Space Marine Rumours

[Mr Mystery]

I am very pleased by this. I think each box should contain all the options. I remember being very frustrated ages ago having to buy a complete metal marine just to get a meltagun option

To be fair, the 'all in one' box is a relatively new innovation. I think the first was the re-cut Ork Boyz. 10 Boyz, Nob (Fnarr) Rokkit, Big Shoota, pretty much all the options you needed.

[Frostclaw]

New Tactical and Assault squads? Desperately needed, as many have said. The arm-mounted heavy flamer will be great. Might even pick up a few to see if I can kit-bash heavy weapon mock-ups in the same manner, to keep my heavy weapon mods from looking so static. Fixing jump packs? A serious win, that. But, I'm looking at these three boxes, and wondering what other fiddly bits will come with? Combi-weapons for the sarge? Specialist CCWs like power mauls? Will we see flame pistols migrate to codex forces? Inferno pistols? Some new options are in there, or so the OP quote says.

Librarian sprue is long overdue. Suspect the Chaplain sprue may have been pulled back for modification to better enable it to address non-codex chapters, like Space Wolves. I mean, tossing in a wolf skull helm is easy, but what about maybe a chestplate or something? Maybe something for Templar, BA, DA?

Techmarine kit makes me very, very happy. Just wish GW would tweak the Iron Priest to allow for some of these expanded options, as it might actually see Wolves players pick it up like it was candy.

Scouts saying good by to Leno-head-syndrome is grand, the new options intriguing. Going to guess some sort of grenade launcher, either a bolter over-under line the M16/M203 or some variant assault weapons.

The new interceptor/bomber I'm divided on. Sure, SM should have something like that, but I thought the trick was they had things that could function as such, but also were multi-role. The Storm Talon and Raven fit, as does the Thunderhawk, from either a mixed-role or direct-support perspective, but a dedicated interceptor or bomber seems a bit specialized. I can see the reasoning, though, I guess.

Despite seeing some really intricate and awesome mods, not a fan of a scout dune buggy. The Landspeeder Storm more than answers the mail for scout transport. In fact, it's pretty dang awesome. The buggy will either have to be incredibly cheap pointswise or offer some serious options to compete with the Storm for inclusion.

Moving forward on armor marks I'm a big fan of. This will allow longtime buyers to diversify their figs, refresh a mould that's already showing its age, and provide some serious distinction between it and the Forge World Heresy-era stuff, possibly even prompting folks to pay attention to armor marks and maybe buy a couple upgrade sets so their sergeants, officers, honor guards, etc, have some wargear that sets them apart.

Just please: we need plastic combi-flamers and a few other bits to fill gaps in the bits line, folks. And the finecast Sternguard upgrade kit was a pathetic attempt to answer that issue.

[Chris*ta]

Despite seeing some really intricate and awesome mods, not a fan of a scout dune buggy. The Landspeeder Storm more than answers the mail for scout transport. In fact, it's pretty dang awesome. The buggy will either have to be incredibly cheap pointswise or offer some serious options to compete with the Storm for inclusion.

I think it only needs one "option" to be worth considering: Dedicated transport.

[Wildeybeast]

At the risk of being a massive buzzkill, I really wouldn't get worked up over the new tac/assault box sets rumours. So far GW has not updated a single existing plastic 'basic troops' set for any of the fantasy armies in 8th ed. Everything is either new versions of metal stuff or new additions to army books. CSM has followed this same pattern & IIRC correctly, non of the last wave few codexes have either. I'm not saying they won't do such a thing for a second wave (in fact it would make for a really good second wave), but GW are super keen to get models for all the new units out ASAP to stop third parties plugging the gap. The existing plastic box sets for core units will always sell well, doing a new version of them won't give a sales boost like turning metal/FC units into plastic. Whilst they do change policies, the current pattern has been pretty well established over the last couple of years.

[Chris*ta]

At the risk of being a massive buzzkill, I really wouldn't get worked up over the new tac/assault box sets rumours. So far GW has not updated a single existing plastic 'basic troops' set for any of the fantasy armies in 8th ed. Everything is either new versions of metal stuff or new additions to army books. CSM has followed this same pattern & IIRC correctly, non of the last wave few codexes have either. I'm not saying they won't do such a thing for a second wave (in fact it would make for a really good second wave), but GW are super keen to get models for all the new units out ASAP to stop third parties plugging the gap. The existing plastic box sets for core units will always sell well, doing a new version of them won't give a sales boost like turning metal/FC units into plastic. Whilst they do change policies, the current pattern has been pretty well established over the last couple of years.

Dark Eldar? Skaven?

Also, I have heard from comments from Jes Goodwin that reinforce this rumour.

At GD Oz someone asked Jes what he'd do if he could redo the Tac Marines. He mentioned changing the legs so they were less static (not sure if he used those exact words, but close) and less repetition; and also that he'd include more armour options. I remember him specifically commenting that he'd like it if you could do all beakies.

I wonder how WIP some of this stuff is ...

[magickbk]

At the risk of being a massive buzzkill, I really wouldn't get worked up over the new tac/assault box sets rumours. So far GW has not updated a single existing plastic 'basic troops' set for any of the fantasy armies in 8th ed. Everything is either new versions of metal stuff or new additions to army books. CSM has followed this same pattern & IIRC correctly, non of the last wave few codexes have either. I'm not saying they won't do such a thing for a second wave (in fact it would make for a really good second wave), but GW are super keen to get models for all the new units out ASAP to stop third parties plugging the gap. The existing plastic box sets for core units will always sell well, doing a new version of them won't give a sales boost like turning metal/FC units into plastic. Whilst they do change policies, the current pattern has been pretty well established over the last couple of years.

That has been the pattern, and I agree that it seems unlikely that they would change now.

However, over the years Jes Goodwin has constantly prototyped updated versions of several of the basic plastic troops units to test production methods or to test new designs. About 10 years ago, he designed plastic Sisters that were never released for Codex Witchunters because their plastic production process at the time caused the thin parts of the models to be too brittle and they snapped apart constantly. The same issues happened with the Kroot, which anyone who assembled Kroot when they first came out can attest to limbs and guns snapping in half in a light breeze. Now that we have the new denser, stiffer plastic, a lot more thin parts are starting to filter into the kits. We've also all seen the new Eldar Jetbikes he had on display at Games Day a number of years ago. It stands to reason that he almost always has some new Space Marine sprue in testing, waiting for a time when the technology improves enough to warrant releasing with new coolness.

[Cap'nSmurfs]

There also aren't a tremendous amount of new units the Space Marines can be given (in my opinion), so new boxes with new options and funkier stuff spruces up the entire range and is sure to sell.

But who knows? These are preliminary rumours, and those haven't been working out too well lately.

[eldargal]

I don't think looking at what GW have done in the past is particularly reliable, if only because it varies so much and they don't seem to care themselves. Some races have gone through several iterations of plastic core in the past fifteen years or so, others just one or two. Space Marines are a high sales volume army so releasing a new plastic kit would make sense especially if, as comments from Jes Goodwin seem to indicate, they think they could do it better. Also remember Stickmonkey isn't saying they are coming soon, just that they are coming. Could be 2-3 years off.

[Wildeybeast]

All fair points. I'm not saying it won't happen, I just thought people were getting rather excited about something that to me seems unlikely to me based on recent trends. Just my tuppence worth.

[Chris*ta]

I don't know whether anyone is that excited, just hopeful that it might happen and liking the possibilities of what we could get.

It is (maybe) the best selling kit GW has currently. (I seem to recall hearing the original Rhino has the most sales of any plastic kit.)