news Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Plastic Legion Vindicator

Over on the Warhammer Community website they have previewed a new plastic Legion Vindicator.

The last word in mobile wall-removal packs a massive centerline-mounted demolisher cannon – a huge shell-lobbing bombard that trades the long range of artillery for awesome destructive power. It’s quite content to turn anything it hits into confetti, but excels at cracking Fortifications and other buildings.

Of course Forge World gave us a resin conversion kit many years ago.

The Deimos pattern is an early type of Vindicator used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, although many are still operational in the service of Space Marine Chapters in the 41st Millennium. A powerful assault tank, the Vindicator’s principal armament is a heavy-calibre demolisher cannon capable of shattering fortifications and breaching the armour plates of tanks with equal ease. It is invaluable in urban warfare as it can blast and shunt its way through barricades and obstacles, enabling troops following behind free passage through streets that might have otherwise swiftly degenerated into kill zones.

This Forge World Space Wolves Legion Vindicator was on display at Warhammer World.

The new plastic kit also allows you make a Vindicator Laser Destroyer. This Legiones Astartes Ultramarines Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer was on display in the cabinets at Warhammer World.

Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer at Warhammer World

Another model to add to that wish list.

Plastic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank

Games Workshop having announced back in December that there will be a plastic Heavy Siege Tank for The Horus Heresy, you will be able to pre-order this huge tank on Saturday.

Named for the ‘Great Beast’ of Ancient Terran myth, the immense Typhon Heavy Siege Tank was developed by the Mechanicum alongside the Spartan, with which it shares a basic chassis design. The Typhon’s primary armament is the massive Dreadhammer cannon, and was created in response to a request from the Primarch Peturabo, master of the Iron Warriors. He demanded a Legiones Astartes war engine that could rival the great batteries of the Imperial Crusade Army in firepower, but manoeuvre and deploy at the speed of a Space Marine force.

I’ve always liked the Forge World model and I took a photograph of this Imperial Fists painted model at Warhammer World on a visit a few years ago.

There are some great Horus Heresy models available now and the question I have is, which one do I get next after I finish painting my Land Raiders. I think this one is now top of the list.

Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer

Revealed at the Las Vegas Open was the all new plastic Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer.

The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer has one job – blowing up other tanks. To that end, it is armed with a centreline-mounted neutron laser battery, a relic of the dark age of technology that dooms its crew to a horrid death thanks to the exotic radiation it pumps out – but not before it dooms dozens of enemy vehicles to a much more immediate death.

We first saw this as a resin Forge World model in 2012.

I have to say I am not a fan of this vehicle. Apart from the fact that it dooms its crew to a horrid death; I am not a fan of the weapon mount. I much prefer the cannon on the Typhon tank. I think it is, because it looks like it is missing a mantle for the main weapon.

A gun mantlet is an armour plate or shield attached to an armoured fighting vehicle’s gun, protecting the opening through which the weapon’s barrel projects from the hull or turret armour and, in many cases, ensuring the vulnerable warhead of a loaded shell does not protrude past the vehicle’s armour.

I think that is similar to the reasons why I am not a fan of the Ork Kill Blasta as well.

Plastic Space Marine Jetbikes swooping in soon

The Scimitar Jetbikes of the Age of Darkness are modifications of complex pre-Imperium designs. Essentially compact aircraft with the addition of grav-impellors, they rush your Space Marines into combat at great speed. And soon you’ll be able to add them to your army in plastic.

There will be plastic Scimitar Pattern Space Marine Legion Jetbikes for The Horus Heresy game.

Forge World released resin Scimitar Pattern Jetbikes in 2012 and these new plastic ones are very similar (if not nearly identical) to those.

Back in 2012 I said

They do look interesting models, but I am not sure if I like them. They seem more like space ship models than bikes.

Now over ten years later I think I may have changed my mind, but they still look quite clunky.

What do you think?

The Old World

It’s on it’s way, but still looks like we will need to wait a while!

The Warhammer Community website gave us another insight into the development of Warhammer: The Old World.

The first mention of this game was in 2019, so we are approaching four years of development, and we’ve not seen a single miniature in all that time.

