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Arvus Lighter at Warhammer World

There were quite a few models of the Arvus Lighter at Warhammer World.

Serving as an essential workhorse for void-ships and planetary logistics across the Imperium of Man, the Arvus Lighter is a compact, unarmored cargo shuttle designed for raw utility.

Commonly deployed aboard Imperial Navy warships, merchant vessels, and Rogue Trader fleets, this reliable shuttle handles routine short-range transport between orbital platforms and planetary surfaces.

Piloted by a single crewman, the Arvus lacks any standard weapon systems and relies on only the most rudimentary navigational gear, external sensors, and proximity alarms.

What it lacks in combat capability or advanced technology, however, it makes up for in pure hauling power: equipped with exceptionally potent thrusters, the Arvus easily carries heavy payloads, supplies, and personnel through dense atmospheres, ensuring the vital flow of material across the Emperor’s domain.

I do have an Arvus Lighter on the workbench, initially I thought of doing quiet a quick paint job, but then later I considered undertaking a more thorough job, and do a detailed inside.

Ordered some Orlock Ogryn Minders

I mentioned before that I was thinking of getting the Orlock Ogryn Minders to use as Ogryns for my Tallarn forces.

I do think these models would be ideal for my Tallarn forces, and I much prefer these models over the existing Imperial Guard Ogryns that are available. I think they also fit in with the slightly anarchic look I am going for with the Tallarns.

Speaking of muscle, the violent and physical nature of convoy protection makes it an ideal vocation for listless Ogryns, who Orlock gangs are only too happy to hire for their natural head-breaking talents and tendency to follow orders without question.

This weekend they went on pre-order, so after a little thinking, I went and pre-ordered them from my FLGS.

As I said last time, I am going to paint them in desert uniforms, and I used AI to work out what they could look like.

Vickers Mk VIB Light Tank at the Tank Museum

The Vickers Mk VIB Light Tank was a British WW2 light tank, crew of 3, powered by Meadows 6-cylinder petrol engine, armed with two machine guns.

This is the one at the Tank Museum in Bovington.

The Mk VI Light Tank was the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vickers-Armstrongs for the British Army during the interwar period. The company had achieved a degree of standardization with their previous five models, and the Mark VI was identical in all but a few respects. The turret, which had been expanded in the Mk V to allow a three-man crew to operate the tank, was further expanded to give room in its rear for a wireless set.

The British Army lost 331 Mark VI light tanks in the Battle of France of 1940.

The Mk VIB was mechanically identical to the Mk VIA but with a few minor differences to make production simpler, including a one-piece armoured louvre over the radiator instead of a two-piece louvre, and a plain circular cupola instead of the faceted type.

The Mk VIB was also used in the North African campaign against the Italians late in 1940 with the 7th Armoured Division.

In A Very British Civil War scenario, you would expect to be using a fair amount of these tanks. When the Battle of France began in May 1940, the majority of the tanks possessed by the British Expeditionary Force were Mark VI variants.

Here are some 15mm Flames of War Light Tank VIs in the Flames of War Miniatures Gallery.

There is also a metal 15mm one of mine, which is badly painted, on my workbench.

There is a Mark VI A on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. It was one of 11 sent to Australia in 1941 for training purposes.

Solar Auxilia Dracosan Armoured Transport

The Dracosan Armoured Transport is manufactured to standards only usually required of war machines destined for service with the Legiones Astartes. It is large enough to accommodate a full strength Solar Auxilia Infantry Section of twenty auxiliaries, and heavily armoured enough to protect them from intense enemy fire.

Solar Auxilia Basilisk

Many Solar Auxilia Cohorts maintain their own mobile artillery batteries, favouring a class ideally suited to their particular battle doctrines.

Firing from long distance, the Basilisk can lay down a fearsome barrage ahead of the advancing ranks of the Solar Auxilia. Their hulls, derived from the Solar pattern Leman Russ, offer enhanced protection from enemy weapons and can equip a pintle-mounted weapon such as the ubiquitous multi-laser, adding a close quarters defence capability should enemy infantry advance too near.

Nashorn Tank Destroyer

This Nashorn Tank Destroyer has being a guest armoured vehicle at Tankfest 26, and is now on temporary display at The Tank Museum.

