Building my own Deimos pattern Predator turret


A while ago, Forge World released their take on the Deimos Pattern Predators. Basically a remake using the old-school bubble turret Predators used to have. When they released their new version this past week, I'd had enough.

The first time I saw one, I thought there had to be a way to make my own version of the same thing. An interchangeable turret that could be set down on top of a normal Predator chassis to give it that "old school" bubble look. Something you could build and retrofit an existing model with to give you that older model look.

When I sat down to build my experimental turret, the first thing I thought I could use was half of a ping-pong ball. I wasn't sure of the size, but I thought it would work. So I bought a small box of them for just over a dollar. If it didn't work out, it wouldn't be that big of a loss.

Turns out, they are a shade too small to work really well. Can it be done? Sure, but it looks a bit off overall in the scale department. That could be my plasticard skills, but if I could find something just a tiny bit larger, I think I'd really be onto something.


How I built the bubble turret
Let me start by saying I don't have any templates for this conversion. To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull it off. I went for broke and figured I'd do the best I could and then post what I came up with.

I started by cutting the ping pong ball in half. From there, I trimmed a little more off so it was slightly less than half of the ball. I took that piece and glued it on top of a 40mm base. I ended up greenstuffing the small offset gap all the way around the bottom.

From there, I built and added my gun and turret hatch. Both are cobbled together out of bits and plasticard. Since I couldn't find any suitable bits for the turret housing, I made it from plasticard. What a production that was. I don't do much plasticard work and this was a real challenge for me. It's lacking in a lot of ways, but someone with some real plasticard skills would have no trouble putting something like this together.


I have to say, despite my poor plasticard skills, it was a huge blast to actually make my own piece the way I wanted. Talk about liberating. You can just build exactly what you want without having to try and make something that's kinda close work in its place. I can see how this addictive.

It looks a little better once primed, but you can see all of the surface imperfections now. All in all, I'm going to call this one a win. As far as being proof that it can be done, someone with some skill should have no trouble at all making a couple of these for their army. And it sits right on top of a regular Predator chassis without any conversion work required.

Working with plasticard is both a science and an art. I think I need to pick something easier next time to try and build. This might have been a bit out of my league in terms of complexity. Nonetheless, it was a huge leap forward for me in terms of working with plasticard and building my skills.

Anyone need a spare Predator turret?

UPDATE: Here's what she looks like primed. Like I said, you can really see the minor surface imperfections. I think as my skills improve, I will get better at minimizing them and reducing the amount of cleanup work I have to do.


I think priming it puts it in a different light and it's a little easier to see it for the overall shape instead of the parts. The scale doesn't look so bad now. Still, if I could find something slightly larger, I think I'd be set.

And... I'm working on a side sponson now!

Make sure to check out these posts as they might help:
A few other Forge World related posts
Modifying your Rhino to get the most from it
How to magnetize your Rhino chassis for the most options


Ron, From the WarpIf you've got any questions about something in this post, shoot me a comment and I'll be glad to answer. Make sure to share your hobby tips and thoughts in the comments below!