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Yep, came to the same conclusion.

Dark Imperium Death Guard is 4 sprues, you get the spure with 10 pox walkers twice.
I would also like to add that one of the PBC sprues is petty thick, you could fit three regular sprues in its box.

In general, IMO that's just a semi-decent deal, since there are so many duds in there:
- You don't really need the champion kit, since you already have one with a plasma gun from the ETB kit and one without from DI.
- You get Lord Felthius and the DI Lord of Contagion, who are both quite useless models in the first place AND Typhus, who just does everything those two do, plus more. Three lords of corruption is kind of overkill.
- The Lord Felthius box is pretty useless since it has three terminators with no combi-bolters, just one axe and the least useful special weapon. IMO the box by itself is a trap for new players, since the only model inside you will be playing in the long run is the terminator with stormbolter and bubotic axe.
- Plague Surgeon is useless unless you want to really tailor against space marines.
- Chaos Spawn have no place in DG

So, in general, you end up with a pretty meh collection of death guard that won't play well. You probably end up wasting what you saved on useless models, so if you aren't interested in the other stuff, there are better ways to start death guard.

All good points.

As someone who is mainly a painter/collector I'm actually quite pleased that I'll be getting one of every monopose death guard blister/box (minus the reinforcements set), but it's pretty rubbish for competitive gaming.

Actually the reinforcements set would have been a great replacement for the second easy to build Plague Marine set, less duplication and would mean more of the models are usable in a list, but I'm going to have to live with yet more easy build models to try and convert.

I pity the poor new space marine players trying to cram all 9 HQ models into their lists.

I'm not really playing competitively, me and most my opponents are playing mono-codex armies from our collections which usually consist of 1-2 of thing we like. The games themselves are highly competitive, list building almost definitely not.

That said, Lords of Corruptions are very disappointing models to play. They are very slow (4", halved advances), no shooting (not even grenades) and broadcast "everything near me dies!" due to their great CC weapons and the mortal wound aura. Unless someone actively picks a fight with them, they won't be doing anything, ever. I always field mine as lords of chaos instead.

Without going into details, it's similar for my other points. It's not that those models are 10% worse than a similar option, it's that those models simply don't work at all.
For example, the blight hauler is almost definitely not a competitive option, but it still does what it's supposed to do reasonably well: Providing cover to your marines, chucking some high damage shots at tanks and being a general nuisance. It does something when it's on the board, unlike Lord Felthius and his cohort.

For a collection you get too many duplicate models for my taste. With DI (7), ETB(3), Plague Brethren(3), Plague marine box (7) and the icon, you could have had 21 (3x7 ) distinct plague marines, plus an excess champion for kill team or whatever.

Thanks for the info and keep it rolling in.

What we need is a sprue count for Death Guard, marines and terrain so we can see how it splits along 80 issues.
My reason for wanting to find this out is to estimate how many issues the vehicles are split over.

This will effect price of select backorders. If one of the large tanks is on only two issues it means a Repulsor or Plaguecrawler for maybe as little as £16, it might cost £24 or even £8!

There is the possibility that gamers can get select items doubled up for chump change. Any individual model can be split down as far as four issues, for a repeat order price of £32, not that much of a deal anymore. However there is a lot to cover in 80 issues and if the two big tanks are covering eight issues between them, then there will likely be a strange deal elsewhere in th subscription run.
A sprue count would give us an indication of what we can expect and how much part order will save us. If the total tally comes to exactly 80 sprues we will know precisely, if more than 80 there will be some doubling up and we wont know where.

Now a sample check reveals that the Plaguecrawler is on two sprues. So unless the sprues are manipulated somehow and split it means each Plaguecrawler will cost £16 to buy to subscribers as extra issues. A neat deal and one I will look to exploit at the right time.

The EX build Primaris Dreadnought is on three sprues. It may be that is on three issues meaning a repeat purchase will cost £24 compared to GW retail of £25 and thus less efficient to buy than the discounters. But if the sprue count exceeds 80, maybe the Dreadnought will be on only two issues making iit a more tempting £16 extra issue order.

Please help by ID all the models and sprues for a total count.

Blog 3a

On a different note my first delivery arrived today. I will review issue 2 for you all this evening and take a look at the gifts.
For now I note that the package arrived in a baggie, not exactly secure. When I opening it the gift mouldline remover just fell out, it was loose inside. I could see it getting out of rough handled packages.
The mouldline remover is not quite the same as shown, slightly better in fact, its also a file and has a keyring attachment which is useful as it is quite small. The glue as not in a cardboard sheath, it came intact but with the almost non existant packaging that was more luck than anything else. Thankfully the issues are well packaged. Issue 1 came without the bulky cardboard plate, so regular issues are regular A4 format with the plastic container atop the magazine. This sets the maximum sprue size to fit full sized GW sprues, which is a very good sign. We might get the Plaguecrawler over two issues after all.
I will report more later....

