After weeks of completely impenetrable Warhammer Community articles, the new Age of $igmar edition is here - Skaventide!! So what do you get in the box? Being a new edition of Age of $igmar, you get the 272-page hardback Warhammer Age of Sigmar Core Book, which of course includes all the rules, plus the new game mechanics for siege battles and tunnel fighting. Games Workshop have been pushing the new Spearhead game mode pretty forcefully from Day 1, so the 144-page hardback Spearhead: Fire and Jade book is also included to guide you through the "fast, tactical, small-scale battles" of this mode of play. Lets get onto the meat of the box though, the new miniatures, all of which are in the push-fit format, unfortunately. You get 24 x new Stormcast Eternals, including the new Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-stalker, a Lord-Terminos with his Memorian, a Lord-Veritant with Gryph-crow, a Knight-Questor, three spiky Reclusians with their Memorian off-siders, three of the redesigned Prosecutors, and ten of the tweaked Liberators - all of which fit into the new proportions first seen in the Dominion boxed set - the previous edition of Age of $igmar. Now to face these servants of $igmar, we have the Skaven, one of the original factions in Warhammer, they are back with a much-needed update. They are led by a Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast, a Grey Seer on a very cool base, a Warlock Engineer, a heavy artillery support piece, the Ratling Warpblaster, three Rat Ogors, three Warplock Jezzail snipers, and forty Clanrats who have needed this update for many years. Bless their little pink tails... The set also comes with four pieces of push-fit terrain, which is actually pretty cool! Away from the minis, what would a boxed set be without the double-sided cardboard game board (so exciting), a set of Spearhead cards, seventeen General's Handbook cards which thankfully include the 2024-25 Season Rules cards, Battle Tactics cards, Battleplan cards, and a Score card. There's also the accessories to help the new players, with two plastic range rulers... and interestingly, no dice! I think I need to check out the new rules!
​Now if you order this through the GW Webstore, you can get the Objective Markers for free. 
Meanwhile we of course have themed books, with the Skaventide novel available in Special Edition and Hardcover. 
The other book this week is the new fourth edition of Warhammer World: Dioramas. This 88-page paperback has photos and insights into the dioramas at Warhammer World, including the new Warhammer: The Old World siege.

Twas the week before Ao$ 4, and all through the land, not a pre-order was listed, at least none that we wanted...
​It's one of those weeks where anticipation is building, for next week we enter that cycle leading up to the release of a new edition. We've seen the minis, we've been bored senseless by the endless articles about points and rules, and now here we are, on the precipice of the dawning of a new age - the Age of $igmar! As such, this week is one of those weeks where we save up our dollarydoos in anticipation of a big splurge, and the licensed products get rolled out.
Makers of things that are almost cool enough to buy but end up gathering dust on the coffee table, Starforged, have a series of Space Marine Chapter Banner Magnets. You can choose Imperial Fists, Ultramarines, Dark Angels or Blood Angels, and make your fridge part of your hobby! By the way, the imagery used on these banners has to be over 25 years old and it's awesome to see it still being used.
Meanwhile, Japanese toymaker Tomy, have another entry in their series of fluffy minions - this time the Gryph-hound Plush. Grab this now before you have to use one of those claw machines in your local video game arcade to get one... because that's where they will be in 6 months!

Some much-needed love for the Horus Heresy Community in this week's pre-orders with some plastic and some Forge World resin love!
A joyous plastic release is the much-anticipated Legion Command Upgrade Set, which includes all new pieces to convert your Space Marine Command Squad. Interesting choice to have power swords/ Charnable Sabres instead of gladius', but the two banners and plumed helmets are pretty great, and the shields - so cool! There's also a new transfer sheet in here as well, with some new designs. Now if you would like to get yourself a Command Squad in one foul swoop, then you can also get the Legiones Astartes Command Squads - in both MkIII and MKVI flavours - which adds 5 models to the Legion Command Upgrade Set. Curious that this came before the expected re-release of the MKIV Space Marines, scaled-up to match their Brothers.
