The new Legio Custodes for Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40K look fantastic. Actually, no. That's not a strong enough description. If anything, they're head and shoulders above what we had before… both literally and metaphorically. But bloody hellfire, they're a pain to make.
Designed as part of Games Workshop's prequel system, The Horus Heresy (which, if you aren't familiar, takes place 10,000 years before Warhammer 40K and charts a devastating human civil war), the Legio Custodes Battle Group is a force to be reckoned with. Even though there are "only" 13 warriors alongside a tank and Dreadnought mech-suit in here, these troops are the Emperor of Mankind's personal bodyguards. That makes them the best of the best, towering over standard Space Marines and wielding wonderfully ridiculous gun spears/gun swords. They're also wearing enough filigree that they'd fit right in at the Sistine Chapel, which gives a hint at their elite status. However, I didn't expect that pedigree to translate into such a fiddly build. You'll start off with gusto thanks to a straightforward body in two parts, but then their weapons and gear swan in to complicate your day.
The Legio Custodes Battle Group is now up for pre-order ahead of an April 4 release date, and while you can obviously get it direct from the Warhammer Store, I'd recommend trying Miniature Market in the US first. It traditionally gets Warhammer stock in at a reduced rate, so is worth a look. As for the UK, I'd normally point you toward Wayland Games or Magic Madhouse, but both have already sold out. Maybe watch Element Games instead, because it hasn't posted a listing yet.
These models are deceptive; they seem simplistic, but things escalate. The main point of contention for me came from the Guardian Spears, which require separate upper arms and wrists to be attached to the fingers curled around the weapon haft itself. This isn't too far beyond the pale where Warhammer is concerned, but I struggled here. That was partially due to how reluctant the upper arms were to slot onto the torso – the shoulders are divided into two parts, and they often refused to go together nicely for me. Equally, there's not a cutout or slot for the wrists to clip onto. It's a flat surface onto another flat surface, meaning there's a chance of drift if you're not careful. This won't be an issue so long as you bear that in mind, but still - it caused me some bother when the pieces I thought were dry and secure came apart under pressure during a later stage. The whole thing then fell to bits like a Jenga tower.
The more egregious issue for me is the absurdly small connections for the plumes or battle standards, though. Usually, these kinds of pieces sport larger surface areas on which to glue something else. That allows it all to stay together and not snap at the slightest pressure. These, however? There's something like a millimeter of clearance, or less than that in some instances, so it doesn't feel sturdy in the slightest. As a case in point, it took ages to get my battle standard bearer's banner to stay put - and now I have genuine concerns about it falling off if I dare to transport them. (Sorry, they live on my shelf now and will never move.) If you don't already have a pinvice, I'd make one a priority here.
Still, the effort is worthwhile. As I mentioned earlier, these models are gorgeous. They're proper works of art, as is befitting the Emperor's chosen, and their size is more than a little intimidating. Horus Heresy Space Marines are still the original size (they got an upgrade in modern Warhammer 40K that turned them into taller "Primaris" Marines), so feel like children when set alongside these guys. It gives big "dad says it's my turn to go on the Xbox" energy.
They're so much better-proportioned than the old versions, too; the Legio Custodes have lost that dumpy sort of squatness the previous 40K miniatures had. Considering how these revised versions can be used in Warhammer 40K as well (for the most part, anyway – some units aren't represented yet in the bigger game system, so we'll need to wait for a future rules drop), I think there's gonna be a lot of buzz for this Battleforce. Try to move quickly when it comes to pre-orders, in other words. I have a suspicion these soldiers will get snapped up into active duty fast.
I'll be back shortly with a more in-depth review of each new unit or hero for the range alongside their rules, but in the meantime, I'll say this: these are fantastic miniatures you're sure to fall for. All the same, bring patience with you while building them. You're probably gonna need it.
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