Everything Wrong with WH40K's Vehicle Design: Imperial Guard

[@Spookston]

Sorry for the heavy use of model pictures, there aren't many good game models of 40K vehicles, and some Dawn of War models aren't accurate, like the Leman Russ' turret being way too big and having sponson guns by default.

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

I, personally, don't mind the models. That is what most people know 40K from, anyways.

[@redeye3869]

That’s ok.

[@redeye3869]

Are there plans for the AdMech vehicles?

[@scottland8698]

I like the models personally but hey, I own a guard army with plenty of tanks

[@NetizenNo]

I see someone plays Ultimate Apocalypse

[@thespanishinquisition4078]

"Beware of the gun because every time it fires your kneecaps are gonna be inverted." To be fair the IG does fire plasma which is basically "beware of the gun because every time it fires it might explode into a miniature sun on your hands" so you know... not out of character for them.

[@DezzarTac]

To be fair: not in 8th edition.

[@homelesstvh7737]

@Demiclea thanks to Cawl plasma weapons don't have "gets hot" by default. Though you can supercharge them to get a damage increase and the risk of overheating returns.

[@torinjones3221]

And also probably gives you cancer but you won't live long enough for that to become a concern.

[@akikubel710]

Cawl basically shared how to turn them off that setting. resulting in significantly safer weapons. with reduced damage.

[@helsreach8954]

@@akikubel710 so that means more dakka?

[@johnclement189]

Tank crew : phew we escaped before the tank explode. Commissar : excuse me?

[@SusCalvin]

The old rules let you do that. 2-5 crewmen were inside a vehicle, and they could pop out a hatch and keep shooting with their laspistols on the enemy.

[@Yertle_Turtle]

@@SusCalvin las pistols!? what are those, keychain led lights?

[@SusCalvin]

@@Yertle_Turtle It's a pistol weapon. They also have Strength 3, just like a lasgun or an autogun/autopistol. They have shorter range but a model can carry them with one hand, letting them carry a close combat weapon or a second pistol or a shield. The effect of two weapons was a little different between editions. In 3rd, the pistol+sword combo gave you +1 attack, as it counted as two close combat weapons. And unlike two swords, the pistol could be fired as you ran up on dudes.

[@SusCalvin]

@@Yertle_Turtle There was micro weapons. They're archeotech or xenos devices where the power of a pistol is packed into a small device like a ring. Or a keychain if you like.

[@pancytryna9378]

I know it's just a joke but actually it's perfectly fine for a crew to abandon their vehicle

[@julopabene8736]

>"Watch out for the gun because every time you fire your kneecaps are gonna be inverted" >not something you want to hear Sounds pretty 40k to me

[@Spookston]

I suppose one would be willing to sacrifice the orientation of their kneecaps for the Emperor.

[@battleoid2411]

"Congratulations, you have been selected to command an Executioner pattern tank, be sure to pray to the machine spirit and the omnissiah every 4.2345322 minutes and only fire the main gun when the positronic void quarks align or you *will* blow up"

[@impguardwarhamer]

tbh i wonder if its plausable to assume that the russ has some kind of cycling mechanism that doesn't involve it recoiling back that far

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

Let's be real here. Having your kneecaps inverted is probably the most mundane problem you are likely to run into while serving the Imperial Guard. Murderfucked by Daemons, tortured by space elves, converted by space communists, burned alive, etc. Lots of terrible things can be done to you in the 41st Millenium. Kneecaps honestly don't sound like such a bad thing.

[@nounoursvert8448]

@@nicholaswalsh4462 Wait, I don't know much about 40k but... Does it involves just fantasy with *space* put in front of everything ? Like... Since there are space commies, are there space nazies ? Or space marxists that constanty complain that people say they're commies ? Are there space fuel station ? Space Walmart ? Is this just a space-fantasy written by a 13yo that says that "space[stuff]" is better than [stuff] because it's in space ?

[@dasirrlicht5415]

Reminder that the Chimera is actually a tractor, according to STC. Variants of the Chimera are the most common vehicle in the guard. This means most vehicles of the guard are futuristic Bob Semple Tanks.

[@kalzhae]

that's literally the point. after all most STC used for guards tank came from what is supposed to be a STC vault for ealy colonisation from the golden age : aka stuff easy to produce with low industrial capacity that would likely be replaced

[@dakotaadams189]

In old fluff that was the Leman Russ, and the Chimera was a straight Imperial home-brew. I miss when the early Imperium inventing their own designs was still canon.

[@yosefyonin6824]

looks like the imperium got the right idea then, Bob Semple is hands down, the best tank of WW2

[@firesturmgaming]

Well its a 60 ton tractor to be exact. But that's the space marine version. Which is something else entirely.

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

Imperium gear is basically just a truck with a machine gun on the top.

[@skinner014569]

Video: Mentions lack of hatches for escape. Guardsman: Wait, your allowed to leave!?

[@SusCalvin]

There was rules for this, but they were abstracted away. The crew was considered a separate element of vehicles, where a vehicle would consist of several subsystems. A hit could damage tracks, take out the turret rotation, shake around or kill the crew etc. It was possible to pop hatches, leave a tank and fight on with your little laspistol.

[@alotosius]

"It dose not have enough hatches for the crew to escape" Escape was never an option in 40k.

[@SusCalvin]

There was rules for how to use hatches in early 40.000. But the rules for vehicles have been more simplified and abstracted. I don't think they use the same method, where each vehicle was a bunch of separate systems that could fail individually. Turret, guns, tracks and engine. And crew. They could pop out of a wreck and fight on with their little laspistols as an independent little squad of 2-5 dudes.

[@zafranorbian757]

The new breakdown seems indeed much better than the old pros vs cons version. I still hope that the vote will allow you one day to make a video about Valkyria Chronicles tanks.

[@aaronbasham6554]

I mean, aside from the game weaknesses, they are fun designs

[@malachilewis96]

The specs for the vehicles in Valkyria Chronicles are in the glossary in the game.

[@jiado6893]

I know it’s not as big a franchise, but I would love to hear him talk about Batallion Wars!

[@malachilewis96]

That would be cool to. I really like battalion wars.

[@vanillaicecream2385]

the problem with trying to do what he's doing is that 40K IS A BATSHIT INSANE THING WHERE THERE ARE DEMONS AND ORKS AND SPACE ELVES WITH LASERS THERE IS NO NORMALITY YOU CANT COMPARE THIS TO REAL LIFE YOU HERETIC Edit: and yes i know calling him a heretic is stale but so is every other joke about 40k

[@jonlewis6357]

There is an actual in universe explanation for why the russ uses ww2 engines. Iirc Old ass STCs that the golden age humans saved for historical purposes, and mechanicus will only ever use pre-designed STCs

[@Delta-es1lg]

I refuse to believe that the literal golden age of humanity couldn't come up with a better engine than the one on the Panther

[@RedShocktrooperRST]

@@Delta-es1lg This is almost certainly the case - but it also probably means the STC the Mechanicus uses is based off of a bunch of WW2 Re-enactors, which is probably the most Mechanicus thing ever.

