Ravenwing Darkshroud

Ravenwing Darkshroud at Warhammer World.

Ravenwing Darkshroud at Warhammer World.
Ravenwing Darkshroud at Warhammer World.

Of all the archaic relics deployed in the field of battle by the Unforgiven, the Darkshroud is perhaps the strangest. Those who have witnessed it at close range and felt its caliginous pall, and lived to tell of it, are disturbed forever more. The Ravenwing Darkshroud displays icons and structures from Caliban, evoking glorious religious imagery such as angel wings, shrouded statues, parchments and stained glass with lead frame. It possesses a pulpit-like cupola from which a Space Marine shoots others with either a heavy bolter or assault cannon, and is covered in metal panels.

I am not sure what I really think of this model. My first impressions is that I don’t like it. There is something about the Dark Angels (and the Ravenwing) iconography which always appears a little over the top. It’s not as bad as the (newer) Sisters of Battle adornments, but it’s close. The idea of stained glass on a combat vehicle does not make sense to me. The actual vehicle underneath looks interesting, but the additions seem to be unintegrated and stuck onto the vehicle.

On my models I do and have used Grey Knights iconography to enhance them, as you can see with this Land Raider model.

So I am not entirely opposed to the concept of iconography on Warhammer 40K vehicles, but not sure I like the Ravening Darkshroud.

Salamanders Land Raider Tanks

This Salamander Land Raider Phobos was on display at Warhammer World.

 Salamander Land Raider Phobos
Salamanders Land Raider Phobos

The standard Land Raider, also known as the Land Raider Phobos, is an Imperial main battle tank and troop transport which serves as the “armoured fist of the Space Marines.” Available to the Space Marines, the Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines and the forces of the Inquisition and Adeptus Mechanicus, it is one of the most resilient and iconic armoured vehicles in the galaxy.

The Land Raider Redeemer is a variant of the Land Raider Crusader, which itself is a variant of the standard Land Raider used by the many Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes to provide short-range, anti-infantry assault support during urban offensives.

The Land Raider Redeemer replaces the Land Raider Crusader’s weapons with the dreaded sponson-mounted Flamestorm Cannons. These massive flame-based weapons send burning sheets of promethium into the thick of the foe, purging even well-defended bunker complexes in solar seconds. This enables the Redeemer to be highly effective against infantry during gruelling and dangerous urban combat.

This Salamanders Land Raider Redeemer was in the displays at Warhammer World.

Salamanders Land Raider Redeemer
Salamanders Land Raider Redeemer

The Land Raider’s heritage predates even the founding of the Imperium of Man, yet it remains the single most destructive weapon in the Adeptus Astartes’ arsenal. Protected by bonded Ceramite and Adamantium armour, the Land Raider is nearly impervious to all save the most destructive weaponry.

White Scars Primaris Repulsor

This White Scars Primaris Repulsor was in the displays at Warhammer World.

White Scars Primaris Repulsor
White Scars Primaris Repulsor at Warhammer World

The Repulsor armoured transport is a deadly combination of manoeuvrability and raw brute force. Due to the turbine array at its rear, it has tremendous motive power, held aloft by powerful anti-gravitic generators. The Repulsor is so heavily armed and armoured that is doesn’t skim over the landscape but instead crushes the ground below it. The tank grinds forward with a deep bass thrum, reducing rock to gravel and fallen bodies to smears of gore and powdered bone

White Scars Primaris Invader ATV

This White Scars Primaris Invader ATV was in the displays at Warhammer World.

The Invader is a highly flexible all-terrain vehicle, perfectly adapted to an aggressive reconnaissance role. Outfitted with either a multi-melta or an onslaught gatling cannon, it can rapidly deliver punishing fire against vulnerable parts of the enemy line, or swiftly engage and destroy scouting elements of opposing forces.

Return of the Terrain

Next week sees the opportunity to order some old Warhammer 40000 terrain kits.

Spice up your 41st Millennium battlefields with a range of classic Warhammer 40,000 terrain returning on a Made to Order basis, starting with a Void Shield Generator complete with functioning cogs that can be left unglued and rotated. The Sub-cloister and Storage Fane set is an all-purpose pair of ruined Imperial buildings, while Plasma Regulators and Conservators make for great scatter terrain between larger buildings.

If you want to give your battlefield the air of an industrial hub or forge world, four returning kits from the Battlezone: Mechanicus range are the perfect way to add some brutal Imperial architecture. The Ferratonic Furnace and Pyrolation Incinerator add high gantries and ample vantage points for getting the drop on your opponents, while towering Alchomite Stacks and buzzing Haemotrope Reactors provide troops with cover as they advance through the forge.

I have some of these terrain models from the Imperium partwork series which was available a couple of years back.

I have quite a few of the ruined Imperial building kits as well as a Haemotrope Reactor.

Depending on the prices of the kits, I might get one or two.

Ultramarines Gladiator Valiant

Ultramarines Gladiator Valiant
Ultramarines Gladiator Valiant at Warhammer World

The Valiant lays down blistering volleys of fire as its escorts transports or supports infantry in ferocious fighting, crossing rushing watercourses, sucking marshlands and bubbling lava with equal ease. Its twin las-talons spit death at the foe, making short work of enemy armour and cracking open fortified positions.

Ultramarines Gladiator Valiant at Warhammer World
Ultramarines Gladiator Valiant at Warhammer World

Like the Predator is to a Rhino, the design of the Gladiator is based upon that of an Impulsor’s chassis, and has been designed to serve as a front line battle tank rather than a transport vehicle.

Dark Angels Death Wing Land Raider Crusader

This Dark Angels Death Wing Land Raider Crusader was in the displays at Warhammer World.

The Land Raider Crusader is a variant of the standard Land Raider Phobos used by the Space Marines and the Inquisition. The Land Raider Crusader is rearmed to provide short-ranged, anti-infantry assault support for Astartes offensives. The Land Raider Crusader is intended to be an assault-based variant of the Land Raider that is a linebreaker without peer. The Crusader can smash through enemy formations, shrugging off small arms fire in order to disgorge a squad of Space Marines into the heart of the foe. In place of Lascannons, the Crusader is armed with Hurricane Bolters that cut down the first line of defenders before an assault is launched. A hull-mounted twin Assault Cannon adds to its formidable anti-infantry firepower, its Frag Assault Launchers suppressing the foe while the tank closes in. The Crusader also boasts an improved transport capacity by reclaiming the space normally given over to the Land Raider Phobos’ bulky las-power generators.

Retreat from Kitzu VII

This diorama was one of the displays at Warhammer World.

Responding to reports of alien-worshipping cults rising on Kitzu VII, Kayvaan Shrike leads his Raven Guard to reinforce the planet’s Imperial defenders. Upon arrival, the Space Marines discover a world already overrun by Tyranid monstrosities. Determined to salvage something from the disaster, Shrike’s warriors hunt down and kill several of the evolved xenos beasts, harvesting bio-samples for future study. In danger of being surrounded and devoured, the Space Marines stage a fighting retreat across the Celestrus macro-viaduct, their Stormraven gunship moving to extract them.

Many of the Tyranid miniatures were from the (dismantled) Valedor diorama. The Valedor diorama showcased Eldar defending again the Tyranid hordes.

On the dying world of Duriel, once the glittering capital of the Valedor system, the forces of the Eldar Craftworld Iyandem attempt to halt the advance of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Kraken.

Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner

This Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner was in the displays at Warhammer World.

Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner at Warhammer World
Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner at Warhammer World

The Repulsor Executioner is the undisputed king of firepower in the Space Marine arsenal. This heavily armored tank boasts a choice of devastating main guns: the macro plasma incinerator melts enemies with superheated fury, while the heavy laser destructor obliterates them with raw precision. But that’s not all! A coaxial onslaught gatling cannon lays down a withering hail of bullets, while additional weaponry like krakstorm grenade launchers, storm bolters, and heavy stubbers ensure no target escapes its wrath. For those who crave even more dakka, defensive auto launchers and Icarus rocket pods can be added to turn the Executioner into a true anti-air menace.

Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner at Warhammer World
Dark Angels Death Wing Primaris Repulsor Executioner at Warhammer World

While some Space Marine Chapters use Executioners as escorts for troop carriers, many prefer to unleash them with a deadly cargo: squads of Hellblasters or other Primaris specialists. These tanks become mobile fortresses, thundering across the battlefield and unleashing relentless barrages. The enemy wilts under the combined firepower of the Executioner’s primary weapon and its extensive secondary arsenal, leaving only ruin in their wake.