Air support!

A platoon is dropped planet side to the fight to the clankers.

A couple of 'shinies' join the men of the 501st in the drop. True to form, one of these new recruits catches a blaster bolt within moments of landing.

This is a Micromachines toy and it seems to fit the scale. The ball turrets seem to be in scale with the 15mm figures.

I have some screw holes to fill up with Milliput and paint. I'll give it a think oil wash too to bring out the panel lines.

The body is metal with plastic wings. They have chosen a different colour for the wings which I'm not that keen on. I'll paint on this to lesson the contrast.

Man down...medic!

 The ball turrets really make this model for me. They are detachable but I think I'll keep mine on.

I found this image which I think this latest model is based on as it has the same colour scheme.

Droideka shields buckle under the heavy laser fire of the ball turrets.

Looking at this image, I would say my 15mm figures are spot on for scale.

AT-TE 15mm

I've been putting this build off for ages as it bloody terrifes me. I wasn't quite sure how on earth I was going to construct this tricky beast and I have been putting it off for long enough.

I'm putting together a simple set of rules for the Clone Wars, so I can game with my son and this has spurred me to have a go at this behemoth.

I ordered another one but sods law, it arrived with some legs missing. I've contacted the seller to hopefully get some more sent.

Having given this build lots of thought over long sleepiness nights, I had a rough plan of action. It involved grinding off some of the resin to attach magnets to the main gun. This would allow it to swivel and move.
 

I first used a Dremel type device to take off the bulk of the resin. I later had to switch to a nail file to get a more even finish. I found the guns sitting at an angle at first before switching to the hand files.

These flat magnets proved a success and the main gun is secure and can swivel now, which fills me with joy. Funny enough this simple job was the one I was dreading, but it was quite simple with the right tools.

The Mass drive canon can shoot a variety of different shells for what ever job is needed.

The legs were fiddly though and it was useful to do this test model first to work out how best to do it.

The latest order of figures came in a gordy green resin which makes it hard to see details. It should be fine once sprayed with undercoat.

Right so the real tricky bit...the legs. I had the idea to use UHU glue to stick the legs together. Getting the two central ones done first was a good start. I supported the body with a Lego jig to take the weight.

Using the diagram shown earlier from the internet, I arranged the legs into their correct positions. The UHU glue gave me lots of wiggle room to constantly check and tweak the position of the feet.

As the legs were still drying, I lifted the front leg to create a more dynamic pose. I will have to be super careful when spraying and painting this beast, one slip and it will explode for real.

One of the new guys checks out the targeting array.

Even though I had very nice toys to use for these walkers, I have to admit these sculpts are lovely. It's also nice to have a model from the same range and in the same character as the infantry figures. At least you know the scale is correct.

It's always worth double checking things as the glue drys. On lifting it up, I found the front leg was out of position. I'll have to leave this UHU glue to dry for a while, a good 24 hours I think.

The Lego jig holds up tonnes of machinery with ease.

Now it's a case of let it set and try to keep the cats from walking over it. 

There are some small ball turrets to go on. It would be nice to make these swivel but I don't think there's a way. I will stick these on pointing straight forward as that's the best look.

I'm glad I jumped into this scary build feet first, as I've learnt some good tips.

Grinding the guns down was easy but a good level base has to be maintained or the gun sits at an angle. Also glueing the two main legs first was a must, allowing the smaller legs can then hang in position.

I had originally planned to do two at a time, but the missing parts put pay to that. At least both turrets have magnets and can move which is half the battle.

It's going to be tricky to paint, being a little fragile but should look great when finished.

"For the Republic!"

UPDATE: The turrets are on and it's all dry. To my relief, the UHU glue has done a good job in sticking the legs in place.

Dwarf spider droids, their heavy guns could cause a threat to the walker.

I couldn't help digging out some other figures to see how they scale against the walker.

Jedi leading the way.

I thought I had fixed the bendy barrel on the Droid tank, but it came back whilst packed away... annoying. Still it's nice to see them both next to eachother.

Rear turrets are in and active.

Clone troopers give infantry support to the walking giant.

Here are some Tactical dice I have made for the Clone Wars game I am creating. The idea is these are rolled at the start of your turn and give you bonuses on your shooting, melee, movement. A couple give you saving throws and one option allows you to restore a lost hit point.

Above can be seen a boot for infantry movement. A turret for extra vehicle fire power and a grenade for an extra dice in melee.

Here can be seen a footprint of a walker for a vehicle movement bonus. A blaster for extra firepower in shooting. The one off medic/repair option that gives you a chance to claim back a lost hit point.

Here we see a shield/saving throws. Most of these rolls are turned into coloured chits that can be assigned to units and used at the appropriate time. For example an infantry platoon has 5 shooting dice. If a blaster is rolled on your Tactical dice, then another D12 can be added to the roll. These chits can be kept with the unit and used when the time comes. Infantry can carry 2 chits and vehicles 3.

Veteran units can carry 3 also. 

A unit preparing to go into melee could do worse than having a couple of grenades to bring their attacking dice up to 7.

The idea is to keep things simple with lots of dice rolling going on to keep the youngling engaged.