Leman Russ Vanquisher, Exterminator WIP

Following on from last post, I have cleaned up and undercoated the first two Leman Russ Battle Tanks for my Imperial Guard army. With cool names like Punisher, Eradicator and Dominator (actually I made the last one up) there are limitless ways to equip these guys for battle, whether you are facing light, medium or heavy infantry, and all levels of armour. I have started things off with what seems on paper to be the 'best' Leman Russ for 6th Edition: The Vanquisher.

My first attempt at drilling barrels (see the sponson Heavy Bolter) didn't go to badly!

This guy has a long range, rolls an extra dice when trying to punch through armour, and since the new FAQ counts as a 'Heavy' tank meaning he can move and shoot all weapons, unlike the basic Leman Russ with its 'Ordnance' weapon. Best of all he only costs less than four percent more than the basic tank for all these benefits. Thrifty!

Casting up some new doors to replace the removed sponson weapons.

The next Leman Russ was a mix of old and new, picked up for a song from a friend, and converted into an 'Exterminator' with twin barrel Autocannons. Having removed the sponsons to clean them up, I decided to leave them off altogether and used some Instant Mold to copy the existing hatch and make a new set from green stuff. Most people equip these guys for high rate of fire anti-infantry and light armour duties, but I have gone out on a limb and included 'Knight Commander Pask' which increases accuracy and strength versus vehicles. I was sorely tempted to model him with a sword in reference to this guy:

(source unknown, used without permission)

Instead I went with some boring binoculars which are far less likely to snap off in transit/battle. Being previously painted I was unsure how it would look after a new undercoat, and apart from a few cracks it hasn't lost too much detail that won't be obscured with a layer of dirt and dust.

Either way, the added thickness and 'poorer' quality of the undercoat gives me the opportunity to experiment with weathering effects without feeling like I am destroying a $60 tank. Watch this space!


Update: You can see the completed Leman Russ Exterminator here.