Welcome back to your weekly pre-order update! It's been some time, and we're happy to be back to show all the new goodness - this week it's Mechanicus!
Psychic Awakening is still bubbling along, basically ushering in the next chapter of Warhammer 40K. With Psychic Awakening: Engine War, available in both Creepy Tendrils Collectors Edition or We Worship Your Toaster Standard Edition, we'll not only get up to date with the Adeptus Mechanicus but also get the rules for the brand new units we see released this week  
The Adeptus Mechanicus range are probably some of the most popular kits in the current incarnation of 40k. Designed between the master mind of Jes Goodwin and the amazing hobbyist and designer Darren Latham, they are multi-faceted gems. This week we get some more units, the airborne assualt Pteraxii Sterylizors/ Skystalkers combi-kit which brings fast attack options to the tabletop and Serberys Raiders/ Sulphurhounds, which similarly gives you fast shock troops... mounted on giant dogs! Who would have thought? It's not just infantry, because there a new combi-kit flyer as well in the form of the Archaeopter Fusilave/ Transvector/ Stratoraptor. It's a strange one and, surprisingly expensive for that it is. There's also a new Start Collecting! Adeptus Mechanicus box that replaces the Dune Crawler with the Skorpius Dunerider/Disintegrator and replaces the fabulous Tech-Priest Dominus with the Tech-Priest Enginseer... at the new higher price. This week we also get, for the first time, everyone's least favourite Tech-Priest, Manipulus.
In books we get more Horus Heresy in the dust jacket format - Fear to Tread, Shadows of Treachery, Angel Exterminatus, Betrayer. Mark of Calth and the latest Siege of Terra book in paperback, Sons of the Selenar.
There's also the new Warhammer Adventures, War of the Orks and Flight of the Kharadron.

After days of blurry photo leaks of what is almost an entirely new revamped Necron army, Games Workshop relented and released that clearer version - all be it with some humorous captions!
This revamp is a huge leap forward for an aging Necron range, with the Doom Scythe and Triarch Stalker staying alongside the elite bodyguard units, but everything else getting a buff. New Destroyers, new Warriors, new much-improved big floaty pyramid plus brand new units including the Skorpekh Lord which seems to be the poster boy for this release. The massive Silent King model is certainly going to steal the show and attract every piece of heavy artillery towards it in-game! There's some really unusual new shapes and styles of Necron, but they all fit in with the current look at feel, keeping the psuedo-Tomb Kings in space motif going on.
We've got some closeups below of some of the new things, including a mini not a lot of people seem to have spotted lurking in the shadows, plus what looks like some scenery.
This is an exciting new release, assumed to be released alongside the new 9th Edition 40K, so we will see if that's late this year or early next year - either way, we really need to work out a colour scheme for Necrons.

It's been a month and a bit since the Games Workshop webstore and physical stores shut their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that time we've had previews and a multitude of web articles, but for many places this week sees those avenues of hobby reopen. All the Nuln Oil can be replenished, the spray undercoat and glue and paint restocked. If we avoid Wave 2 of the pandemic, then this could be the new normal - but lets play safe and smart. Stay well, and if you're not, bloody stay at home!
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To usher in the reopening of stores, the next White Dwarf is out, so why not head into a store and get a good solid fix.

The plan was big - build that army that's been in mothballs, and at the end of lockdown there will be a shiny new army to look back on. It didn't work out that way. Probably like a lot of hobbyists who were working from home, the whole lockdown has been exhausting. It was hard to be motivated, but like JP said in our chat on Hobby In Lockdown, don't expect too much. Don't let it become a burden.
The projects may not have been huge, but they have been varied - finally making headway on the War Hounds Assault Squad, working on the Victoria Miniatures Heavy Mortar (Super-Size), another Slaaneshi Chaos Warrior added to the ranks, a kitbashed Dark Eldar Grotesque that started as an experiment and became something super fluffy and theme-y, and a Fireforge Games Northmen.
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Hopefully in the next little while I can show you more of these projects as they were fun to try - which is what the hobby is all about, having fun and trying new things!

