We're going to slit the pre-orders this week due to delays in place for some products, so lets tart with what's universal.
This week is the tail-end of the Solar Auxilia range, with the Solar Auxilia Basilisk/ Medusa combi-kit heading up the list. A mighty artillery piece, this new vehicle also sports an interior and crew, which is a brilliant hobby challenge for any hobbyist. The second Solar Auxilia release is the very cool Hermes Light Sentinel/ Hermes Veletaris Sentinel comi-kit. A huge improvement on the previous heavy walker seen in the army box, these are sleek and fun, full of modelling potential!
There's some classic Ork kits this week too, with the Made To Order Orks release now out and about. Furnished in metal, the classic Ork Dreadnought, Blood Axe Kommandos and Nobz are heavy hitters in the world of 40K. It would be great to see some plastic versions of the Blood Axe Commandos, but that's old lore, so may never happen.
In books this week we have an interesting new omnibus, War for the Mortal Realms. This book is touted as a new omnibus collecting companion novels from each edition of the game with new interstitial sections bridging the gaps between major events in the Age of $igmar. Bit of an odd one, but it could be a great primer for new players or people wanting to get caught up on the narrative elects to the game. There's also another Age of $igmar book, this one is the previously published Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear, but now it's available in paperback, much like the final Horus Heresy novel, The End and The Death: Volume II, also on pre-order this weekend.
We're also informed that the new Warhammer Heroes Series 4, featuring models from across the Primaris realm ,is about to become available in selected stores in the US. What that means for the rest of us, no one ifs quite sure yet! 

Now if you're anywhere in the world except Australia and New Zealand, then you are in for a treat this week, with the new Tau Codex and Tau Kroot Auxiliaries up for pre-order.
  Everything Tau and Kroot is here, in the Codex: Tau Empire, available in Reds Under The Beds Collectors Edition and Giant Mecha Standard Edition. Accompanying this Codex is a much-needed update to the Kroot, the Tau's skirmishing allied forces. A force in their own right, the Kroot are loyal to the Tau, and add a solid melee and selection of fast units to back up the Tau gunline! The Kroot are led by Shapers, and there's three new ones this week, the War Shaper, the Trail Shaper and the Flesh Shaper - all cool models, owing more than a bit to the movie Predator. The troops of the Kroot are the Kroot Carnivores, swift brutal melee fighters, who can fight alongside the Kroot Hounds to make a mess of your enemy. There's also some beasty-lads, with the excellent Krootox Rampagers, Krootox Rider and Kroot Lone-spear all partnering with mounts to bring either heavy weapons, crushing melee power or  precise sniper accuracy to the battlefield. The Tau Empire also gets a new Combat Patrol: T’au Empire, tweaking the last version. This is a nice booster to your existing minis or a nice starting set for new players. It wouldn't be a release without Tau Empire Datacards and a set of awesome Tau Dice.

Alrighty, strap yourself in for one of those weird staggered release weekends, but at least this time it's all one universe - Warhammer: The Old World!
We start off with the Arcane Journal: Orcs and Goblin Tribes spilling all the beans on the Green Horde! Do you like brand new miniatures - well the new Goblin Shaman - coming with absolutely no options, is a really lovely, evocative miniature, and integral to your Goblin army! Now onto the classic stuff, with the returning metal Orc & Goblin Tribes Orc Shamans set, the delayed release in Aust/NZ Orc & Goblin Tribes Battalion which reissues classic (and some not long discontinued) Orc models, including the Orc Boyz Mobs and Boar Chariots which are also available separately this week. Also in the "mobs" category are the generic Orc Mobs, the very cool Orc Boar Boyz Mob and the Goblin Mobs (who are also in the Orc & Goblin Tribes Battalion), a personal favourite the Night Goblin Mob and recently discontinued Goblin Wolf Rider Mob. Orcs and Goblins are nothing without their Dice and Reference Cards - so don't forget those!
The Bretonnians get some new and classic love this weekend with the new Forge World Lady Élisse Duchaard (an exquisitely painted mini), the new Kingdom of Bretonnia Lord on Royal Pegasus which can also be made as a Duke or Baron with a pegasus mount. A really stunning model, and available for the first time outside of the Bretonnian army box. The classics keep on rolling with the plastic Kingdom of Bretonnia Men at Arms and Kingdom of Bretonnia Peasant Bowmen, plus the new Kingdom of Bretonnia Transfer Sheet (more on transfer sheets later).
Sadly the Japanese audience miss out on the classic Orcs and the classic Bretonnians this pre-order wave.
Everyone's favourite analogue Necrons, the Tomb Kings of Khemri get a reworking of their classic metal Casket of Souls, but this time in resin. There's new detail on this kit, with internal detail tot he casket and the scattered skulls have also been redone. It's a shame in a way that they didn't redo the heads on the guards too - it's really the only thing holding this mini back from looking new! Formerly a very rare miniature, the very old classic Tomb Kings of Khemri Necrolith Colossus is back, this time in resin and includes the never before released helmeted head and apparently added overall mobility.

