Goblins certainly have come a long way in recent years, and the evolution into the Gloomspite Gitz have given them a whole new look and feel, plus some of the most characterful models in the Warhammer Age of $igmar range. Well this week the little buggers get an update to their rules with Battletome: Gloomspite Gitz, which comes in 'Shroom Bloom Limited Edition and Hooded Horrors Standard Edition. There's also a fantastic new miniature, the Squigboss with Gnasha-squig, which is so cool and joins a long line of great models in this range. Pity not to have an alternative weapon or head option as there is room on the sprue, but there you go. In the world of more traditional looking Goblins, there is an update to the Goblin cavalry in the form of the new Snarlfang Riders. This is a great looking kit (and a lovely paint job by the GW team) with ranged and close combat weapons options. The bowmen are especially cool, and again oh-so tempting! The new Vanguard: Gloomspite Gitz is pretty good too, with some heavy hitters, little attack dudes and some line infantry. It's interesting there hasn't been an update to the venerable Night Goblin kit, but they are a delight to paint! And of course, don't forget the Warscroll Cards.
A personal favourite in this neck of the woods are Beastmen, and with Battletome: Beasts of Chaos, available in both Happy Hirsute Hero Limited Edition and Nature's Forest Defenders Standard Edition, it's great to see these guys getting some attention again. There's also a new Beastlord model to lead your dudes and dudettes, but again the lack of alternative head or weapons options is a shame for the price. The new Vanguard: Beasts of Chaos box, which replaced the Cygor with a unit of Dragon Ogres and a unit of Bestigors is amazing. This is not only a great way to start, but a great force multiplier, a must-have for Beastmen players. Interestingly the Warscroll Cards for the Beasts of Chaos have not been offered this week, and neither faction get themed dice.
Sadly, there is another round of Made to Order, this time around the Commissars of the Imperial Guard - great to see them back as a playable unit. You can get your hands on Classic Commissar Yarrick, Commissar Yarrick, Commissar With Sword And Power Fist, Commissar With Bolt Pistol, Commissar With Power Fist, Commissar With Plasma Pistol, Lord Commissar or Severina Raine (who is currently in Last Chance to Buy as well). If that interests, then you can also get them all in the Mortgage The House Made to Order Commissar Collection. There's also two of the very old Inquisitor  models in Made to Order this week too, with Inquisitor with Power Sword and Bolt Pistol and Inquisitor with Combi-melta available plus Lord Castellan Creed.

Imperial Guard Part 1 (by the look of the missing Rough Riders and a few other bits) will be landing next weekend at a retailer near you. It's a long overdue refresh for the venerable range, with some very nice models adding the dynamism we all expect in this era, plus some... well, lacklustre ones too. 
Codex: Astra Militarum leads the way, with the Boots And All Collectors' Edition and No Guts No Glory Standard Edition giving you all you need to know to field these new, and some older, units. Be great to see Guard Assault Squads back, but that seems unlikely. Leading your valiant troops to certain victory is Lord Solar Leontus on his trusty mech-steed. Now this model, well it sort of sucks. I mean there's some real missed opportunities here. First one is the head which is flat and featureless. Even the alternative head, which is better, is still pretty poor. Please bring Jes Goodwin back to designing the faces! The second real missed opportunity is how this could have been a miniature with a retinue, like The Silent King or Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis or even the much more recent Chaplain Grimaldus & Retinue. All of these are fantastic centrepieces, and surely this guy could to with some banner bearers, a town cryer guy and a priest, even a Sisters of Battle bodyguard! A real missed opportunity for what could have bene an amazing model. The second command model we get is Lord Castellan Ursula Creed, who despite being the first older female character we have seen in lord-knows how long, also suffers from the curse of having a face made of pudding. A nice mini otherwise, both options are pretty naff for someone who is manet to kick arse. Going way back in time, welcome back to the Primaris Psyker! How great to have a mini like this in the range - look at the expression and the dynamic pose. Great mini! Troops are plentiful, and the Cadian Command Squad is a nice step up from the older one, this time introducing an archaic radio and other nicely rendered specialists to lead the men and women of the rank and file - the Cadian Shock Troops. Great new poses (though the heads are a bit naff, so just use the old ones on the new bodies, they look great!) with better scaled weapons and a nice look and feel to them. Putting them together isn't as modular as the older set, but you can easily fix that, plus these poses really are excellent! Back up the waves of infantry is an other excellent update - the Heavy Weapons Squad. The poses and detail on these minis is such a huge step up they are almost mini dioramas in themselves. Very much worth a look and a nice little project to sit on their own even if you don't do Guard. Speaking of big guns, here's some bigger ones; the Field Ordnance Battery with which you can build two Ordnance Teams, with the choice of a heavy lascannon, bombast field gun, or malleus rocket launcher. Another nice little set to turn into an action scene. The brand new Guard tank makes it's debut this week, with the Rogal Dorn Battle Tank rolling out and having a very different look to the previous tracked support elements for the Guard. Sporting a rounded turret, but the flat sloped sides we're so used to, there's an almost Vietnam-era look to this one. It's big too! Kind of tempted, kind of not - be very interested to see what the community come up with when they get this kit. The other new armoured kit is the new Sentinel. Available as a combi-kit, the Armoured Sentinel/ Scout Sentinel looks less like a rubbish bin on legs and more like something you could imagine prowling around. A very welcome update for sure. Now here's a classic kit that should never go away, the Baneblade / Stormlord / Banesword / Shadowsword / Doomhammer / Stormsword / Banehammer / Hellhammer combi-kit. Now sporting the new decals and added sponsons, she's a beast and must be loved!! The other classic tank is the Leman Russ Battle Tank, which gets a rebox and new decals but misses out on the opportunity for the upgrade sprue that offers track covers and more. 
Away from minis, helping you take to the field are the Astra Militarum Datacards and Dice Set.
Now if If you've been patiently waiting like the good supplicant that you are, then you could go all in and get the Collection, Art Print, Astra Militarum MKVII or the Collection, Art print, Astra Militarum, Launch Box Add-on MKIII and have it all at once. Maybe not the most imaginative names for these bundles, but there you go. 
In books this week we have the Armageddon Special Edition novel too. All pretty and ready to be devoured.

