Warhammer 40K: Blood Angels

The Blood Angels are a first founding chapter, meaning that they go back to the foundations of the Imperium. They are a proud and noble chapter, but hold a dark secret. When their primarch died at the hands of Horus, he passed his pain and anguish onto his battle brothers. Since that day, they have been afflicted by the Black Rage, a condition that turns them into blood-crazed maniacs who rush into battle uncontrollably. The Blood angels spend their whole lives fighting this urge. When they can no longer resist, they are formed into special units called "Death Companies" where they can meet their end in glorious battle against their enemies. 

The army has access to lots of fast attack options and excels at getting in the face of the enemy as soon as possible. They can also field a very dangerous deathstar unit in the form of the Death Company.

Here is the Battleforce Box
10 Space Marines
5 Assault Marines
5 Death Company
1 Rhino

This is a very effective force for $100, a savings of  $36.25.


Paint
Red Gore
Blood Red
Fiery Orange (to highlight the red)
Boltgun Metal
Space Wolves Gray
Chaos Black
Skull White
Trim Colors for squad designations.


Next Steps

• For an HQ, take something with a jump pack that can join the death company or assault squad. Blood Angel Heroes do their best in combat and a jump pack gets them there.
• The Baal Predator is a great tank for cutting down troops and light tanks. It is a good support vehicle for softening up the enemy before the troops get in.
• More Death Company is always a good choice. They are some of your best troops, why not have a bunch of them?

Final Thoughts
I sometimes get frustrated that my own marines are not super good in close combat. This is not true with this army. They have the ability to get into combat quickly and dish out lots of pain when they get there. Also, the Death Company gets "Feel no Pain," so they can take a lot of punishment. They also have some of the coolest models among all the Space Marines, hands down!

Warhammer 40K: Grey Knights

The Grey Knights are the elite of the elite. They were created during the time of the Horus Heresy as a bulwark against daemonic incursions and have fulfilled their duties faithfully for 10,000 years.

They are tough even by Space Marine standards and have access to some super-powered heroes and specialized equipment. They are particularly effective against daemon armies, but don't think that limits their effectiveness against other foes.

There is currently no Battleforce Box, but this will get you started:

Grey Knight Terminators(5 models)
Grey Knights (5 models)
Nemesis Dreadknight
This basic force will cost you $136.75

Paint
This army is as easy to paint as Necrons.
Try painting them Chainmail, washing with blue ink, and highlighting with Mithril Silver.
Finish the details and trim with whatever other colors look appropriate. A little Shining Gold and Scab Red should do the trick.

Next Steps

•  There are several different HQ options, including Inquisitors and Grey Knight heroes. The Inquisitors have access to their own specialized retinues and equipment. The Grey Knight heroes are close combat monsters
• The grey Knight Marines are a good choice for your troops, but you may also field terminators in this slot for some extra durability.
• The Grey Knights have access to the Storm Raven, a new fast attack option that only a few armies have access to.
• Land Raiders and Dreadnoughts also fit well in this force.

Final Thoughts
I am told that this can be one of the smallest armies in the game due to the expensive cost of all the troops. They do cost more, but each model comes with improved stats and equipment, making the price worth it. This is supposed to look like a small, elite, hard-hitting task force. Follow the fluff and the army will be successful.

Warhammer 40K: Space Wolves

The Space Wolves are a First-Founding Chapter and also one of the largest. They do not follow a standard organization, but instead go to battle in packs, lead by grizzled and fearsome veterans.

The have several powerful units at their disposal and a focus on any of them will win you lots of battles. This is currently a popular army, and your foe may already know your tricks. Be a canny wolf and be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Here is the Battleforce Box
10 Grey Hunters
10 Blood Claws
5 Wolf Scouts
1 Drop Pod.

This gives you a nice selection of core troops for $100, a savings of $32.50.

Recommended Paints:
Space Wolves Grey
Skull White
Bleached Bone
Blood Red
Sunburst Yellow
Dwarven Flesh
Elf Flesh
Boltgun Metal
Scorched Brown
Bestial Brown


Next Steps

• The first trick some people use is to field an enormous unit of Thunderwolf Cavalry. Equip each model differently so you can allocate wounds all around before removing models and get them where they can do the most damage right away. Look online fore third party producers of wolf models you can use.
• The second trick is to field Long Fangs with Missle Launchers. These elite devastators are excellent shots and can threaten your enemy at range with lots of firepower.
• Buy the Terminator box set and put some Lone Wolves in your list for extra troop support in the form of hard-hitting elites and HQ.

Final Thoughts
The plastic kits give you a dizzying array of options for your units, making the Space Wolves one of the most characterful armies on the tabletop. They reward aggressive play and when done right, can win tournaments handily. That being said, the army can be abused as well. If you start spamming too many of the toughest units, you may find that no one wants to play with you!

