Annihilation Barge - how to flee the "Flinstones Mobile" look -driverless? -convert?

[SmokWawelski]

Hello!

I am trying to build my "new" Necrons and outside some painting dilemmas, I am also looking at fixing the Annihilation Barge kit. I love how the model feels, how it goes together and overall shape of it, but I am definitively not having those two poor guys bolted onto the front of it. I started with a conversion idea - quite simple actually. I removed their legs, lower parts of the seats and the columns supporting those. Added guitar wire to the left over assembly and came up with something that looks like so (hands would be added when glued in place):



However, I have the Barges sitting now driver-less on the table... and I am starting to like how they look without anything in the front:





I always thought that Necron vehicles would be those sentient, autonomous vehicles of a technologically advanced race, and would not required "controllers". Think the flayers from Terminator series, or the speeder bikes too... Wicked fast killing - err - warrior hauling machines of DOOOOOOOM



To add some more background info, my two Ghost Barges will be converted as well. One of the drivers will have hands removed and be wired into his seat as well, whereas the other one will be replaced by a warrior model suspended on coils of cables mi-air...

So what do you think?

[Grievelorn]

Those are freaking awesome! I really like the annihilation barge without the drivers, it makes it feel much more ominous than seeing two drivers foot peddling it along. I'm going to have to do that to mine. I wonder how well that would work for doing it to ghost barges, instead of having just someone sitting there, having the person fully embedded into the vehicle.

[BossGorestompa]

I approve! I was wondering what it would look like to ommit the drivers from my Barges, and this is reassuring. Although I really like the pilot and gunner conversions you've done as well. Any way you could set them up for a picture to see roughly what it would look like with them included?

EDIT: On the other hand, add a couple wotzits and some dakka and you've got yourself a pair of Tomb Blade conversions as well.

[danjones87]

No drivers looks good! I agree, it should be a sentinent piece of technology.

Dan

[Gedderz]

No drivers look good, however.... seeing one with two drivers actually peddling it along could be cool too.

But never mind that, very nice work, will be doing mine the same too plagiarism for the win!

[Klajorne]

I'm going to build all my barges without the drivers, as I like the idea that the machines are controlled either by the main overlord or just by some sort of built-in AI. Every time I see a picture of the driverless barges (like yours), I just think they look better than if they had drivers.

But, just for a counterpoint: necrons (as per stock fluff) never really embraced their technology. They cling to their skeletal form as a way of trying to maintain some part of their humanity (necrynterity?). Sure, there are better ways to incorporate themselves into their machine bodies, but to do so is akin to turning away from the only bits of sanity they have left. Which is why, even given all the option of super-science available to them, they still have humanoid bodies, and still pilot vehicles in a humanoid fashion. Only the insane have given up trying to be a real boy.


Now, granted, I'm still going for the driver-less look, as having a vehicle with no crew really individualizes the army as compared to every other army out there (except for maybe 'nids, which their tanks are their crew).

[King Ulrik Flamebeard]

That was really good, I like the look of the integrated body. Adds a little bit of flavour to them. And I agree with the others, a sentient/robotic machine would make sense, rather than a hard wired body.


Kuffy

[Speknoz]

Just be careful about this if you play GW sanctioned tournaments. I've heard of people having models disqualified because they were not "complete". A specific occurrence was a friend of mine was fielding a Stegadon that was missing TWO skinks from the top carrage. the GW representative removed the entire model from the game and called it a casualty. Everyone in the store apparently was backing up the guy. It might have been some extremist house rule, but just something to watch out for.

[SmokWawelski]

Well, like I said above I decided go to with Necrons piloting the Barges and Arks. However, there is the twist - I do not think that they can just park them and leave after the shift is over... I do like how they came out. I used guitar wire and also a string made out of plastic... I did read somewhere that the Arks were hard to put together and the ribs sections were coming apart so I reinforced the main hull with a BIC pen - fits perfectly in the cavity. I take full credit for that idea

Anyway, here are the pics for your consideration (please be mindful that the paint job was supposed to be simple and quick, not White Dwarf quality):

[Longshadow7]

I would say that this is a great look you have going on here for your army. This would be great for every vehicle to this to because it makes it look like the necrons are the machine. And as a side note, maybe you might want to use Anrakyr because Mind in the Machine and your guys are the machine. Just thinking. Unfortunatly though, I built my barge the way it is in our book so I have guys peddling along. When I get my ghost arks and when the scythe models come out, I will try to do something very similar to them.