The Horus Heresy is finally making waves again, and this weekend we have the pre-orders to restart the best part of Warhammer! Yes, I said it - you know it's true!
The launch box for Horus Heresy V3.1 is Age of Darkness: Saturnine which alongside the rulebook, play aids, transfers etc (blah blah blah, it's not the interesting bit) includes the stunning new Saturnine Praetor (with his multiple build options), one of the coolest Heresy miniatures in some time; the Centurion in MKII power armour, the comically giant Saturnine Dreadnought, the equally comically giant Araknae Quad Accelerator Platform, 6 of the new Saturnine Terminators, and 40 of the long awaited Space Marines in in MKII power armour! Praise be to the Gods... This is a great set, but it is a large outlay, so unless you need them all in one hit, the others will appear in the next month or so. Both those commander models though are soooo sweet!! Very smartly, thank you Games Workshop, they have also released the ​MKII Tactical Squad onto pre-order this week too. The box of 20 Space Marines comes with all the usual fare, plus the disintegrator weapons. Unfortunately we don't get sprue pics anymore, but it would be interesting if the disintergators are on a seperate sprue. Now what would a new edition be without rules. SO many rules. ALL the rules. Having read through the articles they do sound interesting, and there's a video up showing the new gameplay too, but if you want to dive in and you're not getting Age of Darkness: Saturnine, then you'll be needing the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness Rulebook. Packed with all the things you need, this will propel you into the internecine warfare that was (or "will be" - it is the far future to be fair) the Horus Heresy. When it comes to fielding your troops, you'll need one of the new Liber tomes, giving you unit rules and stats, weapon options and more. Pick from (or Hell, buy them all) ​​Liber Astartes: Loyalist Legiones Astartes Army Book, Liber Hereticus: Traitor Legiones Astartes Army Book, Liber Mechanicum: Forces of the Taghmata Army Book, Liber Auxilia: Solar Auxilia Army Book, or the Liber Questoris: Knights and Titans Army Book. Having seen some previews there doesn't seem to be a lot of new stuff since the last edition apart from changes, but if you want to play or have the most tuned up army in your display cabinet, then these books will guide you through. The other book is a new format for the Horus Heresy, it's the Journal Tactica: The Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre – Part One. This 48 page book gives background and lore to the beginning of the Dropsite Massacre, plus some new Unit Profiles and rules. This format has been one that's been needed for a long time. So has one for each Legion - which would be amazing!
In novels this week we have the (takes deep breath) The End and the Death Volume II (Paperback) The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra Book 8: Part 2. This has been out for some time in other formats and it's pretty unfair it took this long for the paperback. If you want to read the end, then this is it. Pretty disappointing book to be honest, but others probably loved it.
In merchandise this week there's the Vengeful Spirit Map and the Carta Galactica: The Imperium of Mankind, which is how the Imperium looked at the time of the Horus Heresy.

Have you ever taken a close look at the Idoneth Deepkin? Have a look at their units and tell me they're not the Age of $igmar  version of Drukhari. Their units are so similar... and maybe that's why they are so cool. The Idoneth Deepkin are very dynamic, and great minature to paint and assemble, plus they look great on the tabletop! This week you can see them in all their glory with the new Battletome: Idoneth Deepkin, which comes in two flavours; We're Going To Need A Bigger Boat Gamer Edition and the Battered Family Feast Standard Edition. There's some new miniatures to go with this Battletome and they're in the region of spectacular, verging on the "how do I paint that?". There's Mathaela, Oracle of the Abyss (he's a wizard with a big shell for a hat - too cool!), the Ikon of the Sea/Ikon of the Storm combi-kit (no shell hat, but he does have some Moray friends - the more the merrier), and Isharann Soulscryer who I don't think is new, but has fishy minions to do his bidding. Actually it's interesting that all these characters are male, as female protagonists in this range abound! Age of $igmar loves a spell or two, and boy is the Idoneth Deepkin: Manifestations a centrepiece. It's hard to get an idea of scale, but if this had size and weight to it, this would look amazing... lord knows how to paint it! The new Spearhead: Idoneth Deepkin – Akhelian Tide Guard is also here. Pretty standard fare for them, all brilliant models too and a great introduction to the range. If you like your accessories then the gorgeous Idoneth Deepkin Dice are probably for you, and of course the Warscroll Cards so you know what the frakk you are doing! We love you Deepkin!!
In Warhammer 40K world this week we have some terrain, with the Battlezone: Manufactorum spewing forth the Autochoral Transmitter, Thermoexchanger Shrine and Sub-Cloister and Storage Fane. I don't really understand why, at the scale Games Workshop manufacture at, why these are so expensive. If you compare these to Rampart by Archon Studios (for example), there's no discernable difference in quality.
It's a White Dwarf week (delayed in Australia and New Zealand), so Issue 514 is on the way... yawn!
AND, if you like cute fluffy things, then the very cute Skaven Deathmaster Plush is available in stores too. Keep an eye out for that one.

There's a certain attachment to the Space Wolves in this neck of the woods, as they were one of the very first Space Marines I painted, having picked up the Space Marine Paint Set back in 1989. There they were, resplendent in icy blue, red and yellow - and looking back at that miniature, boy what a mess he is. None the less they have been a bit of a favourite, and this week those icy lads have some new sets as they are thrown into Warhammer 40k 10th Edition. Leading the charge across the icy plain is the ​Codex Supplement: Space Wolves - available in Howling Wrath Collector's Edition and Not Your Father's Polar Express Standard Edition. A few years ago Logan Grimnar took a second job as Santa - it wasn't popular with fans but it kept the kids happy. Now he returns without his sleigh and fully Primaris-ed in his old school terminator plate. He looks great, and with him he brought Arjac Rockfist, the personal champion of Logan Grimnar, who not only kept the dynamism of his original miniature, but was able to take off the elf costume he'd been wearing throughout Logan's Santa stint. Arjac did look cute in that little green hat though. What do you do if you hate psykers but you need a "wizard"? You call Njal Stormcaller! Yes the not-Librarian of the Space Wolves has a new miniature - cyber-raven and all. He also retains the design of his original miniature, just Primaris-ified. The Wolf Priest is a standout in this range, not becuase of his pose, but because of his amazing optional base head. This head is EVERYTHING! Let's look at some troops, starting with the Wolf Guard Battle Leader who has multiple weapon options so he can be any sort of leader in your force. Also a great source of parts, he has to be a must-buy for Space Wolves hobbyists. Veterans, there are more than a few, with the Wolf Guard Terminators (can there be a more iconic Space Wolves unit?) and the Wolf Guard Headtakers filling that slot. In terms of grunts we have the Grey Hunters and Blood Claws, who if you look closely sport the first real variants we have seen to Primaris armour since it's introduction, with a new all-in-one greave that replaces the kneecap and also to deletion or modificiation of the armour across the top of the knee. This is a great change and reflects the old school armour we see on the Space Wolves character models too. Here's hoping we see some Sky Claws soon! The gamer aids are here too, with Space Wolves Dice and Datasheet Cards here for your pleasure.
In other Warhammer 40K releases we have the redone Drop Pods - and boy is this causing a storm! The original Drop Pod was fiddly to make, with opening doors and sub-assemblies, so it surprises no one that a vocal minority were unhappy with it. Trying to help, GW brought out a Drop Pod that now has permanently open doors... which has pelease nobody! You have to admit they did try, and it shows that taking the easy road and not just engineering a better way to have a flexible Drop Pod was one way to go, but the wrong way to go. Easy doesn't always equal right. The other minature release this week is the Made to Order Killzone Upgrade: Shrine Statue, which is a cool piece, but it will take up to 18 months to get to you.
In books this week we have the supposed end to the current Warhammer 40k narrative arc (that literally no one is reading) with Dawn of Fire: The Silent King in Special Edition and paperback. In other books we have the Sisters of Battle-themed Paragon of Faith and Other Stories in hardback, which includes the Paragon of Faith novella, Saint's Judgement novella, Infernal Motives short story, Our Lady of the Voyage short story, Joy of the Martyr short story, Redemption Through Blood short story, and The Fires of Our Faith short story. This is an almost entirely female writing effort, which is a very interesting turn. The great man himself is now (mostly) all in one volume with Ravenor: The Omnibus in paperback on pre-order this week. It includes the short story Playing Patience, Ravenor, Thorn Wishes Talon, Ravenor Returned and Ravenor Rogue full novels, and the short story Perihelion. The The universally derided new miniature of Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz may cause laughter, but he's the protagonist in the paperback of Daemonhammer, while we also have the paperback version of the Exorcists Chapter-themed Oaths of Damnation in paperback and those glorious fly-boys and fly-girls get a run in Above and Beyond in paperback.

