Well, to be frank it's a pretty uninteresting week...
We have the new boxed game, Fury of the Deep, which is pretty good value if you like both armies, plus it comes with two new leader models.  
While we're on the nautical theme, the new Warhammer Underworlds Harrowdeep crew is here - Blackpowder's Buccaneers - which includes a monkey and a parrot. This set goes down as the 'groan release' in the last Warhammer reveal thing they do. It's just stupid. But if you are into Warhammer Underworlds the Illusory Might Universal Deck is coming next week so that will add to your arsenal.
The "We're Not Trying Award" goes to the new Aeronautica Imperialis – Companion, which is actually a handy expansion with the White Dwarf rules for Necrons, Asuryani, Adeptus Astartes, Imperial Navy, T'au Air Caste (and human auxiliaries) and Orks. But have a look at that cover - yawn!! With rumours that one of the Specialist Games is being axed this year, maybe it's going to be this one.
What have Nurgle Blood Bowl players been playing with all this time if it's taken this long to get their Team Card Pack to them? Well it's coming next week, as is the Blood Bowl Nurgle Team Dice and the Nurgle Pitch – Double-sided Pitch and Dugouts Set.
In books there's the Harrowdeep novel in hardback that includes three novellas, and the End of Enlightenment in paperback for the Lumineth fans.

So here we are, with the first two Codex for 2022 - and two fan favourites, the Adeptus Custodes and Genestealer Cults.
Lets' start with the Golden Boys who for a while dominated the gaming tables, so this release will be keenly awaited by Custodes fans. The ​Codex come in two flavours; the Shiny Shiny Love Children Collectors' Edition (which for the price should really have gold coloured page edges) and of course the At The Emperor's Pleasure Standard Edition. There are of course the Adeptus Custodes Datacards and Dice as well. Not sure how to paint red and gold? Well GW make it so much easier with this exciting Adeptus Custodes Parade Ready Paint Bundle.
With the current 40K storyline seeing the Genestealer Cult infestation of Terra, who else pops up this week but those sneaky sneaky Genestealer Cults. These guys also get their Codex which comes in More Arms = More Hugs Limited Edition and Purple Forever Standard Edition. Again, why the Limited Edition doesn't have purple edged pages, we do not know, but it would be a very cool feature. Never one to be left behind, the Genestealer Cults also get Datacards and some very attractive dice. With a more nuanced look than their Imperial adversary, the Genestealer Cults Parade Ready Paint Bundle may actually be more handy to have. In fact swapping out the purples you could use this as a good basis for Necromunda civilians too.
Meanwhile, humanity in the Mortal Realms is also in danger with the release of Bawla and Burk, Boss Rat-Killas. Sadly this is the first new Skaven model we've seen for a while, and it's just his head. To be fair though, this is a lovely model that's full of character.
In books this week we have the next in the Twice-dead King series, with Reign on pre-order - coming in both Special Edition and Hardback. The Necrons are truly fascinating and the characters they have invented to head up these armies are great. If you haven't read any Necrons stuff, do! You will get thoroughly sucked into their courtly disputes and interesting backstories. I must admit I didn't pick up the first one because it had a lot to do with Flayed-Ones and I hate those guys, but now I wish I'd grabbe3d the earlier one to go with this one... Hopefully they will release a nice Special Edition Omnibus. The next Warhammer Crime novel is also on the way, with yet another excellent cover, this time it's The Bookkeeper's Skull in Hardback.
Next week also sees the fourth issue of Marvel: Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle comic. 
Now, one of the very big releases this week - but it's pretty niche - is the final Primarch in Forge World's series to depict the 18 leaders of the Legions during the Horus Heresy. This time it is the mighty and somewhat mysterious Jaghatai Khan, Primarch of The White Scars Legion. By Games Workshop's own admission, both the Primarch and the Legion have not been that well explored. There have been a few books (Scars is a notable example) that give us some idea, but the Primarch himself is somewhat of a mystery. Even the Horus Heresy black book that talks about them shows them as a bit of a confusing enigma, bringing in very different looking and sounding Chapters into the one Legion. Now the model itself is sort of interesting. There has been a lot of talk about how he's not on a bike, or doesn't come with bike legs as an option. To us that's the least confusing part; if you compare him to the rest of his Legion he actually doesn't match. They have a very Japanese/ Korean look to them, while he looks more Mongolian. The cultural influences for the White Scars have been long up for debate - it's obviously northern Asian, but where. In reality it probably doesn't matter, but it dopes help when trying to find a visual reference when trying to paint them. Anyway, suffice to say we're not huge fans of this one - despite his importance - in fact his base may be the most interesting bit.

