I'm not sure if there are any rules relating to levels of craftsmanship on the vehicles in Into The Storm, but if there are, I could use them - Or suggestions for homebrewed versions.

Afraid not. Though the section on acquistion does state that all standard acquisition rules apply, so I presume that includes good/best quality modifiers. The issue also appears in ship components. You can acquire a best-quality macrocannon, but it's pointless to do so unless you house-rule a benefit.

I think the best idea would be to gin up your own ideas for good/best, similar to cybernetics. At the very least, I would assume a best-quality Aquila Lander would be decorated with litanies, purity seals, gold trim, etc. similar to a venerated Dreadnought

Well, my players just acquired... a Best-Quality Halo Barge, and over 500 Best-Quality Sentinel Walkers, so I figured that rules for quality improvements would be helpful. Perhaps give the players a choice between a variety of upgrades?

You could always extend the quality modifiers to the vehicles weapons, so that would be 500 sentinels with best quality autocannons. And fully sick stereo systems...

Or, look at the codexes for vehicle upgrades for ideas. Good could be 1 upgrade, best 2 upgrades.

And then of course there is the best quality personal shuttle of the RT, purely reflected by the contents of the wet-bar.

My belief is that FFG made the right choice in not placing set Vehicle quality mods, as well as cybernetic mods. There are just way to many options that can be done with either of these items that defining them would limit peoples imagination.

Best quality vehicles could grant a bonus to pilot, extra armor, extra structure, upgraded weapons, extra speed, better sensors, etc.

A Best quality Aquila lander that is covered with scripture and plated gold may grant a +10 or more bonus to dealings with the Ecclesiarchy.

Best Quality Sentinels may have better speed, armor, weapons, weapon mounts that grant the gyro-stabilized trait, better auspex, enhanced vox systems that grant a +10 to command tests, I could go on and on.

Make a lits of 10 or 20 items and make them roll, or pick if you are generous.

This could be the place for some one slightly OCD to make a list of 100 options....

From the designer diaries of Battlefleet Koronus, it mentioned that the quality of troops in battle can hugely influence it's outcome in the mass warfare rules, so we'll potentially have some kind of official ruling in that.

My players wanted to set up a mining operation on Lucins breath, and wanted vehicles to withstand the extreme cold. That meant that their Rhino would have to be at least good quality to have a chance of protecting them. They managed to aquire it, but their sentinels were only "normal". i.e. Sentinels = deathtraps during nighttime when the temperature drops to minus 80°C

Johan B said:

If that's all your looking for just say they acquired a pattern of Sentinel that is environmentally sealed and is capable of operating in a void conditions for up to 3 days between resupply or maybe a cold specific variant that can operate in -200c, give it some form of spiked feet that reduce it's speed but it gets to ignore ice as a hazardous terrain. Make an weapons energy based so the mechanics won't freeze up.

Yeah, a standard Vostroyan IG Sentinel could handle -80, easy!

I absolutely agree. An arctic sentinel (or more like "insanely" arctic) would be much rarer than standard sentinels, but would be made of ceramic composites that would not crack from the cold like metal does, have larger heaters (less ammunition due to this perhaps?). Which makes them good or perhaps even best quality in my eyes. Or they could be normal quality, but have penalties due to cold proofing tradeoffs. ceramics = brittle, less armour?, heater = less space for ammunition?.

Batteries really start to suffer when they become cold, so energy weapons would suffer from gradual loss of "ammunition" in the cold, but this might be preferrable to mechanical jams or fracturing of mechanical parts.

They didn't go for good quality, since they really needed to succeed on the aquisition roll. When night arrives they would camp out in the rhino in an emergency and park the sentinels. Then thaw them out with bonfires in the morning, and move on. Trucks in Siberia are sometimes heated this (cool lowtech) way so that they can be started at all (or so I've heard). The RT dynasty has a russian tsar theme going, which fits nicely with Lucins breath.

Making them use non-optimised gear also made for a more interesting campaign in my opinion.

don't russians take the batteries of the cars inside during the night?

Yes, but the extreme cold makes the engine block itself brittle and as metal shrinks with cold, presicion parts no longer match up properly. The engine parts can break if subjected to large stresses when they are cold or if they no longer fit properly. An example is the presicion engineered weapons used by the Nazis during their invasion of Soviet during WW2. They were great above -20°C, but became extremely unreliable below this. The Soviet gear was much more primitive/ rugged, and actually worked. (which probably saved Moscow)

The battery would definately have to be kept somewhat warm, but the engine itself also needs heat to be started if the temp is extremely low (and incense + correct chants. Don't want to piss off the machine spirits =)

Anotehr problem with extreme cold is taht oil and other lubircants freeze, or at least gets too viscous to work properly. In the severe cases, it means the starter isn't strong enough to start the engine (especially with a cold battery deliverign less power than it should).