The Sons of Russ Ride Again?



Thank Russ, there are new rumors filtering down concerning the upcoming Space Wolves Codex. The rumors have been plastered everywhere, so I don't want to rehash what has been said so much as I wanted to discuss what the rumors might mean for my beloved Wolves. So, here we go:

1. Wolf Riders?- Opinions concerning the likelihood of an entire unit riding wolves as well as the viability of such a unit have been, shall we say, varied. Personally, I don't particularly care for a unit on wolves, which seems a bit far-fetched, unless they were simply machines modeled like wolves, similar to the Empire Engineer who rides a mechanical horse in WFB. In that case, it would be frickin' awesome.
-Along the same lines is the Canis Wolfborne character whose appearance in the trade order form makes him seem like a pretty sure thing. If the "wolf larger than a juggernaut" comment is true, I think this would be cool. It could be like a Space Wolf monstrous creature.

2. Wolf Claws- I like the options provided by choosing to re-roll hits or wounds, but I hope they aren't priced out of viability. Will these be the same price as lightning claws, 5 pts. more, 10 pts? I'll remain a little wary until I see the final cost.

3. New Special Character Models and an Accessory Sprue- The new character models are needed in the worst way. The almost 2-dimensional quality of the current models is pretty laughable. With the recent trend of characters being required for specific builds, I hope they make these look sweet. However, I hope Ulrik doesn't lose his wolf skull. I currently use that silly, squat model as my Wolf Priest simply because I like that aspect of the model. The accessory sprue seems a foregone conclusion, and I dream of having enough heads to replace all of my currently helmeted Wolves, though I dread the extensive use of pliers that will be necessary.

4. An Army Specific Vehicle- I really hope this is true. I imagine it would be a Land Raider variant. This would be in-line with the Crusader and Redeemer who are closely related to the Black Templars and Salamanders, respectively. Of course, the Leman Russ is still a possibility but not a particularly favorable one without some serious tweaking. A slavering horde of near-rabid assault beasts doesn't seem to go with a huge, lumbering behemoth of a tank.

I'm interested to see what ya'll (that's right, we're in the South afterall) think about these new whispers. Is anyone getting Lupine Fever? Personally, I can't wait for this codex, though I am dreading the painting backlog that will come along with it. Speaking of painting, I better get back to it, only a week and a half until the Big Waagh!! Later, Monkey.