[@20Waldlaeufer02]

Also, the more advanced engine would probably be too complicated to produce or even understand

[@RocketHarry865]

@@Delta-es1lg The leman russ is probably the 40k equivalent of the New Zealand Bob Semple tank practically designed from an agricultural tractor and given armour and weapons. Unlike the Bob Semple at least the Leman Russ has a marginal combat capability against things heavier than infantry with rifles.

[@luckiller019]

@@RocketHarry865 this, so much this. Through out the 40k community we should start using Bob Semple rule as a way to explain Imperium technology.

[@homelessswede9675]

Finally, my soul is at peace, i shall Now leave you for my place at the god emperors side

[@Alpostpone]

I kinda wished for a more in-depth look. "Imperial Guard tanks" are a massive topic, and you could make a whole series just out of nitpicking on them. Between all the unhinged fun, GWS has added a lot of questionable details over the years in the interest of complete fluff. I hadn't even realized there were bunk beds on BB or Panther engine on LR. The more one gets into details, hte more insane the whole thing gets. It's all for good fun, but still amusing to point out. But I realize there are time constraints and view count probably wouldn't justify it. Thanks for making this, quality nitpickery is always welcome.

[@jonc8074]

the thing is the models are designed for tabletop miniatures. they have exaggerated some bits and reduced others to create an over the top sci fi aesthetic when viewed across a table. You might want to search for some interviews with the model designers that explain the design constraints Citadel and GW set out for themselves. realism definitely takes a back seat to visibility, paintability, lore and generally cartoonish badassitude

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

@@jonc8074 I would much prefer if the people who create the lore disnt try to shoehorn in things completely contradictory to the aesthetic spirit and look of the models. For example the lemon early has a short barrel howitzer of some kind as its primary weapon, but someone at geedubs realized that would make for a relatively poor AT gun, and retconned it as a 120mm, cause thats what the chally has, so it must be sensible right. To be quiet honest, abandoning the 80s actionmovie satire sillyness is what has been the greatest failing of 40k lore.

[@thebloxxer22]

“IT IS THE BANEBLADE!” - Captain Diomedes

[@icecold3081]

Famous last words

[@themightythirsty6017]

RIP kneecaps

[@bruvamichal7437]

adeptus mechanicus further experiments

[@germanvisitor2]

They don't rip. They get smashed.

[@killfang9659]

Small request but could you do the tanks from the Gundam series next? The tanks. Not the 50 foot tall robots.

[@thejonathan130]

Noooooo you didn't talk about the track size and weight distribution! I don't know why but it's one of those things I love when you touch on

[@Spookston]

I was under the impression most people didn't care about that, I'll be sure to touch on it in the future.

[@chaoticwj1772]

Spookston Yes! Please keep touching on that! It’s really interesting.

[@kalebk9595]

@@Spookston I enjoy you mentioning it, not may people consider it when analyzing tanks

[@thejonathan130]

@@Spookston Thanks! you're one of the most entertaining tank guys on youtube

[@NexusWarior211]

thejonathan130 He also did not talk about the sponsons, hull gun, oversized gun for supposed caliber, ammo storage and alot of other things too.

[@CrusaderSports250]

One of the big speed limiters on Imperial Guard stuff would be the suspension, to be able to use higher speeds you need larger wheels and a compliant system otherwise the crew are not fit to operate, look at where the bearing boxes are (the round bulges on the side just above the tracks with a ring of bolts round them), the wheels would be very small making the vehicle only suitable for infantry support, when you read the design inspiration for them they were very influenced by the British first world war tanks, taking the tracks over the top does give good side access for the cost of more track weight and drag, you pays your money as they say!.

[@loganb7059]

Fun fact for you Spook, in the Golden Age of Technology, the Baneblade was a light tank. PS, would be cool to see practical redesigns of fictional vehicles, keeping to the main idea but fixing some of the big problems.

[@essexclass8168]

to be fair, almost every Imperial Vehicle seems to be hiding super secret functions/limits that were always there"

[@danielm.595]

@@essexclass8168 but do you think that the mechanicus would allow others to mess with their babies? ( PS: I don't know much about 40k lore )

[@essexclass8168]

@@danielm.595 oof fair enough, or even the Machines themselves letting humans use them to full potential for that matter

[@legionofyuri]

It wasn't a light tank because nowhere is that ever mentioned in official lore. That's just a joke fans made up and everyone seemed to think was real.

[@ВасилийМорозов-л7х]

I think the "light tank" myth appears to be a misunderstanding. It wasn't used as a light tank, rather it was tiny compared to the mighty Ordinatus machines. Light tank and small tank are very different things. T-90, for example, is quite smaller than the Abrams, but both are MBTs.

[@pll3827]

If I recall, the Baneblade was designated as a light scout tank during the Dark Age of Technology.

[@legionofyuri]

It's not a light tank. That's just a joke among fans that got repeated enough times that people started believing it as canon.

[@ishouldgetalif3]

Someone ask for an earth shaker?

[@yosefyonin6824]

shatter their skies!

[@quimble2177]

Designing a vehicle with comf-ness and care for your soldiers Oooooooor Make vehicles that Maximise the chances of dying in holy fire, and Joining the Emperor's side. *My Inner Heretic is seething, I gotta go kill some Loyalists and Cleanse my soul*

[@Geredis089]

One thing I've missed from several of your earlier videos is the "what would this vehicle be like if we fixed all of these problems": I was really looking forward to seeing side-by-side or compartment-by-compartment comparisons of the lore vehicles as well as the "fixed" vehicles not just in appearance but also in terms of their various statistics as necessary (not talking game rule stats, but things like length/weight/speed/crew, etc) .