The last post on the previous page has all the DG models and their sprue counts, I double-checked all but Lord Felthius (I don't own him) with those I have. Only the DI one is off.

PBC is definitely only two sprues and due to their layout I heavily doubt that the sprues themselves can be split up, since they all have big pieces in the middle and smaller ones around them.

 Jidmah wrote:
The last post on the previous page has all the DG models and their sprue counts, I double-checked all but Lord Felthius (I don't own him) with those I have. Only the DI one is off.

PBC is definitely only two sprues and due to their layout I heavily doubt that the sprues themselves can be split up, since they all have big pieces in the middle and smaller ones around them.

Thanks, I've updated the post with correct number. I don't own Lord Felthius, but the GW site shows the sprues and all the parts seem to be on just three sprues.

If the PBC is on two issues and it's possible to order extra copies, I may end up with a few of them.

It'd be hilarious if it is a sprue per issue and the Rhino is split over 5 weeks!

What's even more hilarious is that the loyalists get a repulsor in the meantime. They could have put in something cool instead, like a helbrute, a defiler or a predator...

I guess that pintle-mounted combi-melta has to do.

If they do go that route, those issues would be the perfect place to throw in some of the extra paints. There's only 30-odd paints in total, so they bulk out the more disappointing issues with a pot of paint.

Please do expect filler issues.

What I am seeing is that even filler normally costs more than £8 at GW. There will be some issues with contents worth less than that, but not many.

Also for a single filler copies we do get the magazine, its well formatted and looks like it will be a good read. While magazines get filler too there is so much 40K lore to print that I see no difficulty in being able to fill 80 issues with worthwhile decent content.

Sometimes in the past GW have been criticised for fluff light codexes. Methinks this is not something we will have cause to say about the Conquest campaign and the forces used in it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Jidmah wrote:
The last post on the previous page has all the DG models and their sprue counts, I double-checked all but Lord Felthius (I don't own him) with those I have. Only the DI one is off.

PBC is definitely only two sprues and due to their layout I heavily doubt that the sprues themselves can be split up, since they all have big pieces in the middle and smaller ones around them.

Its less confusing to total up the Dark Imperium and First Strike sprues and ignore which are loyalist and which traitor, from our poits of view it doesnt matter, and if like a lot of intro boxes the sprues cover both factions together that is how we will likely have them delivered to us. Only the sprue count is relevant. We have a sprue tally for Death Guard alone, thank you, we need one for the Dark Imperium/First Strike, one for the Space Marines alone and one for all the terrain and objectives.
Add 1 to the total for the exclusive marine not seen before and compare against 80.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 GMSchofield wrote:


It'd be hilarious if it is a sprue per issue and the Rhino is split over 5 weeks!

That would push the Rhino into two deliveries, which is highly unlikely Hachette will do that. Yes its a partwork but we arent building HMs Victory from 300 pieces of blasa wood, each part of the collection is its own whole. Models will come in one delivery, but as a delivery is four issues it means you can split some models by four. That would be a very disappointing month if all you get is one Rhino.

 GMSchofield wrote:
If they do go that route, those issues would be the perfect place to throw in some of the extra paints. There's only 30-odd paints in total, so they bulk out the more disappointing issues with a pot of paint.

Not unlikely. Some pains they need out early so people can work on their armies from the get go. Issue one official painting guide leaves the Intercessor sgt with black hair adn a blue face for his first battle. Issue 2 gives us Death Guard armour colour, 3 gives is Leadbelcher for ironworks and Issue 4 gives us our first fleshtone. Other paints will need to come out early. But things like washes can come out in slow issues. An issue with a sprue of junkand not much to do is a good time to fill the painting section with ideas on how to inkwash the collection you have so far, or colours for basing. Later filler issues can have things like bright yellow paint for lights and sundry that you don't need much of, and a headsup on all the lights on all the models you can now go and paint.

You know what, other than not using a spray primer first this sounds like fun. Paint using the tools and techniques avialable (I will spray primer though and use my own brushes.)

Painting the marines in my own colours which I have, planning the Death Guard in the book colours so they will be waiting for a while - just primed pale grey.

Can see this leading to a couple of actual multi part kits being bought alongside it - which I guess is entirely the point.

Still not going for the "premium" version though, since they can;t tell me whats in it...

Blog 3b

Ok, ready the mag for Issue 2. There are three pull out pages on Nurgle, Dath Guard and the Plague planet, each the first leaf in a new article, and that's it. There is an obligatory assembly page and page on painting the Death Guard models and the majority of issue 2 is covering basic rules of how to play 40K.

I like how they did it, even though it is just a waste of paper to us. There is a fold out A2 map of heavy paper, with images of storage crates as cover and circles into which you place the Intercessors and Plague marines. Its an easy way into the game for a child.

The contents we all know by now. One paint pot for Plague marine armour six dice and the sprue.

