Games Workshop Warhammer 40k Black Templars Army Set

Product Information

A Limited Edition Army Set to giving you the first chance to pick up the new Codex supplement and miniatures for the Black Templars!

The set includes the following multipart plastic miniatures: - 1x Black Templars Marshal (supplied with a Citadel 40mm Round Base) - 1x The Emperor's Champion (supplied with a Citadel 40mm Round Base) - 1x Redemptor Dreadnought (supplied with a Citadel 90mm Round Base) - 1x Black Templars Primaris Crusader Squad – including: 1x Primaris Sword Brother, 5x Primaris Initiates and 4x Primaris Neophytes. More than ever, there is something for everyone – although I do wish it would talk straight to us fans a bit more. When the standalone kit comes out, 20-man Primaris Crusader Squads will very much be a thing, and we’ll have to test which loadouts work best for different armies.

It’s a cracking update that makes the Black Templars feel a little more like they’re ‘plugged in’ to the current Warhammer 40k narrative. This launch edition book comes with an exclusive cover featuring iconic John Blanche artwork from the third edition of Warhammer 40,000. Absolute pain in the arse to assemble compared to the wide range of other, simple sculpts in the box. I bought this because it was limited run and offered excellent value on kits I already wanted - the classic 'value box' play. You’ll want to scrape these, as a number of extremely clever little divots are placed just so to make pieces fit flush.

There’s a small art print as per usual, but it’s smaller than normal since this box doesn’t actually have that much plastic in it. Leading the charge is the stunning new Emperor’s Champion, and ensuring that the correct vows are uttered and devotions followed is a Marshal. I would also like to touch real quick on the kitbash potential of using these dudes as regular Intercessors or whatever, as I’m sure someone out there has had this idea. Please note our Royal Mail service is not tracked, and if you require tracking for your parcel, you should choose UPS at checkout. These cover you starting and developing a crusade with a lot of effort put in to represent a Black Templar crusading force.What really excites me is the Templar crosses in red so you can make Sword Brethren for your regular squads. I won’t say “beginners need not apply” but you will probably want to have a few kits under your tabbard before cracking this set open. As a kid, I had a crumpled, stapled paper sales-catalogue/’how to play 40k’ pamphlet with this artwork on the cover, and it captivated me then, with its gothic, apocalyptic, but power-drenched energy.

Above is my favourite piece solely for the image of Helbrecht leading from the center upon the foul Ork foes. You get so many ways to mark out characters and sergeants as powerful dueling knights in their own rights.

It is somewhat confusing to me that the Sword Brother is on a 40mm base while the other 2W 3+ dudes are on 32s, but that’s probably for parity with the standalone Primaris Sword Brethren.

There’s some great crusade badges, bits of heraldry, and big honkin Templar crosses to dress up your vehicles and big models in here. We’re working on a full-on strategy guide to 9th Edition Black Templars, coming very soon, that’ll pull out all the seriously cool details, rules, and combos in this book, but, for now, this review is more about the box itself, with just a brief overview of the codex, what you’ll find in its pages, and the seismic changes it’s going to bring the Black Templars army. His sprue is far smaller than the Marshal’s with no options to speak of, but if you really wanted to use a different head or backpack on him it wouldn’t be a problem at all. Driven ever onward by their fury and faith, these fanatical warriors will not rest until every heretic idol lies toppled, and every Imperial world is purged of foes.

As for your build options, the Primaris Crusader Squad in the Army Set box has more flex to it than I, at least, was expecting. Personally, since I already have a solid backline of Intercessors for ranged fire, I went full punchy with my first ten Crusaders – Three Pistol/Chainsword Initiates, one Pistol/Power Fist Initiate, and one Pyreblaster Initiate – and then four Pistol/Chainsword Neophytes. GW has kindly provided Wargamer with a free copy to review, and boy, oh boy, there’s a lot to be excited about here – but some surprises and peccadilloes, too, so I’ll break it down for you bit by bit in this review.