Leman Russ Rescue!

As mentioned I have turned my 40k mind to the building some Leman Russ Battle tanks for my Imperial Guard. These will be my first I.G. tanks and my imagination is full of dust clouds, earth shattering explosions and the screeching of metal tracks. I have a long way to go to make these dreams a modelling reality!

Mold lines on the barrel have proved tricky!

First up is my Vanquisher, built from the new Leman Russ kit, sans instructions. I appear to be missing an exhaust, most of the accessories and I have no idea what the saw-tooth pattern on the turret is? The Heavy Bolters are sitting on my bench at work waiting to have their barrels drilled.

This one requires a LOT of imagination.

The second Russ was picked up cheaply from a friend, who in his younger days of modelling managed to glue the whole thing together using super glue (who doesn't remember doing something like this?). As I attempted to remove some mold lines and thick paint the whole thing sort of disintegrated, leaving what you see here. Definitely a work-in-progress.

The last two are clearly not Imperial Guard at all, but the first one proves tantalisingly close to being de-looted, with the second turret providing the Imperial flavour. These 'Boomwagons' (Looted Wagons with Boom Guns) have proved very useful in my Ork army in 5th edition, but the concept of Allies has rendered them somewhat useless, being within ten points of a Leman Russ yet having much less armour, firepower and discipline. I think the second one will stay Orky, and I will see how the others go in battle before re-enlisting the first.

The last tank for today is clearly not a Leman Russ, but provides further insight into the theme of my old Ork army, where everything is mobile no matter the cost. This guy carries my Mek with Kustom Force Field and a host of Burna Boyz, ready to rain fiery death from their 'Open Topped' vehicle, only to have the Ork driver roll a '1' resulting in them tank shocking through a wall and unable to shoot or disembark. Certainly made for a fun game or two! Who knows, maybe what is old is new again, and the answer to my lack of mobility in my Imperial Guard army lies in some Ork Freeboters?