SnapHammer

Snap Ships + WarHammer 40k

SnapHammer combines the work I did as an intern at Playmonster on Snapships with my recent interest in Warhammer 40k.

Snapships is a building toy that uses small cubes that lock together to build the basic shape of a spaceship, then small extra bits can be clicked into the cubes to make a finished spaceship.

WarHammer 40k is a wargame that takes place in the far future, each player controls a different army that’s vying for control of the galaxy and decides what units are in that army and what equipment they have.

Both products put a big emphasis on customization, Snapships allows you to build unique spaceships and Warhammer puts you in charge of an army you designed.

Customization in Warhammer 40k

40k players take their armies (and models) seriously, a big part of the hobby is painting, and some people won’t even play against a player with unpainted models. Some players will customize their models, giving their army a backstory and custom paint job.

These two Leman Russ Battle Tanks would function identically on the table, but their paintjobs say very different things about the army they’re a part of, and perhaps a bit about the player who made them as well.

Not only can these units look different, they can carry different equipment too. The tanks above have Main Battle Cannons on their turrets, but there are other options, better suited for different tasks. Players will sometimes use tiny magnets to be able to switch out their equipment quickly between battles.

By using SnapShip cubes as a base instead of magnets, players can swap out every part of their vehicles.

How SnapHammer Works

Instead of magnets, each SnapHammer piece has a small peg attached to the back that can fit into a Snapship cube. The pieces are designed for 3d printing so they are made of two parts. The main piece is designed with a mostly flat back, to provide a good base for the 3d printer, and has a shallow square to show where the peg, printed separately, is attached.

Generic Vehicle Base

Each part of this base can be swapped out, from the treads to the armor panels to the windows and gun on the front. Most importantly though, the open area on top provides space to attach any kind of larger armament.

Leman Russ Battle Tank

Swapping the long range cannon for a rotating turret and adding side mounted sponsons means this vehicle is ready to hit the table as a Leman Russ Battle Tank.

Basilisk Artillery

Adding an Earthshaker Cannon and a crew area in the back gives this vehicle the ability to hit targets over 200 inches away.

The cannon on the turret can also be removed and replaced with another gun as the need arises. Perhaps to deal with a heavily armored foe or a swarm of alien bugs.

Sentinels

These bipedal walkers are the lightest and fastest vehicles available to the Astra Militarum, and can carry a variety of weapons from Lascannons to Missiles. And now the ability to quickly and easily swap them out makes them even deadlier on the gaming table.