Big week for Age of $igmar this week, with the Slaves to Darkness sets getting a big push. Starting off with the Battletome: Slaves to Darkness which comes in On Leathered Wings Limited Edition and So Many Spikes! Standard Edition. The big piece this week is the new Daemon Prince - a glorious model with options for each of the Chaos Powers, plus two for Chaos Undivided. It's a real shame they keep showing this version of the model which has to be the weakest of all the versions. The other command mini is the Eternus, Blade of The First Prince / Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount combi-kit, both dynamic thematic minis that would work in any Chaos force. Very tempting! Chaos loves a hero, and the new Exalted Hero of Chaos has a few options to customise your own version. Sadly this is the most lacklustre of the releases this week and looks more like it belongs in a boxed set rather than stand alone, so it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. However there's some great releases to balance him out, including the elite Chaos Chosen with their heavy weapons, the newly retooled Chaos Warriors with both long and skirmish weapons, and the Chaos Knights with their new upgrade sprue. The Chaos Knights are a great kit, and the upgrade sprue adds new banners and commander options. Now if you like these releases, the new Vanguard: Slaves to Darkness box is great value with a set of amazing models (the new Chaos Warriors and Chaos Knights, the old Chaos Chariot/ Gorebeast Chariot combi-kit and the excellent Chaos Lord) making it a perfect starter or even force multiplier. An interesting addition is the Slaves to Darkness are the Ogroid Theridons set. Based on the Ogroid Myrmidon Champion and Ogroid Thaumaturge models, this set unfortunately lacks the dynamic poses and interesting character of their progenitors. Still maybe they will evolve and become cooler in time! A model released separately from the previous Start Collecting set is Chaos Lord on Karkadrak, which is a very cool model, and even better with a head swap from the newer range. Away from miniatures, the Slaves to Darkness get a nice Dice Set - nothing fancy - just plain grunty black!
Slaves to Darkness also launches the next season of Age of $igmar, with the General's Handbook: Pitched Battles 2022-23 Season 2 offering 12 battleplans, new realm rules for the competitive side of the hobby.
In books this week, the latest Horus Heresy Siege of Terra novel, Garro: Knight of Grey is on pre-order in faux-leather Limited Edition (it's probably already sold out) and standard Hardback. Also in books this week, Godeater's Son in Hardback and the Gotrek Gurnisson novel Soulslayer in Paperback.
It's also a White Dwarf week with Issue 484 out and about from Friday.

And here it is - the "groundbreaking narrative campaign that will change everything in the 40K universe" - the Arks of Omen. Everyone's favourite killing machine, and one of the truly multi-layered characters from the Siege of Terra novel series and beyond, Abaddon the Despoiler is back having not learnt his lesson from the previous Black Crusades he has launched over the decades. This new campaign introduces to Warhammer 40K the ability to have boarding actions and Zone Mortalis-style fighting (very familiar to Horus Heresy players) to the wider ruleset. Of course the Arks of Omen is spread across the year, and Book One: Abaddon - available in It'll Work This Time Collectors' Edition and It Would Have Worked If It Wasn't For You Meddling Kids Standard Edition. To bring this new game mode to life, there's a huge new box, the Warhammer 40,000 Boarding Actions Terrain Set with a tonne of wall sections and a reversible hardboard gaming mat. First appearing in Kill Team, this terrain moves away from the previous Zone Mortalis sets for Necromunda, which is curious, and seems to have little cross compatibility. It's also curious as we've had over two years of the Zone Mortalis set being used widely, especially in Horus Heresy where Forge World once produced these sets in resin. Ours is not to wonder why, ours is to just buy the stuff that fits the thing... Now if all of this thrills you to pieces - then get the lot in the Warhammer 40,000 Boarding Actions Rules and Terrain Collection. Taking the action wider, the Chapter Approved – Arks of Omen: Grand Tournament Mission Pack gives you missions and scenarios outside of the first book to continue running these mission types if that is your whim and desire. 
Once upon a time, in a world pre-Primaris, there were the Space Marines. Now referred to as the Space Marines Alphas, amongst other names, we don't see new minis for them any more, but this rerelease of the Space Marine Heroes Collection Two, sees it in the colours of the Blood Angels (despite the heads really not being very Blood Angels). Collection One came out in October last year, so it's nice to see the second half. Arguably Collection Two are more dynamic than Collection One, so grab them while you can!
As discussed the other week, the thoroughly disappointing Abhorrant Ghoul King with Crown of Delusion was available last week in GW stores, but if you want the Made to Order version, go forth! It's here...
Fans of the Horus Heresy have their new map on pre-order this week, with the Mercury-Exultant Kill-Zone Map about. From memory Jes Goodwin's daughter does these maps, so if that makes it cooler, then jump on it. These do seem to sell out.
In books we have the Flesh Tearers novel Wrath of The Lost in hardback, the assassins' story Assassinorum: Kingmaker finally in paperback and Mortis - The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra Book 5 also in paperback. You'd think Mortis would just be about engine war, but there is a tonne of great fluff in this book.

Also this week for the rest of the world except Australia and New Zealand, there are four new Adeptus Astartes Battleforces - Salamanders, Iron Hands, White Scars and of course Ultramarines. These all come with Chapter Upgrade sprues and decals. It's good to note the change to the box art on these Battleforces as they're really quite stunning. You'd have to think these are meant to be the standard boxes for these Chapters ongoing. Also this week, the Warhammer 40,000 Black Legion Dice Set!

