Legions Imperialis – Legiones Astartes Sicaran Arcus and Punisher Squadron

The only release for the Legiones Astartes among this weeks pre-orders for Legions Imperialis are the Sicaran Arcus and Punisher tanks.

With the starter set, we already have the regular Sicaran and Omega variant of the tank, now adding the missile launcher of the Arcus and rotary cannon of the Punisher to the Astartes battle tank. Thus covering all known variants, beside the Venator, who replaced the turret mounted weapon systems for a hull-mounted neutron-laser.

As usual, we have two identical sprues, an instruction leaflet and a decal sheet with the various Legiones Astartes insignia. The box has a RRP of 41 EUR or 31,50 GBP.

We have a very similar layout on the sicaran to the regular / omega variant, most of the sprue is filled with the turret variants, as you can see the Sicaran comes with both turrets fully sculpted, so you can swap all four between both variants back and forth. Still, only two tanks per sprue, which makes it four tanks per box - giving you roughly a tank per 10 EURs. Beyond that, casting is well done, minor mould lines and crisp details.

In direct comparison, the decal sheet for the Legiones Astartes vehicles is much bigger, covering a total of 1,130 decals, as we have 18 legions, who either have white or black insignia. Beside the legions, we have numerals and honour markings. The black and white decals work for some legions, like Imperial Fists, Iron Hands or Raven Guard, but others like the World Eaters or Word Bearers surely would benefit from other colours.

The hull of the Sicaran is the same across the four variants. Two massive sides and a three part hull. Make sure to press down the upper plate, as it tends to leave a narrow gap on the sides. As for the sponsons, they can use heavy bolters or laser cannons. They can be elevated, but don't tilt to the sides. Just take time to remove these from the sprue, as they are rather fragile and can easily break if you are impatient.

The turrets have a lot of pieces, especially on the arcus. The missile launcher is split into a lot of different pieces. You can elevate the launcher a bit, which adds to the variety within the unit.

The Punisher turret has an option for a hatch and crew members, in case of Astartes, they are either closed, open with a tank commander or a pintle mounted weapon (heavy bolter).

A side-by-side comparison of the currently available Sicaran tanks, along with a scale comparison within the Astartes vehicle range, with the super heavies still missing.

And the full set from this box build, two as Arcus and two as Punishers.

Conclusion

Another proper kit for the range, filling in remaining gaps and I can't wait for the Sicaran Venator to follow. Overall fit is good, with the minor problem that this set is prone to having a gap on the upper armour plate. A plus is definitely that you have a full set of both turrets (and you could even magnetise them), so you have maximum flexibility for gaming. The only disadvantage is the rather high price, as this tank is smaller than a Kratos, but still costs the same per model, and ~10 EUR per vehicle for something about the volume of a Space Marine is not cheap.

Beyond that, casting is very clean, good amount of detail captured on the scale and a reasonably quick build as well.

There aren't that many vehicles missing from the Astartes line up in the "mid-sizes", the Sabres will be released later this year, the mentioned above Sicaran Venator is missing, the Whirlwinds as well, but beyond that we're already talking about Lord of War options.

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

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer.