Horus Heresy – Solar Auxilia Malcador Infernus

And to complete the preview on the upcoming Solar Auxilia releases, the Malcador Infernus will be reviewed today, in addition to yesterdays Arvus Lighter and Valdor Tank Hunter.

The Malcadur Infernus uses the chassis of the Malcador heavy battle tank and is an alteration to fulfill a certain role on the battle field and mounted with a larger weapon system in the hull, just like the Valdor. In case of the Infernus, it is armed with a vehicle-sized flamer, the Inferno Gun, which is sometimes even used on titans like the Warhound Scout Titan.

While it dates back to the Age of Strife and was produced during the Horus Heresy on both Forge Worlds of Voss and Mars, it was relegated to strategic reserves and second line units during the civil war, and within the 40th millenium only in service by a few Imperial Guard units due to tradition, as it was mostly replaced by the faster more reliable Hellhound tank. The concept of a flame tank is not sci-fi, and was in fact put into reality during both world wars (yet more or less only prototypes in world war 1) with the very similar Churchill Crocodile, which was a converted battle tank with a fuel trailer.

The new Malcador Infernus makes use of the available plastic sprues from the Malcador and Solar Auxilia vehicles, even shares some parts with the Valdor Tank Hunter and covers individual updates to arm it with the Inferno Gun. This complete plastic kit has a RRP of 65 GBP / 85 EUR, went on pre-order yesterday and will be delivered / released on february 1st.

This kit comes with a vehicle decal sheet for the Solar Auxilia, providing generic iconography along with insignia for the Boremanite Devils (loyalists) and Cthonian Headhunters (traitors). The instructions are black and white and provide you with all the information on the build process, including optional parts.

The kit re-uses two sprues from the Malcador, both named B, covering the sides and lower parts of the hull. As well as Sprue F, which is used for all the hull and sponson mounted weaponry, across the Solar Auxilia and as such not only with the Malcador but Leman Russ kit as well.

The sprue E is used with both derivations of the battle tank, the Malcador Infernus and Valdor Tank Destroyer, as it provides the modified crew compartment, along with mounts for the casemate-mounted guns.

All the pieces that make the Infernus the Infernus are covered in both sprues labelled G, just like the Medusa / Basilisk kit, the numbers are spread across both sprues, you will find 1x and 3x for example on the smaller one, and 2x on both. This could have been handled differently, as it might irritate newcomers.

The new sprues in these kits have now a little Warhammer icon on frame.

And just like the other vehicles, this one comes with a Solar Auxilia Vehicle Upgrade sprue, featuring the tank commander and various optional upgrades for the tank.

As with most of the tank kits we showed you on this blog, we begin with the track section. As these are quite long pieces, they are split into shorter parts and you assemble them with interlocking connection points. It is sturdy build, even before you add the tracks

Regarding the tracks, these are kept in the same design since the early 90s, with the Imperial Guard tanks. They got a bit sharper details and due to the replacement of the old running wheels (which were round and did not provide the best connecting surface) the assembly has improved. This is by the way the major difference in the Imperial Guard tanks, they kept the design the same, but updated the way the tracks are applied. We will cover this in one of the upcoming classic citadel articles.

The sides are very similar to the ones you build for the regular battle tank, but the hull comes with the modified crew compartments, which is identical on this Malcador Infernus and the Valdor tank. The small mounts on the floor provide grip to these parts, but don't provide a detailed interior as the Medusa/Basilisk did.

The engine compartment is a lot of empty space encased. If you want to get an idea how to fill this area, I did so with the Valdor tank.

You shouldn't add the sides at this step, it just a intermediate step with a mock-up to show you the current "generic" base chassis, that is shared by both variant. If you are handy enough, you could probably convert your own variants using further weapons "inspired" from other kits, maybe a plasma blastgun. Especially for renegade militias you could probably do some very cruesome conversions.

From here on forwards we have the individual steps for the Malcador Infernus, not shared with any of the other tanks.

The back is designed a bit different, including a ball-joint for the fuel trailor to connect to, as well as an enlarged engine cover. It is important to pay close attentation to the steps and use the glue carefully, as you want moving parts.

After that the inferno gun is assembled. A massiv weapon system, a bit bulkier than the Flame Cannon on the Castigator. A few parts will need additional care, like filling and grinding some of the gaps on the round pieces, but beyond that a great fit.

The trailor is a massive piece, with two part wheels and lots of additional detail upgrades. While it fits good, the axel does not properly connect in the middle and that is unusual. And while it does not have that many parts, it was still a bit time consuming, as you have to clean a lot of mould lines on the trailer.

Unlike the Malcador battle tank, the sponsons on the Infernus are not inside of the sides, but on the outside of the on both sides. They are moveable and due to the different sponsons have a different fire-arch. But more on that later.

The Inferno gun is placed between the mount and left side, and then parts of the fuel pipes are added. A bit weird, as the gun can elevate a bit, but the pipes don't really go with that.

Once these are attached, the remaining pieces of track are added to the sides, along with the track guards. These are not entirely optional, but with minor touch ups, you could leave them off if you like.

And now we have the main tank and fuel trailor build, which is connected with a small pin. This does not need to be glued and holds in place by friction.

The side sponsons can be armed with a variety of different weapons. With minor work these could be magnetised. A bit "sloppy", that Games Workshop didn't provide them with slots for magnets right away, as they do so with some kits.

Now in the final steps, we grab bits and pieces from the Solar Auxilia Vehicle Sprue. You can add various parts to the Malcador Infernus, for example the smoke launchers, flare shield or the dozer blade. In addition you have the option to build the command hatch either closed or opened, with the tank commander and the pintle mounted weapon (multi-laser, heavy stubber or heavy flamer).

And even after building, you will have quite a few options left, with tools, spare parts and insignia of the Solar Auxilia.

This is the final build of the Malcador Infernus, with the upgrades mentioned above. I don't glue the entirety of the larger builds in these reviews, to keep them accessible for painting. This is the break up of my sub-builds.

The comparison side by side with the sister-tank Valdor, and with the Legions Imperialis kit, that builds both the Malcador Infernus and Valdor Tank hunter.

Conclusion

It is impressive to see this release being put on the market at once, as beside the Valdor the Arvus and Infernus are a bit more special in terms of "need" for the army builds. But it makes sense, as Games Workshop reduces the fix costs, as they raise the amount of core sprues, double the output on the sprue E, and only need the two G sprues to create an entire new vehicle. For the hobbyists it is a another kit moving from resin to plastic, making it much easier to build and reducing the price point. While cheaper than the Forge World kit, Games Workshop upcharges you in the case of the Infernus for the small additional sprue with 10 GBP / 15 EUR compared to the Valdor.

For such a large build, the assembly went quite smoothly. It is not a kit, that I would recommend for a newcomer right away, but the fit was clean and it stable. Yet, due to the amount of parts and steps, it certainly helps if you have some model building experience. A clean design with lots of detail, so definetily something that not only a gamer but a painter / model builder would enjoy. And due to the "realistic" appeal of this kit, it invites you to add certain elements, you see on historical model building / tanks, like additional stowage, weathering and so on.

Just like the Valdor Tank Hunter, the Malcador Infernus is not exclusive to the Horus Heresy, and can be used with Warhammer 40,000 in Astra Militarum. By not using the insignia of the Solar Auxilia from the upgrade sprue, and optionally use bits from the Tank Accessories or Cadian Upgrade kit, you can bring it into the 41st millenium. Beyond that, you can easily replace the Solar Auxilia tank commander with the appropriate miniatures from other regiments.

Warhammer 40,000 and The Horus Heresy are brands by Games Workshop.

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer.