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RUMORS: Warhammer 40k Epic Reveal & Starter Set Contents

By Travis Pasch | July 1st, 2023 | Categories: Games Workshop, News & Rumors

chaos rumors new wal hor warhammer games workshopMore huge rumors are here for the supposed big reveal of Horus HeresyLegions Imperialis, the new edition of Epic Warhammer 40k with Adeptus Titanicus models!

The return of epic-scale games is here with Horus Heresy: Legions Imperialis, which brings back Warhammer 40k miniatures on a smaller scale.

GW went through the trouble of actually changing out a preview picture that started all the drama for the new edition of Epic Warhammer 40k that we now know as Legions Imperialis back in March of 2023.

Warhammer 40k Epic Returns As Horus Heresy Legions Imperialis

 

Here is the latest on Horus Heresy: Legions Imperialis from Warhammer Community.

Legions Imperialis box

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis is an all-new game set at the time of the Horus Heresy. While your standard 3,000-point battle of the larger-scale Age of Darkness constitutes a slice of a larger engagement, Legions Imperialis is that battle in full, with dozens of tanks and hundreds of infantry striving for supremacy and advancing to battle between the legs of Knights and Titans. It’s battle on a new scale.

The game deploys in August, with a huge Core Set containing a massive collection of exquisite epic scale miniatures, alongside a rulebook, dice, tokens templates, and measuring sticks.

The launch box arrives in August of 2023, five years after the launch of Adepticus Titanicus, which kicked off the push to this new scale.

Legions Imperialis army

There are a whopping 223 miniatures in the box, split between Space Marines, Solar Auxilia, and Titans. That’s 106 Space Marine infantry and walkers, five Space Marine tanks, 104 Solar Auxilia infantry and walkers, six Solar Auxilia tanks, and two Warhound Titans with brand-new plastic weapon options. 

This is undoubtedly a massive release, with tons of plastic minis to get us started gaming again at an Epic scale!

There are also two squads of Assault Marines for rapid combat manoeuvres, two units of Support Legionaries with plasma guns and two with missile launchers, all backed up by two bases of five Legion Cataphractii Terminators.

So let’s take a closer look at each of these tiny models that are all scaled with both the Adepticus Titanicus and Aeronautical Imperials line at approximately 1:4 the size of a Warhammer 40k miniature!

command squads

 

two squads of Assault Marines

 

Support Legionaries

 

Cataphracti Terminators

It’s honestly insane how good these look while being so tiny, massive credit to the Warhammer team that did the paint job on these display models.

For heavy support, the Legiones Astartes have four pleasingly chunky Contemptor Dreadnoughts with a power fist and either twin-linked lascannons or Kheres assault cannons. You also get two Sicaran battle tanks and three Predators to round out the armoured offering, each with a choice of turret and sponson weapons. 

Both tanks come with a choice of cupola options – they can be either closed down or feature a Space Marine driver or gunner, just like the full-sized miniatures!

Contemptor Dreads epic scale

 

Sicaran Tanks Epic scale

 

Predators Epic Scale

As the lifeblood of epic, heavy support is a super huge factor when building and playing Epic, so these kits are fantastic additions and will be seen a ton!

The Solar Auxilia are the well-trained and well-equipped defenders of the Emperor’s interests, who overwhelm their foes with superior numbers and an abundance of armour – though notably, many turned traitor along with Horus. They get two bases that can build either a Solar Axuilia Legate Commander or an Auxilia Tactical Command Section, eight bases worth of lasrifle-toting Auxiliaries, four units of Auxiliaries with flamers, four units of Veletarii shock troops, and four bases of ferocious Charonite Ogryns. 

legate commander epic

 

Auxiliaries epic

 

Veletarii shock troops epic scale

 

Charonite Ogryns epicWhile they may not get focused on much, ordinary humans are still in Horus Heresy and 40k, making their inclusion here a welcome sight.

This box introduces a never-before-seen unit for the Solar Auxilia, the Aethon Heavy Sentinel, these walkers patrol ahead of the main body of a force to scout enemies and engage them with multi-lasers and missile launchers. 

Four of these accompany four Leman Russ battle tanks and two lumbering Malcador heavy tanks, each with a choice of main battlecannons and hull-mounted weapons. These also come with various cupola options, just like their Space Marine counterparts.

Aethon Heavy Sentinel epic

 

lemun russ epic

 

malcador heavy tank epic

Again, armor is a centerpiece to the hype of playing at an epic scale, so seeing the iconic Lemun Russ or the new Aethon Heavy Sentinels is a huge positive for the game!

warhound titans epic

As if that weren’t enough, the box also features two Warhound Titans with a new plastic weapons frame, including ursus claws, a natrix shock lance, a volkite eradicator, a missile pod with a choice of swarmer or shudder missiles, and an incisor pattern melta lance. The box also contains two new lower-profile bases that fit with the urban battlefield aesthetic of the rest of the bases in the box. 