Today is the day we have the very first new army for Warhammer: The Old World - and this one has been a long time coming! First appearing in the Total War game, Grand Cathay are finally here, and adding a very Asian fusion to the look and feel of Warhammer. Fantastically detailed, Grand Cathay takes elements of Chinese, Korean and Japanese culture and brings them together to make this truly "original" new faction. To launch them we have the debut of the Grand Cathay Battalion, giving us a fully capable force to fight in a Warhammer battle. Includes are 2 x Cathayan Grand Cannons/ Fire Rain Rocket Batteries, 10 x mounted Jade Lancers and 30 x Jade Warriors, all beautifully detailed and incredibly tempting to add to a collection. The battalion doesn't come with rules, so to play them you will need the Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay, also on pre-order this week. Outside the battalion box there are other units on pre-order as well, with the Shugengan Lord on Great Spirit Longma (who comes with head and arm options), the Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities (which gives you options to have a mounted and unmounted hero), the absolutely spectacular Sky Lantern (which gives you weapon and command options), and the Cathayan Sentinel (which gives you two options as well). The Sky Lantern has to be one of the most spectacular kits Games Workshop have done in some time - it's dominant, completely novel, and very eye-catching. To go with your troops there is also the Grand Cathay Reference Card Pack and stunning Dice Set also on pre-order.
They're not the only Warhammer: The Old World items on pre-order this week, we also have the new Warhammer: The Old World – Matched Play Guide for players who take their gaming very seriously! Probably not before time either considering the amount of people who still play the original Warhammer competitively.
Can a week go by without some Middle-earth miniatures not crawling out of the cupboard? It seems GW have a pest problem and it's time to spray! This week we have metal miniatures from the days of yore, with Faramir, Captain of Ithilien on his horse, Warriors of Minas Tirith Command Set 1, Warriors of Minas Tirith Command Set 2 (I bought this when it first came out and I still haven't painted them),  Swan Knights of Dol Amroth (Mounted), Swan Knights of Dol Amroth (On Foot) and the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth Commanders.

It's a Kill Team week, and a weird one at that! Kill Team: Typhon introduces the very first Tyranid Kill Team - not the first Xenos one for sure - but it's probably the first time a lot of us have even thought about Tyranids having Specialists. Kill Team: Typhon is an entire box though, so apart from the book and the datacards for each faction, there's the minis (and that's what we're here for after all) - Battleclade Kill Team is an Adeptus Mechanicus force bringing a Technoarcheologist, a Servitor Underseer, plus 8 x Servitors with the option to build specialists like the Technomedic Servitor, Breacher Servitor, and Auto-Proxy Servitor. The other Kill Team are the Raveners Kill Team, 5 x multipart plastic miniatures you can build as Ravener Warriors or add make them Specialists with options for a Ravener Prime, Wrecker, Tremorscythe, Felltalon, and Venomspitter. There's also extra support elements for the Tyranids with 10 x Hormagaunts and a Ripper Swarm. Kill Team: Typhon also includes Tyranid terrain, including gestation sacs, shardspewer growths, capillary towers, a brood nest, underbrood mounds, capillary roots, spore vents, and brood nest/ spore chimney option. If you're a Tyranid Player this is a huge jump in the universe of your hobby and surfely is a must-buy.
In other Kill Team news we have the Khorne-alligned Kill Team: Goremongers (bouncing here and there and everywhere, high adventure that's beyond compare, we are the Goremongers... go on Disney - do it!!) and Inquisitorial ​Kill Team: Sanctifiers on pre-order this week. There's also the Datacards for the Goremongers and Sanctifiers as well.
Horus Heresy fans rejoice - mobile support wepons are here in ther form of four new kits (that technically could have been two - moving on...). The Rapier gets two new kits, with the Laser Destroyer and Quad Launcher Battery dual-kit and the Quad Heavy Bolters and Graviton Cannon Battery dual-kit. The Rapier has been around for decades, and this is it's first time in plastic, but even older is the Tarantula. Oh you beautiful creature, you! From the early days of Rogue Trader comes two new dual kits, the Tarantula Sentry Guns and Tarantula Missile Battery. You need these on the battlefield, even if the operators of the Rapiers are terrible. Those models, compared to the old Forge World ones, lack character, dynamism or anything of interest whatsoever. The helmets are cool, but otherwise they're awful. Make your own!
Speaking of old school, let 's get heavy metal with three classic Beastmen sets in white metal - we have the Wargor Battle Standard Bearer (which was a rare and expensive mini to buy until recently), the Classic Beastmen Chieftains and of course the Classic Bray-Shamans. Aaaah Beastmen, how we love you so.
Books this week include the reprinting of First Founding: Art and Background in hardback, a guide to the very first of the Space Marines, the new Carcharodons: Void Exile in Hardback or Special Edition (please don't crash the website), Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok in hardback, and Dominion Genesis in paperback. Speaking of crashing websites, the run of the mill-totally ordinary, non-website crashing ​Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin short story collection is on pre-order in hardback. Normal, everyday, standard hardback. Thank you!

