Retro Unboxing: Warhammer 40k 3rd Edition (1998, new in box)

[@KimHarderFog]

I completely agree with sentiment that the multipart posable models had a feeling of ownership when assembled. As you put it in the video, this spacemarine is my spacemarine since I chose the pose and items.

[@Zom13y]

This is my Space Marine, there are many like it, but this one has derpy eyes.

[@beganfish]

@@toferkrz946 How do you explain this video then? Dana said herself that she didn't understand the complaint against mono-pose until she tried making these models, do you think she retroactively got nostalgia?

[@NikSantSurvivedEndor]

I remember how I collected spacemarines and knowing exactly what weapon and cool arm was in which box. Planning my seargents and squads beforehand. It was another level of ownership without hacking blackstonefortress(for example) minis to bitz to make one out of 2.5 minis.

[@braedenhogencamp1325]

Refuse to be stopped. Make a chapter. Kitbash, mix legions like cocktails. Turn that IKEA couch into a coffee table. But also realistically I like to make around 70% tournament legal, I wanna make friends but have fun with the plastic, it's yours.

[@KimHarderFog]

@@braedenhogencamp1325 Oh don't worry, I've gone all in on digital kitbashing and 3d printing, so I get exactly what I want to play with.

[@TheKsalad]

Would love to see a 3rd edition battle report!

[@vampiricmeme8405]

yeeeeees

[@sidtheragali1447]

yes!

[@bulletproofjedi]

here here!

[@scottlock8584]

Ft midwinter minis?

[@ObjectiveMedia]

2nd-7th > 8th-10th

[@OpalisPissed]

The flying stand immediately breaking off is peak 3rd :D Great Video. Really awakened a few memories.

[@KnightLightMini]

I came here just to say the same! Watching it snap was the real nostalgia XD

[@matthewsmall8009]

Ha ha balljoint, more like oh balls joint 🤣

[@Necrothrall]

I remember 13 year old me opening that for Christmas. Then decided to paint the space marines up as Imperial Fists. I think the lack of modularity in the modern kits is why I'm falling out of love with GW. There's no soul in it anymore.

[@noirerequiemii101]

I agree about the coding about how to view each faction has changed a lot in 40K. Once Space Marines became less and less obvious as crazed zealots and the sketchy art style portraying the Imperium faded, it really has just seemed like "Imperium Good Guys", for the sake of marketing

[@radicalpaddyo]

My codex black templars begs to differ

[@Pippaqueenofdumb]

I like to think that what we are seeing is imperial propaganda, rather than the reality of the grimdark future

[@AFnord]

I feel like if you read the more specific fluff, then Space Marines often still seem like deeply unpleasant crazed zealots who you would rather avoid, even if they're on "your side", but yeah, the outward facing image that GW is portraying is that the Imperium really are the good guys, and you need to do a bit more digging to figure out that no, they're in fact awful and just an amalgamation of the worst things humanity has created in the last few millennia just smushed together into one big terrible blob of suffering, than you had back in the 3rd edition days.

[@beganfish]

It doesn't matter if the text says the Imperium is bad, they need to show it too, and they don't. All the novels are written from the perspective of the space marines, all the art shows them as paragons defending against horrible aliens and heretics. Words alone mean nothing.

[@soupalex]

@@beganfish exactly! i think the old "satire requires a clarity of purpose (etc.)" meme is applicable here. we can likely all agree that gw aren't _trying_ to say e.g. "fascism is good, actually", but… if you keep painting space marines in-largely uncritically-heroic tones, and have to repeatedly issue statements to the effect that fascists aren't welcome (because for some reason they keep creeping in!), then it's probably safe to say that the "satire" isn't really coming through.

[@heretical_hobbyist]

I remember being blown away when I got my first box of modular tactical marines. You could do literally anything with them. Until that point all I had were the monopose 2nd marines, and these things just blew my mind. Everyone hates on those Dark Elder models, but I absolutely love them, and think they are some of the best of the era. I'll die on that hill. Thanks for the nostalgia hit, great video.

[@Bluecho4]

A used miniatures site I frequent has had sets of 3e Dark Eldar models for sale for a while, often in large numbers for not a lot of money. If I didn't already buy a bunch of Space Marines from there I need to paint (and if I didn't already have sprues of newer Dark Eldar that wouldn't fit aesthetically with the old), I'd grab some for myself.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

I am still stripping them and reusing them now. Today. Literally. These were the ones that taught me to kitbash so well.

