Apocalypse: Khorne Lord of Battle - the Line Between Warhammer 40,000 and Epic Thins

I never expected to see the likes of this model again.

Although it started in Warhammer Fantasy Battles, the trend of centering every new army release with a massive plastic kit quickly took hold of Warhammer 40,000 as well.  Nowhere is this more evident than with the release of the Tau Riptide battlesuit, that was quickly followed up and surpassed by the Eldar Wraithknight.  The Wraithknight, a re-envisioned relic from Epic, towers over even the Riptide (9” compared to 5.5-6”).  When it was first revealed, it spawned discussions of whether it was a sign that such Apocalypse-flavored massive units were going to become a mainstay in Warhammer 40k armies, even those below 2000 points.

When an impressive model like the wraithguard stands well above a Space Marine Terminator, it really makes you appreciate how large some of these models are getting...

As if in response to this question, and only a few days after the Wraithknight’s release, we get a partial answer with the leaked cover of July’s White Dwarf magazine.  Apocalypse, Games Workshop’s attempt to allow massive games of over 3000 points, complete with titans and super-heavy tanks, appears to be getting a makeover.  And what better than to herald this release than a new super-heavy warmachine? To join the Baneblade, Stompa, and Wraithknight, is what appears to be a Khorne Lord of Battle, an old brazen warmachine instantly recognizable to old Epic players.  These monstrous daemon engines were about the size of a small titan and had a Greater daemon of Khorne bound to their infernal hulls.

Although it may suffer a little from trying to be too "awesome," this model's
homage to the old  Epic Lord of Battle has won me over.

Just like the classic Epic model, the 40k scale version retains the charmingly ridiculous centaurian fusion of a lumbering super heavy tank and an armoured Khorne knight.  Thankfully, the iconic Death Storm vulcan cannon is present on the 40k version, and to my surprise is actually a reasonable size (and not comically large, with each barrel the size of a Space Marine Rhino).  To accompany the gattling cannon is a massive chainaxe, the likes of which are sure to dwarf even the Wraithknight’s impressive sword (we all questioned what it was for when we first saw it, but it is clear it is to tear such unholy constructs to shreds!).  They eschewed the large wheels at the front of the daemon engine in favor of broad treads.  And while the result looks pretty good, for a model this absurd, I think I would have preferred the goofy steam roller wheels of the Epic rendition.  Instead of the bullhead design of before, they replaced it with an equally questionable helmet that looks akin to the Skullcrusher knights from the Warriors of Chaos.  Until more pictures are revealed, the scale of the Lord of Battle will be a little hard to judge.  The juggernaut heads that are strewn about the model may give us a clue however.

It will be interesting to see what other large models come out of the update of Apocalypse.  There are certainly a lot of other exciting possibilities, a plastic thunderhawk or maybe a Knight titan?  Although I am first to admit I am not that thrilled at Games Workshop’s shift to focussing on massive plastic kits that cost over $100 (as I would rather they focus on the individual soldiers), if it is going to be this way, I am glad they are paying homage to some of the crazy designs that helped forge the Warhammer 40,000 universe over 20 years ago.

-Godwyn Fischig