 | As much as the end of White Dwarf Weekly saw foot traffic in Games Workshop stores decrease and it's a long time to wait between product updates - geez it's nice to have White Dwarf pop in your letterbox! There's been a sense of expectation since last weekend, and I even found myself itching for something like this about 2 weeks ago. This sort of reaction has to be great news for Games Workshop who were badly looking for the expectation to drive sales, especially with big releases of late like Deathwatch and now Genestealer Cults. The format hasn't changed from last month, in fact I feel like there might be even more in terms of value added content - extra little bits and pieces! There's little boxes on almost every page with a tid bit of information, or a special painting tip, a bit of history or converting advice - this I think is where people will start to get lot out of this new format. Here's hoping they foster it. Also, with a magazine this size, there is the room to really explore something; the 8 page Jes Goodwin interview or the 12 page Army of the Month... ++ More After The Jump ++ |
Planet Warhammer is the news section of White Dwarf. It collates all of the recent releases, plus news from across the hobby, including games (as we saw last month).
This month we get a really good look at the Genestealer products coming up, including the Goliath truck which we think is one of the most iconic vehicles Games Workshop have released in some time. We also see for the first time three new kits, the Cult Iconward, Genestealer Cult Neophyte Hybrid Squad, the Genestealer Cult Neophyte Hybrid Armoured Claw and the Genestelaer Cult Leman Russ. These last three are existing Imperial Guard kits with a Genestealer Upgrade sprue, one of the best upgrade sprues we have seen in a while!
There is also a quick ad for the Genestealer Cults Codex and Painting Guide, and then a look at the Stormcast Errant-Questor - the first Stormcast without a helmet and available ONLY at Warhammer World.
The Hobbit gets a quick nod with the Dain Ironfoot kit having a quick showing.
Games Workshop have also shown off some new texture paints that not only come in larger pots, but also two thicknesses to give you either a really gritty coat or a thinner one. I do see an issue with this though - Games Workshop are using plastic microbeads in the solution to make the gritty texture. Plastic microbeads have been under the spotlight for a while now for causing environmental havoc in the oceans, with environmental and consumer groups calling for them to be banned. The ban will come into force - it's ony a matter of time - so this could be a very short lived idea by GW.
Look for these to not be available everywhere or for long.
The free Warhammer 40k comic book from Titan Comics has a bit of a plug as does the sold out Genestealer dice. Incidentally the comic isn't too bad, bit cliche, but well done!
Black Library gets their own section in Planet Warhammer, with the Primarchs: Roboute Gulliman novel and the limited edition Primarchs: Leman Russ novel getting a look in, as does Baneblade and Shadowblade.
Chris Wraight, the author of Primarchs: Leman Russ has a short interview in this section too and this novel sounds AWESOME!!! Crusade era Space Wolves and Dark Angels being all angsty at each other. Cool!
Finally Planet Warhammer ends with a wrap up of the Blood Angels releases, the Arcane Heroes Set for Age of $igmar and also the new Hero Card Set for Silver Tower
This month we get a really good look at the Genestealer products coming up, including the Goliath truck which we think is one of the most iconic vehicles Games Workshop have released in some time. We also see for the first time three new kits, the Cult Iconward, Genestealer Cult Neophyte Hybrid Squad, the Genestealer Cult Neophyte Hybrid Armoured Claw and the Genestelaer Cult Leman Russ. These last three are existing Imperial Guard kits with a Genestealer Upgrade sprue, one of the best upgrade sprues we have seen in a while!
There is also a quick ad for the Genestealer Cults Codex and Painting Guide, and then a look at the Stormcast Errant-Questor - the first Stormcast without a helmet and available ONLY at Warhammer World.
The Hobbit gets a quick nod with the Dain Ironfoot kit having a quick showing.
Games Workshop have also shown off some new texture paints that not only come in larger pots, but also two thicknesses to give you either a really gritty coat or a thinner one. I do see an issue with this though - Games Workshop are using plastic microbeads in the solution to make the gritty texture. Plastic microbeads have been under the spotlight for a while now for causing environmental havoc in the oceans, with environmental and consumer groups calling for them to be banned. The ban will come into force - it's ony a matter of time - so this could be a very short lived idea by GW.