[@xyonblade]

yeah, 3rd edition kits had so many extra pieces and options, clearly a superior age of gaming

[@Confuseddave]

That's hilarious - showing the ball joint for the landspeeder snapping at 9:00 100% matches my exact experiences with that model from 25 years ago

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

What you said about assembling each mini and then having the feeling that it’s YOUR mini is exactly right. Current miniatures might be technically superior, but a lot of the soul is missing, particularly considering the way that GW now tends to split parts on the sprues. With these old space marines, one of the biggest selling points for me was always that pretty much the entire range is completely compatible with each other, and that even crossed over into a lot of the chaos marine minis. Fantastic look into this starter set- when I saw you assembling them in your Instagram I’d wondered if you had grabbed the recent Made to Order. That it was a full on, sealed and shrink wrapped original starter just makes it that much better.

[@soupalex]

yeah, i have mixed feelings about the (now quite old!) khorne berzerker sprue potentially being updated this year… on the one hand, i'd quite like to see "true scale" berzerkers that maybe don't wear massive gloves over their armour, and half the squad standing square. on the other, i'll be sad to (probably) lose the ability to put _this_ head with _that_ torso and _those_ arms etc… although i guess the time has long since passed when i'd be able to easily swap in bits from other kits (without resculpting), anyway.

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

@@soupalex Updated Berserkers would be awesome, but there’s definitely the possibility that they’ll be a unit of 5 or 10 with super limited posing options. Looking at you, new ork boyz.

[@soupalex]

@@tinyfishhobby3138 box of 5 monopose berzerkers with no chainaxes 😱

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

@@soupalex “One in three Berserkers are armed with a chainaxe. Two Berserkers may take plasma pistols. One Berserker Bloodchopper is the leader and comes with a Smashclaw. One Berserker fights with only bare fists.”

[@fish7598]

yeah the interchageability between tactical, devestator, and assault marines, along with special charecters like the classic space marine captain was a wonderful system and made kitbashing a breeze. I truly thing this was one of the core selling point of space marines, as whilst other armies would offer some level of modularity nothing else could come close. Infact, long long ago, in a past life, I remember white dwarf running a series of articles writted by various people at games workshop nominating their favourite sculpt/model that had been produced, and one person did pick the humble tactical marine for this exact reason Quick edit before I forget: Another example of this is that I also remember reading a guest article by john blanche (one in his "Blanchitsu" series) talking about his preference for using assault marine legs for all of his space marines where possible due to the additional dynanism given by the fact that they were obviously in motion, running forwards!

[@Xarl-VIII]

love how Dana just sniffs the new box smell when taking off the wrap. i do it all the time

[@ObjectiveMedia]

If you don’t, are you even alive??

[@Bluecho4]

The idea of GW at one time letting customers order individual sprues, so that customers can customize their models as they like (without having to buy whole others boxes), seems astounding. Modern GW would never dream of allowing such a thing, outside the specific realm of chapter upgrade sprues. Meanwhile, Perry Miniatures lets you buy individual sprues from their collection (usually command sprues of larger boxes). And Wargames Atlantic have come out with a sprue for their Death Fields line, allowing you to add laser rifles, gas masks, and bionic arms (among other things) to any kit you fancy (such as the many and sundry plastic kits WA offers, be they historical, fantasy, or SF).

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

Think it was a lot easier to offer individual sprues for sale back when GW was still a comparatively smaller company. You could order bits through their mail order service too. Nowadays the minis aren’t really made with that in mind anymore, and the logistics of offering a bits service is probably staggering for modern GW.

[@peterclarke7240]

While I sort of agree, I would point out that Lego seem quite capable of doing this, despite being a far bigger company with far more products. So I don't think it's size that's the issue, more GW's general attitude towards its customers.

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

@@peterclarke7240 Offering individual Lego bricks may be an easier process, considering that they’re not attached to any sort of sprue from the casting process. Big difference between selling, say, 2x4 blue bricks individually versus Goliath ganger melee arm part number 67.

