So the new Warhammer 40K 6th edition box set has been released and lots and lots of people have been getting excited about it. The models in this set are probably some of the best plastics that GW have made. So because I'm very impressed with this set, I thought I would write my thoughts about it. I'm not going to do a unboxing as to be honest this has been done on various other sites already.
The Box
I've been a wargamer for many, many years now and one of the things I love about boxed games is the smell you get when you open it up and rifle through the contents. This set had that smell, which is good. Also whilst I'm on about the box, the front design is very good and simple which kind of makes it stand out on the shelves.
The Models
What can I say, the models are fantastic! I haven't had chance to assemble them yet, but they seem to be designed to snap fit together. Whilst this is nice, I do have one criticism about this - If they are snap fit, how do you remove them from the spures? Are GW just expecting new players to twist them off? That seems a bit wrong to me and I would have though GW could have either included a tool to help remove them safely.
In the set we have a small Dark Angel force and all the models are nice, especially the character models. I would have liked to have seen more robes on some of the Tactical Marines, especially when they already have Dark Angel markings on them but overall they are nice. The poses are nice and there is plenty of opportunity to convert the models with head and weapon swaps.
If the Dark Angel models are nice, then the Chaos models are fantastic! The amount of detail and character which is on each model is great, and they ooze coolness. The chosen are brilliant but the real stars of the set are the Chaos Cultists. These guys look dangerous and frail at the same time (well frail compared to the Powered Armoured Warriors), and they really help set the feel of the chaos force. The Hellbrute on the other hand is a lovely model, but I can't help that it's a bit static and it would have been nice to see it designed in a way you could have it in different poses without any conversion (but I'm guessing thats for the Hellbrute model when the Chaos Marine codex is released).
The Paper Stuff
In the box you get a mini rule book, which appears to be very well made in comparison to the Warhammer Fantasy book as the 40K one seems more sturdy. You also get a booklet on how to assemble your models as well as a couple of reference sheets which have the main summary of the rules as well as a summary of all the stats of the models in the set (it seems that GW have also made these in a way so they can be laminated easily). Also importantly, there is a getting started booklet, which is really useful for new players as well as old players like me who get easily confused with new editions.
Overall Thoughts?
My overall thoughts of this set, is that it's very, very good. It has plenty of things in it to make it attractive to new and old players and it includes pretty much everything you need to start playing (even the old red measuring sticks which are often used to whip people with). I have two issues with the set. The first one is that we don't see much background information about the forces in it, which I can only assume is down to GW wanting to sell the book that has been written to accompaniment the game. My other issue is that we do not see a painting guide in the set for new players. Personally this isn't a issue due to me knowing how I want to paint these up as, but for new players this is something a bit off putting.