Now we did mention the new transfers in the Orc and Bretonnian kits, and here's a closer look. The Orc and Goblin ones are interesting as Games Workshop have replaced the classic embossed shields with flat shields and then coloured transfers to replace them. In terms of continuity it's a real shame, mind you, new transfers are always nice. Speaking of nice transfers, the transfers included in the classic Bretonnian kits are the same as the sheet available separately - mind you at the price, you may as well buy the minis.  

While Australia and New Zealand catch up on some Orcs and Goblins, we unfortunately miss out on the new Darkoath Army Set, which launches the new versions of what were previously the Chaos Marauders, the mortal followers of the Dark Gods. The new miniatures have a lot more dynamism but lose the multi-pose options of previous releases. They look brilliant, but for some reason haven't really hit the spot. The Darkoath Army Set includes 20 x Darkoath Marauders, 5 x Darkoath Fellriders, a really evocative Chieftain on Warsteed (compare the pose to the recent Nurgle Harbinger of Decay and the Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal and you'll see a theme), and daemonic Wilderfiend. Like all army boxes, it includes the warscroll cards and tokens, plus Battletome Supplement: Darkoath, which is an expansion for Battletome: Slaves to Darkness.

Come to think of it, have we hit on something? Are these three miniatures a triumvirate? Is it the story of a Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal turning to Chaos and then eventually to Nurgle?

That title is very obscure, and only really a thing to Australians who remember Darrel Eastlake's insane commentary on Rugby League, but it's too good to pass up considering the pre-order offerings this week.
First off we have the Emperor's Golden Boys, the Adeptus Custodes, who get their updated Codex for 10th Edition 40k. The Codex is available in two flavours, Shiny Sparkle Horse Collectors Edition and Blinded By The Light Standard Edition. As we all know, the Adeptus Custodes are the Emperor's elite bodyguards, and when they take the field they do so as a force of fury, which is exactly what the new Battleforce: Auric Champions is meant to represent. Led by the new (and very squat) Shield Captain, you also get five Wardens, six Allarus Terminators, and six Vertus Praetors - the guys mounted on those cool jetbikes! Prefer something a little smaller in scale or just need to bump up your existing lads? Well the Combat Patrol: Adeptus Custodes is for you. This time it's led by a Blade Champion, with five Custodian Guard and a choice between three Allarus Terminators or three Wardens​. No matter which configuration you choose, you'll be needing some gold paint! As with most Codex releases, there's the Adeptus Custodes Datasheets and some Adeptus Custodes Dice.
Now the other big lads - and it's a real shame we don't have females anymore - are the Orks! Big brutal chaps and the bane of the Imperium, Eldar and Tau alike, they get their 10th Edition rules in the new Codex: Orks. Codex: Orks also comes in two delicious flavours, Burdock-Brewed Limited Edition and Grrrr-Aaaargh Standard Edition. Like the Adeptus Custodes before them, there is a new Battleforce, and this one is the Stompa Boyz, consisting of 10 Ork Boyz, 10 Loota Boyz/ Burna Boyz, a Trukk, and a mighty Stompa. If that's a bit intense for you, then the Combat Patrol: Orks may suit. This is an interesting box, as instead of the standard Orks, this one is made up of Snaggas, a sub-faction that was released as a mobile and mostly mounted tribe of Orks. Well it seems they have entered the mainstream and this set includes a Beastboss, 20 Beast Snagga Boyz and four Squighog Boyz. Their use of armour plates and furs makes these nice minis, it's just a curious choice for a Combat Patrol. To help field your dudes, there's the very boring Ork Dice and the Ork Datasheets.
​Horus Heresy hobbyists rejoice, resin upgrades ahoy! Yes this week the Blood Angels have two new resin sets, the Baal Predator Upgrade Pack and the Armoury of the Blood Angels which includes four close combat weapons, a selection of straight arms and a gatling gun. Probably very popular!
In books this week we have the Special Edition Da Big Dakka, a new vampire hardback Dead Kingdom, and some love for the Lumineth Realmlords with the paperback of Children of Teclis.

