Oh my goodness, Hobby Maniac’s this is not a test, this is a real thing: Deathwatch has landed and it’s not going to stay in the box for long!
Hobby Manaic’s, this kit made the internet explode and rightfully so. Everyone is literally losing their minds over this. The models in this kit could easily total up to more than 300.00 with all the individual special characters on the Space Marine side alone.
It’s got a hard cardstock box, slick UV coating, a brief overview of the mini’s on the back. It’s not a who’s who and a what’s what but it gives you an idea….
We’ve already seen what goes inside this with all the press packets. The sprue’s are quite substantial and there’s also the embossed, double-sided, game board. Most people might not want these, so how cool would it be to round these tiles up and use them as a Zone Mortalis. You can even see that in some boards they’re designed to be multilayer, [you see that cut out on the left tile up there revealing what looks like the right tile?] If you get multiple sets you can could actually cut it out and make a two-floor board; that would be really neat.
The instruction manual is almost on par with a Supplement, which, in my opinion, is really cool. There’s pages of the models painted up ‘Eavy Metal style, The manual comes with some stories, some missions, and the rules for the game itself weigh’s in at around 8 pages. This is a far better product than what we saw with Betrayal at Calth. You also get the character cards, dice, a range ruler, and the instructions on how to put the models together.
A big question has been, “Will we get a chance to buy these models individually? Are these going to be in clam packs soon?” and the instructions would have been a big clue to that but from what I can see here it’s not quite clear still. You can see the multi-part nature of the models with some of them having optional shoulders so for instance, Chaplain Cassius, you can keep the deathwatch shoulder pad off him and use him as an Ultramarine. However, the Raven Guard chacter has his arm molded into the Deathwatch shoulder pad which makes him hard to make as a Counts-as Shrike.
The bike allows you to not install the deathwatch fairing [the thing that goes in-front of the handlebars] so you could put in the Raven Guard wings if you wanted.
These aren’t quite push-fit but also not the usual multipart. You’ll notice in the legs that these are complete legs, you’re not going to have wonky ass seam lines. Then, looking over at the Patriach, you get the same thing, complete legs and jointed at an actual joint that eliminates the messy seams and avoids the duckbill effect like on the Tyranid Hive Tyrant.
Deathwatch gives you more gameplay content but Betrayal at Calth gives you the ability to play low-level 30k games right out of the box, so there’s that give and take there as well.
What I like about these sprues is that a lot of the characters multiple parts are together so you don’t have to fish through multiple sprues to find the one part you need. These could easily be made into separate sprues using CAD. I’m also really liking that all the Chapter Iconography is molded into the model; no stickers. This is all very interchangeable and high quality.
The Genesteeler Cult comes in the same super high quality and highly detailed sets. You get two large sprues with the entire cult; which makes things easy then another sprue with the special characters are separate.
So, that’s really all there is too it. You’ll be seeing these upclose and personal pretty soon!
Deathwatch Review: Suffer Not the Box to be Unopened
Who’s ready to burn some Xenos?
Get FREE Deathwatch Miniatures Extended Until March 14th!
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
