iraqi Sand, and then a quick wash with Devlan Mud! Since spraying the interior black also meant the rear exhaust stacks and the front air scoop became black, I decided to do a test assembly to see how I liked the colour combination and how it all looked with the original orange/yellow tinted glass.
 |
| The Beast in all its glory! |
 |
| The new paint job blends in better than the old metallic green one. |
Scale wise, the trailer works. The tractor unit is probably a little too big, but it does have a certain appeal. That being said, tank transporters are generally not small vehicles, so I'm not too concerned about it being a massive vehicle. The 'Gerry Anderson' factor is probably more of an issue - but then, this is a game world which does have a few science fiction elements in it. At the moment it fills a niche in Harad, so I will use it, but I am interested in others thoughts on the matter - or if anyone knows where the designers got their inspiration for designing this and the Battle Kings wrecker/recovery vehicle from.
It beats the hell out of that high gloss green!
ReplyDeleteNice Job!
Cool, nice work
ReplyDeleteAn impressive vehicle - and the serendipity of its ability to transport comfortably your MBTs argues that the Norns had something in mind for that vehicle. The colour scheme, by the way, goes a long way to mitigate the 'Thunderbirds are go!' look of the original. The only change I'd think about making has to do with those klaxons on the cab... But even then, I'd probably keep them.
ReplyDeleteA fine addition to the Haradian Imperial Army...
Cheers,
Ion