Tuesday 9 June 2015

Wishful thinking: Plastic Horus Heresy range and where is the HH masterclass book?

An unfounded theory presents itself to me. This may be completely innacurate though. 

Schedule-wise, apparently we were meant to see the official Horus Heresy Painting Masterclass book from Forge World in May. 


We got the paints but no book. Now I have to question why. My possible theory is below. 

A Brand new Space Marine Codex has just come out with some new Minis (Assault marines and Devestator marines). 
We have had 2 weeks of no releases from Forge World on a Friday (22nd of May the paints came out). This is not FW's usual MO, always something every week. 
So my wild Theory is; Masterclass Book has plastic Horus Heresy Space a Marines in there. 
GW wanted to release a 40k Space Marine Codex with all these shiny new Marines for the pure 40k players, new model box sets with the new bases etc to get their house in order before they release an Age of Darkness Space Marine Supplement (basically ensuring they keep the 40k Space Marine gamer supported and happy before creating a parallel range). 


We all know Games Workshop's busy release schedule has pushed it all back which Forge World had not bargained on.
Now this could be totally unfounded wild rumour making, but it does strike me as strange the book didn't come out in concert with the paints. When speaking to the excellent staff at FW we get a teasing "watch this space" when we ask for a paint scheme which utilises the new paints. 
I am fully sold that there will be a plastic range this year. I believe this by just looking at the upgrade sets that FW are making instead of the beautiful complete kits they used to make. 

We are also seeing a lot of "start your Legion now" banners on FW selling the standard Legion pieces we all will be buying anyway like this;


Final confirmation nail in the coffin for me will when we see those Breacher shields, arms and guns we saw in Tempest (older square pattern type) sold without bodies. 

Drake Seta

10 comments:

  1. Man IDK bout FW tricking us into buying stuff that will go OOP. That would just crush what ever little soul I still think lives in that company.

    Also, it sorta just looks like them advertising 30k generically, trying to get people to start their White Scars, or whatever.

    The direction looks like its turning away from a campaign based system to an army based system like regular 40k. Book topics do become a little bit for murky match up wise for the future. Russ vs Magnus is obvious, but after that I'm not sure.

    Signus Prime only has one marine army in it. I'm not sure what the dark angles could fight, besides themselves. and the Kahn has to be expanded upon quite a bit more beyond; was fighting alpha legion for a unknown number of years.

    I think it would be easier for them to just release rule books, and come up with new fluff later.

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    1. Lol. FW are good to us. I can't say a bad word about them. They give us Titans, Primarchs and eventually the Emperor himself.

      It could be that, but more often than not you go: "I like that Primarch and scheme, I need certain troops and Legion specific bits if out". When people start a Space Marine Chapter they know they need Tactical Marines :).

      That is something I like. The Red books are fantastic for that, but they are already out of date (Xiphon, Deredeo etc) so as long as they keep bringing new Legionnes units out an army book can't be the only option.

      Yeah it does only have one Legion in it but also gives the chance to do a Chaos Daemon list maybe (FW spec). Could easily contain other conflicts such as Diamat (Dark Angels and Sons of Horus with Dark Mechanicum) and not just one. They have done this previously with Isstvan V, Paramar and Phall in one book. Lots of great set piece short conflicts that can be thrown in here and there. Regarding Alpha Legion, those Curs get everywhere and spend almost the whole Heresy against the Wolves by the sound of it. The Scars will be getting a lot of action after the Khan sentences many forces to penance after Scars.

      Would have been great if they had just started at the Great Crusade lol!!!

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    2. And Signus if you read fear to tread actually had a small force of word bearers including Gal Vorbak

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  2. I think the no-release period is just to give all the spotlight to the Space Marines launches, which as we know are the bread and butter of the GW business.

    Strategy-wise I think it makes a lot more sense that FW sticks to resin and doesn't do any plastics, I would not dismiss GW releasing some sort of 40k plastic kit reminiscent of the Heresy (i.e. MKII-IV bits) but that's about it.

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    1. That is all I expect them to release. Mk2, mk3 and mk4 sets. Would love it to be as a Great Crusade data / rule set so Xenos can get involved, and keep HH squarely with FW, but I don't imagine that happening. Would be a good way to introduce some of the missed characters too such as Santar, Numeon and Lucius.

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  3. If GW want to start bringing out 30k miniatures as well its not like we are gonna be complaining :D The more the merrier!

    Though in saying that, if FW stop with full kits and GW drop the ball on design for the bodies, that could be annoying..

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    1. Throne no, neither would I! Would attempt a Legion in a day with Dark Angels :)
      Yeah that would upset me too. The mk3 head would need to be cast on it's side otherwise would either need to be a 2 parter or a complete redesign or detail destroyer (ala Grey Knight Terminator back of legs :(

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  4. 3 fridays without Models. I am barley breathing...need..shiny...stuff...

    Plastic kits would be very welcome. The way it is now its very impractical, unnecessary expensive and sometimes the casts are just poor in quality and need a lot of filling and filing.

    Plastics definatley welcome in my hobby space.

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  5. Im fairly sure that generic plastic legionnaires would be on everyone's wish list! Then just add chapter specific upgrades (torsos, helemets etc) and job done!! A relatively cheap legion base to start from allowing more time and money to be spent on the good stuff!!

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  6. Just as ana aside don't forget the FW open day is next month so I would imagine loads of things to come off the back of that also.

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