It has to be said that the Imperial Knight kit has always been impressive. When it was first launched back in March 2014 it produced some of the best issues in this incarnation of White Dwarf, easily competing with issues up to this week. I don't know if it's a coincidence or Games Workshop just love Imperial Knights, but this week's White Dwarf is packed with background, paint schemes and more, PLUS they also launch their new brush range and the Imperial Knights Codex! That's a fair bit for one issue... Imperial Knights go way back to the old Epic scale games and depict the pre-Imperium Knightly Orders who still stride across the battlefield smiting foes in a slightly smaller way than a Titan. The Imperial Knight previewed in this week's White Dwarf is a combi-kit allowing you to build one of five different Knights. This doesn't replace the current Imperial Knight kit, it just adds to the range. So, what else is inside this week's issue? + + More After The Jump + + |
The Knight Warden is the master of close range firefights and urban warfare. Armed with the trusty gatling gun, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Stormspear Rocket Pod and shoulder mounted melta-gun this one one mean mutha frakka!
Thankfully in the write up, White Dwarf makes clear that a Knightly Order does not have to swear fealty to the Adeptus Mechanicus just because they have "titans", they can be pure Imperials or in fact Freeblades or mercenaries.
The Gallant is also a close combat Knight, but in a different way - this guy is all about hand-to-hand.
The Crusader also shows off two other weapons options in the combi-kit. There's actually two different missile pod options in the kit, the Strormspear (we saw previously) or the Ironstorm which is filled with krakk grenades to rip infantry apart. There's also the Icarus autocannons for anti-air as we saw on the Onager Walker we saw the other week., making it the obvious anti-air choice for the Mechanicum.
Also notice the new Mechanicus mask on this guy - half skull and half stylised skull.
They pay just under double to US price, even Australia (who gets absolutely ripped on GW pricing) is closer to the Canadian price who have a similar exchange rate to the US dollar.
Regional pricing sucks!
There's now 4 Base brushes, 2 Shade brushes, a Glaze brush, 3 Drybrushes (now all flat rather than rounded specifically for the Dry compound paints), an incredibly expensive Artificer brush, two large Scenery brushes and a Texture Spreader for texture paints etc.
The flat Base brushes now now angled go help get into corners.
I'll be interested to see how these go. They are no traditional brushes and could either be great or a gimmick, and as much as the saying "you get what you pay for" absolutely applies to brushes, that Artificer brush is a tad OTT at $34!
If you don't use Citadel brushes - what do you use?
It really is a great looking kit!!
Verdict
If you love mechs and Knights, then this issue is definitely for you.
If you play Orks or Tau or Warhammer - this is not necessarily the issue for you.
Personally I like all the fluff so that is interesting even if I don't plan on buying the new kit.
PLUS this issue also comes with a poster explaining their paint range.
It's frankly confusing but nice to see all the colours and texture paints!