Tag: malcador

Legions Imperialis: Return of the Epic

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis

Yesterday saw the announcement of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis or the return of Epic back into the fold.

Legions Imperialis is a new game of small (or epic) large scale warfare. This is not quite Epic as we remember it, as the scale is the same as (the new) Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis. This does mean though that all those legacy epic armies are not going to be compatible. They’ve not completely forgotten the Epic games of old.

Warhammer has previously made several games in epic scale, and we’ll be taking a look down memory lane later this month, and this new game system is based on the best bits of previous incarnations of these epic scale games – while adding lots of cool new elements.

There are some really nice new miniatures, and the advances in design and manufacturing shows in the preview photographs.

I think the downside maybe that, is these models contain lots of parts. I quite liked how in the olden days the models were complete on the sprue. The kits from Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis do contain a lot of parts. Yes it makes the models more detailed, but it also makes it a bit of a modelling challenge. 

I like how they describe the boxed set contains 223 miniatures.

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis miniatures

There are a whopping 223 miniatures in the box, split between Space Marines, Solar Auxilia, and Titans. That’s 106 Space Marine infantry and walkers, five Space Marine tanks, 104 Solar Auxilia infantry and walkers, six Solar Auxilia tanks, and two Warhound Titans with brand-new plastic weapon options. 

Well, 210 of those are infantry models. You get eleven tanks in total. True that the 210 figure incudes walkers and dreadnoughts.

Personally I would like to have seen more tanks. I do like the Malcador tanks, something we never saw in Epic.

malcador tanks

All the models look really nice.

I do wonder what new models for this game we will see released. Will we see a Capitol Imperialis for example, that would be great.

They did say in the preview page:

All of the scenery that was released with Adeptus Titanicus is also returning for use in Legions Imperialis, with more to follow.

So we will probably see some new scenery sets, wonder what they will be?

I am pleased to see this release and I do think it will be one I will pre-order. I am apprehensive about how much it will cost to build an army, but that is just something I will have to accept. Back in the day (we’ll the 1990s) I managed to get a bunch of Epic stuff in a series of sales at Games Workshop at really low prices. That I doubt we will see again.

Of course this is Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, so we’re not going to see any Xenos armies I would have thought. I would like to have seen new Ork models in this scale, a Great Gargant would have been nice. Ah well one can dream.

Death Korps of Krieg Malcador Assault Tank

Death Korps of Krieg Malcador Assault Tank at Warhammer World

The Malcador Assault Tank, also known as the Malcador Heavy Tank is a venerable pattern of armoured vehicle that predates the Leman Russ tank in the Imperium of Man’s service. It is not widely used by Imperial armed forces at the present time and is in fact little known even within the Imperial military.

In many regions of the Imperium, the Malcador passed out of common service many millennia ago. The few Malcadors that remain in the Emperor of Mankind’s service have been relegated to the Departmento Munitorum’s strategic reserve, to the arsenals of second-line Planetary Defence Forces or are maintained in active service only by a few units of the Imperial Guard due to ancient tradition.

In front of the tank is a Death Korps of Krieg mounted officer.

These photographs are of the Marching to the Front diorama by Mark Bedford and was in the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

More photographs of the Malcador Heavy Tank
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Death Korps Diorama at Warhammer World

In this Death Korps Diorama at Warhammer World were various heavy tanks and infantry. There was this Shadowsword.

Imperial Shadowsword Super Heavy Tank

The Imperial Shadowsword Super Heavy Tank is the sister tank of the more common Baneblade super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum. The Shadowsword is a nearly identical super-heavy tank to the Baneblade with the exception of its armament and battlefield role as a Titan-killer. Armed with a massive forward-firing gun known as a Volcano Cannon the Shadowsword’s primary focus during combat is the destruction of enemy Titans.

This Malcador Infernus was part of that diorama.

Death Korps Malcador Infernus

The Malcador Infernus is a variant of the venerable Malcador Assault Tank design. It is not widely used by Imperial armed forces at the present time and is in fact little known even within the Imperial military.

A “crocodile” style variant of the Malcador, I do like the rear part of the vehicle I am less so sure about the main weaponry. It looks like a big flamer.