[@GarlicAvenger]

2:20 - To all the people making the really stupid logical fallacy about W40K vehicles being low tech, or lower tech than our modern tanks... Remember, everything in the W40K universe is nuts.. It's got the WW1/WW2 look yes, but everything is made of leagues stronger materials. Call it magic space metal, future pseudoscience, or call it ceramite, plasteel, adamantium... It really is the difference. Like even tho the Leman Russ vanquisher cannon is "only 120mm" - you're supposed to assume that it's rounds are perhaps some kinda futuristic shit... deuterium tipped, maybe with adamantium HESH rounds, and the explosives and propellant used in it is at least 28,000 - 38,000 years more advanced then current ordinance. This is the thing that trips most people up. W40K vehicles may LOOK obsolete, but they are thousands of years more advanced than our own weapons. Some of these tanks have been operational for 10,000 years. For reference, that's time frames where molecular decay of the atoms of the very materials they are made from comes into play. Also for reference, the Pyramids in Egypt where built 5k-6k years ago. Look at the state of them. Or anything we've built out of modern metals even after a few decades or a few hundred years... That's the sheer difference in toughness of materials used in their construction. So straight out the manufactorum, you can imagine how much firepower these vehicles must have to put out to crack each other's armour. Because they regularly take each other out... Like size of a round means jack shit, compare a 120mm cannon from the age of sail, from a wooden galleon broadside battery - against a 120mm modern MBT... And even that's not even close to the time frames and technology level differences. The W40K tanks also have Promethium flamethrowers and direct energy weapons that we can't even come close to being able to even prototype yet like, Plasma cannons, Meltas, lazcannons, and machine gun and rotary belt fed RPG guns as Heavy Bolters for coaxial and sponson mounted used not as aniti armoured vehicle weapons but as anti infantry weapons... Like they even have Ai that has been advanced enough for the humans - who are mostly actually more advanced then us, even cybernetic enhanced calculations and reflexes, etc - to consider them nearly spiritual in nature. They are Ai Operational over 10,000 years with little loss of functionality and data corruption... If you know anything about dat storage or any kind of computing, that's shows how insane the setting is to have that level of technology.. Just think right, modern RPGs can take out an Abrams with the right conditions or from repeated strikes... Bolters are machine gun RPGs, with better armour penetration, better velocity, higher powered explosive payloads than modern RPGs. Astartes Bloters alone are - standard issue - .75 cal... that's the same calibre as WW2 AA guns, except man-portable RPGs in an assault rifle package (tho for super soldiers). So a single Astartes could potentially wipe an entire army of Abrams tanks, with only using his anti infantry weapon, and just reloading, without even changing from the basic calibre or ammo. That's how freaking scary W40K weapons are. And it you wanna go higher they have the Graia Pattern Bolters from the Space Marine video game at .998 cal. Heavy bolters and Assault Cannons are all bigger than that... Sorry brothers for the freakin' novel, I really don't mean to rant on so much, just meant to get my point across... but yea.. It's a logical fallacy to say they are just WW1/WW2 level of tech because that's what they look like. Especially if you think about it for more than a minute (which makes everything a lot cooler and makes way more sense).

[@IMP_ROM]

About the Space Marines, you over exaggerate them a lot. An M1A2 Abrams MBT uses ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), which basically explodes itself, destroying the RPG before it can hit, and composite armor, which is designed at limiting the capability of HEAT shells (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) incredibly. Also, the standard bolter, which uses a depleted uranium core, a diamantine tip, a conventional explosive charge, and solid-fuel rocket propellant. This won’t do shit against the M1A2 Abrams’ armor, as the ERA will destroy the entire thing, as it uses some of the same materials used in tank shells (The depleted uranium core, and conventional explosive charge). Only the more rare types of bolts, like the Kraken Penetrator Rounds or the Vengeance Rounds can effectively penetrate the M1A2 Abrams’ armor. So, no, a single Space Marine cannot take on an entire army of M1A2 Abrams’ at all. *Also,* the armor of a Space Marine is made of ceramite, which is very good at taking HE rounds, but terrible at taking AP rounds, as it just kinda molds around the thing, and is way better than steel, and apparently it is equivalent to around 200mm of steel RHA (Rolled Homogenous Armor). Seems big, right? Well an M829A3 APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding-Sabot Round) can pierce through roughly 500mm of it. And that’s the standard-issue AT round for the M1A2 Abrams. In short, a single M1A2 Abrams can destroy multiple Space Marines before it goes down.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

40k lools and umder every single depiction functions at basically an interwar techlevel, with the occasional mid cold war era piece of technology. It is an aesthetic that does not look moder, high capability, or powerful. And I frankly dont care what wankery the lore says. The aetting is more fun as galaxy wide techno barbarism than a technothriller.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Also. A 20mm rocket propelled antipersonell grenade launcher is not going to do shit to an abrams. I have no idea how you came up with that.

[@GarlicAvenger]

​@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 "A 20mm rocket propelled antipersonell grenade launcher is not going to do shit to an abrams." - At current tech levels my guy. You're forgetting it's not a "20mm rocket propelled antipersonell grenade launcher" in the same way a colonial era musket with a scope is not a modern day sniper rifle... A standard bolter has 30 rounds of rapid fire mags, that are diamantine tipped rounds that can piece through adamantium and ceramite and plasteel (leagues stronger super materials than our current tech materials), and they are used by guys that can - and will - shoot the weak points, with 9/10 rounds of the volley hitting in the same spot, and these monsters of super soldiers can out manoeuvre the turret's turning at ideal engagement ranges (close range)... because they canonically can move faster than humans can track them (in the books, obvs...). A bolter round shooting an abrams is like someone shooting a WW1/2 tank with a depleted uranium tipped modern round, It would pass right through like a hot knife through butter... AND that's not even close to the tech level difference. It doesn't even matter that there's "explosive reactive armour" on an Abrams because if the rounds are streaming into the same place after the ERA is gone it's just wearing through the same spot. Failing that if a SM is close enough Chain swords/axes, power sword/axes/fists and Thunder hammers are all viable options to easily slice through the tank or pulverise everyone/everything inside through sheer concussive force... For examples, Chainswords and axes teeth have mono-molecular teeth that slice through tanks made of plasteel and adamantium. All space-magic fantasy metals 38,000 years more advanced than current metals/alloys. "40k lools and umder every single depiction functions at basically an interwar techlevel, with the occasional mid cold war era piece of technology. It is an aesthetic that does not look moder, high capability, or powerful. And I frankly dont care what wankery the lore says. " irrelevant

[@GarlicAvenger]

