So, there I was, painting one superheavy tank and waiting for something to dry on it, so I decided to get the first steps of another going – and it ended up leapfrogging the first! The Ultramar Auxilia are not going to mind this breach in protocol too much, I think, as they have just taken delivery of a shiny new Shadowsword!

After doing the Baneblade previously, it really had to be a Shadowsword next as together they really are the iconic Imperial superheavy tanks. It also means I am just one big tank away from finishing the whole superheavy company of the Ultramar Auxilia so I must now meditate on what that one will be (Stormlord currently in the lead there).

There is something very imposing about a Shadowsword – however, as with all vehicles of the Auxilia, the painting was superquick. The only real delays are in the drying times for the tracks and the Agrax wash on the hull, but after that you really do fly across all the little details. It barely takes longer to paint one of these than it does a Leman Russ or Chimera.

The Stormlord may be next for the Auxilia but, before then, I have another superheavy on the painting table which I am hoping to polish off this week. Something really quite special and for an army that I had sort of considered ‘finished’. You will know what I mean when it is unveiled…

Finally, as we all know, the Shadowsword is all about the massive Volcano Cannon:

However, I realised that I could also make this model into a Banesword, simply by doing this:

Cheating? Maybe, but if you look at the two models on Games Workshop’s site, I am pretty certain that this is exactly what they did!