Malcador Assault Tank - Variants: Like the much more common Leman Russ main battle tank, the Malcador has had numerous hull variants designed over the course of its long service with the Astra Militarum. These were created to fulfill a specific battlefield role or to overcome a particular problem with the pattern's design. These variants have included siege weapon platforms, self-propelled artillery and other specialised versions. The two most common variants are the Malcador Annihilator tank hunter and the Malcador Defender breakthrough tank.Malcador Annihilator - The Malcador Annihilator replaces the standard variant's limited-traverse Battle Cannon with a Twin-linked Lascannon and its forward hull weapons mount with a Demolisher Cannon. This variant was a field modification carried out on battle-damaged or unfinished production hulls intended to "up-gun" the tank's weaponry and extend its battlefield utility. The pattern's detractors hold that the variant is a hybrid intended to carry out two roles, neither of which it can fulfill with any real ability. The tank is simply too slow and too large to serve as a true "tank hunter" but is not large enough or heavily armed enough (due to the limited supply of shells for its Demolisher Cannon) to be matched against a true super-heavy tank like an Imperial Baneblade in open combat. Against other, more conventional armoured vehicles when it is part of a larger offensive force, the Malcador Annihilator can still prove its worth in the hands of a skilled crew.Malcador Defender - The Malcador Defender is arguably the most effective of the Malcador tank variants. It is more common in many Imperial armouries than the standard heavy tank upon which it is based. Like the Malcador Annihilator, the hull weapon mount is replaced by a Demolisher Cannon but the upper turret embrasure is heavily modified to mount 5 separate Heavy Bolters angled to provide 360 degrees of fire coverage. This shifts the tank's role to that of serving as a mobile fortress that is often referred to as a breakthrough tank. It is well-suited to close-quarters combat, trench warfare and urban warfare engagements. In this role the variant's Demolisher Cannon can be used against well-fortified positions and enemy strong-points, while its multiple Heavy Bolters can sweep areas for hidden infantry and defend the tank from a close assault. Although the Malcador Defender is very cramped, fitting a large crew of 8 into its tightly-packed and blazingly hot hull, and is as prone to engine problems as the other variants, its battlefield role means that it seldom operates far from support or resupply. This can mitigate the design's inherent problems and its firepower and considerable protection can make it a valuable asset to Imperial forces for both offensive and defensive engagements.Malcador Infernus - The Malcador Infernus variant has been mostly replaced by the faster and more reliable Hellhound in front-line Imperial Guard regiments. This variant is usually found in storage reserves or relegated to second-line forces or Planetary Defence Forces. The Infernus is armed with a massive Flamer known as an Inferno Gun. The vehicle's Promethium fuel tank is towed behind on a large trailer. The fuel is stored in multiple parts and is pumped to a mixing chamber just behind the weapon's barrel to create a chemical jelly. This jelly is then compressed and is fired out in a flaming mass that sticks to any surface. Due to the poor placement and resulting vulnerability of this fuel tank, the vehicle is highly prone to exploding when hit by enemy fire. The Malcador Infernus is best deployed against enemy infantry that lack heavy weapons. Some commanders have filled the vehicle's fuel tanks with corrosive toxins or acidic gases, creating an even deadlier weapon against unarmoured and unhardened targets.Valdor Tank Hunter - The Valdor Tank Hunter is a variant on the Malcador tank's basic chassis. The Valdor Tank Hunter is named after another of the Imperium's ancient heroes from the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras: Captain-General Constantin Valdor of the Legio Custodes. The Valdor was developed near the end of the Great Crusade by the Mechanicum using retro-engineered archeotech recovered by Mechanicum Explorators out of the Forge World of Galatea that was known as a Neutron Laser Projector. This weapon was field tested by the Space Marine Legions where it was used by the Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer, a smaller variant of the weapon was eventually manufactured and equipped on the Valdor. The Valdor Tank Hunter is one of only three known Imperial vehicles to be armed with Neutron Laser weaponry, the other two being the highly experimental Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer and the more common Sabre Tank Hunter. Neutron Laser weaponry is highly unstable yet rivals in power much larger weapons such as Turbo-lasers that were mounted on Imperial Titans and certain super-heavy tanks. The instability of the Neutron Laser Weapons used on the Valdor Tank Hunter, along with the Imperium's slow technological regression and the near-complete loss of understanding of the Valdor's basic functions has doomed this vehicle and any other Neutron Laser armed tanks from ever being produced or used in high numbers by the present-day Imperial armed forces.Minotaur Heavy Artillery Tank - The Minotaur is a self-propelled artillery tank that uses the Malcador's basic chassis and advanced engine drive system. The Minotaur is based on what appears to be an earlier variant, or the original chassis' design. The tank's origins are unknown, as it is believed to have served the Imperium during the Great Crusade, although many speculate that based on the older design of the tank's Malcador chassis it may have been even older, more than likely dating back to the Age of Strife much like the Malcador itself. The Minotaur is unique amongst the vehicles of the Imperium in that its weapons are mounted backwards, facing away from the crew compartment. The tank is armed with two rear-facing twin-linked Earthshaker Cannons mounted on a central axis point with a complex stabiliser system. This weapon's location allows ample room for the storage of a large number of shells, which are kept to the sides of the cannon in armoured storage lockers to protect them from enemy fire. The Earthshaker Cannon is capable of laying down heavy barrages and accurate though indirect fire even when under heavy enemy assault. The reasoning behind this unusual weapons placement is that the Minotaur can back itself into a good firing position, such as a dugout, and fire upon the enemy. If the foe advances too close, the Minotaur can simply drive straight out of its fortified position and seek a better protected position further away, as opposed to the more complicated and risky task of backing out and turning around whilst under fire.