@@IMP_ROM "About the Space Marines, you over exaggerate them a lot. An M1A2 Abrams MBT uses ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), which basically explodes itself, destroying the RPG before it can hit, and composite armor, which is designed at limiting the capability of HEAT shells (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) incredibly. Also, the standard bolter, which uses a depleted uranium core, a diamantine tip, a conventional explosive charge, and solid-fuel rocket propellant. This won’t do shit against the M1A2 Abrams’ armor, as the ERA will destroy the entire thing, as it uses some of the same materials used in tank shells (The depleted uranium core, and conventional explosive charge)." - You're forgetting it's not a "20mm rocket propelled antipersonell grenade launcher" in the same way a colonial era musket with a scope is not a modern day sniper rifle... A standard bolter has 30 rounds of rapid fire mags, that are diamantine tipped rounds that can piece through adamantium and ceramite and plasteel (leagues stronger super materials than our current tech materials), and they are used by guys that can - and will - shoot the weak points, with 9/10 rounds of the volley hitting in the same spot, and these monsters of super soldiers can out manoeuvre the turret's turning at ideal engagement ranges (close range)... because they canonically can move faster than humans can track them (in the books, obvs...). "In short, a single M1A2 Abrams can destroy multiple Space Marines before it goes down. " - maybe, in an open field, at extreme ranges, probably. But is incredibly situational, like knowing astartes and their tech level, they'd probably be well aware of an abrams long before it was in range just from their armour's sensor suits alone. There's a million ways we could argue this, but modern day tech has nothing on the sci-fi super duper crazy tech that W40K has. It really would come down to variables. Like a canonically equipped Devastator Astartes with long range auspexes and a lascannon? Abrams dead. A Standard bolter astartes in close range (within a few kilometres, by the books) vs like 10 abrams?? Abrams probably dead. Does the astartes have a jump pack and a chain weapon or power weapon? Abrams probably dead. Is the Astartes completely unaware of the abrams and is it engaging at max effective range and the Astartes is in conversation, at rest or asleep?? Astartes probably dead, unless the round just blows a hole in him, then you have to put more rounds on target before he gets into close range with you, because Astartes may survive the first round impact and can cover a few kilometres of distance, very VERY fast , even extremely injured.. and especially if it passes right through him, rather than transferring ALL it's potential kinetic energy into him... I just straight up - on account of actual, canonical tech level difference between modern and W40K setting - disagree on the presumption that anything we have today would survive anything from that setting outside of a standard, un augmented human or tau with no special armour or 40K weapons.

[@tovarishchdoge3915]

Remember the Baneblade was considered a light tank during the dark age of technology

[@metallbroetchen]

What were the leman russes then? Scout cars?

[@petrsukenik9266]

@@metallbroetchen tankete i suppouse

[@Alexisthewolfy]

@@metallbroetchen Tractors. The Imperium threw guns and additional armor on it before calling it a Tank.

[@carlost856]

I read that and it makes no sense, you're still building vehicles at a human scale. Why would your light tank present such a large profile.

[@Alexisthewolfy]

@@carlost856 Because everything else was either just as big, bigger, or absolutely fuck-off giant. Profile doesn't matter much when the enemy armor can essentially fire straight down at you. (Edit: During the dark age of Technology, humanity used A.I. extensively, so not everything had to be on the "Human" scale.)

[@johndane9754]

Yeah the guard's tank designs annoy the living hell out of me nowadays. That's what happens when you begin to learn a thing or two about tanks, why they were made the way they are, and how they're used.

[@johndane9754]

@@thepulle4722 Uh huh, and how does getting irritated with one part of 40k mean I don't like it?

[@essexclass8168]

I mean, canonically the people building them only begun to learn a thing or two about tanks, why they were made the way they are, and how they're used. and if you view it from that second point even the NI tank is an incredible design, and the Imperium's more or less them on a galactic level.

[@bajscast]

@@thepulle4722 'Cool' is subjective, you could view something that's more realistic as cooler than something that isn't.

[@steelbear2063]

@@bajscast Real war is, while horrible, is extremely boring to watch

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

@@johndane9754 I mean to be fair, think of all the tanks being made from shit stcs and built by incompetents and them being shit tanks starts making a lot of sense.

[@daaa3932]

Mars-Pattern Baneblades - the official Mechanicus-Approved design - have two large manually-operated hatches on each side, usually covered by additional armor plate, as well as access hatches on the back of the side sponsoons. For a potential total of 8 - not 4 - access points. I also know from personal experience that a manually operated hydraulic ram to assist loading makes loading 155mm shells quite easy for a single person... Also a cutaway on the Basilisk shows a conveyor belt ammo supply under the gun mount with the shells elevated onto the loading platform. The Loader reaches down and picks up the next round. Simple as that.

[@maddlarkin]

Funny thing is about the Russ, I was watching one of these videos and it reminded me of the original cut away drawing of the Russ, that had 3 basic crew an autoloader and the sponsons s were remote operated by guys at a console inside the main hull. I like that they checked the Abrams specs for the Imperial Armour book but I wish they'd cross refernced them with the original draws (and I suspect not mixed up the kph and mph when adding the speeds) As for the Baneblade, the original Forgeworld model had a lot more thought put into its design than the later plastic ones, more hatches, larger sponsons etc

[@xenon3990]

Interestingly the Sponsons on a Leman Russ as well as on the Baneblade aren’t manned by crew but by welded in gun Servitors

[@devinbrooks3930]

Please do the Elephant from Halo 3, as well as Halo wars, and also maybe the mammoth from Halo 4, love ur vids keep it up

[@CHRF-55457]

1:41 That's exactly what the Death Korps of Krieg wants to hear... *_Can't retreat now, can ya commissar?_*

[@RJALEXANDER777]

The specifications for a Leman Russ tank are essentially a case by case basis. What I mean by that is every world builds them differently, and every world in the Imperium has different levels of technology at their disposal. A Leman Russ built on one of the finest Forge Worlds could have complex cogitators (computers), auto loaders, advances sensors and even plasma injection engines on board, with design tolerances down to the nano-metre. Whilst another world could be giving them steam turbine engines, zero automation, iron sights and make early Soviet tanks look like masterpieces of precision. The Imperium is schizophrenic like that, and the simplicity of their designs is an advantage in this way. It means that high tech producers can get the greatest efficiency possible out of the designs, whilst less advanced worlds can at least produce them with some degree of competency, and still be a war capable vehicle in spite of technological limitations. The Imperium essentially operates on a "build what you can, where you can" doctrine, as worlds are being reclaimed, lost and destroyed constantly in the eternal war of the far future. The Imperial Guard is an organisation founded on quantity not quality. Leman Russ are essentially space T-34's in that they're supposed to be a design that's "good enough", but most importantly one that can be built in the greatest number possible, whilst also having enough weapons to be of some degree of effectiveness against any potential threat. If the Imperium has the choice of building three Leman Russ to every, say, M1A2 Abrams, then the Imperium needs to favor the design it can produce in greater numbers. Also, modern war vehicles are designed to fight other modern armies exclusively, and are extremely efficient in this. But against, say, Tyranids, our modern doctrines and designs would be ineffective. Leman Russ tanks are a more effective design against Tyranid hordes than an Abrams, in addition to many other 40K factions. An Abrams whilst being a "better designed" tank is extremely specialised, whilst a Leman Russ is designed to be more of an all rounder. A vehicle designed without having any specific enemy in mind. The Imperium doesn't have the capability of deploying armies tailor designed to fight the hundreds of alien factions that they're at war with. So they have something like the Leman Russ that is capable to some degree irregardless of what it ends up being deployed against. Now. A Leman Russ could still be better. I think the Tau have an excellent doctrine and approach to war. They have a modular chassis that is capable of being an artillery piece, an APC and an MBT depending on it's weapon load-out. This allows them to prepare for any potential enemy they may end up facing. But The Imperium is essentially a civilisation in crisis, facing catastrophes the Tau can barely even fathom so...they do the best with what they have.