Well here we are at the end of a bit of a weird year in terms of releases, and ending on the usual quiet note.
Blood Bowl fans get the new Blood Bowl Matched Play Guide, which is really only a 32-page guide to running a Blood Bowl event, which could be a great way to expand upon the newer edition released this year.
What would Christmas, New Year, a quiet week, a week ending on a Sunday, without some classic Lord of the Rings, and this time it's a kit that would be amazing in an updated plastic form - the Khandish Horsemen Warband. Very thematic with dynamic posing, both these and the Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee and Gollum in Emyn Muil sets are old-school metal!
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That's it for releases this year in the ongoing complication of GW releases for posterity. The Eldar saw their long-awaited update, plastic Horus Heresy, the Guard in 2023 - bring it on, we say!

The other two releases this week are from Forge World, Outland Beastmaster with Ripperjacks and the Brute Handler and Chem Dealer. The write up for the latter is interesting: "Take on a helpful Brute Handler to ensure your biggest bruisers are receiving adequate training, and hire a Chem Dealer to ensure a steady supply of performance-enhancing black market chems for your gang". Having a look you'd think that it was the local pusher with his bodyguard, but maybe that's too real for Forge World!
​While we're here, those Ripperjacks are horrific - an amazing paint job and brilliant modelling. They are nightmare-inducing!

Well it's Christmas, and in place of our Red Gobbo or White Dwarf this year, we have this guy, the Abhorrant Ghoul King with Crown of Delusion. And deluded it may be, as this model certainly carries none of the regal nature of his faction, nor does he really look like he's been detailed very well. Flat and lacking the pose a leader needs, this model - available in store on Boxing Day - really doesn't hit home at all.
Now you may think that's pretty harsh, but let's compare him to some miniatures that are meant to have some gravitas, some leadership, and those are the Made to Order releases for this week - Space Marines, but not just any Space Marines. Yes the Alpha Pattern Space Marines are back with the classic bitz-heavy plastic Space Marine Commander and his more modern Space Marine Captain available again. These are great basis' for conversions of bitz. In a similar vein, here's one of our favourite Space Marine miniatures of all time, the Lord Executioner in resin. One of the later Space Marine characters pre-Primaris, this guy oozes power, leadership and a regal nature. Speaking of which, from an earlier time, the Masters of the Chapter give a variety of leadership personas. With flexible icongraphy to go with any Chapter (or in fact Legion with some of them) this is a good set for 40K and 30K alive. Back to plastic with a very much more recent model the Librarian in Terminator Armour - an imposing figure he makes too. A miniature that I painted back in metal in the day is the Chaplain with Jump Pack - an excellent miniature and totally recommended if you're looking for a Chaplain. This is a bit of a fun one, the old Armour Through the Ages which shows the original intention of the Mk I to MK V power armour - the MK III with the fixed helmet, the MK IV with the pipes and blunt nose on their helmet. Nice little set for nostalgia's sake. Speaking of nostaliga, the last of the pre-plastic Techmarines is Made to Order this weekend too, and boy hasn't this design improved recently. The real improvement started with the Space Wolf Techmarine, and then everyone got a less chunky version... thank God! And of course, as much as Alpha Pattern is great, the Primaris want to join in, so the very expensive Heroes of the Chapter have reappeared too!
In books this week, it's the start of the ​12 Tales of Christmas eShorts Subscription from Black Library. I think last year they were earlier, but here they are to get your through the Christmas period.
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For the second week in a row the Australian and New Zealand webstores have not been updated at the time of publishing, so there are no links. We will update when they go live later in the day... one hopes!!

Well, here we are, it's the week before Christmas, and all the Warhammer boys and girls are getting all excited to see what Santa-Warhammer will be brining them. They've been buying hobby presents for friends and been oh-so good not open them, and now it's time for their Games Workshop Christmas Preview. So with blurry sleep-filled eyes, they wake up, momentarily blinded by the light from phones and tablets across the world, joy filling their expectant hearts - and there, in their stocking, is coal!
The coal, metaphorical as it is, are the two expansions to Warhammer Quest: Cursed City, Nightwars and Nemesis, which are available as Made to Order for the next two weeks. The thing about these expansions is that this is a games system GW have admitted they will no longer support, despite people loving the minis, and it being such a close setting to Mordheim (another unsupported but increasingly popular games system) that they could relaunch it and cash in. Not only that, these expansions have no minis. They're just cardboard! And expensive cardboard. Surely, GW could have listed the Cursed City minis along with this cardboard monstrosity and given us something to look at, because the minis are really excellent and deserve love! Now the funniest thing about this week's "exciting" release is that it's so huge, so important, that in Australia and New Zealand, it's not even been listed on the webstore. It's literally been forgotten!
Ah Games Workshop, you really are the gift that keeps on giving. So hit and miss.

Meanwhile, our friends at Forge World at least have something for us, yes it's made to order, but it's useful and people will enjoy them.
The slackers of the Horus Heresy, (look forward to the backlash on that hahaha) the Ultramarines have their classic MKIII Shoulder Pads, MKIV Torsos, Veteran Helmets and MKIII Veteran Torsos all available in Made to Order. These are all classic pieces and very nice in any Ultramarines force.
The not-Traitors, the Thousand Sons also get their MKIII Shoulder Pads, which have always been awesome!
In an actual lovely re-release, The Ringbearers, the clear resin set of Lord of the Rings adventurers is back. This is a really nice thematic set that's a fan favourite and a smart release.

