Tuesday 14 September 2021

Small But Perfectly Formed - Gydran Transport Vehicle

For a long time now I've been on the lookout for a generic non-military sci-fi vehicle. Something with multiple wheels and a cargo area. Something that looks utilitarian and functional. I thought the other day that my search was finally over when Gydran Studio released their resin R3 Exploration Roller vehicle. It has 6 wheels and a removable canopy to make an open or enclosed cargo area. It has the perfect generic sci-fi functional look. Sadly, it proved to be about 50% smaller than I had anticipated, so rather than having a nice hulking exploration vehicle or cargo lugger, the scale of the R3 Exploration Roller is more akin to an airport baggage cart. So the search continues, but nevertheless I now have a cool little vehicle to use alongside my new landing pad!



The kit itself is cast in crisp resin comprising the main body, 6 wheels, 2 roof sections, 2 hatches with access wheels, rear ramp, two side rails, antenna and front headlamp. I ended up leaving the side rails off, and assembling the roof to allow it to be removable. The roof was the trickiest element to assemble as there isn't a lot of surface area to glue the two sides together. In the end, I added some supports to the underside.

In retrospect, the photos on the Gydran website clearly show the Roller next to their space dwarf sized figures, so I should have anticipated the scale better. It does make a great transport for my ratlings though!



I painted the Roller in a nice light brown and very quickly drybrushed, washed, stippled and sponge-weathered it in my usual way to fool you into thinking it's properly painted!


The interior is fully detailed, with a really nice cab door and textured flooring.



Against a standard 28mm human you can see that it's a little under-sized (based against my expectation), but theoretically I think a human could squeeze into that cab!


12 comments:

  1. It’s a cool little vehicle, even if it doesn’t fit your expectation. Love the paint job and the various setups you’ve shown.

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    1. Thanks Hobbs. I really enjoy painting vehicles - you can be rough and ready with them and weathering hides all the imperfections.

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  2. A little small, but tempting to get as civilian terrain for my squats though...

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  3. If you check out the WW2 "tankettes" used by the Italians, then a human could definitely (!) fit inside this thing! Those Tankettes were like portapotties with treads and a turret. LOL

    Really like this roller though. Even though it's a little undersized for what you'd planned, it still fits the setting and works well as some sort of work-truck-type vehicle.

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    1. Crikey, those tankettes look like they've been built by an enthusiastic amateur to scale with his miniature railway! They really are dinky 🙂

      Glad you think it fits in even so!

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  4. Oh, but that's beautiful! I really like the shape and the functional aspect. Your paintjob definitely suits it, I find it all wonderful.
    It's not easy to find the kind of vehicle you are looking for (I know because I'm trying it too!), but there are some nice little things to spot here and there. I hope you have luck finding something suitable!

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    1. Thanks Suber! It really is a nice design. I'm hopeful that Gydran might make some more larger vehicles in future.

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  5. I like it! Space could always do with more utes, and someone's got to move the luggage at the spaceport, after all. Very nice paint job - grimy, but not too battered.

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    1. Thanks Toby. I'm in agreement- there's far too many tanks and not enough generic civilian vehicles for my taste!

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  6. You can just imagine the poor guardsmen's horrified reaction to hear they've been assigned to patrol in the roller, doubly so when they lose the rock/paper/scissors to decide who has to drive

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    1. That's when 'Titch' the hunchbacked storesman comes into his own 😅

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