[@cracklingvoice]

My one point of disagreement is this: the Basilisk is an artillery piece, not intended for direct combat. The open rear deck works great for artillery crew running back and forth between the gun and pallets of shells or propellant charges, much like the self-propelled guns of WW2 and later. While it *can* engage in direct-fire missions, it really isn't supposed to. Source: Codex, Imperial Guard (editions 3, 6, 7, and 8)

[@SuperIcyPhoenix]

The interesting thing on top of all of that is the Leman Russ is inspired off of the Mark I tank of World War 1, in regards to the hull and completely separated hull-encased track design. On top of being about the size of your house, the gun is also very clearly not 120mm, if you stand a Guardsman next to it, the diameter of the barrel is about as big as his head if not bigger, which if the average height of a human head is about 9 inches tall, it would mean the Leman Russ's gun is actually equal to or greater than 228.6mm in size.

[@nightmareeyes9419]

4:23 following book it have automatic mechanism which moves rounds from the loading spot to the gun itself .

[@panzermkii7675]

A good reason the Baneblade has a small barracks, if you're operating in a harsh environment, NBC, no atmosphere, the crew has somewhere to sleep relatively in comfort.

[@addisonwelsh]

Regarding the Leman Russ' top speed, it's actually around 70 KPH. It's listed as 30 KPH, but that's because the engine has a speed governor to limit its top speed. Most Guard tankers remove the governors as soon as the Tech Priest isn't looking.

[@AFinnGundam]

The LEEMENRUSS is the first tank that i think when i think about WAR HAMMER40K

[@dakotadean1057]

The supposed reason for the mini barracks in baneblades is for spare crew, as when a baneblade is deployed the situation is usually dire enough to require all guns operating at full capacity 24/7, meaning space for spare crew to allow shifts for manning the multitide of turrets.

[@SusCalvin]

It is a silly large tank, with a silly amount of people inside. I imagine it like the little bunks long-distance truck haulers and planes might have. It's a couple spots to lay down, all of them shared. I think a baneblade has something like ten guys inside it, at least.

[@techpreist8396]

hi! your mechanicus representative here! if you seem to find yourselves trapped in a leman russ or a blessed baneblade that is on fire remember the important thing that we try to teach you during training before you attempt to rush the few escape hatches we provided. YOU are all expendable, put the fire out with your bodies.

[@Litany_of_Fury]

Worship the machine spirit enough and the Baneblade will put out the fire if it likes you.

[@techpreist8396]

@@Litany_of_Fury exactly

[@accywacky2699]

Personally I am interested in your take on the vehicles and how they perform given the downright insane battle-conditions they have to face in the 40k verse. I mean... escape hatches are nice, but given that No side the imperial guard faces will take prisoners (other than to then put those prisoners to a fate far worse than merely dying), if your tank is in a condition where you find yourself wanting to gtfo, most of the time there is just nowhere for you to run To that isnt filled with horrible things that want to kill you... Why not just go down with the tank when it explodes, at least its quick and maybe you can take some of the enemy down with you? That kind of thing.

[@cnlbenmc]

I think one of the reasons that the Upper Glasis plate on the Russ isn't sloped more is because Anti-Tank directed Energy weapons are a prominent thing in 40K (like the Imperium's own Lascannon) where sloping isn't gonna help you as much. Trying to do what the Abrams does with its 38mm Glasis with a 82° slope won't help at all against a laser Or worse a melta weapon that can punch through the front of tanks with hundreds of millimeters of RHA equivalent without adding a lot of composites behind it.

[@Jestokost]

I’m like 99% sure that the things on the upper Baneblade hull are windows, not the auspexes.

[@FrogiMen13]

Spookston "just don't leave a comment about heresy" Everyone " WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ? "

[@vescovinator]

Near the bottom of the Bane blade are a few cots and very small foot lockers because the baneblade has a long enough operating life it can go more than several days on one tank of fuel, I know if its max operation was a day or so then just sleep in the seats for normal tankers. If you are taking a week long trip I would appreciate the ability to move my knees. Also, sometimes the baneblade had an auxiliary tech priest on board for in combat trouble shooting so they need a spot as well. The top mounted Las Cannons do not need extra ammo, they just draw some power from the vehicle and with not needing extra room for loading munition its basically turret and Armour. The side mounted and hull mounted heavy flamer/bolters (your choice) are for helping clear any type of swarming enemies that it would be inefficient to be shooting with main cannon. While this isn't the most practical IRL we the fortune of not facing orks or tryinids who are the embodiment of we have more bodies than you have bullets. So I would appreciate the extra dakka being brought along. In terms of its weight thats not really a problem in 40k the Imperium has a lot of mass transports since they can move entire titans or sometimes just orbiatlly drop premade fortifications. In terms of vision (depending on the age of the variant but we will use the one from the book) The comander sits inside the tank and has full holographic maps of the battlefield including terrain and identified enemies with the coms man next to him he can effectively command an entire battalion and given the rank and title of commanding a baneblade he probably is directing atleast a platoon or 2. If I were in 40k and had to make/lead a tank platoon I would personally have 1 baneblade and then the equivalent in Leman Rus mbts instead of 2 baneblade or a crap ton of Leman Russes because the Baneblade makes a great local command, they are able to shrug off attacks that would put a hole in Leman Russ, there are only a few things in the galaxy that will shrug off its main cannon or demolisher cannon. Then have the Leman Russes for maneuvering and just firepower in numbers and there are so many leman russ variants there is a tank for any problem. (Source Book: Baneblade author Guy Haley I recommend it to anyone who likes tanks/40k he does a wonderful job of describing what its like to be on a behemoth of a war machine)

[@DrumsTheWord]

I think you knew where you were going with this video, but it still has to be said; this is just fantasy and "rule of cool" will always override any other argument. I'm an avid AM/IG collector and gamer. I love these models and really enjoy them on the table top.

[@shiningadomia]

The biggest flaw with the Russ that probably explains a lot is... that it was designed as the 40k equivalent of a tractor. Some tech priest just had the bright idea of slapping weapons on it.

[@brettnelson9363]

"...the M3 Lee was an alright tank..." what kinda crack are you smoking?

[@Calvin_Coolage]

The M3 is a textbook example of 'well it's better than nothing'.

[@commanderbeepo8066]

I thought the same. >M3 Lee >Pretty alright tank You can't have both.

