The first box for the all-new season of Kill Team – entitled Salvation – contains two eagerly awaited kill teams with a Warhammer 40,000 pedigree dating all the way back to Rogue Trader days: Space Marine Scouts and Striking Scorpions.
The chainsword-wielding Aeldari in the box are the fourth Aspect Shrine to be revived with brand-new plastic kits in the last couple of years – following on from the Howling Banshees, the Dark Reapers, the Shining Spears. Stealthy close-combat specialists, they can take down foes many times their size, their mandiblasters throwing their prey off-balance with searing blasts of energy conducted through a storm of needles.
There’s a long history to these Aspect Warriors, with three previous sculpts – and many design elements can be traced all the way back to the first incarnations. Check out the mandiblasters and the reinforced chevron-shaped greaves across the lower legs.
These detailed new miniatures capitalise on the timeless designs laid out many years ago. They realise all of the detail from those original sketches and incorporate a choice of bare heads and helmeted heads.
Craftworld Aeldari traditionally tend to fully embody the particular aspect of Khaine their temple is dedicated to, donning a symbolic war-aspect mask. On the other hand, the young Ynnari faction in Aeldari society will happily engage in battle without a helmet, unhindered by the more strict teachings of their temple.* Jes’ concept sketches directly inform one of the Exarch’s helmets – and the overall direction of the helmetless designs.
The Exarch now has a wider armoury than before: the signature chainsword with its extra teeth exposed, twin chainswords with forearm-mounted shuriken gauntlets, and an extra-large, double-handed chainsword known as a biting blade. If that’s not deadly enough, you can crumple the armour of tougher foes in the vice-like grasp of the Scorpion’s Claw, which echoes the legendary Arhra’s Bane wielded by Karandras, Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpion Temple.
The notes on Jes’s sketches also shine some light on the mechanics of certain pieces of wargear. The strange dreadlock-like cables that feature on their helmets are not just cool fashion accessories – they’re actually advanced sensor suites which monitor the surrounding environment, keying the Aspect Warriors into minor changes in the atmosphere and environment and, therefore, the motions of the enemy.**
Each Striking Scorpion also has a shuriken pistol with a scope attached by cabling to their suit, allowing the wielder to view the battlefield through the weapon. This clever bit of tech is even represented with the Scorpion’s Eye Aspect Technique in games of Kill Team.
Kill Team: Salvation is available to pre-order this weekend and contains 10 Striking Scorpions*** – enough for a reinforced squad in Warhammer 40,000, or a Blades of Khaine kill team made up exclusively of these snippy skirmishers.
* The Ynnari are basically too cool for all that traditional aspect warrior stuff.
** Sounds a lot like whiskers to us.
*** And two Striking Scorpion aspect shrine statues which look oddly similar to the one contained in the Incubi kit…