[@peterclarke7240]

@@tinyfishhobby3138 Except nobody is suggesting GW sells individual parts, but individual sprues. Lego is simply an example of a large model company that still makes a point of accommodating that branch of its hobbyists. I do think you're right in regards to the direction that GW is moving in relation to it's minis, though. When I got into 40K back during the rogue trader days, a big part of the hobby was scratch-building and customising simply because the model range was so limited. Now though, it's almost as though GW is throttling that subsection of the community by making it harder to buy individual sprues and controlling what can and can't be used on the tabletop. I suspect you're right, that it is simply now much easier and more profitable to do this than have a whole section of it's workforce and production dedicated to small-scale custom orders that wouldn't have the same profit-margin as their boxes. I just think it's a bit of a shame.

[@timmystwin]

The modularity and posability is why I got in to warhammer proper. None of my figures are stock - for instance my atormcast from dominion all have sallet helmets, my indomitus marines make use of scraped emblems and ogryn shields etc. It stems from picking up these tac marines and for instance having one hold his helmet in his hand, one holding a grenade and pointing with his rifle in a home made sling etc. Just making the models mine. Thankfully now I have the money and skill to customise the modern minis - but it is so much harder in some cases.

[@pizzalord3n]

That's my childhood, was 11 when it dropped. Thank you Dana for letting me relive my youth. ❤️

[@johnlanger7852]

my first box of ORC's were modular like those marines I am so disappointed with how the new kits are now I miss that customizable individual feeling.

[@EDSKaR]

A dorky looking multipart model will always be infinitely cooler to the person building and painting it than a monopose has any hope of being. Even with droopy arms, misaligned bits, and blobs of poly cement, it's just so much more involving.

[@gouldmears2071]

I got this when it came out in 1998 after moving away from my hometown to go to college. It was my second attempt at getting into the hobby after getting the epic 40k box and this one was tremendously satisfying. I have to agree that there is something missing from modern 40k. Maybe that's why I don't play it anymore. There were problems with that box and I still haven't found a good spot for the trees where they won't get broken, but I still have every thing from that box that came in it except the templates. That book still tries to pull me back into the game. I thought that the modularity was one of the most incredible things about GW minis back in the day. I feel that and so much of what was done in 3rd and even into 4th was like a hobbyist's dream modular plastics everywhere (Tau drones were vehicle accessories and their own units), people were actively encouraged to create their own chapters, armies and worlds. They even had huge campaigns that would change lore based on how well each army did. The minis, rules and paints all work better now, but I don't feel like I have much to add to it. I also feel that they maybe don't push players to want to do much beyond getting the next GW product. Back in the day I'd say that most of the players were doing their own chapter instead of just using something bespoke. I miss that. I guess it wasn't as profitable as the current direction, but it pulled me into this weird hobby of pushing around little army men, painting them and rolling dice. I wonder if its just nostalgia that make me feel that it was SO different then? :)

[@collinstoltz3467]

I would definitely love to see you play 3rd Edition in a future video! This one was great! I loved how you contrasted 3rd Edition with the more contemporary state of Games Workshop; that's something else I would love to see more of, if you ever wanted to do more videos on that topic!

[@KevinCarpenterTx]

So glad I found this video! I've had this box since I bought it when it came out, but I'd never assembled the trees and was hoping I could find instructions for them. Watching you assemble them was very helpful, thanks!

[@DanaHowl]

Glad to hear it! I gotta make time to paint those trees one day!!

[@EternalQuestion]

If you like the fully modular type of model, most of the current firstborn marine kits are still like that. As a space wolves player, the 'wolf pack' kit is like the holy grail of this. Seriously, it's only 10 models, but you get about 20 heads, along with extra shoulder pads, backpacks and tons of extra bits you can add to models however you want. Then there's the weapons... It literally has 2 of every non-heavy weapon you could possibly equip a space marine with. You could build a 100 models out of the kit and not have a single one that looked the same. And the best bit is that all of the parts other than the bodies and legs (obviously) are fully compatible with the more modern intercessors. Seriously I can't stress how amazing this kit is.

[@ll9595]

Dana, you're missing an opportunity here! your hairstyle + some corax white = Sister Dana of the Sororitas!

[@neverness92]

Dana, before that ball joint breaks off, add a dab of Vaseline to it. This was something i read around that time and it has kept the ball from breaking off inside the well. And it's working good 24 years later!

