From Primaris, to Upgrades and even the codex book, come see the releases from Games Workshop for the Dark Angels Space Marines!
The First Legion releases are finally here and they bring to the table a fresh 8th Edition codex, datacards, dice, 3 Primaris kits, a named Primaris Lieutenant, and an upgrade kit. The hype from Games Workshop was strong from last week after a series of previews and reviews gave us a solid idea as to how the Dark Angels will perform on the tabletop. Our very own Rob Baer has all this Dark Angel goodness on his paint bench for a quick and dirty review.
For our complete review, be sure to scroll down and press play on the full video below.
Dark Angels fans have three “flavored” Primaris Intercessors, Hellblasters, and Aggressors. The important fact to note is that these kits will come with their own Dark Angels upgrade kits included. The price for these new Primaris Dark Angel kits haven’t changed, save for the Aggressors. Their kit will be $5 more than their vanilla counterparts. The new Dark Angel dice are supposedly designed to role consistently average as are the Blood Angel dice that Rob tested last week. Unfortunately, the dice were unavailable at the time of this review.
As we saw with the Blood Angels, the Dark Angels have also gotten their own unique Primaris Lieutenant. Primaris Lieutenant Zakariah comes on one sprue and with a 40mm base in his $25 clam pack. His torso is a front and back bit design with his arms and with legs already formed. He comes with hooded and helmeted head option variants and is statically posed. There is some conversion potential with the arms and back pack. He has a basic Primaris Lieutenant stat line with S4, T4, 5 Wounds, and 3+ save.
Rob breaks down each Dark Angel release in detail so you can know how to maximize your hobby dollars in the review video below.
Dark Angels Primaris Lieutenant Zakariah: $25
Lieutenants act as the right hands of their Captains by providing flexibility and helping to direct their battle-brothers in engagements. Battle Companies are often split into 2 Demi-companies, each of which falls under the command of a Lieutenant who leads his brothers unflinchingly into battle. The position gives rising leaders experience in command, and the longest-serving Lieutenants of the Dark Angels are presented with robes and cowls – the austere markings of a veteran amongst the descendants of the First Legion.
This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble Primaris Lieutenant Zakariah of the Dark Angels. He wears Mk X power armour, over which are the robes that mark him out as a particularly notable servant of the Chapter. He carries a plasma pistol and power sword, and his armour features several pieces of ornate Dark Angels detail – the left shoulder pad has a sculpted Chapter icon, while the right pad has a space for painting. He features a knife and book icon hanging from his belt, and a choice of heads – one is a Dark Angels helmet, and the other is a not-quite-bare cowled head, with eye implant.
Lieutenant Zakariah comes as 11 components, and is supplied with a Citadel 40mm Round base.
Dark Angels Primaris Intercessors: $60
A strong core of reliable and adaptable warriors that can lay down fire while advancing or holding down terrain is an invaluable aid to any tactician. In the case of strike forces bolstered by Primaris battle-brothers, this role is fulfilled by the Intercessor Squads. Since the inclusion of Intercessor Squads, the Company Masters of the Unforgiven have come to count on their formidable salvoes of firepower. Indeed, they are often the base upon which the rest of a strike force is built.
This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a set of 10 Primaris Intercessors. Wearing Mk X Tacticus armour in order to take advantage of its protection and mobility, they prove to be reliable and adaptable warriors, each armed with bolt rifles. Their bolt rifles can be 1 of 3 variants – the standard bolt rifle with sickle magazine, auto bolt rifle with overcharger and box magazine, or stalker bolt rifle with longer-range sight and straight magazine. There are 16 right-hand shoulder pads decorated with the iconography of the Intercessors – enough to cover each of the variant arms, including 2 with an open radio panel, 2 gesturing for their squad to halt, 2 holding combat knives and 2 firing bolt pistols. There are a total of 36 different heads available in this kit, covering helmeted and bare options.
The models can be assembled as either a 10-man squad, a squad of 9 Intercessors with a Sergeant or 2 separate 5-man squads, each with a Sergeant of their own.
They are upgraded to represent the Dark Angels with the 2 included 21-component upgrade frames. This is a selection of 18 shoulder pads, 6 heads, 4 arms (2 holding chainswords), 12 reliquaries and 2 tilting plates, specifically designed to add Dark Angels iconography to the Primaris Space Marines.
