Games Workshop has previewed new plastic Space Marine jetbikes for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, the latest models for the game to make the jump from Forge World resin into GW plastic. In a preview article posted to the Warhammer Community blog on Thursday, GW revealed that the updated kit for the ‘Sky-hunter Squadron’ would feature marines in Mk VI ‘beakie’ power armour, matching the marines in the Age of Darkness box set.
The new models are all riding Scimitar jetbikes, the same design used in the current Forge World kit. The article highlights the option to equip the jetbikes with a standard Heavy Bolter, infantry blasting Volkite Culverin, power armour melting Plasma Cannon, or vehicle killing Multi-melta. It also shows off a couple of pieces of kit for the riders, a chainsword and a Volkite Serpenta, a pistol we haven’t seen in plastic for Space Marines yet.
The example models are all painted as Sons of Horus and the jetbike engine cowl features a prominent “eye of Horus” motif, but it’s likely that the kit will include options for the Aquila of the Imperium of Man and a blank armour plate, as we’ve already seen on the updated Contemptor dreadnought kit.
Rules for the Sky-hunter squadron can be found in both the Liber Astartes: Traitor Astartes Army Book and Loyalist Astartes Army Book. You can also upgrade your army’s Praetor, Centurion, or Command Squad to ride on jetbikes, and these kits would be the perfect starting point for a conversion.
Jetbikes were a terrifying prospect in 1st edition Horus Heresy, when they had a native 2+ armour save and could jink for a 4+ invulnerable save against shooting attacks. Their survivability has been toned down substantially: they now have a 3+ armour save and only gain a 5+ Shrouded save if they ran in the preceding turn. They still pack an offensive punch and are able to deep strike or rapidly redeploy, making them very effective at harassing your opponent’s flanks or creeping behind enemy vehicles for shots on their rear armour.
While jetbikes are the preserve of the Adeptus Custodes and the lucky chapter master of the Dark Angels in the 41st millennium, (not to mention a few xenos Warhammer 40k factions), they were commonplace among the Space Marine legions of the Heresy era. Some made exceptionally heavy use of them, particularly Jaghatai Khan’s White Scars, Konrad Curze’s Night Lords, and Sanguinius’ Blood Angels. Every legion fielded these troops during the Heresy, and any army can use the ‘Sky-Hunter Phalanx’ rite of war, which allows you to pick Sky-Hunter Squadrons and Proteus Land Speeders as troop choices, and turns Sky-hunters into scoring units.
If you don’t fancy building these snazzy kits but do want to read about the battles they were involved in, check out our guide to the Horus Heresy book reading order and pay particular attention to the White Scars escapades.