BUILDING THE BANEBLADE

Preliminary Assembly

Top Tip
Safety first
Tools and equipment used in this article need to be handled with care. Hobby Knives are extremely sharp, so make sure you always apply pressure downward onto a cutting mat, and that the item you are cutting is secure so it cant slip. Finally, all glues and spray paints should be used in wellventilated areas.

Halved components
The first job is to clip off and clean up all the components that are in two halves. When youve done this, stick the two halves together to make whole components. Use plastic glue sparingly and make sure the parts fit flush to avoid exaggerating join lines. Once the glue has dried, blend the joins (see tip box on right) and then set the parts aside for later. Fuel tanks. Demolisher mount.

IMPERIAL BANEBLADE

PART ONE

Autocannon.

Baneblade cannon.

Top Tip
Hellhammer cannon.

Blending the joins

Using a fine modelling file, gently smooth away the seams on the components you have assembled. Such joins may be hard to see while the kit is in bare grey plastic, but once undercoated and painted they become more prominent.

Sponsons
Heavy bolter. A Gun mount. Gun shield. B

Heavy bolter assembly

When building the sponson subassemblies be careful with which points you glue, or else you could prevent articulation. Glue the twin heavy bolters together through the sponson gun mount (A). Its very important to not get any glue on the central rim of the gun mount. Carefully glue the gun shield onto the gun mount as illustrated (B).

Over the next two issues, Studio modeller Mark Jones tackles the mighty Baneblade. We follow his progress, from building to painting this enormous tank.

Heavy bolter.

Heavy bolter sub-assembly.

Preparation
Side sponson assembly
need a large, clear and organised work area with plenty of space for storing tools, completed sub-assemblies and glued components that are drying. Marks approach is very methodical so as to get the best results possible. Be sure to set aside plenty of time; patience will be required for drying times, and its best not to rush through the assembly stages or mistakes can be made. When using the components only remove those from the frame you need at that point and store the unused frames and components close by.
To finish the side sponson, place the top plate so its upside down on the work area (A). Glue the side plates into their allocated positions on the underside of the top plate. When dry, place the gun mount (also upside down) so the top pivot fits inside the positive joint do not glue! Finally add the sponson base, glue these to the sponson plates and not the gun mount. The subassembly is now complete so put it aside for now (B). Top plate. A Sponson base.

T
TM

he Baneblade is a big kit with literally hundreds of components. Before embarking on the project it is best to prepare your work area and to familiarise yourself with the seven different frames so you have a good idea where the components are located. Mark used a sub-assembly method for building this kit, in which the components are built in separate stages (called subassemblies) and are then combined together into one model towards the end of the project. When following this method youll

B Heavy bolter sub-assembly

Top Tip
Baneblade or Hellhammer
Assembled sponson.

Lascannon sponsons

In this Modelling Workshop, expert modeller Mark Jones takes us through the process of building Citadels biggest ever plastic kit.

Using the new Citadel Tool range will give you the best results, as all the tools have been designed for the specific purpose of putting together Citadel kits. Youll need Plastic Glue, Plastic Cutters, a Hobby Knife, Modelling Files, a Sculpting Tool and some Green Stuff.

First, create the sponson subassembly, as shown, then attach the lascannon barrel to the barrel mount. Place the lascannon so the nubs on either side of the mounts go into the holes do not glue, as this will prevent the weapon from pivoting vertically. Trap the weapon in place by gluing the sponson side plate to the sub-assembly and then by attaching the sponson top when the whole thing is dry.

Sponson top. Sponson sub-assembly. Lascannon.

Sponson side plate.

Before you embark on this project, you must obviously decide which type of tank you will be making the Baneblade or the Hellhammer. The differences are in the weapon choices. The Hellhammer uses the Hellhammer cannon in the turret and the Heavy Flamers are mounted in the sponsons. If you are making the Hellhammer, then all the advice in this (and next months) article is just as valid.

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Track Assembly

5
Outer side locating points.

Adding the tracks

8-link track section. 8-link track section.

External track wheels

Both the external and internal track hull sides come in two halves. Glue both parts of the same side together first. Once this is done, add the track wheels onto the external side hull sections. Use the locator plugs as shown.

Large locating lug.

Track wheels.

Front and rear track wheels

Build the front and rear guide wheel assemblies as shown. When they are made attach them on to the internal track hull side.

Inner side locating points.

Fitting the tracks

When fitting the tracks to the track hull side assembly, its very important to start with the eight-link track section, which should be placed onto the bottom of the track wheel as shown in the picture above. Use the locating lug on the track section to attach the track to the wheel. Build the track forwards and backwards of the starting section. Doing it this way will ensure that there are no unsightly gaps in the tracks of your kit.

