Kill Team Ratlings

I missed out on getting the Kill Team box Kill Team: Brutal and Cunning, which sold out more quickly that I anticipated. However the individual teams from that box set have been released and one I am thinking about getting is the Ratlings.

Ratlings are snipers and spotters without peer in the Astra Militarum – these abhumans are small in stature, and unusually sneaky. They often operate behind enemy lines, reporting on targets of interest and neutralising choice targets with extreme prejudice.

I did get the Provisionally Prepared limited edition box, which features two halflings, sorry abhuman Ratlings, hiding behind some ruins. One is a sniper and preparing to shoot, the other is preparing lunch.

The boxed set of Ratlings builds 10 Ratlings, a Ratling Battlemutt, an Ammo Cache marker, and two Tripwire markers. 

All great looking models.

Cadian Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons Squad

This Cadian Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons Squad was on display at Warhammer World.

Cadian Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons
Cadian Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons

While massed infantry can overwhelm the foe, it often falls to Heavy Weapons Squads to deliver the killing blow. These teams of gun crews swiftly set up their mobile heavy weapons as their comrades advance, providing the firepower to bolster battle lines. With access to an arsenal of portable armaments, they can offer close fire support with adaptable loadouts of precise – or indiscriminate – firepower.

Across the three teams are a lascannon, heavy bolter, and an autocannon.

Imperial Guard Shadowsword

Imperial Guard Shadowsword from the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

Shadowsword
Shadowsword

The Imperial Shadowsword Super Heavy Tank is the sister tank of the more common Baneblade super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum. The Shadowsword is a nearly identical super-heavy tank to the Baneblade with the exception of its armament and battlefield role as a Titan-killer. Armed with a massive forward-firing gun known as a Volcano Cannon the Shadowsword’s primary focus during combat is the destruction of enemy Titans.

Imperial Guard Shadowsword Miniatures Gallery

Astra Militarum Wyvern Suppression Tank

Astra Militarum Wyvern

The Wyvern Suppression Tank exchanges the Hydra’s anti-aircraft autocannons for a pair of twin-linked stormshard mortars. The tank excels in the claustrophobic environment of urban warfare, raining curtains of shrapnel down upon enemy infantry with ever exposing itself to harm.

Valkyrie Sky Talon

Valkyrie Sky Talon
Valkyrie Sky Talon

The Valkyrie Sky Talon is a variant of the Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier, and is used as a support aircraft intended to provide combat airlifts of light vehicles and cargo for the Astra Militarum. The Valkyrie Sky Talon, also known simply as the Sky Talon, is used for the transportation of light armoured vehicles, whereas the standard Valkyrie transports the air mobile infantry of the Imperial Guard into battle.

Macharius Heavy Tank

The Macharius Heavy Tank stands as a testament to the ingenuity and desperation of the Imperium of Man. Born from a necessity to field potent armored firepower when the legendary Baneblade super-heavy tank is unavailable, the Macharius represents a “second-generation” approach to heavy tank design.

Larger than the ubiquitous Leman Russ Battle Tank but significantly smaller than the Baneblade it seeks to emulate, the Macharius is a product of necessity. Forge Worlds, eager to secure lucrative military contracts, often lack the Standard Template Constructs (STCs) – ancient blueprints for advanced technology – required to manufacture the truly colossal Baneblade or its equally formidable kin, the Shadowsword.

Deprived of these sacred designs, Forge Worlds are left to their own devices, leading to a diverse array of Macharius variants. Some emphasize heavy firepower with powerful cannons, while others prioritize mobility and armor. This diversity reflects the decentralised nature of Imperial production and the inherent limitations imposed by the absence of standardised designs.

The Macharius, despite its limitations, serves a vital role in the defense of the Imperium. It provides a potent armored fist for the Imperial Guard, capable of punching through enemy lines and supporting infantry assaults. However, its reliance on local Forge World ingenuity and the lack of standardized production inevitably results in a less consistent and less predictable performance compared to the meticulously engineered Baneblade.

Sadly the Macharius Heavy Tank and its many variants have been removed from the Games Workshop range. If the Macharius Omega had been in stock when I visited Warhammer World in September I would very likely have picked one up. The second hand market prices have gone up considerably as a result.

More photographs of the Macharius Heavy Tank.

Field Ordnance Battery

The Imperial Guard field a range of human-portable weapons. Crewed by ordnance teams they provide a range of choices for the Astra Militarum in supporting combined arms assault with infantry and tanks. They use bombast field guns, malleus rocket launchers and heavy lascannons.

Astra Militarum Field Ordnance Battery
Astra Militarum Field Ordnance Battery
Astra Militarum Field Ordnance Battery

Constructing the Space Hobbits

On the cover of a recent Miniature Wargames magazine was a free sprue of SneakFeet from Wargames Atlantic. Of course in any other place these would be space hobbits or halflings. Another place calls them Ratlings.

I borrowed some spare round bases I had and constructed the four models.

They were a little challenging to put together for me. You certainly get a wide choice of arms and heads, I wasn’t always sure about the best arms to use. However quite pleased with the end result.

Taurox Prime

When the Militarum Tempestu need to transport their soldiers into the heart of battle, they use the Taurox Prime. It is a well armed and armoured infantry assault vehicle. It is usually armed with an array of heavy weapons. It is the ideal support vehicle for the Militarum Tempestus on the battlefield.

Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime

The Forge World Ork Shanty Town diorama was changed to have the Militarum Tempestu driving in to the town in their Taurox Prime armoured vehicles to rescue a downed Valkyrie flyer.

Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime
Militarum Tempestu Taurox Prime

More photographs of the Shanty Town.

When the Taurox was released back in 2014, I said back then.

The Taurox Prime is a new model from Games Workshop, and I really don’t like it. I think it’s too tall and the tracked “wheels” fail to work for me.

I wasn’t alone in that though as the comments show in that post.