l was at my local shop when I buddy of mine came in to the back where I was playing a game with the new Gale Force 9 Gothic Sector Battlefield in a box Legion Stronghold and Legion Orbital Relay. He told me planned on using these pieces for Star Wars Legion but when I took a look at them I instantly knew these were modeled off the Dawn of War 40k video game. He was never a video game player and didn’t recognize the terrain but the second I saw it I knew I needed to pick it up for my games of 40k. After the game I was playing he opened the boxes up and my suspicions were confirmed: I needed these sets!
Unlike previous Battlefield in a Box sets these aren’t held in place with Styrofoam inserts, but they are more than secure in a heavy blanket of bubble wrap!
The Legion Stronghold comes in two pieces. The two pieces have connector pieces which will help keep the two haves together in case of minor bumps during the game but won’t keep them together with a more serious jostle. That said the two halves are rather heavy and should stay put. The Stronghold retails for $60 USD. Like all the pieces reviewed it is cast in a heavy plaster like material which, while overall sturdy feels like it could be susceptible to chipping if dropped from any distance. Keep it away from cats and small kids!
The Orbital Relay is a much smaller piece. It comes in four pieces: the main body, the relay fin, and two sensor dishes. They relay and dishes have recesses for the attached magnets. This will allow safer transport as the fragile pieces don’t have to risk breaking off. I think this is a neat feature and allows you to take the terrain to your local game store with less risk of breaking. The Orbital Relay retails for $25 USD.
The Armored Listening Post also comes in four pieces. The main body, the turret, and two satellite dishes, the high point of early 2000’s technology adopted for the 41st millennium! The included magnets will allow the gun turret to pivot which is a fun feature. The Armored Listening Post retails for $25 USD.
One of the best things about these sets for me is instead of being painted in Blood Ravens colors, the stars of the first game, they are painted in a dark green which suits my Dark Angels just perfectly! I may give them a little bit of paint, I’m not a big fan of the silver metal, but unlike previous Battlefield in a Box sets I feel very little need to add much in the way of paint or weathering. These work really well in my opinion!
Second Edition Dark Angels roll out!
Oh, you prefer something more modern for a sense of scale? Dark Angels, roll out!
For those of you who want a retro return to the original game check out these stills!
I plan on picking up the other five sets when they come out. I did pick up two Armored Listening Posts but may swap them out for some of the other terrain pieces, such as the dedicated turrets. Still, you can never have enough heavy supports when the Xenos land…. Will you be picking these new pieces up? Let me know in the comments!
If you liked this review, I reviewed Wave 2, and Wave 3! If you like Epic I reviewed the Mundus Imperialis!
-Wachtmeister
The Wachtmeister's Patrol 