Warhammer 40,000 Ultramarine Primaris Assault Intercessor by McFarlane Toys // Review
Warhammer 40k is one of those things that has a hilarious amount of popularity, and for good reason. Over-the-top violence, parodic levels of grimdark, and a ton of variety for interaction with the franchise has made it one of those sleeper franchises that you may not encounter in the average pop culture… but once you do, there’s a glut of content for fans to enjoy. Physical items are usually limited to pieces for the tabletop roleplaying game, cast in plastic or metal, and often painted by enterprising fans themselves.
Now McFarlane Toys has decided to put out a few figures in their over the top way, and the results are incredible.
There are two figure types available in the first wave from McFarlane Toys, but four releases total. We’ll get into the reason why, but it results in two figures made for fans to choose from. One is the Ultramarine Primaris Assault Intercessor, and the other is the Necron Warrior. Both look like they’ve leapt straight from the franchise, but we’ll be focusing on the Ultramarine for this review.
Holding the figure in my hands, he is a very “chunky” figure. The arms and legs are massive, and there’s a lot of weight to the guy without feeling overloaded. The range of motion is also solid, with shoulder pauldrons being mounted on a swivel joint so they can move out of the way of the chest armor to allow the arms to raise high up. The backpack also is separate from the figure in the packaging, but attached solidly and doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall off. It’s a little hard to pose him in an action pose with the included stand, but the figure still looks great on its flat feet.
The paint job was nothing short of fantastic on our sample, and this Ultramarine looks like he comes right out of the books or games.There’s even a bit of lore with this paint job. The red helmet has been used by fans to indicate a squadron seargant, but has also been established to be an Ultramarine who’s under disciplinary action and is performing a penance at the time. The shoulder pauldron markings also make him labeled as an Ultramarine (left) as a part of the fourth assault division (left). The additional shield on the left shoulder is a decorative battle honor found on several higher-ranked figures, but has no meaning I could find.
Accessories are simple, but look good. The figure comes with a stand that has the 40k logo on it, as well as the chainsword and bolt pistol. The bolt pistol is canonically a massive handgun that blasts ridiculously large bullets at the enemy, while the chainsword is a sword made out of a chainsaw. The hands were a little stiff and took some working to make the figure hold both weapons - though the chainsword is a little bent now. Both are iconic weapons for the brand, but there is a third weapon used by the Ultramarines out there.
You see, McFarlane Toys seems to have realized 40k fans adore their ability to customize figurines, and made it possible for their toys as well.
Called the Artists Proof variant, you can obtain both the Necron Warrior and the Ultramarine Primaris Assault Intercessor in this style. However, the Ultramarine actually comes with a bolter rifle and no chainsword, as well as the hands to hold the rifle properly. Cast in a standard shade of grey, fans can deco this loyal soldier out with whatever colors they like. These are much harder to find, and are often sold for incredibly high prices on the secondary market.
Finally, Bandai is making their own Warhammer 40,000 figures. They’re about the same size, but with tons more articulation and many more branches of marines that you can get. However, they’re also about $80.00 more, running at $100.00 a pop. For what you get from McFarlane Toys, these guys are a steal at their price point. If you’re a 40k fan, you need this on your desk.
