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 Kirasu wrote:
Because they've never made thunderhawk rules playable? I'd be careful with giving GW the ability to "fix bad units" since they have shown they either are incapable or unwilling.

Except this would be making GW plastic not FW resin more usable on the tabletop. You can't tell me that the criminally underpriced Wraithknight didn't happen so that more of the hem saw tabletop, thus increasing sales. Same goes for other big kits like the Riptide and Stormsurge. Perhaps we won't see the Thunderhawk under 500 pts, but don't count GW out for giving it a low points cost just to sell a $200 model.

When people saw the cover for this White Scars novel, they started "wishin' 'n' fishin'" too. They saw alternate vehicles and flyers, oh my! It's just art work, not concept art for a new mini, IMHO.

It's because modern GW only makes art of models. They view art as a marketing tool. As my GW manager says, loosely paraphrased.

When a customer looks at the art, and they like it, we can show them the models and tell them "look, you can make that exact guy in the art!" Customers get disappointed and tend to complain if they see something awesome in the art, and they can't replicate it as a model.

Verviedi wrote:It's because modern GW only makes art of models. They view art as a marketing tool. As my GW manager says, loosely paraphrased.

When a customer looks at the art, and they like it, we can show them the models and tell them "look, you can make that exact guy in the art!" Customers get disappointed and tend to complain if they see something awesome in the art, and they can't replicate it as a model.

Thing is, the "art" GW is using is crap. It's not that great. While now it's better, than what a year and half ago when Age of Sigmar started, the art is still not that great. It's good now, but nothing like the awesomeness they had in the codices around 5th edition and before.

The "art" they are using to show the multiple ways to colour in your troops/broods/gangs or what ever in the codices and battletomes are not really good on border line pathetic for a "premium" company. The art work is what Deviant Artwork the best and nothing that wants me to go out and buy minis and try and convert them into the artwork.

Maybe I am in the minority on thinking this, but using "art" as a tool I don't think is correct. Before GW used art as a tool. But with what 6th edition codices or is it 7th, instead of using art now to show the mini they are explaining, they are using actual pictures now. I wonder why they did that? Maybe because using amateur artists for cheap work doesn't inspire at all.

oh, then maybe not.. for some reason I was thinking a thunderhawk was more around the size of a baneblade or so. Still though, I wouldn't put it past them to try.. I do think it would sell really well. I imagine the knights sell good and they're a pretty huge kit. They have a giant lord of change coming out too. They're getting a lot better at producing big kits.

No way would I use it in game but boy what a display piece that would be, for me mostly because it used to be THE biggest, most expensive kit you could get, plus I think my dad would really like this one since he loved painting small scale planes back in the day.

I don't think it's anything but art.

If GW did release a plastic Thunderhawk I would grab one for my Deathwatch. Hell yeah. Get those boys traveling in style. I like the Corvus more, but a Thunderhawk looks cool too and has its mission uses.

 Gamgee wrote:
I don't think it's anything but art.

Most of us do, too. That doesn't prevent the fringe elements from coming unhinged and seeing things that just aren't there. After that, the fanboys begin to pile on and you have a "plastic thunderhawk" thread. Again.

I could be wrong but isn't this a stormbird?

https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Space-Marine-Sokar-pattern-Stormbird

They are referring to the two flyers behind the Stormbird.

Plastic Thunderhawk: the white whale of 40k

Oh man... My effing wallet.... can't pass that up -

 BrookM wrote:
They are referring to the two flyers behind the Stormbird.

Actually, just the larger one behind the main stormbird. The smaller one that's more in the shadows is certainly another stormbird. The other one...

If I were a betting man, I'd say it's just a Forgeworld re-release of the Thunderhawk kit. It's a very old kit at this point (one of the original FW kits iirc) and from what I've heard, the molds are really showing their age.

That said, I wouldn't mind being wrong and finding a plastic T-hawk inbound!

