WHITE DWARF · DECEMBER 2013
Mirkwood Elves and three game expansions inspire new collections, fortifications and large models. The supplied copy duplicates Arms Race in place of the advertised Sigmar’s Blood campaign feature; that missing material is explicitly excluded.
COVER TO COVER
In printed page order
Jes introduces supplements that bring fortifications, Lords of War and a narrative crusade into collections. New Mirkwood miniatures accompany the next Hobbit film. The office has responded with enthusiastic painting projects across all three settings. He also says farewell to deputy editor Andrew Kenrick as he leaves the magazine.
Ten differently posed plastic Elves carry curved bows and leaf-bladed knives. Crouching, turning and tracking poses convey a loose woodland warband. Clever assembly creates overlapping fabric without making construction difficult. Adam connects those details to their role patrolling the forest against the Necromancer’s creatures.
Ten armoured Elves contrast with the Rangers through formal poses and concealed faces. Six carry spears and four have blades with shields. Two extra shields offer further equipment choices. Layered armour and swirling cloaks portray the disciplined guardians of Thranduil’s court.
Legolas balances on a hollow log with woodland equipment and armoured shoulders. Those clothes link him to both the Rangers and the royal guard. Bow, quiver and finely layered chainmail reward close inspection. The plastic pose conveys an agile warrior travelling beyond the security of the court.
The Ranger leader stands on a broken tree with hair and tunic streaming behind her. Bow and arrows remain ready in one hand while paired knives are sheathed on her back. Adam praises the likeness to Evangeline Lilly and the figure’s controlled balance. Her vigilant stance complements the woodland patrol miniatures.
Thranduil’s clothing and elaborate crown identify his royal status immediately. Tree-like robe decoration and tiny leaves connect that finery to his realm. A casually draped cloak reinforces his sense of superiority. Andrew contrasts the elegant figure with the king’s growing suspicion as darkness spreads from Dol Guldur.
The tortured Dwarf appears barefoot with torn clothes and wild hair. His expression replaces earlier royal dignity with visible distress. Israel Laborda’s sculpt portrays the ruined captive Gandalf encounters in Dol Guldur. The review emphasises how face and posture make the change in character legible.
A huge woodsman strides forward with an axe and a scarred bare torso. His angry expression suggests combat rather than ordinary labour. The Finecast figure towers over Thorin’s Company. Adam relates that physical presence to Beorn’s refusal to submit to the Necromancer’s influence.
Two Finecast spiders reproduce the film creatures’ eyes, fur and grasping mandibles. One raises its forelegs while the other crouches ready to pounce. Their poses offer variety within the forest infestation. The review recalls how such creatures ensnare travellers beneath the spreading darkness of Dol Guldur.
Fourteen figures recreate Bilbo and the Dwarves escaping in wine barrels. Wet hair, familiar faces and attempts to paddle capture the dangerous river journey. Dwalin’s anger contrasts with Balin’s relaxed expression. Thorin steers with a branch while Bilbo perches above his barrel to watch over the company.
Two leaders wear the same restrained equipment as the patrols they command. Rather than conspicuous uniforms, gestures identify their role. One signals silently towards his eyes, while the other indicates a target with a knife. Detailed quivers accommodate both arrows and the paired fighting blades.
Two experienced guards lead the king’s personal protectors. A helmeted officer raises his sword to direct the advance. The other is bareheaded and grips a blade with both hands. More ornate armour and shields distinguish them while preserving the regiment’s visual identity.
The supplement continues the scenarios from the Unexpected Journey rules. Five narrative encounters include Bilbo freeing the Dwarves from spider webs. A separate three-part sequence recreates Dimrill Dale. New profiles, forest rules and painting material expand both gaming and collecting, while the original rules remain necessary.
Fortification datasheets allow walls, bunkers and major gun emplacements to join ordinary armies. Networks group several compatible structures into one selection. Revised building rules and upgrades explain their use. Three siege missions and background accounts provide settings for assaults, demolition attempts and last stands.
Sixteen super-heavy machines and gargantuan creatures enter the new Lords of War slot. Their datasheets cover examples from Baneblades to Harridans and Revenant Titans. Eight Altar of War scenarios accompany three Gauntlet challenges. The review presents those units as a new ingredient for regular games rather than the full spectacle of Apocalypse.
Volkmar’s crusade follows Mannfred’s declaration of independence in Sylvania. Named units and characters turn the sequence of battles into a connected story. Detailed scenarios and battle scrolls let players recreate its encounters. Experience and consequences between games make each result matter beyond a single battlefield.
