Command Vehicle Chimera Conversion, Part 1

My Imperial Guard Command Squad needs a vehicle, and somehow the basic chimera just isn't going to cut it. So I've decided to cut one up, and make something out of the scrap. I'm not going to reveal my end goal just yet, so we'll just have to see this thing take shape. At the beginning, I was just considering some minor cosmetic changes to the basic the Chimera, but as I went along I got more confidence, so I decided to go all out. I have to thank Klaus over at Dei Greci for inspiring me to work more extensively with plasticard. He's done some incredible things over there, so if you haven't seen his work, get over there right now and check it out.
Step 1 was to cut up the side of the Chimera Hull, so as to reveal some of the wheels. I was very reluctant to do this at first, fearing I'd ruin it, but finally I just bit the bullet and chopped it up.

With the wheels exposed, it looks more modern than a World War I tank.
What are these things supposed to be? If anything, I think they look a little like reactive armor. I'm going to chop them up and use them later, but for now I put them aside.
Next I put on the tracks and the track guards--there are some gaps in the track guards, but I'll fix that later. I also trimmed down lots of the protrusions on the outside, to make a flat surface.

Next I glued on some plasticard to build up the sides a little.
At this stage I realized that I wanted the "front" of my vehicle to be the opposite side from the chimera's, so I had to do a little surgery. As I had glued (using plastic cement) part of the hull to the wheel, I had to pry it apart, and the plastic had dissolved somewhat. I cleaned it up a little, but it still looks crappy--but once it gets mud on it it won't look as bad.
More plasticard on the sides to build it up more, and also some maintenance panels on the lower edge.


That's enough for one day, stay tuned for part two!