White Dwarf (402) - June 2013

Eldar Time! I've never collected this ancient race but they've always appealed, from way back in 2nd edition when my mates Harlequins used to kick my Genestealer Cult ass, through to the release of the Phantom Titan and the cool stuff that came with the Doom of Mymeara. Let's see what they had in store for us this time round...

New Releases - Completely dominated by the very impressive and very expensive Wraithknight, there's a whole host of new kits. It was cool to see the Wraithguard getting an update in plastic. As well as the standard huge kit they also released the compulsory flyer, and a few characters. I don't understand why they only do one plastic character each release and do the rest in finecast, maybe it's budget. One thing I think they dropped the ball on is not releasing any aspect warriors in plastic.
In Forge World news they released the Breacher and Recon Squads, both excellent sculpts. The final stand out unit is the Mechanicum Thallaxii Squad.

Army of the Month - They seem to just be using GW staff for this article now which is a real shame. This month it's Nick Bayton from Warhammer World. He's got a very impressive Orc and Goblin army with a very heavy Night Goblin theme and a literally sick giant.

Jervis Johnson - In some peoples eyes reading this literally it could be taken as a pile of nonsense, but if you think about it, what I think he's hinting at in a roundabout way is that if your units show certain traits on the table you could try incorporating it into some background for your army. I might be reading too deep into it though!

Battle Report - Eldar v Necrons. Once again a really cinematic battle, with some great terrain including the FW Tomb Citadel, C'tan on Avatar action and a win for the army of the month.

Armchair General - Featuring the purple Tau army from a couple of issues ago, and some tips on how Dan Harden builds a list, with hints at synergy. There's missed opportunity with no crisis suit loadouts etc, but it's not a bad read.

Blanchitsu - Another guest spot from Mikko Luoma. He's used all kind of bits here, including what looks like a goblin from the Hobbit game. There's a converted Cairn Wraith in there and possibly a nurgle lord.

Hall of Fame - It's an improvement on last month for sure. The Skaven Screaming Bell is a nice looking kit, and looks like it would be fun to paint. They reference concept sketches but don't show them.

Culture of the Eldar - Jes Goodwin, mastermind of the Eldar esthetic, and Phil Kelly who's done a few number of Codexes for them, talk about the flavour of the month. There's talk of the different craftworlds and a look at the new decal sheet.

War Diary - A new section, looking at the preparation for the Armies on Parade competition this year. Plenty of writing about the upcoming projects explaining their concepts.

Parade Ground - Warhammer regiments this time. There's some lovely looking units and great ideas to add individuality.

Kit Bash - Featuring an absolutely mental Land Raider conversion, it's even got Volkite weaponry on it! I'm not a huge fan of the extra wings on the Fire Prism but the paint job is good.

Paint Splatter - Focusing on how to paint Eldar, covering a few of the different Craftworlds, and some details such as gems Aspect Warriors. The wraithbone on the knight looks amazing. They also include a few tips for night goblins from the army of the month.

Jeremy Vetock - How to justify your hobby purchases! An interesting read into someone elses plastic habit.

This Month In - Andrew shows some of his new Death Guard which look great, Jes and Oliver from the design team talk about Eldar release. There are some lovely Inquisition minis from a chap called Jon Flindall and a unique unit of Deathwing from Tammy.
From Forge World we get a shit load of cool stuff. The Dread Maw is a nasty looking beast, and Legion Praetor is one of the best looking marines ever, and there's another shot of this years event only Warrior Priest.

This issue was a fun read, with quite a few nuggets of awesomeness. There's wasn't so much annoying rubbish in it as last month. The This Month In section really needs to be expanded, I don't mind it staying in the back but I want to see a lot more of what the WD team are working on, tips or tactics from them, ideas for scenarios that got rejected for the battle report. I'm struggling to rate this issue, as I said it was fun, but slightly vaccuous, so I think I'll go for a high 6/10!