Four white volumes divide the codex, artwork, miniature gallery and galaxy map into distinct objects. The map highlights Chapter homes and major battles. Detailed photographs cover the miniature range from several angles. A silvered version of Ray Swanland’s cover decorates the presentation box, limited to five hundred copies.
A December advent programme promises a new electronic release every day. Its first product collects the existing Munitorum articles with additional sound effects on supported devices. A portable Warhammer rules edition is also announced. The hinted Christmas character remains unnamed, so the archive does not infer its identity.
A three-part adventure sends Imperial Guardsmen to retake the Lycurgas Star Fort. The fortress belongs to the secessionist Severan Dominate. Success affects the wider Spinward Front campaign. The notice introduces the roleplaying adventure and its military stakes without reproducing its encounters.
Army disks move by flipping rather than through measured miniature movement. Overlapping an enemy disk pins it and starts a fight. Terrain, objectives and command cards support armies of Empire, High Elves, Orcs and Daemons. The notice introduces the core set and planned expansions as a separate tabletop game.
William King completes the twins’ rise during Malekith’s invasion of Ulthuan. Tyrion and Teclis confront the missing Everqueen, Chaos allies and N’kari’s revenge. Adam values the way small pieces of earlier background become fully developed scenes. The climax at Finuval Plain brings the trilogy’s personal and military conflicts together.
Phil Kelly’s companion fiction gives more space to the crusade’s participants. Witch Hunter Alberich von Korden faces both Ghouls and the Necromancer Ghorst. Dan praises those individual confrontations alongside the wider march into Sylvania. A brutal ending reinforces the setting’s danger rather than offering easy reassurance.
CZ Dunn follows Abaddon’s invasion through several contrasting viewpoints. Catachans fight in Pythos’s jungles while an Inquisitorial agent conducts a theft in a Tau museum. Lord Corpulax seeks the Damnation Cache for Nurgle. Andrew finds the shifting perspectives effective at conveying the scale of an Apocalypse warzone.
Alan Merrett revises and expands the illustrated account of the Heresy. Two leather-bound volumes gather more than four hundred pages of narrative and art. New connections reflect the developing novel series. Adam sees the paintings as the principal attraction while the revised history offers clues even to readers familiar with the earlier collection.
The Ultramarines pursue Kor Phaeron after the betrayal at Calth. Dan Abnett and Neil Roberts tell the ship battle through a graphic novel. Atmospheric bridges give way to violent boarding actions involving hundreds of Marines. Adam praises both the speed of the narrative and the minute details within Roberts’s artwork.
A decade of Marine vehicles is gathered into an updated reference. New graphics and colour profiles accompany revised technical and historical material. Legacies of Glory associate vehicles with veteran campaigns. Relic rules also make ancient machines part of a Chapter’s identity, linking army selection with modelling ideas.
Edgar Skomorowski depicts the pair together on an Isstvan V display base. Erebus embodies the influence that led Lorgar and Horus towards Chaos. Kor Phaeron’s adapted Terminator armour accommodates a gene-enhanced mortal rather than an ordinary Space Marine. The review connects their individual appearances to their shared role in the Legion’s corruption.
The friends paint a new shared army for each Battle Brothers visit, using the event as a deadline and reward. Warriors, Daemons and Beastmen become related collections with different modelling themes. Ogre trophies and varied draft animals distinguish their Beastmen, while Screaming Bell parts reshape Hellcannons. Bright colours, unit dioramas and steady collaboration make the armies recognisable across years of expansion.
Phil urges hobbyists to act when a sudden project catches their imagination. Rediscovering vintage Eldar splits his collection into metal and plastic armies, while an old Chaos force becomes exciting again. A spontaneous monster-versus-walker game provides the same energy for playing. He treats fading enthusiasm as a reason to set a project aside until inspiration returns, rather than discard it.
Adam examines the consequences of adding fortification networks and Lords of War to regular battles. Large engines become a new tactical focus rather than merely another target. Defensive structures can change deployment and objective play. Four subsequent collectors show how the supplements reshape existing armies instead of requiring an entirely new collection.
Adam adds trenches, emplacements, a bunker and two weapon batteries as an Imperial Defence Network. An Aegis quad-gun covers the air. Tactical squads and the Banner of Devastation turn the fortified line into a concentrated firebase. The approach links scenery collecting directly to the tactics of his existing Dark Angels.
Chris expands a city-fighting Vostroyan force with a choice of two super-heavy tanks. The Baneblade supports infantry through its many weapons. A Shadowsword instead stands back to threaten the most valuable enemy targets. Existing Leman Russ squadrons make opponents choose how to divide their anti-tank fire.