​Knights in Warhammer 40k are fearsome machines - tanks on legs doesn't really encompass the terror they exude, not to mention the plethora of weapons available to tear swathes through your carefully and loving painted army.
Today we have the pre-orders for the new Codex: Chaos Knights, honestly the coolest of all the Knights! They have goat-like legs, spikes and scary faceplates, what is there not to love? The new Codex: Chaos Knights comes in two flavours, Reap for The Reaper Collector's Edition and Flensed Flanking Action Standard Edition. There's also a "new" Chaos Knight kit that brings all the previous variants into one box - the Knight Ruinator. From this box you can make the Knight Ruinator, Knight Abominant, Knight Rampager, or the Knight Desecrator. Buying a few of these boxes will give you a tonne of extra weapons and bits, so I'm sure you'll be seeing these pop up on tanks and various Chaos abominations all across the Community. The big boys, girls, and gender-non-specific Slaaneshi Knights get pride of place, but when it comes to harassing troops and taking on vehicles, it's the War Dogs of the Chaos Knights Battleforce: Houndpack Lance that get to have all the fun first. These smaller Knights are great kits with so much personality, so why not stock up and really make the Imperial Guard's day a very bad one. As we would expect there is also a Chaos Knights Dice Set and the Datasheet Cards: Chaos Knights also on pre-order this weekend.
There's two nice resin sets on pre-order this weekend with the very detailed Oathmaker from Middle-earth, and Blood Bowl's Maple Highgrove & Swiftvine Glimmershard who add yet more character to the Wood Elves Team.
Just when you thought the Horus Heresy Siege of Terra novels were over, we have the new Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin in Hardback on pre-order this weekend, bringing us a series of short stories from John French, Nick Kyme, Dan Abnett, Gav Thorpe, Guy Haley, Chris Wraight, and Aaron Dembski-Bowden. There's also the Deluxe Edition which will have a special preorder window. It will go on sale in all regions at 10am BST on Tuesday 10th June (which is 7pm on Tuesday AEST for the Australian audience if that help). Apparently they have this queuing system so be warned!
Also in books this week is the paperback version of Luther: First of the Fallen.

Who doesn't love Beastmen? If I had my way and actually had the time to seriously game, they would be my army! The backstory is great (even though i'm holding onto the old "they're the original inhabitants of the forests who were pushed inland by the humans and fell foul of the world when they didn't ally with Man like the Elves did" lore) and their massed might looks awesome. Also, they don't have to be brown! Exciting. So this weekend we see the pre-orders go up for the Warhammer: The Old World Beastmen Brayherds, a collection of plastic, resin and metal kits from various periods of Citadel Miniatures history all combined to bring nostalgia and a fragrant furry be-horned tide to the table top or hobby desk... or both! Pre-orders are spearheaded by the Arcane Journal: Beastmen Brayherds book, giving you background and rules to field your Army of Grunt! As with other Warhammer: The Old World releases we have the Beastmen Brayherds Battalion which includes a Cygor/Ghorgon, 30 x Gor and 30 x Ungor - it's really all you need to start your army or expand an exisiting one! In a way it would have been nice to have some Bestigor in here, but that's fine! What that set is missing is a leader, so there's this chap instead - the Beastman Chieftain in plastic, but if you prefer a more magical leader then there's the Kralmaw, The Prophet of Ruin in resin or the plastic Beastman Shaman. When it comes to infantry, the Beastmen have three main units, the elite heavy infantry Bestigor Herd, the standard Gor Herd and the more runty skirmishers and archers, Ungor Herd. These have been retooled in recent years, so these arent the same one that were available 10 years ago - they're slightly different with some nicer tooling and crisper details - the Ungor especially which is a great kit! Now your cavalry slot are filled with Centigor - which are unfortunately all metal - lead by Ghorros Warhoof, the Centigor Lord, followed by the Centigor Herd Command and Centigor Herd. Beastmen love a chariot, so the Tuskgor Chariot (in metal & plastic) returns, as does the plastic Minotaur Herd, the plastic giant Cygor/Ghorgon, plus the expert kits in resin the Doombull, Jabberslythe, Cockatrice, Razorgor. There's also the Beastmen Brayherds Dice Set and Reference Card Pack.
Age of $igmar gets some new resources with the new set specifically for Spearhead games the Spearhead: Sand & Bone Gaming Pack which includes a 24-page book which guides you how to start games of Spearhead, choosing your army, it also includes a double-sided game board, 6 x plastic terrain pieces based on the Realm of Death, and 36 x Spearhead cards. Also in Age of $igmar, there's the General's Handbook 2025-2026 which includes the Matched Play Season Rules for this year, Battle Tactics, 12 x brand-new Matched Play battleplans, and the Ao$ Core and Advanced Rules for applying to matched play battlepacks. There's also a deck of battlepack cards, 13 x Double-sided universal manifestation warscroll cards and spell lore cards, 6 x Objective mats which instead of the old cardboard are PET on one side and have felt on the bottom to stop slipping.
Age of $igmar have four new Spearhead boxes as well! Starting off with the excellent Spearhead: Seraphon – Sunblooded Prowlers (including 4 x Jaws of Itzl, 1 x Spawn of Chotec & 3 x Skink handlers, 13x Hunters of Huanchi and 10 of the excellent Saurus Warriors), there's also Spearhead: Ogor Mawtribes – Scrapglutt (6 x Hrothgorn's Mantrappers, 1 x Gnoblar Scraplauncher/ Ironblaster, 12 x Gnoblars, 8 x Ironguts and 4 of their allied Gnoblars), Spearhead: Ossiarch Bonereapers – Mortisan Elite (1 x Mortisan Ossifector, 6 x Necropolis Stalkers/ Immortis Guard, 2 x Morghast Archai/ Morghast Harbingers) and finally the Spearhead: Cities of Sigmar – Fusil-Platoon (1 x Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk, 1 x Alchemite Warforger, 11 x Wildercorps Hunters, 10 x Freeguild Fusiliers and a Blackpowder Squire). The Fusil-Platoon is a great set, introducing not only some good line infantry, but some characterful miniatures as well. 
Middle-earth - it exisits and hoepfully is exciting to someone... The new Armies of Middle-earth contains the usual rules, profiles etc, but also includes new units and armies, expanding on those in the previous books Armies of The Lord of the Rings and Armies of The Hobbit. Meanwhile, the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game: Matched Play Guide is focussed on campaigns and competitive play, with definitive guidelines on running events (from a single day to a campaign lasting days), plus guidelines on Double events, Team events and Campaign events, and of course the current Matched Play Scenarios. There's a few new miniatures in plastic as well with Héra Daughter of Helm, Bolg, Spawn of Azog, and Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth (riding a very small horse) all on pre-order this week. There's also some classic miniatures in metal - the Khazad-dûm Dwarven Commanders, Khazad-dûm Dwarven Ballista, Beregond, Guard of the Citadel and Gondor Avenger Bolt Thrower (we sense a siege engine theme!). The Lords of Umbar, Corsairs of Umbar Bo'sun and Captain (hello Peter Jackson), Corsairs of Umbar Crossbowmen and Corsairs of Umbar Ballista (in resin) make an appearance, as do Durbûrz & Drûzhag, Goblins of Moria and the Mordor Siege Bow (more siege engines!). The new resin Beechbone the Ent looks like a lovely model, plus we have the very old Black Numénórean Warriors, The Woses of Drúadan Forest, Cave Drake, Dragon and the Dol Amroth Dice Set.
In books this week we have the much loved and republished William King's Space Wolf books - this time in Limited Edition! Space Wolves: The Young Wolf (Limited Edition) includes Space Wolf, Ragnar's Claw, and Grey Hunter.