Well Happy New Year. Here we are in 2022 with hopes for a much better year than 2021, and not just with hobby!
2022 starts off with Games Workshop splitting the Combat Patrol: Orks, and charging more for the content - maybe not the best move by them - but still it allows us to get some of the contents if you don't want them all. 
First off is the Warboss in Mega Armour, a fantastic push-fit zero-option model. He's big, he's mean and he'd look great peeling Primaris open with his big axe. GW have been doing a great job with Ork sculpts in 2021, and the new Boyz are just one example. Unfortunately these are also push fit, almost zero-option minis, but as a bonus do come with an amazing Boss Nob model. Also from the Combat Patrol are the Deffkoptas, giving the Orks some swift aerial punching power. Also listed this week is the Ork Warboss with Attack Squig. Unfortunately this link is producing a Generic Error, so not sure if the URL is faulty or the mini is actually not available this weekend, suffice to say it's a very nice model nd ideally they'll get their act together soon to have it on offer. 
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So before we leave you, lets have a look at the value of this week's offerings (in NZ dollars):
If you bought the minis individually (Warboss in Mega Armour, Boyz and Deffkoptas) = $279 NZD
If you bought the Combat Patrol: Orks (Warboss in Mega Armour, 2 units of Boyz, Deffkoptas and a Deff Dread)  = $280 NZD
So our advice; if you're hovering over buying this week's releases (minus the Boss with the Squig) buy the Combat Patrol: Orks and save $188 NZD!

Christmas greetings from Beardy Hammer to you and yours. Hope you have the time to spend with them. after what has been a really crappy year. Even if you don't have the time or a group around, here's hoping that you can take some time to rest and enjoy the end of this trash-fire of a year!
Now the Christmas of 2021 has ended with a bit fo a whimper from Games Workshop. In years past we tended to have Battleforce boxes, or lots of little bit of merchandise or tools. Well in 2021 we got all of that earlier, and with the Horus Heresy box stubbornly not appearing, we're left with one of the oddest releases for some time - the forces of Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition. This was the first run of the modern incarnation of plastic Space Marines and the very first plastic appearance of the Dark Eldar. With retro being in, that's kind of cool, but having a look at the Dark Eldar models today really does show us how far was have come in 25 years. Cute idea, and fi they came in the original 3rd Edition box that might be cool, but even talk in the Dark Eldar Community groups across social media is that the troops sucked but the vehicles are what everyone loved. Maybe we might see those sprout up again too, but more likely this is GW testing out a new factory for a large-ish scale production run or something like that. Look, if these tickle your fancy, then Made to Order: Old Enemies is only available this week, so grab them while you can.

Meanwhile the annual Advent Calendar reveal was an interesting one, with new Asuryani and some Chaos Space Marines. This would have been a really cool way to launch Slaaneshi Space Marines, being the natural enemy of all Aeldari, but they went with Black Legion unfortunately. 
The Asuryani minis are interesting, with an Autarch that offers some great weapon and armour options, plus new Rangers and a new Shroud Runner jetbike especially for fast attack Rangers. Building on the Harlequin double-rider look (the one we used to make Dark Eldar versions), these look amazing.
The Chaos Space Marines have a new Warpsmith, who looks great and a nice basis for many conversions, and five Chaos Chosen, who have a lot of interesting detailing! They also get the old Maulerfiend in the set.
Overall a nice set, so we'll see what else it has, but very keen for new Eldar releases.

All the Games Workshop elves are busy helping Santa this weekend, so there's no pre-orders, but we did get a pretty solid preview of the next line-up of Joy Toy action figures. Not only are there new Primaris - this time Space Wolves, but Chaos gets a look-in with Chaos Marines, Chaos Terminators and a Chaos Lord. The Chaos Terminators have helmeted and unhelmeted head options which will give variety to your growing Chaos horde.
As you may have read previously here, we are big fans of Joy Toy, and although there can be production delays (as we are seeing with the Incursor release), their products are high quality and much better than the McFarlane's rubbish that's being thrown out into the fandom. Unlike McFarlane, these figures are 1:18 scale (approximately GI Joe or Star Wars sized) and have great articulation, with double knee and elbow movement, rotating shoulder joits, ankles and more. They can be a little fragile, so these aren't for the kids, but for the rest of us this is a welcome addition to the action figure collection!

It's pretty safe to say that the pricing around Age of $igmar is pretty inconsistent, at least in the southern hemisphere. This week sees the release of two sets from the Dominion boxed set that ushered the release of the new edition of Age of $igmar. The box did not sell well, in fact going on special on the Games Workshop webstore within months of the release. 3rd party retailers were selling it anywhere from 40-60% off just to offload it. It's not a bad set, it just may not be what people wanted. Suffice to say, that boxed set reached saturation point in the market, and this week we see that box being split up into (roughly) command squads. The thing is, the price of one command squad (five miniatures) is almost the same price as when the entire Dominion boxed set was on sale. We paid $203 for the Dominion boxed set, and here come two five-mini sets for $180. There were 30 miniatures in Dominion. GW need to cut their losses with this release and let it fade away, or be realistic and offer these sets for $50, which is actually a fair price considering the lackluster performance of Dominion. This pricing strategy is crazy, and frankly unethical on the Community. If GW want loyalty from customers, treat us with respect. We are all used to paying big money - it's the price of admission for the hobby - but the pricing on these small sets is a slap in the face. And now... on with the show!

