Heresy & Heroes

An ancient artifact that still inspires today.

With the upcoming release of the Imperial Knights highlighting again Games Workshop’s fondness for reviving old Epic models, I thought I’d take a look at some of the miniatures that I’d like to see make the trip across from 5mm to 28mm scale. Oh, and if you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, here’s a link to one of the many BOLS articles about the Imperial Knights stomping into 40k.

Games Workshop, and in particular Forge World, has in recent years revisited the units found in the old Epic scale games. To be honest, there isn’t much left and out of that, some of it is far-removed from the current aesthetics of the setting. Epic wasn’t particularly Grimdark at all really, and it employed much brighter hues giving the game a richness that reflected the general flavour of the 40k universe when 5mm gaming was still a real option. GW was very different too in those days – when Space Marine 2nd Ed was released, it came with almost 550 miniature miniatures, including a titan!

Epic, through Space Marine, Titan Legions, Epic Armageddon and other titles was also the place where many units that are now common in 40k made their debut. From both the Forge World and Games Workshop stables we have seen 5mm to 28mm moves for (to name just a few examples) Squiggoths, Reaver Titans, Warhound Titans, Basilisks, Lift Droppas, Manticores, Leman Russ Tanks, Wave Serpents, Warp Hunters, Sentinels, Thunderhawk Gunships, Hierodules, Harpies, Falcons, Fire Prisms, Valkyries, Trygons, Thunderbolts, Marauders, Baneblades and much, much more. Forge World have gone further and revisited the system for styling ideas for many miniatures including the now iconic Contemptor Dreadnought. With all of that already moved over, and now the Imperial Knights also crossing over, what’s left?

Chaos

There are a couple of things that really stand out for me as potentially making the move across but they’d be big kits and might not end up being particularly commercially viable. After the Lord of Skulls release, it would be great for each of the major Chaos Gods to get their own Superheavy, and they did have these in epic. The Lord of Skulls is basically the epic Khorne Deathdealer (there was also the Cauldron of Blood, Cannon of Khorne and Tower of Skulls), but as someone who doesn’t run any of the Blood God’s minions, I’d like to see the Slaanesh Subjugator (above left), Nurgle Plague Tower (above right) and Tzeentch Doomwing appear in 40k too. There have been a number of fan made conversions over the years, but GW would have got me a lot more interested in a Chaos-themed Superheavy if they’d have given us non-Khorne players an option other than converting a Baneblade.

Orks

There are a number of trukks, tanks and speedsters that could make their way across, but the big one that most people will want would be the Gargants. There are a number of different sizes ranging from the relatively modest Slasher Gargant to the enormous Mega Gargant, but I don’t see even the smallest of these making the jump any time soon due to sheer amount of materials needed to create one. Gargants dwarf Stompas and though in height, they’re on a par with Forge World’s existing titans, their girth is far greater. Yes, Forge World do some pretty spectacularly priced and oversized models, but I’d be very sruprised if they went down the route of a Gargant any time soon. You orky types will have to keep dreaming…

Imperial

Space Marines are pretty much covered, but there are a few things outstanding for various other Imperial factions. Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard the rumour that Forge World has, piled high in a warehouse no less, boxes full of ready to ship Warlord Titans. This is probably bovine excrement of the stinkiest order given the fact that this rumour has been going around for a decade but nevertheless, maybe it could happen, though, as with the gargant, I doubt it would happen any time soon. Then there’s the Imperial Guard’s Mole – a large, drill-fronted subterranean transport. This could work in 40k but who knows if it will ever happen. And as for the Leviathan, the Imperium’s mobile, titan-sized fortress, or the Ordinatus engines (pictured below), I really doubt it.

Tyranids

The one that everyone wants is the Dominatrix (far left in the above image) – the largest synapse creature to ever stalk the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. It’s always been guessed at or wondered about, but it has never appeared. It’s another big one, but Games Workshop and Forge World has taken a lot more license with Tyranid models due to their overall shift in aesthetic feel (the Hierodule being a good example – on the image below, the original epic model is on the left, and Forge World’s 28mm scale one is on the right) changing so much over the years, meaning it could be made smaller. The Dactylis could provide another big bug for a Nidzilla List and certainly isn’t impossible, and Malefactors would be in the same bracket.

Eldar

With the titans already covered, and many of the tanks that existed in epic now looking completely different in 40k (have you seen the difference between the Serpent that is and the one that was!?), it’s hard to pin down what can and can’t be done. I’d love to see them have a go at the Tempest, a Grav-tank that wasn’t too big, but Forge World’s Superheavy Scorpion has already borrowed greatly from this. The Vampires and Nightwings have already moved over so there isn’t much Eldar left to port.

Anything else?

Well, Necrons, Dark Eldar and Tau missed out really, when it comes to Epic. But there is a whole army that actually worked a lot better in 5mm than it did in 28mm scale games. Yes, I’m going to use the ’S’ word. Squats were a lot more interesting when they could utilise things like their giant mortars, land-trains, cyclops engines and iron dirigibles. They were a lot less ‘space dwarf’ because everything was so small anyway, and they had access to more than just bikes and Imperial tanks. I guess it’s just a shame the Tyranids ate them all.

What would you like to see come across from Epic? And what do you think is likely? Comments below please!