+ A look at the Legions Imperialis Astartes Infantry box +
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| 'Shouldn't we be smaller?' 'Yes, but GW's shipping seems to be taking inspiration from the Adeptus Munitorum, so they'll have to make do with 40k-scale Salamanders for the moment. + |
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+ First thoughts +
+ For those who played older versions of Epic, you'll find much that is familiar in the new Legions Astartes Infantry kit for Legions Imperialis. Each sprue contains a variety of troop types, so more akin to later releases than the very early single model sprues. You get two identical sprues in the box, each intending you to build:
- 4 stand of Tactical marines
- 1 stand of Assault marines
- 1 stand of Devastators
- 1 stand of Marines with plasma guns
- 1 Command stands
- 1 stand of Terminators
- 2 Contemptor dreadnoughts
+ Double this up and you end up with... not quite enough to build standalone detachments for the new game. Unless you buy two boxes, or combine it with the models you get in the big game box, most of these stands will have to be upgrades to a Tactical detachment, rather than their own thing. +
+ Is this a problem? Well, your mileage will vary. I think the take-up of Epic 40,000 (E:40k) suffered because the boxes both dropped in content and increased in price in comparison with the earlier giant boxes for Space Marine (SM2) – and likewise you ended up with one or two stands of (say) bikes rather than the entire formations you used to get. I'd hate for those on the fence to be put off by the prospect of buying multiples to get useable formations. +
+ Another problem of the two sprue approach is variety. The big SM2 boxes were so packed that they allowed huge amounts of variety right from the off, while I think the cost/value ratio here will mean that people will want to squeeze everything possible out of it. That'll lead to very samey armies, which is a shame. +
+ From my point of view, while it's certainly nice to get lots of variety on the sprue, I think I would have preferred Dreadnoughts and Terminators to have been released separately and have a more focussed box. If there is anything here that you don't want, then the already high price (£30) is a good excuse to leave it on the shelf. +
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+ Chapter Astartes – using them in the 41st Millenium +
+ I am pleased to say that the new models in and of themselves are a lot of fun – though not perfect. They are without a doubt a substantial improvement on previous generations of GW's Epic Space Marines. Standing ~8.5mm from foot to the top of the model, there are a variety of poses and lots of lovely detail. As much detail as I'd like? Well, that's arguable. There are lots (and lots) of alternative power-armoured 6mm models, and freely-available files for 3D printing for pretty much every combination of Space Marine you might wish. Lots of those, to be frank, beat these into a cocked hat in terms of absolute detail and lack of design compromises. +
+ I do like to support the creators of the IP where possible, and the convenience and resilience offered by these plastics is a strong point in favour – but I can quite understand anyone who comes to the conclusion that third party models are a better choice for them. The elephant in the room addressed, let's get back to the kit itself. +
+ The kit combines various Mark VI Space Marine infantry models (that is, beakies) with two Contemptor Dreadnoughts. You get quite a few options for Contemptor legs, oddly – four individual legs for each body – while other options are essentially model swap-outs. For example, there are sufficient marines with jump packs to allow for different sergeant load-outs. This is a nice little touch, and means that even if you stick rigidly with the suggested way of assembling, you'll end up with some nice visual variety across your force and even a few spares to scatter about – perhaps on Titan bases or the like. +
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| Contemptor dreadnought, marine with plasma gun and marine with boltgun. |
+ Refreshingly, there are multiple poses for even the basic troops, and this is a step-change for GW's Epic models. The larger absolute size means that it's generally clear which models are which – and painting will help make distinct those very close, like the two above. While it may seem a little thing that you've got more than one Tactical Marine pose, it will make a huge difference to the look of a whole army – and that variety will (I hope) grow with further releases. +
+ It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. Even a cursory search for the new models online will reveal the extrusions/stretching caused to the poses of some of the boltgun marines by the limitations of the manufacturing method. I'll show you how I fixed this to my satisifaction in a future inload, as I didn't have time to get shots for this one. For the moment, it's enough to say that it's a (thankfully) quick and simple fix. While I personally don't think it's a catastrophic decision – and my overall impression remains very positive – it's a definite black mark against the sprue for me, and I hope that further releases take the complaints into account. +
+ The models are designed for the Horus Heresy setting, but as most of the PCRC – my most likely opponents – have ork or Tau armies, I'd like to make sure that these will fit in with the 40k setting; and specifically the Second War for Armageddon. If possible, I'd also like them to pull double-duty and not look too out of place in the HH setting. +
+ While I haven't made any firm decisions on how to finally glue them, it strikes me that the kit is as well suited to building a 40k-style Space Marine Battle Company as it is a 30k style force – and I think scattering the plasma guns and missile launchers around Tactical Squads would both look cool and help differentiate the force from its 30k equivalants. +
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+ Painting Epic-scale Salamanders +
