[NetEpic ML] Openday Reviews

From: rscc <rscc_at_...>
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 20:14:57 -0000

Bah weep, grana weep, ninibong!

Did anyone miss me, or even notice that I was gone for a couple of days?

No, I didn�t think so.

Anyway, yes, you guessed it, I�ve done you all a review of the GW events I
attended this Friday and Sunday, those being a GW skullz VIP openday and the
Winter openday at GWHQ in Nottingham.

The VIP day was the first, on the 24th. As all of you who pay attention will
know, I�ve already been to a VIP day before, so I won�t go into the whole day,
just list the differences:

- There where loads more people there this time, in two groups.

- They actually laid on a good lunch this time. No crappy buffet. We actually
got proper lunches, and they were good.

- Danny Blakemore was there, so I actually knew someone when going around this
time.

- They didn�t let us down the mail order dept this time. This was very bad.
However, they did bring up a small selection of stuff to the exhibition hall,
from the MO dept, and let us buy them by weight for �50 a kilo (like last time).
I got 30 plastic assault marines, and a load of metal bits for just over �30.
There were also discounted items at the Gobbos pantry.

- The warhammer world museum has been re-organised. The big toof river display
is gone, but they have some cabinets in its place containing many of the current
studio armies (Dark Angels, Crimson Fists, Steel Legion, etc).

- We saw loads of stuff about Tyranids. Including the gloriously red studio
army.

- We learnt some interesting facts about stuff in the Q&A Session, such as
Cityfight details, Vampire counts, Tau and Kroot, Necrons, etc. The SOB codex
is definitely after Necrons. I think we can definitely say you poor SOB players
won�t see it until 2002.

That�s about it. Top day, I must say. Full marks to the GW staff for setting
up a good day.


Winter Openday:

This was good. Has to be the 2nd best of the opendays I�ve been to. There was
definitely a larger crowd there today than before.

Mail Order:

Not so good this time. The pre-release stuff was mainly WFB Dwarfs (the plastic
sprues, various metal minis) and Vampires, and the new tyranid Zoanthrope.
Boring!

Fanatic:

Loads of the new fanatic stuff was on sale, through mail order, and the fanatic
people where there. I got 6 of the Necromunda Sniper models. Any Guard players
with Steel Legion minis should get these. The figure is basically a Steel
Legion model. It even says S.Legion on the base tab. I think it was originally
designed with the other Steel Legion minis, but wasn�t made with them for some
reason (don�t know why, it looks better to me than the other 6 SL basic
troopers), and was passed onto Fanatic. Other stuff on sale was the FW epic
tanks, the Necron Fleet (released on 12 December), and the usual stuff.

There where also some to be released at a later date minis on display. Of
particular not were 5 necromunda ash waste nomad type figures. These would make
*excellent* Hive Militia.

Black Library:

Not much new stuff here. All the usual books and stuff. The Ephrael
Stern/Inquisitor Hand Limited edition minis where on sale.

Forgeworld:

Lots of new stuff on display here. The two Deathwind Drop pods where on display
(one with assault cannons, 1 with missile launcher), both where nice. The Wave
Serpent was there (natch), as where new Epic buildings, the new WFB, Asmodai and
Commissar Croe statuette/busts, 40k tank stowage, WFB Giant, and Ork Grot bomb
Launcher.

On display where several new things not yet on sale. There was some kind of
bridge for 40k, the Epic Cathedral/Basilica and Tank Factory and the 2nd
Baneblade.

The second Baneblade is quite nice. It differs to the first in that it has:

- Armour plating on the hull. This makes the hull look not quite as flat as
that of the first Baneblade; a good thing.

- Different Demolisher Cannon and Battlecannon. The Battlecannon has a
different mount, and has a part at the end of the barrel similar to that of the
Leman Russ. The Demolisher is identical to the one on the front of the LR
Thunderer.

- Different detailing on the turret. It doesn�t have the part that was
obviously modelled from the body of a heavy flamer on the front anymore, but
instead has two raised circular parts on the front. One is for a
scanner/surveyor type thing, the other is for a largish Bolter you get with the
kit. It looks like a heavy bolter, but its probably meant to represent a PMSB.

- Different rear. The rear part is identical to that of the shadowsword kit,
and the kit comes with the twin exhausts like the shadowsword has.

- It comes with a nice Tank Commander figure too.

IIRC, its released in February, although I got one through mishap. More on that
in a sec.

Other stuff: Some of the studio staff where there painting/sculpting/advising.
Some of the new WFB stuff was on display, including High Elf plastics. The
Tyranid stuff I�d seen at the openday was also on display. Some of the
Inquisitor (due to be released spring 2001) where on display. Some where nice,
some where odd. Most where inquisition persons, I didn�t see the Space Marine,
or the Guardsman (although I did see the Guardsman at the VIP day, at least part
of it). IIRC they had Inquisitor Covenant, Inquisitor Eisenhorn, Damien 1427
 a very weird cyborg thing), Enforcer Barbarreta and some others whose name
escapes me.

What did I buy, you ask. Well, I got 6 of the Necromunda Snipers as mentioned,
an Ephrael Stern/Inquisitor Hand (for �20, bloody expensive for what you get!)
set, an Asmodai statue and various smaller bits.

I also got a Shadowsword Superheavy tank, with Interior detailing. Or so I
thought. Instead, when I opened the box when I got back home, I had got the
interior bits for the Shadowsword, but instead of the shadowsword hull/gun/etc,
they�d put in one of the new style Baneblades. I�m not sure wether to phone
them up and get them to swap the Baneblade for the shadowsword parts, or to keep
the Baneblade. ARRRRR.

And that�s about it for now. Questions?

Rob
Received on Sun Nov 26 2000 - 20:14:57 UTC