As the slow build up to Warhammer 40K 10th Edition rumbles along, we have a small week this week - an opportunity to save your pennies!
In yet another drive for sales, Games Workshop have released the 300th starter set for Warhammer Underworlds. This one comes with a very small set of miniatures and targets the 30 minute game length. Interesting to see this in GW stores and not as one of the US Target Exclusive sets, which is where these much smaller sets generally end up.
In other Warhammer Underworlds news, the new Wyrdhollow warband - The Headsmen's Curse - are out, bringing four more ghoulish warriors to the game. Certainly not a spectacular release, but a nice addition to the range. To accompany the warband there's also the new ​Warhammer Underworlds: Wyrdhollow – Voidcursed Thralls Rivals Deck which adds new cards for Rivals, Nemesis, and Relic games and can be used by any warband.
In Warhammer 40K releases we have the new Space Marines Heroes Series 3 Death Guard miniatures, which are not only packed with detail, but bring the "cute" back into Nurgle with each Space Marine accompanied by some form of Nurgling or Kawaii Death Machine. These miniatures really are amazing - even as a non-Nurgle fan, the detail packed into them is really impressive - as are the paint jobs.
In books this week we have the new Age of $igmar Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear Limited Edition, which is indeed a handsome tome.
In the "rubbish to clutter up your desk" range, the new ​Warhammer 40,000 Chibi Figures Series 2 are here. These again follow the tradition of a single Blind Bag, so you don't know which one you're getting! How exciting... Mind you, the inclusion of the Crimson Fist from the cover of Warhammer 40K 1st Edition - Rogue Trader - is pretty cool.
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Speaking of Warhammer 40K 10th Edition, Games Workshop have released the rule so we can brush up on the changes pre-release. As you may have heard, the rules were leaked a week or so back, but this is the official pre-erratta, pre-points rebalancing, pre-typo fixing version - please enjoy!

Finally, after all the excitement and not-buildup, the Seraphon are here. It's been a weird strategy, with Games Workshop holding off two of the main articles to get people interested until last night - the Designer's Notes and some alternative colour schemes. For a big release, it's a strange one, and has dulled the expectation somewhat, but there you go! Maybe 40K 10th Edition has them distracted.
The Seraphon launch with their new Battletome which comes in How Do I Paint All These Scales Limited Edition and Godzilla's Progeny Standard Edition. There was of course another version in the Army Box, now discontinued.
In terms of miniatures we have a very detailed a lovely update for the Slann Starmaster, who has multiple build options if you want to field more than one. Like a junior Lord Kroak, his is mounted on a floating shrine, so good luck painting that! The Skink Starseer is must-have for anyone fielding an army, and this model is a nice update, and pretty faithful to the originals. When it comes to the stabby-stabby part of the army, you have the ​Saurus Scar-Veteran on Aggradon to lead the way. A really stunning and dynamic model, this will surely be seen heavily at Golden Demon next year. Another buff unit is the Saurus Astrolith Bearer, a lovely mini in it's own right, with a massive banner and another dynamic pose. The cavalry unit, the Aggradon Lancers, have a number of weapon options and could be a really colourful unit to field - not sure about all the painting though. It will be fun to see what the Community come up with. The backbone of the Seraphon army are the Saurus Warriors, an amazing update on the previous models. Full of detail, these are truly exciting. Speaking of exciting, have a look at the Kroxigor/ Kroxigor Warspawned combi-kit. Honestly I'm stuck deciding between the two options, but they're both amazing - especially the crocodilian Warspawned who take to the field for the Seraphon for the very first time. The Skinks, despite not getting an infantry update (and marked as "No Longer Available" on the GW Webstore), do get a cavalry unit or two with the Raptadon Hunters/ Raptadon Chargers combi-kit. Skinks are already a very strong choice, so these too will not only be on the battlefield in numbers but we're sure also in painting competitions around the world. The final mini in this release is the Spawn of Chotec, which to us is a weak spot. The beast itself is okay, but the Skink offsiders are pretty lackluster comparatively which is a real shame.
No books this week, unfortunately, despite the lack of Seraphon-themed books in the Black Library vaults. 

Just when you thought Kill Team had covered it all, they bring yet another faction to light, and in Kill Team: Ashes of Faith, it's the Inquisition! That's right, 7 x new Inquisitorial Agent miniatures with multiple options for each one! They are aided in their work by 5 x Militarum Tempestus Scions and 5 x Sisters of Silence. They face off against servants of the Chaos Gods with the Chaos Cult Kill Team consisting of Chaos Cultists, 5 x Accursed Mutants, 3 x Twisted Torments and at the head - the Dark Commune (who to be fair haven't really had that much attention!). This will be a popular box, and will undoubtedly increase the sales of Tempestus Scions!
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The Horus Heresy gets the first Campaign book since the relaunch, with Campaigns of The Age of Darkness – The Siege of Cthonia - which includes new missions, a campaign system, rules for Zone Mortalis rules, and battles set in the Siege of Cthonia. There's also some new units, upgrades, and characters for all Legiones Astartes armies that field units in the latter part of the Horus Heresy. Why they are choosing the latter part and not earlier to bring new people in, no one knows! Seems like a huge opportunity lost! What's really interesting about this book is that Horus Heresy is now Games Workshop's second most popular franchise and the announcement of this book has had seemingly zero splash or interest in the Heresy Community. Is it the period it's set in? Is it the fact it concentrates on a niche battle between two over-exposed Legions leaving little interest for other players? Either way, it's something GW need to think about.
Also in Horus Heresy we have the new plastic Legion Vindicator Siege Tank, which not only sports the ubiquitous Demolisher Cannon, but also a personal favourite, the Magna Laser Destroyer variant!
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​This week also sees the end of the road for some old Space Marine favourites as they go into Last Chance to Buy and therefore Made To Order. Surprisingly one of them is fairly new, in the form of the Primaris Company Champion. There are of course the venerable minis as well, Brother Corbulo, Captain Tycho, Blood Angels Captain in Terminator Armour (in plastic), the much-loved Dark Angels Company Master, the wacky and bizarre Chaplain Cassius, probably the best Scout model since the Rogue Trader days Sergeant Telion, Sergeant Chronus, the very detailed and beautifully sculpted Captain Sicarius, the Tyrannic War Veterans (notice the variant MKIV plate on the grenade throwing dude), White Scars Khan on Bike, the excellent Gabriel Seth, Darnath Lysander, Chapter Master Pedro Kantor of the Crimson Fists and the original ​Flesh Tearers Shoulder Pads.

