Forgeworld Imperial Thunderbolt

This is a Forgeworld Imperial Thunderbolt, from the Forgeworld Display Cabinets at GamesDay 2006…

Imperial Navy Thunderbolt
Imperial Navy Thunderbolt

A close-up of the cockpit. I like the detailing such as the scratched paintwork where the cockpit cover retracts into the body of the plane.

Cockpit of the Imperial Navy Thunderbolt
Cockpit of the Imperial Navy Thunderbolt

From the Forgeworld Display cabinets at GamesDay 2006. This is a different model to the other Thunderbolt I have seen in the display in previous years.

More on GamesDay 2006

I was reading the forums on Warseer.com and it would appear that a few people did not enjoy GamesDay 2006 as they had in previous years.

The big criticism was that there was very little to see which hadn’t been seen before and virtually no previews of miniatures and artwork from stuff which is scheduled to be released between now and GamesDay 2007. There was also complaints about the focus this year on the focus on gaming.

I am not sure where I stand on this, personally I like seeing the new stuff and seeing the preview stuff, but it would seem for a lot of people the reason to go to GamesDay is to “play games”. Certainly all the people playing games in this photograph seemed to be having fun!

If you went to GamesDay to see new stuff and previews, yes you would be disappointed.

If you went to have fun playing games, I suspect you had a good time.

There were some things which stood out for me, in particular this fantastic display of Space Wolves, which certainly blew me away.

I also had some really nice chats with people like Jez Godwin and Aly Morrison, people who were usually besieged by other gamers in previous years.

It was also nice to discuss stuff with Warwick again and talk about the new air rules.

Talking to the plastic model tooling guys was interesting, and its incredible to see to the advances in technology which should make plastic kits even better and more detailed than before.

I spent a long time talking to the Gorgon designer Daren Parrwood and what was planned for the Death Korps of Krieg, there will be quite a few conversion kits for the Korps as well as more new models and a lot of trench and siege stuff. All very Victorian Steampunk SF and World War Oneish.

There were also complaints about the standard of painting in the Golden Demon, and it did seem that there were very few outstanding pieces of work to see, I personally liked this Grot tank.

From the Golden Demon Display Cabinets and Forge World, photographed at GamesDay.

I suspect that one problem is that previous years’ standards were so high, it puts some of the top painters off.

I am still working on the photographs and they should be up this week.

Overall if you were looking for news and previews, no luck, if you were looking for gaming then you would have found it.

GamesDay 2006

Today I was at GamesDay 2006 (and yes I did take some photographs, three hundred and twenty-one to be precise).

It was a really good event and I had a very enjoyable time.

It seemed less frantic than in the previous two years which meant that I had an opportunity for nice chats with a lot of different people.

One disappointment was the lack of previews and new stuff from either Forgeworld or the Design Studio. It use to be at GamesDay you would see cabinets of pre-release miniatures, today it seemed that the cabinets were full of miniatures you could actually go and buy.

I nearly did buy a Gorgon, a fantastic model and here is the painted one that was on display.

Imperial Guard Gorgon from the Forgeworld displays at GamesDay 2006.
Imperial Guard Gorgon from the Forgeworld displays at GamesDay 2006

I am hoping to post all 321 photographs over the next few days, but need to watch out for webspace and bandwidth issues.

Having put a few pounds away each week I had quite a tidy sum to spend and as per usual Forgeworld got most of my money, more details soon.

Overall I really enjoyed the event.

Update: Here is the show report with all the photographs.

Forgeworld Newsletter #153

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The hour has come around at last and this is your final newsletter before the delights of Games Day UK are upon us, and here at Forge World we are still working flat-out make our part of the event the best we possibly can. To say Forge World will be represented in force at Games Day UK is an understatement; not only will we have our sales stand packed to the gunwales with all the stock we can manage, you’ll also get the chance to meet our whole team of designers and sculptors, catch a glance at what the future has in store from us, and even see our forthcoming air-combat game Aeronautica Imperialis in action!