Above is the new hobby area/ studio set up. You may think it looks neat - but it took SIX HOURS to get to this point and it's only about 1/3 or the paints.
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New episodes will be HERE as soon as we can get them up

As you know, each week we post the latest pre-orders from Games Workshop. In a busy working life, posting those updates and painting War Hounds Legion minis is pretty much all we have time for these days. In Australia we're in a pseudo-lockdown, so working from home - which if you're doing it too you'll know has it's own stresses and strains.
What we will be doing here, later today, is announce a new venture here at Beardy Hammer which we really hope you like. We think it's going to be fun to do, and hopefully fun to join in with.
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So what about the Games Workshop pre-orders? Well, there won't be any from GW as they have announced that there will be no there will be no new physical pre-orders until at least the 2nd of May due to the closure of Warhammer HQ and the factory and distribution centres in the UK, USA and Australia.
There are however a number of things they are doing to keep your hobby going.

You can go check out the Warhammer TV Twitch, which has hours of material to inspire you to get through your mountain of minis at home. This content has always been behind a paywall, but now GW have opened it up, and if you can navigate the awful layout of Twitch, then why not stream this to your TV and have it on while you hobby. I can highly recommend the episode on the amazing Mechanicus builds by GW's video editor Laura. Also, go follow her Twitter!! 

Now if audio drama is more your thing, Black Library seem to be running a series of promotions on their Black Library Audio App. There's some mixed reviews on this app, but if you're more into hearing stories from right across the Warhammer universes, then this app is really the best place to get them all.
Currently I Am Slaughter is on special, so we'll see what happens next. It's a free app, so if you like stories of the Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer and Age of Sigmar, Necromunda and more, then this app is the gateway. There are in-store purchases, but just see what happens with specials, bundles and previews.  

Also coming this weekend is the first in a series of previews. Whisper is it includes the new Fabius Bile - in if there's a new Fabius Bile, then there's probably Chaos Primaris Marines, new Slaaneshi Chaos Space Marines and... maybe even the Demon Prince himself.

Warhammer Storyforge have also just opened their Instagram account which will keep us all up to date on the new film projects, including previews and other nice visual tidbits. Add it to your Instagram feed and see what comes up! Who knows... while others are working from home we may see these come out sooner than we thought!

This post has concentrated on Games Workshop, because that's what we update you on every week here, but there are many other miniature companies - especially the small ones - who are continuing to print and sculpt from home and ship straight to your door. Don't forget them! Maybe find a new universe to enjoy, or some great conversion bitz! Many small miniature companies work from their home anyway, and with technology easier to get a hold of, there's some amazing things coming out. 
If you have a 3D printer, don't forget the places like CG Trader and Thingyverse where creators post their sculpts up. There's also manufacturers who provide STLs too like Reptilian Overlords, and Imperial Terrain amongst others. For small manufacturers, that may be there livelihood right now so why not support them.
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That's it from us. Bit of a different update I know. Stay tuned later today when hopefully we'll have an update on something very cool from us here at Beardy Hammer.
Stay safe, keep in touch with your friends and community, and don't forget the importance of face to face. Get on a Facebook Messenger/ Google Hangouts/ Zoom video call and chat with your fellow hobbyists!