Warhammer 40K: Dark Angels

The Dark Angels are an ancient chapter of Space Marines and have a grim, secretive nature. They are warrior monks, both fierce and proud.

The Dark Angels can be fielded in several different ways. They have the ability to field a large number of Terminators and deep striking troops (the Deathwing) or an entire army of fast vehicles (the Ravenwing). They can also be fielded as a combined arms force with elements of each as well as normal space marines. They also have some  very nice upgrade sprues in order to give your models a unique appearance.

These are the contents of the Ravenwing Battleforce:
1 Land Speeder
6 Space Marine Bikes
1 Attack Bike
The Battleforce is $105, buying the models separately would be $125.75

The Chapter Upgrade Sprue is only $16.50 and will be useful for making your Deathwing or standard army.

Recommended Paints for the Ravenwing:
Chaos Black
Codex Grey
Dark Angels Green
Red Gore
Chainmail
Badab Black Wash

Recommended Paints for the Deathwing:
Bleached Bone
Skull White
Dark Angels Green
Blood Red
Boltgun Metal
Badab Black Wash

Recommended Paints for a standard force:
Dark Angels Green
Goblin Green
Bleached Bone
Skull White
Boltgun Metal
Chainmail
Badab Black Wash

Next Steps:

• For the Ravenwing, you will need to purchase the "Master of the Ravenwing" in order to field this force legally. Another battleforce box will give you a very fast, hard-hitting army.
• For the Deathwing, you will need to start buying Terminators, Land Raiders, Drop Pods, and Dreadnoughts. This should look like a highly specialized, elite force. You will also need to convert one of your Terminators into the "Master of the Deathwing."

Final Thoughts
The Dark Angels are an interesting army because with one book, you get three very different ways to play. Further, once you have your army put together, you can usually shoehorn it into a standard marine list as well, taking advantage of all the newest gear. Because of its elite nature, the more specialized list may not be one you wish to start out with as your first force. However, the Dark Angels have a consistently high win ratio and function well against a wide variety of opponents..

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Chapters

There are several Space Marine chapters that do not follow the standard organization and have their own army books without a full line of miniatures. Instead, these armies will have several different HQ choices and few upgrade packs to change the look and feel of the models.

Black Templars
These marines will generally be painted in a white, red, and black paint scheme. They have an upgrade pack with bits for both vehicles and troopers. They have a unique elites choice, the Sword Brethren, and a few HQ choices- High Marshal Helbrecht, the Emperor's Champion and Chaplain Grimaldus. This army is intended to specialize in close combat and speedy transport vehicles.

Iron Hands
There is only one upgrade pack for this army. It is a standard squad box with the addition of some extra bionic legs, heads, arms, and 10 chapter shoulder pads.

Other Chapters
There is a wide variety of shoulder pads for other armies as well. In the bits section on the website, you will find them for most of the popular chapters including Imperial Fists, Salamanders, White Scars, and others. You can use these to customize your own army and they are an easy way to paint the heraldry, since the designs will be sculpted into the shoulder pad itself.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marines

The most popular army in the 40K universe is by far the Space Marines. These genetically engineered super soldiers are the perfect starting army. They have high damage output, tough armor, and hundreds of characterful options. They are also relatively high value models, so a typical force will not have a ton of guys to paint up.


Here is what you get in a Battleforce Box.

1 Space Marine Tactical Squad with 10 models.
1 Space Marine Combat Squad with 5 models.
1 Space Marine Scout Squad with 5 models.
1 Space Marine Assault Squad with 5 models.
1 Space marine Rhino Transport Vehicle.

If purchased separately from the web store, these models would cost $153.25. The Boxed set is $110. This is a pretty good deal, saving you enough money to buy the army book (around $30) and some paint.

Paint Options
Space Marines can be painted in almost any color, as each chapter has its own livery. In order to paint the models as shown on the website, you should start with these paints:

Ultramarine Blue
Blood Red
Boltgun Metal
Shining Gold
Dwarven Flesh
Bestial Brown
Skull White
Chaos Black

Each pot will run you about $4, but they last forever and are of very good quality.

Next Steps
From here you will want to start looking at how to flesh out the army.

• The most glaring lack is that this force does not have a leader. There are a wide range of models that can be purchased ranging from $15-$20. The plastic Commander sprue is the best deal as it will also give you some more weapon options for your basic squads.
• Secondly, there are no elite units. A box of Terminators ($50) will add a lot of punch
• Finally, there is no heavy armor. A Land Raider ($66) will provide transport for the terminators and also some anti-tank firepower of your own.

Final Thoughts:
It will be very hard to put together a bad Space Marine army. The models look great and the army has a lot of built-in toughness and redundancy. There are a plethora of options to personalize your own force and no two armies need look the same. The only drawback is that everyone else plays Space Marines, too. If you want a little variety or a more challenging army, I would look elsewhere.