warhammer the horus heresy Archives

Imperial Fists Mastodon Super-Heavy Assault Transport

The Mastodon was one of the heaviest assault transports in the arsenal of the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade, and is still found in the armouries of the Space Marine Chapters of the 41st Millenium.

Its cavernous assault bay, capable of housing almost half a Company, is protected both by thick layers of ceramite armour as well as crackling void shields. It also mounts a fearsome siege melta array, allowing it to breach even the most formidable defences with ease, as well as an array of secondary weaponry intended to defend the vehicle as it approaches its target. Unleashed only against the most fearsome of enemy redoubts, there are few obstacles that can stay the wrath of this relic of the Imperium’s bloody birth.

The Mastodon is heavily armed and armoured, carrying 40 Space Marines, and even Dreadnoughts, safely to the heart of battle. Whilst embarked, the warriors within will defend their immense transport, turning the sponson weapons on any enemy brave or foolish enough to come close. Its Siege melta array can easily destroy fortifications, and makes short work of armoured vehicles, whilst its Skyreaper Battery will tear through any airborne threat with ease.

Imperial Fists Deimos Pattern Vindicator

The Deimos Pattern Vindicator is a heavily armoured siege tank widely used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.

A variant of the Deimos Pattern Rhino chassis, it sacrifices its transport capacity for a powerful, hull-mounted main weapon. The Vindicator is particularly effective in urban combat, where its primary armament—typically a demolisher cannon—can be used to destroy fortifications, breach obstacles, and clear out dense infantry formations.

For the Imperial Fists, the Vindicator is a fitting choice, as their legion specialises in siege warfare and tearing down enemy defences. In addition to the demolisher cannon, the Deimos Pattern Vindicator can also be equipped with a magna laser destroyer, turning it into a formidable anti-tank vehicle capable of taking on super-heavy tanks and even Titans. Both load outs are highly effective and are complemented by the tank’s iconic dozer blade, which allows it to push through rubble and barricades with ease.

More photographs of the Deimos Pattern Vindicator.

Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer

Tearing through the armour plating of enemy vehicles, the Vindicator laser destroyer array is a potent weapon of destruction. This Sons of Horus Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer was on display at Warhammer World.

First retrofitted into the heavily armoured Deimos pattern Vindicator chassis during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, several Legions took to fielding this variant as a mainline battle tank, proving itself on many occasions as an able tank hunter. After millennia of brutal warfare across the galaxy, it is still in favour within the Space Marine Chapters, the Vindicator Laser Destructor continuing to bring retribution to the enemies of Mankind.

More photographs of the Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer.

Typhon Heavy Siege Tank at Warhammer World

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.

From the displays at Warhammer World.

More photographs of the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank.

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Whirlwind Missile Tank

The Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Whirlwind Missile Tank for the Legion Astartes will be available to pre-order next week.

The Whirlwind is a certified Astartes classic combining the venerable Rhino chassis with a huge missile launcher that hurls storms of explosive warheads into enemy ranks, whether it has line of sight or not. The sophisticated range-finding and targeting auspexes mounted to the launcher allow multiple different kinds of munitions to be loaded and fired independently, from standard high explosives to incendiary Pyrax rounds.

This new model reflects the original conversion from 1989. The original Whirlwind was a conversion using a slottabase and plasticard for the rocket launcher. I have always preferred the original conversion to the newer versions, so it should be no surprise that I will probably get one of these when they are eventually released. I will be pre-ordering you for my Imperial Fists army.

In addition I have some doors for it already as well. On a recent visit to Warhammer World I picked up some Forge World Imperial Fists Rhino Doors.

I’ve always liked the Forge World doors and have used them on some of my models such as this Land Raider.

I am planning to use these Imperial Fists Rhino Doors on the new Whirlwind,

Sons of Horus Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer at Warhammer World

This Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer was on display at Warhammer World.

The Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is a fearsome and highly specialised variant of the venerable Spartan chassis, developed during the Great Crusade and unleashed upon the galaxy by the Legiones Astartes. While it sacrifices the Spartan’s substantial transport capacity, its massive hull is uniquely adapted to house the complex apparatus required for its devastating primary armament: a prototype Neutron Laser Projector (often a triple-barreled configuration known as a Neutron Laser Battery).

The Neutron Laser is a weapon of the Dark Age of Technology, its principles still only poorly understood by the techno-savants of the Mechanicum. To manage the immense energies and deadly output, the Cerberus’s hull is crammed with sizeable arc-reactors and heavy radiation shielding. The weapon stands as one of the most effective anti-tank systems available to the Space Marine Legions.

This is the plastic kit for The Horus Heresy. The original resin kit was announced back in 2012 at Games Day.

Land Raider Spartan Assault Tank at Warhammer World

These are various Land Raider Spartan Assault Tanks that were on display at Warhammer World.

The Spartan Assault Tank, often referred to as the Land Raider Spartan, is a formidable armoured vehicle designed to breach the most impenetrable enemy defences and deliver devastating blows with its payload of Legion Astartes infantry. Its nigh-impervious hull, capable of shrugging off even the most potent anti-tank weaponry, makes it a truly formidable war machine. During the Great Crusade, the Spartan became an indispensable asset for the Legion Astartes. Its immense firepower and exceptional durability allowed it to lead the charge into the heart of enemy territory, paving the way for Legionaries to storm enemy fortifications. With a capacity to transport up to 26 Legionaries or 13 Terminators, the Spartan provided a mobile, armoured fortress that could be deployed rapidly to any sector of the battlefield. Despite its massive size, the Spartan possesses a surprising degree of agility, enabling it to manoeuvre effectively in tight spaces and avoid enemy fire. Its combination of speed, firepower, and protection makes it a truly versatile and devastating weapon, capable of turning the tide of battle in favour of the Legion Astartes forces using it.

More photographs of the Land Raider Spartan Assault Tank.

The Dropsite Massacre

Within the Urgall Depression, the Salamanders fall back from their faltering attack on the Warmaster’s fortress, expecting the newly arrived Second Wave to bolster the assault and finally break Horus’ defences. Instead, Vulkan’s warriors unknowingly turn back towards their annihilation – the guns of the Iron Warriors arrayed against them in betrayal. Their presumed allies unleash a ruthless barrage of fire into the Salamanders’ lines, turning the black sands into a mire soaked with Nocturnean blood.

Warlord Battle Titan at the Dropsite Massacre

Originally planning to show the pivotal moment of the betrayal, the Warhammer World Studio instead decided to set this diorama late in the battle in order to convey the absolute devastation caused. Panels of trackway, providing access to rapidly deployed emplacements, were built to reflect the Iron Warriors expertise at engineering and siege warfare.

Over a thousand casualties were created for this diorama. One set was converted in a range of static poses, and cast in resin. A second set, with only bodies and legs were also assembled, then moulds made and hundreds cast in resin, before individually adding the arms, heads anc backpacks in different poses.

Legio Custodes Ares Gunship

The Ares Gunship is a potent terror weapon, bypassing enemy armies as it blazes over their lines in the shadow of its eclipse shields.

Using its immensely destructive Arachnus magna-blaze cannon against the monuments and edifices which an enemy culture hold most dear to their hearts, it strikes a decisive blow against their will to wage war.

This heavily-armed super-heavy gunship is ideal for taking out large targets such as monsters and vehicles, and even packs enough of punch to take down the void shields of Titans. It is protected by its eclipse shield, making it nigh-on impervious to return fire.

This Forge World model was on display at Warhammer World.

Legio Custodes Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike

The Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike is a masterwork of Great Crusade-era engineering, a sleek and predatory silhouette defined by its elongated, aerodynamic chassis.

The Gyrfalcon is a fusion of ornate auric plating and exposed, high-output engine cowlings. Its hull is etched with the signature artistry of the Custodian Guard, belying the sheer raw power of the gravitic engines housed within—units capable of producing violent, overwhelming bursts of acceleration that blur the vehicle’s form to the naked eye.