This week sees the Imperium in danger. Terra has been infiltrated by the Genestealer Cults, and who better to fix this law and order issue than the Emperor's very elite personal guards, the Custodes. The new Shadow Throne boxed set, which includes a new Custodes Blade Champion and Genestealer Cults Reductus Saboteur (both awesome models), tells this story. Interestingly, if GW were ever going to release Adeptus Arbites, this would have been the set. Potentially a missed opportunity as this would have been a big tick in the fan-favourite request box, but let's see how this goes... Meanwhile in the Age of $igmar, Nurgle is back to ruin everyone's day with the new Battletome, Maggotkin of Nurgle, which comes in Fly Blight Limited Edition and Pestilent Boils Standard Edition. This edition sees a new ​Rotbringer Sorcerer mini, which is a little boring until you see the alternate fly head, which is so cool and could turn me to the Oozing Side of the Force and make Plague Marines with those heads. As usual, we have the Warscroll Cards plus the Maggotkin of Nurgle Dice Set and an army set, the Vanguard: Maggotkin of Nurgle.
As we spoke about at the top, the Dominion boxed set is being split up, with the Thunderstrike Command
and the Kruleboyz Boss-Krew now available. Honestly, these will be available in an army box at some point - don't buy this and encourage them.
In books we have the new Imperial Guard Volpone Glory novel that comes in lovely Special Edition, or standard hardback. There's also the Crimson Fists Omnibus in paperback, which as a Rogue Trader hobbyist, does appeal! Also next week is White Dwarf 471, so if you need something to line the budgie cage with, pick that up!

There was talk it wasn't going to happen this year, but here we are and the internet is wrong - who knew? Yes the seasonal Battleboxes are upon us, and they certainly do vary in their offerings.
Pick of the bunch for us is the Orks: Killdakka Warband with a combination of new and old models, a string HQ and a flexible flyer. These new infantry models are awesome. Probably next would be the Necrons: Worldscour Legion, which doesn't really suit the name, but some great minis, just needs more Warriors. Fan fave but a bit disappointing in the offerings is the 
​Adeptus Mechanicus: Omnissiah's Talon. Just misses the pizzazz factor, but good for bitz if that is your want and desire. Very solid offering, but typical is the Space Marines: Shieldbreaker Strike Force. Lovely minis, but nothing too special. It is however (like the Orks) a true standalone force. Disappointing is the Adepta Sororitas: Purgatos Mission which is heavy in Support elements, but light on minis. Equally so the 
Death Guard: Plaguefester Warband.
Fear not, Age of $igmar doesn't miss out with the very cool Soulblight Gravelords – Revenant Legion taking the flag for us. Some more skeletons would have been nice over two lots of zombies, but tactically it's a good choice. For pure beauty and hitting power the Lumineth Realm-lords – Vanari Shining Host is a top pick too. These are beautiful minis! The Hedonites of Slaanesh – Sybarite Blade-carnival, equally lovely, but maybe needed something more. Lastly the much-unloved Ossiarch Bonereapers – Mortisan Tithe-echelon which really is just the releases we saw for them. This is pretty disappointing, in fact the whole way GW has handled them has been pretty poor. They're nice minis but they have been woefully under loved, rarely seen in interesting colour schemes and seem to be rotting on the vine.
Last but not least, Middle-earth gets the Rohan™ Stronghold set, which really is pretty expensive for what you get, considering you need to get more walls just to surround the houses. Maybe two less houses and two more wall sets would have been smarter.

