Warhammer Horus Heresy Plastic Predator Battle Tank Review

This week we're taking a quick look at a brand new Battle Tank up for preorder for Warhammer The Horus Heresy! Released for the first time in plastic, the Predator Battle Tank is going to add a bit more firepower to your Horus Heresy forces. We're also taking a look at new Warhammer Horus Heresy Reference Cards, and even a bonus Necromunda mini... just because we love to show off those mutant weirdos!

How Does The Horus Heresy Plastic Predator Battle Tank Play?

Jumping right in, the Horus Heresy Predator Battle Tank, now available as a brand-new plastic mini (it was originally released through Forge World in resin), can bring quite a bit of firepower to the table, depending on how you plan to build it.

Lore-wise, the Predator Battle Tank is based on the original designs of the Rhino chassis Battle Tank, but instead of allowing space for Troop transport, the Predator Battle Tank is all about firepower. Though this may seem like a traditional tank, and it does do the workhorse job of being a heavily armored super-blasting, the range of options you can customize on your own Predator Battle Tank makes it perfectly suited to whatever your army is lacking.

What Are The Weapon Options On The Horus Heresy Plastic Predator Battle Tank?

Out of the box, you can build your Plastic Predator Battle Tank with a range of different weapon options. For turret weapon options, you can outfit it with the Predator Cannon, the Gravis Lascannon, The Graviton Cannon, or what we went for in our build: the Volkite Macro-saker. To each side of the Predator Battle Tank are Sponson Mounted Weapon options, including the Heavy Bolter, the Heavy Flamer, the Volkite Culverin, or the option we chose: the Lascannon. Each of these weapons does something different and valuable on the battlefield. The Predator Cannon fires hard, the Lascannon slices through enemy armor, and the Macro-saker can cause extreme casualties if it's not defended against (all Volkite weapons have the Deflagrate special rule, which causes extra wounds for each unsaved wound). Essentially... If I'm going up against a poorly-armored legion, they're toast. Melted goops of toast.

How Should I Run A Horus Heresy Plastic Predator Battle Tank?

With its base cost of 120 points, and a movement speed of 14", this is a relatively mobile heavy blasting unit. If you can fit four Predator Battle Tanks into your list (a unit may contain up to 4 of these, and while the first model costs 120 points, each additional Predator Battle Tank only costs 105 points each), then you can effectively swarm the battlefield with intense, near-unstoppable firepower. They only have 3 hull points each, and are a bit weaker in their rear, so make sure you don't get overwhelmed while running them. If you can keep them ahead of your enemies and unleash torrents of fire on them, you'll be sitting pretty on the battlefield.

Bonus: Horus Heresy Reference Cards

Also up for preorder this weekend are Horus Heresy Reference Cards, which offer some of the specific rules of the game up in an easy to use index-card style. With cards dedicated to Core Reactions, Advanced Reactions, Warlord Trait Cards, Psychic Weapon Cards, and Psychic Power Cards. For a game that has so many smaller rules that are easy to forget but should not be forgotten, this set of Reference Cards is a lifesaver.

Bonus, Bonus: Necromunda Goliath Champion with Renderizer

Look... we know this is a Horus Heresy article, but we like to think people like this Goliath Champion with Renderizer were already stomping around, to some degree, in the year 30,000. Right? No? Anyway, just look at this big bruiser. He's a Forge Boss, and can be added to any Goliath army. He comes equipped with a Renderizer (that nasty looking axe), a combi-pistol, and more! Rules for using him should be releasing soon from warhammer-community.

Should I Buy The Horus Heresy Plastic Predator Battle Tank?

If you're playing Horus Heresy, you've probably already got your eyes on the Predator Battle Tank. It moves fairly fast, hits relatively hard, and has a lot of great options. Financially, investing in a full unit of four battle tanks would be costly, but even fielding one in your army will add a lot of impact to your game. If you're looking for good heavy support, the Predator is kind of the high-mark for tanks in the game.

The products used in the creation of this review were provided by Games Workshop.