Also, as in previous years, we’ll be offering a brand new special edition model to commemorate the event, and this year it’s a treat for Warhammer players and collectors alike in the shape of a multi-part resin Slann model to lead your lizard hordes to victory, or merely gaze inscrutably from your display case.

But all that aside this newsletter previews for you the last of the new models we’re hoping to showcase at Games Day UK; further additions to the fantastically grim new Death Korps of Krieg range in the shape of more heavy weapons teams, and last but by no means least, a model that has been the source of much guesswork and rumour, so without further ado I give you the Eldar Avatar…

Alan Bligh,
Forge World.

The Burning God

A colossus of burning metal that bestrides the battlefield at the head of the Eldar war host, the Avatar of Khaine is unleashed in only the direst of circumstances and against the most terrible of foes. Infused with the terrible power of the Eldar god of war and the sacrificed soul of a great warrior, the Avatar is an almost unstoppable force, fully capable of crushing daemons and war machines or sweeping aside whole swathes of lesser troops in its wake, as well as providing a focus of unshakable resolve for the Eldar.

 

Sculpted by Juan Diaz, and released to tie-in with the recent renewal of the Eldar range, our new Avatar model striding twice the height of a Space Marine Dreadnought at round 4.7 inches (118mm) tall, follows in the tradition of our Greater Daemons, providing you with larger scale, and highly characterful models for use either in your games or simply as a centrepiece for your collection. I think it really captures the nature of the Avatar in all its barely-constrained, burning power.

The Eldar Avatar is available to pre-order now for release on the 9th of October, we are trying to get hold of a limited stock of the new Avatar models to sell on Games Day UK itself, but these will be on a strictly first-come, first-serve basis, so if you’re after one get to our stand as soon as you can.

Death Korps Firepower

In addition to the Heavy Bolter and Lacannon teams for the Death Korps previewed in our last newsletter, here you can also see our new Autocannon, Mortar and Twin-linked Heavy Stubber heavy weapons teams (yes, you read that last one correctly!) As with the previous releases these are available either as separate teams, with three individual versions of each weapon type, and as packs of three. Like the rest of our rapidly growing Death Korps of Krieg infantry range, these are multi-part resin models with a plethora of extra options and equipment allowing you to make some truly individual models. You will also notice that the heavy weapons themselves are new patterns unique to the Death Korps and capture their dark and industrial style of warfare.

Available to pre-order now for release on the 9th of October, we will have these models on show at Games Day UK.
Look forward to more Death Korps releases in the future.

Pre-Ordering:

The items detailed in this newsletter (The Avatar and the Death Korps of Krieg Mortar, Heavy Stubber and Autocannon squads and teams) are all available to pre-order now for shipping the week commencing the 9th of October.

Games Day Special Editions

As well as our brand spanking new special edition Slann, available for the first time at Games Day UK, you will also have a chance at the event to purchase (probably for the last time) the remaining stock of some of our previous special edition models. These are the famed Multi-Part Epic Space Marine, the Kroot Bird and the 1:6 scale Imperial Laspistol. Once we are out of stock of these they probably won’t be recast, so if you need any of the above for your collection, now’s likely to be your last chance.

A Final Note About Reservations

Owing to the constraints of time (and crowbaring as much as we can into the back of trucks for the Event), we can no longer take reservation orders for pick up at Games Day UK itself. If you have placed a reservation with us, to pick up your order on the day, head over to the reservation point at the Forge World retail stand by 3pm at the latest to pick up your goodies. If you have any questions or queries regarding this, don’t hesitate to give us a ring on 0115 916 8177.

See You At Games Day!

Forge World
Games Workshop
Willow Road, Lenton
Nottingham, NG7 2WS

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Forgeworld Newsletter #152

Wow, amazing Gorgon…

I am very impressed with the Gorgon, I think Forgeworld have done a fantastic job on it, tempted to get one at GamesDay this weekend. It’s very landing craft-like and I suspect that the rules say it is amphibious.