The Space Wolves – what an awesome mix of martial prowess; Viking crossed with gene-enhanced super warrior in armour. I mean where can this go wrong? Well probably in the era where they were powder blue, but like the time Dark Angels had feathers on their armour, we try to forget it. Well this week, one of the greatest heroes of the Space Wolves lore, Ragnar Blackmane returns, this time all Primaris-ed up in the new Prophecy of the Wolf boxed game. He’s not on his own though – a brand new hulking Ghazghkull model is also here too and what a bloody beast he is. Oh and there’s a Gobbo called Makari too. If you do order this set you also get the Psychic Awakening: Saga of the Beast Datasheet Cards for these three dudes.
 This all happily coincides with the new ​Psychic Awakening book, Saga of the Beast which comes in Faux Pelt Only Please Collector's Edition and How Can You Bathe In That Armour Standard Edition. So, I hear you ask, what other Space Wolves goodness will I be able to buy? Some dice, or a commemorative coin, or even a big burly bearded man to come clean your pool. Well... strap yourself in, Wayfarer because… they’re re-packaging the Fenrisian Wolves. Woof woof!!
The rest of this week is books with the brand new Road to Redemption (the spine colour clashing with the front colour hurts my eyes!), the Space Wolves omnibus Sagas of the Space Wolves which includes Includes 4 novels, 2 novellas, 10 short stories and a partridge in a pear tree. If you’re into audio dramas then the Saga of the Beast gives you 4 hours of Ragnar Blackmane action in a sturdy audio repository.
Do you love Print On Demand? Do you love Horus Heresy in hardcover? What if we could combine the two? Well, faithful friend, they have and this week they are here - Betrayer (with all the juicey War Hounds Legion tid-bits), Fear to Tread (the story of Space Marines and their continuing issue with Lego bricks on the floor in the middle of the night), Shadows of Treachery, ​Angel Exterminatus and Mark of Calth, brother of John of Calth – nice guys! You can of course buy them all together in this collected set too…
Speaking of Horus Heresy, there’s also the Siege of Terra Collection – Books 1-3 in hardback if that is your want and desire!
Have at it you powder-blue pretties…

We don't usually start these updates with a book, but Saturnine, Book 4 in the Siege of Terra Limited Edition series is on pre-order this weekend - and as this seems to be the hottest ticket in town - HAVE AT IT!!
The other hot ticket is the delayed second wave of Adepta Sororitas/ Sisters of Battle, which this week gives us some melee Troops in the form of the combi-kit Seraphim Squad/ Zephyrim Squad and the Repentia Squad, which is an amazing source oh Heavy Chainswords for the Horus Heresy player out there! We also get some characters in the form of the Imagifier, the Dialogus and the multi-optioned Canoness. There's also the long awaited transports - the Adepta Sororitas Rhino and the Immolator. Both amazing looking kits, but at a premium price, especially the Rhino which is the basic kit plus an upgrade sprue (thanks for the heads-up BeefWeaver). The preview images of the Adepta Sororitas Rhino did originally show a Deimos Pattern Rhino, but this image has since disappeared and replaced with the more familiar Rhino we know today. The Immolator does look amazing though and we are sorely tempted! The Adepta Sororitas also get some scenery with the Battle Sanctum, which is very nice indeed! In related news, we also get a Bases Pack for the new 28.5mm base, which I suppose gets the 3rd part suppliers out of the market but just really annoys the hobbyists! The Adepta Sororitas range is pretty niche, but having a look at the details on them, they really are very well done, if somewhat limited in their poseability.
Next week is also a ​White Dwarf week with issue 452 incoming.

Lizardmen are awesome - a staple of Fantasy since at least the Dragonlance era of the 1980s, they take the idea of combat and dinosaurs to the next level by mixing the two. Lizardmen have been a part of Games Workshop's pantheon for a long time too, and the now-titled Seraphon have been the same pretty much since then. This week sees the brand new Seraphon Battletome, in both Beam Me Down Scotty Limited Edition and Jungle Fever Standard Edition. It's an incredible shame GW didn't decide to bring out new miniatures with this release because the old ones are desperately in need of an update, in fact the closest we've had in recent time is the frankly embarrassing Gwaka'moli Crater Gators Blood Bowl Team. There is a new miniature of sorts - a new piece of terrain - the Realmshaper Engine, which can either be build as covered in vines, or as sparkly and new.  Both are a tad ordinary, sadly. The Seraphon also get new Warscroll Cards, but no dice - I'd have loved some dice - and a new Skink Start Collecting box. There's two other Start Collecting boxes this week too - Gloomspite Gitz and Daughters of Khaine.
Books this week has a few interesting ones; two Warhammer Horror books - Anathemas and Sepulturum, the fourth Last Chancers book Armageddon Saint, the paperback version of Rites of Passage which is all about the Navigator Houses and the paperback of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work.
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Now if like us you have a hankering for Lizardmen check these out: Reaper have some nice ones, so do Lost Kingdoms and finally, the very very cool Mierce Miniatures.