wThe Vlka Fenryka, The VIth, Reapers of Prospero, The Emperor's Executioners, Sons of Fenris, The Space Wolves - all monikers for the Space Marine Chapter known for their savagery, independence from authority, and their ignominious part in the Horus Heresy. This week sees the new Army Box for these feared Adeptus Astartes, which also sees some of the first troop-based variants of the Primaris armour since its inception and some very thematic bare heads.
It's safe to say the Space Wolves are one of the coolest Space Marine Chapters - they don't follow the rules, they have axes and they have a viking flair! Well this week we have the brand new Space Wolves Army Set which gives you the core units of the Vlka Fenryka including the new Wolf Guard Battle Leader (with multiple build options), a Wolf Priest (with the aforementioned awesome bare head), 3 x veteran Wolf Guard Headtakers with their Hunting Wolves, 10 x eager initiate Blood Claws and 10 x solid Grey Hunters. You also get the new Codex Supplement: Space Wolves, the Space Wolves Datasheet Cards and the new transfer sheet. Have a close look at the armour, especially the Blood Claws as we may be seeing the future of Primaris Armour where we lose the flair above the knee and in some cases the seperate knee joint all together. Both of these are positive and good to see some alteration to the standard. This Army Box will be eagerly snapped up, and you have to wonder with the new Horus Heresy announced last night, if we will see a Salamander one coming soon too.
In other Warhammer 40k news, we also have the new Crusade: Armageddon Narrative Expansion on pre-order this week too. We yet again return to Armageddon to fight, or maybe side with, the World Eaters. The book contains rules on how to play narrative games, and how to build and upgrade a Crusade army, plus missions, Battle Traits and Crusade Relics. Crusade: Armageddon is availble in two formats Burn, Muthaf*ka, Burn Collector's Edition and Killing In The Name Of Standard Edition. We also have the new Chapter Approved 2025-26: Mission Deck with rules for Incursion, Strike Force, and Asymmetric War missions, plus there's also a set of Chapter Approved 2025-26: Objectives Set. $65 for some small circular mats? Kitbash your own and have some fun!
​In books this week we have the of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work - an older book, so let's see how this sells! **IT'S ALREADY SOLD OUT**

We continue the Warhammer 40k Chaos onslaught this week with the Thousand Sons, the sorcerous sons of Magnus the Red, victims of the Emperor's wrath, and 10,000 years later, still doomed to live entombed in their armour for eternity. The glorious Thousand Sons get their new Codex this week, available in Warp Scouring Collector's Edition, Wizards and Warlocks Standard Edition, and of course the ultra-wizz-bang Righteous Zeal Limited Edition. This last edition includes 33 Stratagem cards, 39 Datasheet cards, 6 Double-sided objective markers, 5 Art prints and a Tzeentch Metal medallion fragment. Basically, it has everything except an apology from The Emperor for being an arrogant reactionary fool. The Thousand Sons also have two new miniature boxes, with the new Combat Patrol: Thousand Sons which includes a very powerful selection of models, including a Daemon Prince, Tzaangor Shaman, 3 x Tzaangor Enlightened/ Tzaangor Enlightened with Fatecaster Greatbows, and 10 x Rubric Marines. A Demon Prince in a Combat Patrol... who would have thunk it? The other set is the Thousand Sons Battleforce: Warpflame Thrallband, which includes 3 x Exalted Sorcerers/ Sorcerers, 4 x of the new Sekhetar Robots, 5 x Scarab Occult Terminators and 10 x Rubric Marines. Let's talk Sekhetar Robots - people have been waiting for these for quite some time, and it's pretty safe to say that fans were expecting something... more, better, quality, less crap! These are very disappointing, being a strange mix of mixed iconography, rigid boring poses and most of all something that looks completely out of place with the rest of the army. How sad! As you would expect, this release also has the ​Datasheet Cards and the funky looking Thousand Sons Dice Set.
On the flipside of the magical minions, we have the Warhammer: The Old World Wood Elves. Vicious, cunning and probably fragrant due to all the leaf mulch and flowers, these Eleven warriors are not your friends - allies yes, friends, no! As with all Warhammer: The Old World, it's spearheaded by the Arcane Journal: Wood Elf Realms. All of these volumes are great, so even if you're tangentially interested, get it. The Wood Elves release brings with it the Wood Elf Realms Battalion, which includes 10 x Wild Riders/ Sisters of the Thorn, 20 x Wildwood Rangers/ Eternal Guard and 32 x Glade Guard. There's no character leader in this, but you get a bevy of troops in this set, so if you want to get into them, give this a go! 
The individual units from the Wood Elf Realms Battalion are also on pre-order this week, so you can pick up the Glade Guard, Eternal Guard/ Wildwood Rangers, and Wild Riders/ Sisters of the Thorn separately, plus the Glade Riders. The last of the plastic sets this week is Araloth, Lord of Talsyn. Now let's go old school with some metal miniatures.... the main man - Orion, the King in the Woods - a classic sculpt that everyone loves, definitely more than his new sculpt that's for sure. Who else leads these Elves of the Woods? Well these fine metal nobles; ​Wood Elf Noble on Forest Dragon (super old), ​Wood Elf Noble on Great Eagle, Wood Elf Noble on Great Stag, ​Wood Elf Noble on Elven Steed and the Wood Elf Mage on Warhawk who leads this merry band of ​Warhawk Riders! Don't forget these ​Wood Elf Nobles, even if they don't have mounts, because Old Horn Boy is a great mini!! Magic? Here it is - ​Wood Elf Mages, and some minis clearly from the era of Rackham's Confrontation, the ​Wood Elf Waystalker, ​Waywatchers, Wardancer Troupe Command, and the Wardancer Troupe. Thought the Elf on the Dragon was old? Have a look at these... the Wood Elf Beast Pack, which may be left better in retirement. The excellent metal Branchwraith is back, plus the dark and twisted Treeman and Tree Kin. If you prefer resin, then I'm afraid it's just these ​Arcane Frogs, who do look a little sad! Of course, we also get the Wood Elf Realms Reference Card Pack and Dice Set too.
Not to be outdone by their mossy brethren, the High Elves have two more delayed releases, with the High Elf Loremaster and Silver Helms coming our way too. 
It's also a White Dwarf week, with #512 coming too.

