Re-Enter the Space Hulk – In Space No One Can Hear You Scream

Back in 2009 I reviewed the third edition of Space Hulk, and it was a "limited" release back then and Games Workshop really took that seriously, that the reprinted the boxed set for a limited amount of boxes multiple times over the following years, as the 4th edition in 2014, and another print run in 2016. The actual limitation was that the translations didn't receive a reprint, and the releases in the 2010s were just available in English.

Yet, we want to re-enter the Space Hulk, as I own the third edition and got a bunch of new designed Indomitus Terminators from the individual kit and Deathwing Assault, and I want to do a retro-mod using these new, upscaled sculpts and move away from the Blood Angels in the same step.

Why would I want to do that? Well to give you an idea on the growth of the Terminators, here's one of the first Terminator models from the Rogue Trader era, the 2009 Blood Angels from Space Hulk and the new Indomitus kit.

And what would I need to do so? Well, the 3rd and 4th Edition of Space Hulk had quite the bunch of uniqe sculpts of Terminators, the Heroes of the Imperium, all with individual names.

Space Hulk 4th Edition - Core, Heroes of the Imperium

• 1 Sgt with power sword and storm bolter,
• 1 Sgt with thunder hammer and storm shield,
• 5 Terminators with power fist and storm bolter,
• 1 Terminator with storm bolter and chainfist
• 1 Terminator with heavy flamer and power fist
• 1 Terminator with assault cannon and power fist
  and a Librarian in Terminator armour

Having built the Terminator characters from Leviathan this gives us a delta of:

• 1x Storm Bolter and Chainfist
• 1x Storm Bolter and Power Fist
• 1x Heavy Flamer
• 1x Lightning Claws
• 1x Thunder hammer & stormshield

But we want to cover the three campaign add-ons, that were iPad only after the release of the 2014 edition, in 2017, covering missions themed for the chapters of Ultramarines, Dark Angels and Space Wolves, to accompany the release of the individual plastic kits (regular Space Marine Terminators, Deathwing Knights and Wolf Guard Terminators) and give them the opportunity to be used with the board game tiles. There are loads of additional content for the old Space Hulk games, with the collected content from the Citadel Journal and White Dwarfs, along with fan made content, but due to the changes in the rules, I didn't want to spread out too far and sticked to the core and three "official" additions shown below.

Duty and Honour (Ultramarines 1st Company)

These three missions were build around the theme of the Ultramarines Veterans of the first company, and introduced the rules for the Cyclone Missile Launcher to this edition of Space Hulk. You play on the Hunter of the Void, a Space Hulk that emerged from the Warp near Macraggae, and are given the rules and points for custom missions.

To play the missions from Duty and Honour you need two squads of Terminators with the following weaponry;

• 2 Sgt with storm bolter and power sword
• 1 Terminator with cyclone missile launcher, storm bolter and power fist
• 1 Terminator with heavy flamer and power fist
• 2 Terminators with storm bolter and chainfist
• 4 Terminators with power fist and storm bolter

Giving us the delta of (with Leviathan we have a Captain and a Sgt with power sword and storm bolter, these will fulfill the roles of both Sgt)

• 1x Storm Bolter + Chainfist
• 1x Cyclone Missile Launcher

Bringer of Sorrow (Dark Angels Deathwing)

The second mission files assortment covered rules for the various options provided with the Deathwing Knights kit, incl. new characters with the Champion and Apothecarius, along with new weapon options. The Dark Angels fight Hive Fleet Moloch who infested the Bringer of Sorrow, in a three mission campaign. The new rules cover the plasma cannon, a re-print of the cyclone missile launcher, various close combat weapons (Halberd, Mace and Flail) along with the various roles of Deathwing Knights and Champions. And you will find a re-print of the rules to write custom missions.

To play the missions you need two squads of Terminators with the following weaponry;

• 2 Sgt with storm bolter and power sword
• 1 Deathwing Champion with Halberd of Caliban
• 1 Terminator with plasma cannon and power fist
• 1 Deathwing Banner bearer with storm bolter and power fist (and a banner)
• 1 Deathwing Apothecarius
• 1 Terminator with Assault Cannon and power fist
• 1 Terminators with storm bolter and chainfist
• 2 Terminators with power fist and storm bolter.

Giving us the delta of:

• 1x Deathwing Champion with Halberd of Caliban
• 1x Plasma Cannon + Power Fist
• 1x Banner Bearer
• 1x Apothecarius

Return to Kalidus (Space Wolves Wolf Guard)

And the third mission files add-on makes use of the Wolf Guard boxed set, as the terminators play a different role within the Space Wolves compared to the regular Codex Astartes legions. The kit provides you with the option to build champions for your squads as well as a full squad of terminators. Once again we see a series of three missions, playing on the Space Hulk Scion of Darkness, and trying to fight off the genestealer threat before they reach Kalidus. The new rules add the frost axe as a weapon, along with special rules for the Wolf Guard veterans, similar to the Deathwing Knights / Champions. And just like in the other two mission files, you get a bunch of rules to create your own scenarios.

To play the missions you need one squads of Terminators with the following weaponry;

• 1 Sgt with storm bolter and power sword
• 1 Terminator with assault cannon and power fist
• 1 Terminator with storm bolter and frost axe
• 1 Terminator with storm bolter and power fist
• 1 Terminator with lightning claws

Giving us the delta of:

• 1x Storm bolter and Frost Axe

In total this would mean we have to build:

• 2x Storm Bolter + Chainfist
• 1x Stormbolter + Power Fist
• 1x Heavy Flamer
• 1x Lightning Claws
• 1x Thunder hammer & stormshield
• 1x Cyclone Missile Launcher
• 1x Deathwing Champion with Halberd of Caliban
• 1x Plasma Cannon + Power Fist
• 1x Banner Bearer
• 1x Apothecarius
• 1x Stormbolter + Frost axe

It's handy that we have two boxes of the new Terminators, which I will cover in a review of their own,  and will build the following:

• 2x Storm Bolter + Chainfist
• 1x Storm bolter + Powerfist
• 3x Terminators with special weapons Heavy Flamer, Cyclone and Plasma Cannon (using bits from the new Deathwing Upgrade)
• 1x Apothecarius (using bits from the "old" Deathwing Upgrade)
• 1x Lightning Claws (using bits from the "old" Deathwing Upgrade)

The Deathwing Champion and the variant Stormbolter with Frost Axe from Return to Kalidus will have to work with a Champion of the Emperor in Terminator Armour conversion, or maybe upscaled Lysander. Or maybe even a TechMarine in Terminator armour, as I like the idea and it makes sense to have someone fixing weaponry and such with you. It's less about WYSIWYG, but more about a fluffy stand-in and that you can clearly identify the models from each other.

As for the banner Bearer, as that one is a regular Terminator with power fist and storm bolter, I probably just convert one of the Watchers in the dark as a companion or maybe a servitor or cherub, that I will keep next to him, as a banner is rather unhandy in actual space hulk combat.

Thunder Hammer and Stormshield will be covered by the model of Chaplain in Terminator armour.

What do you think about this idea?