Edit: looking closely at the image, it appears to me that the nose-mounted heavy bolter sponsons have an over/under layout like the old Thunderhawks --rather than the side-by-side configuration of the current FW kit. --Which is kind of a cool feature and might make the nose a little more sleek and streamlined on the new one if that's the case.

If it is a plastic T.Hawk(and that's a really big if) and not a new resin version or just art, then yeah cool. But If GW were going to do a FW SM specific super heavy in plastic I'd much prefer either the Fellblade or Spartan and there variants over a Thunderhawk.

Spartan isn't a super-heavy though.

Thunderhawk is far more iconic of space marines.

The reason people are worked up is because while gw often does art for covers, fw generally uses model pictures photos shopped into scenes.

Not to mention, with a bit of converting it can be an excellent dropship / transport for other factions and settings.

 Kirasu wrote:
Because they've never made thunderhawk rules playable? I'd be careful with giving GW the ability to "fix bad units" since they have shown they either are incapable or unwilling.

They are often quite willing and capable of giving good rules to units they want to sell a new model of.

 Rippy wrote:
Plastic Thunderhawk: the white whale of 40k

Actually, the fact that this thread is not drowned in sarcasm and snide remarks towards anyone who dare hope, just show how much has changed lately.

Can we get it?
Yes we can!

Not to mention, with a bit of converting it can be an excellent dropship / transport for other factions and settings.

I would certainly get one to turn it into a gun cutter for my inquisition and a second to turn into a Guard mini-dropship.

 BrookM wrote:
Not to mention, with a bit of converting it can be an excellent dropship / transport for other factions and settings.

Thunderhawk transporter return? Please? That thing was quite cheap and it could be used in a 30k orbital assault list to drop a Spartan in the middle of a surprised players backline

The thunderhawk transporter had even worse rules than the Gunship tho.. the core problem is the lack of understanding of how the damn game works.

Sure, the counter argument is "but....they could change it". Except they dont! The transporter has the same nonsensical rules for like 4 iterations now.

GoatboyBeta wrote:
If it is a plastic T.Hawk(and that's a really big if) and not a new resin version or just art, then yeah cool. But If GW were going to do a FW SM specific super heavy in plastic I'd much prefer either the Fellblade or Spartan and there variants over a Thunderhawk.

So...generic tank A and generic tank B instead of an iconic Space Marine dropship. Ok...

 BrookM wrote:
Not to mention, with a bit of converting it can be an excellent dropship / transport for other factions and settings.

The fun part about the Thunderhawk is you don't even have to go too far in terms of conversions.

You have Sororitas, Grey Knights, Deathwatch, all the Loyalist Marines, and the Traitor Marines who use it. Add in Inquisition and you have a pretty large pool of potential purchasers.

I believe a BoLS commenter said it best: The plastic Thunderhawk is the Half Life 3 of wargaming.

 MajorTom11 wrote:
Oh man... My effing wallet.... can't pass that up -

Current TH is what, £435? It will still be £350 model in plastic probably. So yea, dragon punch to your wallet.

Given Specialist Games are making plastic figures, could it be feasible that ForgeWorld produces their own plastic Thunderhawk?

The molds on it are pretty damn old now, and the kit isn't exactly user friendly. Even the bare resin Thunderhawk on display in the FW store at WHW doesn't look that great, and I got to see that in August.

I don't buy much anymore but I'd instantly purchase a plastic Thunderhawk.

Yeahhh, if it came out in plastic I'd definitely think about getting one if it looked cool enough.

The thing is, I was never very fond of the Forge World one. I found it a little plain for it's size. So if they do make a new kit, it's entirely up to the aesthetics as to whether or not I'd get one.

If this isn't true I may have to build a wooden one for my legion army.

Forge World isn't very fond of most of their large flyers either, they certainly said as much during the open day last year, seeing the Stormbird as the new way forward in terms of how to best do a large flyer.