Legions Imperialis – Typhon Heavy Siege Tank Squadron

Just as the Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer is, the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is another specialised heavy armour detachment based on the Spartan Assault Tank.

Created at the request of Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors, the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is a super-heavy variant of the Spartan Assault Tank, designed to provide the Legiones Astartes with mobile firepower equivalent to that of Imperial Army artillery. Its main armament is the Dreadhammer Siege Cannon: a massive forward-firing gun designed with Perturabo's input. It is capable of obliterating bunkers, fortifications and entire city blocks with its multi-tonne shells. The Typhon’s hull is extremely dense and reinforced to withstand the recoil and stresses of this weapon, making it nearly unstoppable when ploughing through rubble, ruins or battlefield debris. Compared to the Spartan, it carries lighter secondary armament, typically just sponson-mounted Lascannons or Heavy Bolters, alongside standard fittings such as smoke launchers and a searchlight. The Typhon was used by several Legions during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, primarily by the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists due to their focus on siege warfare. As with many advanced vehicles of that era, it is unclear whether the Adeptus Mechanicus can still produce Typhons in the 41st Millennium, or if this technology has been lost.

In terms of Legions Imperialis rules, the Typhon is armed with a hull-mounted Dreadhammer Siege Cannon (Demolisher; ignores cover) and, just like the Cerberus, it is a Heavy Armour Detachment the size of one, but it can be upgraded with up to three further vehicles.

The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank Squadron consists of four vehicles, with pre-orders opening on August 23rd and the set becoming available in stores on September 6th. Priced at a recommended retail price (RRP) of 31.50 GBP / 41 EUR, this set includes two identical medium-sized sprues, a greyscale instruction leaflet, and a Legiones Astartes vehicle transfer sheet.

Surprisingly, the orientation of the sprue is closer to the Spartan than the Cerberus tank. As the Dreadhammer weapon system is more compact than the Neutron Laser Battery, there is a little more room on the sprue. Beyond that, there are sharp details and a low amount of mould lines.

Each sprue contains enough parts to build two Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks, including options for side sponsons and crew in Mk 6 armour.

As usual, we will build the contents of a single sprue, producing two Typhon tanks. The build process is very similar to that of the Spartans and Cerberus; you will recognise most of the steps as they are pretty similar.

Once the side tracks and drive sprockets are added, the inner hull is sturdy and enclosed..

Once the hull is complete, it is time to add the Dreadhammer Siege Cannon. This is a straightforward step: the cannon itself is made from two pieces, to which you add a gun shield on top. You can't elevate the gun on this kit, but it shouldn't be too difficult to do so if you want to.

All that is left to do is add the sponsons and crew. For the heavy siege or tank destroyer variants, the side sponsons use Land Raider weapon systems rather than Spartan ones. This gives them access to Heavy Bolters and Laser Cannons. The crew wear Mk 6 armour, and you can build the hatch open or closed. You also have the option of adding pintle-mounted weapons, such as a multi-melta or a heavy bolter.

The tank is now complete, and you can see the minor differences between the Typhon and the Cerberus side by side.

Now, let's take a look at how the Typhon compares to its sister tanks. The first row shows the Spartan chassis tank family, while the second row illustrates the various sizes, ranging from the Rhino to the Mastodon.

The final set of pictures shows the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank from various angles..

Conclusion

The conclusion is similar to that of the Cerberus. The kit itself is easy and quick to build. Most of the time was spent cleaning the tracks of mould lines, which run all the way around. There were no issues with assembly or fit, as you would expect from the Legions Imperialis range, and the level of detail on this scale is impressive. It is a very complete kit that provides everything you need. While you only get four models for 41 EUR / 31.50 GBP, they are quite large and fulfil a specialised role, so the price feels reasonable. As this is not a limited release, you can purchase it at a discount from independent dealers.

As mentioned in the other review, I was surprised that these were produced as two separate kits rather than a combined set, as with the Valdor Tank Hunter and Malcador Infernus kit. Due to its detachment size, a mixed kit would probably suffice for most players.

The Typhon is the bigger/heavier brother of the Vindicator, and you can get a detachment of two of these for a little more than a detachment of four Vindicators. Both provide four dice for Arc (Front), Demolisher and Ignore Cover attacks, but the Dreadhammer has a longer range, has better to hit and stronger AP, all for an extra 15 points — along with the Typhon's sponson weaponry. The Vindicator squadron distributes the damage they receive across more units.

You can find the rules for the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank in the Liber Strategia.

The Horus Heresy and Legions Imperialis are brands by Games Workshop.

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer.