For all you Space Wolves lovers out there, a batch of brand new models are joining the pack! We previously covered the new Space Wolves Army Set, and now Games Workshop has sent us new releases hitting preorder to check out! Read on for our quick thoughts on all the models releasing soon.
Space Wolves: Logan Grimnar
Logan Grimnar is one of the longest-serving Chapter Masters in the Imperium, and his feats of strength, resolve, and incredible charisma make him one of the most famed figures in the galaxy. This Epic Hero can lead a unit of Wolf Guard Terminators.
Armed with a Storm Bolter and his famed Axe Morkai, he also fights alongside a pair of snarling wolves, who add their fangs and claws to his arsenal of attacks!
His abilities mess with the rules of the game in a way I find pretty exciting and novel – his first ability allows him to bring in units in Strategic Reserve as though it were one round later than it actually is in the game (that’s a cool ability we don’t see much of!). His second abilitiy increases the CP cost by 1 of enemy units that get targeted by commands.
These aren’t necessarily bomb abilities that will decimate your foes, but… that’s what his Axe Morkai is for with it’s -2 AP and high damage output!
Space Wolves: Arjac Rockfist
Arjac Rockfist first came to Logan Grimnar’s attention as an Iron Priest by beating back hordes of Kraken Spawn, now he stands by Grimar’s side as one of his Champions. A towering mass of muscle, Arjac’s clad in Terminator Armor and can be attached as a leader to a unit of Wolf Guard Terminators.
His weapon, Foehammer, has Anti-Monster 3+, Anti-Vehicle 3+, and Assault (as Ranged) and Precision (as Melee) keywords, and can be be used as a ranged or melee weapon. Easy to hit with (it has a WS 2+ and a BS 2+), it has a -2 AP and deals 3 damage per hit.
Abilities-wise, he lets you roll to let models in his unit fight one last time before dying (if they haven’t already fought), and he can re-roll all to hit and to wound rolls against characters. This is one of those aggressive leaders you really want in the front line, turning a unit of Wolf Guard Terminators into character hunters.
I really like the way this model can be built either with hammer in hand, or chucking it across the battlefield. This is the kind of dynamic and dramatic posing we love to see from our Epic Hero characters.
Space Wolves: Njal Stormcaller
Njal Stormcaller is the Space Wolves’ greatest psyker, controlling the skies above! Another Epic Hero, he can be attached to a unit of Blood Claws, Grey Hunters, or Wolf Guard Headtakers!
Because of his psychic ability, he can send out crackling lightning as a Ranged attack, and has some seriously cool Psychic abilities. First, his ability Wind Walker gives a unit he’s attached to the Assault keyword, and says when making an Advance roll that you don’t have to roll, you automatically move 6″. I love the flavor of this, as he calls forth gusts of freezing wind to help speed his unit across the battlefield.
His second ability allows you to target a unit hit by his Ranged attack, making them “stormwracked” which means that the range of their Ranged weapons are shortened by 6″ (for a minimum of 12″). In other words, once you hit an enemy unit with a psychic storm power, a torrent of bad weather surrounds them limiting their visibility. That’s just… so damn cool – there’s no more refined way of saying it!
Space Wolves: Wolf Guard Terminators
Wolf Guard Terminators bring everything you’d expect from a squad of Terminators. With Master-crafted power weapons and options for power fists, assault cannons and storm bolters, these are your heavy duty meat and potatoes so I won’t spend too much time talking about them.
Their special ability, Rugged Resilience, is interesting – as it reads: “Each time an attack targets this unit, if the Strength characteristic of that attack is greater than the Toughness characteristic of this unit, subtract 1 from the Wound roll.” Subtracting 1 from the Wound roll can be pretty brutal when you’re desperately trying to chip away at a hearty unit like a pack of Terminators!
I do love the look of these Terminators, who can eschew helmets for their classic Space Wolves beards and braided locks. It’s nice to break up the usual look of Space Marines, and I’ll take some variance wherever I can get it.
Space Marines: Drop Pods
Finally, we’re getting an updated sculpt for Space Marines Drop Pods, which GW says will make rulings on its actual size more clear-cut. I like this new sculpt, the size certainly feels right to me. And the design with the embarkment bridges down looks really nice on the battlefield. GW also says this new version is easier to build, but I never built the older version so I can’t really speak to that!
Space Wolves New Releases – Final Thoughts
I think the approach to our three new sculpts and rules for our Epic Heroes really stand out. I don’t run a Space Wolves army myself, but if I did I think I’d work to find room for all three in my list. I really like both the look and the rules for Njal, who I think might be the standout here. It’s just so evocative – you’re literally calling forth the skies above to create horrible storms to rain down on your enemies. That’s seriously so rad.
Obviously if you’re running Space Wolves you’ve probably already decided whether these are right for your list or not, but if you’re on the fence on which new army to start, I think you’d be in pretty good shape to pick up the Army Set and a few of these Epic Heroes.
The copies of Space Wolves New Releases used in the creation of this review were provided by Games Workshop.
