 | White Dwarf #73 came out today and with it the reemergence of almost a lost part of Games Workshop lore - the Dark Angels. The Emperor's First, the Unforgiven, the Angels of Death - however you know them, I have to say... it's really nice to see them back. In a time that seems to be almost entirely dominated by Ultramarines, it's such a breath of fresh air to see Dark Angels take to the field again. No more blue!! The Dark Angels, in terms of miniatures have gone through some dark times in the past. Believe it or not, there was a time where the Dark Angels, unlike their current Gothic look, sported a look closer to American Indians, feathers and all. I think this might have turned a lot of people off - Hell it turned me off - some of those guys looked like birds! But I digress, in more recent times they are back to being all dark and brooding, with this issue of White Dwarf almost entirely dedicated to their new Codex. + + More After The Jump + + |
Nothing says the time of American Indian influences is over more than this guy - the Interrogator-Chaplain! Could he be more Gothic? Only if he was actually wearing a castle... and he pretty much is with his unique heavy armour and portcullis trim on his hood. This guy is awesome! I don't paint Dark Angels much (have in the past) but this guy is like a gateway drug - after this you may get hooked on Dark Angels!
The details on the miniature are very fine, intricate and full of character. I am a fan!
The write up here is very good, weaving the Horus Heresy stories into the fluff of the Chapter and anchoring the Raven WIng and Death WIng as the subordinates of the Chaplains themselves.
The details on the miniature are very fine, intricate and full of character. I am a fan!
The write up here is very good, weaving the Horus Heresy stories into the fluff of the Chapter and anchoring the Raven WIng and Death WIng as the subordinates of the Chaplains themselves.
The Codex gets a small overview, but does tell us that it is 160 pages and has nice pictures. I know that seems slim on detail (and it is) but... SOLD!!
To be honest these sections really could be better with more information, more sample pages, even preview text. The Games Workshop site does - you could even use the same images...
To be honest these sections really could be better with more information, more sample pages, even preview text. The Games Workshop site does - you could even use the same images...
Of course there's the super-duper Codex - the Reclusium Edition - which I could tell you all about, but it's sold out so there's not much point going into it.
The ubiquitous Datacards, plus two novels by Gav Thorpe and an audio drama.
The ubiquitous Datacards, plus two novels by Gav Thorpe and an audio drama.
The Dark Angels range gets a look in, minus the old Dark Angels upgrade set that of course I didn't buy and now regret, with the awesome Death Wing Command Squad box front and centre. How cool are those models??!
Forge Wolrd have gone with another unpainted model - BUT - they've done something good with it. They have done the lighting in such a way that you can see all the details really well including such small things as the Raptor Imperialis on his knee. If they did them all like this it would be good!
Forge Wolrd have gone with another unpainted model - BUT - they've done something good with it. They have done the lighting in such a way that you can see all the details really well including such small things as the Raptor Imperialis on his knee. If they did them all like this it would be good!
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The Lions Blade section explains how the Dark Angels are organised and includes details of the force organisation chart for the Lion's Blade Strike Force!!
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Paint Splatter - you did it - a detailed article explaining all the colour schemes of the Dark Angels. See, the return of the Emperor's 1st has brought with it other positive things!!
There seems to be a new way to do Dark Angels armour that makes it much darker than it has been in some of the previous incarnations. It's not super-new, but anyone returning will spot a difference. Ravenwing (to a lesser extent) and Deathwing are also covered.
Good work, GW. Actual good content in this section. Things might be picking up...
There seems to be a new way to do Dark Angels armour that makes it much darker than it has been in some of the previous incarnations. It's not super-new, but anyone returning will spot a difference. Ravenwing (to a lesser extent) and Deathwing are also covered.
Good work, GW. Actual good content in this section. Things might be picking up...
IT'S NOT A SPACE MARINE!!! What is htis? Well it's a really lovely Beastman Cygor.
Sprues and Glue goes into some detail about icongraphy on miniatures - again it would have been nice to still have the old Dark Angels upgrade set around...
Theatre of War is a scenario from The Battle of Piscina IV. Orks vs Dark Angels... that's a lot of green!
It's unusual for me to include this back section because it's usually a bit naff, but at times it includes actual content. This week there is actually a vital bit of detail in this section - the Art of Interromancy - a specific ability of Librarians from the Dark Angels Chapter. It's a great piece of fluff and could play out very interestingly on the battlefield as well.
There's also a chat about the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Dark Angels, the Deathwing and the Ravenwing.
There's also a chat about the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Dark Angels, the Deathwing and the Ravenwing.
Verdict
A very Dark Angel-heavy issue almost entirely concentrating on their release. The fluff is interesting if you're a newbie, if not it's a lot of things you already know.
40K fans might like this for their records, but if you're picking up the Codex next week then you could probably give this a miss.
40K fans might like this for their records, but if you're picking up the Codex next week then you could probably give this a miss.
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