Primaris Outriders: a critique of the sculpt compared to the old Space Marine Bike

Primaris Outriders are finished!

These models were quite annoying to assemble and paint. Due to the overlapping armor plates, I did a sub-assembly procedure as follows:

• Central bike body plus wheels
• Left Bike Armor, leg, and exhaust
• Right Bike Armor, leg, and exhaust
• Torso, head, and arms
• Backpack
• Chainsword (one model only)

My initial gripe was that the pins that make this model a snap-together break exceedingly easily, especially the thin pins that slot into the larger pins for the side armor. However, I consider this to be a blessing rather than a mistake. If you are building these models, BREAK THESE PINS OFF. You don’t need them.

My sub-assembly procedure was also not a good idea for this snap together in terms of pieces fitting. Before priming, the model dry-fit together snugly. With the added layer of primer, these became too tight to fit without a pin vise gently scraping the inside of the holes. Even then it was so tight that excessive force was needed.

Excessive as it was, it was not enough for the front armor plating. All three models had to have a gap in this plating filled with green stuff and filed smooth.

I also had trouble with the incredibly thin join between the foot/pedal and the side armor. This bent a bit too often. If I had to do over, I might have used a modeling knife to completely separate these two parts. It would have made painting and assembly easier.

As a final note, I’d like to compare these to the original Space Marine Bikes. Here is a stock photo below:

The old bikes were 90’s sculpts, and it shows. What doesn’t show is that these bikes had a similar problem to the new Primaris ones. The halves of the main body met in the middle, sometimes leaving a gap that needed putty. Not shown in this stock photo is the join of the riveted armor moulding where it comes together on the back of the bike. This was almost always mis-cast. The moulding itself was annoying to paint (I like the lack of it on the Primaris models).

All in all, the new Primaris are a huge step up from old bikes. However, they still have significant flaws. Use caution and think ahead when assembling and painting yours.

Next: I like the idea of alternating between Primaris and Firstborn. I’m going to finish up my Devastators with Multi-Meltas and Grav-cannons. With Multi-Meltas having 2 shots at D6+2 damage, I can revive my old failed Melta drop strategy to assassinate a knight (or two!) Plus with two wounds on all firstborn, I’ll need those Grav Cannons in working order.

Intercessor Interruption

So, recently I finished my Eradicators and wanted to find a place for them in my case.

When I opened it, a squad of half-painted Intercessors glared at me, accusingly.

Fair enough. I started painting these when I planned to use them on a vacation to visit Lexington of Red Wunz Go Fasta (and soon the owner of a new Space Marine Chapter: The Ashen Swords). However, COVID happened and then a lot of other stuff too, which made me less inclined to paint.

However, I’m back in the saddle and pleased to present the squad, finished!

The Sergeant’s hammer and brassiere are from the Salamanders Primaris upgrade sprue, and the flame is painted with the new Talassar Blue Contrast paint over white, with a bit of drybrushing at the edges.

From a modeling standpoint, I’ve painted three Primaris units, and I noticed a significant difference from the design philosophy of the older Space Marines.

Firstborn Marines are, of course, multi-part which allows greater posing and customization. You can choose to add grenades, pouches, or holstered pistols at your discretion.

Primaris Marines are mono-pose. They’re going to look a bit same-y in larger armies (which should be combated with extensive conversion IMHO). Also, they have pouches, pistols, etc, sculpted directly onto their belts. While this takes away your choice, I have to say these pouches look more real to me. The older glue-on pouches never perfectly matched the curve of the waist, and always left a bit of a gap at the front or back. These look like they’re really on the belt, which is a bonus.

Next, more Indominus marines! I may even get off my ass and do an old-fashioned On My Plate post!

Indominus Part 1 – Eradicators

Got the Indominus box and decided to go with my love of Gravis armor first. Here are the Eradicators!

Oh, no. Wait. That’s THE Eradicator, the menace of squash courts everywhere.

Here are MY Eradicators.

These are much nicer than the Aggressors. There’s not too much detail and they don’t have random relics hanging in front of their junk. But they are detailed enough to be interesting visually.

Next: Outrider Bikers!

Thomas’ Deathwatch Azure Flames Marine – A Proud Tradition Continues

At the wonderful local game store AFK, you can sometimes find Thomas, who is proud to play Deathwatch. After several heated games, he made a request.

He wanted an Azure Flames shoulder pad so that one of the Flames could join the Deathwatch.

It took me a while but I eventually found an older pad on a disused marine.

The pad was awful.

So, I tidied up the paint job and delivered it to Thomas. Here’s the result:

This as-yet-unnamed Battle Brother is joining the ranks of the Deathwatch to fight aliens with a signature Bolter-Melta. How will he fare? Hopefully better once the Deathwatch get their Psychic Awakening book and become somewhat competitive again.

Next: a special surprise!

Lieutenant with Jump Pack

I’ve been using this guy for a while, but he’s been awkward as he kept falling off his base because he wasn’t painted.

