Author: Felix

Plastic Arvus Lighter on display at Warhammer World

On my previous visit to Warhammer World I took various photographs of the resin Forge World model which was on display. On my most recent visit in June 2025 I was able to take a photograph of the new(ish) plastic Arvus Lighter in the display cabinets.

Arvus Lighter plastic kit
Arvus Lighter plastic kit

Comparing the plastic version to the resin version there are some subtle differences.

Resin Forge World Arvus Lighter

The main areas are in the engine cowling and around the cockpit. Otherwise these are very similar models.

The Arvus Lighter is a small, general purpose cargo shuttle that is widely used by the Imperium of Man for many tasks, both in space and on the surface of planets. The Arvus is commonly used by both Imperial Navy warships and Imperial merchant vessels, including Rogue Traders. The Arvus is just one of many types of small, void-capable shuttles used by the Imperium. The Arvus is piloted by a single pilot, and is not equipped with any weapon systems, in fact, the Arvus possesses only the most basic navigation equipment, external sensors, and proximity alarms. The Arvus has a powerful engine that allows it to carry heavy cargo to and from a planet’s surface

I have the new Horus Heresy plastic Arvus Lighter on my workbench.

Army of Grand Cathay

I made a visit to Warhammer World in June 2025, in the display cabinets were the new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World.

Charged with the defence of the Great Bastion, the Armies of Grand Cathay are experienced and battle-tested warriors. For centuries, they have kept the legions of the Ruinous Powers at bay. Though the Empire of the Celestial Dragon lies far from the nations of the Old World, Cathayan merchants have plied the ocean waves for hundreds of years, and vast armies of Jade Warriors and Lancers pledge to fight alongside or against the armies of the west in times of peril.

Since I started playing Warhammer Fantasy back in the 1980s I al ways liked the idea of a Cathay army, now we have the models. I really like the Cathayan Sentinel and the Sky Lantern.

Medium Mark A Whippet A347 Firefly

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The Medium Mark A Whippet was a medium tank employed by the British in World War I. Developed for fast mobile assaults, it was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines.

This Medium Mark A Whippet, A347 Firefly, was on display at the museum, and is still in its camouflage paintwork. It still carries battle damage from when it was hit on 17 August 1918.

Though originally envisioned with a rotating turret, the production model had an armoured housing for three to four 303 Hotchkiss machine guns, which could be relocated between four gun ports. Approved in June 1917, roughly 200 vehicles were produced starting in October 1917. Unlike the large crew of the Mark IV, the Whippet managed with a standard crew of three: a commander, driver and gunner. Given the gunner was responsible for manning both machineguns (which could point forward, left, right and rear), sometimes a second gunner was squeezed in.

I do think that this tank would make for a great base for vehicles for an alternative Great War. It could be converted into a turreted tank, or a self propelled gun. One other idea is to use the models for A Very British Civil War background. There are quite a few Great War tanks that could be used for a 1920s or 1930s civil war within the United Kingdom.

Imperial Guard Baneblade

This Imperial Guard Baneblade was in the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

The Baneblade is the primary super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum, and one of the largest and oldest armoured fighting vehicles in the service of the Imperial armed forces. The tank is a venerated Standard Template Construct (STC) design, with ten people needed to fully crew one. It is also one of the oldest STC designs in existence. They are often used as command vehicles by Imperial Guard commanders.

Bristling with armaments, a Baneblade is less of a tank and more of a rolling fortress. An unmistakable icon of the Imperium’s armoured supremacy, a single one of these super-heavy war engines can serve as the mailed fist of an Astra Militarum offensive, or as the unassailable lynchpin of even the most desperate of defences.

Baneblade miniatures gallery

New photographs of The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12

I made a visit to Warhammer World in June 2025. One of the displays at Warhammer World was this Horus Heresy battle, entitled, The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12.

Traitor forces breach the Imperial Fist’s last defensive lines at Outpost Sigma-12 on Cthonia. Undermined by the Sons of Horus’ subterranean onslaught, the Loyalists are determined to fight to the last in the name of the Emperor. They ultimately reap such a toll of Traitor lives that any victory won was a hollow one. This battle would be one of the last fought during the Horus Heresy, for shortly after its bloody conclusion Horus launched his assault on the Emperor’s Palace on distant Terra.