Chad chooses an Obelisk to dominate enemy aircraft and skimmers. Its threatening presence also attracts troops hoping to destroy it at close range. Wraiths and Scarabs guard against those attackers. Doom Scythes exploit the cleared skies while the rest of the army removes hostile anti-aircraft positions.
Matt returns to Chaos Bastions originally painted for Planetstrike. Three buildings and an Aegis line form his corrupted Imperial Strongpoint. He considers a landing pad so a Heldrake can begin on the battlefield. Flame weapons throughout the army threaten enemies who rely on defensive cover.
Markus Trenkner nominates the plastic Lord for making a stationary pose feel threatening. Adrian Smith’s Korpus Festerheart illustration supplies a clear visual ancestor. Brian Nelson welcomes the many conversions that collectors have made from the sculpt. Decayed flesh, repeated pox marks and old fly imagery give the model its recognisable Nurgle identity.
Jason adapts a Forge World masterclass scheme for a red Wraithknight. Black armour carries chevrons and stars inspired by studio vehicles. He repaints transfers white to increase their contrast. A bright silver ghostglaive and numerous carefully detailed gems make the enormous model feel finished.
Andy kneels his Riptide behind its shield as though bracing against fire. Broken industrial material matches the bases of his opposing Ork collection. Black stippling and metallic drybrushing suggest prolonged campaigning. Both armies belong to a shared story about an abandoned Imperial mining world.
Dan’s Wraithknight moves forward in a subtle conversion. Freehand swirls spread across armour panels and the scattershield. Three hundred and fifty-two gems take longer than those patterns. A faithfully painted craftworld rune reinforces the army’s Forge World inspiration.
Jes’s red Riptide stands over a severed Tyrannofex head. Spare tubing becomes exposed organs, finished with gloss for a wet appearance. White sept markings identify its home despite the unconventional armour colour. A single enjoyable model has grown into the centrepiece of a larger army.
Jim paints white armour with dark green details for a doubles-event force. That palette complements Andy Keddie’s lighter green army without copying it. Basing material adds frozen water and rocks. Unspecified Forge World powders provide exhaust dirt, so their individual colours are not guessed.
The Riptide’s designer removes locator plugs to give his own model an upright stance. Kevin Chin’s codex artwork informs the new pose. Carefully chosen transfers record rank, squad and sept. Those markings express Matt’s preference for a believable miniature version of a specific warrior.
Inspired by Matt Holland, Glenn builds and paints a Riptide in one weekend. Varnishing before the wash lets it settle into recesses without staining the panels. Cut masking tape creates stencils for yellow markings. The model also gives him a chance to try weathering advice from Mark Bedford.
Readers provide further approaches to the two giant models. Max Faleij’s Ulthwé Wraithknight adds yellow and purple to black and bone, while Jon Wigstrand layers Biel-Tan colours with a spray gun. Tomáš Pekar combines hand-painted markings with glowing blue weapons. David Cañas Arribas gives a running Riptide mint-green armour and warm Sa’cea accents.
John builds Mechanicus explorers searching beneath Yggdrassillium alongside his Inquisitorial retinue. Forge World Thallax and Magos components mingle with creatures and relics from many kits. Rusted, filthy surfaces imply a long expedition into the sump. Detailed captions trace the sources of heads, claws and cables, including an Inquisitor gifted by Esa-Pekka Turunen.
Yan challenges his modelling skills with a richly decorated Venerable Dreadnought. Spare Vengeance and Drop Pod detail makes the Chapter identity visible. A plasma cannon follows the army’s established imagery. Sculpted feathers and a handmade purity seal practise techniques learned at a studio demonstration.
Eddie imagines a former Forgefather continuing his service after grievous injury. A Saurus shield and Corsair cloak stand for fire-drake hide. A Dreadknight halberd and heavy flamer recreate the warrior’s former equipment. His invented history develops from an army initially inspired by Nick Kyme’s novels.
Jon designs an Ironclad to hang beneath a Stormraven. A tankbusta bomb becomes a grapple fitting and the pennants leave space for the aircraft. A converted Librarian weapon gains a chainblade and Ork topknot to resemble a hunting spear. Borrowed Ravenwing pieces reinforce the Chapter’s tribal character.
Heimdall Wyrdstorm continues his Rune Priest role inside a Furioso-derived body. Brass plaques and replacement exhausts fill the armour with Fenrisian imagery. A giant hammer shaft becomes a rune staff topped with a wolf skull. Carved runes and a Marauder pelt make the identity clear from several angles.
