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If the hull and the turret were less curved and more angular I would like it a lot more. The last picture in the article has a Chimera in the background and there's such a difference in the design aesthetics.

Why have the decided to go again the design tradition of all guard having tank exhausts face up and flipped them?

Just making an assumption but if this is a properly "new" thing and not just "They always had it", then that would inform a lot of the design choices.
Before with the Guard its been two chassis with various additional weapons systems tacked on or the role of the vehicle changed. Artillery was based on the Chimera and Tanks/TDs were based on the Russ. The FW tanks were ancient designs retrofitted with Imperial weapons systems rather than new designs so they all shared the same aesthetic. If the Dorn is an entirely new design, then it makes sense that it would look different but then it also loses yet more of the lack of innovation the Imperium is famous for.

Hmm... I have to say I kind of like it. Just with the Rough Riders I agree with every criticism said in the last posts regarding look, era and everything. But still... kind of cool model and I will get one. It certainly diverts from the usual style of IG vehicles compared to the Chimera etc. it reminds me a lot of the Shermans with welded hull vs. Shermans with cast hull:


At least that could be my headcanon explanation for the different look.

Small details I also like: the exhaust seem to look a lot more similar to those of the sentinel (which makes kind of sense, STC and so)
the tracks look wider in relation to the tank
the turret does not look comically small and no one has to sit behind the breach
The episcope (?) on top and the headlights beside the hull gun that looks the baneblades
all the vehicle equipment that is hopefully included.

What I don't like:
the two stubbers (?) in front. But as collector I can just leave them out if I do not get used to them
The guy standing in the open in the back of the turret would have made more sense (in my opinion), if his weapon would point to the sky indicating a kind of "backup-AA stubber" for real emergencies. At least that's were I could see adding a weapon without armor protection make sense. When adding an AA gun under armor is too much hassel you might as well stick it to the back of the turret to give the Infantry riding with you an opportunity to stick it to the evil flyers. But what do I know, I'm not a tank engineer
The gunshield looks strangely large on some angles.


But as I said: overall... I enjoy it.

I absolutely love it. It fixes most of the issues I have with existing guard vehicles: tracks which actually look like they would work, a turret with (almost) enough space for both the gun breeches and crew, and it has enough details in common with the baneblade and its derivatives (previously the only good looking tracked vehicles the IG had) that they should look great together.
Other stuff I like: distinct tank-crew uniform (hopefully with a good selection of heads for different regiments, but that isn't essential. Sherman-style stubber.
Things I don't like: no obvious way for the hull crew to get into the tank, a few too many guns, that rear-left stowage pile with the sandbags and the colossal wrench just lying on top of them.

I much prefer it without the sponsons, as they look somewhat tacked on.



And whilst MOAR DAKKA isn’t a bad maxim? Here I don’t think it is.

Absolutely love it! Kind of make me chuckle that the waves of hater jump in saying they hate it. Let's face it. The leman russ isn't going to win any awards for "good looking tank of the year".

So if they are doing a massive over hall of the range. Now is the time to change direction.

Also, just from that pic?

Compare the Guardsmen to the Marines.

Have….have they been slightly Debigulated in the Resizograph to be in better scale?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I much prefer it without the sponsons, as they look somewhat tacked on.

Agree - and it looks like the little hull guns are optional too.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I much prefer it without the sponsons, as they look somewhat tacked on.



And whilst MOAR DAKKA isn’t a bad maxim? Here I don’t think it is.

Lol...the guy with the missile launcher who hunkered down DIRECTLY IN FRONT of the second Rogal Dorn track right so that its driver can hardly see him will likey be rather flat soon

Yeah, the one in the back of that photo with no sponsons and headlights instead of stubbers looks significantly better. Looks like there might even be a door where the sponson goes, which explains how you get inside the hull (albeit, not the most convenient layout).

Looks great to me. Similar outline to the T34-85.

Seems like a solid looking beast.

 Pyroalchi wrote:
What I don't like:
the two stubbers (?) in front. But as collector I can just leave them out if I do not get used to them

I don't care for that bit either, but the Dorn without sponsons has lights instead of guns, and the article makes it sound like the guns are optional. Seems like you can just leave them off even if you want a WYSIWYG, game legal model.

I agree they look better without the sponsons. I'm on the fence about getting one though as I already have 4 Baneblades and a Valdor in my motor pool.

I do like the Stubber gunner guy though, thought I'd seen something similar in Band of Brothers.



Did a quick Google search and there does seem to be examples .30 MGs mounted to the Shermans like this. Overall I'd move the front mounted Stubbers/Meltas, flip the exhausts but apart from that I'd probably just build it OOB.

Worth the wait. The tank has a lot of details I like, and very few that I don't. The maximum loadout is a bit too gun-heavy for my aesthetic tastes, but if the three MGs and even the sponsons are optional as it appears, my meager criticisms are soothed. The basic hull and track shape looks really good, and I'm already pondering what a turretless tank-hunter version would look like with a larger cannon in the hull in place of the gatling.

Does sound like they're all optional -

The tank can be further augmented with a pair of heavy stubbers or meltaguns, and in classic Astra Militarum fashion, you can also strap a pair of heavy bolter or multi-melta sponsons on the side. There’s even a pintle-mounted heavy stubber for any gunner brave enough to clamber up top.

I like it (without its sponsons and front hull stubbers).

Looks incredibly toy-like.

Yeah, that looks great. I definitely need one for my Krieg veterans. I hope it comes with a Krieg crew?

