Greetings ladies and gentlemen,
Today we are going to be looking at one of the most secretive space marine chapters; the Sons of the Lion, the Dark Angels.
With the release of their new codex it was inevitable that they would receive a Combat Patrol box set. However, is this box set value for money, and are the units within of any worth on the table top?
Like all the previous Combat Patrol box sets, the Dark Angels set contains everything you would require to form the basis of a small army: 1 Primaris Chaplin, 3 Interceptors, 1 Redemptor Dreadnought, 5 Primaris Intercessors, 2 Dark Angels Primaris upgrade sprues, and 1 Dark Angels transfer sheet. All of this for £85.
Alone, each of the models would roughly cost the following:
1 Primaris Chaplin = £22.50
3 Interceptors = £30
1 Redemptor Dreadnought = £40
5 Primaris Intercessors = £10-15 ( on eBay)
2 Dark Angels Primaris upgrade sprues = £18
All combined, at the recommended retail price these items are worth £125.50. With the Combat Patrol Dark Angels box set costing £85, this is a saving of £40.50.
This puts them on par with the Combat Patrol Deathwatch box set in terms of savings, but far less than the Combat Patrol Space Wolves (though this might be an anomaly). Overall, this is excellent value for money as the models contained within the kit are the multi-part variety and not push to fit, giving you the flexibility to build the models as you see fit.
However, are the models in Combat Patrol Dark Angels of any worth on the table top?
Let's start with the HQ choice. The Primaris Chaplin is a good close combat fighter, fully capable of caving in skulls with that pimp staff of his (sorry, that's just what it looks like to me). Where he really shines though is in his ability to provide buffs to nearby friendly units with his litanies of faith.
The Redemptor Dreadnought Is an awesome looking model and is able to bring a deluge of firepower to any tabletop. With the option of bringing either a Gatling cannon or a plasma incinerator (but let's be honest here, as Dark Angels, why would you bring anything but plasma?) alongside a slew of other weapons, the Redemptor Dreadnought is capable of handling nearly any unit your opponent throws at it.
All in all, the Combat Patrol Dark Angels box set is a great starting set for any budding Dark Angels player. It’s also suitable for reinforcing existing Dark Angels armies. It contains a range of models which work together fairly well, however, I can't help but feel that a unit of Hellblasters would have been more appropriate for the plasma obsessed Dark Angels. But that’s just my opinion.