I am quite content with the EZ Marines and the traitor ones are not different. Simplicity sacrifices versatility on the build but not quality of the model.

'Ole Orlanth is not the best painter about but I have some mad skillz in conversion and an eye for bitz. I have some Chaos Warrior bitz I can use here,thinking about heads here, stuff from a Chaos Spawn set, some left over stuff from Plaguebearers, thinking about the plague swords mostly, but also hanging guts, and swap arounds from the sprue itself. I reckon I can make unique marines from multiples of this sprue no problem.

Now according to reports above we get this sprue twice during the campaign, yes. And a separate champion model to make the seven?

If so I may buy three extra copies for £15, have nine more Plague Marines, which I could use in full but cannibalising to make seven is even easier, and it would load me up for the very useful looking colour.
If I biy one extra copy for £5 it gives me some leeway on bits, one paint and make the next purchase easier.

If I am stuck for options I can buy a Plague Marine multi part boxset. That is cheating but if I am going to make my Death Guard work I will want some core Plague Marines.

From what I am seeing I get two squads of seven in the campaign. Three is an honest minimum, four better. Ok, that means three issues.

This means I will have to back up my claim to being a good converter to turn 3x 5 distinctively corrupted models into 15 original ones. I have enough ideas for nine already but now need your help.

I know zip about Death Guard in 8th. In fact I haven't been focused on 8th at all, been collecting fantasy and rpg miniatures. Anyone link me to a guide on Plague Marines what they can take what works and what does not. I cant rely on outdated memories of CSM, I don't recognise half the weapon names. Will I need the multipart boxset to get decent weapons? The tentacle covered plasma gun looks like it can be repositioned, and I get plasma in the Dark Imperium squad (which I will leave as is).

What will I be taking. Fist sgt, 5x bolter 1x plasma? Is it one special weapon per squad, and is the grenade launcher any good. Also what are Plague Marines good at, apart from looking awesomely ugly.

 Orlanth wrote:
Blog 3b
Now according to reports above we get this sprue twice during the campaign, yes. And a separate champion model to make the seven?

It's not quite that useful unfortunately. The model with a plasma gun / powerfist is the champion. For ranged weapons they can have a bolt pistol / bolter / plasma pistol / plasma gun, for melee they can have a plague knife or plague sword and they can have a power fist in addition to those (the only model in the unit who can have a power fist).

Minimum squad size is 5 with up to two special ranged weapons (and a variety of melee weapons like axes and flails). The magazine will have a total of 7 regular marines, 1 icon bearer, 3 special weapon dudes (plasma gun and two blight launchers, the grenade launcher looking weapon) and 4 champions (all with power fist, two with plasma gun!)

To make it useful you'll want to replace the power fist and plasma gun on one easy build champion at least with the regular loadout of bolter and knife - and you'll still want more regular plague marines to give you enough men for a third squad.

I've heard that a pair of Blight Launchers (the one that comes with the easy to build kit) is a good choice for load out for special weapons, although I'm no expert. I've gone for 2x Blight Launcher, Icon and Plasma Gun/Power Fist Champion for my first squad.

On a related note I've finished painting my first set of easy build models this afternoon - it is cheating as these didn't come with the magazine (I bought them just before I heard about the magazine), but thought I might share a picture with terrible lighting as inspiration. I'll have to convert my second set when the magazine arrives.

Thank you. I believe I can handle the conversions. I see you dont have much trouble either.

What I most need to know are:

1. The rules for Plague Marines
2. What works.
3. Clarity on general 8th edition rules (see below).

From my look at the sure I have I have gleaned the following.

a. I will not be assembling one set unconverted, the plasma gun will be cut away from the backpack of all sergeant models. Replacement vents from old Space Marine backpacks are available. there they are not a mutation will be included.

b. The plasma guns are failry clean, as in the beeak is clear. I could add a plasma gun as a right tentacle on any marine that needs one, as the tentacle holds the plasma gun and is wrapped around the trigger it can be used as a mutated right arm replacement direcfly from under thr shoulderpad.

c. The bolter SM is the most usefful and the hardest to convert. Head backpack and right shoulderpad are fully convertable but to make best use I will have to sever half of them at the wait and swap legs with the other plage marines.

d. Leg swaps look like they can be accomplished for any of the three with a little work.

e. Heads will be folly swappable with littel effort as will backpacks,

f. Both shoulders are swappable and some can be reversed on most models, other can be retextured.

g. The grenade launcher is seperable and can be reserved to go on the right hand on some models taking up a bolter's grip fist.

h. Plague Marine squads from d#ark Imperium have a going rate of £15 on ebay, sometimes less, on the sprue. One extra set of them plus 15 EZ plague marines all swapped out will have more than ebough variance for every plague marine to look different.


I like the models a lot. My problem with models like this is that when you see a unit on the battlefield, especially for older gamers with tired eyes it is hard to tell one from other, because the detail is so intense its a mess. Now for Nurgle that is entirely appropriate, were this another army the amount of intensity of detail will be a put off.

