White Dwarf 390. June 2012.

(edit: For those of of looking at this post, of which there are literally thousands, please check out the rest of my blog while you're here and follow me. You could win yourself a free mini painted by me! Cheers)

So here we have it. A much anticipated issue with the new 40k fliers and their rules (which I'm not going to type out but have included photos of those pages). With so much excitement about these beauties will they eclipse the rest of the content? Will there be any other content? Let's find out!

New Releases - Obviously the stars of the show are the Space Marine Stormtalon gunship, the 3 ork bommers and the Necron Scythes. There's been a huge amount of opinion flying around (oh yes I did just say that!) about the Stormtalon. It seems to be the same people that hated on the Raven that are the vocal ones dissing this model. All of the different angles on show in these pages make it look amazing. Yes it's stubby, that's the damn point. I think it looks deadly, exactly like it's meant to perform.

The Ork Bommer kit is a really cool one. You can build the Blitza-Bommer, Dakkajet and the Burna-Bommer from the one box and I'm finding it difficult to pick a favourite. The missiles under the wings of the burna look sweet as does the pilot of the Dakkajet with his scarf blowing behind him.

The Necron Doom Scythe and Night Scythe look exactly like the artwork in the recent Codex. Again there's been talk about how stupid the open cockpit of the pilot is. Yeah they could've covered it or not had an exposed pilot but I think it adds a lot of interest to the centre of the model.

All these kits cost £27.50 (at the moment) and I feel that's an absolute bargain. I'm sorely tempted to pick up all 3 next weekend.

Ultramarine Stormtalon Gunship - Following on from last issues guide to how to paint Necrons this shows us step-by-step how to paint to new kit in my favourite chapters colours. As with all these guides they're nice for beginners or someone new to the army, not for the experienced painter. Even though it's the experienced painters seem to be the ones complaining about these guides!

The Battle For Cardrim - Robin Cruddace introduces a White Scars versus Orks versus Necrons story about a huge series of battles. To be honest I haven't read it all but it looks like it's backstory to the new Battle Mission called Scramble (see pic for it).

Army Projects - Steve Bowerman shows us how he went about building and painting the White Scars army that was used in the shots for Robins article. Loads of tips on how to get a crisp white. Something I could've used for my Grey Knight heraldry. After that Duncan Rhodes shows how he painted the battles Orks in the Evil Sunz scheme.

Standard Bearer - Jerv talks about the diversity of players in our hobby based on his observations from a few visits to Warhammer World. I agree with him. I love the different ways we can play games and the fact that there's no pressure to always play competitively - that some of us just enjoy playing with a few friends about the dining table. I know myself that's what I love, playing with my 2 mates having plenty of cups of tea, long breaks to have a BBQ and a chat. What kind of games do you guys enjoy playing the most?

Rules for the fliers - Like I said earlier, I'm not going to write them out, so here's the snaps.

Armies on Parade - Some photos of Paul Norton's Blood Angels. He's made a stunning army and display board with some cool bit-swaps like the wings on his Dreadnoughts.

Orcs and Goblins - Over half way through and finally Fantasy gets a look in. Two new plastic (not finecast) characters, the Savage Orc Big Boss and the Goblin Shaman. They're both filled with character and interest but somehow don't quite grab me. They've also released a huge amount of old metal minis into finecast now. Stuff like the Night Goblin Squig riders and even Snarsnik and his fat pet Squig. There's then a bit of a painting guide as to how Duncan Rhodes (again) painted Da Stone Toof Tribe for the studio.

Finecast Fantasy - As well as all the O&G goodies making the switch they've done a huge amount of Dark Elves, Lizardmen and Tomb Kings into the problematic resin. I'm impressed with the scale of this endeavour, I don't see why they couldn't have done it sooner.

Golden Daemon Empire Gallery - As I said a couple of issues ago I find it quite hard to get excited about the Empire. It still looks like historical minis, albeit beautifully painted ones.

Scenery Showcase: Reiksguard Chapterhouse - Following on from last months death world scenery converting it's something for fantasy where they kitbash a Garden of Morr with a Witchfate Tor to create an awesome looking piece of terrain.

Bit at the back - There's an update about Games Day from Black Library about the exclusive books we'll be able to get there like the Tome of Fire from Nick Kyme. I'm getting really excited about BL now. I've only got 3 books left till I'm up to date with the Horus Heresy and I can finally read something else. I'm most excited and Sarah Cawkwell's Gildar Rift and the second Ultramarine omnibus.

The final page announces that next month is going to feature "Assault on Fellstorm Airfield" with more Ork v White Scar action. Possibly a follow up mission to Cruddace's article this month.

So there we have it, and yes there wasn't much content other than the fliers but as an avid 40k fan, ultramarine player and budding necron overlord it was a great read getting my appetite whet for the release of 6th edition soon. On balance I'd say it was a 6/10. Applause for the new rules and mission. Tumbleweed and whistling wind for the lack of variety. Right I'm off to have a beer and look at the rest of the Ork range!