​Who doesn't love a good half-man, half-serpent? Well the good folks at HeroForge have very nicely made all our dreams come true with this absolute beauty.
Of course, like all things HeroForge is it entirely customisable for Fantasy of Scifi, with a tonne of posing, weapon and even body shape options.
HeroForge also offer a printer version of an STL for those of us with 3D printers.
Have a look at the base figure below and you'll get an idea of how easy it would be to swap torsos, or arms, weapons and accessories.
We're working on an idea for some elite infantry for Tomb Kings, or maybe some guards for Cobra Commander. Go have a look at all the other minis you can make too - you'll spend ages customising! 

Who doesn't like a Space Elf? Well the Necrons, but they don't count - and joy abounds this weekend as the pre-orders go up for the previously boxed-set exclusives of the very weird looking Drazhar and the awesome finally-in-plastic Incubi. So tempting, so pretty, so spiky. Also from the same boxed set, we have Jain Zar and the 2020 incarnation of the Howling Banshees, also in plastic for the very fist time. These models look a little chunky (not body shaming) compared to their past metal incarnations, but they're still pretty cool.
It's Black Library Celebration 2020 this weekend, so they've rolled out a few interesting releases. For power players and fans of gold alike, there's two new miniatures in the Talons of the Emperor faction, the Valerian and Aleya set, some Black Library Celebration Custodes Dice and the Watchers of the Throne: The Regent's Shadow featuring the previously mentioned Valerian and Aleya.
Black Library Celebrations are generally full of trinkets and bibs'n'bobs, so they haven't let us down with the Legion Pin Badge Set, the Sabbat Worlds Crusade Map and some books; 13th Legion (20th Anniversary Edition), The Loathsome Ratmen and All Their Vile Kin, Helsreach, Iron Company, and last but absolutely not least, the stunning Lion El'Jonson: Lord of the First (Limited Edition). Was he always blonde?
There's more books this week too - the non-limited edition The First Wall, Oaths and Conquests, and a new Kal Jerico: Sinner's Bounty (in a poorly executed Cyberpunk 2077 inspired cover).
Any purchase of a physical product this weekend will also get a free ​Black Library Celebration Anthology 2020 book with stories from Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, The Horus Heresy, Necromunda and Warhammer Horror.

How cool are Valhallans? They're probably one of the most loved Imperial Guard armies from a time when GW were providing alternative looks for the Guard. Beautifully themed with their long coats and WWII feel, they were gritty and very cold! This weekend sees the return of the classic moulds via the Made To Order system. Get them while they're hot... or cold!
Get the whole re-release collection in the Valhallan Platoon, or pick and choose from the Valhallan Mortar Team (3 sets), Valhallan Heavy Bolter Team (3 sets), Valhallan Missile Launcher Team (3 sets), Valhallan Autocannon Team, the bloody awful Classic Commissar Yarrick, Commander Chenkov, Valhallan Commander, the super classic and not badly priced Valhallan Ice Warrior Squad, Valhallan Special Weapons, Valhallan Missile Team, Valhallan Heavy Bolter Team or the Valhallan Mortar Team.
The troops are very nice models. The officers are not great at all, pretty boring and pretty shoddy. If you look closely you can see the Mortar Team and the Special Weapons Team are done by the same person who did the troops, but some of the other heavy weapons teams don't have the same quality faces.
Commander Yarrick is a divisive model - many people like him because this was a time when lots of hobbyists got into the hobby, but if you look at him with fresh eyes, he's the worst elements of over the top GW madness and flat model sculpting.

