WH40K, Rogue Trader: Grav Attack and Groundhog

Way back in the mists of time when WH40K first edition came out, there were only a handful of vehicle models these were small white metal kits - a landspeeder, two bikes and an ork war buggy.

Before the Rhino and Land raider GW suggested you scratch-build your own vehicles, shock-horror. So in White Dwarf 95 Rick Priestly  wrote an 'Eavy Metal article on building the Grav Attack. 

This hover vehicle was an light tank-made from spares from your bits box and a plastic deodorant dispenser. It encouraged both thrift and personal hygiene. The latter is always a good thing for wargamers!

Anyhow, the Groundhog was a kit bash from a popular toy, a Slitherzoid from Tomy's Zoid range. These were plastic, toy, clockwork, war, robot dinosaurs (well, it was the eighties.) They came with lotsa attachable guns, antenna and radar dishes. Apparently you can still get Zoids accessories box.

The Groundhog - a temporary blip in GW history. Note gaps filled with Milliput and Rhino tranfers

Obviously we were greatly relieved when the Rhinos came out (three for a tenner.... kerching) and Landraider aswell. (two for a tenner - jackpot!)

Anyway my first Grav Attack build, painted a hideous sky blue, went AWOL in a house move. So I made a second one in the nineties. But the groundhog is the original one, I assembled in 1987.

The ground hog is much easier to build. You gut the toy of its components and motor, (put them in your bits box.)  Saw off the tail, and glue a section of it back on upside down. Paint and drybrush... job done.

"It's Groundhog Day"

The Grav Attack is a more difficult build. Particularly if you want the turrets to move. If not the challenge is getting the 'bits' to stay on the smooth plastic.  I used Araldite ( two-part epoxy glue) and Millipiut. 

I believe I textured the hull with a Polyfilla and water solution. It wasn't the Vim scouring powder and paint solution that Rick Priestley suggested in 1987.

So if you want to create a grav attack. There are a few You Tube tutorials. Or look up White Dwarf 95 online. It's not a difficult assembly. And it will keep a wargamer off the streets for a couple of hours.

"Pull up to the bumper baby"

The turret and cockpit were plastic spoons, front turret is a stotta base, hatch are shields. Rear gun is a RTB:01 missile launcher. The stowage is mostly Italeri 1/35 accessories set, side jets are pen caps and nibs, bumpers are sprue. The nose has been dropped slightly before glueing. The stand (underneath) is the pusher / dispenser. Both turrets move. This involved inserting dowel and making 'collars' from Milliput, b4 the nose was glued on.
You can tell this was a nineties re-build by the bull-bar bumpers!

As said, the challenge is getting the 'detail' symmetrical, and glueing 'bits' to smooth plastic hull. Maybe key the surface first; rub with fine sandpaper or emery paper, before assembly.

Painting is quite easy, a matt black spray can will do the job. Either a hobby spray like Humbrol (Available from Antics or Hobbycraft) or a matt car body primer from Halfords. Leave the cockpit black. Drybrush dark grey and adorn with numbers signage whatever.

A radar dish has fallen off the rear of the turret, and I've left it off!

So, the Grav Attack was included in the Space Marine Army List, White Dwarf 105 and Imperial Guard Army list in the Compendium.. And it did whiz about the battlefield for a few of our games before we realised vehicles were a waste of points values in Rogue Trader.  You got more bang from your buck from light vehicles and dreadnoughts

As for the Groundhog it just disappeared from GW gaming history. But tunnelling vehicles soon were taken up in Epic, with the Mole and Termite. 

We found 'crawlers' (soz, tunneling vehicles) a bit of a waste of time in 40K 1st edition. By the time in they'd tunnelled up on your opponents flank or rear the battle was half over!