The next chapter of Warcry is here with Nightmare Quest, which nicely builds on the current Gnarlwood terrain, plus harkens the entrance of the Seraphon into the universe with a rather cool ziggurat. Nightmare Quest sees yet another Stormcast unit - the Questor Soulsworn take on the Royal Beastflayer ghouls. Ghouls are some of the best characters in the Ao$ universe, thinking they are noble warriors while we see their true visage as rotting undead. The idea of sentient undead is brilliant! This set, disappointingly, has less terrain than others, but linked with the previous sets will fit in well.
Speaking of Warcry, the latest warbands are now available seperataly - the Khorne-based Claws of Karanak and the vampire samurai, the Askurgan Trueblades. The Askurgan Trueblades caused a bit of a storm when released, being a brand new look at vampires, but having a closer look at them this week... they just don't seem that exciting. Maybe it's the photography, maybe it's time, not sure - but they have lost their luster a bit. It will be interesting to see what the Community do with them, however.
In books this week we have the new Prince Maesa in paperback, a tale of romance and questing, and Blightslayer in hardback. It's also a ​White Dwarf week with issue 488,

The final chapter of Season 1 of Kill Team is with us, and as they say "save the best 'til last", so here be-eth Warhammer 40,000 Kill Team: Gallowfall. Not sure about best, but the two adversaries in this box certainly are interesting, with the formal return of a unit of Beastmen in the form of Fellgor Ravagers and the special forces team of Hearthkyn Salvagers from the Leagues of Votann. We've seen Beastmen re-enter 40K in the last few years with single miniatures in Blackstone Fortress, but this is the first unit we've had in well over 25 years. The return of the Chaos Beastmen comes hot on the heals of their appearance in The Lion: Son of the Forest, where we also hear of Loyalist Beastmen being used by some Imperial Guard Commanders in the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. This was always part of old lore, but great to see it back in the universe - hopefully with new minis in the upcoming Imperial Army units in Horus Heresy. Kill Team: Gallowdark also comes with new medical scatter terrain, we're sure much-wanted by kitbashers. To go along with this release there is also a set of Kill Team: Fellgor Ravagers Dice Set you can pick up. 
In other Kill Team news, the Adeptus Arbites Exaction Squad is now available outside the larger boxed set. This is a great kit, and has three build options - the Exaction Squad, Subductor Squad, and Vigilant Squad. So decide how you want to stomp your opponents and go forth! This week also sees the Killzone Upgrade: Soulshackle scatter terrain become available too.
The Adeptus Titanicus Card Packs we were told about a few weeks ago have rocked up, with the Open Engine War Card Pack, The Defence of Ryza Stratagem Cards, Knight Stratagem Cards, Traitor Legio Stratagem Cards, and Loyalist Legio Stratagem Cards all on pre-order. These have been missing in action for some time, so new players can finally play the game... which you think would be a no-brainer to always have available!
In books this week it's the new Sisters of Battle book Pilgrims of Fire in hardback, The Great Devourer: The Leviathan Omnibus in paperback, and just a few weeks after being in hardback, ​Outgunned in paperback.
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Not a bad week - certainly some nice treasures and with the Beastmen, something to keep an eye out for!

Arriveth he has! Yes, after a slight delay, The Lion & Retinue kit has hit Australian and New Zealand shores. How long it will last is another matter, but he's here and everyone is happy. The model of The Lion himself is brilliant, with striking proportions, one of the best bare heads potentially ever produced by Games Workshop, and a fresh look that makes this model a brilliant centrepiece. This kit also comes with three Bladeguard Veterans in Primaris armour - which is a bit of a shame, because having him come with three veterans in mixed Horus Heresy armour would also be an excellent way to re-introduce him to the world, flanked by his Fallen AND it would have given use some great models to use in Heresy. The Primaris choice seems to be a lost opportunity.
There must be balance in The Force, and this week we also get the bumper Combat Patrol: World Eaters, which is pretty much a one-stop shop for any new World Eaters player, or even for someone who wants to update their collection, as it features many of the new sets from this new Khorne wave.
Warhammer Underworlds is still going, and with each incarnation there's less and less minis in the set - so with Wyrdhollow it's certainly not going to be a hobby challenge! Stormcast or Tzeentch, you decide!
The folks over at Citadel Colour have released their new themed paint sets this week, with one each for Base, Layer, Contrast, and Shade. These have always struck us as a bit weird, with specific faction-themed paint sets surely being a more targeted way to introduce people to the range.
What would a week be these days without some Made To Order? This week it's out friends on the Heretic side of the fence. All of these minis are great, but definitely of their time! Available in white metal are the original Abaddon the Despoiler, fan-fave Typhus Herald of Nurgle, Ahriman the Sorcerer, Fabius Bile, Khârn the Betrayer,  the Chaos Lord with Combi-melta, the Chaos Lord with Plasma Pistol, and four Traitors of Chaos will be available in metal (with the classic plastic Traitor backpacks), and the resin Heretic Astartes Daemon Prince, who is a beasty boy!!