Ever wanted to find something on the site that we've categorised badly? Maybe its the much-copied Combi-Volkite tutorial, or how to articulate your Kastelan Robot, or the War Hounds painting guide (that needs updating), or maybe it was a product released by Games Workshop since 2014** - well now you can find it with this handy Search box.
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​LOOK - IT'S OVER THERE!


** Yes we have catalogued every pre-order every week from Games Workshop since 2014, slowly becoming a bit of an archive. Not all links are active, but the pics are there!

Barely a week goes by without Games Workshop dragging some old white metal Lord of the Rings models out to pad out a slow release week, but fear not valiant followers of all things Tolkien, for new things come to tempt you back to The Precious! This week sees the new The Lord of The Rings Battle of Osgiliath boxed set, that includes new terrain, new rules and some new miniatures for Faramir, Madril, Damrod, and Gothmog. This is an actual Starter Set, so if you're wanting to begin in the realms of Tolkien, this is the time and this is the place. Speaking of the new rules, the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game - Rules Manual is also available separately, so if you're running a force, then you can catch up on the changes and then beat the living snot out of the new players and if you're anything like the Horus Heresy Community, you can gatekeep and make people feel uncomfortable. Well... with that of our chests... there's also some lovely dices sets, one each for Mordor, Minas Tirith, Isengard, and Rohan.
Speaking of Horus Heresy, it's time for some serious long range hitting power - need to get some people in a building? Scorpius Missile Tank! Need to shoot down a plane? Scorpius Missile Tank! Need to destroy an Archmagos sitting in the backfield? Scorpius Missile Tank! Yes the Scorpius Missile Tank, once very overpowered and may have now been fixed, is here and it's a really great piece of kit on the field. If you're a gamer of Heresy, then this is an almost must-have!
Warhammer Underworlds continues to grow (no pun intended) as we continue into the Gnarlwood, this time with some Gloomspite Gitz, it's Grinkrak's Looncourt. Lots of character in this lot, but as a Goblin fan, it does feel like some of these are moving away from the idea of war and more towards the idea of circus! Also in Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood, the Fearsome Fortress Rivals Deck is here. It can be used with any warband, giving you the power to build walls and traps. There's also cross-compatibility with Rivals, Nemesis, and Relic games
More rules supplements this week with Kill Team getting their Critical Ops - Tac Ops & Mission Card Pack giving you new scenarios and maps, plus an update to the existing Tac Ops mechanic. 
Next week is also a White Dwarf week with ​White Dwarf 483.

It's getting pretty loud out in those Ash Wastes, with almost all factions now having some sort of vehicle to do combat with in the hell-scape that is Necromunda. This week it's Escher who now have something to help distribute their illicit contraband with in the form of the Escher Cutters - jet bikes that would also make excellent engines on an Ork flyer. The flyers also have special Dice, Escher Vehicle Gang Tactics Cards, plus the second edition of the Escher Gang Tactics Cards.
Last week we saw the Age of $igmar Battleforces, well this week it's time for the Warhammer 40,000 versions. Interestingly, two of the Battleforces come with a Primarch, with the Thousand Sons – Court of The Crimson King and the Death Guard – Council of The Death Lord boxes boasting their powerful leader. Meanwhile, the Legion whose Father doesn't love them - the Imperial Fists - have to battle on alone with the Imperial Fists – Bastion Strike Force. The Raven Guard also get their own set with the Raven Guard – Ravenstrike Battle Force, but at least the Raven Guard's Chapter Master, Kayvaan Shrike turned up! Two elite forces of the Imperium get some love, the Adepta Sororitas – Sanctorum Guard and the Adeptus Custodes – Watchers of The Gate with both being forces all unto themselves.
Still in the world of WH40K, your old Machine Cult friends, the Adeptus Mechanicus have a new-ish model out, the Technoarcheologist, who is a nice mini it itself, but also a great base for any conversion.
Warhammer Quest: Cursed City – Nemesis, the second and final expansion for Cursed City is here, and sadly, no new minis! This seems like an awful lot for just some paper... 
In books this week, another beautifully presented set, The Gotrek Gurnisson Collection collecting three novels and three short stories written by Darius Hinks, including Ghoulslayer, The Neverspike, Gitslayer, Death on the Road to Svardheim, Soulslayer, and a new short story – The Crown of Karak-Khazhar. Age of $igmar's favourite Golden Bois have a new hardback, Hammers of Sigmar: First Forged and the Emperor's Murder Lords appear in 26 stories across the Heirs of The Emperor anthology in hardback.

