Hey all, Danny here to go over the newly revealed Dark Imperium 8th Edition starter. Namely, we are looking at the new models that GW is giving us. Let’s take a look:
The Primmies:
Intercessors
The Intercessors have been doing the rounds lately, and they are growing on me. The poses are not too static, and there is good bit of dynamic posing with the sergeant. They certainly look meaty, and the new Bolt Rifles have all the Bolter DNA but with an up-gunned and more actual rifle look rather than a giant SMG type of rig. They definitely fill up that whole 32mm base. Getting 10 of them isn’t bad either.
Inceptors
Adam was quick to point out that you can see the design style of these guys right from the Kharadron Overlords that just came out (the balloon ones). The actually elevated pose with the legs dangling is just very new to 40k, so it is almost jarring, but I do like the new jetpacks. The bulkier design speaks to me a bit, and there is definitely no way to just proxy Assault Marines and call it a day. The Assault Bolters are my favorite part of the model as they look like suitably menancing rapid fire weapons in that movie marine way, and the small shields around them capture the feel of a close-ranged unit ready to get in and kick ass. Of course, it would be impossible to aim them in any meaningful way, but I am guessing that those guns are designed to rely on probability rather than precision.
Helblasters
The Helblasters have the most static poses so far, but those look like some mean, mean plasma guns. I’d love to see one of them put up against a standard SM plasma gun as from the general scale of the model, those look to be significantly bigger. Really, if you like the Intercessors, you’ll like the Helblasters, but my oh my, those guns look like they are going to hurt.
Ancient
The Banner-Bearer is pretty, well, if you like Marines, there you go. There is a lot of dead space between the model’s feet and the banner, especially since it looks like a 40mm at least. You do get a good profile shot of the Bolt Rifle, which helps show off its size, but overall, this is kind of a standard banner-Bearer.
Lieutenant
The Lieutenant is a damn characterful mini right there. The pose is evocative without being too busy, and the Auto Bolt Rifle looks like an awesome piece of fun. The pistol in the other hand is a bit strange and brings down the model for me a bit, just as it seems odd that the guy who have his rifle up in the air with one hand and his pistol in the other. Even just a knife or a chainsword in the other hand would have been preferable. There is a lot of open space on that base, which adds a good place for some extra basing goodies (I can imagine a genestealer head or something).
Lieutenant (2)
This is a much more generic character with the classic battle pose, but I do like that he doesn’t have anything crazy for a helmet. Again, nothing too special here, but at least the pose makes sense. Giving you two of the same character with different load outs is interesting though, which leads me to think we’ll get AoS style characters that have different buffs depending on their loadout.
Captain
The new Gravis Armour is cool with a nice mix of all the Terminator armor designs without looking too boxy. It is definitely the classic “Look what I got” pose, but it works. The mix of power sword and power fist is cool, especially with the wrist mounted bolter that Grey Knights love so much. Assuming a 40mm base, he takes it up well. This a nice mix of new design and Heresy-era design that really brings together the fluff and the model.
The Death guard:
Foetid Bloat-Drone
The Bloat Drone is pretty damn cool. There is a lot of character here with the mix of dirty, corrupted metal and flesh (and the Producer’s favorite: Fleshmetal). It is nice to see essentially a FW model being slightly converted to be over in plastic, and the lines of the model really help capture the insect/fly motif while still looking very much like a machine. You can almost imagine a non-corrupted version, which is a good sign of a solidly designed model, at least to me.
Plague Marines
The new Plague Marines look awesome. They are suitably beefy and corrupted, but they still have the classic silhouette of a space marine, with a few mutations. I can definitely see A LOT of space for a painter to make each one unique, and for a few, their poses are a bit more dynamic than the Primmies. Overall, big win.
Pox Walkers
The Pox Walkers are pretty cool for your standard zombie unit, which is what they appear to be. The improvised and corrupted weapons look cool without looking too medieval pitchfork. Again, there is a lot of space for painting here to really make these work, and they appear to be on 25mms, and they make good use of the space without completely spilling over. They definitely capture walking undead in the far future better than a lot of the other zombie minis out there (Adam…).
Plaguecaster
So this definitely feels like a Nurgle caster. The typical cloaked psyker thing is a bit overdone, especially with DG, but the pose is classic Fantasy caster, which is kinda neat. I am not in love with the model, but it is certainly evocative. Again, the DG really won in terms of painting material as there is a lot of fine detail to play with here.
Blightbringer
This guy really reminds me of the old Nurgle Lord, and in general, it is a solid model. The bell motif has always been a big part of Nurgle, so it all works, and I do love the little nurgling hanging out as it has been a great conceit running through the range for years to have the little dudes doing their thing. The plasma pistol looks appropriate (and I like the red glow rather than the typical blue). It is hard to see from this angle what the other weapon is. The Bell is a cool way of doing the banner, and it allows the model to be bigger on the base without having to worry about the standard floating off the base somewhere.
Lord of Contagion
There is a lot of subtle motion to this model with the billowing warp flames and chains, and it is really cinematic. That axe looks pretty intense, and the overall bulk of the model is impressive, especially considering that he looks to be on a 50mm. You definitely get the feel that this guy comes to kick the ass in close combat, and again, from a painting perspective, there is a lot you can do with this model, including the leering faces on his back banner. A big win here.
Ok, so overall, just the models themselves are pretty damn cool in Dark Imperium, and well, the Death Guard definitely win, but still, these are some fine, fine models. We’ll see what the price point is, but our guess would be somewhere in the 150 range. If so, that’s a damn good deal. Thanks as always, and I have a strong suspicion that some of these models may end up as prizes if you tune into our marathon 8th edition release party via Twitch. I just have that feeling. Also, we can have way more prizes if you head over to Patreon.
