Felix, Author at Felix's Gaming Pages

Krauss-Maffei Leopard 1

This Krauss-Maffei Leopard 1 was on display at RAF Cosford.

The Kampfpanzer Leopard is a main battle tank designed by Porsche and manufactured by Krauss-Maffei in West Germany, first entering service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the Leopard design focused on effective firepower and mobility instead of heavy protection. It featured moderate armour, only effective against low caliber autocannons and heavy machine guns, giving it a high power-to-weight ratio. This, coupled with a modern suspension and drivetrain, gave the Leopard superior mobility and cross-country performance compared to most other main battle tanks of the era, only being rivaled by the French AMX-30 and Swedish Strv 103. The main armament of the Leopard consisted of a German license-built version of the British Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm rifled gun, one of the most effective and widespread tank guns of the era.

Leopard 1 at The Tank Museum.

Hidden miniatures in plain view

Over on the Warhammer Community site they have previewed some exciting new terrain for Legions Imperialis.

They have also inadvertently shown us some new models for Legions Imperialis.

In the video we can see Deimos Pattern Rhino armoured vehicles.

These look like really detailed miniature models.

There’s a super heavy Solar Auxilia Baneblade tank.

Wondering what other miniatures will be released.

Kroq-Gar riding a Carnosaur

Kroq-Gar, the Last Defender of Xhotl is an ancient Saurus Oldblood, last of the Saurus warriors from the ruined temple-city of Xhotl.

This model was on display at Warhammer World.

First spawned in the city of Xhotl with only a handful of other Saurus, all of which were marked by the god and had a inherent ability to dominate the beasts and monsters of the jungle. Kroq-Gar himself claimed the most aggressive Carnosaur of a brood reared when he was spawned.

New Terrain for Legions Imperialis

Over on the Warhammer Community site they have previewed some exciting new terrain for Legions Imperialis.

The new Civitas Imperialis City Road Tiles look excellent and was the kind of thing that Forge World use to sell in resin.

These are (smaller and in) plastic. I really like these. You get six in a pack allowing you to have a 3’ x 2’ gaming area. So you would need four packs for the standard 6’ x 4’ gaming table.

In the past we may have seen Forge World produce extra specialist tiles to add to the standard tiles. This time, I don’t think we will, which will be a pity.

We also have some new ruins, which look great.

These Civitas Imperialis Ruins remind me of the Epic 40000 ruins that came with that game.

We are also going to have the Manufactorum Imperialis and Civitas Imperialis terrain sets re-released as well.

Really like the level of support that Legions Imperialis is getting. Wondering what other stuff we might see. Will we see more terrain? Will we see some supporting terrain from Forge World? We will have to wait and see.

Sd.Kfz. 251

This Sd.Kfz. 251 was on display at Bovington. It was captured by British forces in the desert. One of the pictures taken after its capture shows a barrel strapped to its right exterior. It has a special step near the rear doors that identifies it as an ambulance.

The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was a World War II German armored fighting vehicle designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the Panzergrenadier (German mechanized infantry) into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with at least 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by seven manufacturers.

The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a vital part of the German war effort, and it played a significant role in many of the German victories of World War II. It was a reliable, effective, and versatile armored vehicle that was well-liked by the German troops who used it. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a major factor in the success of the German mechanized infantry, and it helped the Germans to achieve many of their early victories.

Here is the same Sd.Kfz. 251 taken on a previous visit to Bovington, but that time it was painted grey.

I also published on the blog a photo of the OT-810 at Duxford. The OT-810 is a post war production copy of the German World War Two Sd.Kfz 251 half track.

I have a 15mm Flames of War versions on my workbench:

- - Panzergrenadier Headquarters
  - Panzergrenadier Platoon

In addition I have an old SDD one that was on the workbench too:

- - SdKfz 251 Armoured Half Track

I have photographs of various models in the SdKfz 251 Miniatures Gallery.

First look at the sprues

Over on the Warhammer Community site they are discussing the design of the new models for Legions Imperialis. It also means we get a first look at the sprues.

The sprues show that the model tanks have a fair few parts (along the same lines as the Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft models).

When asked about the challenges of designing the models, Daren from The Design Studio said:

There is a little compromise between accurately representing the details of the larger kit, and making something that people will enjoy putting together, painting, and playing with. By necessity certain aspects have to change, for technical and aesthetic reasons. You can’t expect people to make a six-part Tactical Space Marine in a game that can require hundreds to play, so simple infantry are the way forward.

Despite the number of parts I am still looking forward to the release of Legions Imperialis.

Tracked Rapier

The Tracked Rapier was a self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It was based on the towed Rapier system, but mounted on the chassis of a modified American M548 tracked carrier. This gave the Tracked Rapier greater mobility and speed than the towed system, making it more suitable for deployment in forward areas.

This Tracked Rapier unit was on display at RAF Cosford.

The Tracked Rapier was armed with four Rapier missiles, which could be fired against a variety of targets, including aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. The missiles were guided by a semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) system, which allowed the operator to track the target using a sight mounted on the vehicle. The missile was then guided towards the target by a radio link.

The Tracked Rapier entered service with the British Army in 1981 and saw action in the Gulf War in 1991. It was also exported to a number of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Tracked Rapier was retired from British service in the early 1990s, but it remains in service with some other countries. It has since been replaced by the Starstreak missile system.

Legio Custodes Orion Assault Dropship

This Legio Custodes Orion Assault Dropships was on display ay Warhammer World.

Created as a dedicated assault dropship for the Legio Custodes, the Orion can carry a full task force of the Emperor’s Talons into combat. Protected by frontal armour superior to that of the Legiones Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship, its Arachnus heavy blaze cannon and Lastrum bolt cannon can swiftly clear a landing zone of hostile infantry and armour with brutal efficiency, allowing the units within to deploy before it soars back into the sky to unleash death upon any foe who dares approach.

Legio Custodes Caladius Grav-Tank

This Legio Custodes Caladius Grav-Tank was part of the displays at Warhammer World.

Often deployed in situations requiring the heaviest of weapons the Legio Custodes could bring to bear, the Caladius pattern Grav-Tank. Utilising technologies and systems derived not only from the Dark Age of Technology, but from developments made as a result of the Great Crusade’s two centuries of warfare, the Caladius was well-protected and highly manoeuvrable, perhaps the most powerful battleline armoured unit of its size in the Imperium’s forces.

The principal armament of the Caladius is the double-barrelled Iliastus accelerator cannon, an advanced weapon which was to become the precursor to the main weapon of the Legiones Astartes Sicaran Battle Tank. The Grav-Tank is also armed with a twin-linked Lastrum bolt cannon, exemplars of bolt-weapon technology whose bolt shells are customised mass-reactive heliothermic warheads, hand crafted by the artisan weaponsmiths of the Lastrum Core Clan on Terra.

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth on display at Warhammer World.

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth, or to give him his formal title, Tradelord Greasus Tribestealer Drakecrush Gatecrasher Hoardmaster Goldtooth the Shockingly Obese, is the fattest and most powerful Ogre Tyrant within the entire Ogre Kingdoms and holds the current title of Overtyrant, the Tyrant of all Ogre Tyrants.

More photographs of Ogres.