Unauthorized Mods, Part 5

Well, the Overtime Monster provided a little bit of relief (and I popped a couple of Monster Energy drinks), and so I made a little time to sculpt today.

As I've stated in previous updates, the Dictator CAV is Reaper's baby.  I'm just doing a little exercise in exploring a couple concepts, and toying with a hypothetical update to the old girl.


On with the chemically-induced creativity...

 I decided to change a few things up from the last update.  The "death blossom" look wasn't going to work, since the open hatches were going to collide with the upper legs if the mech had to run or kneel.  I moved the two lower launchers outboard, onto the shoulders.

 I also broadened the rear "intake" section of the main hull, and shrank some of the intermediary parts of the upper arms.  The mech looks a little bit wider, yes, but a bit more menacing as well.

 I dipped into some OLD archives, and came up with the chin gatling from the old Borsig-Spline Wyvern model, my first original CAV for Reaper.  I nipped off its self-defense weapon...

 ...doubled it into a side-by-side configuration...

 ...and made a turret base for the weapons.

 A simple mounting point was created from a truncated cone, and a quick "beer keg" style ammunition drum was made from a line and the revolve command.

 All these elements were scaled to their proportions, and the result looks good.  I believe in the fictional universe of CAV, point-defense weapons like these were rotary shotguns.  I like it.

The first test models of CAV were kit-bashed helicopter gunship models.  This harkens back to those early roots.  Neat.

 Back to the main gauss cannon.  I wanted a more complex mount, with a greater degree of movement than the classic one.

 So I added a couple pivot points that could not just rotate in the horizontal plane...

 

 ...but could pitch up and down as well, without colliding with the mount.  I was inspired by similar mounts found on some 5-axis cnc machines.

 I attach the new cannons to their elbow mounts.  The proportions are off.

 So I shrink them about 8%.  They fit better, now.

 I like how this is starting to turn out.

 

The new build is starting to grow in proportion when I bring up the Classic model for comparisons.  So, I scale up the Classic legs under the new model to something that looks more fitting.  They'll get replaced and reworked, bit by bit, with the new concept legs, not to worry.

Yes, I know, she's starting to grow bigger than her predecessor.  If things start to spiral out of control in the size department, relief is only a "scale" command away.

Stay tuned for more.

Edited to add:

 

In case the missile pod hatches being open was too flamboyant for ya, here's the armored covers down in the stowed position.

Best,
JBR