The Big Summer Preview – Champions of the First Founding

Some Space Marine Chapters have been getting a lot of attention of late, what with the awesome recent releases for the Space Wolves, and the Black Templars following soon, but there’s plenty more to come from the Adeptus Astartes. Five of the original First Founding Chapters have stunning new miniatures unveiled today, along with thematic Combat Patrol boxes. 

Salamanders: Vulkan He’stan

First up is a classic hero reforged for a new age – Vulkan He’stan, Forgefather of the Salamanders Chapter. It is He’stan’s job to hunt down the scattered relics of the Primarch Vulkan, as it is said that when all nine are brought together, the Salamanders’ gene-father will return to them.

To aid him in his search, the Forgefather is armed with three of the recovered relics – the Spear of Vulkan, the Gauntlet of the Forge, and Kesare’s Mantle. These masterwork armaments turn an already formidable fighter into a veritable demigod of the battlefield, improving any flame- or melta-wielding allies nearby while boosting his Feel No Pain ability to an incredible 4+ once He’stan plants his feet on a chosen objective! We even get to see Vulkan’s face for the first time, and judging by the scars, he’s been at his quest for quite some time.

Imperial Fists: Darnath Lysander

As the Captain of the First Company, Darnath Lysander is a legend of the Imperial Fists who leads his signature massed Terminator assaults from the front, having perfected the ability to accurately teleport large numbers of troops at the same time. He was once lost in the warp for over a millennium by Holy Terra’s reckoning, but swiftly earned his position back at the head of the Chapter’s veterans with his exemplary – if sometimes controversial – service.

Lysander’s classic Terminator armour has been brought bang up to date while retaining much of its unique design, from the large Chapter icon on the chest to his incredible fist-shaped thunder hammer, the Fist of Dorn. The large storm shield he carries has been resculpted with immaculate detail while hewing close to its original design, and his iron halo now more suitably crowns such a diligent son of Rogal Dorn.

Raven Guard: Aethon Shaan

Aethon Shaan is the current Chapter Master of the Raven Guard, and we know what you’re thinking – “Wait, shouldn’t that be Kayvaan Shrike? Isn’t Shaan his First Captain?”Well, Shrike has believed for a while that the Raven Guard required a more balanced exemplar of their shadowy Primarch’s teachings, and it speaks to Shrike’s own strength of character that he would willingly step aside once he identified such a warrior. That warrior is Captain Shaan. 

Shaan’s ascension wasn’t without merit, as the new Chapter Master is a deadly and pragmatic warrior with extensive experience fighting the full spectrum of Mankind’s enemies, including the forces of Chaos alongside Uriel Ventris in the novel The Chapter’s Due. This impressive miniature is dripping with corvidae details, from the cloak of sable feathers and curved claws to his armour’s taloned feet and the winged servo units built around bird skulls. It also packs three different head options, so you can feature him hooded, helmeted, or with his long locks flowing free.

Iron Hands: Caanok Var

There are few Iron Hands that exemplify their Chapter’s creed more than Caanok Var, the Iron Captain of Clan Avernii – the most heavily augmented veterans of their brotherhood. He is a merciless and efficient warlord who has been at the forefront of the Iron Hands’ wars for longer than any can remember, sustained by ancient masterwork augmetics that encompass almost his entire body. In fact, some say that his left eye is the last original part of Caanok Var, with the rest given over to the blessed machine.

Like all members of Clan Avernii, Var feels little more than burning hatred for his Chapter’s enemies, but he maintains an outward appearance of cold and stoic logic typical of the Iron Hands. His extensive suite of bionics and data-tethers feeds real-time battlefield data right into his mind so he can formulate efficient solutions on the fly, and if that isn’t enough to secure victory, his enormous power tetsubo will simply crush whatever stands before him.

White Scars: Suboden Khan

As the right hand of the Great Khan and leader of the White Scars’ preeminent Spearpoint Brotherhood, Suboden Khan is one of his Chapter’s mightiest heroes. He led the White Scars’ Fifth Company for over two centuries before being awarded command of its veterans, with his skill as a warrior matched only by his mastery of strategy on a sector-wide scale.

Like many of his brothers, Suboden Khan fights best from the saddle, cutting bloody swathes through hordes of foes with his elegant power lance. His grav-bike packs much heavier firepower than other steeds of its size, mounting an onslaught gatling cannon in the front that effortlessly shreds lightly armoured foes before plowing through their lines at lightning speed.

All five of these characters will have their rules available for free download on the Warhammer Community website on release, so you can get them onto the battlefield as soon as the glue is dry. 

Combat Patrols

Each Chapter will also be getting a new Combat Patrol box, set up to give you a great thematic starting point for the rest of your collection. You get plenty of flame and melta weapons for the Salamanders, resilient defensive forces for the Imperial Fists and Iron Hands, stealth and jump infantry for the Raven Guard, and all-out speed for the White Scars.

Speaking of the White Scars, their Combat Patrol is a little special too – it’s the first place you’ll be able to get Suboden Khan, leading a screaming fast team of Outriders and Assault Intercessors mounted in an Impulsor. 

To cap it all off, new dice sets for all five Chapters will also be available alongside their Combat Patrols, although we don’t have any pictures to show just yet. In the meantime, head back to the Big Summer Preview hub to see what else has been revealed today.