We’ve had a little time to get ourselves settled into 11th edition now, so I’m going to start posting full reviews of the launch box and 11th edition as a whole. But before anything else, let me give you my first impression of the launch box (which Zatu graciously gave me a copy of to review, The legends!)
What’s in the box?
I look back to past launch boxes, and while they had solid content in them, they weren’t always put together well. GW seems to have this down pat now and the Armageddon box is well put together. It has a stack of sprues (obviously, but more on this later) then a sleek inner box, inside which are the various books and cards you need. Lore book, core rules, building guide, unit cards, mission deck and campaign deck. It’s all here, nicely stored and displayed as you open it up. Crucially, this is all in the inner box so isn’t going to get damaged by sprues moving around, which all tend to be rather pointy at times.
Putting the models together
Please excuse the not so great image but I had to showcase something cool. In the building instructions are these sprue maps. You are still mainly looking for numbers to find the pieces you need, as well as what the piece looks like, but in a box with a lot of sprues, the map is really helpful. Not only does it show you what the sprue you need to find looks like, but if the sprue has multiple models on it, it shows you what pieces you are currently looking for. I cannot overstate how helpful this was and well done to GW for adding it.
Right anyway, back onto the regular stuff. The models in the box went together well. For years now these launch boxes, often aimed at people new to the hobby as well as veterans, come with push fit models. These are a bit controversial in the community because in the past they have often not fit quite right and you end up having to use glue or cut bits off yourself. They have definitely got better on this front and I managed to push fit the entire box together with no problems. I think I used a small dab of glue perhaps twice just to hold something tighter, but that's it, and it wasn’t a necessity. All in all these push fit models work great for beginners, and veterans can choose what they prefer.
Playing with the models
With everything complete, it was time to get some plastic on the table. So we planned out a battle, built lists, chose dispositions…nah we just threw them down and tried to kill each other like playing Warhammer as a kid. Twas a simpler time. I controlled the Orks while my friend controlled the Space Marines. Honestly we had a lot of fun, we didn’t worry about strategy and objectives, we just spent our time looking at what cool rules each of the boxes models had and rolled some dice. Turns out the box content, when just thrown against each other on a board with a decent amount of terrain, is reasonably balanced. The Orks won out in the end, but barely, and some luck in the dice rolls could have easily changed the outcome. For my full review I’ll return them to the table with proper lists built, with proper missions etc, to see how they stack up.
Community
That's what I think, but I am only one man. Let's see what other people think. For this I have enlisted (not forcefully, honest) the assistance of my local club. Quite a mixed bunch, between us we have most of the armies in the entire game covered. I asked them what they thought of the launch box and what their favourite models were.
- “When it comes to the Launch box. The war for Armageddon was most definitely won by the Orks.” - Gomez
- “It’s the speeder for me, glad to see it back and was excited to see it in the trailer.” - Mark
- “The Dakka Mek is great, but so is the Space Marine captain sculpt. I also love the extremely dynamic weird boy.” - Mike
Tony - Film and TV V.I.P, seeker of the peace, part time chandelier cleaner…wait what? No, hold on, this title goes on for miles, you can have Tony and that’s that! Tony is a fan of the Space Marine librarian sculpt and has already ordered his own.
There is a bit of a divide on the Ork front. Over the years Orks have gone through several different looks, so many are drawn to their more classic design. That said, I think Mike summed up the new Orks best when he said, “They look like they can bite your head off rather than struggling to chew a boiled egg”.
Coming soon to a review near you
I've thrown down and had some fun, partied up 90s style Warhammer, now it's time to get serious. Well, a little anyway. Not really. I will be getting more games of 11th in, both with the Armageddon box contents and my other armies. Soon I'll be giving you my overall review of 11th edition so far and we’ll be returning to my local club to see what else they have to say. So until next time, Armageddon outta here.