[@fulcrum2951]

www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3wdgl6/comment/cxvc0tp

[@Neeverseen]

The point you get painfully wrong is that the Imperium cares about, or even notices, casualties

[@blitzkrieg2142k]

In lore during the golden age the Baneblade would have been akin to a light tank. Which is just insane that a tank that has its own crew sleeping compartment is considered light. The Russ I belive or the land raider was originally a exploration tank.

[@drm857]

And don't forget the track width for all these vehicles. They'd get stuck VERY quickly with those measly narrow tracks.

[@janickjorgensen2964]

Only if they found an STC fragment for the mighty Bob Semple Tank... Then they could conquer the entire galaxy with ease.

[@philippgraff4105]

1. Crew is not supposed to leave tank until it completely destroyed. Otherwise it can be repaired by Chaos or looted by Orks. So if crew left its tank, able for combat - they will be executed by Commisar. If they decided to stay until end - there will be not much survivors. 2. BaneBlade is very slow. Living quaters are needed for this type of vehicle, because people are not very suited to sleep in chairs. Also you can garrison reserve troops in those quarters in case you have some casualties during the battle. You need all weaponary working, as in WH40k only dense fire brings results. 3. Talking about arty - it has lower max speed not because of chassis limitation, but because of changed parameters of vehicle. Chimera has lower profile, while Basilisk is much higher. That means that Chimera and Basilisk have different behaviour while braking. At sudden stop on 70 kmh Basilisk can kiss with his barrel the mud, because of increased inertia. 4. Leman Russ is most interesting case, because it's sort of vehicle for overcoming. Like T-34 but your enemies are Xenos and Chaos Marines. Don't question it =)

[@jpTankMan]

> Leaving the tank Are you retreating guardsman? BLAM

[@MrMarinus18]

1:00 Well casting becomes exponentially harder the larger the object becomes. That's why larger tanks were usually cast in separate segments and then welded together.

[@SusCalvin]

Sometimes I see these cardboard terrains, tanks and bunkers they sold.

[@nichsa8984]

@@SusCalvin really the crap cannon jumping on during nap waking noise

[@Axquirix]

Just realised a further point on hatches; the tabletop model seems to indicate hinges along the top edge of the plate the driver's main viewing point is though, which you have to attach separately. I'd guess this is intended as another escape hatch for the driver specifically. Still sucks for the turret crew, but at least installing sponsons would no longer dooms absolutely everyone?

[@logancrawford5379]

Ngl man. If I could have a vehicle so big that it can have a bed and I was told to sleep in my seat I’d lost my shit. I’ve slept in hummvees so many times

[@Kareszkoma]

To be fair, there is a good, lore friendly reason for all of this. The Imperium uses old STC-s and produces whatever is on it. The rest is heresy, because even BaneBlades talk back sometimes. Somewhat literally. There have been "incidents" when a burned out Baneblade just rushed the enemy line in a furious final rush. Also, armor doesn't really count that much, because most of the wh40k universe uses armor penetrating bullets, beside the orcs. So the whole thing comes off to "fire the gun" and hope the tank makes 2 shots instead of 1.

[@NXTangl]

TBF the Imperial tanks are basically Bob Semple tanks of the future: overengineered STC tractors with guns stuck on.

[@franciscoostos8527]

U forgot that there is a sense for that turret in those vehicles, they are modular and the main weapon can be changed, the basilisk it's basically a mobile platform, not used to advance so ,enclosed it's not necessary It will add cost, and don't need to carry ammo it will be fed from outside

[@Billn8tr]

Cast hulls are not easier to produce than welded hulls. The sherman tank in WW2 had many different versions, but the later versions had welded hulls as it was easier on the supply chain to have factories make plates and have them welded in an assembly location than to have them fully cast.

[@GarlicAvenger]

I'm pretty sure the baneblade was made from Adamantium and ceramite plating... So the "ballistics protection" part of this review is remedied somewhat by "magic future space metals" in construction. They have guns that can harm each other, meaning the ammunition used and it's material and velocities leaving the barrel are leagues beyond our current technology. With just the main turret for instance - think 180mm Bolter round crossed with rail gun levels of kinetic force. Yeah.. that's kinda nuts... while the body and frame and tracks and everything being made out of the same stuff as Wolverine's skeleton in xmen and are plated in thicker versions of Astartes armour. Ceramite tends to "melt away" when hit with energy weapons. It's ablative armor, yet it absorbs incredible amounts of energy per cubic nanogram, (it malts away very slowy even when hit with weponry like meltaguns, lascannons, plasma destructors, conversion beamers, etc... meaning that only sustained barrages from multiple weapons will ever penetrate this layer in most cases.. baneblades are indeed land warships in design philosophy. Also, the machine spirits are AI in a lot of the systems and not having a auto loader is solved by either servitors or multiple crew in place of where there USED TO BE automated systems.. But remember, some of these vehicles are 10,000 years old and still functioning, some even with original parts. Let that sink in how strong they are. The pyramids of Giza aren't even 10,000 years old today... Also if you want to talk golden age relic baneblades, instead of just 40K built ones, the older units sometimes had multi layered void shields, like a Titan or Imperial Navy Warships. Which incidentally are the only weapon classes able to one shot a baneblade. Super heavy armor, Imperial Knight, Titans and Navy pace based warships or platforms are the only things with even a CHANCE to one shot them. Remember that for Imperial Knights, Dreadnoughts (Astartes walkers, for you normies), and even warhound and warlord titans have been known to have to just pound baneblades into submission. when the tank you are trying to kill drives through airstrikes, and artillery and still returns fire, you know it's WAY BEYOND anything we could possibly field today. My only disagreement with the lore is the speed stat for the tech level... But 90% of W40K stats are tabletop game balancing, extrapolated, so you need to go off the more realistic, yet vague and more often than not contradictory mentions in the official cannon Novels of the Black Library. The official stats are mostly just pluck out of thin air by the original creators and "Rule of yea that seems okay" takes precident over realism for the timeframe of the setting.

[@Gdude2k]

to be fair at least in the baneblade the gun is most likely loaded by servitors so the load time is probably as fast as an autoloader

[@JackJohnson-zh9ul]

Bro the commander has to be right by the gun so that he may fully appreciate the emperor’s fury

[@TheAjcostello5672]

great video! the only thing I want to point out is that the game designers that likely created those for the game probably didn't really know a whole lot about real military vehicles at the time. I also find it funny that the hull of the Russ is supposed to be cast when it clearly looks riveted in a lot of places.

[@Seraphinus112]

Ever tried sleeping in a military vehicle seat? It's only comfortable if your 5"2'. Things a miniature mobile fortress.