Warcry continues to produce some of the nicest miniatures GW have released in some years - interesting, macabre, fun - and the latest two are no different. The Fomoroid Crusher is a big boy, and he is very cool, especially since he comes with alternate faceplates, which gives him (and his kin) a bit more versatility. The Mindstealer Sphiranx is frankly a thing of nightmares; echoing both cat and... God knows what this thing is freaky and cool, and again with alternate heads, this can be all the more versatile for hobbyists and gamers alike. With these two new monsters, we also get some characters - some available outside previous boxed games. The excellent
Ogor Mawtribes Tyrant leads the list, a mist have for all hobbysists, surely, there's also the Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig, the highly thematic Abhorrant Archregent, the air-guitar playing Warlock Bombardier, Vokmortian Master of the Bone-tithe, and the super odd Druanti the Arch-Revenant. There's also Warcry cards for Sylvaneth, Stormcast Eternals Sacrosanct Chamber, Blades Of Khorne Bloodbound, Blades of Khorne Daemons, Maggotkin of Nurgle Rotbringers, Maggotkin of Nurgle Daemons, Hedonites of Slaanesh and the mighty Seraphon (hurry up with new minis, dammit!!!).  
Previous darling of the Community, Necromunda, is busily expanding existing gangs, with new Stimmers and Forge-born for the Goliaths. Now I have to say this - these minis (especially the Stimmers) look so different from the previous Goliaths, these may not fit in that well. Have a look at the faces and the body types - these are far less cartoony. The Forge-born are awesome, even if they do look like they're falling over! These minis re out to coincide with the new Necromunda book House of Chains, which is apparently all the background and expanded fluff, special rules (including the Slave Ogryn Gang) every Goliath player needs to read in between reps and bench presses. The book also sees the re-release of the Goliath Gang Tactics Cards, now called Second Edition. 
Forgotten, lost in the wastes of space - somewhat like it's namesake Blackstone Fortress - the latest expansion, No Respite is pretty disappointing. Three Plague Marines they couldnt give away and were on Last Chance To Buy for ages, and some zombie cannon fodder. Not up to the standard of previous boxes.
Adeptus Titanicus has had a weird relationship with the very important Titan Command Terminals, often going into Last Chance To Buy or Sold Out within week of release. Well there they are back again, but with all the Titans now catered for in one pack - the Adeptus Titanicus Titan Command Terminals.
Middle Earth keeps up the pace with some more minis, Gorbag and Shagrat, the excellent Mordor Uruk-hai, Orc Shaman on Warg, Boromir Captain of the White Tower, Bard Hero of Laketown and the core cast of The Hobbit in The Champions of Erebor.
Next week is also White Dwarf 451 (notice back to numbers and not the monthly naming convention) - still miss the weekly version of this magazine! More targeted content and less filler.

