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GW reveals Dark Mechanicum spider tanks for Warhammer 40k’s tiniest game

Apologies to any fans of the Warhammer 40,000 novel series Gaunts Ghosts - these would make perfect stalk tanks if they were only bigger.

Legions Imperialis - a Dark Mechanicum Cyclops stalker, similar to a Warhammer 40k stalk tank

Games Workshop has revealed a range of spiderlike Dark Mechanicum ‘Stalker constructs’ for its small-scale wargame Horus Heresy: Legions Imperialis. These models are completely new and have never been depicted before in art, but we’re certain that some Warhammer 40k book readers will have a strange feeling of deja-vu – this is exactly what we imagine the stalk tanks look like in the Gaunts Ghosts novels.

Sadly, these models will be much too small to convert for Warhammer 40k. Most of the Stalker Constructs will be sold in a single box, which contains the following models :

  • Harpax ‘Swarmer’ Scout Hosts x 8 bases of 3 tiny minis
  • Errax ‘Butcher’ Assault Stalkers x 2
  • Tennebrax ‘Archer’ Battle Stalkers x 2
  • Scintillax ‘Cyclops’ x 2

Legions Imperialis Dark Mechanicum Stalkers, spiderlike war machines

These join the Serperos ‘Overlord’ Heavy Stalker, revealed during the Warhammer Day preview stream on Saturday, which will be sold in boxes of four. All of the new units – except for the tiny Harpax Swarmers – can be used in games of Adeptus Titanicus, for massive slugfests against Warhammer 40k Titans.

The Harpax will fill in for infantry in games of Legions Imperialis, while the Errax and Tennebrax are specialised melee and ranged combatants. Meanwhile the Scintillax is a command unit that can make other Stalkers faster or more lethal.Legions Imperialis Dark Mechanicum Swarmers

Games Workshop has not revealed when these models will go on sale. Full rules will be coming in the ‘Rise of the Dark Mechanicum’ supplement.

Horus Heresy models always reference designs found in Warhammer 40k factions, and these Stalkers certainly resemble the Chaos Space Marines Venom Crawler. There are usually references to classic GW models designed in the ‘80s and ‘90s – famously, the Mk VI Space Marines are a direct remake of the 1987 RTB01 kit – and the Stalkers’ peculiar body shapes remind us somewhat of the Slaaneshi daemon engines from Epic.

Legions Imperialis Dark Mechanicum Heavy Stalker

Gaunts Ghosts fans will be waiting to see if these minis ever get full Warhammer 40k scale variants, so they can finally create the stalk tanks they’ve been dreaming of since 1999. And if you don’t understand why those would be so compelling, get started reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series! It’s on our guide to the best Warhammer 40k books for a reason!