[@scottbaykian3032]

Imperial guard is so badass, yes their vehicles are impractical but they’re cool.

[@richcole2314]

your mistake in pointing out the hatch problems is asuming that the Imperium is remotely interested in or indeed actually wants the crew to flee

[@Marth667]

I remember watching a similar video of a dude saying 40k tanks are dumb because they're not anything like modern tanks. That its not low profile, fast, has hull weaknesses like hull mounted weaponry, no sloped armour, sponson mounted weaponry is dumb, raised tracks are useless in battle and there is no ERA or composite armour anywhere on the tanks. Which funnily enough would be a terrible way to make a tank in a setting where its a T-34 heaven. The crew are worthless compared to the tank itself. The lack of armour is deliberate only to increase their survival estimated in minutes in combat. Cheap, simple designs that can be built on any world not the best forge worlds. Adequate weaponry to fulfil the roll of break through and fire superiority on multiple angles. Trench crawling treads allowing the tank to ford trenches which are a staple for the guard in any scenario be it attack or defend. And remember METAL BAWKES! Are cool.

[@MrMarinus18]

2:58 The engine itself was actually fine. The issue was the cooling mechanism and the valves that fed it. The cooling didn't quite work enough which often let to it getting too hot. That often melted the rubber seals that were mounted too close to the engine itself. That melting reduced air flow which made the cooling even worse. Until eventually the engine intakes itself started to overheat where fuel would burn inside the carborator. Many panthers suffered this and it made a very distinct blue smoke.

[@honkhonk8009]

mf if the engine cooling causes it to catastrophically fail TO THAT DEGREE, im pretty sure its the engines fault. Thats like saying "The engine itself is actually fine, its just the pistons which sometimes spontaneously disintegrate"

[@MrMarinus18]

​@@honkhonk8009 Any engine will fail if you don't provide it with enough cooling and smooth airflow. The Tiger used the exact same engine but it didn't have these problems. That's because the tiger was larger and had started development earlier so it had a much better designed cooling system. The Panther also got that later on and most of the engine troubles were fixed. The issues of the Panther are not unique to it. Most tanks have issues like that, it's just that they are usually fixed before large scale production but the Panther was rushed through.

[@slowjamsliver7006]

Those bolts are also a weakness. Although it is cast if those bolts actually go into the hull then they turn into bullets when the armour gets hit by a large caliber shell.

[@mattsmash93]

Lol. I never knew that about the engine in the Lehman Ross. Apparently, the engine from the panther is the longest serving component for any machine in the Warhammer universe. The design being 38,000 years old. Lol

[@panzermkii7675]

The reason the BaneBlade has bunks is this tank operates in toxic environments, the crew is gonna be spending the whole deployment inside the tank.

[@averageintelligence6822]

One last thing, the Imperium doesn’t use sloped armor due to energy weapons not caring a lot about armor thickness.

[@gamertagboakan7417]

Miniture Barracks are for the upto 40 non crew personelle some Baneblade models can take.

[@Evaunit98]

When looking at these vehicles from a lore perspective many of the strange features make sense, for example the designers wouldn’t care about crew evacuation because if you came back without a bainblade you’d be shot but when you look at it from a real world perspective the vehicles are impractical and a little over the top

[@LGP82]

Even as a Chaos Player I like this video. Makes me dust off my old guard.

[@999M41]

Lore says leman russes are shaped the way they are because their armor is meant to disperse energy weapons, not deflect solid projectiles- In general the imperium cares more about a distinctive and brutal silhouette as opposed to something smaller to avoid enemy fire. many 40k tanks are ridiculously tall but I've always attributed that to the fact that the tanks need to be able to shoot over the heads of mobs of soldiers fighting around them. Top speed is really a non issue in the types of wars these tanks participate in but that's more a lazy writing thing than anything. Also leman russ and baneblades also both have waaay more hatches than you've noticed (the baneblade has like a dozen).

[@67IronWhalE]

5:58 Spookston : As far as Baneblade performance, it's about what you'd expect. It's extremely would obviously make it very difficult to transport. hundred of them.

[@chagui5253]

Laugh in blood ravens

[@badjuju2721]

Heresy, there are no flaws in the Imperium! For the Emperor! (i did actually like the video btw)

[@Patadude100]

You're saying it's hard for the crew to bail out of a vehicle in a universe where losing an entire planet is considered a "minor inconvenience"

[@VexdGamer]

Nowhere will you see a fandom defends it's design choices more harshly than WH40K's

[@marrvynswillames4975]

Halo comes close, people will unironically say that a tank round with muzzle velocity of a handgun is powerfull

[@VayleGW]

the boresize of the Leman Russ would be about 280mm in real life based on the model size. Another major issue is gun elevation which would be rather difficult considering the gun diameter and the size of the turret. (similarly the baneblade model has a similar bore diameter on the actual model) another thing I'd like to point out is that in the books "Baneblade" and "Shadowsword" by Guy Haley it mentions that all auxilliary guns (both heavy bolters and las cannons) are being controlled from a single station on the command deck of the tank, these guns are autoloaded as well, although there is a role of tertiary gun loader, which is basically there to assist the gunner in it's role.

[@Phos9]

The leman Russ hull needs to be so big because the bow gun and both sponson guns have a human gunner, which is its own problem.

[@legionofyuri]

Just a friendly reminder that the Baneblade is not a light/scout tank from the DAoT. That's a joke the community made up and people need to stop repeating it like it's canon.

[@ArchieZeroOne]

Some of the vehicles are easily explained by their climate they were created in. We know of certain creations that are absolutely abysmal outside their home sector. Perhaps during the Baneblades creation a need for quarters were required. A world of constant war might have required the need to prolonged occupation of a tank. Also the IG are constantly on the offensive. Not just defensive.

[@anthony2002able]

So the basalisk may be used with an ammo carrier vehicle in practicality like how paladins have a CAT following them or how howitzers like the m777s have a prime move to transport the gun and another ammo humper truck to carry the rounds powders and fuzes but most games won't focus on logistics especially small ones like that

[@nfwrambo]

I will stop screaming heresy at the top of my lungs once the heresy stops

[@nfwrambo]

Also cool video

[@jonskowitz]

I'm surprised you didn't bring up the lack of a dedicated Commander, though you did touch on the pretty poor work distribution in general.

[@Artey0m]

Most criticism for the Leman Russ battle tank can be ignored as the Standard Template Construct it was designed from was a TRACTOR design. As in, agricultural tractors. And the Baneblade? A "medium" battle tank by Dark Age of Technology Specs as that is what the STC was classified as.

[@magosexploratoradeon6409]

Basically everything logistics wise. Like the fucking baneblade has 11 cannons. 11?!.

[@Trapset_Agent]

Could you do a video where you redesign Warhammer tanks but keep their rhomboidal tracks?

