Sicaran Battle Tank

One hell of a tank I say.

The Sicaran Battle Tank was an awesome heavy tank that was used by the Space Marine Legions near the end of the Great Crusade and during the Horus Heresy. Created by the combined brainstorming of Ferrus Manus, Roboute Guilliman and some Adeptus Mechanicus Magos members (with the help of some elements derived from Rhino and Land Raider STC's), the Sicaran was designed to be a fast moving tank hunter that would compliment both the Predator Tank and Land Raider. In fact, it was so good that Horus himself made sure that a large number of these tanks were at his and the Traitor Legion's disposal before he got on with his rebellion.

Armed with two Herakles Accelerator Cannons, two sponson-mounted Lascannons (as well a forwards mounted Heavy Bolter), nicely armored, swift for its size, and equipped with systems that allows it to hit fast moving objects and right where it would hurt the enemy most, the Sicaran Battle Tank was a valuable asset for the Marine Legions.

Given that one of it's creators (Guilliman) is still alive and the Sicaran was made from the best bits of at least two completely different STC vehicles the Imperium could still do that to gain a huge advantage over their enemies. But that would be common sense, which is heresy.

Variants

Sicaran Venator

Venator. When a standard Sicaran won't cut it.

The Venator (that's Latin for "Hunter"). Swapping its Accelerator Cannons and Heavy Bolter for a Neutron Laser Projector, this Sicaran variant was even more efficient in its role as tank destroyer. The lack of a turret (which is standard for the vanilla Sicaran Battle Tank) meant that the vehicle had to turn its whole self to face a enemy (which could be fatal when it comes to fighting enemies from multiple directions, especially when taking into account that the reactor for the neutron laser was highly unstable and tended to explode violently if the vehicle was heavily damaged).

Sicaran Arcus

The Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank is one of the more unusual tanks available to the Space Marine Legions. Similar to the malevolent Dreadclaw Drop Pod and the sinister Knight-Atrapos, the Arcus Strike Tank has a shadowed past, viewed by the Mechanicum for reasons unknown as a slight against the Omnissiah. As a result, the Adeptus Mechanicus refused to produce or repair them for some unexplained reason and so many of their most advanced weapons have had to be removed due to lack of maintenance. Without their ministrations, these advanced support platforms have degenerated, and their advanced armaments have been replaced with more common rotary launchers. This has done little to blunt the offensive capabilities of the Strike Tank, which is still armed with a twin rotary launcher capable of saturating an area with a hail of incendiary missiles.

The Arcus Strike Tank looks similar to the other Sicaran-class vehicles, distinguished by its large twin rotary launcher. This weapon shares design traits with other missile launchers in the Space Marine Legions, from the man-portable versions found on Heavy Support Squads to the notorious scorpius missile launcher found on the Whirlwind Scorpius. The mouth of each launcher contains a bundle of missiles and has two huge ammo drums.

Sicaran Punisher

Move over Leman Russ Punisher, there is a new kid in town.

The Punisher-type Sicaran variant came into general use amongst the various Space Marine Legions in the final days of the Great Crusade, however the punisher rotary cannon it mounts has a far older history. Originally mounted on the now rare Cerberus pattern main battle tanks, the punisher had established a reputation as a deadly tool in the eradication of massed conscript infantry or hordes of swarming xenos creatures, limited only by its relatively short range and prodigious appetite for munitions. Married to the Sicaran hull, where the impressive speed of that vehicle effectively negated the short range of the weapon, and the complex feed assemblies developed as part of the various Terran accelerator cannon, the punisher is once again in widespread use among the Legions, though now it is employed against the very warriors it was intended to protect.

A high-speed ‘destroyer’ tank, the Sicaran Battle Tank has seen countless battlefields, complementing the more common Predator and Land Raider designs. This variant boasts the same basic hull shape – very much a case of function over form, though its wide tracks and thick armour give the miniature a certain austere charm – with an imposing punisher rotary cannon bolted to the top, ready to fire a ceaseless barrage of high calibre shells.

Sicaran Omega

Another tank-destroying version, the Omega is armed with a pair of massive Plasma Weapons.

Gallery

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  Arcus. For macross missile massacres.

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  Punisher. For when you want to cleanse horde armies.

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  Omega. Twin-linked Plasma Cannons for twice the fun.

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  Hey! Who knew the Orks was so into journalistism? And corporate advertising? Huh, the Orks sure learn from the best.