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The Stormsword super heavy tank is built specifically for sieges and street fighting. Whilst the Shadowsword excels at long range and the Baneblade is an ‘all rounder’ equally at home in the open fields or in street fighting, the Stormsword lends its weight and firepower to troops at close quarters
This is constructed from the plastic kit. Compare this one to the original Forge World resin kit (circa 2006).
The Stormlord is a super-heavy main battle tank and variant of the Shadowsword tank-hunter and Titan-killer tank 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.
The Leman Russ Vanquisher is a variant of the Astra Militarum’s primary main battle tank, the Leman Russ.
The Leman Russ Vanquisher variant differs from the standard pattern Leman Russ in that its main weapon is a Vanquisher Cannon, as opposed to the Battle Cannon. The Leman Russ Vanquisher is a much rarer and more advanced variant of the standard Leman Russ as the long-barrelled Vanquisher Cannon mounted on the Leman Russ Vanquisher is capable of firing powerful anti-tank shells. In addition, there is a Storm Bolter mounted co-axially to the main cannon.
The Banehammer is a super-heavy vehicle used by the Imperium, a close cousin to the venerable Shadowsword and Baneblade.
It is unknown when the Banehammer was first created but it has had much use, especially during the recent Tyrannic Wars. The vehicle is primarily used by Imperial Guard commanders to halt massed enemy advances.
The Banehammer replaces the Baneblade’s Battle Cannon with a Tremor Cannon, which launches projectiles which bury themselves and detonate only after traveling some distance. On detonation, the shell releases a huge shock wave, liquefying the nearby ground and forcing enemy infantry and vehicles to literally crawl their way through or risk the consequences.
I initially confused this Banehammer with the Doomhammer. The Doomhammer is a similar Super Heavy Tank which was created from the necessity for Titan-killing vehicles during the thousand-year-long siege of Ordana. During the siege, many commanders requested Shadowswords to combat the large number of heavy armour in the form of Titans and tanks from a renegade forge world. The only way the Imperium could maintain the war effort was to retrofit their Banehammers with magma cannons.
The Vostroyan Firstborn is the name given to the Militarum Regimentum of the Astra Militarum that originates from the industrial Hive World of Vostroya located near the Halo Stars in the Segmentum Obscurus. The Vostroyan regiments have served the Emperor for countless centuries, though in truth they fight to absolve themselves of a terrible shame incurred by their ancestors over ten millennia ago when, during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, Vostroya failed in its duty to the Emperor of Mankind.
These Chimera and Leman Russ models were on display at Warhammer World.
The Sentinel is a one-man, all-terrain, lightweight, bipedal combat walker that is used by the various regiments of the Astra Militarum. The Sentinel is most favoured when Imperial Guard patrols must move across rough terrain that would completely immobilise heavier vehicles. Sentinels achieve a perfect balance of robustness and mobility, able to negotiate terrain that would immobilise heavier battle tanks and armoured vehicles whilst still able to face down fire that would shred ranks of infantry.
The Vostroyan Firstborn is the name given to the Militarum Regimentum of the Astra Militarum that originates from the industrial Hive World of Vostroya located near the Halo Stars in the Segmentum Obscurus. The Vostroyan regiments have served the Emperor for countless centuries, though in truth they fight to absolve themselves of a terrible shame incurred by their ancestors over ten millennia ago when, during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, Vostroya failed in its duty to the Emperor of Mankind.
These Chimera and Leman Russ models were on display at Warhammer World.
The Chimera is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle, an infantry transport designed to transport men to where they need to be, then provide support fire and cover behind its armor.
The Leman Russ is the main battle tank of the Astra Militarum, and is also the most widely deployed tank in the Imperium. The tank is named after the Space Wolves Primarch, Leman Russ. Far from a sophisticated vehicle, the Leman Russ was designed and built with reliability and versatility in mind. It can survive the worst the galaxy can throw at it, and can run on almost any combustible liquid fuel.
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.
Here is a photograph of a Tallarn Imperial Guard Baneblade from the display cabinets at Warhammer World
Here is a photograph of the same Tallarn Baneblade taken at GamesDay 2007.
This is a Steel Legion Baneblade that was also on display at Warhammer World.
More photographs of Imperial Guard Baneblade super heavy tanks.
This lovely St George’esque Bretonnian Knight was one of many duel dioramas which were on display at Warhammer World. The knight is facing down a lovely red dragon (which I didn’t photograph).
I really like the scenic base, which is nice and rocky.
This is one half of an Elven duel, this was the High Elf, his opponent was a Dark Elf on a Cold One.
This is a Warhammer 40000 duel between a Space Marine Chaplin and an Exodite Eldar. The Chaplin is riding a bike.
The Exodite Eldar is on a lizard.
The Exodites were a concept that had Eldar using giant lizards as mounts and large mounts for weapons (in a similar way to Elephants or Squiggoths). It was never taken further by Citadel, though some Epic concepts were sculptured and cast, but never went on sale. The concept proved popular with some and as a result there is an unofficial codex out on the tubes and some lovely models such as this one.
This was a Golden Demon winning Duel which I photographed on my most recent visit to Warhammer World in January 2020.
I first photographed the duel on a visit to Warhammer World back in 2007.
This Corvus Blackstar was in the displays at Warhammer World.
Far, far more advanced than the other Imperial craft which it resembles, the Corvus Blackstar is truly worthy of ferrying a Deathwatch Kill Team to their brutal mission. Optimised for alien hunting, surprisingly agile, its heavy weapons scream death from the skies as it descends toward its mission-critical targets. Halo-launchers fan out and blur the Corvus Blackstar’s outline as the twin hatches slam open, pouring out its cargo of specialist Deathwatch from within to charge directly into the fray.
Thinking that this might make a nice transport for my Inquisitorial Stormtroopers.