Quar "Cadier" Class Armoured Utility Tractor

Nog closed the driver's hatch and settled into his seat. He carefully adjusted the idle on the rumbling engine as the squad of rhyflers climbed aboard his Cadier Armoured Utility Tractor. 

The Cadier, named after the cavalry mounts, was a rugged work beast. They had proven useful for many tasks; resupplying forward positions and extracting casualties while under fire, towing light artillery and transporting heavy weapons teams, or like today, armed with a heavy automatic shotgun and squad of infantry to do some patrolling. 

They were part of a two tractor patrol. The Alithean light war tractor would lead, they would follow to provide dismounts to check any buildings along their route.

The Alithean revved it's engine, spewing black exhaust as the commander waved the 'advance.' The Yawdryl banged on his roof. "Arrit there Nog? Let's go." Nog adjusted his goggles and put the vehicle into gear.

Nog drove with his port open. He could see better and he liked to feel the wind on his snout as they clattered along. Patrols always gave him a thrill and made him feel like the cavalry of old, feeling the wind as they rode their cadiers, searching for the enemy.

Flashes of light from the brush beside the road got his attention as simultaneously bullets spanged loudly on the side of his compartment. 

"Contact left!" He heard the Yawdryl shout as the heavy shotgun began thrashing the brush with flechette rounds. 

The Alithean ahead of him ground to a halt as smoke began coming from the engine. It's turret began to turn, but then stopped as the crew bailed out of hatches billowing smoke, only to be cut down by machine gun fire.

Nog dropped his port closed and slewed his tractor to the left. "It's a charge lads!" he shouted and stomped on the accelerator. 

He could hear the heavy shotgun banging away as they bounced over uneven ground towards the location of the enemy fire that, fortunately, was still focused on the bigger Alithean. 

A previously hidden ditch, filled with shocked enemy rhyflers, suddenly appeared. Nog stood on the accelerator with a "Yeeee!" and the Cadier hit a small mound and bounced over the ditch to crash heavily on the other side. The Yawdryl fired down the length of the ditch, slaughtering the exposed ambushers, while his rhyflers jumped out to finish clearing the brush.

Nog climbed out unsteadily. He sat on the edge of his hatch and got his pipe going with shaking hands while he watched the rhyflers collect wounded tractor crew and roughly pick up a prisoner.. The Yawdryl returned with documents taken from the dead for the Intelligence nobs to examine. He looked at Nog, grinning and shaking his snout. "That were madness. What were you thinking lad?"

Nog shrugged. "I weren't."

Examining Quar war tractors for the 15mm Quar on the Zombiesmith store, and a lot of other fanciful tanks too, for that matter, shows a lot of solid sides covering track wheels with just the treads showing. Take a look at a 40k Rhino or Leman Russ.

"Well, I can do that!" I said to myself. So I started messing about with foam core and card to build a basic hull, inspired by Zombiesmith's designs (check the 15mm Quar for a selection of War Tractors. The 28mm vehicles are out of production for the time being).

I was thinking about using the Airfix Coastal Gun to make a self propelled artillery piece.

But I didn't like the balance and it wouldn't have a role really, except maybe as a target. Plus it will be awhile before I can make crew.

I then had a few false starts trying to make a turret before settling on a Quar version of the ubiquitous Bren Carrier. 

My new Quar squad tries it out before they get based!

It is armed with a Pulp Figures cannon from pack PSS 08 "Light Deck Weapons".

The driver is one of the extra heads that came with the Quar figures (about which see my next post).

Base colour is Tamiya XF-58 Olive Green with camouflage stripes in Americana Evergreen.

The tactical marking is definitely inspired by the red divisional patch worn by 1st Canadian Infantry Division during WW2. The Quar Crusader badge at that size looks a lot like a maple leaf too. ;)