Master of the Ravenwing

The Master of the Ravenwing on display at Warhammer World.

The Master of the Ravenwing on display at Warhammer World.
The Master of the Ravenwing on display at Warhammer World.

Master Sammael of the Ravenwing is a true Angel of Death. From the saddle of his jetbike he cuts down any foolish enough to stand in his path with the infamous Raven Sword, its blade cut from the same meteorite as the Sword of Secrets. A highly accomplished hunter of The Fallen, Sammael is rightly honoured by his brethren and he is feared by his foes as few other holders of his rank have ever been.

The technology used in the production of these jetbikes has long since been lost to the Imperium. The only jetbike known to survive into the 41st Millennium is Corvex, used by the Grand Master of the Ravenwing company of the Dark Angels chapter, currently Sammael.

Imperial jetbikes were common among the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Heresy, typically operated by Sky Hunter Squadrons.

The Sky Hunter models have been recently released as a plastic kit for The Horus Heresy. Previously there were resin models from Forge World.

When Warhammer 40000 was originally released their was a jetbike available for both Space Marines and (interestingly) the Imperial Guard. The Mk14 Bullock original miniature first appeared in White Dwarf 96 in December 1987. It was designed to be used with the RTB01 plastic space marines. 

I did buy a pack, but not sure where they are now, or even if I sold them on eBay twenty years ago.

When the Dark Angels were released I really liked the Master of the Ravenwing on the “last” remaining Imperial Jetbike, so much so I knew I had to get one for my Grey Knights army.

At the time I thought possibly maybe more than one!

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.

Dark Angels Ravenwing Storm Speeder Thunderstrike

This Dark Angels Ravenwing  Storm Speeder Thunderstrike was on display at Warhammer World.

Dark Angels Ravenwing  Storm Speeder Thunderstrike
Dark Angels Ravenwing Storm Speeder Thunderstrike at Warhammer World

Storm Speeder Thunderstrikes outmanoeuvre the foe at every turn, targeting vulnerable points in armour, fuel tanks and missile hoppers to turn engines of war into raging fireballs. Just a single Thunderstrike is capable of destroying armoured breakthrough attempts, and when one is on the battlefield, few enemies are safe.

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.

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.

Land Raider Redeemer

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

Land Raider Redeemer

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 grueling and dangerous urban combat.

Dark Angels Primaris Repulsor

This Dark Angels Primaris Repulsor was on display at Warhammer World when I visited there back in 2023.

The Repulsor is an Imperial anti-gravitic main battle tank intended to provide armoured support for the Primaris Space Marines of many different Chapters.

More photographs of the Primaris Repulsor.

Dark Angels Gladiator Lancer

This Dark Angels Gladiator Lancer was on display at Warhammer World.

Dark Angels Gladiator Lancer

With pinpoint accuracy, the Gladiator Lancer picks off the heaviest enemy armour, the laser destroyer punching smouldering holes in their hulls. Such is the range of its heavy cannon that it can eliminate threats to the Space Marines before they encounter them, storming past burning wrecks to claim their objectives.

Dark Angels Gladiator Lancer

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.