"We march for Macragge and we shall know no fear!"
After a strong start in 2020 and into 2021 the McFarlane Warhammer 40k line went on a hiatus in 2023. The final wave of 2022 was the Dark Tide videogame series which didn’t appear to do too well at retail, and many assumed the line was finished. Come late 2023 though leaks started to come through of a new wave for early 2024, and this was finally confirmed in late November with the reveal of a 6 figure wave containing the first Terminator in the line, two more marines - and Artist Proof unpainted variants for each of them.
The February 2024 released figures see the line undergo a makeover in terms of packaging. The boxes have moved to a brand new colour scheme featuring a lighter base colour overlaid with some Chapter-specific colouring on the left-hand side alongside the Chapter badge. The right-hand side retains the dark future-gothic look and carries the figures name, while round the back the entirety of the rear is turned over to a glorious illustration of the figure you are unpacking.
There is quite a lot of reflection through the included window, and the reason for this is clear when you open the box as McFarlane has now moved these figures into a black plastic tray with no securing ties or strings. Over this sits a clear plastic lid, and it is this that gives the dual reflection from the box front. While this inner tray looks brilliant, you can feel a reduction in quality as the plastic is very thin and unstable once removed from the box.
The other new addition to these relaunched figures is the inclusion of a ‘collector card’, a feature seen in a lot of McFarlane lines, particularly the DC Multiverse. These are good quality and feature a repeat of the artwork from the rear of the box on one side and some character details on the other.
The Terminator is classed as a Megafig and to that end arrives in a larger box than the standard releases. For those who’ve handled McFarlane Marines previously the weight of this new Terminator is somewhat of a shock as he is very lightweight in hand and nowhere close to the solid feel of the previous Marines or indeed the other Megafigs in the main line, the Orks.
The body is cast in the blue plastic of the Ultramarine Chapter with relief sculpted iconography around the armour including the Crux Terminatus on the left shoulder painted in grey. The winged skull in gold on the chest and a smaller Crux Terminatus on the right knee. The armour is further enhanced with the Ultramarine Chapter symbol painted onto the right shoulder, and some decal applications of skulls on the left Power Fist and a chapter script on the left shin guard. Some of the joints between the armour are black plastic creating a comparison to the blue armoured pieces, and into the neck section, we have a generic Terminator armoured helmet, cast in bright white with red painted eyes and some grey detail around the mouthpiece.
Our Terminator’s weaponry includes the pre-fitted Power Fist on the left hand, and we also get a Storm Bolter to fit into the right hand. This bolter is also very lightweight and feels hollow, but this is probably a good thing when we get onto articulation in a little while. The gun is black with gunmetal panels and a painted gold winged skull sculpted panel on one side. The fit into the hand remains tight - a long-running issue with the 40k McFarlane figures and a dip in some hot water to soften the fingers may be beneficial.
Once posed with the Bolter the articulation comes into play for posing our Terminator. None of the Marines to date have had extensive movement due to the bulk of the armour and this bigger Terminator is about the same. While you can count up to 14 points of articulation, our Ultramarine will be limited to selected poses. For the legs the feet are wide enough to support walking poses, otherwise, the difference options are limited to stances only. The arms are much more agile and the decision to joint the shoulder armour separately into the top of the arm helps this. Sadly most of the joints are not ratcheted and are so loose the figure does struggle to hold up the blaster in firing positions - I’d hate to imagine the issue this would cause with a heavy accessory. The waist movement while also loose, does hold its position and helps with slightly more dynamic stances. The head can rotate within its socket to look to either side.
The original WH40k Megafig price point was £34.99 for the original Ork figures, this Terminator adds a full tenner on top at retail although that increased shelf price doesn’t feel like it brings too much extra value to the figure itself. The boxes are great, particularly for boxed collectors and also as they can be opened and then repacked without some of the damage inflicted on the old box. The art cards are OK, but not something I will do anything with. The continued inclusion of the tiny round stands for figures with this level of bulk is a strange choice - and even they have been reworked with a much lighter and hollower feeling plastic.
The figure itself looks brilliant and is scaled well to the rest of the Marines released to date, standing a good head and a half over a standard Space Marine. The paint application is fine, if basic, and that is perhaps a strong point of the line in providing a basic level for us unskilled or unwilling to enhance the standard figures with further paint effects - and even a full unpainted option as an Artists Proof to replicate the repaint and customisations options seen also in the mainstream miniatures from Games Workshop. The plastic choice and the articulation are difficult to stomach considering the heft of the earlier figures, but there is just about enough in the figure to pose for display. Hopefully, this won’t be the last of the Terminator figures from McFarlane with a definite need for more chapters - particularly Deathwing - as well as differing ranks and weapon configurations.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...