Adam prepares an airborne force for the Vidar’s Fate campaign. His first Librarian combines a Furioso body with an exaggerated polearm and blood talons. A jump pack suggests the violent descent from a Stormraven. Wings also connect the walker to the Sanguinary Guard travelling with it.
Jon Sullivan’s cover art inspires a silent, fire-wreathed walker. Leigh uses the Furioso death mask to communicate a fallen warrior’s return. Coven Throne smoke becomes supernatural flames across the armour. Liquid Green Stuff joins the added tendrils smoothly to the original body.
Abe’s display is extensively converted from several ranges. Dwarf, Chaos Warrior and Marauder parts create individual infantry. A Defiler forms the basis of a major daemon engine. A skull pool from Deathknell Watch becomes magma, reinforcing the army’s fiery industrial setting.
Bright armour stands against a subdued urban board. Mike matches aircraft bases with plasticard terrain and paints the Stormraven’s interior. A large Cities of Death structure incorporates the Shrine of the Aquila and a marbled Marine statue. Weathered vehicles and Lysander’s veterans make the display both a collection and a plausible fighting force.
A classic Zombie Dragon rises over Miguel’s undead host. A hand-painted moon provides a dramatic background to the bright miniature. Older and newer figures sit naturally together in the ranks. The display shows how a collection accumulated over many years can retain a coherent presentation.
Ed uses rich red as an accent across his Space Wolves. The colour is especially visible on a Venerable Dreadnought guarding the advance. Canis Wolfborn adds a mounted centrepiece. Freehand patterns on the rider’s armour and robes extend the attention beyond the largest flat panels.
Will’s red army stands clearly against a sandy battlefield. Bright white Chapter symbols repeat across armour and equipment. That disciplined use of contrast makes the collection easy to read as a whole. The gallery highlights how consistent iconography can give a force a strong identity without a complicated display setting.
Nick turns a Chaos army into the Vermin Lords through sickly green armour and grotesque extra detail. Recent victims hang from the warriors. Gun barrels ooze unhealthy material rather than appearing cleanly mechanical. The display reinforces its Nurgle identity through modelling as well as colour.
Don builds an underground stronghold with rocky platforms linked by Goblin Town walkways. Armoured Balin combines a newer head with the classic miniature’s body. Converted Grim Hammers add a torchbearer and captain. The marching force evokes Erebor and the company’s escape through the mountains.
Michael combines carefully marked troops and vehicles with dramatic centrepieces. Space Hulk Terminators join the army under Librarian Calistarius. A Librarian Dreadnought bursts through an Ork Stompa, lifted by the Wings of Sanguinius. Consistent painting across ordinary Marines keeps the spectacle from depending only on that conversion.
A fortified display includes Forge World air-defence equipment and a command platform. The anniversary standard bearer provides a distinctive character among the Marines. A Relic Contemptor advances beneath a Storm Eagle fitted with Chapter accessories. The collection brings together limited, resin and plastic models within one defensive scene.
Dan paints the ornate armour gold before filling its larger panels, saving the need to trace every tiny filigree. A translucent green layer tints silver without concealing its metallic finish. Related browns and beiges unite shields, veils and cloaks. The leather tunics explicitly follow the Ranger recipe, extending that limited palette across both units.
Darker greens help the Rangers blend into their woodland setting. Fine branching lines use the final highlight colours to make cloth resemble leaves and bark. Separate recipes distinguish trousers, leather and pale Elven skin. Blonde hair follows the Palace Guard cloak sequence, linking the two units without making their uniforms identical.
Grey layers suggest a shimmering woven coat without turning it into metallic armour. A related cloak sequence gains green-grey shading and minute pale dots. Warm red lining gives the otherwise restrained figure a strong inner accent. The king’s skin follows the Ranger guide with its final reddish wash omitted for a paler result.
Adam uses his army palette on the fortifications so the scenery belongs with the Dark Angels. An overall dark wash unifies the base colours. Restrained highlights keep the structures from overpowering the troops. Rust and transfers then provide focused detail rather than increasing contrast everywhere.
Matt returns to Bastions converted with spikes and skulls for his Red Corsairs. Drybrushed red panels, black trim and layered gold repeat the army’s colours. Adding an Aegis line turns the existing buildings into a Strongpoint collection. The separate material recipes keep the large terrain project quick to complete.