Later update today due to being away with work, and it's interesting to see what sells out quickly doing this 12 hours after pre-orders open on this side of the world. Necromunda trumps dragons it seems!
Speaking of which, this week sees the coming of those mythical creatures to the world of Age of $igmar. The big boy of the release is the Krondys, Son of Dracothion/ Karazai the Scarred combi-kit. A truly sizeable kit, this offers two main variants of Draconith hero. As much as this is a nice kit, for us these are the true winners; the Stormdrake Guard/ Knight-Draconis combi-kit. This is a great looking kit, with again limited variants, but this is sure to be a hit. Damn Stormcast keep getting better and better!
From high Fantasy to the darkest of places in the Necromunda Underhive with this week's release of the new Necromunda: Book of the Outcast expansion. This lets you field what would have once been called the Scum Gangers. Always a very cool part of the story, and with this release here's hoping the Upper Hive gangs aren't far behind. A nice addition for this release is the Underhive Outcasts Gang, which supposedly has lots of weapon options, but they don't seem that evident by the sprues. Interesting aside here - these are now listed as No Longer Available... New terrain for Necromunda too, with the Zone Mortalis: Underhive Market. Very keen on this for an upcoming project! There is of course the themed Necromunda: Underhive Outcasts Gang Tactics Cards, and curiously this is now listed as No Longer Available too!
Remember that one scene in Lord of the Rings in Balin's Tomb? Well you can now play that one scene, over and over again. Why? I mean if this was part of a string of releases where you could join them all together and have a huge narrative arc, then cool, but this does not seem to be that. Still it comes with the core minis and that's cool!
​Blood Bowl, you sneaky thing you, has a whole new incarnation - Space Hulk. No, seriously, Hero Quest. NOOO! It's called Dungeon Bowl and it's Blood Bowl... but in a dungeon! Other Blood Bowl things on show this week include the Goblin Pitch – Double-sided Pitch and Dugouts Set, Goblin Team Dice Set and of course the Goblin Team Card Pack. 
​Last week was a Made To Order weekend, and not wanting to be left out, this weekend we get some classic Chaplain sculpts for your Space Marines. These are actually nice models, so if you want to get the Chaplain with Crozius and Bolt Pistol, Chaplain with Crozius and Plasma Pistol, Chaplain with Crozius and Power Fist or the Chaplain with Skull Helmet, then start ordering!
Speaking of dudes in black, if you got all excited about the Black Templars the other week, then this week you can pick up the Black Templars Parade Ready Paint Bundle and start painting!
In book pre-orders this week, the rather splendid looking Forges of Mars Special Edition Boxed Set Collection is upon us, as is the rather less impressive but available Steel Tread in paperback.
Now who doesn't love stupid trinkets? GW sure does, so this week you can order these new Starforged products - Bolt Round Keyring, Imperial Aquila Purity Seal Pin Badge, Sigmarite Shield Keyring, Ultramarines Ultima Storm Shield Keyring, Khornate Shield Keyring or ​Melta Bomb Keyring. Never have your keys been so dangerous, or so imbued with nerd cred!

This morning Games Workshop released a statement on Warhammer Community, making their previous statements about inclusivity and zero tolerance for extremism in the Community pale into insignificance. We weren't aware of the root of this, but thankfully a reader sent us the context - this - which shone a light on the explicit nature of extremism in the hobby. Now for most of us, we are probably far away from this either geographically or in terms of our experience, but as the Australian Federal Police have said, violent Right Wing Extremism is the fastest growing form of TERRORISM they are seeing. That transposed onto Europe must be in the magnitude of multitudes, a Europe that suffered greatly under this specific brand of extremism. What is quite extraordinary is GW giving us a very explicit view of the universe we visit in the hobby. They have set the stage so it is abundantly clear that WH40K is about life and conflict in an oppressive state built on zealotry dictated by a bureaucracy that is divining guidance from a corpse. Beardys will understand the inherent satire that has always been part of the universe, and we wonder if this statement will stick. 
You will notice I've chosen to use the word "extremism" here, as this could apply to any extremism (religious, political etc) but we're talking Nazis. Those losers who still follow a regime that lost their fight and their appeal because it was fundamentally flawed. The inherent nature of we as humans is about fairness and justice not oppression and genocide.

It's a Made To Order this week, with the Warhammer Commemorative Series: Holga Clovenhorn making a reappearance. This is a really cool model with one of the best faces in Warhammer today. Great model, steep price, but ultimately tempting, despite that stupid horn!
The undisputed stars of Made To Order are the Lord of the Rings/ Middle-earth range and this week we see probably the nicest set out of the entire older range, The White Council reappear. This is an awesome set, have a look at those likenesses! Less exciting are the Mirkwood Elf Captains, Thranduil, the Elvenking, Kârdush the Firecaller, Twilight Ringwraiths.
Meanwhile in Forge World-land, the Van Saars get one of the oddest anime-inspired powersuits with the Van Saar Arachni-rig. To us it looks unstable, but the far future is a weird and wonderful place for technology. Also for Van Saar this week are two great looking models, the Van Saar Champions in Mesh and Flak Armour and something a little weirder, the ​Van Saar Champion in Carapace Armour with Cyberachnids.