Probably very easy to magnetize the sponsons and nose guns. I quite like the design. Before, everything was on the same chassis, but this one looks like various STC elements pulled apart and reused to make a new design.

Oddly enough, I like it better with less guns.

Terrible looking tank. Reminds me of stuff I’d doodle in class as a child.
Stick a gun here, here, oh and a few machine guns in front for no real reason.
I would be tempted to find a model kit and just IG it out, then buy this crap.
I’m sure it will sell well, however.

IMHO it looks better than I expected. Still a pass for me though.

It still reminds me mostely of the Churchil, which is an excellent choice over all. Completly outdated tank concept by the british that against all odds actually worked in WW2.

What I like:
The profile is similar enough to the LRBT and the turret is close to the Baneblade, to look Imperial enough.
I actually like that the tracks are open, the pure open version is design cue to the Churchill as well, that had these many smaller wheels. Notice that the Tank comes with track guards that cover them up if you want. Still finally have a tank that might actually to drive with somewhat of a suspension.
The Oppressor gun looks good. Even if I would have preferred a more round shaped tip.
The profile from the top is nice, reminds me a bit of Star Craft Siege Tanks there.
The printle machine gunner has instant meme potential for the worst job in the regiment.
The fuel drums don't look as bad as on the Baneblade (that is the GW one, the FW one was awesome)

What I don't like:
The Name. I can already here the calls for a Corax battle jet coming in. They should have gone with a human hero at least, like Ollanius Pious.
The turret looks out of place, or as if the tank was a Baneblade that shrank in the wash.
The hull weapons, the tank suffers too much from Primaris - let us strap even more guns to the hull - syndrom.
It has even less access doors than a LRBT, that one at least permitted access via the side doors. This thing is a death trap.
They went for exausts in the back AND Chimera style on the side? Chimeras only have them there because the engine is supposed to be between the wheels (as dumb as that sounds)
The battle cannons look way too slim. Yes it's unrealistic to have a gun fire calibre 500mm shells, but that is how the LRBT looks. They look more like oversized Autocannons.
Too many stupid details, like the periscopes all over the hull.
The printle mounted Heavy Stubber, this time for real. What the gak were they thinking there? Especially since the gunners(?) hatch even has a printle mount.

But most and the deciding factor: I have a Macharius Vulcan and it looks 1000 times better than this.

The more I look at it, the more I like it. I'm glad to see that the hull stubbers/meltas are optional, as are the sponsons. The track guards are a must for me, aesthetically, and in the right configuration, it's a pretty cool tank. It's a bit of a departure from the existing Guard tanks, sure, but not implausibly so, given the range of the Imperium's tech.

 bullyboy wrote:
Terrible looking tank. Reminds me of stuff I’d doodle in class as a child.
Stick a gun here, here, oh and a few machine guns in front for no real reason.
I would be tempted to find a model kit and just IG it out, then buy this crap.
I’m sure it will sell well, however.

https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/568298046720234925/

It doesn't tickle my fancy. It looks like a 30% bigger Leman Russ sculpt that they rammed guns onto it everywhere, as a previous comment pointed out, primaris style. The dude standing on the back... does your pintle stubber stop working after the vehicle has taken 50% wounds? If not, maybe make the tank out of that guy (might be my inner haemonculus talking).

It seemed like this was a potential replacement for the Macharius. Understanding we don't know if this has a transport cap, how does the weaponry compare?

Like the new Sentinel kit, especially the armoured version, they both look like they should fit into the Fallout universe.

If you swapped the miniblade turret out for a regular leman russ or chimera style turret it would highly resemble a Churchill in the right hull config.

I don't know, a large calibre gatling or mortar as side-arm, in addition to sponsons and front mounted meltars
and because they are all fixed in the front you need another sidearm exposed on the top so that the tank can defend itself against infantry

and no, this looks nothing like a T34 or variant of it, more like on of the French pre-war prototypes with a post-war american turret and as many guns as designers thought look cool
looking at it and I am missing rare facing sponsons and turret guns like on other 1930ies prototypes

a better base than the old LRK for sure, but for me it does not feel like an upgrade but more of a sidegrade

 Valkyrie wrote:
Did a quick Google search and there does seem to be examples .30 MGs mounted to the Shermans like this. Overall I'd move the front mounted Stubbers/Meltas, flip the exhausts but apart from that I'd probably just build it OOB.

it was .50 as AA gun on every single tank, but the main reason was that those guns overproduced, by a lot and not because they were of any particular use (and more like a noob trap as the safest place during combat was inside the tank)

 GiToRaZor wrote:

They went for exausts in the back AND Chimera style on the side? Chimeras only have them there because the engine is supposed to be between the wheels (as dumb as that sounds)

I think (!) those are meant to be Matilda style openings to get sand out of the track. At least that was explained to me when I asked about this structure on Chimeras.

Not gonna argue with you about the Macharius Vulcan looking more badass, as it definitly does

Look like a Matilda II and I am already loving it.

Not particularly toy-like with track armour I think, and generally speaking in tone with old Guard tanks more or less, but different enough for me to want one badly.

As for the name, I think it might be a new STC discovery by the Fists, hence their primarch's name. If I recall right, that's how we got Leman Russ tank, at least that's how it was explained in the new HH book.

Or maybe it's something new from Cawl. Either way I can live with it.

I wanted to like it so much, but I'm struggling. It looks a bit...chibi? Maybe I'd like it more with a different colour scheme? I hope it's a grower!

Why can't they get they people who design the Forge World AM tanks to do the designs instead?

The rules will no doubt be decent or good, it's probably a good time to use my Malcador or Macharius as proxies.