Warhammer 40K Artist John Blanche Gets New Biography
We take a closer look at the new book which celebrates Warhammer 40K artist John Blanche, creator of the legendary “Blanchitsu” art style.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The first White Dwarf of 2024 has just been released in the form of issue #496 of Games Workshop’s flagship magazine. This latest issue also features a surprising addition for Warhammer 40K fans in the form of a brand new Vanguard Space Marine Combat Patrol known as Strike Team Solarien.
So how does this new unit stand up against other existing Combat Patrols? Below we break out all the details.
What is the New Vanguard Space Marine Combat Patrol?
Strike Team Solarien is has a much greater focus on long-ranged combat and stealth than Strike Force Octavius, the official Space Marine Combat Patrol that’s included with the Warhammer 40K 10th edition Leviathan Box set.
In fact, Strike Team Solarien is designed for maximum speed and surprise. The trade off, however, is that without the benefit of Terminator armor they’re also much more susceptible to damage.
The Combat Patrol requires the following 15 models:
- 10x Infiltrators
- 1x Lieutenant in Phobos Armour
- 3x Suppressors
- 1x Phobos Librarian
This actually marks the first time that Games Workshop has released a Combat Patrol that isn’t pre-packaged and promoted during the 10th edition launch.
If you wanted to build it out yourself, you’ll need to purchase a Phobos Librarian (which retails for around $35 USD) and the Vanguard Task Force box (which retails for around $140 and includes three extra Eliminators which aren’t needed for Strike Team Solarien). In other words, the price is comparable to the pre-packaged Combat Patrols and you get a few extra minis to boot.
The force is designed to be usable alongside all other Combat Patrols, and if you’ve been playing any large point Space Marine armies you may already have all of the minis needed to build out it out.
Games Workshop has also indicated that the new Combat Patrol will be made available on the official Warhammer 40K app and on WarCom in a few months time.
What Other 40K Content is Included in the Issue?
If you’re a Necron fan, you’ll also find plenty to love in the latest White Dwarf as their “Index Xenos” feature takes look at the Necrons’ Sautekh Dynasty, headed up by the infamous Imotekh the Stormlord. Incidentally, Imotekh will be a major player in the upcoming Crusade: Pariah Nexus book.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to see Games Workshop release new Combat Patrols in a format like White Dwarf. It’s also fantastic that the unit can be created using existing minis that players might already have or purchased for a price that’s on par with existing pre-packaged Combat Patrols.
Here’s hoping Games Workshop continues to release more units like this in the near future. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this and giving Strike Team Solarien a run in the near future.
SEE OUR MINIATURES COVERAGE
Visit our Warhammer 40K Miniatures page for more reviews and news.
Zachary Birch lives in Medford, Massachusetts and has been a dedicated war gamer for over 15 years, playing pretty much ever system under the sun. Orks remain his favorite Warhammer 40K army (because nothing beats stomping gits into the ground). He also enjoys playing video games, reading, playing the guitar and shouting “WAAAGH!” at inappropriate times.
*We are a member of the Amazon Affiliates program, which allows us to earn a small commission off of any sales at no extra cost to you the consumer.
Battle for Macragge Box Set Now Available
We dig into the “Battle for Macragge,” an new made to order recreation of the classic introductory box set.