All that later, lets' go with the new stuff first as the new Blood Bowl set is out, Dungeon Bowl: Death Match. Feels like this has slipped under the radar a bit, but if you're thinking "Hmmmmm, that'd be fun on Xmas Day with the family/ kids/ collection of fellow geeks" then you might want to look at the Jim and Bob's Dungeon Bowl Yearbook Collection which gives you the base set plus a softcover Spike! yearbook. While you're at it, the Blood Bowl Spike! Presents: 2022 Almanac is also here, bringing you rules from the year's Spike! issues and White Dwarf articles.
We say it all the time - but Warcry is awesome. Sure recently it seems like maybe they are scraping the bottom of the imagination bin, but how cool to see Seraphon back as the Hunters of Huanchi in the new Warcry: Sundered Fate expansion. It's Seraphon vs the Tzeentch-flavoured Jade Obelisk warband with terrain that expands the existing Gnarlwood look at feel. This is where we see the first of the regional differences in pre-orders this week, with the Hunters of Huanchi Dice Set and Jade Obelisk Dice Set being delayed to the US and Japanese customers. More on what you're missing below. 
That's not the only Warcry this week though, with the Warcry: Warband Tome – Rot and Ruin expansion book, the Ravaged Lands: Gnarlwood Watchcamp, and the two warbands from the previous release, the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed all on pre-order this week too. It's not just these releases either - on pre-order this week is ALL the previous warbands - some of the very best miniatures Games Workshop has ever produced and now webstore exclusives. Let's start with the beasts, the Ogroid Myrmidon Champion, Fomoroid Crusher and Mindstealer Sphiranx are all amazing models - I have them all (sure they all got converted) and they are highly recommended. In fact you would have seen the recent Slaves to Darkness Army Box set has three somewhat more static Myrmidon in there too. You like your warbands - check these out: the gruesome Unmade, personal favourite, the dynamic Corvus Cabal, three of the warbands from the original boxed game the Iron Golems, the Untamed Beasts and the Chaotic Beasts, another favourite that became Slaaneshi warriors on our hobby desk - the Cypher Lords, the Chaos Undivided warbands the Spire Tyrants and the Darkoath Savagers, the newer Scions of the Flame and Tarantulos Brood, and two of the best for last, the Khainite Shadowstalkers who make amazing characters in Dark Elf forces and the amazing Splintered Fang. If you're into Warhammer, Age of $igmar or even Dungeons and Dragons, these add so much character and dynamism to your forces.
Christmas is a time for giving, but it's pretty rare we get the hobby stuff we need/ want/ desire - so why not get yourself a Christmas present and grab one of these Battleforce boxes to reinforce your army, add allies, or start something brand-spankingly new?! You could get these from Games Workshop, or you could support a local business and buy it from your hobby store and save around 20% on the RRP. Let's dig in...
First up we have the Bloody Side of the Force with the Daughters of Khaine – Khainite Slaughter-coven box, which comes with a good cross section of their forces. The Gloomspite Gitz are here with the Stampeding Squigalanche, which may not give you the masses of infantry you want, so if it's pure numbers you're after , then it's the Skaven's Verminous Host answers that in spades. Meanwhile, on the Sylvaneth arrive with their Revenant Wargrove.
Want to add some Tzeentch to your hobby table? Well the Curseling, Eye of Tzeentch is now available for the first time separately too.
In books this week, a beautiful Special Edition for the nice guy of the Primarchs, Sanguinius: The Great Angel, which is also available in hardcover the same week which is nice! For Age of $igmar readers, there's the paperback of Hallowed Ground, and The Soul Drinkers Omnibus II in paperback for the WH40K fans.

As above, Australian, New Zealand and Japan won't be getting some of the pre-orders this week, so ideally our chance to get our hands on the Nighthaunt - Legion of Grief, Orruk Warclans – Kruleboyz Swamp-lurkers and Stormcast Eternals – Thunderstrike Spearhead Battleforces will have to come later. I'm not saying this was a contributing factor, but Dominion did not sell well in Australia and NZ, so if I was GW and had to choose to work out what to put in a container, these would be ones I would drop for room. It's logical, but also a pity because all three may in fact be the pick of the bunch.
Add three of the Warcry Dice Sets - The Hunters of Huanchi and Jade Obelisk dice which are delayed in Japan and North America, and the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed dice are delayed in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand and it's a bit of a bummer. Japan also has delays with Blood Bowl and Warcry, so a small week for you I'm afraid!
Lastly in the delayed section for today, the Scinari Enlightener from the Lumineth range, available for the first time separately except in Australia, NZ and Japan this week 

In the Wonderful World of Forge World, Horus Heresy is king, and this week we get the Mark VI upgrades for the Night Lords and the Iron Hands.
Night Lords get MK VI Helmets and Shoulder Pads, while their Loyalist Brothers in the Iron Hands also get their new MK VI Helmets and Shoulder Pads.

Whenever there's a two week pre-order window for a big release, you know the next week is going to be something... "classic". Lord of the Rings, Blood Bowl or even Warhammer 40K or Old World Warhammer, and today it's the latter with six minis - some old, and some very old.
First up we have the mini that should probably now be called Mini Archaon as he now has a much bigger rendition, but Archaon, Lord of the End Times (I think his second mini) is a great mini for it's time. It's dynamic, he has a great horse and that thick metal cape is so "classic". For a hand crafted miniature, this surely has to be one of the best. Next up we have the Mounted Chaos Sorcerer, who is riding some sort of horse/ deer making him potentially Slaanesh or Tzeentch - hard to say! An all-time favourite with roots right back to Slaves to Darkness (the original back in the 1980s), the Slaanesh Chaos Lord is everything - cloven feet, chunky shoulders, pink armour, the massive top-knot - Slannesh personified if you're from a certain era. The next mini has an unfortunate paint job, but is actually a very nice miniature. Having converted the Nurgle Chaos Lord into something else he is well worth the time. Now we delve a little lower on the quality scale with the Khorne Chaos Lord - never a high point in the collection of Khorne's finest, and the Tzeentch Chaos Lord with Familiar... what is actually going on here?? 
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Don't forget, this week is the final week to order the Cadia Stands Army Set too. The miniatures will be released separately next year, so if you're desperate, go forth! 

