Don’t miss our unboxing of the Warhammer 40k Eldritch Omens box with new minis for both the Eldar and Chaos Space Marines!
Rob is back unboxing the newest releases for Chaos Space Marines and Eldar. He’ll see what it takes to get them ready for the tabletop, show the size of the models, and tell you the GOTCHAS to be aware of when building them!
We are going to show you everything including the sprues, bits, and of course, the size. That way you can decide if these are worth your hard-earned hobby dollars.
Warhammer 40k Eldritch Omens: Unboxing & Build
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Let’s start with the value breakdown inside the box.
- Autarch $35 (based on recent character releases)
- Rangers $55 (based on Drukhari and Howling Banshees releases)
- Shroud Runners $60 (based on SM Outriders)
Eldar MSRP $150
- Warpsmith $35-$40 (based on recent releases, but there is a chance it goes for $40 and not $35)
- Chaos Chosen $60
- Forgefiend $75
Chaos MSRP $170
Overall MSRP: $320
Total Estimated Value Inside the Box: $120 (based on $200 retail price)
There is also some intrinsic value inside as 15 of the 16 miniatures are new and we probably won’t see them released on their own for a while. As we said before, this didn’t sell nearly as well as GW had hoped, so maybe this will prompt GW to actually give us more value in boxes like this in the future.
Unboxing
At first glance, this box is a little underwhelming as it weighs less than a cat and costs $200. It does come with all the bases, the transfers, and the book, plus all the sprues pack and instructions.
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Speaking of rules, you can check out all the new Eldar and Chaos 40k datasheets at the link above!
Chaos Instructions
So, you can see on the left side they give you a reference sheet for all the sprues. The Warpsmith has a ton of little parts (like the tubes and arms) that don’t even really slot into anything, so Rob thinks they could be a problem, be very careful on the back! Just an insane amount of fiddly parts for a single model.
Looking at the Chosen, there are a lot of options, and you might actually want to magnetize them to future-proof them. There are some spots where you could magnetize, but it would be easier if you have some extra Chaos shoulder pads laying around somewhere.
For magnetizing, Rob doesn’t think you magnetize the actual hands because they build them with notches so it makes it really hard. So what Rob thinks you should do is magnetize the shoulders, as that is much more doable. This might make you sacrifice a little in terms of what weapons you can do.
Then, he would magnetize all the combi bits for the guns so you can take whatever you want. The main problem is, if you go this route, you’ll need extra shoulder pads for all the extra arms.
Eldar Instructions
First up is the Autarch which actually has a lot of bits and options. There seem to be chances to magnetize the different backpacks and some of the weapons.
You get a decent number of options for the Rangers with how you can pose them, and some extra things like binoculars and the drones. Then, there are some cool poses like Rangers drawing pistols and striding. Very dynamic overall.
The Shroudrunners go together very similarly to the Dark Eldar jetbikes. However, it does look like GW hasn’t fixed the problem of riders easily fitting on the bikes… When building these, Rob recommends not gluing down the legs to the bike, because painting it will be a really big issue.
But, it looks like they want you to glue the legs down first, so it will be a big pain in the butt when painting them, we’ll see what we can do to get around the issue. Building them doesn’t look terrible but, how they are designed might be a really big issue for painting.
Sprues
The sprue isn’t too big but does have a decent number of bits and there really doesn’t look like it has a lot of mold lines.
The Rangers kit actually looks really cool and there isn’t a lot of mold lines on this either.
The jetbike sprue is actually really chonky and somehow they managed to fit it on a double sprue. However, there are some small parts that look annoying to build.
The Chosen sprue has a lot of options and they all look really good.
The Warpsmith is on the larger size sprue and the detail looks great, but as we said, there are a lot of little parts!
Assembly Gotchas
The bikes were actually worse than Rob had thought… While it looks awesome it’s sort of a trap. You have to be so careful when building them, first, they don’t really stay on the flight stand, so Rob would magnetize it. Then, the little wing bits on the sides will break super easily, and Rob already broke some of the bits.
The back rider goes on fine, but the front rider does not fit very well at all, so you’ll have a big gap on the legs. Rob thinks this could be the worst designed kit he has seen in a while.
The riders just do not fit very well at all, the flight stand doesn’t work, and the little bits just are way too fiddly and break easily. Just be extremely careful when you are building this. It took so long to build, Rob only built one…
Eldar Built Models
The Autarch is actually completely magnetized other than the head, so pretty cool on that front!
For the magnets, Rob used 1/16 x 1/32 magnets for the backpacks and arms, but for the shoulder socket, he used the 1/8 x 1/16 magnet, and he grabbed all his from Magnet Baron.
The Rangers look great, however, there were a few issues. The shoulders don’t notch together perfectly. Rob uses the Tamiya Extra Thin Cement for them to help fill in those gaps and on the capes as well. Other than that though, a really cool kit!
Chaos Built Models
The Warpsmith is a very dynamic and cool model. With that said, you have to be very careful when building this. The tentacles don’t really fit the way they say and there are a few gaping issues across the whole model. He looks cool, but just be prepared to spend a decent amount of time on this guy.
You get the five Chosen and they look great and are some of the most dynamic Chaos minis we’ve seen.
To magnetize them Rob used the 1/8 x 1/16 magnets for the weapons, Rob actually magnetized a ton of the weapons.
You can see there is a ton of options to magnetize, which we recommend considering we don’t really know what everything will do in the new codex. You can even magnetize the combi-weapons with a 1/16 x 1/32 magnet (just like the elder should joints). Just remember, you’ll need extra shoulder pads to do this for all the arms, which really isn’t a problem as most Chaos kits come with extras already.
Is the Eldritch Omens Box Worth It?
This box is hard to gauge. The problem is the last box set for Warhammer 40k, Shadow Throne, came with 25 miniatures for a $170 retail price, and ended up being around the same value per side ($55-$60).
From there GW seems to have raised the price $30 on the front end but given less value on the back end for Eldritch Storm. However, all the miniatures inside are not only new, as we mentioned above, but also the normal multi-part kits that you would expect to release later on separately as fully boxed sets.
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As folks have also pointed out the Dark Vengeance box set from around 10 years ago contained way more models, all of which were “new” at the time, however, they were ETB easy to build. That box set also contained a “Mini” rulebook too for Warhammer 40k which also had value.
It’s also worth mentioning that the latest AoS Box set, Fury of the Deep, as well as the new Kill Team Starter Set both came with condensed or “mini” versions of each game system’s rules.
Back to Dark Vengenace that box set retailed for around $100, if you convert 2012 money to 2022, even that is a little off…
The recent Shadow Throne box went for $170 and had about $113 worth of value inside which equals about $7 a figure retail. Eldritch Omens cost per figure in an unboxing is about $12.5, which is close to a 50% jump. Both box sets contain multi-part figures.
However, when you look back at something like Indomitus with 61 figures, the cost per mini in the box is $3.27, compared to dark Vengenace’s 50 figures at $2.20. The difference is that these sets were “Starter Boxes” and contained ETB or easy-to-build miniatures.
So in Games Workshop money, there is some value to Eldritch Omens, as the value is about the same as the other box sets from 2021, and you are getting way more “new” models early.
The question is will the price point push away hobbyists, as Games Workshop has not had any new box set release sell out in a very long time for a variety of reasons.
The minis inside are really cool-looking, dynamic, and new. However, getting 16 models for $200 is a bit of a stretch for most players, but it does have value in GW money. Like always though, if this is worth it to you grab it, if not, then don’t
Click Here To Get Your Eldritch Omens Box!
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job 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!
