The latest item off my workbench and onto the windswept polar battlegrounds of Xiandao is this Sirrush battle tank. Hull markings identify it as vehicle No. 70, of the 2nd Troop, 14th Battalion, Somuzan Cataphracts, seconded to Xiandao from the Army of the Imperial Presence. The Somuzan Cataphracts are a renowned veteran formation from Arqualan, recipients of nine Victory Clusters and the Cruciform Laurel, touched by the hand of the Emperor himself. The blue-and-yellow diamond insignia identifies this as part of the forces based out of the twin fotresses of St. Borz and St. Glabo in the Interzolia region. The Somuzan Cataphracts were heavily engaged in fighting against both the Xia rebels in Ghostlight Harbor and motley mining guilds in the polar mountains.
The Sirrush is a locally produced vehicle, but reminiscent of many other rapid deployment tanks in use throughout the Pontus Shell sector. It has a ‘high-drive’ chassis, a type prominent for six or seven centuries due to superior performance over soft terrain and better protection of the drive sprockets, six or seven centuries ago, but lately fallen out of fashion. Its main weapon is a turret-mounted 6-inch magnetic cannon capable of firing a wide variety of shells, and a bow-mounted ‘firehouse’ maser. It has a standard crew of three: commander, driver, and gunner.
This particular example has been modified in the field, notably with the removal of part of the side armor plate to mount heavy caliber gyrocs in makeshift sponsons. This modification was often adapted by Eighty World Alliance vehicles on Xiandao to help these high-profile tanks deal with the rebel trench lines or ambushers lurking in shallow mountain defiles, waiting to make their suicidal attacks with ‘lunge mines. A more common and standardized attachment is the Regulation 40 unidirectional sonic vortex cannon in a fixed mount just above the main gun. Primarily used as a defense against drone swarms, it is theoretically fit to engage large helicopters and ornithopters as well, though in practice these will typically make their attacks from well outside the weapon’s approximately 1-mile range.
The model itself if a 3D print, a ‘Caiman’ tank from Reptilian Overlords. I printed this in resin in many, many pieces on my Elegoo Mars 2 more than a year ago, but finally had a breakthrough in painting it this weekend after several false starts. The breakthrough in question was my (now very favorite) vehicle painting technique of spraypainting it black and then building up the base with drybrushes, giving a smooth finish while preserving the shadows in recesses.
The Caiman kit is intended as a sort of Leman Russ proxy, albeit one with a more reasonable turret. (Isn’t it ridiculous how, even after multiple revisions, the commander’s hatch in the Leman Russ is still immediately behind the main gun, meaning he’s constantly interfering with the loader, not to mention getting pounded by the battle cannon’s recoil?) It comes with a variety of weapon options, including a Vanquisher-style cannon (seen here), a large rotary cannon, a standard ‘battle cannon’ type, and a Demolisher-type main gun, as well as various lascannon, heavy bolter, melta, and flamer proxies.
It also comes with a delightful variety of ‘gypsy’ stowage gear, including this sandbagged chassis, the spotlight (which I repurposed as a vortex gun), fuel tanks, storage boxes, tow cables, rolled up tarps, etc…
Here are some more shots of this beauty, along with close-ups of my most recent additions: the psychedelic spiral on the vortex cannon and the Crucified Christ-and-Theotokos banner. The banner is a OOP sticker for Cossack cavalry from the 15mm ‘By Fire and Sword’ game.
As always, let me know what you think.
Nicely done! That tank looks like it's seen a lot of action!
Is the cloth on the barrel 3d printed? That is an amazing paint job.