While models have become increasingly more intricate and detailed over time, there is a certain purity of form that a huge-ass tank possesses which no new spindly Eldar model can ever approach. Enter the new plastic Fellblade kit, available on pre-order this weekend as part of this wave of Heresy releases. Our thanks to Games Workshop for sending one out to review.
Super-Heavy in the Only Way That Matters
A veteran of the long war, the Fellblade was originally a resin Forgeworld kit more than twice the weight (893g vs 367g). While resin as a material has its trade-offs to work with, the original Fellblade was an involved build and not for the faint of heart (for all the grisly details you can read Jack’s experience here). It might be skipping to the end, but I’m happy to report that this is no longer the case.
The box contains eight sprues:
- Four for the hull
- One for the turret and main gun*
- The standard marine vehicle accessory sprue
- Two sponson sprues, which include the new Laser Destroyer and Heavy Bolter sponsons** for the first time in plastic.
*Which will inevitably be swapped for when the Legion Glaive is released in plastic.
** Yes, we aren’t sure how the ammo feed works either. But we’re happy to have it, particularly now in third edition with the ability to inflict statuses.
In addition to weight and ease of build, the other difference from the resin kit is the move to round Deimos doors on either side, reflecting the Heresy era of this chassis compared with the more square Mars pattern doors we are used to seeing on 40K Land Raiders and the like. I was fortunate enough to be able to pop by Warhammer world and pick up some resin White Scars doors, which were a flush fit.
Forging a Lord of War
Despite the mountain of sprues, the Fellblade kit is a great example of how a larger model does not have to be more complicated. I got most of it done in an evening after work, feeling similar to the assembly of the Kratos, just with larger bits.
One thing I liked about the kit was that numerous nearly identical pieces were keyed to uniquely fit, to prevent you accidentally gluing the wrong parts together – something I’m quite prone to do when I’m not paying full attention.Â
The only thing I wish I was a bit more mindful about was the seam along the barrels of the main gun – while these looked flush and pretty clean during assembly, after applying the primer it was a lot more apparent. To be honest it’s not something you will notice in game, but something I can’t help but notice when looking at it closely or even on some of the ones in the Warhammer Community preview article.
When it comes time to paint, the Fellblade is rather friendly for subassemblies. I split things out per the below:
- Hull
- Tracks*
- Sponsons
- Demolisher Cannon (you can glue this in later by reaching through the turret hole and still keep it movable)
- Flamer/Heavy Bolter (which I magnetised)
- Turret
*These are rather easy to put in after the fact, (only the top segments at the front need trimming some nubs to insert in later than you would normally after the instructions would tell you).
On such a large kit there is ample space to go wild with interesting patterns, freehand and weathering. True to my nature, I was lazy and kept things easy. I look forward to seeing what others do with such a large palette.
Heavy Mettle
The Fellblade was a fun and satisfying kit to put together. I’m a sucker for a big tank and especially one that reminds me of the Mammoth Tank from Command and Conquer. While many will be curious how long it will take how long for it’s cooler brother, the Glaive, the drop – the real question on everyone’s mind should be if and when the plastic Mastadon kit drops. 👀
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