It's here! After many years (decades) of waiting, the Seraphon range update begins. Over the years the Seraphon range has had excellent additions to the ranks in the forms of Lord Kroak, the Carnosaur and friends, but the basic line infantry have been looking old and tried - but no more!! This week sees the release of the Seraphon Army Set which includes a Slann Starmaster, 10 Saurus Warriors and 10 of the Raptadon Hunters/ Raptadon Chargers combi- kit. Bit of a disappointing set in having two of the same set and missing out on the other new kits from the updated Seraphon range. Like the other army sets, this also comes with the special Battletome: Seraphon (Slippery Sucker Launch Edition) with an exclusive variant soft-touch cover, gold foil blocking, gold gilt page edges, and a teal ribbon page marker, the Warscroll Cards, Enhancement Cards, and the Seraphon Token Sheets. 
 Also this weekend the new Adeptus Titanicus: Campaign Compendium is out which brings together the Titandeath, Doom of Molech, Shadow and Iron, The Defence of Ryza, and Crucible of Retribution supplements in one volume. Interestingly the video for this week talks about some cards being rereleased for Adeptus Titanicus (see below) but they don't seem to be listed... 

Arks of Omens ends, and with it, the mighty Primarch of the 1st Legion - Lion El'Jonson - takes the stage. The Lion has form, he was late to rescuing Terra from Horus too, but he's here this time, and brings The Fallen back with him, or so say rumours!
​Arks of Omen has ended, in what seemed to be a bit of a rush right at the end. We had a very cool Tarot to go along with it, which was beautifully produced, but all in all, not a lot changed. If you've been following along, the final book, The Lion is out next week, with the Emperor's Chosen Limited Edition and Better Late Than Never Standard Edition ready to put a full stop to the event. As some things end, so others begin, and the new Lion El'Jonson miniature is absolutely amazing. Not too garish, not too huge, he is grace and power all in one miniature. Unfortunately for Australia and New Zealand he won't be turning up quite yet, but the rest of the world can enjoy his presence. With the increased popularity of Horus Heresy, it will be interesting to see if he will take to the field in those battles too. Being such a spectacular model, he'd be a pleasure to see anywhere. It's not just The Lion who's reappearing - old shiny-pants Dante has gone all Primaris on us and learnt to balance on a precarious rock. Commander Dante is the hero of heroes for the Blood Angels, so this update will be well received - even if the head is a bit weird. Dante heralds the release of specific Sanguinary Guard Dice Set, so go wild Blood Angels players. Released during the Arks of Omen event, both Azrael, Supreme Grand Master (who must be a little miffed about losing his job to the returning Lion) and Vashtorr the Arkifane (more like Vashtorr the Flash-in-the-Pan) are available separately. We also get the final two Boarding Patrols are also here, with the hefty Agents of the Imperium and Leagues of Votann sets on pre-order this weekend.
The Horus Heresy rumbles on, quite literally this week with two excellent vehicles - the randomly phallic Sicaran Venator Tank Hunter (of course based on the excellent Sicaran chassis) and the super-chunky Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer (based on the Spartan chassis). Be interesting to see if we eventually see a Sicaran and Spartan kit with all these variants together, but maybe that's a pipe dream!
Here's a thing we never thought we'd see - Made to Order Drukhari! Drukhari - or the Dark Eldar in Imperial slang - are one of the least served of the Warhammer 40K ranges, and before you arc up, this week proves it. Which other 40K faction has almost their entire command structure still in resin? None of them! What doesn't make sense in that decision is that the Dark Eldar are the love-children of Jes Goodwin - iconic miniature designer and creator. Anyway, the love for the Drukhari range is real despite them being very poorly served over the years. They're still some of the very best miniatures out there, and having a look over these Made to Order this week proves it in droves! The beautiful and deadly Lhamaean, the nightmare-ish Urien Rakarth, the miniature most-deserving of having a full boxed set - the lethal bodyguard Sslyth, the psy-assassin Medusae, the abomination that are the Grotesques (also desperately in need of plastic kits), the Mandrake shadow assassins, the Beastmaster, his Khymerae and Clawed Fiend, Ur-Ghul the blind alien hunters and the Razorwing Flock, who have found a home in Age of $igmar thee days. Have a look at the potential of not only the command units, but the terrors that the Drukhari unleash and tell me that you wouldn't want to see them in plastic and expanded into the range. Enough with the Vashtorrs, give us these to take the field. Imagine Imperial Guard assailed by the Khymerae in a jungle, or the Medusae holding reign over some unsuspecting Orks. It's worth doing, as this lore is some of the high points in 40K history.
In books this week, we of course have the The Lion: Son of the Forest in both beautiful Limited Edition or hardback, a new Dark Angels omnibus - the Legends of the Dark Angels in paperback, and it's a White Dwarf week with Issue 487 on the shelves this coming Friday.