Now Horus Heresy loves a character, and this week we have four in resin on pre-order - the White Scar's Hibou Khan, Seeker of Atonement, Sons of Horus' ‘Little’ Horus Aximand, Captain of the 5th Company and Tybalt Marr, Captain of the 18th Company and former Iron Hand Shadrak Meduson, now Master of the Shattered Legions and owner of the most preppy haircut this side of Pluto!
Along with these releases are two re-released transfer sheets, Legiones Astartes Infantry Markings and Vehicle Markings Transfer Sheet - both vital to your Horus Heresy forces.
New kids on the block when it comes to Horus Heresy, but if you like your armies BIG and your troops tiny, then Legions Imperialis is for you! This week sees the pre-order of two Battle Groups, one for the Legiones Astartes and the other for the ​Solar Auxilia. These are joined by new Support Elements, the Legiones Astartes Predator Squadron and the Solar Auxilia Leman Russ Strike Squadron. If you've been holding off, now you can get an army in a box, so go forth and magnify!
The previous smaller-scale games Adpeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis now have their minis wrapped up into Legions Imperialis, with a whole lot of repacking going on. So what's on offer? Well you can take to the air with the Fire Raptor Squadron, Storm Eagle Squadron, Xiphon Interceptor Squadron, Avenger Strike Fighters or the Thunderbolt Fighter Squadron. Or you can pound the earth in mighty mechs with the Warmaster Iconoclast Heavy Battle Titan, the Cerastus Knights Acheron And Castigator, the Acastus Knights Porphyrion, Warhound Scout Titans With Turbo-Laser Destructors And Vulcan Mega-Bolters, Warhound Titans With Ursus Claws And Melta Lances or Dire Wolf Heavy Scout Titans. It's a great shame that GW didn't just add the new Ursus Claws And Melta Lances sprue to the existing Warhound Titan kit to create one all-encompassing kit - this would have been the perfect opportunity - but alas they again forget service as something they offer their customers. In fact just have a look at the price rise on all these repackaged kits and you will see we are much more loyal to GW than GW is loyal to us. Happily for many, there are also two terrain kits too, the Civitas Imperialis Spires and Civitas Imperialis - these kits always sell out very quickly! 
In books this week we have The Horus Heresy: Siege Of Terra Book 7: Echoes Of Eternity in paperback, and the next in the series of maps, this time it's the ​Sanctum Imperialis Palatine Map.

Sisters of Battle, or the Adepta Sororitas, have the distinction of being probably the first faction released due to public pressure. They'd been in the background since being taken off the main stage, but when Games Workshop brought them back, it caused a storm! The miniatures themselves are brilliantly detailed and pay serious homage to the originals, while at the same time adding extra layers of lore with the new units. Though personally not a fan, we really hope that there is a big fan following for them, because credit where credit is due, GW did go all out on these minis! Which brings us to this week, and the release of the Codex: Adepta Sororitas for 10th Edition Warhammer 40K. The Codex is available in two denominations - Flay and Pray Collectors Edition, and Righteous Zeal Standard Edition. Along with the Codex, there is a new Battleforce, Army of Faith, which includes the new Canoness with Jump Pack, one chunky tank/organ (Exorcist),  5 x Zephyrim, 10 x Seraphim, and three Adepta Sororitas transfer sheets. There's also a new Adepta Sororitas Combat Patrol, which includes 1 x Canoness, 5 x Celestian Sacresants, 10 x Battle Sisters, 10 x super creepy Arco-Flagellants and two Adepta Sororitas Transfer Sheets. The recent trend of releasing the Blackstone Fortress minis separately continues, with the ​Ministorum Priest with Vindictor also on pre-order this week. As tradition would (mostly) hold, there's a set of Adepta Sororitas Dice (cunningly coloured so you can't see the pips on the dice faces) and Datasheet Cards also on their way.
