Space Marines Codex: Ultima Edition Unboxing (Vid and Pix)

  As you, my good gentle-readers know, I am a sucker for anything collectible.  You could probably bag crap, if you labeled it correctly, I just might jump on it.

  This time, it was the Games Workshop, Space Marines Codex: Ultima Edition.  (Only 129 left, get yours NOW!  LOL)

  And because I am finding it funnerer and funnerer to do videos, I made you all a great little video unboxing of the package.  I really didn’t do a video, it's more a like a slideshow with narration, but I have been pretty sick lately and I didn't want anyone to catch anything viral from my video...  So, without further ado, here is the video I made, for you's guys...

  After the break, there is a all the pictures and the text review for those who hate youtube, or videos or both.

  All in all, I have to say I am not disappointed with the product, nor do I think it is worth the $250.  I think $200 would have been stretching it a bit.  But product wise, it's very cool.  High production value and lots of little extras.  Not as much as a forge world book, but not too bad.

  So, here is the break, and off we go into the pictures...

Thoughts on Escalation and Stronghold Assault

  Just some quick thoughts on the Escalation and Stronghold Assault books.  Picked these up this weekend from the FLGS.

Escalation

  I was kind of incredulous at first, since I started with Escalation.  For those who don't know, this is the expansion that allows you to bring "Lords of War" into the normal 40k games.  Lords of war are nothing more than Apocalypse models that are normally held only within the bounds of Apoc games. Not every super-heavy from Apoc is here, but most of the signature models are here.  I have to imagine ForgeWorld will be adding A LOT to this as time goes on.

  First, You have to remember that allowing Lords of War (LoW) into the normal game is strictly optional and needs to be agreed upon by both players.  (EDIT: I should point out, there is nothing that says, in the book, that these are optional rules, the community consensus is that these rules are now standard, I say optional since nobody can force me to play a game I don't want to play, nor should you!!) That being said, these are still big time game changers. I do not see these rules being the norm for many games.  A single Apoc type model is going to seriously change a game.  There are D weapons on those things.  D weapons are such super-heavy weapons that they kill everything on a good hit, no save, no invul saves, no cover saves, no reanimation, just DIE.  Luckily, to have this huge effect, D weapons have to roll on a separate chart to determine the severity of their impact.  At the lower end of the scale, they just cause A LOT of wounds and carnage.

  There is a lot of talk going on some of the boards, that I have seen, that these are going to ruin the game.  I don't think so.  First, you have to agree to use them.  Second, they are not unkillable by normal units.  Most of them have between 9 and 12 hull points, so they are not beyond the scope of most armies to kill.  Of course, they do not roll on the normal vehicle kill table (no 6 to explode a Thunderhawk gunship).  Lastly, they cost a BUTT load of points to put on your list.  Oh, one more thing, there is a Warlord trait table in here for the person who does NOT take a LoW unit.  This is a MASSIVE table that you WILL use if you play against a LoW player, they are warlord traits that will even up the game immensely.

Got my OGRE Designers Edition... unboxing

  Yeah, yeah, I know the kick starters have been out for a while, and the really cool kids have theirs already, but I just got mine from my FLGS (Active Imagination... Thanks Ben!!) and is it ever COOL!  I said I would do an unboxing for them, and I am, and I will...  And it will be my first ever video unboxing, so you all get to laugh your butts off as I meander through a video...

  The first thing you'll notice, this game is FREAKING HUGE.  The box is 2 feet wide, 20 inches high and about 6 inches thick.  It weighs 23.7 pounds.  Yes, that's more than the turkey you ate on Thanksgiving!!  It is HUGE.  Everything looks very high quality, and a lot of thought went into it, you can tell.  On the OGRE website, there is a ton of resources and fun stuff to download and enjoy as well.  You can get all the rules, scenarios, record sheets etc for free...  (Learn this GW... learn thissssssss).

  So, here is the 5 minute video, then I will put in the pictures after the jump...

  Quit laughing, jeez, it's my first video...  Pics after the jump.... and .... jump

Review: IA Model Masterclass Vol Two

  As promised, here are my thoughts on the second volume of the Imperial Armor Masterclass series.  If you thought (or believed me when I told you) that volume one was good, you ain't seen nothing yet!

  Again, volume two does not show you how to build a model or even how to paint it.  It gives you techniques and ideas (tools for your tool box) to use when building your models.  This volume also spreads the love around the universe, but just a bit more.  Imperial guards are still the star of the show, but there is Eldar, Chaos, orky bits and terrain in here too.  What you get is a host of ideas and step by step shots of how to take your models to the next level.  These things are not beyond the level of the avaerage modeler, they show you how it's done.  You can take these techniques to any model from any race (or even any game!)

  First up is some beautiful effects on a Reaver Titan.  Everything from the enamel (looking) paint on the large surfaces to some amazing details on the pumps and gears.  After that we get a Red Scorpions Land Raider.  Lots of good detailing and weathering here, but for a Spess Mahrine vehicle, so it's not too overdone.  Lots of weapon effects and trackwork.  Some photos of an Eldar Phantom Titan bust are next, but no good hints here, just beautiful pictures.

  Coming in next is an amazing winter scene board made from 2 sets of Realm of Battle boards (4' x 12').  A great deal of extra terrain, hills and plaster cast rocks, are added to the boards and then snow effects are done.  The ideas are applicable to any board you may have.  Great photos of the Eldar are here too, all from the Mymeara campaign book.  

  You should have the idea by now, everything here is high quality, great looking stuff.  There are chapters for Nurgling things, diorama-ing things, aircraft and lots more tanks.  Everything is well done and well presented.  The ork themed board at the end is very cool too, lots of bits box ideas.  The book finishes with a chapter on using the Forge World Weathering Powders.  While this is a great, albeit short chapter, I would tend to rely more on the recent videos and ideas from Secret Weapon Miniatures and other web sources for even more ideas.  There is a lot of emphasis on weathering with pigments and powders these days, but it does not take away from the usefulness of the info here.

  All in all, another A+ effort from the boys at Forge World.  A high quality book, great presentation and photography makes this a valuable add to your collection.  I know I don't regret it.