T I T A N O M A N C Y

Because Titanomachy was already taken

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Well, well, well... look what's finally in stock.

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Can't copyright Maltese crosses and Crusader iconography. Deus vult.

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Okay, that's pretty good.

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While I'm sure that the Siege of Death Mire came to a totally legit and not at all predetermined outcome, it sure is on brand that in the grim darkness of the far future where there's only war, that the global campaign ended in a brutal stalemate with no decisive victor - but neither would I have counted on a decisive victory for either the Imperium or the Orks making much of a difference on Armageddon, in the broader narrative, when the war world has been contested, uninterrupted, for the last thirty years. At least when the new Steel Legion drops in 2028, they'll have something to fight over!

Anyway, an Ork victory in Battlezone: Hive Heart means a new Ork preview so here's the new Boyz.

Fantastic update. They've even got some Rogue Trader throwbacks in there.

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Nobody: Absolutely nobody: The Rogue Trader:

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In the bad old days, you used to have to scrounge for combi-weapons off of individual Sternguard blisters and maybe Master Azrael, so this is much better.

Like the various heavy and special weapon or melee weapon upgrades, the combi-weapons and shotguns box appears to contain a double sprue with the various guns and accessories. All of the weapons are a pretty significant redesign over previous incarnations, but the shotguns especially stand out. I like the inclusion of a choke to keep all those pellets concentrated right in a traitor's face.

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It's almost time for war.

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Archamus, first of his name, Last of the First, Praetorian of Dorn.

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POV: you're just a little hater.

Anyway, new Infinite and Divine sequel for the Necron girlies. Have fun.

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Truthfully, I'm a little surprised that we're getting a new named Ultramarine and not an update to one of the lingering firstborn characters like Chaplain Cassius (who was updated for Deathwatch: Overkill in 2016 and is currently unavailable as the Deathwatch range slowly trudges towards Primarisization), but I suppose a named Chapter Champion isn't entirely unacceptable.

And I still wouldn't entirely dismiss the possibility of a Cassius refresh, since narratively they're linking Kaius Konorius to both him and Marneus Calgar, so they could be setting up a Three Amigos type of situation - which I would have expected to include Tigurius, but he got his Primaris update in 2019 and, to be entirely mercenary about it, isn't likely to drive sales of new models; especially since his Primaris model is already just a bigger version of the classic sculpt.

But this basically just reaffirms my previous supposition that Cato Sicarius got mogged by Captain Titus, since two named Victrix Guard characters is more than a little bit redundant... but it wouldn't have been if Sicarius returned to command of the 2nd Company as he'd been intended.

Also, since this is the Death Mire preview; great job Imperial players, way to protagonist the global campaign.

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"And here's what a Warlord Titan would look like in StarCraft!"

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It's like Sanguinala has come early!

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Remember how I said that the direction of travel for the Primaris range changed so abruptly that it completely derailed release plans from 2020 onward? I one hundred percent stand by it - these new multipart Primaris Outriders look like they were intended to hit shelves five years ago. I'll be very curious to see what year is stamped on the sprue.

Don't get me wrong, they're easily one of the least offensive Primaris redesigns owing to their essential interchangeability with the classic Space Marine Bikes (Horus Heresy's MkIV Outriders weren't a significantly greater departure from the 90s model) but given that they've only been available as push-fit starter set models since 2020 I think it's probably safe to say that these were deferred until more classic models could be updated.

This also significantly increases the likelihood that the XI Edition update for Dark Angels is predominantly Ravenwing themed, but I feel like that was probably a foregone conclusion since X's was all Deathwing and Deathwing-adjacent Inner Circle.

I still kind of hate that scalloped vambrace all the assault Marines seem to have, but I guess there's no avoiding it at this point. Wait for the Age of Darkness bikes, otherwise.

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We are so back.

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I think the biggest surprise of the Big Summer Preview was the reveal of new Eldar Exodites. These have been rumored for a while, almost to the point of wishlisting, and based on certain sources I'd been anticipating an end-of-show teaser at most.

Eldar are not my jam but I've gotta say, I think the studio really understood the assignment with these sculpts. For at least the last thirty years, the go-to Exodite conversion has been to slap a Shining Spear on the back of a Cold One and call it a Dragon Knight and this is hands down the best execution of the concept to date.

The kit contains options for the three Kill Team specialists, and any can model be built as the 40k datasheet friendly Dragon Knights.

I expect that we'll probably see a similar trajectory to the Voidscarred Corsairs, in which case you can expect more Exodites in four years.

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Continuing the trend of resin upgrades transitioning to plastic, most of the remaining Warlord Titan weapons and more recent exotics are finally getting sprues. Still no word on ever getting them for 40k scale, which makes me sad.

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Only half of the Necromunda rumors panned out for the Big Summer Preview, with new Eschers and Goliaths in a new starter set to once again refresh the Necromunda rulebook - which means it's once again time to buy Gang Tactic cards.

The game seems to be rebranding as Warhammer Skirmish, which I haven't heard a great deal about and about which neither Adam and Eddie nor Warhammer Community had anything to say, but could conceivably be a blanket under which skirmish games like Kill Team get consolidated going forward.

These new models don't actually look like they're replacing the existing Goliath or Escher gang boxes, which are getting repackaged alongside their respective specialists and upgrade sprues as Underhive Crews - which seem to be Necromunda Battle Forces, so they may be a savings over the kits individually if you want to get the whole gang range (sans vehicles) at once.

However, my interest is mostly for the latest extension of the Zone Mortalis range, which seems to be the last remaining holdout for modular terrain in 40k. The new Ruined Factoria Pipes look like they'll fit in great with the existing Zone Mortalis ruins - so, once again, my indefinite procrastination on actually assembling my Necromunda board has payed off once again.