I am not going to review the rules or anything like that, no. If you want the rules you buy the codex just like every other person out there.
The Valkyrie, the main incentive of the new Imperial Guard codex. All new codex books have one big kit or unit that is paraded around as the big seller. Apocalypse had its Baneblade, the Space Marines has their Drop Pod and now the Imperial Guard get the Valkyrie. In plastic no less! Forge World has wisely discontinued their resin model line, seeing as those are poorly cast, overpriced train wrecks that only the most patient of patient can build without screaming bloody murder.
No, here we have an affordable (clocking in at Land Raider price) fast skimmer that is longer and wider than a Baneblade! This kit once again shows off the skill of GW's plastic injection technologies. And it really shows, as the details are well done and defined. The two door gunners are a bit lacking in the detail department but other than that it is a finely detailed model kit.
The kit comes on four sprues which are for the most part crammed to their fullest with everything you need to build this mighty machine (not shown is the small clear plastic sprue with the two cockpit canopies):
The crew compartment
Nose section, tail booms and weapon systems
Engines, crew and details
Wings, fins and missiles
Assembly is pretty straight forward and it pays off to take your time and plan ahead a bit. If you want no door gunners you can just glue the entire thing shut, but if you do want them you'll have to paint the interior first before putting everything together. Now assembly is a breeze if you take your time. You don't need a third hand, but a few thin rubber bands are a helpful tool in keeping the cockpit and rear section together as they dry. The kit is designed in such a way that you can tackle one sub assembly at the time, so you can move from assembly to assembly as the glue dries.
While most of the model is simply glued together the wings can be put on without any glue, due to a pair of handy slots on each side. They are however not that deep and the wear and tear of removing the wings will make the fit not as tight as it used to be. The slots however, are an excellent candidate for rare earth magnets, enabling you to remove or swap wings without fear of them falling off all the time.
Now there are some minor snags with the kit. First off, no Vendetta parts have been included! GW has been advertising that the kit could be built as either a Valkyrie OR a Vendetta. Sadly, no twin-linked lascannons have been included in the kit. For those you need to either look to your bits box or Forge World sadly.
Secondly, the interior of the rear compartment lacks decoration. Aside from the two gunners and two panels the rear is devoid of pretty much anything else. My guess is that the passengers are required to stand while in transit. Which is a shame, seeing as the Forge World model had a nice drop down bench in the middle of the compartment for the passengers to sit on.
And finally, the kit lacks in extra bits and bobs to use for modifying your Valkyrie or to serve as donations for your bits box. A fully assembled Valkyrie will leave you with one spare head, a spare Aquila badge, one spare weapon mount (lascannon or multi-laser), two spare sensor fronts (three are provided) and either a pair of rocket pods or Hellstrike missiles. This appears to be a trend with the recent released plastic kits, which are all lacking in extra parts these days.
Special mention:
Perhaps best of all is the flying stand, which isn't just an innovation for the Valkyrie. Finally, after a long, long time GW has finally decided to redesign their flight stand. The small and thin plastic rods on a clear round base are a thing of the past as the Valkyrie comes with a large, oval bevelled base with a tall (5"!) and sturdy stem for mounting your Valkyrie. The sprue comes with an optional piece (see sprue 1) that you can glue to the bottom of your model. You slot the stem into this piece thus providing you with a dynamically posed model in flight.Assembly tip: It pays off to fix the stem to the base with super glue for a good and strong bond. I did the same with the part that goes under the Valkyrie, just in case seeing as both the stem and the part under the model need to survive the rigours of gaming and the joining together and parting motions.
Final verdict:
Pros: A good solid kit that is easy to build and customize, the flying stand is a much welcomed innovation, the model itself is a beaut to look at
Cons: Lack of spare parts for conversions, interior is spartan (no bench!), not all contents are in box as advertised, model can be hard to store
A fun model to build, not requiring a third hand, though some rubber bands are always handy. Even if you're not a Guard player this model is a fun side project that you can put on your desk or on display. What are you waiting for? Get yours already! wink