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| + The 'Winterblade', Pellas Mir'san of the 2nd Company + |
+ Salamanders are a natural choice for me here – present in both 30k and on Armageddon in 40k; and also a lovely vibrant colour scheme that stands out well. This force will let me expand The Ashes of Armageddon project – and I think it'll be fun to explore. +
+ It's worth emphasising two very important features of the new sprue: by and large each infantry model is attached by just one point to the sprue, and they have little puddle bases rather than the old big round. These two changes seem minor, but they make all the difference. I'm willing to forgive a little delay for this, as it will make a huge leap in actually getting the models painted and on the board. +
+ Painting +
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| + The green I've used to spray them gave me a jolt of nostaglia, as it's the same green as the sprue on my mate Malcolm's original box of Epic + |
+ I started off by spraying the sprues with Halford's Camo green. This provided a mid-toned base. Once dry, I removed the infantry from the sprue and cleaned them up – or rather, I tried to. Thankfully, the new sprues benefit from GW's excellent manufacturing, so there are no visible seams, flash or mouldlines that needed cleaning. Even the burrs caused by clipping them from the sprue are on the puddle base, safely hidden away. Whatever reservations I have about GW's logistics and management, I have none for their sprue layout designers. +
+ I also assembled the Contemptors at this point – and while I'm equanimous about their presence of the infantry sprue, I must confess that they are jolly nice little fellows that went together well. The designers have integrated pegs and sockets in the legs, allowing for variety and preventing the bugbear of old Epic – monopose muliples – while also making it a breeze to create cool poses. +
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| + The method used is a development of that I've used for my 40k-scale Dust of Armageddon related project. + |
+ The next step was to use little dots of superglue to reattach the models on the top of the sprue frame – see the image above for what I mean – and give them a zenithal spray of Colour Forge's Salamander Green, creating a hint of preshading. That completed the preparation for the Space Marines, so onto the bases. +
+ Next up will be an oil wash and picking out details – and I think that'll pretty much be it. +
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+ Bases +
+ From squares to strips to circles, it's not Epic without changes to basing. While my pre-ordered copy has yet to grace my doorstep (grumble grumble), I can't imagine that the base style you use will have any effect on the game – but if you want to try something else, you'll need twenty-two of them, as that's how many 25mm bases you get included in the kit. +
+ First and foremost, you'll notice no recesses in the new bases – and good riddance. The five little holes made placement of models rigid and awkward, highlighting their nature as game tokens rather than cool models. It was a pain to get to the centre figure, unnecessarily awkward to apply and paint basing material, and the slight gaps always seemed to show. I am very much looking forward to putting the models on the bases in arrangements more suggestive of combat than the parade ground. +
+ The bases come pre-textured with an urban style. Nice enough if that's what you're after, but not great if you want something different. I very nearly decided to just use 2p pieces – they're the same size and give the stands a bit of heft – but then spotted that the underneath of the new bases is ever so slightly recessed. This seems a minor thing, but having the centre of the base raised even a hint makes a surprising difference when playing on the Realm of Battle board I've just painted up. +
+ I therefore got to work with a bit of texture paste and sand. I was going to completely cover each one, but found that some of the detail works quite nicely left exposed, as you can see below. You'll spot I also added some larger bits of grit and a couple of bases from the Titanicus industrial terrain sprue.+
+ Once dry, these were sprayed Halford's camo brown. Once dry, I gave them a light dusting from a shallow angle with Halford's camo khaki to pick up the detail – a very quick scheme indeed! +
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+ Closing thoughts +
+ This is a good but flawed kit, and while well-engineered, I think GW ought to up their game. Plastics have many advantages over other materials for Epic, but a key one – economy of scale – is not being used here, and as a result the decision to buy these or source alternatives is not clear cut at all. The compromises made to the sculpts for the sake of single-piece models is (in my opinion) fine, but at full price, and with so many good alternatives, this is a kit I feel reticent to recommend whole-heartedly. +
+ Are these models nice? Yes. Are my opinions coloured by nostalgia? Doubtless. Are these models worth picking up? Well, as always that'll depend on your own preferences. They are unarguably a huge improvement over previous editions – and not merely the expected result of thirty or so years of manufacturing developments. These have clearly been very carefully planned and thought-out, and invested with a lot of love by the designers. Nevertheless, there are also some unarguable niggles that even someone keen to like them and prepared to overlook a few flaws might find not merely annoying, but properly off-putting. +
+ To finish on a positive note, in isolation, these are a delight. For a fan of older editions of Epic, if you'd put this kit in front of me ten years ago, I'd have been absolutely blown away. Full of the weird charm of their bigger cousins, this kit is varied and interesting, and a good balance of crisp detail, and gameworthy sturdiness. These are perfect little miniatures of your miniatures, and I defy anyone to build a few stands of them and not end up with a big grin on their face. +
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