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How do!

A repository thread for your thoughts on given kits. A chance to discuss our experiences and perhaps pass on tips relating to the kits.

Astartes Spartans

Really nice kit with the unit’s full suite of options. Extra bonus points for that including four Pintel Mounted Multi-Meltas that can be used for Rhinos.

Downside is some of the sponson weapon bits are super fragile. Now of course working in this scale fragile comes with the territory. But exacerbating things is the tips of the barrels have a flow channel. If you use clippers carelessly like I first did? You’ll bend the barrel and probably break it. So here, better to use a fresh blade on your hobby knife to free that piece from the sprue.

Astartes Legion Support

Lots of bits to the Dreadnoughts. I didn’t find them too fiddly to assemble thankfully. But, I think if they’d reduced those bits, they probably could’ve squeezed in weapon options for the Rapiers at least. But they didn’t. And at least once you’re finished assembly, you’ve a completely empty sprue. It’s an odd consolation where I’d have preferred options, but at least I’m not left with extra Dreadnought legs, I guess.

I managea to cut barrels fine but start with barrel, not main part. I have found that work on these.

Be super careful of these on support boxes. Spartans barrel or two lost wouldn't have been issue as i don't spam same anyway. Support you don't have spares.

Leviathan legs i had no trouble. Deredeos settling legs on pose was funny enough hardest step for me on all 4 boxes.

Sa support last stint on rapiers got mixed up tracks of rapiers. Had fun time figuring out which was which side lol. 3 box of support in 1 go rough. Was all boggley eye at the end

Deredeo legs were an odd one. I got them right first time, but it really didn’t feel like I got them right.

I’d recommend getting them on the base as soon as possible. Then let your glue set, because you need a bit of pressure to mount the Deredeo torso on its legs.

Tarantulas are an absolute doddle, especially the Lascannon ones.

Rapiers confused me, because I had the tracks backwards.

Couldn't put to base fast since they need painted separately. Different primer colour(black base, white models) and the way i paint bases involve lotsa drybrushing. Too messy with model in it.

But assembled more stuff while waiting legs to settle to allow push.

Made "screwup" gluing torsos to legs before noticing torsos are weapon specific so now all weapons have same leg pose. Bleargh. Well did follow instructions but now attack of clones...

Leviathans split even

Put you dreads legs on a piece of doublesided tape on top a popstickle.

I'm now getting around to my Drop Pods. OMG there are so many parts. One sprue might not seem like a lot, but I bought two boxes and clipping & cleaning four sprues (40 doors and 40 structure panels) worth is a serious chore.

I still need to decide how many regular pods to make and how many to build with the deathwind missiles.

Sure, I'll bite.

Land Raider Proteus kit: Absolutely hated the way they put those sprue gates on the side hull pieces. Very challenging to clean up between those track links due to their concaved shape. Also, care must be taken when guing the lascannon sponsons together, capillary based glue such as Mr Hobby SP eats through to your finger and spoils the plastic surface if you are not very careful with your finger positioning.

Drop Pods - Fantastic kit. I feel like a watchmaker putting those tiny things together. The central gubbins need thorrough cleaning in order to build completely flush. Caution when clipping the pod doors though!

Astartes Support - I hate the fact that there are no weapon spares for Deredeos nor Leviathans. Deredeo Torsos look the same on first glance but are actually different ones for the Plasmas/ACs. The Rapier has one nasty sprue gate which is a PITA to clean properly, positioned centrally in the bottom plate front arc. Same deal as with the LRP track link gates, my cleaning tools didnt seem to fit anywhere..

Astartes infantry - Not a fan how they Missile Launchers are supposed to assemble, very fiddly trying to get them launchers to sit in the tiny keys of those models

Rhinos and Predators - not a fan of the side armour pieces cutting. The end result looks easily seamy and might require filling, or you run the risk of glue spillage, usually one or the other.

All in all, I find LI kits to be much more challenging to build properly than 28mil stuff. I usually make at lest one build mistake for evey new model.. Almost feels like frying pancakes, you know, the first couple pancakes from the pan end up kind of meh, you only get those perfect ones at the very end when you've already fried several of em

Still there is something very satisfying about building these epic scale minis..

With the new Legions stuff when comparing to previous Epics, I almost feel like I do when you're watching a movie version of a favourite book - rather than getting annoyed at the things that have changed, you're better off just accepting it for how it is. You then enjoy it more that way.

So it's not got simple rules, it's not abstract, the minis are multi-piece and more expensive - so the reasons the original games were such a success are not there. But, it's got a hell of a lot more people playing at this scale than would otherwise have even known of Epic scale's existence, and that can only be a good thing.

I’m intrigued to see the Sprues for the Legion Fast Attack. Used to be the Landspeeders were two pieces (main hull, engine block) and the Bikers were a single piece.

Given we get a fair amount of playing pieces out of this kit, I’m hopeful they won’t be overly fiddly. But given at least some of the Bike and Jetbike riders have close combat weapons sticking out to the side (perpendicular I think?) I suspect at least two or three pieces each.

Also it’s not clear if the light speeders have weapon options or not.

Looking forward to the Fast Attack box... but whoever decided that Leviathan dreadnought legs should be in 3 pieces per leg needs taking out and shot.

MarkNorfolk wrote:
Looking forward to the Fast Attack box... but whoever decided that Leviathan dreadnought legs should be in 3 pieces per leg needs taking out and shot.

Addendum - over squeezing in weapon options for the Rapier Carriers.

I have to say the Leman Russ tanks is far and away the best kit I've assembled so far. Low piece count, good tooling with few mould lines. No complaints.

The worst one by far is the SA support box with the turrets and batteries. Too many pieces for minis I generally care very little about.

May do a full breakdown of the SA kits as I've gotten most of them.