[@randomthing9712]

Every imperial faction be like: survival? What was that.... Lol

[@captainmanatee9633]

Finally I have found another guardsmen

[@SunderMount]

What mods are you using? Your DOW1 looks much better than I remembered...

[@kronos661]

2:45 I dont know if anyone mentioned it yet but top speed of 35km/h is not really it's top speed. It was locked to it so that the panicked guardsman can't use its uneconomical speed. Its 80km/h IIRC.

[@SusCalvin]

The 40.000 vehicle rules were written without gyrostabilisation. A tank could move fast, but then the guys inside wouldn't be able to fire all guns, or not fire as efficiently. A larger main gun wouldn't be able to fire at all unless the tank stopped. Older tanks used to work like this, where they would shoot and scoot. Drive, pause to aim and shoot, drive on.

[@kronos661]

@@SusCalvin Leman russ guns are gyro-stabilised.

[@SusCalvin]

@@kronos661 The 2nd edition rules used shoot and scoot. Vehicles either stand still and use their big gun or move and shoot just the side sponsons.

[@kronos661]

@@SusCalvin That rule was changed, deleted or modified every goddamned edition for the sake of balance. There were editions where you could shoot either main gun or the sponsons and hull-mounted gun, there were editions where you didn't give half a fuck whether you moved or not, there were those that gave you -1 to BS and there were those that made you move at half of your normal speed if you didn't want any minuses. Than there is differentiating between lore and crunch. After all in tabletop marines powerarmor will stop well placed bat swing only two out of three times. Astartes, no matter the range, can hit their target 66% of the time.

[@SusCalvin]

@@kronos661 Yeah, I know it changes later on. I don't keep up to date on the modern (post 2nd edition) versions. I think some vehicles and bunkers could have a fancy machine spirit upgrade or just a servitor gunner with independent targeting. It helps if you think of marines as they were in Rogue Trader/2nd ed. T4 space knights in 3+ armour, nothing more and nothing less. That is good compared to a normal human with T3 and their 5+ flak suit or an ork with T4 and barely a t-shirt on.

[@kinkarcana1293]

I think you need to take into account tactics and logistics of the time during the tanks inception and the function these played in the great crusade.

[@vitanidesin]

One does not challenge the might of the imperium armor

[@torinjones3221]

Tbh I don't think the tank crew in the 40k universe are expected to escape their burning vehicles. Its not like anyone struggled for population except maybe Eldar and even then most of the weapons that kill tanks kill the crew anyway. A lascannon doesn't exactly take prisoners and a melta evaporates things. No amount of hatches will save a crew from boiling alive in seconds. We already have this problem with modern tanks. Heat shells shower the crew in a molten copper spray which tends to kill them pretty much instantaneously.

[@SusCalvin]

There was rules for just that in 40.000. Vehicles could take much more specific hits to engine or turret or crew. It was possible for the crew to hop out, draw their laspistols and fight. Or a hit could penetrate and kill all crew inside, while the tank was technically perfectly fine.

[@ВасилийМорозов-л7х]

If the turrets are automatic, you can basically use the gunner's space for armour.

[@nikicagrgic9956]

This video: The Emperor: But does it look cool while you annihilate heretics Tech-Priest: It does The Emperor: APPROVED.

[@voin5371]

I'm pretty sure the battle cannon on a Leman Russ have no recoil absorbents so when they fire, that's why the tank jerks back whenever it fires. As for it looking like it isn't cast made i'm pretty sure it's just a modeling canon conflict but all things considered it could just be a case of ERA armour being welded onto the cast or something but overall, the Leman Russ is a great tank against the standard foes of the 40K and probably perform the same roles as a modern day MBT but provide better infantry fire support with their sponsons and if possible, their hatch gun. The baneblade as a whole is a beast of monstrous works that most likely gets no rest unless it needs to refuel and re-arm. To make a first point on the fact that you said that their is a waste of space with the small bunks i'd have to disagree with you on that, considering the reality that some crews positions need to be operated non-stop such as the drivers, the drivers can easily switch places and allow the other to rest or take a break from their duties as the other works, the same can go to other crewman that operate in spots that don't have a seat for them to work in and just stand. Secondly the sponsons on the baneblade aren't automated, their each controlled by a dedicated operation that can use the side Heavy Bolters and can switch the interface to operate the lascannon atop. The ref image used in the diagram shows what seems to be someone infused but that could just be a perspective issue but as far as i'm aware it's a position that can be manned by a operation. Also, the sponsons use Ceramite which is the second strongest material in the 40K universe which is effectively super duper mega concrete that stops a majority of incoming fire without the worry of common rounds piercing through. Also to criticize on the issue of them going through ammo no problem with all three sub-turrets firing the same one inch sized rounds, 4000 rounds is pretty good capacity along with the other 300 autocannon rounds and the 40 super sized rounds for the main gun. You also criticized the fact that the main gun only has 22 rounds whilst you seem to not include the concept of sized, 18 cm guns are massive and so are their rounds which, for reference, the IS-2 with it's 12.8 cm gun could hold 28 rounds at best. This is also excluding the need to hold an additional 18 rounds for the other super sized gun, the Demolisher cannon which is basically a sci-fi stum tiger gun. This is also including all the other equipment such as engine, fuel, walkways, ladders and the other storage whilst also having a giant hull and tracks, i'd say it does a pretty good job. Not only that, but you wish to criticize the baneblade for having fingerprint scanners on their hatches when one, they are fighting an enemy which has turned trillions of their own kind against them to burn and destroy their Imperium so having the scanners prevents spies, heretics, mutants and traitors from getting into the vehicle and sabotaging it, it stops the enemy from being able to easily get inside. Thirdly the likelihood of the Baneblade having it's hull penetrated is low and if the even does occur then whatever is strong enough to go through it will go through everything within that tank from the engine to the highly explosive ammo, like a HEAT round through a Sherman. Finally on the basilisk, the basilisk is basically a 40K howitzer put onto a APC hull so just imagine yourself sticking a howitzer onto a M113 US APC and i'm sure you'd get similar results, i think on Lexicanum it explained the change in mass with the gun and refitting of where the troop storage was but excluded the ammo weight which would explain the change in max speed. Oh and for the record it's a mobile artillary gun on a APC hull, that's like criticizing the Katyusha for not having a porthole or a roof mounted Dhsk to defend against infantry when both of these vehicles main roles are to provide quick, fast and mobile artillery support on a chosen target but it seems your passion for nitpicking flaws in the content you don't 100% understand or know about has allowed you to oversee these "flaws". Oh and a final thing, just cause the engine in the Leman Russ has the same name as the Panther doesn't meant it acts the same, just look at how titanium works in Halo.