Editing Malcador Heavy Tank (section)

== Minotaur Artillery Tank ==

[[File:509859.JPG|right|250px|thumb|The Minotaur AKA ''My Anus is a Cannon!'' Fear my ferocious flatulence!]]

The Minotaur is a rare self-propelled artillery piece used by the armed forces of the [[Imperium of Man]] that can trace its origins back to the [[Great Crusade]] and maybe [[Dark Age of Technology|even earlier.]] The Minotaur was designed as a forward deployment fire support vehicle, and this is proven by the Minotaur's outfitting with an unusual amount of heavy armor and the vehicle's extreme durability.

Some [[Tech-priest]] thought it would be a good idea to take a Malcador chassis (though it could be based on what appears to be an earlier variant, or the original chassis design) and mount two [[Earthshaker]] cannons on it. The cannons are so large that it had to be mounted backwards in order for the tank to remain balanced and not dig into the dirt [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_(tank_destroyer) (this happened in real life with the Archer tank destroyer)]. Even though it looks goofy, and still has an unreliable engine, this design choice makes it the only tank [[Lulz|stronger in the rear than in the front,]] leaving it less vulnerable to [[Deep Strike|deep-striking]] assault troops. [[FATAL|That and the fact that it can deliver what amounts to a shot from a twin-linked ''basilisk'' point-blank.]] It probably would have been a better idea to put this configuration on a [[Macharius Heavy Tank]] instead, though.

When it needs to move again, it simply drives out forwards through the path it had already made for itself. The Minotaur's deck layout is also unusual, as everything from the engine and drive systems to the weapon and ammunition storage is spaced out evenly over the entire superstructure. The primary weapon system, a massive Twin-linked Earthshaker Cannon, is housed in a wide, centralized axis point, and features a complex hydraulic recoil suppression system. The centralized positioning of the weapon system allows the artillery piece to remain stable while firing its weapons even when positioned on difficult terrain.

The Minotaur is not armed with any other weapons but can be upgraded with a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or a Storm Bolter. Despite this, Forge World has given it 2 Heavy Bolters in 8th Edition, likely because they just doubled the weapons of a Basilisk. I guess it has sponsons now?

During the 41st Millennium the Minotaur is a rare relic of war that very few will ever see, with the number of Forge Worlds capable of producing them having dropped steadily over the last millennia. With the steady replacement of this vehicle by the Basilisk, the Minotaur may soon become just another casualty of war. Although it is rumored like always that the Minotaur is stockpiled by those greedy fucks in the thousands inside of Departmento Munitorum storehouses, only specialized siege companies of the Imperial Guard will ever get to deploy their awesome firepower.

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