Look for these to not be available everywhere or for long.
The free Warhammer 40k comic book from Titan Comics has a bit of a plug as does the sold out Genestealer dice. Incidentally the comic isn't too bad, bit cliche, but well done!
Black Library gets their own section in Planet Warhammer, with the Primarchs: Roboute Gulliman novel and the limited edition Primarchs: Leman Russ novel getting a look in, as does Baneblade and Shadowblade.
Chris Wraight, the author of Primarchs: Leman Russ has a short interview in this section too and this novel sounds AWESOME!!! Crusade era Space Wolves and Dark Angels being all angsty at each other. Cool!
Finally Planet Warhammer ends with a wrap up of the Blood Angels releases, the Arcane Heroes Set for Age of $igmar and also the new Hero Card Set for Silver Tower
Contact is up next and is the new mail bag section where all your queries are answered...
Titan Comics have taken on the mantle of bringing a new series of Warhammer 40,000 comics to life and this four page spread takes you through the creative process.
Hall of Fame is Smaug (pronounced s'MORE-G, thank you Peter Jackson)- a might beast of a model!!
Army of the Month is a hang over from Warhammer Visions and boy is this an army of the month! This is Simon Grant's Space Wolves, a force built over many years and constantly evolving according to the large interview accompanying the story. Not only are we taken through the force, but then White Dwarf add to it with boxes showing Pack Markings, then a feature called Faction Spotlight looking at the Space Wolves themselves and then a breakdown of Simon's Strike Force Mjalnar, all the while using his models to illustrate the Space Wolves Chapter as a whole. This is a really lovely clean looking force with a wealth of interesting conversions and miniatures that span the years.
Jes Goodwin is The Man! We are huge fans at Beardy Hammer HQ and this lengthy 8 page interview with shots from his sketchbook as well as miniatures he designed is really quite good. Don't expect probing questions, but the insight he gives and the details about the look of the Eldar and others, Space Marines included, is really great to read. The photo at the front of the article shows him drawing some Mechanicus in his very clean and crisp style. An incredibly talented designer and concept artist, Jes Goodwin really needs to be known and appreciated by Games Workshop hobbyists even more than he is.
Temporal Distort this month is issue #266 from 2002 - when Lord of the Rings minis were at the back of the magazine - and upside down! There's also a shout out to the Index Astartes and Index Xenos sections of that issue as well as Neil Green's paint job on the then new Dragon Prince of Caledor.
Armies on Parade is in full swing, and having a look at these amazing entries it makes me wonder why I'm bothering, but here we get to see Dan Harden's Clan Ferrik, Owen Patten's Xaphinelix's Gambit, Emma Durrant's A New Dawn and Chris Bilewicz's Ryzan Cavalcade. These are all really awesome and have to be seen to be truly appreciated. Some great detail in the conversions too!
The Ultimate Guide To... is Genestealer Cults (surprise!!)
This is a truly exhaustive look at them too - 12 pages including Designers Notes, followed by an Exclusive Mission "the Hunter, Hunted" and then a Battle Report on that scenario!
This is pretty much a wet dream for those wanting good solid White Dwarf content.
This is a truly exhaustive look at them too - 12 pages including Designers Notes, followed by an Exclusive Mission "the Hunter, Hunted" and then a Battle Report on that scenario!
This is pretty much a wet dream for those wanting good solid White Dwarf content.
Games Workshop have really been doing a stellar job with their art over the past year or so - absolutely knocking it out of the park - and this showcase of some of the champions of the Age of $igmar world is really awesome! Taken from across the factions, this is really cool!
Any showcase of Golden Demon entries is good - but have a look at this Gutrot Spume by David Soper - this thing is beautiful! Interestingly each entry shown also has a What The Judges Said information box which is great for those planning on entering Golden Demon
A Tale of Four Warlords has been following the growing forces of four gamers, one each for the four factions in Warhammer Age of $igmar and boy are these guys coming along!!
