Forge World Newsletter #300: Tartaros pattern terminator armour

[Tinners]

I love them. Remind me of the original Rogue Trader terminators (without the mega shoulder pads)

[jspyd3rx]

Hopefully TH/SS bits can fit on these. Though the new termies do look smaller. Hopefully the TH/SS arms don't look out of place on these termies if there will be no more variants.

[LonelyPath]

I really like these new termie models, plus they'll fit well with my Contemptors so I'll have to get a couple of squads to put in with my DW.

[dex_911]

Aweful...GW termies are much better and way more menacing.

[WarIsExpensive]

I really like these new terminators! I bet everyone that they are going to release the cataphract pattern eventually though... Sooner rather than later I reckon... FW had been telling us that it would be cool to design some pre-heresy termies but they weren't currently in the pipes... I'm sure 2012 is going to be a year to remember...

[Ace Rimmer]

My friend and I were just discussing on Sunday how boring the current GW terminator's have become without any real aesthetic choices and how we wished FW would do some lol!

Screw work, I'm going to forge world on sunday!

[loveless]

Contemptor Babies...eh. Now they need some 25mm-based contemptors and a Warhound-sized contemptor and it'll look like an army of nesting dolls.

The Heavy Flamer is pretty awesome, though.

[DarkMark]

I quite like these Comtemptornators. The poses are a little boring, but that doesn't matter.

[Fluxeor]

I was tempted by them, but then noticed the lack of Assault Cannon and Cyclone options in the kit.. also not impressed with the detailing compared to FW's usual standard and the shoulder pads and helmets just arn't doing it for me either after looking at them for a couple of minutes.

[Zothos]

Ugh.

I don't like the Contemptor dread in the first place (I think I'm the only one who hates them).

These are far worse...

[sgtspiff]

Kind of cool... But LOOK at the hevy flamer. That's incredible sexy.

Not sure about them anyway.

Still thinks the venerable dreads from FW are the best they've done. (if you don't count the flyers).

[exsanguis]

GW/FW aren't stupid. Kataphract armour is to much of a cash cow for them to let it go by. Every month they don't release them is a month people are spending money on the maxmini shoulder pads instead! And if there's one thing GW like to do, it's make money.

That being said, these look great. Don't think they'd suit a PH army though...probably be some major work to fit some PH pads on those arms.

[SunTzu]

I'm not really keen. I'll wait for the real-deal pre-Heresy Terminators thanks.

[baphomael]

But in a way, they kinda are heresy era armour. They fit the design aesthetic of heresy era, fitting with contemptor and Maximus designs.

At least on the Facebook page, the FW Facebook survivor is claims that the Cataphractii armour fell out of use during the heresy and that other patterns of armour are contemporaneous with the era. With that in mind I have a feeling FW will rationalise this as a follow on from cataphractii armour that survives into the 41st millennium, while the cataphractii pattern didn't really survive the Heresy.

It's seems FW want to explore early armour marks that are still in use in M.41 at the moment, and that Cataphractii armour isn't one of them.

[WildWeasel]

GW/FW aren't stupid. Kataphract armour is to much of a cash cow for them to let it go by. Every month they don't release them is a month people are spending money on the maxmini shoulder pads instead! And if there's one thing GW like to do, it's make money.

That being said, these look great. Don't think they'd suit a PH army though...probably be some major work to fit some PH pads on those arms.

If GW really wanted to be cashing in on the HH and people doing pre-Heresy armies, we'd be seeing plastic kits for at least Mk 4 and 5. Have each be a box of 10 Marines in the given mark, with weapon options, and of course compatible with the rest of the SM range, so you can add in all the existing Legion specific bits from GW/FW. And if that really takes off, Legion upgrade packs and early mark Terminators.

While FW is doing the resin kits, the price and extra effort involved in getting FW for most people is enough of a hurdle to keep plenty of people who want to do a pre-Heresy army from doing so. Two plastic kits would lower those barriers.