The masters of the shadow, the dark and the lurking terror of haunted woods, the Soulblight Gravelords - surely on of the most enjoyable armies out there - are here with their new Battletome, Vanguard and more. The Battletome is available in Crypt Lurker Limited Edition and Is it a Man or is a Bat Standard Edition. Like all the more recent releases, we have not one, but two special characters for this faction, with the frankly terrifying Ivya Volga, the Outcast and a lovely salute back to the past with the very old-school looking Wight King on Skeletal Steed. There's also a new Vanguard: Soulblight Gravelords which has an amazing selection of units to either start with or act as a force multiplier. Of course we also get the Warscroll Cards and Soulblight Gravelords Dice Set. Now if all of this is too exciting for words and you must have it all... then the Soulblight Gravelords Pre-Order Collection is for you!
Now for the relatively new kids on the block, the Ossiarch Bonereapers, who have their new Battletome which comes in either Shake Rattle and Roll Limited Edition or the 
Clash of Calcium Standard Edition. Not to be outdone, they also have a new special character, the Mortisan Ossifector, a new Vanguard boxed set which is also an excellent collection, the Warscroll Cards, but no lovely themed dice! Again, like their brother faction, there is an awesome Ossiarch Bonereapers Pre-Order Collection.
Remember how last week we had the new Lord of the Rings terrain? Well this week we have something more to put on it. Sure it's older, sure it's quality sporadic, but it's here with the Cave Troll with Chain and Hammer, Cave Troll with Chain and Spear, Elladan and Elrohir, The Grey Company, Halbarad, Kings of Men,
Mordor Orc Bowmen, Mordor Orc Captains, Mordor Orc Warriors, and the  The Witch-king of Angmar on Fell Beast all appearing in Made to Order form.
In books this week we have two Soulblight Gravelords books with the The Last Volari in hardback and The Hollow King in paperback.
Over in Forge World land there are also the last of the ​Contemptor Dreadnought Torso Upgrades, with some being significantly different to the originals, and some being very similar. The Space Wolves one is of particular interest.

Necromunda - fan favourite, but like the days of old being ignored by the big studio of Games Workshop - is getting a bit of love this weekend. The latest expansion, The Aranthian Succession – The Vaults of Temenos, moves the narrative forward as well as brings some new characters to the game. It's been a long time since this was promised and although the arrival is great, how do Games Workshop expect the Community to stay interested without constant attention? Speaking of attention, someone wasn't paying attention when the Enforcer 'Sanctioner' Pattern Automata were designed as they look more like background goons in a Luc Besson film than anything fitting the look and feel of Necromunda. Finally making an appearance are the Cawdor Ridge Walkers which, although designed for Ash Wastes, someone at Games Workshop realised they forgot to release, so they have pushed them out today. To accompany these merry riders, there's Cawdor Vehicle Gang Tactics Cards and a Dice Set.
Fans of Middle-Earth rejoice as a new terrain set is released. The new Gondor Settlement can be bought in one collection, or you can buy the individual parts in the form of the Gondor Mansion, Gondor Ruins and Gondor Tower. These are pricey sets, with the Settlement costing more than the largest Necromunda scenery box that included a huge collection of terrain.
We are still Arks of Omen-ing and therefore we need more Boarding Patrols, so bring forth the Adeptus Custodes, Thousand Sons and Adepta Sororitas.
Citadel Colour have two new themed collections, the Battle Ready Paint Set and the Parade Ready Paint Set. Now these don't seem to make sense - surely the paint you need depends on the thing you are painting. Having paint collections around Base, Contrast etc makes perfect sense, but this seems very strange. They are discounted, so it could be a good way to boost your paint collection if nothing else.
In books this week it's Vaults of Terra Book 3: The Dark City in paperback. There's some good feedback on this series, so that's really positive!

"He's a rebel, and he'll never ever be any good..." so sang The Crystals back in the dim dark past, and this week your favourite Tau naughty-boy gets an upgrade. Always on the campaign, this time fighting Orks, Commander Farsight has found himself embroiled in the Arks of Omen storyline with Arks of Omen: Farsight - which comes in Red Goes Faster Collectors Edition and But You Just Don't Understand, Dad Standard Edition. As the story progresses there are also new rules, giving us yet another glimpse of the changes coming in the recently-announced 10th Edition. 
If you want to get involved with this infamous Tau commander and his retinue of red-clad cool kids, then the new Boarding Patrol: T'au Empire will give you your first look at Farsight's new mech suit - and it's pretty stunning! A very nice upgrade to the previous model, there are new elements on here, very nicely melded with the classic look. There's a look of the Infinity range about this miniature, which is no bad thing. While you're there, go pick up the Arks of Omen: Farsight Enclaves Dice Set which features his icon. Speaking of icon, it's interesting GW didn't release an upgrade sprue with shoulder pads and chest pieces for this release. It makes sense!
This is not the only Boarding Patrol this week, with the new Boarding Patrol: Orks which includes new Boss Snikrot model and his entourage - which oddly includes Beast Snagga Boyz where you'd think the somewhat forgotten Boyz set would make more sense. There's more Boarding Patrols, including the excellent Aeldari and Drukhari ones (Eldar, why do you tempt me so?), a Necrons one that shows miniatures you can't use in Boarding Actions (well done GW! This goes back to the other week when we were saying how GW needs to stop with the copy and paste and take the time to paint up these sets differently to make them special) and one for the shiny Grey Knights. Do keep in mind that the Boarding Patrol set are limited, even though they're not marked as such.
Now if you like your Orks more than the average hobbyist, you can go all in with the Boss Snikrot's Blood Axe Kollekshun which not only includes the new Boarding Patrol, but also a further 10x Kommandos, a Bomb Squig and Distraction Grot, 10x Gretchin, 1x Runtherd, 5x Nobz, yet more Ork Transfers and a Catachan vs Orks Art Print.
Hold onto your steel hats, the Armageddon Steel Legion are back in Made To Order form, yet again! So if that tickles you in your special place, then you can order the Legion Commissar, Legion Officer with Power Sword and Bolt Pistol, Steel Legion Officer with Power Sword, Legion Sergeant, Legion Guardsman with Plasma Gun, Legion Infantry Squad, Legion Heavy Bolter Heavy Weapons Team or the larger Legion Heavy Bolter Squad, the Legion Lascannon Heavy Weapons Team or larger Legion Lascannon Squad, Legion Platoon or get amongst it with a whole lot of white metal goodness with the Armageddon Steel Legion Reinforced Platoon. Again, GW have used very old pictures here, when really a fresh paint job on these would have really brought them out.
In books we have the new Phil Kelly Tau book Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter in paperback. I'm pretty sure Shadowsun would be asking for a more flattering angle for that cover shot next time. 

