Felix, Author at Felix's Gaming Pages

Dark Angels Death Wing Land Raider Crusader

This Dark Angels Death Wing Land Raider Crusader was in the displays at Warhammer World.

The Land Raider Crusader is a variant of the standard Land Raider Phobos used by the Space Marines and the Inquisition. The Land Raider Crusader is rearmed to provide short-ranged, anti-infantry assault support for Astartes offensives. The Land Raider Crusader is intended to be an assault-based variant of the Land Raider that is a linebreaker without peer. The Crusader can smash through enemy formations, shrugging off small arms fire in order to disgorge a squad of Space Marines into the heart of the foe. In place of Lascannons, the Crusader is armed with Hurricane Bolters that cut down the first line of defenders before an assault is launched. A hull-mounted twin Assault Cannon adds to its formidable anti-infantry firepower, its Frag Assault Launchers suppressing the foe while the tank closes in. The Crusader also boasts an improved transport capacity by reclaiming the space normally given over to the Land Raider Phobos’ bulky las-power generators.

Retreat from Kitzu VII

This diorama was one of the displays at Warhammer World.

Responding to reports of alien-worshipping cults rising on Kitzu VII, Kayvaan Shrike leads his Raven Guard to reinforce the planet’s Imperial defenders. Upon arrival, the Space Marines discover a world already overrun by Tyranid monstrosities. Determined to salvage something from the disaster, Shrike’s warriors hunt down and kill several of the evolved xenos beasts, harvesting bio-samples for future study. In danger of being surrounded and devoured, the Space Marines stage a fighting retreat across the Celestrus macro-viaduct, their Stormraven gunship moving to extract them.

Many of the Tyranid miniatures were from the (dismantled) Valedor diorama. The Valedor diorama showcased Eldar defending again the Tyranid hordes.

On the dying world of Duriel, once the glittering capital of the Valedor system, the forces of the Eldar Craftworld Iyandem attempt to halt the advance of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Kraken.

Jagdpanzer 38(t) “Hetzer”

The Tank Museum’s Jagdpanzer 38(t) was built by BMM in late 1944. It came to The Tank Museum in 1951 along with a large number of captured German vehicles.

The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. Today they are popularly known as Hetzers, but this name was far less common at the time.

The Jagdpanzer 38(t)’s 75mm PaK 39 gun was powerful and effective against all Allied tanks, although its thin armour meant it was very vulnerable to their return fire.

Most Jagdpanzer 38(t)s were used by anti-tank companies in infantry divisions. These units had very few other vehicles and limited mobility. Crews would hide and camouflage their Jagdpanzers then use them to ambush advancing Allied tanks.

Jagdpanzer 38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, Panzerjäger and Volksgrenadier divisions. BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the Jagdpanzer 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built. Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the Jagdpanzer 38 came to serve as Germany’s main tank destroyer in the latter period of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner

This Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner was in the displays at Warhammer World.

The Repulsor Executioner is the undisputed king of firepower in the Space Marine arsenal. This heavily armored tank boasts a choice of devastating main guns: the macro plasma incinerator melts enemies with superheated fury, while the heavy laser destructor obliterates them with raw precision. But that’s not all! A coaxial onslaught gatling cannon lays down a withering hail of bullets, while additional weaponry like krakstorm grenade launchers, storm bolters, and heavy stubbers ensure no target escapes its wrath. For those who crave even more dakka, defensive auto launchers and Icarus rocket pods can be added to turn the Executioner into a true anti-air menace.

While some Space Marine Chapters use Executioners as escorts for troop carriers, many prefer to unleash them with a deadly cargo: squads of Hellblasters or other Primaris specialists. These tanks become mobile fortresses, thundering across the battlefield and unleashing relentless barrages. The enemy wilts under the combined firepower of the Executioner’s primary weapon and its extensive secondary arsenal, leaving only ruin in their wake.

Land Raider Redeemer

This Dark Angels Death Wing Land Raider Redeemer was in the displays at Warhammer World.

The Land Raider Redeemer is a variant of the Land Raider Crusader, which itself is a variant of the standard Land Raider used by the many Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes to provide short-range, anti-infantry assault support during urban offensives.

The Land Raider Redeemer replaces the Land Raider Crusader’s weapons with the dreaded sponson-mounted Flamestorm Cannons. These massive flame-based weapons send burning sheets of promethium into the thick of the foe, purging even well-defended bunker complexes in solar seconds. This enables the Redeemer to be highly effective against infantry during grueling and dangerous urban combat.

Jagdpanther

This Jagdpanther was on display at Bovington Tank Museum.

The Jagdpanther was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank.

It entered service late in the war and saw service on the Eastern and Western fronts. Many military historians consider the Jagdpanther to be one of the best tank destroyers of the war due to the combination of the very powerful 8.8 cm KwK 43 cannon and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis.

I have a 15mm Flames of War version on the workbench.

RAM Kangaroo

The Tank, Cruiser, Ram was a cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank chassis. Due to standardisation on the American Sherman tank for frontline units, it was used exclusively for training purposes and was never used in combat as a gun tank. The chassis was used for several other combat roles however, such as a flamethrower tank, observation post, and armoured personnel carrier.

The armoured personnel carrier version was known as the Ram Kangaroo.

I remember buying some of Heroics and Ros 1/300th scale Ram Kangaroos back in the 1980s for my Late War British army.

War Mûmak of Harad

The armies of Harad often employ Mumakil, massive war-beasts trained by the Mahud, to trample their enemies under colossal hooves. A Mumak is nigh unstoppable once is begins its charge, tossing aside enemies like broken dolls.

A Mumak can break through an enemy line while Haradrim warriors rain deadly arrows from atop the howdah on its mighty back.

The miniature is based on those seen in the film version of Lord of the Rings, and is seen in the climatic battles in Return of the King.

See the Mûmak Miniatures Gallery.

Dark Angels Primaris Repulsor

This Dark Angels Primaris Repulsor was on display at Warhammer World.

The Repulsor is an Imperial anti-gravitic main battle tank intended to provide armoured support for the Primaris Space Marines of many different Chapters.

More photographs of the Primaris Repulsor.

Valentine Archer

The Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a British tank destroyer of the Second World War based on the Valentine infantry tank chassis fitted with an Ordnance QF 17 pounder gun. Designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs, 655 were produced between March 1943 and May 1945. It was used in north-west Europe and Italy during the war; post-war, it served with the Egyptian Army.

This Valentine Archer was on display at Bovington.

This vehicle was unusual in that its gun faced the rear of the chassis instead of the front.

The Valentine chassis was soon chosen, as it was in production but obsolescent for British use and was also one of the few chassis that could accommodate the size of the Ordnance QF 17 pounder.

The Archer served with some units of the Royal Armoured Corps in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s. This makes them a possible unit for scenarios based in the world of Turtledove’s Hot War alternate history. Reading the Hot War books from Harry Turtledove has inspired me to think about gaming some scenarios from the books. British Comets and Centurions versus Russians T34-85 and T54 Soviet tanks with American M26 Pershing and M48 Patton tanks. In the book there are also Sherman manned by (West) German forces.