Workshop Wednesday: ‘Warhammer’ Space Marines Reinforcements Have Arrived

Welcome to the table,

Workshop Wednesday is my little slice of the day where I can dive into all sorts of things related to Games Workshop. There are very few things in the Warhammer 40,000 universe that are as immediately recognizable as a Space Marine.

Big Armor, bigger guns, and a complete disregard for the concept of “Maybe we shouldn’t walk directly towards that enormous alien hellbeast.” They are the poster boys of the grim dark far future, and honestly, I think that is part of what makes them such a rad gateway into the hobby. You can hand somebody a Space Marine mini, tell them that this enormous armored warrior has been genetically engineered to fight basically everything that wants humanity dead (including other humans), and there is a pretty good chance they are going to say something along the lines of “Okay, where do I get one … or two … or ten?”

My pals at Games Workshop are giving us even more reason to spend our hobby time assembling, painting, and probably buying more little plastic dudes than we originally intended. I am here for it. There are some new Space Marine reinforcements hitting the table and they, if I may use a turn of phrase stolen from my buddy Bob, “Bang out of control.”

The Land Speeder

Let’s get started with something fast. The Land Speeder is one of those Space Marine units that just screams Warhammer 40k to me. It’s essentially a flying armored weapons platform that looks like somebody asked, “What if we took a tank, removed the wheels, and told it that gravity was just kind of a suggestion?”

The Land Speeder brings speed and firepower together in a package that can slide around the table while looping for something unfortunate enough to be deployed within its movement range. This is one of those miniatures where the hobby side is almost as exciting as the gaming side.

There is just something so inherently 40k about a Space Marine sitting inside a futuristic armored speeder, surrounded by a weapons loadout, while only flying a handful of feet above the ground. It may not be normal, but as the elder nerds would have said, it’s extremely cool!

Kaius Konorius

Next up is the master duelist, Kaius Konorius. These unique characters are always some of my favorite minis to look at because they give you an opportunity to not only paint something really fun but to tell a story at the table.

While you can give your individual units personality for sure, a named character model represents an individual with established lore. They are a someone, and that distinction is important in this hobby.

When you’re painting a named character, you can start thinking about where they have been, what battles they have survived, what scars are under the armor, and how many brothers they have watched fall. That’s where Warhammer minis really start to become more than pieces on a tabletop; they become these little physical reminders of stories spread across multiple layers of media.

Kaius Konorius is a new addition to the 11th edition lore. He serves as a blademaster who has fought alongside the venerable Marneus Calgar and the wise Chaplain Cassius back when all three warriors were mere neophytes. He was summoned to the table by Calgar to serve as his champion after a near-fatal duel against Abaddon the Despoiler, and if I am getting a new Ultramarine, a grizzled warrior in seriously kick-ass armor is the kind I want to put on the table with my other units. He’s someone I want to know more about and someone I want to paint sooner rather than later.

The Intercessors

Another epic group is the Intercessors. These are Space Marines in their most recognizable form. They show up, stand there, and shoot things. The Intercessor group is the kind of unit you send to grab objectives while your other units are disrupting things at the table.

It makes sense. These are essentially a living wall of armor between civilization and whatever nightmares are crawling toward you from the void. While mine will be going into my Ultramarines ranks, these can be painted as Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Raven Guard, or your own homebrew chapters.

That’s the rad thing about these kinds of units in Warhammer 40k. You get the framework, but the hobby lets you color outside the lines with whatever paints and lore you want to make things your own.

Outrider Squad

Another really cool new unit that is hitting the table is the Outriders. These enormous Space Marine motorcycles are engineered to carry genetic supersoldiers across the battlefield at high speeds. The customization in the new kits really lets you build your models with all those different options so you can give your units their own personality as you see fit.

The Outrider Squad box is packed with interchangeable parts as well. There are backpacks, chain swords, pistols, seven bare heads, three helmeted heads, tons of transfers, and so much more.

It’s always a treat to look across the battlefield at the table and see the way a player has applied paint and built their units. Some of them are super clean, almost looking like they rolled right off the assembly line. Some look weathered and worn like they have seen five or six apocalypses and are still ready to take on anything in front of them at breakneck speed. These little details make the army feel like they belong to the players fielding them and are an essential part of the culture of Warhammer both at and off the table.

The Captain on Attack Bike

Speaking of bikes, the Captain on Attack Bike is extremely awesome. This is the sort of mini that makes me stop and remember all those elder nerds who used to stay up late at the lock-ins in the back of the comic shop and teach me about rad music, cool movies, and how to make the lightning on a power sword look extra crispy. Why, you may ask? Because this is the kind of thing I could see one of the elder nerds working on for weeks to make it look next-level.

In the spirit of custom-cool, the captain can be built with either a master-crafted power weapon, a hard-hitting thunder hammer, or a plasma pistol in their right hand. The base can be assembled with or without a decorative rock, with a leg either planted on the ground or on the bike’s foot peg, in which case the bike can also be assembled tilted to the left or the right.

There are also two helmeted heads and three bare-head options to choose from, and some cool hilt and holster options as well. This is a great weekend project unit to work on when you just want to hang out and vibe at the painting table.

Eradicator Squad With Heavy Bolters

Another rad little weekend-built box is the Eradicator Squad with Heavy Bolters. After all that speed, you can slow down with heavy army and extra-large guns at the ready. These are the sort of Space Marines that make you look at some giant Ork or unhinged Tyranid and think, “Okay, that’s a problem … but I’ve got a solution for it right here … as long as the dice hold up.”

There is something satisfying about heavily armored troops carrying serious firepower slowly across the table. Again, my boys are going to be Ultramarines, but these come with a slew of transfers so you can make them into the chapter you want them to be a part of most.

 

Until next time, there is something wonderfully infectious about a new edition of a game you love. It can be the armor, the lore, or just the novelty of feeling like a fresh start is happening. Whatever the reason, Space Marines remain one of the easiest ways to get into the Warhammer 40,000 hobby.

With these new releases and the hype about the Space Marine 2 video game, the upcoming shows, and more and more high-profile people talking about the hobby, it’s no wonder these pre-orders vanish so quickly. So act fast if you want your own, keep your brushes wet, and remember … two thin coats … unless you are painting yellow.