It's all about Chaos this weekend, with The Hotness and The Rage getting an update and some powerful figureheads.  The almighty Slaanesh, She Who Thirsts, the Prince of Darkness and almost the only reason why GW have the colour pink in their paint range have their new Battletome, Hedonites of Slaanesh. which comes in Shimmery Satin Limited Edition and These PVC Pants Are Hot In Summer Standard Edition. Probably one of, if not THE best Slaaneshi miniature makes an appearance this week with the Lord of Hubris bringing a sense of style, panache and a very cool tactical rock to the battlefield. This is a really great mini, and manages to encapsulate so much about Slaanesh, from the sculpted body, to the exotic weapons, to the almost alien style headwear. This is a must and an amazing basis for kitbashing! WIth the Battletome we of course get the Hedonites of Slaanesh Warscroll Cards and Dice Set, plus the new Vanguard: Hedonites of Slaanesh which includes both the Blissbarb kits that are "No Longer Available" on the GW webstore.
​Away from the excess and glory that is Slaanesh and over to a whole different sort of excess - this time an excess of violence and rage! Everyone's favourite skull-collecting red-boys and red-girls from Khorne are also getting their Battletome, with Blades of Khorne coming in Sticky Red Goodness Limited Edition and Spikes for Spike's Sake Standard Edition. Like Slaanesh, Khorne also have a new champion, with the Realmgore Ritualist rocking up. Personally not a fan of this mini at all. It seems thick and chunky, lacking the finer details found on the more recent Khorne miniatures. Too much and too little all at the same time! There are of course the Blades of Khorne Warscroll Cards and Dice Set, plus the new Vanguard: Blades of Khorne. It's interesting to look at this boxed set and see the change in GW's philosophy when it comes to proportions, with these minis seeming cartoonish - which even on release was a criticism we had.
In books this week it's just the one - Warboss for you Ork (and Goblin) fans!

Forge World have the first of their resin torso upgrade kits for the plastic Contemptor Dreadnought up this week. All reworkings or redesigns, these torsos are probably just the beginning of the relaunched accessories. In a way it's a pity these aren't plastic, but that's probably not practical.
This week we can get the excellent White Scars, Imperial Fists, Iron Warriors, Dark Angels, Sons of Horus and the Emperor's Children. The White Scars and the Dark Angels were probably the most recent ones made in the previous releases, so it's interesting to see them in the first wave this time.  

The next chapter of the Arks of Omen is here, and the big-bad, Vashtorr has taken form to wreak havoc in the name of pure machine-Chaos. He's not going to win any beauty awards, but he's the centrepiece for the new boxed set to accompany this new expansion. Wrath of the Soul Forge King includes not only Vashtorr, but host of machine abominations and human cultists (which makes no sense to us, but okay) against the Emperor's Finest, The First First, the Dark Angels, who are led by the now Primaris-ified Supreme Grand Master Azrael and his force of Deathwing Terminators and Dark Angel legionaries. Seems like an okay set, but not going to blow anyone away, especially with Vashtorr not being able to be fielded in the Boarding Actions combat. Small hole in the plan there! As for the fluff around Vashtorr and his parts in the current Arks of Omen story, the Arks of Omen: Vashtorr book is available in Where's The Boss? Collectors' Edition and OOOOH It's Cramped In Here Standard Edition. To accompany the new book and the new boxed set, there's a very nice set of Arks of Omen: Vashtorr Dice too. 
​Now Vashtorr might not fight in the corridors of the space hulks, but there are plenty who do, as these four new Boarding Patrols prove - one each for the Genestealer Cults, Death Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Chaos Daemons. Not bad little sets for either their intended purpose, or as force multipliers for your existing armies. 
Something else that is too big to fight in the corridors of the space hulks, are Imperial Knights, who this week get new dice sets - one for Imperial Knights and one for the Chaos Knights!
Horus Heresy fans delight in having a crappy difficult and awkwardly heavy resin kit replaced with a lovely new near-identical plastic kit of the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank. What a beauty she is too! It is interesting that this kit only comes with the Dreadhammer and not the turbo-laser destroyer variant like the Vindicator does. That would make a pretty great multi-kit.
It's been a while since we have had some new plastic Lord of the Rings, and this week we have two sets - the flexible Gothmog, Lieutenant of Sauron, who has multiple weapon and accessory options and the Faramir, Madril and Damrod, Rangers of Ithilien set that provides you with dynamic poses in almost mini diorama type poses, which is a lovely touch.
In books this week we have the beautifully presented Cypher: Lord of the Fallen in Limited Edition, Knight of Talassar: The Cato Sicarius Omnibus, and Ahriman: Eternal in paperback.
It's also a White Dwarf week with Issue 486 out on Friday.

Unfortunately Forge World haven't put the links up for these on their site yet, but we have some Horus Heresy goodness this week, with Alpha Legion's very own Exodus – The One Who Is Many and the generic Traitor Esoterist Consul on pre-order. 
Not to be outdone, there are Mk VI shoulder and head upgrades for Raven Guard and Alpha Legion, plus two different generic Character Heads Upgrade Sets. These seem like great sets with some of the best heads we've seen in some time from Forge World, who can sometimes botch them horribly. However these should be on everyone's shopping list! Be great to have these in plastic!