To use with what, who cares, it’s a great model!

Okay maybe to use with my Daemonhunters.

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THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES: ‘What?’ You say ‘Two newsletters from Forge World in this short space of time, have they gone mad?’ No, far from it, our output of newsletters only reflects the frenetic pace of preparations here for Games Day UK, and we aren’t sparing the lash to bring you as much as we can both in terms of stock and new products for this prestigious event. With this in mind this newsletter previews more new releases for the long-anticipated Death Korps of Krieg in the shape of the massive Gorgon Armoured Assault Transport and the first two of the forthcoming Death Korps Heavy Weapons range. We are hoping to have some stock of these items on Games Day UK itself, but this will be in strictly limited numbers.

Look out for a further, final pre-Games Day newsletter before the event where further revelations await!

ARMOURED ONSLAUGHT!: Fresh from the forges is the latest in our range of super-heavy vehicles The Gorgon Armoured Assault Transport. This massive vehicle is used by the Imperial Guard (and favoured particularly by the Death Korps) for heavy assaults, and it is designed for breaching fortified lines and entrenchments, literally smashing its way through opposing defences to unleash its cargo of troops into the heart of the enemy position.

 The Gorgon Armoured Assault Transport
The Gorgon Armoured Assault Transport

Have I mentioned the size of the thing? The Gorgon is simply huge, with a transport capacity of no fewer than 50 (yes 50!) infantry models, more than enough for an entire Imperial Guard platoon, and with heavy armour and structure points it can be relied on to weather a storm of fire as it advances. We will be releasing two variants of the Gorgon, the first shown here is equipped with sponsons mounting four multi-option anti-personal heavy weapons to defend the Gorgon from enemy infantry assault while the second variant shown here is equipped instead with mortars to bombard enemy trenches in preparation for attack. In addition both variants of this highly detailed kit mount two twin-linked heavy stubbers in rear turrets, as well as a two-section movable assault ramp to the front and a movable access ramp to the rear. The Gorgon also features a fully detailed interior and three-man crew (a Death Korps driver and two gunner models.) Full rules for the Gorgon will feature in a forthcoming Imperial Armour book, but we should have some experimental rules up on the web site soon. We hope to have a limited stock of Gorgons available for Games Day UK, and we are taking pre-orders now for a release commencing the 9th of October.

BRING UP THE GUNS!: Also available for pre-order now for release commencing the 9th of October are the first two in the series of Death Korps Heavy Weapons Teams, featuring in this case the Heavy Bolter and the Lascannon. Available either individually (with three different versions of each team), or in squads of three, they will allow you to bring withering firepower down on your enemies and provide cover for the Death Korps’ relentless advance. More heavy weapons teams to follow shortly.
Personally I love these models, the level of detail, the sense of action and individuality the sculptors have managed to invest them with I think is simply brilliant. They also capture for me the distinctive visual theme that is going to make the Death Korps instantly recognisable on any battlefield; a post-Victorian nightmare of industrialised warfare.
Like the Gorgon we are hoping to have a limited supply of these models available on Games Day itself.

AND THE WINNER IS…: Also at Games Day UK, Forge World will be continuing its tradition of presenting the prestigious ‘Forge World Best In Show’ award to one deserving entrant in this year’s Golden Demon. This award is decided by us rather than the Golden Demon panel and is judged across all categories of entrants, it’s awarded purely and simply to the entrant with the best use of a Forge World model in the show, and its one of our favourite parts of the whole event.

Pre-Ordering: The items detailed in this newsletter (The Gorgon Armoured Assault Transport and Gorgon Armoured Transport with Gun Sponsons and the Death Korps of Krieg Heavy Bolter and Lascannon squads and teams) are all available to pre-order now for shipping the week commencing the 9th of October.

Forge World
Games Workshop
Willow Road, Lenton
Nottingham, NG7 2WS

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