Review: Legiones Astartes MkII Assault Squad & Fellblade

We had to wait a few weeks after the launch of the Saturnine box and the 3rd Edition of The Horus Heresy. But now the battlefields of the Age of Darkness tremble once more, as alongside the new MkII Assault Squad the plastic version of the Fellblade super-heavy battle tank thunders onto the retail shelves. In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at both new kits.

The new Legiones Astartes releases will be available for pre-order starting Saturday, 20 September 2025. The pre-order period lasts two weeks, with the official release date set for 4 October 2025.

Legiones Astartes MkII Assault Squad review

The MkII Assault Squad kit matches the contents of the MkVI version: two medium-sized sprues, each with 5 unique poses / models. These are supplied twice, allowing you to build 10 models. You also get 10 32mm bases, a new infantry transfer sheet which, in addition to Imperial Fists and Sons of Horus icons, now also includes Salamanders and Iron Warriors (though unfortunately still only in black and white), plus the assembly guide.

Per pair of sprues, you’ll find:

• 5 bodies in 5 different poses, 5 jump packs, 10 plain MkII shoulder pads, 2 shoulder pads with small eagles
• 5 MkII helmets, 1 MkII helmet with antenna and comms gear, 2 bare heads
• 5 left arms and 5 right arms in various poses
• 5 right hands with chainaxes, 1 right hand with power maul
• 2 arm pairs with two-handed heavy chainaxes (contrary to the info on the back of the box, that makes 4 heavy chainaxes in total)
• 5 left hands with bolt pistols, 5 left hands plus 5 round combat shields, 1 left hand with volkite serpenta, 1 left hand with disintegrator pistol
• Accessories include 5 empty pistol holsters, 1 pouch with disintegrator ammo, 1 meltabomb, frag grenades, krak grenades, 2 pouches with frag grenade, 1 pouch with krak grenade, 1 pouch with eagle talisman

Patreon bonus content: Ultra high-res, uncompressed versions of these sprue images (and backsides of the sprues) can be downloaded here.

The instructions assign specific arm pairs to each of the five poses, but as with other Horus Heresy plastic kits, the shoulder joints are flat and therefore universal – so you’re free to mix and match to your heart’s content.

Horus Heresy collectors have long been clamouring for more infantry, and with the MkII Assault Squad we’re getting… more of the same. That said, it’s easily forgiven when the models look this good. In contrast to the sleeker MkVI Assault design, the MkII version has a more brutal aesthetic, with heavy gorgets and large, bulky jump packs. We also finally have a source for plastic chainaxes, as well as combat shields in an alternative round style. Chainswords, however, are absent. You’ll need to pick those up from the Melee Weapons Upgrade Set, or go straight for the MkVI version instead.

Fellblade Super-heavy Battle Tank

The plastic version of the Fellblade comes in an extra-wide box that has the size of an army set. With an RRP of £120, it’s the most expensive single plastic model Games Workshop currently offers, even surpassing the venerable Baneblade kit. Inside you’ll find 8 sprues: 5 large sprues, 2 half-sized sprues for the sponsons, plus the Legiones Astartes vehicle accessories sprue familiar from other tank kits. Also included are the instructions and a new A4 Legiones Astartes super-heavy vehicle transfer sheet, featuring icons for the Sons of Horus, Imperial Fists, Salamanders, and Iron Warriors, alongside generic symbols (sadly still only in black and white).

Sprues 1 to 5 construct the chassis of the Fellblade. Sprues 1 and 2, which make up the side skirts, are identical but mirrored. Unfortunately, the side skirts aren’t cast as single large pieces but must be built from two halves. Thankfully, the seam is cleverly hidden apart from one small spot. Otherwise, assembly is fairly straightforward, as most parts are quite large.

The turret simply slots onto the hull and clicks into place, allowing it to rotate. The Fellblade accelerator cannon can be angled if you don’t glue it down. For the secondary hull armament that’s paired with the demolisher cannon, you have a choice between twin heavy flamers or twin heavy bolters.

Sprues 6 and 7 contain the sponsons. One of the sprues contains a pair of lascannon arrays and is identical to the one from the Spartan kit. The other sprue is new and includes a pair of laser destroyers and gravis heavy bolter batteries.

Last but not least, we also get the familiar vehicle accessories sprue, with assorted extras such as smoke launchers, a hunter-killer missile, crew members, and various pintle-mounted weapons.

On the tabletop, the Fellblade is an absolute monster, noticeably larger and bulkier than the Kratos. While many of the previous plastic realisations of the Legiones Astartes vehicle range were near one-to-one translations of their resin predecessors, the Fellblade has seen more creative liberties taken. While the size is the same, as you can see in the before-and-after comparison, a lot of details have been modernised.

The front section has been reworked, the turret housing is slightly bigger, we see the wheel suspensions on the sides, and the weapons now feature additional detail. Perhaps the most “controversial” change is the side doors, which are now round like a Rhino’s rather than square like a Land Raider’s.

What I would have liked at this price point is at least the option to build a Glaive as an alternative. The Falchion has an entirely different turret construction, of course, but the volkite carronade of the Glaive could surely have been designed to be compatible.

Where to get

You can find the latest GW releases at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 20% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.