Posted by When Games Workshop put out the 4th edition Warhammer 40k starter box The Battle For Macragge, it included a first, a piece of themed terrain which would never be repeated, a crashed Aquila Lander (and assorted other bits). A fully self-contained mini-campaign, it was regretfully a one-and-done box set, the last of the scenario-based starter sets GW would put out until the 6th edition Dark Vengeance box.
There were many attempts to turn the crashed terrain into a full Aquila Lander, as Forge World was (and still is) fairly expensive, and the crashed Aquila bits were readily available. Soon after, roughly timed with the release of the Dark Angel Dark Talon/Nephlilim flyer which shares striking similarities, Forge World pulled the kit citing an ‘aging mold’.
I was fortunate enough to get one, and while it has seen somewhat better days (I really need to re-level the wings) I’m still very happy I have this unique flyer, which I painted in Inquisitor/AdMech red, taking cues from the United States Coast Guard scheme for their helicopters. As with most FW kits, there is no cockpit glass, and I did not install any. Something I might retrofit. Maybe. Someday.
An interesting feature of the model is the aft hull section can be posed closed, or open. You can see the details of the mechanism supposedly designed to raise/lower the cargo section in the image below. Should I ever come across another one of these kits, I might attempt to magnetize this section in order to open and close it, and put in some interior detail!
The Lander balances on a pair of landing gear/legs, giving it even more of a bird-like look. I really like this kit/design, and I wish FW had released more of these type of vehicles, ones that were not combat-oriented. Sadly, those days are long past, but we can recapture them with some Oldhammer joy!
