++ Delivery Fulfillment on Week-of the 25/07/2026 ++
With the new edition here, it's time to bring new people in, update the regulars and provide the Beardies with something to grumble about. We're all Beardies here - slow your roll!
-
The big starter set, far from stretching the imagination of the Games Workshop team is called Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set - up all night with that one! It includes the softcover 88-page Core Rules booklet, a softcover Starter Set Handbook all about the hobby, 2 x double-sided Reference Sheets (army rules, stratagems, enhancements and data sheets for Combat Patrol games), and the miniatures. The minis include 2 complete push-fit Combat Patrols - one Space Marine and one Ork! There are 13 x Space Marines (a Captain with Relic Shield, Librarian, 5 x Intercessors, 5 x Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs and a Land Speeder). There are 33 x Orks (a Warboss, Weirdboy, 20 x Ork Boyz, 10 x Gretchin, and a Wartrakk). There's also plastic push-fit terrain in this set - which I thought was going to be the pre-painted versions, but it's not listed as such, so maybe not. You get 4 x large Manufactorum Ruins, 4 x small Manufactorum Ruins, a Shock Array, Capacitor Stack, 2 x Rockcrete Barricades, a Generator Shrine, and 2 x Galvanic Pylons. There's also 2 foldout cardboard game boards, 2 range rulers, and 10 dice. It's basically a cut down version of the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon boxed set that launched 11th Edition, but for the same price! If you got the rules online and bought Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon, you would be getting more minis - minus the terrain - so decide what's a better deal for you.
The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set, is the Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set, but even smaller. It includes only 12 multipart plastic push-fit miniatures (a Space Marine Lieutenant & 5 x Intercessors, vs. an Ork Nob & 5 x Ork Boyz). This set, however, concentrates more on the hobby rather than the gaming side, with a softcover 48-page handbook, double-sided cardboard playing mat, cardboard terrain, a Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, a transparent plastic range ruler, 6 x D6 dice, and paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, and Orruk Flesh).
Now we have two hobby sets which are interesting in that they help you get started with a faction, whether you play 40K already or not. Warhammer 40,000 Getting Started with Space Marines includes 13 push-fit Space Marines (Captain with Relic Shield, Librarian, 5 x Intercessors, 5 x Vanguard Veterans, and a Land Speeder). It also comes with a softcover 36-page Introductory Booklet, Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, a Texture Spreader and paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, Corax White, Mephiston Red, Wraithbone, Dawnstone, Nuln Oil, and the Astrogranite Texture Paint). Meanwhile the Warhammer 40,000 Getting Started with Orks includes 33 x push-fit Ork miniatures (Warboss, Weirdboy, 20 x Ork Boyz, 10 x Gretchin and a Wartrakk), plus the softcover 44-page Introductory Booklet, Warhammer Colour Starter Brush and Texture Spreader. The paints include Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Runelord Brass, Leadbelcher, Zandri Dust, Wraithbone, Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown, Dawnstone, Agrax Earthshade, and Armageddon Dust Texture Paint.
It's not entirely clear who these sets are for - maybe someone starting out with a faction - maybe someone wanting to get the new minis into their existing faction...? It's a bit strange considering how unbalanced the amount of minis in each set and what's missing from the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box that could have been included. Why didn't they just put the entire contents of each faction in these sets and leave the paints out? It would have been much more popular and had the bonus of add-on paint sales.
Speaking of paint, we have new versions of the sets designed for people just starting the hobby. Space Marines: Intercessors + Paints includes 2 x multipart plastic Space Marines Intercessor miniatures with 6 x Warhammer paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, and Corax White). The Orks: Boyz + Paints is similar, with 3 push-fit Orks - 2 x Ork Boyz and 1 x Gretchin - and 6 paints (Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Zandri Dust, and Corax White). Interesting it's Corax White and not a yellow to make skin highlights mixed into Orruk Flesh.
But wait, there's more, with the new Warhammer 40,000: Paint + Tools set, which includes Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Averland Sunset (there's that Ork skin highlight colour), Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, Corax White, Mephiston Red, Rakarth Flesh, Zandri Dust, Agrax Earthshade, and Armageddon Dust Texture Paint. Interesting there's no Nuln Oil. It also includes a Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, Warhammer Colour Starter Set Clippers and a mouldline scraper.
In books we have Ghosts of Cadia in Hardback and Special Edition (which does actually look really nice), Longshot in Hardback and the Blood Angels-themed The Devastation of Baal in Hardback.
-
Not sure if anyone else is feeling it, but the launch of 11th edition seems to be the most copy-paste boring launch of an edition that I can think of. Maybe it's just us, but there's no personality to this edition, the miniature are incredibly plain and almost like knock-off versions of Games Workshop miniatures. The Space Marine Ancient is really nice, and the Captain and Librarian are fine, but the rest - including the entire Ork range - is just so ordinary and lacking in any anything. Bland, stale, cookie-cutter stuff.
Let us know if you disagree!