This is a 308-component plastic kit (including upgrades), and is supplied with 10 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a Dark Angels Transfer Sheet.
Dark Angels Primaris Hellblasters: $60
Imperial observers have likened the fire of a Hellblaster Squad to the incinerating power of a stellar flare. Bolt after bolt of plasma sears across the battlefield; those caught in the Hellblasters’ sights are swiftly annihilated, their armour blasted to ash and their flesh and bone to glowing motes. Even armoured fighting vehicles are swiftly reduced to heaps of metallic slag. The Unforgiven are not afraid to martyr themselves in a starburst of overcharged plasma weaponry, should the situation be dire enough to call for it…
This multi-part plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble a set of 10 Primaris Hellblasters. The models can be assembled as either a 10-man squad, a squad of 9 Hellblasters with a Sergeant or 2 separate 5-man squads, each with a Sergeant of their own. The whole squad can be armed with a host of plasma weaponry – there are 10 plasma incinerators included, with the components required to turn any of them into an assault plasma incinerator or heavy plasma incinerator, depending on your preference. The assault and heavy variants feature alternate muzzles, ammunition flasks and different cabling attaching the weapon to the Hellblasters’ backpack. There are 4 incinerators which are being carried rather than aimed; you have the option to arm 4 Hellblasters with plasma pistols in the other hand.
The models are upgraded to represent the Dark Angels with the 2 included 21-component upgrade frames. This is a selection of 18 shoulder pads, 6 heads, 4 arms (2 holding chainswords), 12 reliquaries and 2 tilting plates, specifically designed to add Dark Angels iconography to the Primaris Space Marines.
This is a 292-component plastic kit (including upgrades), and is supplied with 10 Citadel 32mm Round bases and a Dark Angels Primaris Infantry Transfer Sheet.
Dark Angels Primaris Aggressors: $55
Clad in heavy Gravis armour, Aggressor Squads advance on the foe as walking fortresses of ceramite. More mobile than some other Space Marines, they’re better able to negotiate rough ground, making them versatile troops; while they are often employed in specific circumstances or on certain terrain, Aggressor Squads are used as reserves to plug breaches in gun lines or to spearhead an advance. During the battles upon Mordian, the Dark Angels Aggressor Squads were pivotal in clearing the dense hive cities of foes, leading a slow but inexorable advance hab-block by hab-block.
This multi-part plastic kit contains the components and upgrades necessary to assemble a 3-man Dark Angels Primaris Aggressor Squad. Extremely heavily armoured, their silhouette is wider and chunkier than most Primaris Space Marines, due in no small part to the choice of auto boltstorm gauntlets or flamestorm gauntlets. There are three sets of each, with every weapon featuring pipes or belts that are fed from the enormous backpack. One set of flamestorm gauntlets features retracted barrels, as in close combat fists speak louder than flames… Should you choose the boltstorm gauntlets, the Aggressors can also take a fragstorm grenade launcher.
You have the option of assembling 3 Aggressors or 2 Aggressors and a Sergeant; a host of options are available either way. There are 6 heads for the standard Aggressors, with respirators on the mask of those using flamestorm gauntlets, and 2 more specific heads for the Sergeant. The flamestorm-wielding Aggressors have their own shoulder pads, featuring larger blast shielding to protect them from the immense operating temperatures of their weapons. Also included are reliquaries and purity seals, with special examples for Sergeants featuring extra skulls.
The models are upgraded to represent the Dark Angels with the included 21-component upgrade frame. This is a selection of 9 shoulder pads, 3 heads, 2 arms (1 holding a power sword), 6 reliquaries and a tilting plate, specifically designed to add Dark Angels iconography to the Primaris Space Marines.
This is a 128-component plastic kit (including upgrades), and is supplied with 3 Citadel 40mm Round bases and a Dark Angels Primaris Infantry Transfer Sheet.