They are here! The long awaited update to the Imperial Guard range, the first of many we are told, but first it's the Cadians. The previous Cadian Shock Troops kit is an old one - venerable, adaptable, ultimately customisable​ - which received a much-needed upgrade in 2021 with an excellent head and weapon sprue being added to the box. And now, in 2022, we have new minis, an updated look, new proportions, and added dynamism (not to mention retaining the multi-part multi-pose nature of the originals as mentioned above) with the launch box set Cadia Stands: Astra Militarum Army Set. Everything you need to start a small force, or supplement your old one, is here - a Command Squad, 20 Cadian Shock Troops, the new Sentinel kit, which can also be built as a Scout or Armoured Sentinel and two Heavy Weapons Ordnance Teams. As with the other launch boxes, there is also the Codex: Astra Militarum, a set of the new Datacards: Astra Militarumand the new Cadian Transfer Sheet (which if you look closely has some markings very reminiscent of the original box way back in the late 80s). With these miniatures not being available until next year. This is also a two week pre-order window, so be aware you won't have it until the end of November. 
The only other miniature release this week is the Goff Rocker, one of those character Ork models you think would have been released in Orktober. Kind of cute, but not amazing, this is on pre-order until January 1st and will be released somewhere within the first half of next year.
Books this week is all Warhammer 40K related; the Cadian Blood Special Edition is yet another amazing looking creation, this one in a fabric cover, one assumes to replicate a Cadian flag. Da Gobbo's Demise in hardback is a new novella featuring everyone's "favourite" green weirdo, along with Witchbringer in paperback, Krieg in paperback, and the second Omnibus of Gaunt's Ghosts: The Victory (Part Two) in paperback. It's also a White Dwarf week with Issue 482 on the shelves this Friday.   

Age of $igmar hasn't had much love recently, so this week there's definitely some of that being sent your way! The brand new Slaves to Darkness Army Set, with 14 brand new multipart minis, a limited edition Battletome, and exclusive warscroll cards is here. This is the first chance you will get to get your hands on the new Daemon Prince (the other build options are better than the one pictured), ten Chaos Chosen and excitingly, three Ogroid Theridons (yes the one with the horn does look a bit weird, but he's plastic so an easy fix!) This is a pretty awesome set and a great addition to the already excellent Slaves to Darkness range. 
You think the Ogroids are big and mean, wait until you get a load of the new Battletome for the Ogor Mawtribes. The Battletome comes in Is That a Foot Between Your Teeth Limited Edition and Showering is Optional Standard Edition. To kick this Battletome off, the Ogor Mawtribes get a new miniature (as frankly all factions should when a new Battletome comes out) with the Bloodpelt Hunter. There's also a new set of heroes with the Maneaters, including The Executioner, who has to be a great model to convert for a Nurgle army. Build your new army, or add to an existing one, with the new Vanguard: Ogor Mawtribes boxed set, theme your rolls with the Ogor Mawtribes Dice Set, and add to your strategy with the Warscroll Cards. Speaking of ​Warscroll Cards, the Sons of Behemat ones have rocked up this week. Away from the obviously evil to the ambiguous power of the Sylvaneth who get their Vanguard boxed set on pre-order this week too.
The Horus Heresy rolls on with the Liber Imperium – The Forces of The Emperor Army Book here to add rules for the Imperial forces that aren't Space Marines. The book includes rules and unit profiles for the Legio Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Divisio Assassinorum, and Solar Auxilia, plus Warlord Traits, a new Reaction for Assassins, and rules for the Tercio and Cohort Doctrines of the Solar Auxilia. There's also rules for the seven Divisio Assassinorum Clade Operatives and everyone's favourite non-Stormcast Golden Boy, Constantin Valdor, the Shield of the Emperor. It's a real shame we haven't seen plastic Imperial Army or Solar Auxilia. These would be amazing additions to the battlefield and are very much wished for from the Community. The Solar Auxilia range is excellent, and in plastic would be a sure winner.
Necromunda is a game, a universe, and seemingly a cult if you go online. A hugely popular game, there's now some more scenery to add to the expanding range with the Promethium Tanks Refuelling Station and the mobile Promethium Tanks on Cargo-8 Ridgehauler Trailer. These will be popular!
In books this week we have a new novel for the Tau Empire with Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter in Limited Edition. There's also three new anthologies - Conquest Unbound: Stories from the Mortal Realms in paperback - 21 short stories from the Mortal Realms, Only War: Stories from the 41st Millennium in paperback - 24 short stories from the 41st Millennium and Inferno! Presents: The Emperor’s Finest in paperback - 12 stories featuring the Space Marines doing what Space Marines do.
Also on pre-order this week, the paperback version of Kragnos: Avatar of Destruction, and the graphic novel of Marvel – Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle.

Meanwhile, Forge World continue their Horus Heresy range with characters including new Assassins! First up is the excellent (I need four) Clade Vanus Infocyte Assassin, the Clade Venenum Assassin, and an assassin who will look familiar to you, the Clade Adamus Assassin, who we have seen in many incarnations over the past 20 or so years.
Away from Assassins it's all about two new Praetors, the Death Guard – Legion Praetor and the rather crushed-looking Death Guard – Legion Cataphractii Praetor.
Away from Horus Heresy, Necromunda has a new upgrade set with the Goliath Ash Wastes Upgrades. Interesting these aren't in plastic as that would go well with the weapons upgrade sets.

No, we didn't forget, there are indeed a bevy of Made To Order for Horus Heresy bits on pre-order this week - let's dive in with the ​Iron Hands first. This week Forge World are offering shoulder pads in Mark II, Mark IV, and Cataphractii, and Mark III torsos for your Iron Hands.
Away from the mechanically-enhanced and on to the purely evil Night Lords, with Mark II and Mark III shoulder pads, and Mark IV torsos.
To add to the pre-order of the new Liber Imperium book this weekend, the Solar Auxilia have some re-released minis too, with the Solar Auxilia Tank Crew, the Solar Auxilia Surgeon-Primus Aevos Jovan and Medicae Orderlies and the Solar Auxilia Rapier Batteries.
​By the Gods - please give us plastic infantry!