Let's be honest - the Tau are cool and anyone who doesn't like them is really just jealous of their ranged firepower. Get in close and they're toast, but far away, you are plasma-fodder!
The Greater Good is the the latest chapter of Psychic Awakening is out next week, which gives you updated rules for Genestealer Cults and Imperial Guard, and it also gives some love to the much-maligned Tau - the good guys of the WH40K universe. The book comes in We're Here To Help Collectors Edition (with a pretty awesome variant cover) and One Of Us Standard Edition. Rather surprisingly, the new mini for this release is Commander Shadowsun which would normally be awesome except for two things; [1] she who has somehow been Primaris-ified and [2] she head looks like it's been made out of play-doh, or maybe a crushed pea. That's a huge shame because the later Tau heads have been very detailed and expressive. Thankfully there are three head options in the kit, so go for the helmet! Genestealer Cults also get some new rules in this book, so we finally get the awesome Kelermorph model available separately, and a new Start Collecting! Genestealer Cults box which is about 30% off RRP and comes with the awesome Achilles Ridgerunner.  
Meanwhile in the world of giant mechs, there is a new Adeptus Titanicus expansion book - Shadow and Iron - which brings new rules for Knight Houses, new weapons options and rules for the new Warbringer Nemesis Titan who comes with a head so big you'd think it was a Kardashian. There's also the new Adeptus Titanicus Titan Command Terminals for all Titan classes, a set of cool new Manufactorum Imperialis scenery and a new starter set, Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy. If you love your Titans there's also new decals on the way with decal sheets for Legio Ignatum, Legio Metallica and Legio Astorum. 
Far away from a land of giant robots there lives the world of Middle Earth, who next week get some new additions, with new Magical Powers Cards, Defenders of Pelennor Profile Cards, Mordor Profile Cards and Fallen Realms Profile Cards. For the life of me, we can't work out why these are so expensive!
Now if you like your 40K cute and cuddly, the new Bandai-made Warhammer 40,000 Chibi Figures Series 1 are on their way. If you haven't been exposed to this sort of mass produced rubbish before, for the most part they're very cheap quality with poor paint jobs. Maybe these can be stripped and repainted, but don't expect much when you open them.
In books, there's just one this week - Farsight: Empire of Lies which sounds like it's about to retcon everything we know about Farsight and possibly the Tau. Not ideal!
As with all of the Psychic Awakening releases, if you order through the webstore you will get the Greater Good Datasheet Cards which have the stats for Commander Shadowsun and The Eight on them.

If you've been wondering where Nagash is, or maybe Archaon (he's been hunting for Slaanesh) then Wrath of the Everchosen is for you - it's Chaos vs the Undead, it's new rules for siege warfare (something people have been asking for for a long time), some much-needed background on the Eightpoints, how to use the many roaming monsters, harness Wandering Endless Spells, plus Allegiance rules for the Hosts of Chaos. This is only a 104 page book, but still standard Battletome pricing.
Warhammer Underground Beastgrave gets some new parties too, with Hrothgorn's Mantrappers for the Ogors (with added dice and card sleeves) and The Wurmspat for Nurgle (also with added dice and card sleeves). Dammit, I've actually found a Nurgle model I like - that warrior with the spear is awesome!  
In books we have the next Warhammer Horror - The Oubliette, a massive Warhammer Chronicles omnibus - Heroes of the Empire, and a Warhammer 40,000 novel - Knights of Macragge. Interesting shot of the Ultramarines on the front of the novel, I mean who knew Ultras could look so damn cool?

Forge World have released the final three decal sheets for the remaining Legions in the Horus Heresy. Two of these we have been waiting for, and to be honest, we're a tad disappointed. Emperor's Children and Dark Angels are two mighty Legions with proud histories - but looking at these sheets, it seems they are missing any pre-Heresy or Terran markings. We saw that the World Eaters and others had flashback decals to the Great Crusade and even decals dating to before they were united with their Primarchs, but these seem to be lacking those. White Scars especially had some very unique markings for their Companies and they just aren't present. The Dark Angels are particularly boring, with their banners looking more like biker gang icons than the imagery of a proud Legion - which is a huge shame!
Click the pics to go to the Forge World site and check them out yourself.
What do you think? With three very interesting pasts, did you expect more?

Well well well, this is cool. I'm not sure any of use expected Tau as the next Xenos faction in Aeronautica Imperialis, but it's a great surprise. Eldar maybe, but now joining the very cool Ork planes, we have some Tau goodness... Greater Goodness indeed. Really nice to see they went with the larger Forge World planes and not the Razorshark/Sunshark from the GW line of Tau ships. Anyone else tempted?