So it pays to equip every basic squad the same, leaving room for me to remember the exceptions.

Correct me if I am wrong here:
- In 8th you can freely shoot if not engaged, so the bolters in a lascannon squad are not wasted, everything shoots what it likes.
- Plasma guns still bring it.
- Power fists still bring it
- The grenade launcher is actually a decent mid range weapon for plague marines.
- Otherwise the squad is there to take/hold objectives absorb fire and be very hard to eradicate. Its not expected to destroy the enemy army.

If true I am happy to have four squads of Plague Marines with a powerfist leader, plasma gun and grenade launcher in each squad of seven.

I learned the hard way that equpping squads differently allowed the opponent to target the squad that was dangerous to them. Spreading the capabilities evenly allows a modicum of weaponry for any situation. Though Plague Marines appear to be there just to claim and hold objectives, and to provide generic support in a slow resilient package while other stuff does the main killing.

I the above holds true I will not really need the multi part Plague Marines (though once my army is big enough I will get some anyway), I can make several squads in fact as mny as I want at that loadout from the materials inexpensively available.

Some might notice that I can get three issues for £15 or can get seven very different marines for £15 as Dark Imperium bitz. I want both so I get the multiple grenade launchers for my builds and also to grab the paints.

Also: What should I give the sergeants in addition to the fist? Bolt pistol? Plaguebearer sword?

Agree on having all squads the same, life is too complicated as it is.

You can indeed now split fire so a mixed weapons load out is useful

TBH I'd not go too mad on the conversions unless you really want to, with Nurgle just paint the corrosion in different places and maybe add a tentacle or two and they will be different visually "enough" I'd say, especially in an army - it also makes it easier for you to remember and spot the special weapons and leader bods.

Also, find a brightly coloured square or disc on the back of the base is a blessing from Gork when it comes to telling squads apart, or highlighting special weapons etc

Not used DG yet, but have faced them, the marines are a lot harder to shift than they look, especially when the hunker down in cover, think a few squads is entirely fitting the background personally, bulked out with poxwalkers and cultists

leopard wrote:
Agree on having all squads the same, life is too complicated as it is.
You can indeed now split fire so a mixed weapons load out is useful

Good, that settles that

leopard wrote:

TBH I'd not go too mad on the conversions unless you really want to, with Nurgle just paint the corrosion in different places and maybe add a tentacle or two and they will be different visually "enough" I'd say, especially in an army - it also makes it easier for you to remember and spot the special weapons and leader bods.

Yep paintjobs can also differentiate but I want to go all the way with the freakshow. No point in collecting Death Guard otherwise.

leopard wrote:

Also, find a brightly coloured square or disc on the back of the base is a blessing from Gork when it comes to telling squads apart, or highlighting special weapons etc

I dont like doing that unless I have to. I could number each squad on back of base, its discrete and its uniform. Special weapons normally get a distinctive colour that catches the eye. Blue glow on plasma guns will differentiate them easily. However with one per squad of each as standard I dont have to find things. If I find the squad I will find the special weapons.

leopard wrote:

Not used DG yet, but have faced them, the marines are a lot harder to shift than they look, especially when the hunker down in cover, think a few squads is entirely fitting the background personally, bulked out with poxwalkers and cultists

So its a low marine count backed up by a horde of expendable mooks. If so then I will stop here with the Plague Marines sparing myself the need to get the multipart kit (until I buy it anyway) and concentrate on getting horde of Poxwalkers instead. It looks like we get 32 to start plus 10 cultists. I think Hachette is trying to tell us something.

Do cultists fit a Death Guard army? They look too clean.
I thought Poxwalkers were your cultists, or are they a form of zombie?

poxwalkers are zombies, close combat only, can get cultists in as well, the ones with face masks look the part, all down to how "clean" the colours go I guess. All mine are from the DV starter so monopose but a tentacle here and there wouldn't be hard to add.

if you have the conversion skills go for it, should look amazing.

I have the coloured blobs going on as a follow on from FoW armies, put markings on the front and the back of the bases as much so mu opponent stops asking which squad stuff is in as anything - 40k models tend to get a clear unit marking somewhere so something on the back of the base just avoids "discussions" about it.

I actually think a DG force with a core of actual marines would be good, they are not cheap in points, but the high toughness and the extra save makes them robust, they just tend not to have the damage output - depends what you run them with I guess.


Have 40 cultists here already, though with a dirty red scheme, ahh well, who says they knew what they were really worshipping... the extra here will get the same colour, the poxwalkers likely a more rotting flesh base (and likely will be boosted using the kings of war mantic zombies I have here somewhere)

There is a certain strategem that allows for any infantry model (friend or foe) that dies within 7 inches of a poxwalker unit to raise back from the dead as a fresh poxwalker. Many people use cultists with that strategem - your 4pt cultists will die and come back as 6pt poxwalkers. It costs 1CP and lasts a turn.

