The pervasive influence of the Dark Mechanicum is now spreading to Legiones Astartes. For the first time, the Dark Mechanicum will be a playable faction in its own right. In this review, we’ll take a look at the new Stalker Constructs and the Serperos ‘Overlord’ Heavy Stalkers, and compare them to other Legiones Astartes kits to see how they measure up.
The new Dark Mechanicum boxes for Legions Imperialis will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 7 December 2024. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 20 December 2024.
With the expansion boxes in this review, you can add their dark counterparts to the armies of the Mechanicum. We have unboxed the core units of the Mechanicum/Dark Mechanicum in this review:
Dark Mechanicum Stalker Constructs review
Like other Legions Imperialis kits, the Dark Mechanicum Stalker Constructs box contains two identical sprues with which you can build the following:
- 8 bases of Harpax ‘Swarmer’ Scout Hosts (3 models per base, 25mm bases)
- 2 Errax ‘Butcher’ Assault Stalkers (50mm bases)
- 2 Tenebrax ‘Archer’ Battle Stalkers (50mm bases)
- 2 Scintillax ‘Cyclops’ Noospheric Stalker Networks (50mm bases)
Additionally, you get Command Terminal rule cards for the Errax, Tenebrax, and Scintillax for games of Adeptus Titanicus, but no transfer sheet like in the Heavy Stalkers box. The price point is identical to other Legions Imperialis unit boxes, with an RRP of £31.50 / 41 € / $52.50.
Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.
The constructs share a wealth of building options. The Tenebrax can all choose between an exo-plannar cannon and stalker maxima bolters. For the Scintillax, exo-planar cannons, Scintillax lascutter, and Storm laser are included. The Errax can receive Stalker maxima bolters, Errax lascutters, or an Errax meltagun. There are enough weapons to equip all models as desired, and there are four slightly different poses of each of the ‘spider legs’, which can be freely swapped between the constructs. The Harpax have six slightly different sculpts, which are included four times each.
Serperos ‘Overlord’ Heavy Stalkers unboxed
The Dark Mechanicum Serperos ‘Overlord’ Heavy Stalkers box builds four Heavy Stalkers on 60mm Legions Imperialis bases. The box has two identical sprues, building two models each, and also comes with two Command Terminal rule cards for Adeptus Titanicus, and a small sheet of transfers. The RRP is £31.50 / 41 € / $52.50.
Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.
Like other Legions Imperialis tanks and Titan models, the Heavy Stalkers are surprisingly complex builds for their size. There are enough weapon parts included so that each Heavy Stalker can be equipped with either an Exo-planar bombard or Storm laser array, as well as Serperos lascutters or Irradiation engine as secondary weapons. There are also two different versions each of the left and right mechandrites, claws and spider legs of the constructs, which can be freely combined and exchanged.
The quality of the kits is on par with other Legion Imperialis kits. The individual guns and vehicles are highly detailed, and the crew members are posed in a way that there are no significant visible undercuts. In this kit, too, you only have the option of choosing the armament as listed above, as no spare weapons are included.
Where to get
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9.0 Score
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
At last, Legiones Astartes are getting models that aren't just scaled-up versions of what we already know from The Horus Heresy. The fan-favourite Dark Mechanicum are getting a host of creepy, spider-like constructs, as well as their own heavy infantry. The sprues are packed with build options and interchangeable parts, so every model can be built with any of the available weapon options. And to top it all off, there are even rules for Adeptus Titanicus included.With the boxes in this review, you can add their dark counterparts to the armies of the Mechanicum. We have unpacked and analysed the core units of the Mechanicum/Dark Mechanicum in this review:
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