We've said it here before, but very few Fantasy archetypes are more classic than the skeleton army, in fact they were some of the very first metal miniatures, and then plastic miniatures Games Workshop ever produced. Those very same plastic skeletons have returned in Warhammer: The Old World and (with a very simple tweak) look absolutely incredible.
Age of $igmar has a different range of skeletons though, and these ones are allied to vampires, the Soulblight Gravelords to be exact! This week sees the pre-order for the new Battletome and an extension of the more recent incarnation of their Deathrattle minions, but let's start with the Battletome first. The Death Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords comes in the Creepy Shadow Stalker Gamer Edition, that includes a card set with 37 x Warscroll cards, 6 x Spearhead cards, 5 x Army of Renown cards, 2 x Regiments of Renown cards and 5 x Death Faction Rules cards. The second version is the On Leathery Wings Standard Edition. Games Workshop have really done an amazing job on these miniatures, yet again proving how strong the Soulblight Gravelords range is, and how good the GW miniatures are. We'll gladly point out when they do it badly, but with this they have hit all the right touchpoints! The leader of this band of lurkers, with a spectacular miniature is Prince Vhordrai, represented here in the Prince Vhordrai, Lord of the Crimson Keep/Revenant Draconith combi-kit, which is not only large in stature but also hitting the Primarch price bracket. Bless anyone who paints this - those wings will be a pain in the butt to paint. Prince Vhordrai isn't on his own, with a new Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed who comes with optional head, weapons and mount head options, plus a brilliant thematic base. As much as vampire rule to roost, the skeletons must have their figurehead too, and the Wight King/Lord on Skeleton Steed combi-kit fits that role - though not as spectacular as the others today, he's still a very nice piece. Skeleton elites - yes please! Enter the mounted Barrow Knights (who come with a throwback musician to make old school skeleton army fans smile), and Barrow Guard who both form a brutal wedge in the Garvelord armies. We're also seeing a re-release (though the leader's helmet is new, so maybe it's retooled) of the Deathrattle Skeletons which is a brilliant kit. The new army set is here, with the Spearhead: Soulblight Gravelords – Bloodcrave hunt featuring a Vampire Lord (the very first mini we saw from the then-new "Gravelords" faction), 3 x Vargheists/ Crypt Flayers/ Crypt Horrors, 5 x Blood Knights and 20 x Deathrattle Skeletons. Spells, you like spells? Well check out the new Soulblight Gravelords: Manifestations, which are suitably creepy and manage to actually look like spells! There's some terrain too with the Cursed Sepulchre/Nexus of Grief (the latter for your Nighthaunt armies) being the first terrain that can be used by two different (if allied) armies. For fans of extras, there's also the Soulblight Gravelords Dice - classic bad-guy black and red for the win.
After quite the pause we have two new Warhammer Underworlds releases with the excellent Knives of the Crone warband and Realmstone Raiders Rivals Deck on pre-order this week. The Knives of the Crone are really great looking minis and could fit into all sorts of armies! Please don't make me buy these...
This week also brings us a cool Warhammer Age of Sigmar crossover - you may have read about Cado Ezechiar, Sissendra, and Aurelias from the Black Library novels The Hollow King, and Dead Kingdom, well now you can get them as miniatures in the spectacular Blades of the Hollow King set. Truly three amazing miniatures but at a very deluxe price, so do be aware. Oh, what a coincidence - this week we also have the paperback version of The Dead Kingdom on pre-order! Spooky!!
In other books we have ​Ushoran – Mortarch of Delusion in hardback, Lioness of the Parch in paperback and Darkoath also in paperback on pre-order this weekend. If you like your books super-fancy and completely unattainable, then ​Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok (Limited Edition) is for you, or not for you as it's already sold out!

The Chaos Powers do love their luxury, and none are more suited to luxury-super-duper-all ready sold out Codex! This week, two of Games Workshop's undoubted favourites get their turn as the World Eaters and Death Guard get the shiny-shiny treatment. Let's start with the cool guys...
Codex: World Eaters comes in three styles - Brazen Bully Boys Limited Edition, Spiky Spiky Love Punch Collector's Edition and Throne of Skulls Standard Edition. These Limited Editions are insane, and they not only include the 112 page Codex with an exclusive cover, there's also 33x Stratagem cards, 35x Datasheet cards, 6x Double-sided objective markers, 5x Art prints and 1x Metal medallion fragment which represents this one Chaos God and is one of four, which all combine to create a large Chaos medallion. Away from this mighty tome(s), up for pre-order this week are also the Datasheet Cards: World Eaters and the new shiny World Eaters Dice. The World Eaters also get their new Combat Patrol which includes the excellent Daemon Prince, the new Master of Executions, 10x Khorne Berzerkers and 10x Jakhals. Meanwhile the World Eaters Battleforce: Gorestorm Slaughterpack includes the new Slaughterbound, 9x Eightbound/ Exalted Eightbound and 20x Jakhals. Khorne is ultimately the coolest Chaos Power, but don't get put off by this 90s colour scheme, they look even better darker and bloodier.
Meanwhile, less glorious and definitely smellier is Nurgle and his bubonic acolytes, the Death Guard. They also get the new Codex: Death Guard, which comes in The Gory Glory of Decay Limited Edition, Dripping Pestilence Collector's Edition, and of course Succulent Stench Standard Edition. Like the Khorne version, the Nurgle Limited Edition includes the 128 page Codex with an exclusive cover, the 39x Stratagem cards, 42x Datasheet cards, 6x Double-sided objective markers, 5x Art prints and the Nurgle version of the Metal medallion fragment. Nurgle also have the Death Guard Dice (which are oddly pink. This has to be an error... pink?) and of course the Datasheet Cards: Death Guard. The new Combat Patrol: Death Guard includes the new Lord of Virulence, Tallyman, a Chaos Rhino, 3x Deathshroud Terminators and 7x Plague Marines. There's also the Death Guard Battleforce: Poxwrought Vector which includes the Lord of Poxes, a Foetid Bloat-drone, a Plagueburst Crawler, a Myphitic Blight-hauler, 5x Blightlord Terminators and 7x Plague Marines.
There's one more Chaos Power to get their Combat Patrol on pre-order this week and that's The Emperor's Children. Their Combat Patrol is a very nice one, and frankly probably a better deal than the big Army Box, with the Lord Exultant, 6x Flawless Blades and 10x Infractors/ Tormentors.
It's a Warhammer 40k week with Lieutenant Titus from Space Marine II, the game, tripping over and falling - you can get a miniature of that now. This mini just proves how boring the Primaris really are!
In books this week we get the Legends of the Wolf: The Omnibus in Paperback, which includes the novels; Blood of Asaheim, Stormcaller, The Helwinter Gate, and the short story Kraken.