[@Starbladesarcane]

Started my 40k sm army with the battle for maccrage box set, i remember seeing photos of this edition and thinking I got ripped off due to the land speeder and gothic ruins, I thought the ruins and trees in 3rd edition were cooler than a crashed ship in maccrage

[@niall142]

3rd edition 40K was the era that gave me my start in the hobby. You captured my feelings about it perfectly. I need to find myself a copy of the rulebook, I foolishly gave mine away long ago..

[@JohnHegner]

I started in 3rd edition with Tyranids. Those were the glory days. The blood and guts days. The days where a squad of marines and a brood of termagants could slug it out for 3 full rounds with no clear victor in sight and it felt like an epic story, and it was just one such pocket of carnage on the battlefield. Everywhere else the same struggles would be erupting. I would love to see you do a 3rd edition battle report, Dana! There is a vibrant 3rd/4th edition following that I think would also enjoy it.

[@Blacknight8850]

5:20 - this really articulates what I miss about putting together these old kits as opposed to the new ones - you had so much freedom to not only make some really unique models but also use them as materials in conversions. I remember how coveted the Warhammer Fantasy skeletons boxset was just because you got almost entirely poseable skeletons and a bunch of extra skulls (no buying a box of skulls seperately!). Whereas when they started moving towards mono-pose models in 6th edition Fantasy it was like "Oh, we're back to just sticking a shield on and that's that, huh?"

[@PerfectTangent]

Third Ed. was my introduction to the game proper, though I'd bought metal minis that were likely from early 2nd (Swooping Hawks and Warp Spiders). I loved 3rd's books and the simplicity (as I saw them) of the rules. All of my grievances with later editions point back to me just not enjoying them as much as 3rd. And I think you're right; the art and tone of those books sealed the deal for me. They were the perfect encapsulation of the setting.

[@xcomboy666]

Right On Dana! Your insightful and concise observations had me squealing with delight! Last year I restored my original 3rd Edition Box Set to as-purchased condition by picking up a second incomplete one, plus a 1998 Space Marine Squad box on eBay. It was pure Kismet that the pieces I had built from my first set, were the ones still-on-the-sprue in the new purchase. I built all the duplicate models I ended up with, which is the way I roll, so I can satisfy my Classic kit-collector side, while still enjoying the building and painting of too many figures. I wish I could show you the photo--My restored 3rd Edition Set has the Green and Brown tree sprues, and the "Special Edition" metal Captain. It's stuff that brings an old modeler, and collector, great joy. You should keep an eye out for other old sets. I think you would really enjoy painting Battle For Skull Pass, and many others. Keep being Fabulous!

[@DaThingOnTheDoorstep]

6:10 That's it, that's exactly my problem with modern GW kits. They're mono pose models where you have a choice of head or maybe if the guy's extra special, a gun. Sure, they're more dynamic and pretty sculpts, but two squads will look more or less the same. It's why I never got a third squad of Battle Sisters; I already painted those models.

[@maxk1273]

I think the biggest issue with modern GW art isn’t the resolution or the colours-it’s that they ONLY depict models you can buy. They are no longer about freaky little crab/skull guys or an old lady in a big hat being driven insane by a crystal full of lightning, they’re about Space Marine Captain in Gravis Armour.

[@OfARisenFall]

Amen about modern being too HD and losing its artistic roots. I miss the grungy textures, grim dark Blanche artwork really bring the whole space Gothic vibe out. It still might feel that way in some limited modern areas, but these days I feel it's become more Starship Troopers. Not to say it's bad, but I prefer the grim dark and Gothic scifi.

[@vanillaicecream2385]

modern 40k style is more realistic, instead of the body horror of the old Blanche art its more like renaissance paintings

[@WordTweak]

I still have those ruins on my shelf. Awesome box.

[@thiagobecker6144]

Ahhh wunderful, thank you for that lovely review of Warhammer 40k 3rd Edition. brings back all the nostalgia from my childhhood: the apocalyptic admosphere is key here, especially with the artful paintings and detailted description of the world and its factions in the role book.

[@SnakeWorksStudio]

I remember assembling these in my friends kitchen. only feels like a few months ago. oh how time flies.

