Leaked Dark Angels

Dark Angels have hit the interwebz... and the new miniatures have managed to create a clear divide in the online community. But to appreciate why let's take a look at these new miniatures...

It appears that Games Workshop is taking a new approach with their Codex artwork. Gone are the last stands or the charges into battle that previous editions have offered. Now we have a single individual produced using computer graphics. I don't dislike this new approach, just more a fan of the older styles. The shrine on the backpack is cool mind you.

Next months White Dwarf gives us a heads up on when the new Dark Angels hit the shelves. January 12th to those wondering. To me this just highlights the change in approach to marketing by Games Workshop. We are almost at the end of December and only now do we see leaked pictures. Can remember a time when the month before a release resulted in a sneak peak in White Dwarf... or sometimes even an actual preview.

I like this miniature except the legs... such an utter shame. Bell of Lost Souls has individuals comparing this pose to peeing. And yet this isn't the worst of the new releases.

I love these miniatures. They have loads of conversion options. Especially the legs, torso and the two handed power axe in bottom right picture. Plus that shield looks perfect for Black Templars once the detail has been removed. My only concern is the possibility that they are not a proper multi-kit. The top left miniature looks to be in a fixed pose... we will have to wait and see what happens.

My heart jumped into my mouth when I first saw these Deathwing Knights. All I could think was the conversion possibilities of those tabards. But then I looked closer and noticed that the hoods appear to be attached to the torso. Have to wait and see regarding that. The kit still offers more shields. PLUS there are power mauls and a flail. Don't care how uncompetitive power mauls are... they look cool.

This isn't the best quality picture... hard to tell if the new miniature shares the same, awesome helmet as the soon to be OOP miniature. It is interesting to see that this miniature also has smoke rising up like the Dark Vengeance Chaplain. This may be where the rumour that the Limited Edition miniature will actually became permanently available.

And this is where we start to see Dark Angels becoming the poster child of plasma weapons. Twin-linked plasma guns on Space Marine Bikes... and to top it off they have access to FnP from an apothecary. To me these guys are rather uninteresting... due to a disinterest in Space Marine bikes as a whole.

I'm a fan of the Storm Raven and Storm Talon. Others may see them as flying bricks... but to me they fit into the aesthetics of Space Marine armies. But this, this is a piece of utter shyt. Forget the PG rating... this is a fucking piece of shit that should never have gone past the initial thought. It is worse than the Dreadknight with it's baby capsule. I'm unable to properly express my disgust when I first saw this. So much potential wasted. Hopefully we will see the more skilled hobbyists take this and make it into what it should be.

The latest flyer to the hit the skies of the 41st Millennium. Like the Storm Talon and the Storm Raven before it, this fits nicely into the Space Marine aesthetics. And in this case it is more than just a flying brick... it is a flying brick with wings. I'm not sure how I feel regarding the level of fire power each of these appear to boast. Hopefully we can see some movement by Games Workshop to redress the imbalance that flyers can bring to the table top.