In addition Typhus buffs poxwalkers by raising the S and T of any poxwalker unit within 7 inches, so Typhus, Poxwalkers, Cultists (to feed the poxwalkers) and that strategem is apparently popular - not tried it myself.

 Orlanth wrote:

the plasma gun will be cut away from the backpack of all sergeant models.

I'd consider leaving the plasma gun on the champion - giving the champion a plasma gun is the only way to take three special weapons in one Plague Marine unit, so you could have a 5/7 man squad with say, two plasma guns and a blight launcher that way, concentrating more firepower into your troop units for a mere 13pts extra. It'd also give you even more chances for a model to blow itself up (although thankfully that's only if you overcharge them now)!

I would still recommend the multipart kit at some point - it gives 6 spare chest plates, several spare helmets, parts for an icon bearer and at least one of every weapon option. Not essential, but significantly more useful for conversions than the Dark Imperium Plague Marines with their single special weapon and zero spare parts.

leopard wrote:
poxwalkers are zombies, close combat only, can get cultists in as well, the ones with face masks look the part, all down to how "clean" the colours go I guess. All mine are from the DV starter so monopose but a tentacle here and there wouldn't be hard to add.

I am thinking of using pointy heads from Frostgrave cultists. I have a few spare, adding icons and having green robes and Nurgle iconogrpahy scattered amongst them. Not too filthy though. they dont believe in wallowing in filth, just whatever lies the false priest who led them astray taught them. The wallowing in filth comes later as they degenerate. I suppose there is some value in human looking units for infiltration before they being to smell too bad.
On reflection and looking at the cultists they are just dupes who signed up or were pressed before knowing what they were joining. Mutation comes later, and there is no value in mutating them now into Poxwalkers, they would lose the ability to shoot.

I will dig up a Fantasy Nurgle sorcerer, I have one somewhere as some sort of cult priest.

One conversion idea I have sticking in my head is to have one cultist or poxwalker, it doesnt matter jubilantly holding a large Nurlge icon above his heads with two hands, no banner pole or anything just thre Nurgle trifoil. I have some spare from my plaguebearers. I might ad a formal standard bearer to the cultists from another plaguebeaerer banner, but this time I will use a metal pole so its more 40K and les fantasy. If they can have banner of any kind (I know the plague marines themselves can) I will use them as that. Otherwise its just a decoration. If icon bearers are characters and it would cause confusion I might rethink this,

Mwanwhile what command and weapon options do cultist get. Can I make 'traitor guard' out of them. i remember seeing cultists like these with heavy stubbers.

leopard wrote:

I actually think a DG force with a core of actual marines would be good, they are not cheap in points, but the high toughness and the extra save makes them robust, they just tend not to have the damage output - depends what you run them with I guess.

Too many Poxwalkers may be a pain to move about. I will likely stop at 50. I hear they get nice augments from Typhus.

I want to fill my army with Plaguecrawlers, Bloat Drones and the other vehicle, three of each. All via this subscription. The Rhino will be washed and given back to the loyalists. It just doesnt fit the theme.

leopard wrote:

Have 40 cultists here already, though with a dirty red scheme, ahh well, who says they knew what they were really worshipping... the extra here will get the same colour, the poxwalkers likely a more rotting flesh base (and likely will be boosted using the kings of war mantic zombies I have here somewhere)

There is a girl part time staffer at my local GW who showed me a lifehack for Poxwalkers, which I used on my Vampire counts ghouls. Spray them white the inkwash them in green and brown. add highlights of purple paint and then paint the clothing and weaponry normally. Done. it works and allow mediocre painters like me to get a good effect.

 Orlanth wrote:

Mwanwhile what command and weapon options do cultist get. Can I make 'traitor guard' out of them. i remember seeing cultists like these with heavy stubbers.

Up to 30 cultists in a squid.
Autoguns or Autopistol & CC Weapons for the Cultists.
1 Heavy Stubber or Flamer for every 10 cultist.
Champion can have Autogun, Shotgun, or Pistol and CC Weapon.
No banners sadly, but it would definitely look the part! I look forward to seeing them.

 Orlanth wrote:

There is a girl part time staffer at my local GW who showed me a lifehack for Poxwalkers, which I used on my Vampire counts ghouls. Spray them white the inkwash them in green and brown. add highlights of purple paint and then paint the clothing and weaponry normally. Done. it works and allow mediocre painters like me to get a good effect.

Washes work wonders on Poxwalkers - I used a combination of Green/Orange/Purple washes over Dheneb Stone, followed up by Army Painter Strong Tone and a splattering of Blood Effect, it was super quick and effective!.