Black Templars get some reinforcements from last week with some great looking minis and a brand new Black Templars Codex, which comes in Cleanse the Populace Collector's Edition or Back in Black  Standard Edition.
Led by the new Primaris-ed High Marshal Helbrecht, an amazing model with so much presence, we also see the return of the Black Templars' very own Chaplain Grimaldus (also Primaris-ed by the look of him) & his Retinue.
A Black Templars force wouldn't be a force without a Black Templars Marshal, and what a cool model it is with optional heads and weapons. John Blanche's rotund Black Templars Castellan comes to life as well, plus the much-hyped Emperor's Champion. Taking up the elite slot we have the Black Templars Sword Brethren, robed for your ocular pleasure. There's also the Primaris Crusader Squad and the rather nice Black Templars: Upgrades and Transfers set. Like the look of the Black Templars? Well dive into the Combat Patrol: Black Templars which comes with a nice collection of models from the new range. There are of course the standard Datacards and Black Templars Dice Set, plus if you want to go all out, then there are a few collections too - the High Marshal's Collection, the Black Templars Army Box Reinforcements Collection and the Sword Brethren Collection.
Like Space Marines and feel like some zealotry in your force? Well go no further than this new plastic ​Space Marines Chaplain, who - like almost all the Black Templars - is trying to stab the sky...
It's a ​White Dwarf week, with issue 470 on the shelves next week, plus a new Iron Snakes novel, Urdesh: The Magister and the Martyr in hardback, and in mech there's the Koyo: Warhammer Age of Sigmar – Mystery Faction Pin Badge.
++ Heads Up - The Black Templars all have a November 26th release date on them ++

The launch of Warcry: Red Harvest not only sees two awesome, diverse and dynamic factions, but also a large set of new (and some would say very situationally-specific) scenery. These two new factions will be popular, so it will be interesting to see how this sells, especially at this quite high price point.
Warhammer 40K sees the conclusion of the Octarius War with Critical Mass which includes rules for Blood Axes Orks, Rogue Trader crews, and the Speed Mob Army of Renown. Rules for Rogue Trader crews is really interesting, its a pity it's stuck in this book and not it's own supplement. War Zone Octarius: Book 2 – Critical Mass comes in Collector's Edition and Standard Edition, plus there's also a set of Critical Mass Dice.
The Necromunda Weapons & Upgrades continue to roll out, this time with Cawdor. From what I've seen most people seem to use Cawdor to convert into other things (like Skitarii) so be interesting to see how these go. Must admit we're very keen for an Enforcers Weapons & Upgrades set!
Like Warcry, Blood Bowl adds another layer to the world of Warhammer Age of $igmar, this week adding the second Khorne team - The Skull-tribe Slaughterers - to the ranks. The first is of course the venerable Chaos Chosen Doom Lords. THis new Khornate team sees the addition of Khorne Team Dice, a Team Card Pack plus the very skull-adorned Khorne Team Double-sided Pitch and Dugouts Set. The next edition of Spike! Journal is out too, with Issue 13 (13 for Khorne, how appropriate) out next week.
The last mini release for this week is the Da Red Gobbo and Bounca, all Xmas-ed up and ready to bounce down your chimney and into your heart! The Red Gobbo also has a new novel out this week with Da Gobbo's Revenge in hardback.
In other book news, Space Wolves focused The Wolftime is coming in Special Edition and paperback,  
Marvel: Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle Comic #3 is coming next week, and last but not least is the Black Library Advent Calendar 2021 packed with 24 lovely black library prints.

Warhammer Day brings us some great releases this year, with something for almost everyone! The exclusive miniatures this year are the Primaris Lieutenant with Storm Shield and Vampire Lord Anasta Malkorion. Both lovely models, with the vamp coming with an alternate arm and the Primaris coming with a helmeted head option. He would make an amazing standard bearer let me add!
The main release this week, however, is the next installment of Kill Team - Kill Team: Chalnath, bringing fledgling Adepta Sororitas up against advanced scouts of the Tau Empire. Seeing Tau getting love so early was initially very exciting, but on closer inspection it's really just an extra sprue added to the existing Tau Pathfinders kits (see below). One would assume that will make it's way into the set at some point anyway. Chalnath also includes some older scenery that was discontinued, so grab it while you can! Of course this release also sees two dice sets, one for the Tau Empire and one for the Adepta Sororitas.   
Also getting some love this week is Adeptus Titanicus in the form of the Adeptus Titanicus: Traitor Legios book and the massive Warmaster Iconoclast Heavy Battle Titan. This is a great kit to build and paint. I thoroughly enjoyed making mine and it looks amazing alongside the rest of the models. As Titan Legions go, the Traitors have some of the most complicated heraldry, so thankfully there's some decal sheets coming out too - one each for Legio Fureans, Legio Krytos, and Legio Tempestus.
I you enjoy this scale, then Aeronautica Imperialis could be for you with the very first appearance of a plastic Thunderhawk Gunship and their smaller cousins the Fire Raptors. Have a feeling a lot of these will end up as scenery in Titanicus games... 
We all love hobby supplies - and we have some this week that will surprise. First up is the Citadel Painting Handle XL, very handy for the large models which are a pain to try to hold and not break while painting. There's also the Citadel Colour Assembly Stand (which is just weird), the Citadel Colour Spray Stick and a brand new one, the Citadel Colour Sub-assembly Holder allowing you to glue small bits to and then paint. A few people have said this just replicates using old sprue, but we'd be keen to try this. 
In books we have Inferno! Presents: The Inquisition and the paperback of Stormvault.
Horus Heresy is getting some love lately from Forge World after a storm of criticism from the Community. This week it's the Trump-faced Remus Ventanus. This is a striking miniature, and if you use the helmeted option a pretty perfect miniature!

