If you thought Warhammer 40k was done giving Space Marines players more toys to play with (for this month, at least), you were quite wrong. In addition to revamped Assault Terminators; a Terminator themed battleforce box set; and resculpts of the Victrix Guard and Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, Games Workshop has just revealed a new, 69 piece upgrade kit and dedicated Ultramarines Combat Patrol box too.
A fair portion of the 40k community has spent the last couple weeks grousing about the fact that, in a month when GW finally honored xenos collectors with two new Drukhari character kits, the Adeptus Astartes still steal the show. Space Marines have enjoyed a ticker tape parade of model reveals in September, from the fifth distinct version of Marneus Calgar to long awaited Primaris scale Assault Terminators, which have Wargamer’s own Tim Linward salivating in a most unseemly manner.
And it continues to be a very good time for fans of Roboute Guilliman’s blue clad sons, because, as of Monday, GW has unveiled two more new kits just for them: a Combat Patrol starter army led by Chief Librarian Tigurius; and a 69 piece Ultramarines upgrade sprue, accompanied by a refreshed transfer sheet.
The new starter box brings the Ultramarines up to speed with their cousins in the Salamanders, Imperial Fists, Raven Guard, Iron Hands, and White Scars, all of whom received their own Combat Patrols earlier in the Summer, containing a themed selection of generic Space Marine units, headed up by a chapter specific character.
The Ultramarines’ box contains a characteristically balanced mix of units, fitting for the chapter’s reputation as loyal paragons of the Codex Astartes:
- Chief Librarian Tigurius x 1
- Bladeguard Veterans x 3
- Intercessors x 5
- Reivers x 5
- Aggressors x 3
We can expect it to cost the same as the other starter armies in the Combat Patrol line: $170 (£100) – but we don’t yet know when it’ll be available. As usual, the announcement on GW’s Warhammer Community site just teases that it’s “coming up for pre-order soon”.
As for the new Ultramarines upgrade kit (a sprue of plastic parts and a sheet of waterslide transfers to customize your regular Space Marines into Ultramarines) we’re getting all the usual bits here – though, as Warcom gleefully reports, the total number of pieces in the box is “more than the previous two Ultramarines upgrade packs combined”.
Among the 69 plastic components on offer are lots of variant shoulder pads with the Ultima chapter badge; some extra romanesque power swords; and 12 chunkier Ultimas to stick on your vehicles too. My eye was particularly drawn to some of the custom heads’ faces, though on closer inspection that’s probably just my predilection towards stern-looking, white haired and bearded Rogal Dorn types (spot him below).
What do you reckon to this latest shipment of extra goodies for the Ultramarines (and their 7,304 successor chapters)? Is it tempting you to join the March for Macragge? Or has this month simply seen too much marine for your liking? Come share your take in the free Wargamer Discord community – we’re a smurf friendly zone, I promise.