Matt tints white-undercoated spirits red to match his Vampire Counts accent colour. Pale highlights retain their ethereal appearance. A separately primed bone cage receives darker washes and drybrushing. Building and painting in sections makes those contrasting undercoats practical.
Blue, white and green establish a cold Mymeara palette. Dan builds armour highlights before adding individual curling patterns with the edge colour. Keeping the brush moving towards himself maintains a sharp point. Each freehand design grows without a plan, suggesting the unique fingerprints of the Bonesinger who created the construct.
Jeremy’s wolf-riding Goblin demonstrates how a name and remembered battles turn a model into a personal legend. Simple conversions, extra attention to painting and a distinctive base establish the character. Old bright paintwork remains valuable for its memories even after styles change. Groff’s improbable victories, escapes and failures provide stories that matter more than a flawless record.
A threatening message from the Remnants’ Chapter Master condemns Ophelion’s governor for failed stewardship. That confrontation frames a campaign divided between traditionalist and progressive commanders. Five narrative games decide the fate of the participating Marines. Faction briefings and accumulated results connect the weekend into an unfolding conflict.
The staff alternate greenskin projects with preparations inspired by the new expansions. Dan paints Volkmar, while Matt adds Skeletons, Mannfred and a Mortis Engine. Andrew’s farewell challenge includes a Lord of Skulls defeated by Erik’s Stompa. Jeremy’s Groff and Mel’s Wurrzag join the photographs of completed personal projects.
Andrew’s Beastmen gain a converted Ungor Shaman and a heavily skull-decorated Ghorgon. Kris corrupts an Imperial bunker in response to Adam’s fortification project. Adam also presents his growing Minotaurs from the Battleforce Recon challenge. Matt’s holiday-painted Forgefiend shows that even time away can add to a collection.
Alan and Michael Perry describe visiting the film production for practical sculpting reference. Watching the actors endure barrel scenes helps them capture wet, uncomfortable Dwarves. Costume access explains cloth layers and movement on the Elves. Weapons research reveals distinct bow shapes and the leaf-like arrangement of knives in the quivers.
Chris Peach builds an oppressive forest for the new miniature photography. Cut Citadel Woods create tangled roots and dense silhouettes. Osgiliath ruins recall the forest’s former grandeur. Viewing the board near a figure’s eye level emphasises the suffocating atmosphere beneath its canopy.
Phil Kelly explains Mannfred’s apparent challenge to reclaim Sylvania as a deliberate trap. Four linked battles take Volkmar into the Vale of Darkness. New abilities and small objectives change the campaign’s progress. A time tracker links Imperial losses to delay, making the prospect of a final fight in darkness an additional threat.
Andy Clark distinguishes the accessible scale of Escalation from a planned Apocalypse event. Sixteen major machines and monsters join ordinary army selections. Their presence changes how players allocate firepower and assess objectives. Studio games explore whether to destroy, evade or ignore a threat as large as a Stompa.
Robin Cruddace draws on famous sieges to frame the Stronghold Assault expansion. Background, artwork and photography establish the atmosphere before new gaming content. Networks bring several related structures into one army choice. Massive fortifications then create substantial objectives and tactical problems for ordinary battles as well as special siege missions.
Stuart Williamson previews a heavily armed Marine gunship. Nose-mounted avenger cannons and wing missiles complement two broad-traversing ball turrets. Marine crew give those turrets independent target selection. The development photographs show how concentrated firepower shapes the aircraft’s appearance.
Blake Spence creates a large fortified tile for Marine Legions. Its landing pad can accommodate a Thunderhawk. Battlements surround a base imagined as rapidly deployed from orbit. The preview connects the terrain’s physical scale to the Legion’s need for an immediate operating position.
Daren Parrwood finishes a Tau suit built for heavy support behind the main line. Related systems draw on Commander O’Ralai’s experimental armour. Pulse submunition cannons trade mobility for destructive output. The short preview explains the battlefield concept without printing a complete profile.
Neil Roberts connects his cover illustrations to a long history of collecting and gaming. Heresy-era armour permits more individual variation than later codex uniforms. Work with authors can influence the stories as well as illustrate them. His Emperor-versus-Horus image advances a familiar composition by a moment, treating it as another artist’s vision within the setting’s own history.
All substantive content actually present in the supplied issue is indexed, including individual reviews, army galleries, conversions, Paint Splatter, interviews, staff projects and the image-only campaign introduction. The advertised Sigmar’s Blood campaign on printed pages 62–71 is missing; those pages instead duplicate Arms Race. The duplicate is indexed once. Routine listings, store directories, advertisements, calendars, external electronic content and the closing quotation are excluded.