There's a cool feature in this section - have a look on the right hand side and notice that a particular technique is illustrated for each army. Really cool idea! Almost like a mini masterclass.
There's a cool feature in this section - have a look on the right hand side and notice that a particular technique is illustrated for each army. Really cool idea! Almost like a mini masterclass.
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Sprues and Glue goes through some conversions using the Genestealer Upgrade Sprue. It's a pretty cool sprue and could be used for a few forces really - minus the very Genestealer-y heads of course.
There's also a really cool challenge that Darren Latham was set to fit ten Genestealer Cultists on a Goliath - and it looks so totally cool. This vehicle is amazing. If it wasn't $100 I might want multiples.
There's also a really cool challenge that Darren Latham was set to fit ten Genestealer Cultists on a Goliath - and it looks so totally cool. This vehicle is amazing. If it wasn't $100 I might want multiples.
Paint Splatter is quite involved this month, with how to paint Blood Angels, painting black, and Genestealer Cults all covered. As usual this is pretty exhaustive. The Blood Angels stuff does look a bit rushed though...
'Eavy Metal Masterclass is all about doing super detailed faces! there's a lot going on here, and certainly if you want to practice this is a pretty good guide. Interstingly this technique is very similar to the classic techniques used by scale modellers for many years.
John Blanche got a mention in the Jes Goodwin article, and now here he is with Blanchitsu!
Well not technically John Blanche because this is the work of Mikael Silvanto - who brings three Inquisitorial retinues to this edition of Blanchitsu. Again, this section continues to impress with some amazing conversions that are so full of character!
Well not technically John Blanche because this is the work of Mikael Silvanto - who brings three Inquisitorial retinues to this edition of Blanchitsu. Again, this section continues to impress with some amazing conversions that are so full of character!
C3P0 on steroids no longer needs to be the nickname for Stormcast Eternals, because Les Martin has some smashing ones from the Celestial Vindicator Stormhost and they are so SO SOOO good!!
A severely restricted palette put to very good use.
A severely restricted palette put to very good use.
A nice selection of Reader's Models - one day maybe I'll get in here... Check out the epic OSL on the Riptide!
In The Bunker this month is the results of a challenge for staff members to paint up a hero for Silver Tower. Have a look at that Cogsmith (top row in the middle) it's in the same scheme as THE BLOOD BOWL TEAM!! Yes the first mention of Blood Bowl in White Dwarf! It must be close...
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Speaking of close, next month's White Dwarf has Horus Heresy in it, and since we've already spoiled the cover by showing it to you some weeks ago, we know that there will be MKIII Space Marines and more from the new Horus Heresy boxed set! Apart from that, the rest of the features we have seen this month will be back with them all nicely set out. So a MKIII Paint Splatter? Here's hoping!!
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Speaking of close, next month's White Dwarf has Horus Heresy in it, and since we've already spoiled the cover by showing it to you some weeks ago, we know that there will be MKIII Space Marines and more from the new Horus Heresy boxed set! Apart from that, the rest of the features we have seen this month will be back with them all nicely set out. So a MKIII Paint Splatter? Here's hoping!!
Verdict
Another cracking issue!
The addition of the boxes with added content down the sides of the pages, or just popped in to give you extra stuff were great. THIS is an excellent idea. The extra painting tips and tricks and the amount of room they gave to the articles was brilliant! Some of these things need room, something Warhammer Visions had, but failed to deliver on. More and more I think what I wanted from Warhammer Visions is actually the new White Dwarf Monthly. Go buy this. You won't be sorry!
The addition of the boxes with added content down the sides of the pages, or just popped in to give you extra stuff were great. THIS is an excellent idea. The extra painting tips and tricks and the amount of room they gave to the articles was brilliant! Some of these things need room, something Warhammer Visions had, but failed to deliver on. More and more I think what I wanted from Warhammer Visions is actually the new White Dwarf Monthly. Go buy this. You won't be sorry!
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