Ok going to now work on completing the tally of sprues started by GMSchofield:


HQ
Typhus (1 Sprue)
Lord Felthius & 3 Cohort Terminators (3 Sprues)

Troops
Plague Marine Champion (1 Sprue)
Plague Marine Icon Bearer (1 Sprue)
3 Easy Build Plague Marines (1 Sprue)
3 Easy Build Plague Marines Again (1 Sprue)
6 Easy Build Poxwalkers (1 Sprue)
6 Easy Build Poxwalkers Again (1 Sprue)
5 Chaos Cultists (1 Sprue)
5 Chaos Cultists Again (1 Sprue)

Elites
Plague Surgeon (1 Sprue) - Will anyone need repeats of these, except to eBay?
Foul Blightspawn (1 Sprue)
Biologus Putrifier (1 Sprue)
Tallyman (1 Sprue)

Fast Attack
Chaos Spawn (2 Sprues) - Giving these to Archaon, oh wait I already have five.
Blight Hauler (1 Sprue) - Not bad deal. they get bonues in threes. I think Mortarion is trying to tell us something.

Heavy Support
Plagueburst Crawler (2 Sprues) - So going to spam this.

Transport
Chaos Rhino (5 Sprues!) - £32 or heavens forbid £40 for a Rhino. Fething Death Guard lazy gits can get off their fat arses and.walk. Gimme Defiler month instead.

Dark Imperium (8 Sprues)
-Lord of Contagion, Plaguecaster, 7 Plaguemarines, 20 Poxwalkers, Bloat Drone
Primaris Captain in Gravis Armour, 2 Primaris Lieutenants, Primaris Ancient 10 incercessors, 5 Hellblasters, 3 Inceptors
The exact breakdown of this is important, for example when we get the Bloat Drone we get most of the Plague Marines even if not all the models are complete it will be good material for swaps on the EZ builds.
DARK IMPERIUM CONTENTS IN FOLDER:


3 Intecessors (First Strike) (1 sprue)
3 Reivers (First Strike) (1 sprue)
Easy to Build Aggressors (1 sprue) - Worth getting more I think
Easy to Build Redemptor Dreadnought (3 sprues) - Breaks even all told. Buy more from discounters.
Easy to Build Primaris Reivers ( 1 sprue)
Primaris Apothecary (2 sprues) - Surprised at this, but then e has enough structural girders to hold up a wall on his shoulders. Wonder what the Primaris techmarine will look like? Mecha-cthulhu?
Primaris Chaplain (1 sprue)
Primaris Librarian (2 sprues) - His robes need an extra sprue to fit them all in.
Space Marine Heroes (Cataphractii Armour and a Chaplain) (1 sprue) - Tight squeeze, pity is has no room in a Primaris army.
Space Marine Scouts (1 sprue)
Space Marine Scouts with Sniper Rifles (1 sprue)
Attack Bike (????)
Bike Squad (????) - Three sprues?
Primaris Repulsor (3 sprues) - So on to this.
Land Speeder (?)
Exclusive new Marine officer (1 sprue, assumed as he is 'on Issue 5').

Sector Imperialis Objectives (2 sprues)
Munitorum Armoured Containers (3 sprues)
Sector Mechanicus Galvanic Servohaulers (2 sprues)
Battlefield Accessories Set (????)
Thermic Plasma Regulators (2 sprues)
Haemotrope Reactors (2 sprues)
Thermic Plasma Conduits (4 sprues)
Galvanic Magnavent/Promethium Forge (4 sprues)
Ryza Pattern Ruins (???? - implied to be a baggie)

Total of 71
plus STC- Ryza Pattern Ruins, Battlefield Accessories Set, Bike Squad, Attack Bike, Land Speeder

It is looking very much like 1x sprue per issue. Though the Rhino will likely be set up into four issues so it first a single delivery. Maybe that is when we get the rulebook.

Anyone able to complete this for us?

 GMSchofield wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:

Mwanwhile what command and weapon options do cultist get. Can I make 'traitor guard' out of them. i remember seeing cultists like these with heavy stubbers.

Up to 30 cultists in a squid.
Autoguns or Autopistol & CC Weapons for the Cultists.
1 Heavy Stubber or Flamer for every 10 cultist.
Champion can have Autogun, Shotgun, or Pistol and CC Weapon.
No banners sadly, but it would definitely look the part! I look forward to seeing them.

Found I do not have a Nurgle sorcerer, just yet another Chaos Undivided one.

Pity about the standard, however I now have another idea. Have the icon bearer with the poxwalkers. i have some left over ghoul models these are hunched forward, so replace a poxwalker at the waist with a ghoul haunch, add appropriate ghoul or poxwalker arms and have a bearer bend over carrying an icon on his back (the trifoil). The cult priest/champion of the cultists, however I make him can have a back banner with the Plaguebearers fly icon. Just to denote him a a priest, either that or a Nurgle bell. The latter sounding more appropriate actually. I can stick further icons on duplicate vehicles to customise them. The ideas are coming together.

 GMSchofield wrote:

Washes work wonders on Poxwalkers

Yes, the irony.