Necromunda has started to evolve - from gangs and terrain, to a great focus on characters, and if you look at those characters they really are starting to resemble some of the aesthetic of the old Inquisitor game that Games Workshop brought out 30+ years ago. Could this be a return to that character based platform, or maybe these miniatures could double in an RPG style game. It feels like soemthing is going on, and if you remember Inquisitor, then maybe you're seeing it too. Lets have a look at minis on pre-order this weekend that we think most point to this idea. First up we have Whisper Merchant and Psychoteric Thrall (dammit, someone buy that guy another boot!) that very much fall into the look and feel, and then we have Silberlant Sevos, the Infotek which matches the aesthetic so much that initiially I wondered if this was 54mm. Lastly we have a twist on an Inquisitor character - a Space Marine, but this time it's a fallen veteran of the Blood Angels (or at least the proto-Ninth Legion) Vandoth the Fallen. It's very interesting to consider this potential, particularly since the ideas for gangs seems to have run dry at GW headquarters. The other Necromunda pre-orders this week are The Prophet of the Redemption, a crazy almost Monty Pyhton-esque miniature, and the Abyssal Ferryman Hagthor Jarlun and Aster Felsturn who some would say almost seem like pirates. A pirate gang in Necromunda? Why not!!
​We saw some of the High Elves re-released for Warhammer: The Old World the other week, and now here's the rest - and although there's very few misses in the High Elf range (considering their age) - this week has some spectacular miniatures. Elves love magic, and the High Elf Mages kit gives you bits and pieces to make two, one mounted and one not... though he is flying! One of the most stunning kits in all of Games Workshop is back and would be an insta-buy if it wasn't for all the damn feathers - the spectacular Lothern Skycutter. Available in multiple build options, there's also multiple crew faction choices with options for Sea Guard, High Elves or a High Elf Lord and retinue. Equally spectacular (and probably a pain to paint) are the Dragon Princes of Caledor, and glorious visage of power and prestige - everything the High Elves opitimise. Maybe not as spectacular but a favoruite is the Tiranoc Chariots, giving you options to build two Lion Chariots of Chrace, two Tiranoc Chariots, or one of each. Very tempting, and probably on my shoipping list this weekend. We also have some older rank and file minis, with the Elven Spearmen and Elven Archers giving you some simple foundational units. Another great week of Elves!
Legions Imperialis has been bubbling along, and it would be interesting to know how popular the system is, but this week we get some more Mechanicum pre-orders with the Questoris Knights Magaera and Styrix, Cerastus Knights Atrapos and the Acastus Knights Asterius sets on offer. The prices on these are very high (considering their size) but to give GW a bit of a break, there are a lot of pieces in these sets. Tiny tiny pieces! Also in Legions Imperialis: Mechanicum we have the tiny Krios Squadron and the less tiny Karacnos Assault Tank Squadron. 
It's been a while, but this week we also get some Horus Heresy miniatures! Both characters, we have Aster Crohne, the Shroudmaker (is that much filagree really necessary?) and Kaedes Nex, the Blood Crow. Not being into either army They aren't too exciting, but would be interesting to know if they float your boat. 
In books this week there is the paperback version of Ahriman: Undying.

For those of us who have waited faithfully for the release of the Slaaneshi Space Marines, today is the day that the whole range is made available for pre-order. Called The Emperor's Children for their preminent place by the Emperor of Mankind's side, their own martial pride led them to the side of Slaanesh, and there they descended in debauchery. The release is spearheaded by not one or two, but three new Codex; if you want to go elbow-deep, then the Codex: Emperor's Children (Fists of Love and Fury Edition) is for you. It has all the cards, metal markers, special box, blah blah blah - but it is monsterously expensive. The other two versions are the Gagging For A Good Time Collector's Edition and the Strategic Body Piercings Standard Editon.
We also have all the miniatures in one week, starting off with the extraordinary Fulgrim – Daemon Primarch of Slaanesh, in plastic too. This is an absolutely amazing miniature, and good luck to all who want to paint it, because this is a project and a half! First time in plastic, first time as a general release, Games Workshop have done a great job on this "miniature" - truly a centrepiece. Another first-time-in-plastic is the new Lucius the Eternal, and boy has he got some dueling scars! Chicks dig scars, but me thinks this is a bit too much. For a guy who is supposed to be so good, he sure looks like a loser! Getting into the troops, the Lord Exultant (previously available in the Army Box) is now availble seperately, and with the amount of options he comes with, he's a good pick-up for bits too. The elite of the Emperor's Children are the Flawless Blades, who have truly taken on the demon inside us all and are even outdoing the Kardashians when it comes to plastic surgery. This three-man set presents the best of the best, but for the price a few more would be nice. The Lord Kakophonist is a master blaster, and alongside his Noise Marines provides the heavy 'firepower' the Emperor's Children need to not only crush, but explode their foes. The line infantry for slot is filled by the Tormentors/ Infractors combi-kit. Choose between ranged or close combat, either way these troops are coming in fast, and with all these extra bitz, you'll have a lot of fun making all sorts of twisted creations. These are very detailed models, so do a few test minis to get the scheme you want and then go for it! Fielding these bad boys becomes a lot easier with the new Datasheet Cards and a lot prettier with the new Emperor's Children Dice.
The books this week are both Fulgrim-themed, with Fulgrim – The Perfect Son availble in both Probably Already Sold Out Special Edition and Hardback.

Glory is eternal, as is shame, but in the eyes of the Soulblight Gravelords, their glory is still now, even in death. The new Soulblight Gravelords: Deathrattle Army Set expands on the look and feel of the Undead armies as first seen in Cursed City, this time adding elite units and a brave commander to their ranks. These are great looking minis, and this new Army Box includes three units - the Wight King/ Wight Lord on Skeletal Steed, his guard as five Barrow Knights and twenty Barrow Guard. And as it's an Army Box, you also get the limited edition Battletome and the Warscroll Cards. These sets are great, but they have recently started to feel like you get less for more - the Emperor's Children is a good example, sadly. When they go on individual sale though, some Barrow Guard are coming to home my house!
Warhammer: The Old World is brining back amazing models from the past, and it's time to expand on the High Elves. We start off this week with the High Elf Lords box, giving you multiple options for both  mounted and dismounted Lord/ bannerman. Not all Lords are equal, and if you get to ride a flaming bird, you're winning! The classic Flamespyre Phoenix/ Frostheart Phoenix combi-kit is back, and it's a project and a half! A fantastic thematic piece for the High Elves, and depsite the pain of all this feathers, it would look amazing in anyone's collection. The epitome of ranked warfare, the Phoenix Guard and Lothern Sea Guard really are a perfect example of how Warhammer plays - ranked troops moving forward as one. They look brilliant, as High Elves are want to do. These are both classic kits and despite the repetitive nature of their poses, they do look amazing! A personal favourite kit is the Sisters of Avelorn/ Shadow Warriors combi-kit, which I managed to get a hold of before they were discontinued, and how they're back! This is a perfect example of how versatile these older kits are. It's hard to see without a close look that these are based on the same core.
In books this week we have the Super Limited Edition Probably Already Sold Out Ushoran – Mortarch of Delusion, plus the paperback version of Soulblight Gravelords: Masters of Death, an omnibus collecting the David Annandale stories Neferata: Mortarch of Blood, Neferata: The Dominion of Bones, A Dynasty of Monsters, The Threshold, Obsidian, and The Dance of the Skulls.
​It's a White Dwarf week, and this month it includes a section on Fulgrim and his Emperor's Children - all in White Dwarf 511 - so it might be interesting enough to not throw straight in the bin.
​In this neck of the woods we also have the delayed release of the Necromunda expansion Tribes of the Wastelands and the ​Tribes of the Wastelands Gang Tactics Cards.