[@JasonM69]

Ah 3rd edition. The only edition I've played. Just got the rulebook rhe other day, love the artwork in it.

[@Vangelus]

this box meant so much to me at the time, affirming a hobby just as I hit teenagerdom. I was so hype to get a vehicle with the starter, it all felt so suddenly -modern- hell yeah on modular builds too, recently I was feeling that difference when I built some Tau folks +1 huff that boxbook fumes

[@jasonsleeth2429]

I love the smell of superglue and zip kicker in the morning definitely giving me flashbacks

[@CharlesMarlow1898]

I have this glorious third edition boxed sets in shrink, with its' shipping box & packing slip though the game box has a couple of dings. It is the edition I played the most and is certainly amonst my picks for top three editions of the game. As you pointed out, Dana, it was the last edition that was an immediately playable game; so awesome! I would really quite enjoy watching a video of a play through if you feel like doing such a video.

[@jaronpeek8701]

3rd edition was where I got into Warhammer, so this video is an excellent hit straight in the nostalgia. Great video! I would be very keen to see/hear how you find playing the actual game.

[@jaysunbodaysun3302]

Definitely...I'm flipping through the rulebook and she's right:it's a fully contained game.

[@AFnord]

It's interesting to see just how different this box is from the one I got back in 1998. The content was technically speaking the same, but the details were tweaked. Like the templates, that used to have a dark brownish colour that made them surprisingly hard to spot on a table in a dimly lit room so you would always have to spend some time trying to find them when you needed them. And the trees that used to have brown plastic for the trunks and green plastic for the leaves, or the ruins that used to have a darker greyish colour. The landspeeder was by the way the basic landspeeder model that would end up being sold as the default landspeeder back in the days, and GW would love to throw it into different boxes. Maybe because it was not a very popular model and worked well as "padding" (it was not very popular because it was not very good on the table).

[@richardbradley2335]

This gives me so many memories of watching other gamers unboxing videos....im teary eyed here.

[@filthybrown]

those trees where in green and brown plastic in my box from 98, brown trunks and green leaves

[@MrAndrewlang]

This was a near lethal dose of nostalgia, 3rd was the first edition I played and this was the first kit I owned, thanks for this trip down memory lane!

[@kevinmoore9196]

Same - I have just hunted down the 3rd edition main book and codices for all my current armies...to go along with my original Chaos 3rd ED. cant wait to play a couple of games.

[@TengvallCompany]

This sound quality is *chefs kiss*!

[@Ummbruuh]

This was a heavy Nostalgia hit I had this box set in the early 2000s so when I came back to the hobby 20 years later I was shocked to see snap together mono pose models. I still prefer to buy "veteran" Tactaical Squad sets on ebay instead of new Primaris. This was great thanks

[@nicholaswhitby]

I'd love to see a 3rd edition battle report! I will wear down my gaming group and get them to play a game of 3rd some day. The other week, I assembled a squad of assault intercessors and a tactical squad; the latter was definitely more fun to assemble whilst the former felt like a chore.

[@itsjustbrodie2681]

I bought this box I think the week it came out, and I have to say, those trees were the bane of my existence. Top-heavy, constantly breaking leaving the tabs behind. I still have them, still in the original unpainted green and brown plastic, with a smattering of loose, broken parts I found in a box a few nights ago. The ruins have held up great though and now I use them for D&D sometimes! Definitely want to see a battle report. I barely got to play mine after I bought and built everything, so I need to live vicariously over two decades later

[@briangarcia8956]

A few years back I hunted down as many of those 3rd edition jungle trees for skirmish games like kill teams. I was lucky enough to find 20 or so new on sprue so I could kitbash them with Fantasy dryad bits

[@kevincowdery8917]

Been playing 3rd edition since 9th edition went off the rails, and honestly having a fantastic time doing so!

[@jaysunbodaysun3302]

Good for you!!!

[@UntiltedName]

I miss blast templates and the flamer template. I kept mine from the dark vengeance box.

[@warpjediAK]

Those tactical marines were mind blowing at the time, especially if youd just come from the 2nd edition monopose guys. Personally I think GW should still have fully modular kits even if they have them called 'advanced' kits or something.

[@brotheralaric7177]

i've started with this edition, i remember of it . discovering this unvierse, i was a bit scared by the aesthetic , but i've get into it really fast.