Battlefield accessories - Two small sprues come with one tank trap, three barrels, one platform, three crates and a weird spiky thing.
Strangely the poster shows 6 barrels but the correct amount of everything else. No idea how that works out, I'm suspecting they either put too many barrels in the picture, another sprue comes with barrels, or the sprue has been recut at some point. I'd put it down as 2 sprues but that leaves some barrels unaccounted for.

Attack Bike - Another old kit, two sprues - one for the bike, one for the sidecar.

Bike Squad - I'm pretty sure it's one sprue per bike, based on the last bikes I bought a long time ago.

Land Speeder - Two sprues.

Ryza Pattern Ruins - A guess, but it looks like two sprues worth from looking at the poster and comparing to what is on the sprue.

EDIT -81 sprues total - I'd put money on either the Accessories or the Chaos Spikes for the Rhino coming together on one issue, as they are both smaller sprues - most likely the Rhino accessories, as that puts the Rhino in one months delivery.

 GMSchofield wrote:
Battlefield accessories - Two small sprues come with one tank trap, three barrels, one platform, three crates and a weird spiky thing.
Strangely the poster shows 6 barrels but the correct amount of everything else. No idea how that works out, I'm suspecting they either put too many barrels in the picture, another sprue comes with barrels, or the sprue has been recut at some point. I'd put it down as 2 sprues but that leaves some barrels unaccounted for.

These are very roomy very old sprues. One of the oldest plastics still in production.

 GMSchofield wrote:

Attack Bike - Another old kit, two sprues - one for the bike, one for the sidecar.
Bike Squad - I'm pretty sure it's one sprue per bike, based on the last bikes I bought a long time ago..

The attack bike is actually relatively recent. The bikes are far older, attack bikes used to be metal parts on the standard plastic bike.
To muddy the waters a bit wheels on the bikes are separate, but I dont count those.

 GMSchofield wrote:

Land Speeder - Two sprues.

That sounds right.

 GMSchofield wrote:

Ryza Pattern Ruins - A guess, but it looks like two sprues worth from looking at the poster and comparing to what is on the sprue.

GW website implies they are preassembled.
Lets see:



Ahh we were both wrong 4 sprues.

 GMSchofield wrote:

EDIT -81 sprues total - I'd put money on either the Accessories or the Chaos Spikes for the Rhino coming together on one issue, as they are both smaller sprues - most likely the Rhino accessories, as that puts the Rhino in one months delivery.

83 sprues now, which is more comfortable, some items will double up. Rhino down to four I presume, plus Apothecary and Librarian, maybe some of the split sprue Dark Imperium. It also makes sense if we get the Dark Imperium set early.

Looking at the poster it doesnt include absolutely everything, it omits the dice you get in issue 2. If the poster of contents omits dice it might omit other things. Tape measures, more dice, the mini codexes.
I am so noticed on inspection that some of thep aints are repeated, notably Macragge Blue and Death Guard Green, this makes a lot of sense. It looks like there might ctually be a third pot of each of this core colour. So much for me getting not enough Macragge Blue without the extra set of issue 1 Hell, at least I got it cheap, and got lots of Sigmarine gold and black with it.

IIRC the armoured containers come with more barrels and crates which is likely where the extras come from.

I'm expecting the ordering of this to be interesting, with the vehicles coming late in the series (indeed anything of actual "value" later in the series to avoid people cancelling beyond that)

the Dark Imperium stuff is interesting as you essentially need the sprues together IIRC as some models are split across two frames - with the exception of the one frame thats doubled up.

given the stuff is packaged in groups of four issues though I can easily see it arriving as four magazines and a small box of plastic/paint each time so the idea that each issue has a sprue may be a bit off - you may find say you get the bulk of DI in one pack - with two "issues" focussing on each side for the build and paint guides (you may also find we have had the poxwalker and interbananannnnanna paint guides finished by then so they focus on the characters and stuff like plasma special effects depending what paints have been out.

I', wondering on issues 5-10, we "know" its the unique character in issue 5, give 3-6 come at once I'd expect a single frame DG character as well, then maybe 7-10 will be a a few more of the "easy build" infantry, say one for each side then maybe the first bits of terrain? (say a container or two for the starter game mat as thats what printed on it?)

One of the advantages Hachette has is that the terrain is in repeating kits. They can give us one container first as a central objective, two as even open terrain and three in a lobsided defend the barricade scenario, and can split the terrain, even from within packs right throughout the campaign.

My first delivery arrived this morning. The modelling tools are better quality than I was expecting.

I've thrown together these conversions on the Plague Marines to avoid duplication - it requires a bit of cutting to get a new torso to fit snugly, but I'm satisfied.



I've also found this blogpost, which I think is quite inspiring and shows what can be done to make the most of your Plague Marine parts!