Personally, the larger titans like Warhounds are the reasons most hobbyists seem to want to play the Epic scale.  We had already seen some of this new smaller-scaled base in March when Games Workshop accidentally published a picture of a Warhound on it.

Legions Imperialis vid

Regardless, it’s insane seeing the behemoths stride across the field, and it’s easier (and hopefully more affordable) to do so in epic rather than in normal 40k or Horus Heresy!

These miniatures are just the beginning – plenty of additional releases are planned for Legions Imperialis, and eventually most of the armoury for both the Space Marine Legions and the Solar Auxilia will be available. Soon you will be able to create vast armies and conduct war on the scale you’re read about in the Horus Heresy books.

Don’t forget that in the preview stream, GW also mentioned that Aeronautica and Titanicus models are all in the correct scale and will be usable in Legions Imperialis! So if you play those games, getting started in full Epic scale games may be even easier!

RUMORS: Warhammer 40k Horus Heresy Epic to be Revealed at Warhammer Fest & Starter Set

These rumors are actually more in-depth than what we’ve seen before and talk about what we’ll see in the initial release. Other rumors have pointed at Adepticon and Warhammer Fest as the big reveal, so let’s hope that the ladder is true this time!

Well, before we go any further, these are rumors. So, take everything with as much salt as you need. With 10th Edition Warhammer 40k revealed at AdeptiCon, Games Workshop may need something big to close out the year preview-wise.

Either way, nothing is confirmed until GW says it, so keep that in mind.

These come from Gary on Faeit 212, and they say it’s from a “reliable source.”

The official announcement will be now Warhammerfest at the end of April; GW will show the new EPIC Logo and Space Marine Legionaries in Mk4 Armour.
As we said, with 10th Edition revealed at AdeptiCon, GW will may something big for Warhammer Fest. This would get people pretty excited, and it feels like GW would have to do Epic, Space Hulk, or even Warhammer Old World to really get people excited for the reveals.
It would also make sense to show off what the Space Marines models will look like as they should, in theory, be 1:4 scale like the current Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperalis and around 8-10mm tall.
Now, let’s check out the starter set rumors.
EPIC will be only a small release for the Start; Starter Set, separate Rulebook, Accessories, and 3 to 4 Boxes with Infantry and Tanks separate.
 
The new “Mk4” Power Armour Sprue will have the following content – note that every Squad also comes with a Sergeant option.
This is a little unfortunate in terms of a smaller release, but hey, better than nothing. Then, if it does well, we assume they would have to keep the releases going. Now onto the actual units coming in the starter sets.

Warhammer Epic Starter Sets Content

Thunderhawk epic ai titancius scale

 Forge World Thunderhawk & Plastic AI Thunderhawk in 1:4 scale.
Segment A/B (MK4 Line Squads)
    • 44 Tactical Marines
    • 11 Assault Marines with Jump Packs
    • 11 Support Marines with “Anti-Tank Weapons”
    • 11 Support Marines with “Anti-Infantry” Weapons”
    • 4 Bikes
 Segment C (Mk4 Command Squads)
    • 2 (different) Praetors
    • 2 (different) Centurions
    • 8 Consuls of different types
    • 33 Veterans (actual further Tactical Marines)
 Segment D (Tartaros Terminator Squads)
    • 1 Terminator Praetor
    • 1 Terminator Centurion
    • 4 Terminator Consuls
    • 22 Terminators

It’s looking like there will be three actual boxes, but the first one is A/B (meaning two armies, possibly). It’s a decent amount of models, and we’ll see how big they are, as this isn’t a crazy amount of minis for Epic if it is two armies.

 A and B are identical and have the dimensions of a common medium sprue segment. C & D are smaller “half” segments. Together all four sprue segments have the dimensions of a common GW Sprue in three parts
  • Three-part model for the basic Rhino.
  • Two parts for the lower hull’s both sides with tracks and the back hatch as part of one of them.
  • Third part is with the upper hull, front plate, and side doors.
  • Predator (and other variants) will then be alternative upper hulls with side weapons, turrets with different weapon options, using the Rhino two-part chassis.
  • Predator turret will be two parts with one being just the turret body/armour and another parts which include the weapon, the turret pin to fix it on the hull and the turrets backside.

Interestingly, the sets will have multiple options and multi-part sprues. This makes some sense with the tanks because they might not be the tiniest even though they are small.

Check out the latest for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition, new releases, rules, rumors, and more!

Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from preview models that we should watch out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still to be revealed!

    All the Latest Warhammer Rules & Model Rumors

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    About the Author: Travis Pasch

    Travis Pasch

    travis pasch writer headshot profile bioJob Title: Head Writer & Editor

    Socials: @paschbass 

    About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.

    Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.

    Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!