Campaign weary Rogal Dorn Battle Tank

So, we know there is a new tank coming for the Imperial Guard.

Rogal Dorn Tank

The new Rogal Dorn Battle Tank is a behemoth of a vehicle, perfectly suited for smashing enemy positions and anchoring defensive lines. Its heavy armour gives it durability worthy of the Praetorian’s name, while its powerful engines ensure it doesn’t fall behind squadrons of Leman Russ Battle Tanks.

In a recent post on the Warhammer Community we learnt a little more about the kit and how the model goes together.

As I read the article it got me thinking about building a camping weary Rogal Dorn tank, a fighting vehicle that has been out in the field for a while.

It’s also the first time we’ve shown proper suspension on a tank kit, so you can leave off the side skirts and see the wheels. 

Now this is interesting, I quite like the idea of modelling the tank without skirts, maybe they got lost during a firefight.

The stowage is also really versatile – there are plenty of sandbags, packs, tools, and oil canisters – but we’ve been careful with the sizing so they fit in lots of different places. 

I like this idea, I can see how this will allow you to create a tank which has been on a long campaign. Covered in stowage and personal belongings. This isn’t a parade ready tank, this is a fighting vehicle that has been fighting for a long time.

I suspect it won’t be long before it’s available in pre-order.

New Rogal Dorn Battle Tank for the Imperial Guard

Rogal Dorn Tank

So there is a new tank coming for the Imperial Guard.

The new Rogal Dorn Battle Tank is a behemoth of a vehicle, perfectly suited for smashing enemy positions and anchoring defensive lines. Its heavy armour gives it durability worthy of the Praetorian’s name, while its powerful engines ensure it doesn’t fall behind squadrons of Leman Russ Battle Tanks.

Its turret mounts either two full-size battle cannons, or an enormous oppressor cannon. 

Like the idea of this model. A nice big Imperial tank. This is bigger than a Leman Russ, but smaller than the Baneblade.

Rogal Dorn Tank

It’s interesting that for many years Forge World produced resin tanks that were also bigger than a Leman Russ, but smaller than the Baneblade. Tanks such as the Malcador Heavy Tank

…and the Macharius Heavy Tank.

Imperial Macharius Heavy Tank
Imperial Macharius Heavy Tank

I do wonder why they decided to design a completely new tank, though I am reminded of the Imperial Guard Raganrok tank that was developed for Epic.

I suspect it might be that attempting to recreate an existing resin model in plastic was challenging, and to ensure that the sprues would fit in the box they needed to start from scratch.

Having said that, as I said I do like this model.  Also I like that the kit comes with tons of detail parts, so you can add tool stowage, track links, and other bits and bobs all over the chassis, as well as a range of weapon options.

Forge World Imperial Guard Bombard

A Forge World Imperial Guard Bombard in the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

The Bombard is a powerful Imperial mobile artillery piece that mounts a Heavy Siege Mortar on a Leman Russ tank chassis. It is amongst the most powerful and largest artillery pieces in use by the heavy artillery and siege artillery companies of the Imperial Guard.

More photographs of the Imperial Guard Bombard.

Death Korps of Krieg Malcador Assault Tank

Death Korps of Krieg Malcador Assault Tank at Warhammer World

The Malcador Assault Tank, also known as the Malcador Heavy Tank is a venerable pattern of armoured vehicle that predates the Leman Russ tank in the Imperium of Man’s service. It is not widely used by Imperial armed forces at the present time and is in fact little known even within the Imperial military.

In many regions of the Imperium, the Malcador passed out of common service many millennia ago. The few Malcadors that remain in the Emperor of Mankind’s service have been relegated to the Departmento Munitorum’s strategic reserve, to the arsenals of second-line Planetary Defence Forces or are maintained in active service only by a few units of the Imperial Guard due to ancient tradition.

In front of the tank is a Death Korps of Krieg mounted officer.

These photographs are of the Marching to the Front diorama by Mark Bedford and was in the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

More photographs of the Malcador Heavy Tank
.

Imperial Guard Tallarn Stormlord

Imperial Guard Tallarn Stormlord at Warhammer World.

Stormlord

The Stormlord is a super-heavy main battle tank and variant of the Shadowsword tank-hunter and Titan-killer tank usually used by the forces of the Astra Militarum. The Stormlord replaces the Volcano Cannon of the Shadowsword with a Vulcan Mega Bolter. By removing the large capacitors and generators required for the Volcano Cannon to operate, extra space has been opened up near the rear of the vehicle which allows the Stormlord to carry up to 40 infantrymen as an open-topped armoured transport.

Imperial Guard Hydra

The Hydra Flak Tank, also known simply as the Hydra, is the main mobile anti-air artillery piece of the Astra Militarum. It is produced on hundreds of Forge Worlds across the Imperium and is widely-used in nearly every regiment.

The Hydra, like many other Imperial military vehicles, is based on the Chimera armoured personnel carrier chassis, and is armed with a set of twin-linked Hydra Autocannons. Hydra Autocannons are a set of long-barrelled Autocannons mounted on a turret with highly sophisticated tracking and targeting equipment.

Imperial Guard Baneblade

This Imperial Guard Baneblade was on display at Warhammer World in early 2020.

Imperial Guard Baneblade

Another view of this Baneblade from the 2009 ForgeWorld Open Day.

Imperial Guard Baneblade on display at Warhammer World.
Imperial Guard Baneblade on display 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.

Imperial Guard Baneblade Miniatures Gallery.

 

Forge World Macharius Omega

The Macharius Omega is a variant of the Macharius Heavy Tank used by the Imperial Guard. The Macharius Omega differs from the standard Macharius tank and its other variants due to its unique main weapon. The Macharius Omega is a war-machine built with a single purpose, the battlefield deployment of the Omega Pattern Plasma Blastgun.

This is the Forge World Macharius Omega on display at Warhammer World.

Forge World Macharius Omega
Forge World Macharius Omega at Warhammer World

This weapon is a variant of the common Ryza Pattern Plasma Blastgun commonly deployed on the Stormblade super-heavy tank. The Omega Pattern is smaller and lighter than the Ryza Pattern, as it uses a compact generator and smaller force crucible allowing it to be mounted on smaller armoured hulls, such as the Macharius. The downside of this version of the Plasma Blastgun is that it is less stable and generates considerably more heat than the Ryza Pattern, but fortunately it is also much easier to manufacture.

While the sins of innovation and initiative are frowned upon by the Adeptus Mechanicus, new patterns and designs of weapons and armoured vehicles are still created. The Macharius Omega is one such vehicle, created with a single focus, that of the battlefield deployment of the Omega Pattern Plasma Blastgun. The STC for this weapon was originally discovered by Explorator-Magus Hum’nal in late M39, but a Mechanicus schism over the purity and completeness of its template delayed the testing and eventual deployment of the Omega pattern weapon for centuries.

Forge World Macharius Omega at Warhammer World
Forge World Macharius Omega at Warhammer World

Imperial Guard Parade

This incredible Imperial Guard Parade was on display at Warhammer World. You can see Leman Russ tanks in front and coming up behind are super heavy tanks like the Baneblade and the Shadowsword.

Defending the parade were these huge defence guns.

In the display there were also Valkyrie flyers, Sentinel walkers, infantry and Chimera APCs as well.

See more photographs of the parade.