I recently blogged about the Sons of Horus miniatures in that display. On my most recent visit to Warhammer World, I took some more photographs of the display.

The Sons of Horus at the Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12

One of the displays at Warhammer World was this Horus Heresy battle, entitled, The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12.

Traitor forces breach the Imperial Fist’s last defensive lines at Outpost Sigma-12 on Cthonia. Undermined by the Sons of Horus’ subterranean onslaught, the Loyalists are determined to fight to the last in the name of the Emperor.

They ultimately reap such a toll of Traitor lives that any victory won was a hollow one. This battle would be one of the last fought during the Horus Heresy, for shortly after its bloody conclusion Horus launched his assault on the Emperor’s Palace on distant Terra.

This Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank was on display at Warhammer World.
Sons of Horus Mastodon Heavy Assault Transport disgorging Space Marines into the battle.
This Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank was on display at Warhammer World.
Sons of Horus Fellblade Super Heavy Tank
Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank
Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank
Sons of Horus Spartan Assault Tank
The Fall Of Outpost Sigma-12

Mark IV Tank Lodestar III

The Mark IV was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main improvements were in armour, the re-siting of the fuel tank and ease of transport. A total of 1,220 Mk IV were built: 420 “Males”, 595 “Females” and 205 Tank Tenders (unarmed vehicles used to carry supplies), which made it the most numerous British tank of the war.

The “Male” tanks were armed with three machine guns and two 6-pdrs. Whilst the “Female” tanks had Five .303 Lewis machine guns.

This Mark IV Tank, Lodestar III, was on display at the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The Mark IV Tank Lodestar III, serial number 4093, was manufactured by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co. LTD in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was part of a 100-tank order (serial numbers 4001-4100) and joined the 12th Tank Battalion in early September 1918. This battalion was one of only two tank corps that continued to use Mark IV tanks during the final months of World War I.

Combat History and Challenges

The 12th Tank Battalion first saw action in January 1918 and played a significant role in the “Hundred Days Offensive” at the end of the war. Tracing the history of individual tanks like the Lodestar III is challenging because battle reports rarely mentioned specific vehicles. Additionally, the battalion frequently rotated its tanks, often receiving older Mark IV models after returning their vehicles or being reassigned. For instance, a crew assigned to Lodestar I (serial number 8081) in August 1918 might have later operated Lodestar III if their original tank was lost in battle or suffered mechanical issues.

Evidence of Operational Use

Several factors confirm the Lodestar III’s active service in World War I. The 12th Tank Battalion was almost continuously engaged in combat between August and October 1918. Given that the unit had only a few operational vehicles by the war’s end, it’s highly probable that every deployable tank, including the Lodestar III, was put into action.

Physical evidence on the tank itself supports this:

    • It’s equipped with an original unditching beam, used to free the tank from mud.
    • There are traces of a fascine, which was used to fill trenches and rivers for crossing.
    • The tank bears numerous bullet and shrapnel impacts, indicating its presence in battle.

Notably, the Lodestar III is the only Mark IV tank in the world that still retains its authentic 1918 colours and markings.

The Mark IV tank was first used in mid 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. It remained in British service until the end of the war, and a small number served briefly with other combatants afterwards.

I have been working on a metal 15mm Mark IV Tank for use with the Home Guard. Though I do really like the Flames of War Great War models, which have a lot more detail.

I also have a Bolt Action 28mm Mark IV Tank on the workbench.

I also have a gallery of Mark IV tanks from a wonderful 28mm demonstration game at GamesDay 2007.

Minerva-Mors Armoured Car

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Minerva-Mors Armoured Car

A replica of a Minerva-Mors armoured car of the the Belgian Expeditionary Corps of Armoured Cars (ACM) in Russia. This was a Belgian military formation during the First World War which was lent by king Albert I to the Russian Czar Nicolas Il to fight the German and Austrian Army on the Eastern Front. After the Russian Revolution, the regiment returned to France in 1918 via the United States.