Plastic MkIV marines are making their updated return to the battlefields of the 31st millennium!
Horus Heresy players are a special type. We love Space Marines. We love them so much that we play the “Oops! All Space Marines” version of Warhammer. Where others might be satisfied with just one kind of Power Armor, we say, “No. That is not enough. We need like, four kinds of power armor at minimum.” Strangely, Games Workshop has acquiesced and given us yet another type of Power Armor with the return of MkIV in the new Maximus Battle Group, scaled to match the other current marks!
Does this new variant do anything new rules-wise? No, absolutely not. It just lets us model excruciatingly specific bits of Horus Heresy “history,” and I, for one, am grateful for it. Let’s take a look!
MkIV Tactical Space Marines
The new box set includes sprues to build 20 Tactical Marines in MkIV Power Armor. The new sprue of MkIV armor will be generally familiar to anyone who’s built a Mk II, III, or VI plastic marine in recent years, as the poses are essentially the same and the bodies are designed to be compatible with all of the current weapon upgrade packs. The sprues also include additional forearm guards to add to those upgrade kit arms to maintain the MkIV aesthetic. A variety of new helmless heads are also included, which can be used with most other Space Marine kits.
The four sprues of marines are accompanied by the standard command sprue, including all the bits to add a holstered pistol, grenades, weaponry for a sergeant, and alternate heads. Presumably, we will see this set available as an independent release before long.
MkIV Assault Marines
The new MkIV Assault Squad is extremely sexy. A set of 10 jump pack marines, ready to decimate the enemy, has been sculpted with aggressive and cinematic poses. The kit offers some great details, like empty holsters (since most of your marines will be wielding their bolt pistols), a variety of heads, both with and without helms, and excitingly, a choice of primary weapons for all 10 miniatures.
You can choose between the standard chainswords of an assault squad or arm them with power lances to make them a brutal veteran squad. I’ve chosen to just put a lance on the sergeant for this squad, but it’s very cool to have the option.
Whirlwind Missile Tank
At last, it’s here! First revealed several months ago, the Whirlwind has taken its sweet time making its way to the battlefield. The imposing missile array of a Whirlwind has been an iconic sight in games of 40k since the ’90s and it’s great fun seeing it finally making its way to the tabletops of the Horus Heresy. It’s an extreme-range anti-infantry tank that can fire your choice of HE or Pyrax missiles, depending on your needs. A very cool variant of the Deimos rhino kit, this is going to be a common inclusion in many army lists.
Really though, plastic MkV when!?
Promotional Product Provided by Games Workshop, PLC
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Simon Berman has been a wargamer since 1993 and has worked in the tabletop games industry since 2008 as a staff writer for the first three editions of WARMACHINE and HORDES. These days he’s the General President of the Brush Wielders Union, a worldwide organization of miniatures painters of all skill levels, a freelance games writer who has contributed to a number of roleplaying games like Eclipse Phase, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, and The Hammer and the Stake. He runs his own small-press publishing company, Strix Publishing, and paints more miniatures than he can keep track of. Simon lives with his wife in Tacoma, Washington along with a number of cats and a pack of savage wiener dogs.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
