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I attended Tankfest 26 at the Tank Museum in Bovington.
One of the highlights was the first public appearance of the Challenger 3 main battle tank.
It’s not yet in service and there are issues that need to be sorted.
Alongside the Challenger 3 , was a Challenger 2, and a first generation Challenger.
When I made a trip to Warhammer World in June 2025 I was pleased to see the then new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World on display. I really liked the Cathayan Sentinel especially the paint job which made it look like it was terracotta. I also saw a posting on the Warhammer Community site about where Lewis from the Warhammer Studio had painted some Jade Warriors as terracotta warriors. I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style, so I bought a Cathayan Sentinel and the Grand Cathay Battalion.
I started constructing the Jade Warriors. After finishing some of those models I started on the Grand Cannon.
Cast in the likeness of roaring dragons, the Grand Cannons of Cathay unleash torrents of flame and iron upon the foe. Whether saturating a wide front or concentrating their explosive power into a single, devastating projectile for sieges, they remain a cornerstone of Cathayan might.
First models to be made were the crew. I constructed two of the crew first. The third crew member was built, as was the Ogre loader.
I have been thinking about how I will paint the Grand Cannon. The human crew will be terracotta like the Jade Warriors. I think I will also need to reflect on how to paint the Ogre Loaders, who are mercenaries. First thoughts are to paint them as terracotta too. As for the cannon itself, that I think will be more brass than clay. I think a cannon made out of terracotta would explode upon firing.
I think I will landscape the base before affixing the cannon.
I have also gone down the cannon route rather than the Fire Rain Rocket Battery option.
This weekend the Hippogriff AFV will be available to pre-order this weekend.
Keep up with the fastest vehicles and lay down powerful cover fire with the Hippogriff Armoured Fighting Vehicle. The Hippogriff brings raw agility, while carrying your choice of a vigilator cannon, chiron gatling cannon, melta cannon, or heavy lascannon.
When this was announced back in March I mentioned how it reminded me of Owen Rees’ Imperial Guard – The 374th Tahnelian Airborne Chimera APC conversions., Owen had made some wheeled armoured cars using the Chimera APC as a base for the conversion.
I do like the Hippogriff AFV and along with the Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicle I am thinking about getting them to create a Long Range Desert Group inspired raiding force for my Tallarn forces.
The Long Range Desert Group (or LRDG) was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War.
One inspiration for me as to be the Matchbox kit of the Long Range Desert Group released back in 1976 which included a Chevrolet 30cwt patrol truck and a Willys Jeep, both stripped down and heavily modified for desert warfare.
In order to give it that Long Range Desert Group look I will be adding stowage, extra fuel cans, canvas sand mats, sand channels, and other equipment.
For Warhammer: The Old World you will soon be able to order (from 4 July for a week-long order period) some classic Mercenary Ogres.
No doubt drawn by the presence of exotic (if scaly) meats, a band of Mercenary Ogres is marching upon the Old World seeking fame and fortune. Or just, you know, obscene amounts of food. You’ll be able to get your hands on a set of three with great weapons, three with hand weapons, and a cheery Captain overseeing his troops. Decked out in less civilised armour and outfits than regular Imperial Ogres, they’re a great way to add more character to your Dwarfen Mountain Holds and Empire of Man armies.
The Captain is one of my favourite Citadel miniatures, and is also one I never had in my collection. Can you guess who will be clicking the order button on the 4th July.
Skeleton Chariots are the pride of the Tomb Kings, gilded and lethal machines crewed even in death by Nehekhara’s finest warriors. Often fielded en masse, their rattling advance is heralded by clouds of dust, thrown high into the air as they thunder across the sands. Crashing into the enemy with bone-shattering force, these vehicles crush living bodies beneath their heavy wheels as their undead crew lay about the disorientated foe.
This weekend the Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicle will be available to pre-order this weekend.
Ferry your troops to the front in the relative safety of the Astra Militarum’s newest people-mover – the Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicle. This speedy, economical vehicle can carry plenty of Guardsmen and has ample open roof space from which to shoot.
