Now that the new horse is out of the gate, so-to-speak, how's he faring? Are the new marine rules playing to everyone's expectations? Better? Worse? I know that those of us getting the "Enhanced" iBooks version of the codex were let down quite a bit with the absence of the Force Requisition portion of the book. I'm sure that an update will rectify that, but still.
For those of us hobbyists, however, who do so enjoy the building, converting, and ransacking of kits for a single, solitary bit, just how do the new releases fare when in comparison to the bar set so high by the new Tau and Eldar kits?
Personally? I'd say they fare just fine, thankyouverymuch. I've gotten my hands on these sprues personally, and have poured over them for a goodly long time. Now, they weren't mine, so I had to give them back, but I still got my hands on them! In the interest of quality photos, I snagged these images from the GW website...all rights reserved, yada yada yada. First up? The Veterans, Sternguard and Vanguard!
With the Sternguard, I have only one, small, little complaint. I wish the tabards had been a separate bit from the legs. Other than that small selfish wish, I love the kit. So many options, combi-everything, marks of armor, and more!! The Vanguard, on the other hand, I have no real complaints over. They are exactly what I had hoped they would be.
What about the new Tactical Squad?
I've heard way too many folks comment that the new Tactical box isn't different enough from the old one to make it worth paying more for what we were already getting. Really? Lets take a look at the old sprues and compare them to the ones above, shall we?
No comparison. The new sprues offer a vastly wider array of options, from the customizable combi-bolter, to the new poses on the legs, marks of armor and added character to the bare heads, and everything in between. You get far more options and little details than ever before, and lets be honest, it's the little things that matter. My only complaint is the catch 22 I'll end up in as I'll want to buy one of these boxes, as well as one Sternguard and one Vanguard in order to make twenty tactical marines, because I'll want all that added character and flair from all three kits.
How about the new anti-air tank variants, the Hunter and Stalker?
I like em. They are built on the tried-and-true Rhino chassis, so no really surprise there, or need to post those sprues. I'm enjoying the details of them, and love the heavy-duty armor and reinforcements built into the new sides and front. If you ever want your Rhinos and Vindicators to have this kind of feel, buy one of these and a Vindicator. Swap the sides from the Hunter/Stalker to the Vindicator, the Vindicator sides to the Rhino and then keep the rest to finish off the Rhino. Custom build a top hatch to fit where the turret would have gone, and you have two highly armored vehicles that were a snap to build. What to do with the remaining turrets? Custom Quad Gun, anyone?
What about the new HQ plastic blisters?
Like them just find, but they are highly static and once you've seen one, you'll have seen them all. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a converter worth his or her salt could take these and make some great pieces out of them, but I'd rather sink my money into the Tactical, Stern and Vanguard boxes. I do like some of the stand-alone bits in them like the heads, backpacks, torsos and a couple legs, though, and I have been known to drop the cash for a single bit if I thought it was perfect enough to, so who knows. The one that I was most excited for, however, only comes in a $90 box with the old command squad and a Rhino. If GW ever releases the Chaplain outside of that box, I'll buy him, but otherwise I'll have to pass.
No onto the elephant in the room...
They...they are growing on me. The sprues are definitely well split and thought out. Enough so that I may just be able to do my own thing with them and make them shine in my eyes. Mechanicus Legio Cybernetica perhaps? We'll see.
Lets hear it folks. What are you enjoying most about this release? Or perhaps, what aren't you?
- Tim