-
The big starter set, far from stretching the imagination of the Games Workshop team is called Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set - up all night with that one! It includes the softcover 88-page Core Rules booklet, a softcover Starter Set Handbook all about the hobby, 2 x double-sided Reference Sheets (army rules, stratagems, enhancements and data sheets for Combat Patrol games), and the miniatures. The minis include 2 complete push-fit Combat Patrols - one Space Marine and one Ork! There are 13 x Space Marines (a Captain with Relic Shield, Librarian, 5 x Intercessors, 5 x Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs and a Land Speeder). There are 33 x Orks (a Warboss, Weirdboy, 20 x Ork Boyz, 10 x Gretchin, and a Wartrakk). There's also plastic push-fit terrain in this set - which I thought was going to be the pre-painted versions, but it's not listed as such, so maybe not. You get 4 x large Manufactorum Ruins, 4 x small Manufactorum Ruins, a Shock Array, Capacitor Stack, 2 x Rockcrete Barricades, a Generator Shrine, and 2 x Galvanic Pylons. There's also 2 foldout cardboard game boards, 2 range rulers, and 10 dice. It's basically a cut down version of the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon boxed set that launched 11th Edition, but for the same price! If you got the rules online and bought Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon, you would be getting more minis - minus the terrain - so decide what's a better deal for you.
The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set, is the Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set, but even smaller. It includes only 12 multipart plastic push-fit miniatures (a Space Marine Lieutenant & 5 x Intercessors, vs. an Ork Nob & 5 x Ork Boyz). This set, however, concentrates more on the hobby rather than the gaming side, with a softcover 48-page handbook, double-sided cardboard playing mat, cardboard terrain, a Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, a transparent plastic range ruler, 6 x D6 dice, and paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, and Orruk Flesh).
Now we have two hobby sets which are interesting in that they help you get started with a faction, whether you play 40K already or not. Warhammer 40,000 Getting Started with Space Marines includes 13 push-fit Space Marines (Captain with Relic Shield, Librarian, 5 x Intercessors, 5 x Vanguard Veterans, and a Land Speeder). It also comes with a softcover 36-page Introductory Booklet, Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, a Texture Spreader and paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, Corax White, Mephiston Red, Wraithbone, Dawnstone, Nuln Oil, and the Astrogranite Texture Paint). Meanwhile the Warhammer 40,000 Getting Started with Orks includes 33 x push-fit Ork miniatures (Warboss, Weirdboy, 20 x Ork Boyz, 10 x Gretchin and a Wartrakk), plus the softcover 44-page Introductory Booklet, Warhammer Colour Starter Brush and Texture Spreader. The paints include Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Runelord Brass, Leadbelcher, Zandri Dust, Wraithbone, Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown, Dawnstone, Agrax Earthshade, and Armageddon Dust Texture Paint.
It's not entirely clear who these sets are for - maybe someone starting out with a faction - maybe someone wanting to get the new minis into their existing faction...? It's a bit strange considering how unbalanced the amount of minis in each set and what's missing from the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box that could have been included. Why didn't they just put the entire contents of each faction in these sets and leave the paints out? It would have been much more popular and had the bonus of add-on paint sales.
Speaking of paint, we have new versions of the sets designed for people just starting the hobby. Space Marines: Intercessors + Paints includes 2 x multipart plastic Space Marines Intercessor miniatures with 6 x Warhammer paints (Abaddon Black, Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, and Corax White). The Orks: Boyz + Paints is similar, with 3 push-fit Orks - 2 x Ork Boyz and 1 x Gretchin - and 6 paints (Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Zandri Dust, and Corax White). Interesting it's Corax White and not a yellow to make skin highlights mixed into Orruk Flesh.
But wait, there's more, with the new Warhammer 40,000: Paint + Tools set, which includes Abaddon Black, Orruk Flesh, Averland Sunset (there's that Ork skin highlight colour), Macragge Blue, Mournfang Brown, Leadbelcher, Retributor Armour, Corax White, Mephiston Red, Rakarth Flesh, Zandri Dust, Agrax Earthshade, and Armageddon Dust Texture Paint. Interesting there's no Nuln Oil. It also includes a Warhammer Colour Starter Brush, Warhammer Colour Starter Set Clippers and a mouldline scraper.
In books we have Ghosts of Cadia in Hardback and Special Edition (which does actually look really nice), Longshot in Hardback and the Blood Angels-themed The Devastation of Baal in Hardback.
-
Not sure if anyone else is feeling it, but the launch of 11th edition seems to be the most copy-paste boring launch of an edition that I can think of. Maybe it's just us, but there's no personality to this edition, the miniature are incredibly plain and almost like knock-off versions of Games Workshop miniatures. The Space Marine Ancient is really nice, and the Captain and Librarian are fine, but the rest - including the entire Ork range - is just so ordinary and lacking in any anything. Bland, stale, cookie-cutter stuff.
Let us know if you disagree!
RSS Feed