30k Imperial Fist Sicaran Venator

Time to knock out some tanks! A Sicaran Venator from Forge World (because of course I would finally paint mine AFTER GW comes out with the plastic version...)

The parade of reinforcements for the loyalists of the VII Legion Astartes continues into the late summer, with this Sicaran Venator, a tank destroyer from GW's "Age of Darkness" setting, the Horus Heresy. This particular model is a resin model from Forge World, although GW now sells a multi-part plastic version of this vehicle.

Power systems for the big, scary, "Neutron Laser Projector" - watch out, bad guys!

Who doesn't like a "space Stug"? This vehicle is a variant of the of Sicaran battle tanks, part of the Space Marine Legion armouries in the Horus Heresy setting. In the years since the original Sicaran model was originally designed and released by Forge World many years ago, GW has released all manner of variants for the platform, but this particular one always stood out as, essentially, a "space Stug", a science fiction version of well-known turret-less tank destroyers of WW2. 

Familiar look to the engine and exhaust system of the vehicle - no doubt somewhat-carbon-neutral, in that this vehicle eliminates all sorts of carbon life forms in the course of its operation...

The main weapon here is a "Neutron Laser Projector", because, well, "neutrons" I guess? It is a big, scary laser/energy weapon that will slice through enemy armour, representing a major upgrade in the anti-tank defences for my Imperial Fist collection. The design of the main weapon definitely has a whacky, Dr. Evil-"frickin laser beam" sort of vibe, but I do like the look of the thing, it fits really well into the look of GW's Horus Heresy setting.

Space STUG!!!

Of course, in 30k, tanks never have just one weapon, and the Sicaran Venator is no exception, sporting lascannons mounted on the sponsons and a heavy bolter mounted in a small turret up on the top of the hull. 

Another view showing the elaborate and whacky main weapon system.

This model is yet another which has been sitting, primed and ready to go, in my "pending pile" for years. I hemmed and hawed over which Legion in my collection I would paint it for, but with the summer-long theme of reinforcements for the Imperial Fists, further spurred by reading a number of "Seige of Terra" novels, I decided it was time to get this tank painted and that the VII Legion collection would get it. 

Ready to roll in defence of the Imperial Palace! How foolish...

So here we are, ready with a sizeable force to mount a defence of Imperial Palace on Terra - a doomed defence, of course, but one that will hopefully be fun on the table! That is all for now - the 30k painting bench is mostly empty, and I'm now back to tinkering in other projects and building some new models for the next round. Thanks for reading, and I hope to be back soon with more!