[@highcheeks]

This vid takes me back to 1999 when I got the 3rd edition starter set for my 12th birthday. That rule book and a FF7 walk through guide are the two most significant books to my life!

[@darkowl9]

Your unboxing / review here reminds me very much of my experience with the Space Hulk First Edition, the first GW game I ever owned, after being inspired by the 1993 PC Space Hulk game. The whole package really sold the grim dark setting. Nowadays I own a fourth edition box of Space Hulk, and it's got some amazing sculpts, but it's also a lot... shinier than the original.

[@andli]

We really really need you to do a full video on the subject of 40k with real character.

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[@nineseven420empire3]

I loved my 3rd ED boxed set. Still have everything that came in it. While most of my Orks and all the grechin from my 2nd ED box set are long gone.

[@Hurtmeplenty.]

You hit the nail on the head the new stuff has no life in it. My son plays now and his marines look great but something is missing. He loves my beak marines and 2nd Ed marines cause of all the different poses.

[@whiskymylove]

This is the box that got me started.

[@elias1579]

I’m more of an AOS player, but when the new Black Templars came out I had to get them. They harken back to the GrimDark Nostalgia of 40K so much, and that’s what I love about 40K. Necromunda has done well to do the same

[@lostsanityreturned]

Your comments on how they feel to build are absolutely on point. And something I wished that GW had gone back to, their current revamps are all about monopose figures with minimal or even no customisation. If you haven't yet, get ahold of the plastic boxed space marine commander or look up some sprue pictures (came out in 3rd or 4th). It shows just how different their mentality used to be. So very many options and aesthetics. 3rd before codex bloat is probably my favourite of all the editions even with rough edges, the tone was right (it hadn't completely abandoned the 2e tone), there was enough mystery left, and out of the box it was actually decently balanced. GW moving away from encouraging customisation, pushing for people to use existing factions for rules (even cracking down on "counts as") and removing the "both players must agree to use forge world models or unique characters". has really hurt the creative element of the hobby for a lot of newer players imo.

[@alexb151]

This was my first warhammer set. Still have the figures to this day.

[@TaintedPrinceps]

This was the first box of minis i ever bought, and ive been a die hard 40k fan since.

[@dennisweiss6621]

Very fun video :) And yeah, it shows my age that I remember getting my hand on this box when it released :D My mate played the Space Marines and painted them up as Dark Angels, while I chose the edgy Dark Eldar who were brand new by that time. When we started out I wasn't THAT big a tactical minded person and lost horribly with my edgy space elves, but later, when the craze around them died down I really got into them and milked that old 3rd edition codex for all it was worth. In countless friendly games in my circle of friends I wrecked so many "modern" army with the outdated codex, because, while most of it was crap, the 100pts Sniper Squad with 10 guys and one Dark Lance was a steal and would win games. You could also buy those DEldar sprues at ebay for basically nothing, so eventually I got enough to field the theoretical maximum of 120 foot sloggers (6 full core units of 20). Of course I tried it out and, while not effective, it made for avery fun visual spectacle. The Dark Elda Lord also was a beast in melee combat, and the art of DEldar war was to just bring few enough guys with him that you didn't wipe out the squad you charged in one round, so that you were protected in melee combat during your opponents turn. Ahh, I somewhat miss those old scorpion helmet Incubi, but the new ones are visually just that good and a worthy successor. And to everyones surprise we suddenly got a stronk codex mit 5th edition and I was totally blown away. I still use the old models, but got a few of the new ones that I use as "trueborns", while the old DEldar warriors are the clone rank and file troops that no one respects. How fitting :)

[@hanswurst5222]

this brings me right back to elementary school, first time i got in contact with warhammer 40k. fell in love immediately

[@Moxiltws]

I still have the box, the rulebook and all the space marines on sprues :) I think I gave the dark eldars to a friend back in 2000. I have no idea where all the terrain have gone °° I remember about the trees but I have completely forgotten there where plastic ruins in this box! Amazing video as allways ;)

[@ElCampeondelEmperador]

I opened mine 8 months ago after finding it on my university vault of old things alongside a high elves army, 10+ years sitting on my moms house attic. Now im back on the hobby with marines, Tau and imperial guard LOL.