Did someone say "Middle Earth"? No?? Well you're getting some anyway with the rerelease of some of the early Lord of the Rings minis. Lórien Elf Commanders, Galadhrim Elf Commanders, Castellans of Dol Guldur, Spiders of Middle-earth, Ringwraiths of Angmar, Thráin the Broken and Gandalf the Grey, Wood Elf Sentinels, Vanquishers of the Necromancer, The Spider Queen of Mirkwood all make a reappearance!

Alrighty - well here we are with the Tau Pathfinders from Kill Team: Chalnath. This was an exciting glimpse of something new for Tau players, but on closer inspection, this is really housed all on one sprue. So the question is, will it be packaged in with the existing Tau Pathfinders kit from 2017 at some pint - like the upgrade sprue for the Imperial Guard - or will it only live in this box - and are you willing to take the risk? The other thing about this set is that it effectively makes the rules for Tau in the Kill Team Compendium null and void (wasn't that a good purchase? NO!!) with this sprue and the rules giving you the same classes that the Orks and Krieg dudes have in the recent Kill Team release. Seeing this coming, our Tau Kill Team already had planned for the classes to be brought across to all factions, so a lot of kitbashing has made this sprue not really worth the money, despite the cool bits...

Well here we go again, new Stormcast Eternals, blah blah blah, yawn! Bust wait, what's this? Are these miniatures actually holding our attention? Are these... good? Well, it seems the evolution of the Stormcast Eternals has truly happened. First premiering in Age of $igmar: Dominion, now we get to buy the minis in a more economical and poseable way, plus we get some new heroes! First shiny-boi off the block is the afore-mentioned Lord-Commander Bastian Carthalos - Sigmar's right-hand man, now a battlefield presence. Great looking model with awesome looking helmet and weapon options. He shadowed by a dodgy looking character, the Knight-Relictor, another great looking character model. Both of these guys would be flanked in battle by the Praetors, shiny dudes and dudettes who will slap you back to Christmas 1988. Sadly these are push-fit, but maybe one day there will be proper ones. We also have new troops - the Vanquishers, Vigilors (with some awesome head options), the Vindictors and last but not least, the Annihilators/ Annihilators with Meteoric Grandhammers combi-kit!
Into Fantasy but prefer the swampy feel? Well the Man-Skewer Boltboyz and Hobgrot Slittaz may be more your cup of tea. Both from the Age of $igmar: Dominion box (still available) these are also push-fit kits. 
Middle-earth gets a few newies too - with the lovely Witch-king of Angmar (who comes both mounted and on foot - an awesome idea for character models), some great scenery with the Ruins of Dol Guldur, and some of the nicest dice we have seen for a while - the Dol Guldur and Angmar Dice Sets. These releases come off the back of the new Fall of the Necromancer expansion.
In books this week we have The Accursed now in paperback.
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​It may look like we're missing some stuff this week, but Australian and New Zealand customers are having some products delayed, so scroll down for more if you're lucky enough to be out of this region.

Three cool releases from Forge World this week - Blood Bowl Star Players - Kreek ‘the Verminator’ Rustgouger and Wilhelm Chaney. Adeptus Titanicus also gets a new Titan, the ​Mechanicum Acastus Knight Asterius. Strange choice to do this in resin, when they could just gassed it around the plastic version.

Two products on the international releases this week, but not on the Australia/New Zealand schedule are the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Chibi Advent Calendar and ​Koyo Faction Pin Badges Series 2. We were originally pretty jazzed about the advent calendar... and then we saw the price!

Everyone's favourite Age of $igmar off-shoot, Warhammer Underworlds has a new expansion - Harrowdeep with two new units, Xandire's Truthseekers and Da Kunnin' Krew which builds on the recent swampy Orcs aesthetic. If you buy this through the GW webstore, you'll also get the Warhammer Underworlds: Harrowdeep Acrylic Token Set. Games Workshop have also relisted some of the warbands Nurgle's The Wurmspat  (with the fan-favourite Plumed Pointy Stick Guy), Slaanesh's The Dread Pageant, those pesky Skaeth’s Wild Hunt Wood Elves, ghoulish Grymwatch, Rippa's Snarlfangs, the heavily armoured Morgok’s Krushas, Myari’s Purifiers, the frankly spectacular Morgwaeth's Blade-coven, Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers, and the surprisingly characterful Beastmen of Grashrak’s Despoilers.
In the world of 40K, War Zone Octarius expands with Book 1: Rising Tide, which comes in Collector's Edition or Standard Edition and includes rules for Tyranids, Deathwatch, and Astra Militarum. There's also the Crusade Mission Pack: Containment with 21 brand new Planetstrike missions for Crusade campaign games, new Stratagems, Battle Traits and Agendas. There's also the pretty purple War Zone Octarius: Rising Tide Dice Set.
Some Citadel Colour scenics hit the shelves next week with the Mordian Corpsegrass and Verdia Veldt Tufts. Interesting to se how these weigh up against the Gamer Grass tufts, which are excellent!
Marvel have the next Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle Issue 2 out and we forgot this last week, but the paperback of Mortis - The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra Book 5 is out! Sorry about that.

