Building "The Furious Abyss"

[Daemon_Primarch_Lorgar]

Hello people!

So I'm just about finished painting my 2800pts Imperial Navy fleet and to keep me occupied until I can get hold of a Ramilies class Starfort, I thought it was about time I started my new Chaos Word Bearers fleet ! I'm thinking about making it some 4000pts roughly and I would like the flagship to be this badass over here:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Furious_Abyss#.UjJWe2SH6fs

The Furious Abyss, for those of you who haven't read the novel by Ben Counter, was a pre heresy Word Bearer ship of epic proportions . Gaming wise I'm thinking about using the rules for the Planet Killer, just for simplicity, maybe adding some LBs (don't look at me like that, I'll do as I wish!). However, the modeling aspect is a much more interesting question! The ship is described as being big, very very big! Dwarfing even the Emperor class battleship, I'm going to have to make some conversion work to represent this beast. I've actually never used plasticard before, but I'm thinking this might be the time to learn! I've bought a Desolator Battleship that I could use as the groundwork for the ship, but I guess what I'm interesting in hearing is this:
How would you do it ?

Thanks in advance!

[unseelied]

I think a lot of things depend upon just how much bigger you want to make the ship.  If I was going to make one I'd shoot for double size and what I'd do was block out the shape with wood using a sander to shape it.  Next I basicly put a plasticard skin on it and then detail that.  You could just build a plasticard base and then detail that but with something that large having a solid base under the card  rather than a just a hollow shape would make things go easier. 

Another option would be to saw a battleship into quarters and then spread it out and fill the spaces inbetween to make it longer and wider.  Could use wood or make small boxes out of plasticard to fill the spaces.  Then add details either from chaos cruisers or small plasticard strips.  They sell plasticard in rod and strips of various sizes.  I'd go that route if I was going for just a little bit larger rather than super big. Maybe one weapons bay longer and maybe a quarter inch wider or something.  No matter what it couldn't hurt to try to draw it how you want it before cutting anything.  Even a bad sketch is better than just winging it. 

[intercepta]

Thing is BFG ships aren't to scale anyway right? So you don't need to go nuts, just needs to be bigger then everything else :p

Or at least more imposing, lexicanum says it was shaped like a trident with tons and tons of launch bays so pretty straight forward design I think

[Islacrusez]

with tons and tons of launch bays so pretty straight forward design I think

Didn't it say somewhere that it was a surprise when it launched fighters?

[Cneo]

with tons and tons of launch bays so pretty straight forward design I think

Didn't it say somewhere that it was a surprise when it launched fighters?

Sure,

I'm reading 'Battle for the Abyss' now and the Imperial ships were surprised when it launched lots of attack craft. 

[timdp]

Thing is BFG ships aren't to scale anyway right? So you don't need to go nuts, just needs to be bigger then everything else :p

Or at least more imposing, lexicanum says it was shaped like a trident with tons and tons of launch bays so pretty straight forward design I think

Black Library editor Laurie Golding has said that the Abyss is loosely based on this old Space Fleet miniature:
http://www.star-ranger.com/Stuff/images/Fleets/IGgothicmetal.JPG
http://www.star-ranger.com/Stuff/images/Fleets/IGgothicplastic.JPG

Tim

[Cneo]

Thing is BFG ships aren't to scale anyway right? So you don't need to go nuts, just needs to be bigger then everything else :p

Or at least more imposing, lexicanum says it was shaped like a trident with tons and tons of launch bays so pretty straight forward design I think

Black Library editor Laurie Golding has said that the Abyss is loosely based on this old Space Fleet miniature:
http://www.star-ranger.com/Stuff/images/Fleets/IGgothicmetal.JPG
http://www.star-ranger.com/Stuff/images/Fleets/IGgothicplastic.JPG

Tim

Wow!

I didn't remenber this ship (I've it  )

And reading the descriptions, it really looks like the Abyss. 

[Daemon_Primarch_Lorgar]

Thanks for all the replies guys ! I think I'll go for the wood structure with a plasticard skin, thst idea sounds promising! Probably going to use the Desolator as the "tip" of the sword and try to mimic the appearance of the Star Ranger. Time to start sketching !
Once again, thank you guys!