Author: Felix

Moon Base Tau

There was a huge display of Tau forces defending themselves against an attacking force of Imperial Knights and Titans.

At the heart of the display is the huge Tau Manta.

The Manta, more formally known as the Manta Missile Destroyer, is a super-heavy Tau spacecraft that is also the Tau Empire’s closest equivalent to the Imperium of Man’s Titans and Ork Gargants. It is well-armoured for use in frontline combat and can deliver massive amounts of firepower to the battlefield to help support Tau ground forces during a frontal assault against entrenched enemy positions.

As for the model, it measures 630mm/25 inches long and has a wingspan of 860mm/34 inches! Weighing in at 12.5 kilos/28 pounds, it weighs six times as much as a Thunderhawk Gunship.

We never saw a version for Aeronautica Imperialis before the game was retired. As there are no xenon forces in Legions Imperialis, we won’t see one there either. Do think it is a pity that GW aren’t going to produce xenon forces for Legions Imperialis as it is a Horus Heresy based game. I do wonder if at some point in the future we might?

Across the battlefield were many different types of Tau forces.

Attacking were the Mechanicum with Knights and Titans.

Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer at Warhammer World

This Legiones Astartes Ultramarines Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer was on display in the cabinets at Warhammer World.

The Vindicator laser destroyer array is a devastating weapon, capable of unleashing a torrent of laser energy that can tear through the armor of even the heaviest enemy vehicles. It was first fitted to the heavily armored Deimos pattern Vindicator chassis during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, when several Legions fielded this variant as a mainline battle tank. The Vindicator laser destroyer proved itself to be an able tank hunter, time and again destroying enemy tanks and other armoured vehicles with ease.

After the Horus Heresy, the Vindicator laser destroyer array remained in service with Space Marine Chapters. It is still used today, and remains one of the most feared anti-tank weapons in the Imperium’s arsenal. Vindicator laser destroyer arrays are often deployed to support infantry units, providing them with the firepower they need to break through enemy armour and fortifications.

Arquitor Bombard with Spicula Rocket System

This Sons of Horus Arquitor Bombard with Spicula Rocket System was in the displays at Warhammer World.

Arquitor Bombard with Spicula Rocket System

The Legion Arquitor is a heavy artillery platform designed to operate at the forefront of a Legiones Astartes advance. Equipped with a reinforced chassis and brutal short range firepower, it is called upon to break the most stubborn of fortifications or to annihilate massed enemy infantry and armour. The spicula rocket system fires rippling salvos of unguided missiles that crash down on enemy positions, creating massive cumulative blasts that can scatter whole formations.

Finnish T-34/76 Tank

The T-34/76 wasn’t just a tank; it was a turning point in World War II. Introduced in 1940, this Soviet medium tank shocked the German invaders in 1941 with its superior design. The T-34/76 boasted a perfect balance of three crucial elements: firepower, armour protection, and mobility.

The T-34/76 packed a powerful punch with its 76.2 mm cannon. This weapon outclassed anything else on the battlefield at the time. German tanks simply weren’t equipped to handle the T-34/76’s offensive capabilities.

The T-34/76 wasn’t just about attacking; it was a defensive powerhouse. Its innovative design incorporated thick, sloped armour. This seemingly simple feature made a world of difference. Shells that struck the T-34/76 at straight angles tended to glance off harmlessly, thanks to the sloped design, leaving the crew safe inside. This feature, along with the tough armour itself, effectively countered most anti-tank weapons of the early war.

The impact of the T-34/76 went beyond its raw firepower and armour. It was also remarkably agile. The powerful V-2 diesel engine propelled the tank at a respectable speed, allowing it to manoeuvre quickly across battlefields. This mobility gave the T-34/76 a tactical advantage, enabling it to outflank and surprise enemy forces.

While the effectiveness of the T-34/76 was challenged by later German tank advancements, its initial impact was undeniable. German General von Kleist famously called it “the finest tank in the world” after encountering it in 1941. The T-34/76 became a symbol of Soviet resilience and innovation, playing a pivotal role in the Red Army’s eventual victory.

The Tank Museum’s T-34/76 is a remarkable example of this legendary tank. This specific vehicle is an early model, captured by Finnish forces during the Continuation War. It served the Finnish army for years, even being used as a training tank well into the 1950s. The Tank Museum’s T-34/76 stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of this revolutionary tank design.

Battle of Angelus Prime

The primary action of the War for Sanctoria campaign was fought in Sanctoria’s capital city of Angelus Prime. The entire might of the Ultramarines Chapter and their allies among the Grey Knights, the Knights of House Terryn and the Titans of the Legio Astorum stood against the bloodthirsty hordes of the Blood God Khorne.

Much blood was spilled, as the Ultramarines made their last stand against the followers of Khorne on the holy ground of Angelus Prime’s cathedral dedicated to the Ultramarines Primarch. Yet in the end, the Ultramarines prevailed once more, and Chapter Master Marneus Calgar personally banished An’ggrath to the Warp.

The Battle of Angelus Prime is the largest diorama at Warhammer World.

The diorama depicts the forces of Khorne attacking a stronghold of the Ultramarines, with the intent to killing Marneus Calgar.

It is huge filling an entire room with the height of two floors.

It is complete with lights and sound, which actually makes it a challenge to get decent photographs.

It is one of the dioramas that you really need to experience in person.

See more photographs of The Battle For Angelus Prime.

Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Whirlwind Scorpius

This Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Whirlwind Scorpius was on display at Warhammer World.

Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Whirlwind Scorpius
Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Whirlwind Scorpius

An ancient variant of the more common Whirlwind missile tank, the Scorpius was designed with a single purpose in mind – the destruction of heavily armoured infantry. The Scorpius variant replaces the Whirlwind’s multiple missile launcher system with the intricate drum-fed scorpius launcher, whose implosive warheads are devastating to armoured infantry and light vehicles. The Whirlwind Scorpius’ origins lie in the dark days of the first inter-Legion civil war and, in more recent times, it has become an all but forgotten relic amongst some Chapters as the ability to manufacture its complex munitions has become a forgotten art, but for other Chapters it still remains a potent weapon of war.

 

Vickers Mk VIB Light Tank

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.

15mm British Light Tank Mk VIs

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.

Cruiser, Mk IV (A13)

This Cruiser, Mk III (A13) was on display at Bovington Tank Museum. This example was built in 1939 by Nuffield Mechanisation & Aero Ltd and was used for development of the improved turret armour for the Cruiser IV. It retains this revised turret which is why at first glance it looks like a Cruiser IV.

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.”

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III (A13) was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance, previous models of cruiser tanks having used triple wheeled bogie suspension. Like most British cruisers, the A 13 was fast but under-armoured and proved unreliable mechanically. Most were lost in the French campaign in 1940, but a few were used in Greece and the North African campaign in 1940-41.

As you can see in this photograph the Mk III had a slab sided turret.

I have had a 15mm model of the tank for sometime. Don’t remember the manufacturer, though I think it may be an old SDD Miniatures model. It’s made of metal and is quite well detailed. After cleaning the model I gave it a white undercoat.

See the full workbench feature on the A13.


Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank

The Spartan Assault Tank also known as the Land Raider Spartan, this armoured carrier was designed to punch through the most overwhelming enemy defences and deliver a knock-out blow of massed Astartes infantry. It became a common assault vehicle during the Great Crusade, where its nigh-impervious chassis could shrug off regular anti-tank weapons as it ferried up to 26 Legionaries – or 13 Terminators – into the fray, with a surprising turn of speed for its size.

These Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tanks were on display at Warhammer World.

Land Raider Spartan Assault Tank Miniatures Gallery.