Editing Astartes - a fan made animation (section)

==In Review==
A surprisingly high-quality series of videos from such a small outfit (And by that we mean a ''one-man team''), with equally surprising attention to detail from art and designs to sound. The animation is masterful, fluid, and impactful, while models and props are beautifully detailed - even more such details can be seen only by carefully pausing (for example, names can be seen etched on the left [[pauldron]] of some of the Marines in part 4). By contrast, the cinematography and storytelling focus on the strengths of minimalism, such as using negative space and darkness to draw the eyes, or silence to heighten the following sound effects. Because the videos lack dialogue, most of the audio component is either music or the sound of the weapons and equipment the characters are using.

Done almost entirely without dialogue and showing how the Retributors Marines and their [[heretic]] adversaries duke it out, [[RAPE|it goes about as well as you'd expect for the heretics]]. Despite the rather one-sided nature of the action, [[Awesome|there are equal demonstrations of good tactics and responses by both sides]], which quite clearly illustrates why you [[Anal_circumference|don't mess with]] [[Gets_shit_done|someone who does this as a day job.]]

It also showcases many smaller, more humble elements of the 40k universe, or expands on how they might be used [[Reasonable Marines|practically and effectively]]. Examples include a [[Caestus Assault Ram]] (launched from a [[Space Marine Fleets|Cobra Destroyer]] for some reason, probably because no one expects Space Marines to board from such a vessel), blind grenades, [[CS_Goto|multi-lasers]], [[Bolter|boltguns]] and a few others besides.

Episode 1 establishes the time and place, as well as the animating chops of the creator; consisting mostly of the Retributors boarding their Caestus with short flashes of other scenes, it's less than a minute long. This episode is notable for giving a size comparison of the Space Marines to regular human Navy personnel who pass them in the hall. 

Episode 2 features the Retributors boarding the traitorous ship, and it's a clear example of how even simple and logical actions can still be awesome alongside 40k's usual dose of crazy. The Retributors' assault ram makes a beeline for their target while a [[Thunderbolt Fighter]] (<s>which is a little strange, seeing as the Thunderbolt is an AIR rather than space-superiority fighter</s>most likely the Kestral class variant that's void capable) draws fire to make sure they arrive and later takes out the ship's engines. The ram itself has a [[Twin-Linked|twin-linked]] [[lascannon]] on the top used for point defense against incoming missiles and deploys a pair of (most likely [[servitor]]-controlled) defensive drones that protect the ram by throwing themselves in the path of oncoming missiles before exploding to prematurely detonate them. Then we see the ram doing what it's designed for: Firing off it's concentrated magna-melta beam while simultaneously slamming into the hull of the ship so the 5-man team of Astartes can board and capture it. The poor armsmen who get to the ram's position before the marines emerge stand zero chance, most getting off only a single burst from their [[autogun|autoguns]] before a bolt shell rips them in half. The Astartes, for their part, are cool and collected aimbot killing machines that feel entirely unconcerned with the incoming autogun fire and never waste a single bolt shell; each armsman takes ''one'' hit and dies instantly. Things fade to black as they move further into the ship.

Episode 3 starts off with the traitors clearly putting all hands on deck to stop the Astartes, while a couple of huge men in script-covered gold masks stand in front of a massive vault door while goading the armsmen on. This is where we really see the Astartes in action, and it is ''glorious''. The ship's defenders are clearly acting with intelligence and knowledge of the terrain, setting up:

'''A''' - a barricade at a choke-point with a [[heavy stubber]], [[lasgun|lasguns]], and a [[missile launcher]].
'''B''' - an ambush from a maintenance passage with an [[autocannon]].
'''C''' - a twin-linked [[multilaser]] on the other side of a chasm that a corridor opens into, effectively drawing one of the marines into a perfect kill-box.

And ''absolutely none of it works'' because the Astartes are ''just that damn unstoppable''.

The men at the barricade die to bolter fire before the marines are even visible, with the rocket one of them manages to fire casually sidestepped before it can hit them, while the autocannon causes the marines to pause their advance ''just'' long enough for their comrade following them inside that very maintenance passage to kill the men operating it. Because the marines saw that coming a mile away.

The team operating the twin-linked multilaser does the most damage to one of the marines by scoring his armor, but are still dispatched with contemptuous ease in a sequence that words simply cannot do any justice. Go watch it and you'll understand just what I mean.

Episode 4 is where we see the Astartes meet their first real challenge: those masked guys, who turn out to be [[psykers]]. This ''entire episode'' is one long, glorious sequence of the Astartes thinking and behaving tactically against two opponents with [[psionics|psychic powers]] and managing to come out on top. Once again, words cannot do the sequence justice. Why haven't you watched it yet?