Latest chapter heroes are a big step in the right direction.

[Orange Knight]

Obviously the models turned out great. Lysander and Vulkan are nice upgrades over their original models. 

 

The White Scars FINALLY have a biker character. I feel that their Chapter was most affected by lack of model support, and until this release the lore couldn't be reflected well on the tabletop. I'm just hoping that we get a full unit of Grav Bikers - the actual vehicle is very much in line with the visual design language of the Impulsor, Storm Speeders, etc so the "ancient relic" excuse for it to be the only one doesn't really fly. Honestly I wish that GW had just released Grav bikes now that I've seen this model.

 

I'm also happy to see the Iron Hands receive another character. It seems absurd to think they went 20 years without any real model support in 40k (I'm aware of the upgrade sprue and the old, fine cast generic character). Just a big win for these chapters and I hope they get even more.

 

The new Raven Guard character is pretty incredible. My only complaint is the messy lore involving Shrike, and the fact that both RG characters are equipped in the same way. It would have been better, in my opinion, if GW explored the "Sniper" aspect of the chapter's personality with a named sharpshooter. 

[Tokugawa]

Why Raven guard receive another "power armor, jump pack, lightning claws" model?

Edited July 18 by Tokugawa

[HeadlessCross]

9 minutes ago, Tokugawa said:

Why Raven guard receive another "power armor, jump pack, lightning claws" model?

I asked that same question in the main News thread. I think the model is stellar, but it isn't NEW. I'd have liked maybe a reference to the Thunder Hammer FW character they had instead. 

[Emperor Ming]

1 hour ago, Tokugawa said:

Why Raven guard receive another "power armor, jump pack, lightning claws" model?

Shrike died didn't he

[Terminatorinhell]

1 hour ago, Emperor Ming said:

Shrike died didn't he

No he just "retired" and is with theeven more covert ops marines because he likes doing thst more apparently. 

[HeadlessCross]

1 hour ago, Terminatorinhell said:

No he just "retired" and is with theeven more covert ops marines because he likes doing thst more apparently. 

What's really important is that they DO have that extra character though, even if he kinda does the same thing model-wise. Remember, you can do whatever you want with whatever models you want. This affects rules options to give incentive to USE Raven Guard, which I think is more important. 

[Helias_Tancred]

3 hours ago, Emperor Ming said:

Shrike died didn't he

 

No. Probably going back to lead the 3rd Company Ghoststalkers. 

[Felix Antipodes]

Much as I like the updated Lysander, I wonder if/when we will ever get an IF Chapter Master model.

[Osteoclast]

52 minutes ago, Felix Antipodes said:

Much as I like the updated Lysander, I wonder if/when we will ever get an IF Chapter Master model.

Probably around the same time they survive more than a single edition?

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

2 hours ago, Osteoclast said:

Probably around the same time they survive more than a single edition?

 

Well, Dessian's been Chapter Master since 8th, so he's at least met that challenge.

 

Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be anything spectacular about him. But then again, "spectacle" and "Imperial Fist" are pretty close to polar opposites.

[Marshal Reinhard]

Was shrike even really intended as chapter master when they first designed him? He was painted in third company colours, which just seemed strange. Now it 'fits' again

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

On 7/27/2025 at 8:14 AM, Marshal Reinhard said:

Was shrike even really intended as chapter master when they first designed him? He was painted in third company colours, which just seemed strange. Now it 'fits' again

 

I'm sure he wasn't and I've pointed that out a few times. Not only did the paint team still give him the Third Company pauldron trim, but he's on a 40mm base unlike every Primaris Chapter Master to date. And that wasn't a whim - his terrain feature was designed* to look good on a 40mm base. It would look stupid on a 50mm base.

 

And he's also got a completely blank right pauldron, which is just bizarre for a chapter master. If anything, I'd guess he was originally designed with a right pauldron that confirmed his captain status and they just mailed it in at some point by replacing it with a blank pauldron.

 

(Of course, Shann's right pauldron could be just as blank, but it won't matter as it's covered with some kind of feather conglomeration whereas Shrike had nothing of the sort).

 

In the end, no harm done I guess. It is just the one model. So however people wound up assembling and painting Shrike, they ought to be able to repurpose him as Vice Admiral of Stealth or what-have-you and will probably see the Aethon Shann model as an upgrade. It's not among the fifty worst things GW has done in the last few years.

 

* ("from the ground up" - in case anyone thought I was just going to let that softball float by)

[ThaneOfTas]

1 hour ago, Lord Nord in Gravis Armour said:

And he's also got a completely blank right pauldron, which is just bizarre for a chapter master.

I mean, so does Dante. Granted it's an aspect of his model that I'm not fond of, but it's not unique to Shrike

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

3 minutes ago, ThaneOfTas said:

I mean, so does Dante. Granted it's an aspect of his model that I'm not fond of, but it's not unique to Shrike

 

...which IS why I found it least important and therefore listed it third. But since you decided to only address that one point:

 

Dante's pauldron isn't completely blank. He does have a raised (albeit empty) scroll. It might not seem like much, but it's better than a completely blank pauldron. And more importantly, it's exactly how his armor was portrayed in the artwork at a time when he was definitely Chapter Master.

 

Meanwhile, Shrike just continued to be portrayed the same way he was as a company captain. There was nothing about the model denoting his upgrade to Chapter Master.

[Orange Knight]

But why make Shrike the chapter master at all in the 1st place?

 

Not every codex chapter even has access to a chapter master model. I would love to see every chapter get one, but GW didn't suddenly promote Vulkan He'Stan or Lysander to the position.

Anyways, I hope that GW aren't done with supporting the various codex chapters.

Ideally they should all have 3 characters, or perhaps 2 characters and a unique unit. 

This is a great start either way. Let's hope it's not the end.

[ThaneOfTas]

1 hour ago, Lord Nord in Gravis Armour said:

But since you decided to only address that one point:

I only addressed that point because it was the only part of your comment that I had anything to add to, the rest is spot on from where I'm sitting. And you're correct about the scrollwork there, I had blanked on that part.