Now I know it is a big flamer, but what I mean is that it looks like an out of scale flamer, a 3-up of a standard flamer rather than an actual flamer which is big!

Across the diorama was infantry and a fair bit of snow.

Malcador Heavy Tank

The Malcador Assault Tank, also known as the Malcador Heavy Tank is a venerable pattern of armoured vehicle that predates the Leman Russ tank in the Imperium of Man’s service. It is not widely used by Imperial armed forces at the present time and is in fact little known even within the Imperial military.

This Malcador Heavy Tank was in the display cabinets at Warhammer World.

Malcador Heavy Tank
Malcador Heavy Tank

In many regions of the Imperium, the Malcador passed out of common service many millennia ago. The few Malcadors that remain in the Emperor of Mankind’s service have been relegated to the Departmento Munitorum’s strategic reserve, to the arsenals of second-line Planetary Defence Forces or are maintained in active service only by a few units of the Imperial Guard due to ancient tradition.

I have to say I’ve always liked this tank, the Great War feel certainly adds to the overall look to the model.

Forge World Malcador Infernus

This Malcador Infernus was part of a large diorama at Warhammer World

A “crocodile” style variant of the Malcador, I do like the rear part of the vehicle I am less so sure about the main weaponry. It looks like a big flamer.

Now I know it is a big flamer, but what I mean is that it looks like an out of scale flamer, a 3-up of a standard flamer rather than an actual flamer which is big!

Forge World Christmas Jigsaw Part 3 – Malcador Infernus

Well part 3 of the Forge World Christmas Jigsaw provides us with the final part and we have the Malcador Infernus.

valdflame1

A “crocodile” style variant of the Malcador, I do like the rear part of the vehicle I am less so sure about the main weaponry. It looks like a big flamer.

Now I know it is a big flamer, but what I mean is that it looks like an out of scale flamer, a 3-up of a standard flamer rather than an actual flamer which is big!

Malcador Annihilator

A renegade Malcador Annihilator advances during the Siege of Vraks, supported by Renegade troops.

Renegade Malcador defending during the siege of Vraks. From the Forgeworld Siege of Vraks diorama at the Forge World Open Day 2009.
Renegade Malcador defending during the siege of Vraks.
From the Forgeworld Siege of Vraks diorama at the Forge World Open Day 2009.

Another example of ‘second-generation’ Baneblades, the Malcador Heavy Tank is a mobile fortress, heavily armed and armoured but slow. The ‘standard’ pattern has been altered to create several variants, each designed to fulfil a specific battlefield role. The Annihilator variant mounts a twin-linked lascannon in place of the limited-traverse Battle Cannon of the standard pattern tank, and is commonly equipped with lascannon sponsons to supplement this main armament.

Detractors of the design claim that the Malcador Annihilator falls between two roles, fulfilling neither fully as it is too large and too slow to serve as a ‘true’ tank-hunter while lacking the firepower and armour to evenly match a Baneblade in open war.

Against conventional armour, however, and in the hands of a skilled crew, the Malcador Annihilator can still prove its worth.

This is from the amazing Siege of Vraks diorama by Forge World.

See more photographs of the Malcador tank.

You can see all my photographs from the Forge World Open Day 2009 in this gallery.

Malcador Defender

A renegade Malcador Defender advances during the Siege of Vraks.

Named after a mysterious figure from the Imperium’s earliest days, Malcador the Sigillite (a close advisor to the Emperor during the Battles of Unification, and the man credited with founding the Administratum of Terra), the Malcador Heavy Tank is a mobile fortress, heavily armed and armoured but slow. The Defender variant is perhaps the most common, although also the most unusual – its fixed turret mounts 5 limited-traverse Heavy Bolters, positioned to provide all-round defensive fire. The Defender crams 8 crew into a cramped interior, as it also mounts two sponson weapons and a hull-mounted Demolisher Cannon. Unsurprisingly, the Defender is perfect for the role of a breakthough tank – ably suited to close-quarters fighting, trench warfare and urban engagements in which its multiple fire-points and heavy armour excel.

This is from the amazing Siege of Vraks diorama by Forge World.

See more photographs of the Malcador tank.

You can see all my photographs from the Forge World Open Day 2009 in this gallery.