The Horus Heresy has given hobbyists the opportunity to really expand their universes - going 10,000 years into the past to see the machines and armour of the greatest conflict in human "history". The expansion of the plastic range for the Mechanicum (the former guise of the Adeptus Mechanicus) has been a huge leap from the cumbersome resin kits that have come before. Easier to make, handle, paint and convert, the completely different look and feel of the designs also addds new options and challenges for the hobbyist. Well this week we have some more Mechanicum goodness with some new vehicles and a new infantry unit. Lets start with the Krios Battle Tank/Krios Venator combi-kit, a mid-sized armoured conveyor giving you pultple weapons options for different roles. You can decide between the lightning cannon or irradiation blaster of the Krios Battle Tank, or the Venator with it's pulsar-fusil. All variants are heinous energy weapon-endowed monsters and they will ruin your day. Add the Volkite secondary weapons on the sponsons, and we have a devastating armoured fist! Speaking of armour, the Karacnos Assault Tank (based on the Triaros Armoured Conveyor chassis) is the very definition of Iron Rain, bringing a deluge of morar rounds to your target of choice. Meanwhile, another adaption of an existing chassis, the Thanatar Calix Siege-automata is an absolute beast, sporting a big laser (instead of the Hellex pattern plasma mortar found on the Thanatar Cavas Siege-automata) and a Graviton Ram, this behemoth will be coming through your enemy's walls and tanks with very little resistance.​  On the other side of devastating, your flesh bags won't be lasting long once they make contact with the Ursarax Cohort, the close combat version of the Thallax. Sentient close combat killers, the Ursarax add jumppacks to their armoury, meaning no one is safe. A great addition to the Mechanicum, it's a pity the heads are so clunky looking! There should be enough extras in your Thallax kit to fix that issue! 
In books this week it's the new Farsight book, Blade of Truth in hardback. Find out what the Tau apostate is up to these days - it probasbly won't be great for anyone in his forces' way!

Kill Team really was an amazing breath of fresh air - your favourite faction now had a special ops team, extra gear, extra roles, and (for the most part) some excellent dynamic posing. It added character to a world that seemed to be a lot of massed armies. This has changed a bit this time, with the two factions in Blood and Zeal being a bit more like Warcry warbands than Kill Teams - but the premise is still there. In Kill Team: Blood and Zeal we have two brand new Kill Teams, one based on existing lore - and evenm some older minis - and the other a new force for a very important counter-faction. First up we have the Sanctifiers, who just have to impose The False Emperor on everyone! The set includes a group of Zealots including a Conflagrator, Death Cult Assassin, Drill Abbot, Miraculist, and a Confessor. Some of these minis may look familair - and that's because they are direct tributes to some classic older models. The counter-faction are the Goremongers - Khorne-worshiping zealots, but these guys have been added punch with heavily enhanced bodies to make them the perfect fast killing machines. In their ranks we will see the Goremonger Blood Herald, the Impaler, the Skullclaimer and the Stalker, all for the very first time. Both brilliant looking forces, these will very easily fit into any Cultist, Sisters of Battle or Guard army, and i'm sure the Goremongers would be some of the very first troops to make planetfall for Khorne!
We also have two Kill Teams from the previous boxed set now available seperately - Kill Team: Wrecka Krew for the Orks and Kill Team: Ratlings for the Imperials. There's also the Kill Team Datacards for the Wrecka Krew and the Ratlings. The other miniature release this week is the Killzone Upgrade: Compound Siege, giving you walls and barricades to make your street fighting even deadlier!
It's also a White Dwarf week - so White Dwarf 510 will be available next Friday... though by the look of the contents, it's a bit of a snore-fest.

Sorry - but it's one of those weeks! Yes we have divided releases and delayed release, but fear not, we've got it covered!
Those bouncy fun kids of Necromunda have a few releases for us this week - see below for the bulk of them - but the kits everyone is getting on pre-order this week is the Zone Mortalis: Ruined Underhive Sector (really just a larger set of the Ruined Zone Mortalis) and the Thatos Pattern Fortified Hab Module. The Zone Mortalis: Ruined Underhive Sector depicts the very worst parts of any Hive Spire - the broken, the degrading, the unloved. We have crushed and melted wall sections, gates and walkways plus corroded pipes and more. This is not the place they put on the travel brochure! This set is like the other larger Necromunda sets and comes in a hefty box, making it a must for scenery builders. Sure it makes no sense to have the pylons melted like that or the roof would cave in, but just ignore that logic and enjoy. The second kit is the Thatos Pattern Fortified Hab Module which is the military version of the Thatos Pattern Hab Module, but with more armour and guns! This is a natural fit for the Wastelands, being both a watchhouse, fortification, trader station, dive bar and more in the minds of a skilled hobbyist. Lots of thematic scenarios could be built around this piece of terrain!
Australia and New Zealand (and potentially Japan) finally get the delayed release of the Warhammer: The Old World wave of Elves, with the excellent Lord on Dragon/ Archmage on a Moon or Sun Dragon/ Dragon Mage on a Star Dragon combi-kit leading the charge. For the army builders, the The High Elf Realms Battalion has finally arrived, as have the very ornate Swordmasters of Hoeth. The classic Eagle-claw Bolt Throwers (and don't we need more bolt throwers these days!!) in plastic along with the High Elf Realms Dice Set and of course the muchy-desired Arcane Journal: High Elf Realms are also finally here!

Missing to Australia and New Zealand this week, is the new Necromunda: Tribes of the Wastelands expansion, the new Sha’dar Hunters and Anthromite Spinewyrms kit, the Ash Waste Nomads: Weapons & Upgrades and the Tribes of the Wastelands Gang Tactics Cards and Gang Dice.