The Kharadron Overlords are back! Those grumpy steampunk air pirates that GW seems to have forgotten have returned with the update for the newer edition of Warhammer Age of $igmar. In the new tradition of having a character model for each new Battletome release, meet the Codewright - a mini modelled on the bane of any Facebook Group, the Neck-beard. See him there pointing to the parts where it says only men can be Space Marines? Then he's cross-referencing that with a line from a 30 year old book, saying nothing can change but accepting characters being transformed into Primaris versions of themselves. Aaaaah, how joyous! Anyway, the main focus of the release is of course the new Battletome: Kharadron Overlords which comes in Chinese Interloper Limited Edition and 99 Luftballons Standard Edition. There's also the new Warscroll Cards and some Kharadron Overlords Dice you will have no trouble finding if one rolls under the couch. There's also a new, but uninspiring Vanguard box too. 
Regiments of Renown is a title that Games Workshop use for mercenary groups, not to put too fine a point on it. In the old days, these were unusual units - a bit like the Warcry warbands but larger. The rebirth of this is a little less exciting, but it could be awesome if you have a creative flair - a unit led by an experienced General that you can run alongside allies. These allies can be a friend's larger army, or maybe your army and you just want a small unit for fun. Unfortunately Games Workshop have not taken the opportunity to really show this and have just shown existing colour schemes in the box images - which is an opportunity lost and hopefully the Community will take on. This series of regiments are the very tempting Norgrimm's Rune Throng, The Coven of Thryx, Big Grikk's Kruleshots (imagine these guys with blue skin, or maybe a very light grey to make them look different), Hargax's Pit-beasts, Veremord's Shamblers, and Elthwin's Thorns (a great basis for an alternative colour scheme). Mercenary groups, or small elite groups give a great opportunity to do something different, and it's so great to see this idea back - well done GW! 
Speaking of warbands, Warhammer Underworlds have a new deck available, in the form of the Gnarlwood – Beastbound Assault Rivals Deck. These can be used with any faction, so go wild!
In books this week we have Book three in the Tales of Mhurghast series Black-eyed Saint in paperback, the Warhammer Horror anthology The Resting Places, and something for the Kharadron Overlords fans, The Arkanaut's Oath in paperback.   

It's a smaller week, but not gentle on your wallet if you're tempted by these sets!
First up is the new Strike Force Agastus, which introduces probably the most maligned Primaris Space Marines since the ​Primaris Invader ATV, it's the Desolation Marines who seemed to have been laughed at from the very first glimpse. It's a shame as these could have been a lot cooler  - use Gravis armour, make the weapons backpack mounted, or maybe underslung or on power gloves. They just miss the mark on so many levels. Strike Force Agastus does however come with other goodies including the new Primaris Lieutenant with all his weapon options (which in our opinion should have also been released separately this week too), the new close combat Brutalis Dreadnought and five of the older Heavy Intercessors. It's an expensive set, and as a limited set, it'll be interesting to see how it goes, because certainly at the moment it has few fans. It will be fun to see the Community creations that come from this set though, so there's that to look forward to. If you are in Japan, this set is unfortunately delayed for you at the moment.
There's also two new Boarding Actions sets based around the Arks of Omen story... arc (double ark, oh that's great!) with the Boarding Patrol: Chaos Space Marines now taking the #1 spot in the Best Set category. Not only do you get the mighty Abaddon model, but you also get ten Chaos Space Marines and twenty (that's two sets) of Chaos Cultists. Now that is either the start of a Chaos Space Marine force, or if you don't own Abaddon, a great force multiplier to your already existing army.
The second Arks of Omen set this week is the Boarding Patrol: Tyranids, which unfortunately isn't that exciting or that thematic. With one Broodlord, six Tyranid Warriors and eight Genestealers it gives you that Space Hulk-style vibe, but it's not very exciting. From what I hear the Genestealers are moving away from their brood/ horde style tactics and towards a more elite formation, so maybe this fits in with that meta, but it's a bit naff as a set - but maybe it's a great force multiplier...
No books this week after last week's Black Library Celebration, which just gives more time for hobby!

So far the Imperial Guard releases have concentrated on the Cadians, who - we are told - have uniforms that are generic enough to be added to for the Regiment of your choice. Well this week we get some flavour in the form of the Attilan Rough Riders, elite cavalry sent to warzones to crush man and armour alike. This unit goes way back to a time when there were multiple interesting Guard options - Valhallans, Tallarns, Praetorians, Mordians and more - and this is the first taste, and what a taste it is! Not heavy on options, this set is full of detail however, with lots of dynamism and detail on the horses especially providing a really lovely kit. Joining them to take the field we have the new HQ choices, the Cadian Castellan which has many head and weapon options and the very welcome return of the Commissar to the universe, with a somewhat static pose only offering a weapon option. However, if options are your bag, then the new Cadian Upgrades kit is a must, with over 25 heads, multiple weapons, arm and accessory options spread over two sprues, this is a great way to bring variety to your Guard. Unfortunately the older (now retired) Imperial Guard Upgrade Sprue had some amazing head options, so it's sad to see them go. Now the Guard need cover, and what better cover than the new Aegis Defence Line. Strong a robust, this set can of course be used with any Imperial force, even if the larger pieces are now also out of production.
Fear not Imperials, the Space Marines aren't missing out this week, with the new Captain Messinius on offer. He has a very large fist which looks odd and no option for a closed one.
Black Library Celebration 2023 is upon us, which brings with it a bevvy of books including the art and lore book First Founding in Hardback, the penultimate Siege of Terra Book 8, The End and the Death Volume I which comes in the glorious Limited Edition and Hardback in the same week which is nice, as is The Iron Kingdom in Special Edition and Paperback also in the same week. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gav Thorpe's Angels of Darkness, there's also a 20th Anniversary Edition in Hardback for the event too. There are two Black Library Celebration 2023 Readers’ Choice releases, Book One of The Macharian Crusade: Angel of Fire in Paperback and  Skarsnik in Paperback, plus the Gaunt's Ghosts series in the Print On Demand format, Gaunt's Ghosts: First and Only, Gaunt's Ghosts: Necropolis, and Gaunt's Ghosts: Ghostmaker, all in Hardback. This week also sees the release of Bad Loon Rising in Hardback.
Any orders from the webstore this week will also get the Black Library Celebration 2023 in Paperback too.