[@LadyWitchfox]

I adore those old Dark Eldar Kabalites. The tall helmets and overcompensation spikes are just the best.

[@barneymcwhat6241]

the box that got me into the hobby. i've still got those ruins in my terrain collection :)

[@Minglesmoot]

Wow, this was absolutely fanastic! And I kinda agree with what you've said about how things feel more perfectly made, monopose, and more... committee based. I think that's down to GW fostering a more competitive play mindset, and not just having fun with building, painting and bashing plastic toys together. They've definitely removed more hobby and roleplay elements from the set and game. Problem is that the competitive/tactical players now just take up quite a large chuck of the player base. I feel that many would quit if it we back to this retro way of doing things because they don't care about the models or the hobby side of things. Either because they see it as too many step to play/too hard to do or, as I have seen in some groups, no one cares about the models. They just care about the points, stats, and how to beat opponents in competitive/match/tournament games.

[@josephamer3545]

That starter set is the only one I bought but really wasn't keen on dark elder so swapped them for elder. But loved the choice to make a squad that suited you're game style and still have everything even now when I don't get to play and I still remember it was only £50 at the time for all that fun and enjoyment.😀

[@EverianKalim]

I would Love to see a 3rd Edition Game using these rules. I still have this rulebook and quite a few Codexs from 3rd. Was my 1st edition of Warhammer when I started back when I was 10.

[@Dummythxc]

Great video 3rd edition was when I started and this def brought some nice memories back. Thanks for sharing your take very interesting.

[@PaintsAreOp]

Everything in that box was sold separately, including the two terrain sets. Those tactical marines were the models sold for 15 years, until GW replacing them with the modern tactical marines. They later released more space marine kits, including metal ones, and they all were compatible with these marines. Heck, even the modern tactical marines are compatible and still use the same design language, just more options and better details. Everything is a nice mix and match. It was clear that Games Workshop at that time was trying to switch to plastics. Rogue Trader plastics were multipart and poseable, but they were done by a 3rd party and thus disappeared in the early 1990's. Early- and mid 1990's models were usually 1-3 parts and absolutely no poseability. Then in 1997 they released plastic multipart Chaos Warriors for Warhammer Fantasy. They were 5 parts (legs, torso, head and 2 arms), but details on those are shallow and bad and the models suffered from a bad hunchback. GW really learned from their mistakes and this box is a proof of that. The models are so good. Even the Dark Eldars, even if they're a big goofy by modern standards. Their metal model line was horrible however with some of the ugliest models they ever produced and it's no wonder GW decided to resculpt the whole Dark Eldar range in the 5th edition. Oh and the Land Speeder was later in the late 2000's (2008 I think) modified to be easier to assemble and to have all the weapon options and is still sold today. Another truely classic design.

[@kosachilles2504]

This is how a review video should be done!

[@chevyman8803]

Ahhh I remember that box. A lot of nostalgia in this video!

[@Berserkerworks]

Ah, the golden age... When the universe was mostly a blank page for you to explore and create in with just thinly defined guidelines. When things became a little less comical, but still didn't take its self too seriously. And you could order bits directly from GW using your land line phone...

[@wiggy5209]

Those space marines are so cool, they actually look human but are built in such a way as to show that they are a breed apart, that the extra organs and everything they go through during creation and putting on the armor actually adds mass and changes their body shape away from regular humans. While the primaris sculpts are great in terms of quality...they are too ....precise...having the dimensions of baseline humans just scaled up kinda takes away from sci fi element.

[@stephenrenwick8781]

I stopped playing 40k after 3rd Edition ... I still love this set and would love to see a battle report using these for no other reason than nostalgia 😀

[@joshbecka6110]

So much nostalgia in this box

[@gavinholt730]

Very fond memories unboxing this one back in 1999. A great boxed set.

[@3picdermis223]

I fondly remember getting this boxed set as a child and later buying the 3rd edition tyranid releases. This kind of lego figure approach to building was a big part of the fun for me. So much options for builds and kit bashes. That all backed up with artwork in the books that encouraged that approach with wild added details and fotos of conversations. When I got back to Warhammer after a break in 2016 I had the feeling that was dialed down a lot. Especially with the AoS Artwork tending to just visualise the models in their standard form but drawn on a computer. There is a part of me wishing the modular more builders approach would come back. But thanks for the nostalgia trip. Also: I find it weird, that the trees did not come pre coloured in your box. Mine where brown and green.

