Some New Wheels....

So maaaaybe I had a third Valkyrie kit under my desk, and maybe I was going to turn it into a Storm Raven, until I realized that there were some triple-Vendetta IG lists I wanted to bury the local Eldar with. So, I started putting together the third bird and, as you do, I was looking at photos of Black Hawks and Ospreys when something dawned on me. When a Valkyrie breaks down, do they just work on it out in the mud, or drag the thing into the hangar? And how do they do that when it's on skids? Now, you might started shouting things like "replusor-lift skids" or "they waddle like penguins!", but me, I need something more to go on.  Since I had some bike wheels lying around (and the thing was already magnetized) I decided to try a simple conversion you see above 

As you can see, the thing can sit on its big, comfy airplane tires in either under-hull or winged configuration, which, for some reason, leaves me immensely satisfied. Now some guy in a tractor can drag the thing around, or a bunch of strong-backed lads can get back there and give her a push, and off she'll go. Sure, I presented all sorts of reasons why putting load-bearing gear on the wingtips is a bad idea, and maybe I'll add another belly gear like the AV-8B, but otherwise, I'm quite pleased with the way it looks. 

This also visually distinguishes the Vendetta from the old stock Valkyrie by another notch, which is fine by me, because they're different aircraft that do different things (yes, I know, they both carry troops). I thought about adding some aft engine cowling to alter the silhouette a bit like the vehicle carrier version, but at the time I think I was too lazy to go out and buy some plasticard. 


Also, I put watermarks on things now. 


So there you go.