The Nashorn (German for “Rhinoceros”) was a formidable German tank destroyer developed in 1942 as an interim solution to counter heavily armoured Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. Built on the specialised Geschützwagen III/IV hybrid chassis—which combined elements of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks—it mated a highly mobile tracked platform with the devastating 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 anti-tank gun.

This weapon was one of the most lethal anti-tank guns of World War II, capable of penetrating the armour of almost any Allied or Soviet vehicle at extreme ranges, often well before the enemy could close the distance to fire back. However, to offset the immense weight of the 8.8 cm gun and maintain mobility, the Nashorn was designed with a tall, open-topped, and lightly armoured superstructure. With only 10 mm of armour protection on its gun shield and sides, the crew was highly vulnerable to artillery fragments, small arms fire, and air bursts. Consequently, the Nashorn had to be operated strictly as a long-range sniper from concealed positions, utilising its exceptional gun optics and ballistics to strike from afar rather than engaging in close-quarters armoured brawls.

This is a privately owned Nashorn with the hull serial number 310163 and was restored to running condition in the Netherlands.

Sicaran Omega Tank Destroyer

Leveraging the blistering speed and manoeuvrability of the core Sicaran chassis, the Sicaran Omega Tank Destroyer is a ruthless predator engineered specifically to hunt down and obliterate heavy enemy armour.

Operating as a fast-attack ambusher, the Omega uses its powerful engines to close the distance rapidly before unleashing the devastating, short-range thermal force of its turret-mounted plasma array. Though the weapon system itself is a crude, retrofitted imitation of the Mechanicum’s more refined plasma technologies, its sheer output is undeniable—capable of burning through heavy hull plating and reducing lumbering siege tanks to smouldering, slagged wrecks in a single volley. For the Legiones Astartes, the Sicaran Omega represents the ultimate synthesis of high-speed tactical insertion and brutal, anti-tank firepower.

Eldar Battlefleet Gothic

These Eldar starships on display at Warhammer World were for Battlefleet Gothic and were released in 1999.

Battlefleet Gothic is a miniature game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It deals with the space combat aspect of the universe, and particularly the events surrounding the Gothic War.

I never got into Battlefleet Gothic as I much preferred using the GZG Full Thrust rules for spaceship battles. I also used MicroMachines Star Trek ship models.

There were some nice models for Battlefleet Gothic and as with many games that Games Workshop have produced over the years it’s a pity that it got retired. It is nice that they do put these kinds of retired models on display.

Cruiser, Mk III (A13)

Tank Cruiser Mark III (T9143 “Agility”): A British Cruiser Mk III tank on display in the Tank Story Hall at The Tank Museum. It is painted to represent the standard Cruiser III “T9143” named “Agility” from the 10th Royal Hussars, 1st Armoured Division, during June 1940.

This vehicle is one of the 65 Cruiser IIIs delivered between December 1938 and November 1939. It was apparently retained to prove the attachment of armour plates on the turret in fulfilment of the Cruiser IV’s armour specification (30mm), which is the configuration in which it survives. It was held by the School of Tank Technology until 1949, when it transferred to the Tank Museum. It is painted to represent a vehicle commanded by Ron Huggins (who later volunteered at the Tank Museum) of 10th Royal Hussars – a part of 1st Armoured Division, which served in western France in June 1940.”

Boomdakka Snazzwagon

The roar of overcharged engines and the crackle of blinding flames herald the chaotic arrival of the Boomdakka Snazzwagon, an iconic favourite among Ork Speed Freeks. Stripped down for maximum velocity and clad in little more than hastily welded scrap armour, these light-built speedsters fishtail, skid, and leap madly across the battlefield to evade incoming fire. While a single direct artillery hit will instantly vaporise the fragile vehicle, its blistering speed and unpredictable manoeuvres make targeting one a nightmare for enemy gunners. Clinging to the chassis is a gang of howling Burna Boyz who gleefully pelt the foe with volatile burna bottles and blast them with heavy mek-flamers. The resulting firestorms are just as likely to incinerate the Snazzwagon’s own crew as they are the enemy, but the cackling Orks are far too entranced by the noise, heat, and spectacle to care.