Codex: Dark Angels: $40
No matter the foe, regardless of the odds, the proud warriors of the Dark Angels stubbornly refuse to accept defeat. Descendants of the First Legion, they stand foremost amongst the Chapters of the Space Marines, Mankind’s mightiest defenders. None fight with more grim determination than the Dark Angels, and their renowned special companies – the Deathwing and the Ravenwing – are held in awe by allies and enemies alike. Yet behind their devotion to the Imperium lies a dark obsession…
Codex: Dark Angels contains a wealth of background and rules – the definitive book for Dark Angels collectors. Within this 144-page hardback, you’ll find: a dark obsession…
– The First Legion: the origins of the Dark Angels – one of the most famously secretive Chapters – their homeworld, and the dark stain on their history that motivates their crusade of vengeance;
– A guide to the Dark Angels’ Chapter organisation, with an explanation of their constant, obsessive hunt for the Fallen, along with their heraldries and Chapter markings;
– An overview of the Ravenwing and the Deathwing, specialist companies unique to the Dark Angels;
– Detailed colour schemes and heraldries of 8 successor Chapters: Angels of Redemption, Angels of Absolution, Angels of Vengeance, Blades of Vengeance, Consecrators, Disciples of Caliban, Angels of Defiance, and Guardians of the Covenant;
– In the Name of Absolution: a timeline of significant events and battles in the history of the Dark Angels;
– Background and details on each character and unit available to a Dark Angels army;
– A showcase of beautifully painted Citadel miniatures, with example armies featuring everything from individual images of models to battle scenes on terrain.Rules
Everything you need to get a Dark Angels army primed for games of Warhammer 40,000 is in here:
– 76 datasheets containing rules for every Dark Angels unit and miniature;
– Army abilities reflecting the Dark Angels’ methods of war on the tabletop;
– Armoury of the Rock: wargear both ranged and close-combat for use by Dark Angels armies;
– Points values for all miniatures, weapons and wargear for use in Matched Play games;
– Angels of Death: rules for Battle-forged armies, including:
– 6 unique Warlord Traits available for any Dark Angels commander;
– 26 unique Stratagems;
– Relics of Caliban: a selection of 6 rare weapons and artefacts unique to Dark Angels armies;
– Interromancy Discipline: 6 psychic powers available to any Dark Angels model with the Psyker keyword;
– 6 unique Tactical Objectives.
Dark Angels Dice: $30
This is a set of 20 6-sided 16mm dice, in a variety of colours that represent the Dark Angels. Designed with square edges, with the pips perfectly flush with the surfaces, each features a skull in place of the 1 and a Dark Angels icon in the place of the 6:
– 12 x dark green dice with grey icons, representing the main Dark Angels colour scheme;
– 4 x bone dice with green icons, representing the Deathwing;
– 4 x Black dice with bone icons, representing the Ravenwing.
Datacards: Dark Angels: $15
Designed to make it easier to keep track of Tactical Objectives, psychic powers and Stratagems in games of Warhammer 40,000, this set of 72 cards – each featuring artwork on the reverse – is an indispensable tool in the arsenal of any Dark Angels gamer. Included:
– 7 psychic power cards – 6 from the Interromancy discipline found in Codex: Dark Angels, along with Smite;
– 28 Stratagems available to any Battle-forged Dark Angels army as found in Codex: Dark Angels, along with 3 Stratagems – Command Re-roll, Counter-Offensive and Insane Bravery – from the Warhammer 40,000 rules, available to any army;
– 36 Tactical Objectives, including the 6 specific Objectives from Codex: Dark Angels.
Dark Angels Primaris Upgrades: $12.50
This pack of plastic components can be used to upgrade a variety of Primaris Space Marines with iconography and details specific to the Dark Angels. 21 components in total are included:
– 5 Dark Angel Mk X power armour shoulder pads, which are used to upgrade Hellblasters and Intercessors;
– 2 Dark Angel Mk X Gravis armour shoulder pads, which are used to upgrade Aggressors;
– 1 Dark Angel Mk X power armour shoulder pad, for use with characters/Sergeants;
– 1 Dark Angel Mk X Gravis armour shoulder pad, for use with Aggressor character/Sergeants;
– 2 Dark Angel bare heads;
– 1 Dark Angels-specific helmet;
– 1 left arm and separate power sword, which is designed for use with an Intercessor;
– 1 left Dark Angels character/Sergeant arm with attached hand, to fit an Intercessor;
– 2 reliquaries;
– 1 book;
– 2 pouch and icon hangers;
– 1 tilting plate.
These Dark Angel releases are available now online and in local Games Workshop stores. Be sure to press play on our quick and dirty review video below for the full product breakdown.
For more on the Dark Angel releases and all things Warhammer 40k, visit Games Workshop!
About the Author: Juan Lopez