Front guide wheel.

Guide wheel assembly

Rear guide wheel.

Gluing together
When all the wheel components are dry, stick together both sides of the track hull and the top armour plate. Add small amounts of glue to the tips of the inner side locating points and gently squeeze both sides together. Its important to add the top plate on at the same stage, as this will keep the shape of the subassembly square.

Top armour plate.

Complete track section

The final part of the track side section to add is the rear plate (A) and the front armour plate. Ensure that you glue the connecting hose to the rear plate before you attach it to the track section.

Rear armour plate and fuel hose mount.

Front armour plate.

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Assembling the Hull

Main Turret and Side Sponsons

Central hull
Assemble the hull base plate and then attach it to one of the side hull track sections. It does not matter which one we used the left side in the photos (A). Once dry, add the hull rear plate. Finally for this stage, glue the hull front plates into place (B). A

Turret assembly
The main turret is built in a very similar way to the lascannon sponsons, as featured earlier. First, attach the weapons to the cannon mount and then place the complete weapon into the turret, via the nubs. Do not glue the pivot joints. Once the turret side plate is glued into place, attach the turret top plate to complete the turret. Turret top plate.

Turret subassembly.

Autocannon.

Turret side plate. Hull rear plate. Hull base plate. B Cannon mount. Baneblade cannon.

Side sponsons
The next thing to do is to add the side plates and weapon sponsons. You can place your sponsons in three possible bays, as indicated. If you are building the Hellhammer, then you should put the heavy flamer sponsons towards the front of the tank. Finally, add the top armour plates as shown. The turret can then go onto the main hull; its a dry fit attachment, so no glue is needed. The turret can also be removed in later stages if and when required.

Hull front plates.

Completing the hull

When the sub-assembly from the stage above is totally dry you can attach the second track hull side. Next, add the main hull plate. Before you do, make sure you glue the drivers viewport rear plate and demolisher rear plate into place, as these will not be accessible once the main hull plate has been stuck to the main assembly. Drivers viewport rear plate. Top armour plate. Main hull plate.

Top armour plate.

Demolisher rear plate.

Fuel tanks.

Side armour plate. Side sponson.

Side armour plate.

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Weapons and Detailing

Completing the turret

Final details
This stage is all about adding the smaller components that add an extra dimension of realism to the kit. Before you do, however, its best to add the secondary weapon systems that are still not attached. The central heavy bolter sponson is a dry fit, just like the main turret. The demolisher cannon is held in place by the cannon cover. Because it is on a ball joint, which can be tricky to get at with a paintbrush, it is best to undercoat the weapon first, before you permanently attach it to the tank. To attach the lascannon sponsons, place the sponson pivot through the weapon and then add a small drop of glue to the end of the pivot that will be jutting out from underneath the lascannon. Simply glue this to the main tank. Components A-G, the engine covers, ladders, etc, can then all be added at your leisure.

Turret options
The Baneblade turret is extremely customisable. You can have it with a turret bin for storage. You can have one or both of the cupolas occupied by crewmen or closed shut. When going for the crewmen and heavy stubber option, then it is best not to glue them in place at this time. This will make them much easier to paint. The Turret bin assembly is reasonably simply to construct and attach to the main turret. If adding the turret bin, then leave off the lascannon from the turret rear.

The tow hooks and rear lights can be added to the Baneblade at this stage. Also note the addition of the engine crank handle.

The exhaust system can now be attached to the power plant.

Sponson pivot. Lascannon sponson.

Sponson pivot.

A B C D E F G

Tank name plate. Headlamps. Smoke launchers. View-ports. Turret spotlight. Gun rangefinder. Sledgehammer.

Heavy stubber. Commander. Gunner.

Turret bin top.

Lascannon sponson. Heavy bolter sponson. Engine cover. It is a good idea not to glue the engine cover in place until after the tank is painted that way you can get at the details beneath. F Exhausts.

Next Issue: Get your paintbrushes ready!

The only thing thats missing now is some colour. In part two of this article, Mark will take you through some useful techniques to make your Baneblade ready for action on the tabletop. Turret bin sub-assembly.

Demolisher cannon.

Turret bin side.

Turret aerial. E Demolisher cannon cover. G

C A B

Ladder.

All the dry fit assemblies, like the turret, can be easily removed for further modelling and ease of painting.

The Baneblade kit gives you the option of having a turret bin or not. If you dont have the turret bin, then theres a lasgun that sticks out of the back of the turret (A) to remove any unwanted enemy hitchhikers!

You may wish to hold off attaching components like the ladders, engine cover and lascannon sponsons until they have been painted.

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