[@Mensch777]

ah yes, the old modularity of space marines.. good times! imo the main weakness of primaris. If they were as modular as the "first born" they would make the transition easier (since we all know that "first born" are going to disappear sooner or later.

[@raymondwright5996]

I went to a cigar store in 2014 that also sold hobby stuff. They had three sealed boxes of this set. I really want to find a sealed Battle for Macragge….

[@jisei-alexis]

fyi a LOT of the still available "first born" marine kits still go together basically the same way as those tactical marines just with more options and fidelity in detail work.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

1:03 strong Contrapoints vibes there :)

[@johannvonrichthofen]

The Box seems to be younger than June 2002 because of the Hordes of Chaos Artwork in the catalog.

[@darkarnoldgames]

Oh the grimdark edition....I was working at gw at the time when LOTR came out, remember that box well. Also the rule book fluff then was better than the new/latest we have now.

[@BaphoMettbroetchen]

That's pure nostalgia for me. I started with that box. My parents threw all my Warhammer stuff while I was working abroad....*sigh*

[@amaurythewarrior]

that's the one i got in june 2004, before BFM was released. i'm glad i got this one, for the land speeder, and i like the dark eldars better than the nids

[@MisterTingles]

Coming back to the hobby after a decade of not even looking at a model, I was immediately struck by the lack of modularity of modern GW figures... yes there's a higher degree of fidelity and in some sense quality to the sculpts and the final piece, but the sheer joy of picking through sprues from different chapters to cobble together whatever bonkers marine you wanted (since even back then they shirked you on how many models you could actually put together from a single box) was a huge portion of the hobby, and it still is, now that I've picked it back up... only now it's more difficult to find old box sets for somewhat conscionable prices, and all my paintjobs are borderline useless cuz I can't find exact paint matches for liche purple...

[@andrewt9128]

Dana, I would deeply love to see you play some 40K! And/or a whole video of you talking about GW art over the last 30 years

[@daiatnara971]

This really hit me in the nostalgia - I started playing 40k during 2nd edition, but 3rd was what really drew me in, for the reasons you noted: the harrowing but intriguing atmosphere, and those glorious modular marines, which I still have to this day, even though I fell out of the hobby for 20 years and only recently picked it up again (and yeah, the Land Raider snapped off its stand - I glued a tripod stand together out of spare clear rods). Funny thing, I remember not having much appreciation for John Blanche back then - I was young, I just thought his art looked 'messy' - but you're absolutely right, the modern books (which I've now got a bunch of, just because I have a really, really hard time not buying books) are impeccably produced, but just a little too clean and sterile; comparing them to 3rd, or further back Rogue Trader or the Realm of Chaos books (The Lost and the Damned was my first exposure to anything outside of Space Hulk, I didn't even know what WFB and 40k were but I read that thing cover to cover so many times) it's so obvious there was compelling method to the old visual madness.

[@Rhysman30]

I got started on 40k with that box set. The prime reason I don't buy any more 40k stuff is because it's not modular. Every mini must be assembled one way, it feels like peak kitbashing is swapping a weapon or adding bits. I want custom dynamic poses dammit!

[@THX-to6gg]

Blessings to you from the Emperor for freeing the contents of that box. I have the rulebook and the Dark Eldar from that set.

[@surtrpicks]

Sweet episode. Interesting to see the editions ahead of my own interest.

[@Nergling]

I mean it's not the best starter box, but hey it has a bit of nostalgia value.

[@MajorLandmark]

Having the army rules in the main rulebook here wasn't so much a gift to the players as it was a necessity. Tyranids for example didn't get a new codex until 4th edition. The army would have been completely unplayable for a whole edition if they didn't put some basic rules in there. The alternative would be to rush to get all the codex books out quickly, but even back then they knew how to work a release cycle to get sales in.

[@michaelwain3198]

I was working for GW in 1998, so had to teach people how to play this

[@thesykoward8188]

I still have all my third edition miniatures from that set. If If remember correctly, I think I bought 2.

[@cabe_bedlam]

Oooooofff right in the nostalgias. This is literally where I started with Games Workshop.