The launch of Leagues of Votann has been a rocky one, from a luke-warm reveal to a Codex in a premium deluxe set that was obviously not finalised properly. It's a shame, because this is actually a big deal - a new faction (well sort of)  in the 40K universe does not happen that often! So having the entire range all dumped in one weekend does seem like a knee-jerk reaction to just get it all out there, and the question remains, was a full errata done on the original Codex before gamers go and buy this new one, AND if they do, will there be a tonne of revisions later? It would be disappointing to see the Votann as the first faction to get a Codex in the upcoming 10th Edition if the Community just forked out on this at the tail of 9th Edition.
Speaking of the League of Votann Codex, here it is - of course available in the Hiding in Plain Sight Collectors' Edition or the Long Lost Cousins Standard Edition. Having the whole range appear at  once means a bevvy of new miniatures, so lets dive in with the dynamic Ûthar the Destined/ Kâhl combi-kit. This is a lovely miniature, in fact all versions and packs so much of what the new Leagues of Votann are about all in one mini. This is a must have, and yes, we're a bit obsessed with that power fist! As far as Elites go, the Votann have some good options with the Einhyr Champion and Einhyr Hearthguard bringing heavy armour and melee power, and the Cthonian Beserks doing their best to be the 40K version of Fireslayers, plus the heavy ranged power of the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn who are packing power suits the Imperial Guard would be jealous of! There's also some characters, with Grimnyr, which is again a really beautiful thematic model showing the more "magical" side of the Votann, and Brôkhyr Iron-master with his mini Kastelan Robots.
Need some fast attack? well bring on the Hernkyn Pioneers who have hoverbikes that are very similar to ones that appear in the original Rogue Trader rulebook. Potentially great conversion fodder for Space Marine Scout Squads... The Votann of course need their grunts, and the Hearthkyn Warriors fit that bill nicely. With a variety of weapon and accessory options, they stand out from much of the range in having flexibility for hobbyists. A look at the sprues for the rest of the range shows that the Votann are spread across less sprues and more inline with the new mono-pose aesthetic that Games Workshop seem to be moving towards, sadly. Happily, the Votann do have what looks like a truly great Combat Patrol, which has a strong presence from the range, giving gamers and hobbyists alike a great entry into the faction. There are also two vehicles, the Sagitaur and the beefy Hekaton Land Fortress. Seeing these and the units, it will be interesting to see how they play. Their formations could be compared to Marines in some ways, as are their two vehicles. And as we speak about tabletop, there's also the Votann Datacards and ​Leagues of Votann Dice Set, in lovely transparent orange! Now if all of this floats your boat and you want to go all-in, then the Leagues of Votann Pre-order Collection is for you. Get absolutely all of it in one big hit!
Away from 40K, fans of the Horus Heresy will be pleased to see a second version of the Predator, this time the Deimos Pattern Predator Support Tank with different weapon options. Not sure if this will be amalgamated into one kit at some point, but for now, this is Predator #2!
In books this week, there is the Eisenhorn: The Omnibus in paperback and the paperback version of ​The Successors: A Space Marine Anthology.

The Leagues of Votann saw the return of the much-loved "Squats" to the Warhammer 40,000 universe - and as a far-flung human species out in the great dark of space, did they ally themselves with Xenos powers to survive? Certainly their technology has thrived, showing the lineage from humanity's past but upgraded and advanced from those thousands of years of isolation. However, when looking at the iconography associated with the various League of Votann alliances, there's some very conspicuous symbolism that looks eerily similar.
Knowing that Jes Goodwin puts a lot of thought and work into symbolism, his work with the Eldar and Adeptus Mechanicus are two prime examples, it would seem unusual to have symbols that seem so familiar in the universe mean absolutely nothing, or point us in a direction as a portent of the past and the future.

So that's our theory. Will it see conflict with the Imperium? Will we see Votann troops amongst Tau Fire Warriors or guarding Necron throne worlds while they slumber.
​The Warhammer 40K universe is massive, and potentially up to you - but not all things are as they seem and these potential touch points for drama could be great triggers for campaigns!
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Thanks for reading - and let us know what you think of this idea. 
Not saying it is the intention of the designers at Games Workshop, but it does seem awfully coincidental to have this iconography echo so visibly with these other factions.

Adventure is afoot, and into the Gnarlwood we go with lit torch and keen blade to... to... well to quest! The latest in the never-ending Warhammer Underworlds expansion, Gnarlwood is upon us with two amazing looking warbands - the Darkoath Gnarlspirit Pack warband and the undead Sons of Velmorn warband. These are all amazing minis (especially the Shaman) and will be popular with hobbyists and gamers alike. With this release we also get the Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood Card Sleeves to keep your cards safe and minty. But they're not the only adversaries, Skittershank’s Clawpack and the Shadeborn have entered the Gnarlwood as the Rivals of Nethermaze.
Now if warbands are your thing, then it's the week for you. Unencumbered by those pesky cards and the like, you can now get Khagra's Ravagers, The Crimson Court, Kainan's Reapers, The Starblood Stalkers, Elathain's Soulraid, and Hedkrakka's Madmob as purely mini releases. Very tempting, and keep in mind that this is generally the final incarnation before they are deleted from the range.
In books this week, we have the Dark Imperium Collection Special Edition, which is a bit plain really, the new Grombrindal: Chronicles of the Wanderer in Hardback with a very cool cover, and a new Alpha Legion novel for those cunning skulking so-and-so's, Renegades: Harrowmaster in Hardback. 