No more!

Next, the other Jump Pack lieutenant!

Modular Primaris Aggressors

As promised, here are the Aggressors that I modded, fully painted and ready to go!

For convenience, the inside of the gauntlets are color coded.

Speaking of color, that’s a lot of green for the Azure Flames… Are these members of the 4th Company? Is that an Eleven as their insignia? Is this foreshadowing to events that may happen to the Azure Flames?

Yes.

Well that killed the mood. Next, Tyranid Escorts and more Primaris!

Proof of Concept: Primaris Aggressors

Thanks to Lexington’s extremely generous xmas spirit, I am the proud owner of a new Primaris Aggressors kit. Naturally, I wanted to see how the kit went together. As the Azure Flames are a Salamanders successor, I of course went for the Flamestorm Gauntlets.

The kit is designed very well. My one big gripe is that the arms are mono-pose. However, this is inevitable because without one specific pose, the ammo feeds for the gauntlets would be impossible. The back and backpack are not glued on for ease of priming and painting and…

…oh a second one? Wait. That’s the same pose… how…

Oh my, MODULAR AGGRESSORS!

That’s right, even the grenade launchers can be modular! Sadly this is the weakest of the joins as the only magnet small enough to fit in the launcher is the smallest magnet made. This size magnet is also on the ammo feeds on the lower left and right of the backpack, but the direct contact with the magnet inside the feed provides extra strength.

All in all, the finished product will have 6 pieces. The main body (with head, back, and backpack all permanently glued), the grenades, and the four guns.

Sadly, I cannot make the other two right away as I am almost out of the smaller magnets. But I plan to put an order in today!

Next: More Aggressor fun! I also plan to get a new digital camera for more batreps!

Khalil, Captain of the 7th Company on Bike with Thunder Hammer and The Shield Eternal

Khalil has been in pieces for several games, so I prioritized getting him painted up and ready to go.  Here he is!  Doing a sweet sideways skid as he climbs out of the seat to swing his Thunder Hammer.  Two Storm Shields on the faring of his bike represent The Shield Eternal.

Math time!  Bike characters start at 5 wounds.  With the Warlord Trait “Iron Resolve” it bumps him to 6 with a 6+ FNP which is functionally a 7th wound.

The Shield Eternal halves all damage, rounding halves up, so D6 weapons like Lascannons instead do the equivalent of D3.  On average, two apiece, so you’d need 4 Lascannons to get through the shield to kill him.

The Shield is a 3+ invulnerable, so you’d need 12 total wounds.

Toughness 5, so a S 9 Lascannon wounds on a 3+ so you’d need 18 hits.

Guardsmen are BS 4+ so you’d need 36 Guardsmen Lascannons, or 27 Space Marines at 3+, excluding any re-rolls.  That’s hearty!

Conversely, those 7 wounds could be eaten by about 54 Ork regular close combat attacks, which one squad of Orks could do in a turn.  That’s how a Smash Captain goes down; force of saves!

Next, more painting!

Land Speeder Heavy Flamer Gunners

I’ve been using these gunners a lot (6D6 auto hits, S5, -1 AP and +1 to wound with Flamecraft) but they’ve always been bare plastic.  Now they are fully painted.  I even jeweled all of the eyes!

Next: more painting!

I Scouted

So, I’ve been a bit busy.

More than a year ago, Lexington dumped his Space Marine army in favor of Chaos.  I inherited his bitz box which contained a wealth of plastic Scout bodies but no arms.

Several weeks ago, AFK games in Holt had a bitz trade.  I gave a unique model I don’t know where I got (a con?) and ten bucks for some plastic sniper scouts in pieces and an incomplete regular scout sprue.

I put together a few of the snipers, but then I realized I could do more with Lexington’s bits.  So, I made:

• Four Scout Sergeants with Sniper Rifles and Chainsword/Combat Knives, and Camo Cloaks
• Five Scouts with Sniper Rifles and Camo Cloaks
• One Scout Heavy Bolter with Camo Cloak
• Three Scouts with Bolters and Camo Cloaks
• Four Scouts with Bolt Pistol/Combat Knife and Camo Cloaks

A total of 17 more Scouts to add to my 10th company, bringing the total to more than 60!  Plus, with Camo Cloaks on all, it will let me have more variety when choosing cheap troops to hold objectives.

To keep it from being too same-y, I did some conversions for the poses.  This required partial rebuilds of the arms with paperclip pins, and putty work to rebuild the sleeves.  I like the result.

That being said, although the plastic Scouts are much better than the two poses of the old 3rd ed pewter scouts, the poses are still extremely same-y and static.  I wish a few of the arms had been a pistol pointing at the enemy, or a bolter upslung to the sky so that the other arm could be free to dramatically point, or perhaps a combat knife held upside down in a dueling fashion.

Oh well, the new plastics are still nice.  Next: painting!  Is it too late to strip and re-paint the Flames using contrast paints?  YES.  But is it too late for the Orks? We’ll see…