In our neck of the woods there was a huge amount of rain overnight, and who knew it, but look what washed up - yes it's those delayed Horus Heresy releases. It's a big update for Horus Heresy, with the brand new Campaigns in the Age of Darkness: The Battle for Beta Garmon expansion launching. Not only is this a lovely new book to thumb through and enjoy the pictures while swearing that one day you will read it, but it also ushers in the the first expansion away from Space Marines in the current incarnation of Horus Heresy - the Solar Auxilia. We of course saw some of these units in the Solar Auxilia Army Box, with the Solar Auxilia Tactical Command Section, Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section and Solar Auxilia Veletaris Storm Section now available separately. There's also the new elite unit, the Veletaris Storm Section, which was previously two kits from Forge World but is now a single combi-kit in plastic.There is also a bevvy of new vehicles, the Malcador Heavy Tank (which Space Marines also used in the Horus Heresy according to lore and the Legends rules), Leman Russ Assault Tank, Leman Russ Strike/ Command Tank and the Dracosan Armoured Transport rounding out an impressive armoured fist. There's also the Aethon Heavy Sentinel, which is so obnoxiously ugly it's sad. There's also two transfer sheets too - the Solar Auxilia Vehicle Markings, and the reissued Legiones Astartes Blackshields. Interesting the Solar Auxilia Transfer Sheet isn't also getting a reissue, but with transfers in the boxes maybe GW don't think they're needed.
Another exciting release this week, and for a fandom badly in need of some love, is ​Kill Team: Nightmare - bringing plastic Drukhari Mandrakes for the very first time vs. new Night Lords. Sure to be a popular kit, this will see many a happy hobbyist. There's also a small piece of terrain, the Generatorum Hub, which will surely enter every Necromunda hobbyists bag of tricks very very soon!
Speaking of match ups, the new Warcry: Pyre and Flood expansion also hits shelves very soon. This time it's the Nighthaunt Pyregheists vs. the Lumineth Ydrilan Riverblades and includes a spectacular piece of terrain that is oh-so-tempting. As a fan of the Lumineth, these new lightly armoured Ydrilan Riverblades don't necessarily impress us, but maybe they'll fit nicely into your army. Also in Warcry, two of the most recent forces are now available separately - the very popular conversion-fodder, the Wildercorps Hunters and the oddly interesting Gorger Mawpack. Before you get too excited, check the prices on these... Warcry needs terrain, and there's now two more Ravaged Lands sets, the Ruined Realmshaper set, and the Ruined Spawning Pool, which is basically the Starfire Pylon and Idol of Motzlpota from last week in one box.
When things start to get weird, you can bet it's generally going to be Blood Bowl, that strange little game that just keeps on giving. Strap yourself in, because we have Gnomes! Yes the Glimdwarrow Groundhogs are here, and if you like "cute" and you like furry companions, boy have we got something for you. These are the proto-typical Gnomes, not even the GW version of Gnomes, actual storybook garden Gnomes. Not only are they a big departure from the normal GW look, they are even painted differently, in fact very European in look. Beautifully done though. We promised furry companions and these guys have a badger, a goose and two Woodland Foxes. It's cuteness overload and YouTube will be blowing up as we speak! Of course we get the next Spike! Journal (Issue 17), Gnome Team Dice, Gnome Team Cards, and the Gnome Pitch Set. There's also two Forge World Gnomes too, with the very cool Gnome Treeman and Rodney Roachbait, the fishing rod-endowed sneaky ball-stealer.
In books this week there's two Imperial Guard novels, Deathworlder in paperback, and Shadow of the Eighth, the latest Minka Lesk novel, now in paperback.
It's also a White Dwarf week, so #499 hits the shelves on Friday!
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Just to let you know, this seems to be the first week that everyone worldwide gets a chance at all the pre-orders. That's a very nice change, and even if delivery is delayed, at least we can all get excited together.