I still think we're only getting two sprues worth of Ryza Pattern ruins - the box contains 4 sprues, but looking at the poster it looks like the magazine only comes with half a box.

Nicew work, I think we are o the same page on convertability. I am experiementing with the Plague Mariens I havw got but not doing anything permanent to them until I have more amterial to work with.

I found that the backpacks go on nicely in most combinations if you remove all the lugs. Each backpack goes with a specific marien, or more accurately for us, back. But if the top of the backpack curve on the back is reomved carefully each backpack can be assembled completely seperatrely and is freely swappable. Most shoulderpads are completely removable and swappable. The claw arm work as either right or left arm, if used as left arm theclaw can be severed at the upper arm and rotate a quarter turn.

As I will be getting more Death guard paint in the camapign, and because the modesl are still samey I might buy only one extra sprue, and get more Dark Imperium instead.

The issue with the blight drone will contsin several plague marines, and plague marine parts including the plasma gun. I will be buying at least one extra copy of this. So why buy more EZ build Plague Marines.

I had an issue on one of my marines where the backpack plug bit (the one attached to the marines's body) was missing. Rather than cutting out some plasticard/sprue to fill the gap, I found slapping some textured basing paint in the gap with a spatula worked really well. I've also used it in conjunction with green stuff to fill in gaps on the conversions where two torso halves don't quite fit together (as they clearly weren't designed to go together).

I'm going to buy two more issue 2's when it's available in shops, I think that the spare parts from my multi-part kit will be enough to convert them without having to dig out my old chaos bits box, and that will give me enough plague marines to field four squads of 7 for now. EDIT - I mean on top of the Plauge MarinesI already own of course!

For loadout I'm going with two identical squads that I think should be reasonably effective for casual games:

7 Marines - 2* Blight Launchers, Champ with Power Fist and Plasma Gun

I'm also putting together two squads that are less useful, but might be fun (and at the very least gives me additional options in Kill Team):

7 Marines - Icon Bearer, 2* Meltagun, Flail of Corruption, Plague Cleaver, Buboitic Axe and Maul, Champ with Plague Sword and Plasma Pistol
7 Marines - Icon Bearer, Plasma Gun, Plague Spewer, Champ with Power Fist and Plasma Gun

Remember we will likely get this sprue, probably fairly early on in the campaign:



Could be wrong there may be a way of separating stuff, and I could have miscalculated all of this though. Only issue 1-4 are retail, so seperated sprues ARE a possibility. Just not too likely in my opinion.

Lot of goods stuff even if many marines are only half complete.

 Orlanth wrote:
Remember we will likely get this sprue, probably fairly early on in the campaign:

Could be wrong there may be a way of separating stuff, and I could have miscalculated all of this though. Only issue 1-4 are retail, so seperated sprues ARE a possibility. Just not too likely in my opinion.

Lot of goods stuff even if many marines are only half complete.

I've just accidentally bought Dark Imperium along with a few more copies of issue 2. Not good for my wallet, but I do at least have this sprue in my hand.

For sheer volume of plastic (it's the size of 4 of the Easy Build sprues) it is probably one of the best ones to order multiples of. You've got all the parts for a Lord of Contagion, a Bloat Drone and 4 Plague Marines. In addition you have the chest, head and one arm of the plasma gun marine (with his body, other arm and backpack being on the Poxwalker sprue). If they actually have enough stock to order additional copies of this issue, £8 for a Bloat Drone alone is a bargain, let alone the rest.

One issue you would end up with is multiple Lords of Contagion. I imagine the best use for them would be to convert them into counts-as-Deathshroud, although running an incredibly stupid list with a bunch of them in would be fun once.

Now I've got a pile of 30 plague marines, I've started to notice how many models have been re-used in the Death Guard range. The Icon Bearer and Plauge Bretheren models are all extremely slight resculpts of the regular monopose plague marines, sometimes mirrored. It took me a while to notice so they've done a decent job of hiding it, but it's there. Out of the 15 monopose Plague Marine models, 5 of them are slight resculpts in the same pose!

My progress has been to scrounge Intercessor bits from another player who already has an army. He is looking for Hellblaster and Riever bits for me also but cant find them right now.
Thr five sprues including Intercesso bits have lots of extra heads helmets ammo and some weapon arms so that I can convert nearly all of my monopose Intercessors. I have still decided to play about with the monopose anyway to get extra variety in.

Swapping torsos was not as simple as first thought, but on stepping back noticed that the torso and legs are one with terms to fluid movement, and only the arms and shoulders matter.
The sergeant is an exception because of the wargear. The sergeant model cheats a bit, there is no thigh plate under the helmet, one will have to be green stuffed in. For my first sergeant pose swap I could place the helmet on another thigh and carefully remove and swap the thigh plate.
Thankfully fate will intervene, I will be making 20 Intercessors in 2/4 squads. Meaning 22 marines with 4 sergeants two being swap ins. I dont need the remaining three sergeant figures, at least not now.