Goblins are such a huge part of the Warhammer universe - and despite their diminutive size, and their evolution into the Gloomspite Gitz during Age of $igmar - they remain a strong piece of the visual lineage, and some of the characterful minis in the range. This week the little psycho-jerks get their new rules and units, with Destruction Battletome: Gloomspite Gitz 
available in Jumping Death Mushrooms Gamer's Edition or Spears to the Knees Standard Edition. The Green Menace also get some great new minis, with one of the standout releases for a while Droggz da Sunchompa 
finally getting an individual relaase following his inclusion in the Army Box (which is still available from some independent retailers). Do keep in mind how small this guy will be, but personally I've found Goblins to be an absolute joy to paint and would happily do this guy any day! There's two other leader kits, the Snarlboss on War-Wheela/ Frazzlegit Shaman on War-wheela - again who doesn't love chariots - and Snarlboss and Wolfgit Retinue which adds a leader to the existing Snarlfang Raiders. Speaking of wolves, there's also the ​Snarlpack Cavalry who look like heavy hitters and add yet more wolves to the army, which when you think about it makes some fo those Space Wolf bitz some nice customisation fodder. Chariots galore as the Sunsteala Wheelas add yet more wolves and bring some of that John Blanche red back from the good old days. One of the most thematic Gloomspite Gitz weapons was always the Doom Diver Catapult, and it's had a mighty update, making it top-tier for Goblins everywhere. Something that's interesting in this release is the move away from the mushrooms that really stuck to the Gloomspite Gitz in their first incarnation in Age of $igmar. Guess we're seeing less of the Bad Moon wizardry and more of the pointy end of the Goblins! Speaking of those yellow whackos, here's the new Gloomspite Gitz Dice, which hoepfully have the lustre in real life that they do in these pictures! This is a pretty great release - it's full of character and dynamism, some cracking looking minis too. Good job Games Workshop. Don't always give you a pat on the back, but this one is deserved!  
In books this week we have Callis & Toll in paperback, the delayed release of Lucius: The Faultless Blade in fancy Limited Edition format, and while the rest of the world gets White Dwarf 510 on preorder this week,  the Great Southern Lands are a month behind with White Dwarf 509 

Well it's an exciting day - the mighty Legions of Slaanesh, the Paragons of Martial Virtue, have marched into our lives. Drawing heavy influence from drawings of Adrian Smith and the Champions of Chaos miniatures of the late 80s and early 90s, this long-awaited force has burst into our lives, and we are more than excited! It's been a long time coming, and although we only get the Champions of Slaanesh – Emperor's Children Army Set on pre-order this week, in time we will have more minis and a Combat Patrol box that looks amazing! But first of all let's look at the Emperor's Children Army Set which is headed up by the brilliant new Lord Exultant, who has multiple build options, and carries all the arrogance one from the IIIrd Legion needs to personify. He's backed up by line infantry in the form of two Tormentors/Infractors combi-kits (20 minis in all), plus two Noise Marines kits (12 minis in all). The Noise Marines are sure to be a big drawcard, with a brilliant glow-up of their weapons and armour, which are both ornate and imposing. Being an Army Set there is also the new Codex: Emperor’s Children (with exclusive cover art - from the afore-mentioned Adrian Smith), Datasheet cards: Emperor’s Children and the new Emperor’s Children Transfer Sheet. We know there's more minis to come, including the Flawless Blades who look amazing! 
In other Warhammer 40K pre-orders this week, it's the civilisation that birthed Slaanesh themselves - the Aledari! The new Combat Patrol: Aeldari includes a Spiritseer, five Wraithblades/Wraithguard, five Warp Spiders and – ten Dire Avengers. But really, don;t they just pale into nothingness next to the glory that is Slaanesh? Yes, yes they do...

Well it's been a long time since we've had a proper Horus Heresy Weekender, and it looks like this weekend it's back in a somewhat subdued but exciting form, partnering with the Black Library Celebration 2025. This not only sees some new books, therefore, but miniatures to go with them plus a very nice selection of Horus Heresy models to put at the head of your chosen Astartes force. Let's start with the main meal first though, and dive into Black Library!
In a smart move, this year Games Workshop and Black Library have done soemthing they're not especially good at doing, and that's co-ordinating releases, so we have a miniature release to coincide with a book, or vice versa. The first is the new plastic Maleneth Witchblade miniature, an assassin from the ​Daughters of Khaine (a faction that really needs some more fleshing out with minis to go with the extensive lore) and she is of course also the steadfast companion of Gotrek Gurnisson. He partnering book is Shade of Khaine, which comes in Special Edition or Hardback. There's also a new collection of stories Gotrek and Maleneth: The Omnibus in paperback which includes: The Bone Desert novella, The Neverspike short story, the Ghoulslayer novel, the Gitslayer novel, Death on the Road to Svardheim short story, Soulslayer novel, The Crown of Karak-Khazhar short story and the Dead Hours short story. I'm keen on this, so ideally this will be coming out of my wallet in a matter of hours.
The other miniature set is Hell's Last, a multipart plastic of Imperial Guard Captain Minka Lesk and her retinue - Confessor Talbeas, veteran Trooper Jaromir, a brilliant dynamic model of Commissar Shand (miniature of the year?), and Veteran Sergeant Grawnya. These are released at the same time as the Hell's Last novel, which comes in hardback and Special Edition.
​There's a few other books, with the Astra Militarum-themed Fifteen Hours being republished for it's 20th Anniversary Edition, and the the two Black Library Reader’s Choice Winners to be available for a limited time in paperback are Dan Abnett's Titanicus, and Grey Seer (originally released as Thanquol & Boneripper Book 1). One final book for Black Library Celebration, and that's a new Warhammer 40k omnibus - Blood of the Imperium in paperback which collects Painboyz, The Long and Hungry Road, The Reskard Purgation, The Price of Morkai, Starstruck, Blood Harvest, Memories of Broken Glass, The Dust that Remains, The Whispering Blade, The Buried Beast, and the complete Tome Keepers: Legacy of Defiance (Volumes I-IV).
The last release is an "art book", with Black Library artwork, called The Art of Warhammer 40,000. Games Workshop seems to be pumping these out, but they're really not that special unless you're a completist.
So... Black Library Celebration is covered - now it's onto Horus Heresy, with a brand new plastic boxed set! The ​Mechanicum Heavy Support Force includes two new minis, and one recently released. The Thanatar Calix Siege-automata is an absolute beast and now the second variant on this chassis, and some may say the best. The other new miniature is the Krios Strike Tank/ Krios Venator combi-kit, giving your mechanicus soemthing nimble and deadly on the conventional battlefield. The last miniature is the Karacnos Assault Tank, which can also be built as the Triaros Armoured Conveyor.
The rest of the releases are all in resin, with the new Iron Hands Legion Praetor, and his opposite number, the Iron Warriors Warsmith (in Cataphractii armour) heading the releases. In fact the interesting thing about these new releases is that for the most part they are two sides of the same coin. We have the 
Loyalist Herald Consul (unfortunately in the new MkIII armour) and the Traitor Herald Consul, and then the Traitor Overseer Consul and the Loyalist Overseer Consul. The Overseer Consuls are especially noteworthy as they are the military police of the Astartes units. In older lore these units were deployed from Terra to legions to keep order, the World Eaters units for example were numerous and instilled discipline with deadly force. The last Astartes miniature is interesting as it's a Space Wolves Caster of Runes Consul - a psyker by any other name - and banned by the Council of Nicaea. There's two new minis for the Mechcanicum too - the Arcuitor Magisterium and her assistant, and a new field commander, the Secutarii Axiarch - which just has a real presence about them and would make a great leader for a hopeful Secutarii plastic release (maybe a little redesign too, please...). This dude might need to come home to my house...