Games Workshop has released a new flavor of plastic crack for us addicts in the form of blind box randomized Space Marine miniatures. I decided to buy one and open it here as a sort of review.

Spoiler: it isn't the super-special rare model.

These guys run about US$7.00, and they are a re-release of some formerly Japan-exclusive models. There are nine unique figures in the worldwide release, one of which is a rare Space Marine captain. You can see their announcement of this product line from last year here. The models from this set are a bit bigger than the standard Space Marines, but smaller than the new Primaris models. They'd be great for Kill Team, and perhaps as special characters in a full game, but they're hardly a good option for a large army.

The model itself is a single-pose snap-fit kit with options for a bare or helmeted head. The casting quality is pretty good, with very minimal mold line cleanup and decent detail. This box contains Brother Garus, who wields a standard-issue bolter and a bolt pistol while standing in a quite dynamic pose. Here's his card with his portrait along with its indecipherable hieroglyphs for unknown purposes.

I am not a fan of the Ultramarines livery, and Games Workshop has some bizarre proportions for its stylized humans and genetically-enhanced super-soldiers, so I opted to use the helmeted head. GW style makes each faction visually distinct and iconic, but the result is often sillier than I would prefer.

Welcome to the grim DERPness of the far future...

No, thanks. Helmet on.

This photo was taken before I started shaving and filing away the mold lines. The one along the centerline of the bolter is quite obvious here, and would remain obvious after painting.

Obviously, I haven't begun painting yet. I don't plan to follow any official Space Marine chapter colors. The cool thing about Space Marines is how the lore was written to allow and encourage people to create their own color schemes if they want. So once the weather permits, I think this mini will be a teat for a color scheme I have been wanting to try for years: Half-Life Marines! Their Primarch is Gordon Freeman* and their color scheme will be orange and gray with a white lambda as their chapter symbol.

*There are two lost primarchs. My personal headcanon says Gordon Freeman was one of them, sent back in time through the Warp. And yes, there will be Power Crowbars.