New Webway Portal news from GW on today's What's New Today [url=http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/blogPost.jsp?aId=13600038a]at this link[/url]. Unfortunately, there's nothing about allocating more to the North American web store.
STOP PRESS: The Dark Eldar Webway Portal has now sold out on the web in the US (it's only been on sale for 48hours!). If you're in Europe or Australia I'd suggest ordering one now before it's too late for you too.
See my latest eBay auctions at http://shop.ebay.com/zigra/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
Venom kit already exists... it's the Vyper (or the top turret of the Fire Prism), plus some extra Raider/Ravager bitz and a splinter cannon or two from your Warriors. Done and done.
The grotesques were released earlier this year... GW just mislabeled them Minotaurs. The models are pretty grotesque looking!
Wracks could be a kitbash unit...
Pretty sure the Talos and Cronos will be one plastic kit... that'd be pretty sweet. Hopefully the same with the two flyers... although they could very well just not release models for those.
Beastmaster beasts I'd like to see, but from what I've seen of their stats, you may as well use a combination of the Tyranid and Daemon ranges. Should do you just fine. Add a Hellion for the Beastmaster, and you're good.
That's all well and good, but whenever possible I like to use original GW kits for things as big as Venoms and Talos/Cronos, as well as the flyers. I can understand the Grotesques and Wracks being kitbashed and I've already seen some interesting takes on them, but I've also seen the art in the DE book and I really like the way they look in the artwork, so I'd love to get my hands on some actual models that didn't require bitsmashing.
In the end, I'm most worried about the Archon Retinue and Beastmaster Beasts. I'm praying they get actual kits, even if they're metal, because the Sslyth really sound awesome, and I'd hate to have to kitbash that because I know I wouldn't do it justice.
And the Venom is something else entirely. I've heard a lot of people talking about kitbashing the Vyper and all that, but I have a feeling the Venom itself is supposed to look very different from that, and using an Eldar Vyper would really stand out from the sharp, convex look of the Dark Eldar vehicles and armor. It'd stand out like a sore thumb that's been dipped in liquid fire and put in the spotlight.
Ultimately I can convert/sculpt pretty much anything I want for my army... but I don't want to do this as the new GW plastics always look better (im good, but im not that good).
Then of course you have people who cannot do conversions or sculpting... what are they to do? what about people who can't afford to buy 3-4 kits to make as single squad?
It is for these reasons that GW should do a kit for such essential units...
Autarch, Shas'o, Chaos Lord and Decadant Lord of the Webway. And a Doctor!
http://drlove42.blogspot.com/
A vyper plus spare bits from the new ravager (of which there will be lots as it looks like it comes with the second raider frame) should do just fine and not be too hard to make or ridiculously expensive (assuming you actually want a ravager).
The similarity to the eldar Vyper in the codex picture points to no new model for this entry.
Ask not the EldarGal a question, for she will give you three answers, all of which are puns and terrifying to know. Back off man, I'm a feminist. Ia! Ia! Gloppal Snode!
Will be looking forward to reading that!
I'll take another look at those pictures in the Codex when I get a chance. it still feels like heresy using an Eldar Vyper to make a very Dark Eldar vehicle, especially since most of the Dark Eldar stuff really does look leagues different from any Eldar stuff. Yeah, some vehicles share similar frames (jetbikes, for example) but the whole theme and style is a big step apart.
Also I'm really bad at kitbashing vehicles...
So, apparently Urien Rakarth, the Hellions, Mandrakes and Ravager are not wave 1.5, its just part of the initial release, and wave 1.5 is coming sometime next year with wave 2 who knwos when.
Ask not the EldarGal a question, for she will give you three answers, all of which are puns and terrifying to know. Back off man, I'm a feminist. Ia! Ia! Gloppal Snode!