In the world of Forge World, Horus Heresy seems to be slowly back on the boil - despite the delay in the books as promised last week - with the Sons of Horus Legion Praetor and a rerelease of the ​Legion MKIV Destroyer Squad. No word if the Destroyers have been retooled, but this is a nice scheme on them.

The Black Templars have been a favourite of many for a long time. The black-clad, robe-wearing exemplars of justice and piety striding forth to serve the Emperor's justice. Really they're the Space Marine version of the Sisters of Battle - looking forward to getting flamed for that! Well the launch box for the Black Templars in this version of Warhammer 40K is here with the Black Templars Army Set sporting 12 new models, all Primaris-ed up, including some Scouts/ Initiates. The set also comes with the cards, a Codex and more. Similar pricing to the Sisters of Battle box, these minis and are also multi-pose which is awesome! 
Away from 40K, there's two legacy Blood Bowl releases - the Amazon Team and the Tomb Kings Team, both of which deserve an update in the current game. It's really odd that GW haven't done more with Amazons, especially considering her popularity of Escher in Necromunda. 
Next week is also a White Dwarf week, so if need to fill your recycling bin, here's an opportunity! 

With a slow week in the world of Games Workshop, Forge World have brought out two new sets for Aeronautica Imperialis - the Adeptus Astartes Ground Assets and the Aeldari Ground Assets.

The recent release of the JOY TOY Space Marines Ultramarines Incursors and Vanguard Space Marines Ultramarines Infiltrators Action Figures has caused a bit of a storm - actual well produced Games Workshop action figures, well that's a nice change! 
Well you'll be happy to know there's more on the way. Courtesy of the MiniWars blog we have these pictures of the upcoming Blood Angels units, and they look pretty amazing.

Aeronautica Imperialis has been a fun little distraction for hobbyists, and with talk that both Adeptus Titanicus and this little game of little planes may be wrapping up in 2022, the release of the new expansion, Wrath of Angels has come as a rather nice event. Sporting Space Marine and Aeldari/ Asuryani planes, this is sure to be popular, especially with the level of lovely detail.
Also available separately from the set are the planes themselves, with the Asuryani Nightwing Squadron (which sports optional variable wing positions) and the Asuryani Phoenix Bomber Squadron really standing out in terms of detail and aesthetic. Of course they also get the Aircraft and Aces – Asuryani Cards and a wraithbone-inspired Asuryani Dice Set. Everyone's favourite xenophobic armoured thugs also get a go with the Adeptus Astartes Xiphon Interceptor Squadron and Storm Eagle Squadron out too, supported by the Adeptus Astartes Cards and Dice Set. There's also the Outer Reaches Area of Engagement Board to use your existing aircraft on, and the older Imperial Navy & Ork Air Waaagh! Ground Assets have been rereleased after a bit of a hiatus.
It was only a few weeks ago that we have the Orlock Weapons Upgrades for Necromunda, well this well we have Van Saar Weapons & Upgrades. Not as big a fan of these, but I'm sure they will have their fans.
After seeing the JOYTOY action figures last week, the crappy McFarlane Toys action figures are looking pretty naff (don't say we didn't tell you), but this week we get the Adepta Sororitas The Order of the Bloody Rose Battle Sister, Necrons Flayed One, and Necrons Flayed One Artists' Proof Action Figures. 
Books books, many books with the very nicely presented new The Twice-dead King: Ruin in green-bound pages Special Edition or the standard Hardback. There's also the ​Silent Hunters in Paperback and some Hardback Horus Heresy books; The Path of Heaven, The Silent War, Angels of Caliban, Praetorian of Dorn and Corax. 
Merchandising - what a blast, and now we move into the realm of plushies... Do you like Nurgle? DO you want to hug Nurgle? Well you can enjoy this little cutie, the KOYO Warhammer 40,000 Nurgling Plush.
With the UK opening up after COVID, tickets are back for Warhammer World, so you can get the Warhammer World Exhibition Dioramas Book Bundle or just go for one of the different tickets available. Fun and games for the whole family!