Between Kill Team and Warcry, we can certainly see where the interest in Games Workshop games lie, with  this week's pre-orders being stuffed with new and old minis from these expansions.
The next expansion in the growing range is Kill Team: Soulshackle, which sees the return of a fan favourite, the indomitable Imperial Adeptus Arbites (pronounced Ar-BEE-tees believe it or not... ) in an Exaction Squad matched up against the only real evil in the 40K universe, Drukhari of the Hand of The Archon. The Drukhari kit is not a new set of minis, it's an upgrade sprue with the venerable (and well priced) Kabalite Warriors kit. This is an excellent kit, so Soulshackle is coming in as one of the better of these expansions. There's also Exaction Squad and Hand of Archon Dice Sets plus a very cool new base set, Boarding Actions: Void War Bases, to go with the new Space Hulk feel. These seem like really nice bases, adding a new look and feel to the older Necromunda bases which many people use for Zone Mortalis.
If you didn't go all in on the Warhammer 40,000 Boarding Actions Terrain Set, then you can now get the smaller Kill Team: Killzone Gallowdark which comes with some extra scatter terrain but less wall sections. From that original expansion we also finally get access to the two Kill Teams, the Kasrkin and the Necron Hierotek Circle. Like the Drukari set this week, the Necron set is mainly an upgrade sprue with the existing Immortals sprue and some characters. If you want to team these guys up against each other, the Kill Team: Shadowvaults Book is also available separately, as is the Kill Team – Killzone Upgrade: Shadowvaults scatter terrain. But wait, there's more! That's right, the Imperial Navy Breachers Kill Team and the Kroot Farstalker Kinband are also now available to add to existing 40K forces or to throw into your Kill Team skirmishes too. The Farstalker Kinband is one of the really excellent additions to the universe, harking back to the original concept of Kroot outside the Tau alliance, so it's great to have these available. The Imperial Navy have always been around, first appearing in this form as part of the concept art by Jes Goodwin for Battlefleet Gothic. Like Shadowvaults, the Kill Team: Into the Dark Book and Dice Sets for the Imperial Navy Breachers and the Farstalker Kinband are also available.
There's also a very cool new addition for Horus Heresy this week, with the Legion Sky-hunter Squadron giving us Heresy-era Javelin jetbikes in plastic for the very first time.. Instead of one miniature, we get three. This is also the first time we have seen the Horus Heresy Space Marine 'rider sprue' for want of a better term, so that's worth a look as this may also appear in a later release of bikes or other fast transport.
It's not just Warhammer 40K that does skirmish, oh no, for Age of $igmar has Warcry, and this week gives us the opportunity to pre-order Warcry: Bloodhunt, a very cool new set with two excellent new warbands - the samurai vampires of the ​Askurgan Trueblades and the feral Khorne-worshiping Claws of Karanak. Both of these are excellent, and although the scenery is a bit Ewok village, it fits with the current deep-dark-jungle vibe. Speaking of deep-dark-jungle, the newest Seraphon warband, the Hunters of Huanchi had stepped out of the more recent expansion along with their foe, the Jade Obelisk warband. Again (broken record) these are also both awesome and oh-so-tempting. Honestly, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that each and every one of these warbands is great in their own right, it's just how far the wallet will stretch...
Oh look, it's some classic metal Made to Order Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Middle-Earth once again with some of the (mostly) later releases from that range - Heroes of Helm's Deep, Théoden (Warg Attack), the very nice and only eclipsed by the plastic kit Gandalf the White (The Two Towers), Gimli Getting Stoned on Dead Uruk-hai, Frodo, Sam and Gollum in Ithilien, Gamling (Warg Attack), the Rangers of Ithilien, Ringwraith on Fell Beast, another nice set the Warg Riders and the Uruk-hai Battering Ram.
Next week is also a White Dwarf week with issue 485 on sale on Friday.
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If you missed our article on the new pricing for Games Workshop and how they A) don't need to do it and B) possibly shouldn't do it - then check that out here.

In case you had missed it, this morning Games Workshop released a statement that they will be raising prices on many of their products at an average of approximately 6%. This shouldn't come as a surprise as it was announced last year at around this time that there would also be a price hike for the 2022 calendar year. As much as it's any business' right to increase, or lower, prices when they see fit, we've done some digging and we'd like to put the case forward that Games Workshop A) don't need to and B) shouldn't raise their prices this calendar year, of all years.

The price increase will take place on March the 6th, with Plastic miniatures, Forge World and Citadel resin miniatures, Standard and Artificer Citadel brushes, and Spray paints going up and Starter sets, Paint sets, Paint pots, Citadel Tools, Codexes, rulebooks/ battletomes and Synthetic STC brushes staying the same.

Our contention is this; with the increase in the price of electricity, fuel, food and gas around the world, Games Workshop can afford to take a hit for their consumers. Currently, in the homeland of Games Workshop - the United Kingdom - people are having huge increases in the basics of life, putting a pressure on families and budgets. 
Now of course you may say that Games Workshop are a business and they need to make money - and you would be right, because if they didn't make money we wouldn't have our little minis. Correct! But as our hobby is a luxury compared to the essentials of living, Games Workshop not increasing the prices this year, and potentially taking a financial hit for 12 months not only serves their customer base, will mean that the new releases this year will be more likely to be successful, will keep loyalty to their brand from a happy Community, but they can afford it!