This armoured half-track for the Imperial Guard has echoes of the World War Two M3 had track.
I much prefer this model over the Taurox which was originally released back in 2014, really didn’t like it.
I do like the Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicle I am thinking about getting one (and a Hippogriff AFV) to create a Long Range Desert Group inspired raiding force for my Tallarn forces.
The Long Range Desert Group (or LRDG) was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War.
One inspiration for me as to be the Matchbox kit of the Long Range Desert Group released back in 1976 which included a Chevrolet 30cwt patrol truck and a Willys Jeep, both stripped down and heavily modified for desert warfare.
I am not sure how easy it will be to strip down the Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicle, but in order to give it that Long Range Desert Group look I will be adding stowage, extra fuel cans, canvas sand mats, sand channels, and other equipment. The actual Chevrolet 30cwt patrol trucks of the LRDG often had their doors, windscreens and roofs removed. I will have to see how the model is constructed before deciding how to strip it down.
Tearing through the armour plating of enemy vehicles, the Vindicator laser destroyer array is a potent weapon of destruction. This Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer was on display at Warhammer World.
First retrofitted into the heavily armoured Deimos pattern Vindicator chassis during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, several Legions took to fielding this variant as a mainline battle tank, proving itself on many occasions as an able tank hunter. After millennia of brutal warfare across the galaxy, it is still in favour within the Space Marine Chapters, the Vindicator Laser Destructor continuing to bring retribution to the enemies of Mankind.
More photographs of the Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer.
The most numerous and fundamental units in the armies of the Tomb Kings of Khemri are the Skeleton Warriors and Archers. These soldiers were once the living legions of ancient Nehekhara, loyal footsoldiers who were entombed with their kings to continue their service in the afterlife. Now, centuries after the great ritual that cursed their land, they are reanimated by the incantations of Liche Priests, rising from their sandy graves in a tide of brittle bone and rusted weapons.
Though individually weak and lacking the martial prowess of their living counterparts, their true strength lies in their numbers and unwavering loyalty. They march in relentless, disciplined ranks, forming the unyielding core of the Tomb Kings’ army, serving as an anvil against which the foe is broken. The Skeleton Warriors, armed with spears or hand weapons and shields, are a formidable block of infantry, while the Skeleton Archers, with their warbows, provide a storm of arrows to harry and weaken the enemy from a distance.
Named for the ‘Great Beast’ of Ancient Terran myth, the immense Typhon Heavy Siege Tank was developed by the Mechanicum alongside the Spartan, with which it shares a basic chassis design.
The Typhon’s primary armament is the massive Dreadhammer cannon, and was created in response to a request from the Primarch Peturabo, master of the Iron Warriors. He demanded a Legiones Astartes war engine that could rival the great batteries of the Imperial Crusade Army in firepower, but manoeuvre and deploy at the speed of a Space Marine force.
From the displays at Warhammer World.
The Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Whirlwind Missile Tank for the Legion Astartes will be available to pre-order next week.
The Whirlwind is a certified Astartes classic combining the venerable Rhino chassis with a huge missile launcher that hurls storms of explosive warheads into enemy ranks, whether it has line of sight or not. The sophisticated range-finding and targeting auspexes mounted to the launcher allow multiple different kinds of munitions to be loaded and fired independently, from standard high explosives to incendiary Pyrax rounds.
This new model reflects the original conversion from 1989. The original Whirlwind was a conversion using a slottabase and plasticard for the rocket launcher. I have always preferred the original conversion to the newer versions, so it should be no surprise that I will probably get one of these when they are eventually released. I will be pre-ordering you for my Imperial Fists army.
In addition I have some doors for it already as well. On a recent visit to Warhammer World I picked up some Forge World Imperial Fists Rhino Doors.
I’ve always liked the Forge World doors and have used them on some of my models such as this Land Raider.
I am planning to use these Imperial Fists Rhino Doors on the new Whirlwind,