This week sees the big Boyz in the new beasty-Orks range, with the commanders out in force in what is a really nicely detailed kit. The Mozrog Skragbad/ Beastboss on Squigosaur combi-kit is deceptively large and both the rider options are awesome - one more tribal and the other heavily augmented. Probably the biggest vehicle kit GW has released in some years, the Kill Rig/ Hunta Rig is sizeable, and would be an absolute pain to transport to a game, however it's an amazing centrepiece and with the option to probably field more than one, the Orks are really going to be making a splash on the gaming tales and Golden Demon's this year. Sporting some awesome bionic legs, the new Painboss is a great looking model, and he has a cute little minion too!
When GW started licensing their IP wider, they picked a very smart action figure maker in JOYTOY. Probably the leader in articulated action figures today, the quality of their finished product is really impressive, so the new Vanguard Space Marines Ultramarines Incursors and Infiltrators action figure sets should be awesome. Word on the street is a November release, so we'll see if that blows out. Each set has four figures, so keep an eye on the bitz market for some awesome customisable options.
After a long wait, the next Horus Heresy Siege of Terra novel is coming. Bringing the White Scars Legion and their Primarch into the picture Warhawk comes in Limited Edition and Hardback. If you want it, grab it quickly because it will disappear.

I have to admit, the new Orcs have not created much excitement here, BUT, when I saw this model up close this morning and the options - it was a must-buy. The Swampboss Skumdrekk/ Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast combi-kit not only offers these two models, but carries so much character in the stead itself, and for a fair price. it's not the only Orc combi-kit this week, there's also the Gobsprakk, The Mouth of Mork/ Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha bringing you the options to make one of two leaders. The model itself isn't huge, but the wing span gives it presence. Interestingly the price point is quite high, making it lose to Primarch pricing. The Swampy-Orcs also get the creepy-looking Marshcrawla Sloggoth, which has multiple crew and weapon options, but really, wouldn't you get nightmares just painting this? There's a new unit of Gutrippaz too, different from the ones in the starter set, with both spears or swords and axes. These are actually quite nice, and I'm being very good not being tempted. The forces of Order have some terrain this week, and if most of it looks familiar, you'd be right - the Domicile Shell, Domicile Shell with Winch and Guardian Idol are all available in the cheaper option (so pick this up while it's till around): Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Extremis Edition – Realmscape Expansion Set. There is also the Nexus Syphon which could be nice converted into all manner of scenery if you're not into the gleaming white look.

It's a pretty big week for Age of $igmar, with the two main contenders for this edition - the steadfast Stormcast and the new-look Orruk Warclans getting some additions and splits from the boxed edition to add to their forces. You think that would be enough to get our attention, but something that really got our attention was the new faction dice on pre-release this week, and how lacklustre they are! GW used to do amazing dice - think back to the Custodes, the Beastmen, Slaanesh and of course the Gloomspite Gitz. But it has to be said that these new dice look very cheap, boring, obviously not from their usual manufacturer. It's a real shame as their previous efforts always sold well, and looked great on the table. Everything about these new dice looks off; the finish, the colour (especially on the Chaos and Destruction ones) - they just lack the quality we are used to getting. Not sure what bean counter thought this move was a good idea, but for us it's a real drop in quality that wasn't needed.  

Alrighty, Age of $igmar peeps, your time has come - Sigmar's merry band of gold-rod muscle dudes and dudettes are here with their Battletome, which comes in Chromed and Ready To Rumble Limited Edition and Hail To The Chief Standard Edition. There's two amazing new models for the Stormcast too - both push-fit (which makes you wonder if they were meant for the boxed set), the Knight-Judicator with Gryph-hounds and Stormstrike Chariot. The Knight-Judicator comes with alternative heads and it has to be said, GW do a great job of chariots - those are bot excellent models. There's also two older releases boxed together in the form of the Stormcast Eternals: Masters of the Sacrosanct. The Stormcast of course get their Warscroll Cards and a set of rather nice Stormcast Eternals Dice Set.  Now in the red corner we have the Orruk Warclans. Clearly drawing heavily on GW's experience making Lord of the Rings models, this new-look Orc faction have their new Battletome which comes in Rusted Blade Limited Edition and Recycled Armour is the new Black Standard Edition. There's a spectacular leader model for these guys - the Breaka-boss on Mirebrute Troggoth, which despite being snap fit, comes with head options for both the boss and his rather large friend. There's also the Beast-skewer Killbow which is a very detailed BRUTAL kit! Of course our friends get their Warscroll Cards and a set of comparatively boring Orruk Warclans Dice.
Speaking of dice, here they are in all their non-glory. As mentioned above there's sets for Grand Alliance Order, Grand Alliance Death, Grand Alliance Chaos (yuck!), and Grand Alliance Destruction.
It's a week for dice, because everyone's favourite sexy Elves, the Dark Elves, get some love in the Blood Bowl world with the Dark Elf Team Dice, the Dark Elf Team Card Pack and the Dark Elf Team – Double-sided Pitch and Dugouts. Why don't the Dark Elves get more love? They picked Order in the Ao$ universe so they got boring... or did they?
In books we have the new dogfighting Double Eagle in Special Edition, the paperback version of Direchasm, and this month's ​White Dwarf comes with a transfer sheet for the Includes lore and rules for the Wolfspear, the Space Wolves Primaris successor Chapter. Literally the only reason to buy WD.