The biggest secret in Warhammer is out: the tiny tanks, infantry, and Titans of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis have arrived to do battle on a new scale.
We’ve seen them in all their miniature glory in our grand reveal article for the new game, but wrapping your head around these truly miniscule models can be a bit tough when viewing them in isolation.
Legions Imperialis miniatures are roughly a quarter of the size of the original models, and this is universal across the range. That means all dimensions have been reduced, and things have been engineered slightly differently to make sure that the right details stand out on the tabletop. To get an idea of the change, here’s a comparison between a base of MKVI Tactical Marines, and the full-sized version.
There’s no tech-heresy interfering with these images, they truly are correctly scaled. If it helps, try to imagine four smaller Astartes standing on each other’s heads to match the regular sized Space Marine. It’s not only funny, it’s a smart way of visualising the scale difference.*
Even more exciting than pint-sized superhuman soldiers are tanks and Dreadnoughts in pocket-friendly dimensions. Gaze in wonder upon the imposing Contemptor Dreadnought – you could almost claim it was adorable, if not for the guns and deep sense of duty in death.
This scale is perfect for realising the armoured columns of your dreams, as you usually take most tanks in detachments rather than on their own. The Sicaran has the same details as its larger counterpart, right down to your choice of heavy bolter or lascannon sponsons. Thanks to the scale of Legions Imperialis, you can feasibly have dozens of these rapid battle tanks racing forward to flank your foes.**
The core box contains a healthy contingent of Solar Auxilia. These are well known for their exceptional (but also fairly expendable) foot soldiers and endless ranks of tanks. The mighty Leman Russ is rendered no less fearsome after being shrunk down by a considerable amount, and it’s still dotted with rivets all over.
Equally impressive are the Malcador heavy tanks, whose design stretches back to the Age of Strife. These cantankerous goliaths are less flexible than the Leman Russ, but bristle with heavy armaments making them exceptionally valuable. Legions Imperialis is the perfect way of fielding multiple of these lumbering tanks, with their fuel stowage tail construction to ease trench crossing lovingly represented even at this scale.
The miniatures in the core box for this new game are just a thin slice of the overall Horus Heresy range, but the groundwork is now laid for many other tanks, walkers, and war machines to make the transition from full-sized to bite-sized. Stick with Warhammer Community over the coming weeks and months to find out what’s making the jump, and for more information about Legions Imperialis.
* A more advanced exercise is imagining a cuboid of marines four wide in both directions, and four deep, but you’d need a cogitator to really work it out.
** Noises optional, but highly encouraged at this scale.