Though it would appear that the development team have spent hours doing research and playtesting the new game.

Our goal was to create a game that captures the best elements of all the editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but at the same time providing new and exciting rules, and fresh challenges to overcome.

We are getting a lot of background information, the setting won’t be the world we remember from Warhammer Fantasy of the past, but a time before then.

I am looking forward to seeing where this is going and what the final game will look like. Hopefully we might see some miniatures soon.

iFelix Top Ten Blog Posts 2022

In 2022 I published 321 almost twice the posts I did in 2021. In 2021 I published 162 blog posts. In 2020 I posted 436 blog posts, in 2019 I did 143 blog posts. Compare that to 2018 when I wrote just 21 blog posts.

Here are my top ten blog posts in reverse order.

The tenth most popular post was Dwarf City under attack some photographs from a demonstration game at an old GamesDay.

The post at number nine was That time when the Imperial Guard used the Rhino a reminder that when the Rhino model first came out it could also be used by the Imperial Guard as well as Space Matines.

The post at number eight was a post from 2019 about Making the Ork Megatrakk Scrapjet which I had got for Christmas, alas it is still on the workbench.

The seventh post was on the announcement on the Plastic Deimos-pattern Rhino, I was pleased to see that one of the new Horus Heresy releases announced at Warhammer Fest was the Plastic Deimos-pattern Rhino.

The post at number six was another announcement post, this one was when the Hekaton Land Fortress was revealed.

Post at number five was on Building and undercoating the Inquisitorial Achilles Ridgerunner.

Fourth most popular post was Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines’ Land Raider some photographs of this model at Warhammer World.

The post at number three was Constructing the Haemotrope Reactor a model that I got with a copy of Warhammer Imperium.

The second most popular blog post was wondering if we would get a Plastic Land Raider Proteus perhaps? In the end we did.

The most popular post in 2022 was photographs of Astra Militarum Super Heavy Tanks taken on my most last visit to Warhammer World.

Overall I was pleased with the amount of blogging that I did in 2022 and impressed with the amount of painting I have done this year. I have done a regular top ten blog posts article every year now for a fair few years, but going through the stats this time I noticed that there were a lot of popular pages as well.

Campaign weary Rogal Dorn Battle Tank

So, we know 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.

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.

Plastic Typhon Heavy Siege Tank on the horizon

Games Workshop have announced that there will be a plastic Heavy Siege Tank for The Horus Heresy.

I’ve always liked the Forge World model and I took a photograph of this Imperial Fists painted model at Warhammer World on a visit a few years ago.

There are some great Horus Heresy models available now and the question I have is, which one do I get next after I finish painting my Land Raiders.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

So the teaser trailer for the new Indy film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has arrived.

The film is set in 1969, though the trailer seems to have lots of scenes set during the Second World War, and there is a “younger” Indiana Jones in the trailer as well.

In 1969, American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones lives against the backdrop of the Space Race. Jones is uneasy over the fact that the U.S. Government has recruited former Nazis to help beat the Soviet Union in the competition to make it to space. His goddaughter, Helena, accompanies him on his journey. Meanwhile, Jürgen Voller, a NASA member and ex-Nazi involved with the moon landing program, wishes to make the world into a better place as he sees fit.

It arrives next year on June 30th. I just hope that is is better than the Crystal Skull.

Escher Cutters available to pre-order next week

The Escher Cutters for Necromunda which were previewed in August will be available to pre-order next week.

The Escher Cutter is a solution dreamed up by the engineers of the House of Blades, who are clearly enjoying slightly too many of their own Clan Chymists’ chemical creations. It’s a jetbike in its purest form – a giant engine propelling Escher gangers at staggering speeds and the ability to soar over buildings and rivals. Combine that with the underslung weapons – a choice of twin-linked grenade launchers, plasma guns, or heavy stubbers – and these beauties really pack a punch, no matter where they are in the engagement zone.

Looking at them again, I am thinking they would make great Tallarn Rough Riders.

They certainly have a Star Wars Tattonie desert planet buzz about them, which, made me think of using them with my desert Imperial Guard Tallarn models.

Obviously I would need to convert the riders, but there are quite a few third party Tallarn alternate heads available now.