Here's an amazing statistic - in 2020, the company made sales of £361m and an operating profit margin of 43%, higher than Google owner Alphabet Group’s margin of about 25%. Now we all know the story of how 2020 was COVID lockdown and people got back into hobbies, and you could say this was a once off - but it's not, in fact both 2021 and 2022 were bigger years for their gross profit margin.

Now there's a difference between Gross margin and the Net profit margin - the first is everything together, the latter is the profit once all expenses, incomes, losses etc are taken into consideration. SO how does this look holistically then?

Games Workshop FY 21/22
Gross margin 66.68% / Net profit margin 28.78% / Operating margin 35.41% 
So is this good?
According to Marcotrends: "Ideally companies want an operating margin of 15% or higher. 10% is considered average". This sees Games Workshop having over twice an ideal result and over three times as much as an average performer would. 

Games Workshop will say that that not everything went their way in FY 21/22 so they need to recoup, well according to The Financial Times: "In 2022, cash reserves at Games Workshop Group PLC fell by 13.80m. However, the company earned 121.50m from its operations for a Cash Flow Margin of 29.29%. In addition the company used 32.10m on investing activities and also paid 103.60m in financing cash flows." So in one way yes, the cash reserves were down, but they made it back in other ways. Overall this is a profit being written off as a quasi-loss.

To be fair to Games Workshop, their statement that: "We’re sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that a lot of things are more expensive than they used to be: food, materials, transport – essentials and luxuries alike. Stuff costs more to make and more to move, and Warhammer is not immune to these changes..." is true. However, our contention is that with the very very healthy figures we have shown you above, that even if they didn't raise the prices this year to support the Community who really are going through a rough trot, they wouldn't lose. In fact the public attention for them not raising prices to help their Community may go some way to repairing the frankly awful record Games Workshop has for pricing since Age of $igmar was released. We all know about the international pricing, with New Zealand and Australia paying hefty prices compared to the US and Canada (counting the UK is unfair as their is comparatively little transport cost compared to internationally), and despite that the Community remains loyal.
 
Games Workshop could choose now to say "Hey Community, we know you're going through rough trot, and yes we do factor in a 6% increase to prices each year, but this year with so much uncertainty and huge rises in the essentials of life, we have decided to not implement the price increase. Will this make us tighten our belts? Yes it will, but for over 40 years, through strikes, recessions and COVID you have stood by us so we are going to stand by you. Our hobby is a luxury, so if we can help you get through the big bills and still be able to afford some hobby, then that's a small price for us to pay."

How hard is that? It's not hard at all!

​Planning on a 6% increase each year if probably fair for a company, but there's the people factor they really have to be cognoscente about. Not all plans can stay on the path we want, and for a company that can afford to not put the prices up, it would be a really responsible act from them to the very loyal fanbase.   

So what do you think?
​Looking at the facts and figures, should Games Workshop look outside their plan and think about the Community at large or should they raise their prices no matter what is happening to their fanbase?

One of the most popular Space Marine Legions in Horus Heresy are the World Eaters, but in Warhammer 40K, the range has had sporadic updates over the years - but no more! This week sees not only the release of the long-awaited stand alone Codex: World Eaters (available in Serious Daddy Issues Collectors' Edition and Bring Back The Hounds Standard Edition) but also a bevy of new miniatures, led by the one, the only Angron, Daemon Primarch of Khorne. Wrought in plastic for the very first time, Angron is a beast of a model with a lot of detail to delight and frustrate hobbyists alike - though we must admit we thought he'd be bigger! The Primarch is joined by his abandoned sons, spearheaded by the World Eaters Lord on Juggernaut/ Lord Invocatus combi-kit and the new elite unit, the Eightbound/ Exalted Eightbound combi-kit. A big update to a very old plastic kit is the new Khorne Berzerkers set, with these deadly close combat maniacs looking to have taken the leap to Primaris-esque scale - which matches the lore even in Horus Heresy. A great new addition is the new Jakhals kit, Khorne Cultists wielding more chains and chain weapons than a Khorne-vention. Nice set, though you might think they would look bulkier in general. Of course to lead your happy band into battle, you'll need the Datacards and covet the World Eaters Dice Set. If all this spells happiness in your pants, then get it all (minus Angron) in the World Eaters Pre-order Collection. It's been interesting to see some of the alternative colour schemes starting to sprout up on these guys already, with the white and blue of the Heresy-era (incorrectly called "pre-Heresy" on the WarCom site) and the black and red of some of the other Khorne warbands.
Now as we know, the current Arks of Omen campaign is going on - though very quietly and without much fanfare - and guess who's the poster boy this time... Angron! Yes, Arks of Omen Book 2: Angron (available in Great Balls of Fire Collectors Edition and Kick Out The Jams Standard Edition) brings the next part of the narrative, plus rules for boarding actions to Warhammer 40K. Want to play along? Well you can, with two new themed sets, the Boarding Patrol: Space Marines and Arks of Omen: Balefleet Battleforce giving you a choice of forces to start butting heads with. Why the flyer in the Chaos one I don't know! Surely a Dreadnought would be better...
In books this week, the new Angron: The Red Angel (in a very nice Special Edition or hardback) is coming, along with another Chaos Space Marine-themed book, Renegades of the Long War in paperback. The Blackhearts Omnibus is in paperback, just weeks from it's hardback release and there's a new Warhammer Horror anthology Unholy: Tales of Horror and Woe from the Imperium also in paperback.

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.