Kill Team is at it again, resurrecting a fan-favourite and bringing them to fight games of skirmish. Kill Team: Shadowvaults brings back the elite Imperial Guard, the Kasrkin (or as I always called them, Karsickens), with brand new sculpts giving you not only line infantry, but also the Specialists needed for Kill Team. Disappointingly, their adversary the Necrons only get an upgrade sprue (see below) to some existing minis which seems like a real missed opportunity to see some really niche minis for Kill Team. The launch of Kill Team: Shadowvaults next week also sees the release of Kill Team dice for both the Kasrkin and the Necrons, plus the Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team: Playing Cards that provide cards for combat in a Space Hulk.
Fan of combat on a smaller but grander scale? Well the brand new Matched Play Guide is out for Adeptus Titanicus, which continues to be very hot property for Games Workshop, both with competitive gamers and hobbyists who really want to get deeply into fluff.
It's been a while since GW updated their range of hobby tools, and it looks like they've gone back to making things weird... have a look at the new Citadel Tools: Knife - that does not look comfortable. On the flip side though, the more traditional Super Fine Detail Cutters and what looks like quite an innovative Drill with a little turntable on the top to rest in the palm of your hand - could be worth a try! Meanwhile the tool that does the things a knife does, except cut, the Mouldline Remover gets a more ergonomic handle.
It's been at least a week since we had a dump of old Lord of the Rings models, so here we go... Boromir on horsey-neigh-neigh, Elendil & Isildur (Rings of Power tie-in anyone?) and the Blackroot Vale Commanders. Also this week we have some of what we believe are the best LoTR models released, the thematic Haradrim King, an all-time favourite the Mahûd King (two amazing models), the Mahûd Warrior Warband and the Mahúd Raiders.
Books, there are many this week, including the beautifully presented War of the Fang Special Edition, Kasrkin in hardback, a really interesting sounding one - Void King in hardback, Warhammer Horror's Briardark in paperback and The Twice-dead King: Reign in paperback.
Oh, and it's a White Dwarf week...

Warhammer Day 2022 is here and so far this year it's all 40K, with the Bayard's Revenge mini-diorama up for order this week. It's the 35th Anniversary of Warhammer 40K, so that makes sense, but it's interesting the mini isn't a generic Space Marine and instead a Black Templar... one wonders why.
Speaking of 40K, this week sees the launch of the new Horus Heresy/ 40K Land Raider Proteus, which throws back to the original Warhammer 40K V1 (Rogue Trader) in design. It's a great looking vehicle and can be built with either an assault ramp or the traditional old school dozer blade in Explorator configuration. 
Some "big" (pun intended) releases for Warhammer Age of $igmar this week, with the Sons of Behemat launching their new Battletome - which comes in Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum Limited Edition or Toe Jam Standard Edition. Launching with the Battletome is the huge new King Brodd kit, which not only sees the Sons of Behemat King take to the field, but it's a combi-kit, so you can also choose to make the Beast-smasher Mega-Gargant, Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant, Warstomper Mega-Gargant or Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant from the same box. It's not cheap though, but would all those spare bitz be worth it? The original Mancrusher Gargant is also back, and there's a pretty good deal on the Mancrusher Mob which sees you getting one-ish free if you buy three. Sons of Behemat also get a themed Dice Set.
On the totally other side of the coin, the Battletome for the Lumineth Realm-lords is also on pre-order. These are really beautiful miniatures - trust me, I have been bitten by the bug recently and delved into this force. The Battletome comes in Bling-Bling Limited Edition or Pointy Battleline Standard Edition. There's also a  new Vanguard box for the Lumineth Realm-lords which gives you all you will need for one form of combat, it's only missing the cavalry for the other form. Of course there's also Warscroll Cards and the Lumineth Realm-lords-themed Dice Set.
In books this week, it's more Black Templar goodness with Helbrecht: Knight of The Throne in Hardback.
As with last week, there's some stocking-stuffers for Xmas with the adult sized Roy Lowe: Warhammer 40,000 – Red Imperial Aquila Socks and Blue Imperial Aquila Socks. 

If you can believe it or not, it's been 3 months since the release of the second edition of Warcry, and finally the Warcry: Core Book is available separately outside the Heart of Ghur boxed set. Go forth and adjust your points costs!
An old fan favourite in Blood Bowl are the Amazons, and this week you can pre-order the new Blood Bowl Team, the Kara Temple Harpies. There's also Amazon Team Dice, an Amazon Team Card Pack, and the Amazon Pitch – Double-sided Pitch and Dugouts Set. Spike! Journal Issue 15 is also out this week so you can get all the background and rules on how they play. Hopefully we'll see these Amazon minis in the wider world of Warhammer, maybe as part of the Seraphon refresh expected soon...
Warhammer 4ok hobbyists rejoice, the reboxed Space Marine Heroes are here with the Blood Angels Collection One on their way. Interesting choice to go with Blood Angels since these heads don't really look that angelic or even vampiric for the Successors...
Away from minis (booooo), Starforged have a few stocking stuffers for Xmas with a number of keychains which come in Master-crafted Bolt Rifle, Astra Militarum Lasgun, Chaos Chainaxe, and Ork Choppa - the latter two will be prefect lint collectors in your pockets too! Starforge also have some cool Purity Seal Pin Badges to add to your display cabinet - they come in Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Ultramarines. Interesting there's no Imperial Fists, and we can think of a certain someone who'd be happy for a Black Templars one... 
More stocking stuffer, this time with the Roy Lowe: Warhammer 40,000 – Red Gobbo Socks. We're not sure who Roy Lowe is, but having socks in size 4-6 does relegate this to a kid's item.
Well known pop culture producers Merchoid have some cool Warhammer 40,000 Bauble Tree Decorations, which come in Red Squig (probably the best one), Red Gobbo, and I Ate Too Much Xmas Dinner Ultramarine. There's more, with the Warhammer 40,000 Official 2023 Calendar.
Few books this week with ​Rogal Dorn: The Emperor's Crusader in hardback, a reprinting of Cursed City in Paperback, and a new omnibus, Empire at War in paperback which could be very cool indeed!
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Horus Heresy time with some upgrades from Forge World this week - the almost universally hated Space Wolves MKVI Heads, Space Wolves MKVI Shoulder Pads, the new World Eaters MKVI Heads and their World Eaters MKVI Shoulder Pads. It's such a shame we don't get the globe in the teeth anymore, that was cool.