[Captain Collius]

I like the sculpts and may buy a set but really no assault options .... ohh well

[baphomael]

If GW really wanted to be cashing in on the HH and people doing pre-Heresy armies, we'd be seeing plastic kits for at least Mk 4 and 5. Have each be a box of 10 Marines in the given mark, with weapon options, and of course compatible with the rest of the SM range, so you can add in all the existing Legion specific bits from GW/FW. And if that really takes off, Legion upgrade packs and early mark Terminators.

While FW is doing the resin kits, the price and extra effort involved in getting FW for most people is enough of a hurdle to keep plenty of people who want to do a pre-Heresy army from doing so. Two plastic kits would lower those barriers.

I think your right in that HH era plastics would sell like hotcakes, and clearly FW/GW realise that there is a demand, but I feel that they'll stick with resin for the time being. They know plenty of people will pay for it, and I don't thinly GW wants to detract from its standard m.41 era stuff too much. I think they'll leave that niche to FW.

Having said that, we might see some more early mark components in future kits, perhaps even 'veteran' kits that contain more early mark components (maybe even enough to equip a whole vet squad, if we're lucky) but I doubt GW would pu out dedicated whole sets of older armour marks for the time being while FW are doing a sterling job as it is.

Though, id love my theory to be proved wrong.

[TheConverter15]

Hmm, not really a huge fan of these. Going to have to be some GK Termi heads, "large" shoulder pads and the standard kit It's a shame the heads kinda ruin it. If any sees the set, ask if the heads are removeable

[baphomael]

Hmm, not really a huge fan of these. Going to have to be some GK Termi heads, "large" shoulder pads and the standard kit It's a shame the heads kinda ruin it. If any sees the set, ask if the heads are removeable

I think the heads are pretty cool, but judging by the look of those pics is imagine the heads come as separate pieces, so you could swap em out if ya like. Whether the GK heads fit or not is another matter. They already need a bit of trimming to fit normal terminator torsos... how well they fit these guys remains to be seen. We'll know more by Sunday, as several members will have had a chance to see them in the flesh and perhaps buy some. I know I'm considering picking some up (and/or the Moloc and Enkomi double team).

If I do pick some up, ill take a pic of the torso with a GK helmet dry fitted to give ya an idea of how well they fit.

EDIT: missed this bit from the product description, looks like they updated it since I last saw.

"Originally developed during the closing years of the Great Crusade, and adapted from the heaviest of industrial gear, several types and patterns were developed concurrently."

So, it seems that these models are definitely pre heresy but also suggests that all the different patterns are pre heresy... just that the recognizable Indomitus pattern is the most common.

So, it seems any terminator model could fit in a heresy era army... not just Cataphractii armour. I guess that'll make thematic armies a little easier to do

[Lord Inquisitor]

Oooh wow Forgeworld! Another slight variation on an existing model range!

Dear God-Emperor but Forgeworld have gotten boring. Of all the weird and wondering things in the Warhammer 40,000 background, they spend their time remaking the entire space marine and imperial guard ranges again and again with minor variations. Now, I could get behind the idea of pre-heresy Terminator armour, there'd be a huge demand for them and I could totally see myself getting some for my Emperor's Children. But these? Frankly, these could be kitbashed pretty easily. YAWN.

What happened to the rumours of AdMech? How many years before FORGEWORLD get around to making Forgeworld troops? Of all the awesome praetorians and knights and skitarii possibilities. Or aliens! Or daemon engines! (Okay, we did get the Decimator so +1 there but it's a pretty boring daemon engine). Or Tzeentch or Slaanesh terminators! Or... anything that's not a virtually indistinguishable remake of an existing marine unit!

It's not often a Forgeworld release is quite so banal as to prompt me to rant but ... wow. Forgeworld's releases have been such wasted opportunities recently. At least Warhammer Forge is being a bit more imaginative.