The New Manticore

I picked up the Manticore when it was first released. I don't know who is designing GW models these days, but they are doing aces. This was the easiest kit I've had to build in a while, light years above the old chimera chassis. The old chimera is really what turned me off to IG, and one of the reasons my IG army is predominantly Valkyrie transported. Well that and I am a fighter jock, rather than a tread head (so GW, make more flyers).



One can see that i opted to model the driver's hatch closed. Since the model is essentially unlimbered an in firing position, it makes more sense than some dramatic pose of a driver about to incinerate himself as his rockets fly off into the blue beyond. I may make the lead Manticore (for apocalypse formations) have a driver, but in all probability it will just have the apocalypse comm upgrade.



To me, the Manticore, as well as the Hydra, are more rear echelon vehicles, and in my Cadian 212th army, they are more of an anti-air, landing pad defense force than a front line artillery unit. This is one of the reasons the Manticore looks so clean, it's spent its life parked near an airstrip waiting for enemy aircraft to show up so it can blast them out of the sky.



I primed the model black, then gave it a coat of Fenris Grey (a first in using the color for me, and I quite like its look). Then a layer of Shadow Grey, followed by an extreme highlight of Codex Grey. The rockets have Chaos Black, P3 Coal Black and an extreme highlight of Codex Grey. The nose cones are base coated with Mechrite Red, then Scab Red, Red Gore and an extreme highlight of blood red.