From the purity of the Sisters of Battle, to the heresy of the followers of the Many Armed God - yes it's the other faction that was demanded by fans, and also brilliantly executed by the miniatures team, Genestealer Cults. This faction has to be the single most kitbashed faction in Warhammer 40K, being the basis for many Blanchitsu, INQ28 and other fan-led universes, as well as a brilliant source of weapons options for Imperial Guard AND a fantastic range in and of themselves! With a collection of unique vehicles, the Genestealer Cults really is the miniatures range you could turn into almost anything - from rogue Guard units, to Rogue Traders, civilians, Necromunda gangs, armed miners, a motorized gang holding a planet hostage, deep space explorers - the look is almost universal! In fact the have been the basis for Space Skaven too. So this week, the new Genestealer Cults Codex for 10th edition is also on pre-order, available in Galactic Liberation Collectors Edition and Clandestine Long Game Standard Edition. The new Battleforce - Biosanctic Broodsurge - has the brand new Benefictus mini, an Abominant, 5 x Aberrants, 2 x Goliath Rockgrinder/ Goliath Truck combi-kits, 10 x Neophyte Hybrids, and 10 x Purestrain Genestealers. Meanwhile, the new Genestealer Cults Combat Patrol is a fast hard hitting collection featuring a Jackal Alphus, an Achilles Ridgerunner, 5 x Atalan Jackals, and 10 x Hybrid Metamorphs/ Acolyte Hybrids (the ones you can add Skaven heads to and make Space Skaven). We also have the ​Genestealer Cults Dice (always brilliant!) and ​Genestealer Cults Datasheet Cards, with pretty purple edging!
Speaking of Warhammer 40K 10th Edition, this week sees the pre-order of the new Chapter Approved: Pariah Nexus Mission Deck which gives you updated cards for deployment, primary and secondary objectives, new Secret Missions, and new mission rules, plus some pop-out objective tokens. Also in Pariah Nexus-land, the new Mission Objectives are incoming. Now these are large markers that you place on the game board (or maybe hover over it if you prefer) to show the control range of a regular objective. That seems like a brilliant idea, right? Well it is until you look at the outrageous price. This is the sort of pricing that angers the Community. A crazy price for what is essentially 6 markers. Really, GW, take a look at yourself!
Back to some minis - the new-ish Ork Big Mek comes with some customising options and an especially poorly executed model, the Shield-Captain - who has all the right elements for a great miniature, but he's horribly proportioned. Now they use computers, couldn't they just have stretched him?
In books this week we have the new Siege of Vraks novel with comes in Special Edition and Hardback, plus two "Black Library Classics", Rose in Darkness in paperback and Creed: Ashes of Cadia in paperback.
It's also a White Dwarf week with issue 501 hitting stores this coming Friday - except it is delayed in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

It must be getting very close to something big - one would assume the new edition of Age of $igmar, because the pre-order weeks are getting smaller, and a little more niche. Something is in the wind...
​ But before all that, this week it's Kill Team! [insert drone noise] The new format of Kill Team is to give us a smaller box, mainly concentrating on units rather than terrain, which is much kinder on the wallet, but for us it sort of takes some of the emersion away. Still, here we are with the new Kill Team: Termination [insert drone noise]. The adversaries this time are the Hernkyn Yaegirs representing the Leagues of Votann, versus Genestealer Cults Brood Brothers, Imperial Guardsmen who have truned their back on the Imperium in favour of The Many Armed God. The Hernkyn Yaegirs are brand new coat-wearing scouts, and their look is pretty cool, taking the coats from the Hernkyn Pioneers (the ones on bikes) and kitting out some dudes and dudettes to be all Matrix-style. The Genestealer Cults Brood Brothers however, are the current Cadian Infantry with a new Brood Brothers Upgrade sprue - as was the way with one faction in each Kill Team box from almost Day 1. The character models in this faction are also pre-existing minis from the Genestealer Cults range too. Fear not though GSC fans, you have some new troops on the way in the form of Necromunda! Stay tuned [insert drone noise]. Kill Team: Termination also comes with an 88-page rulebook, two token sheets for both factions, datacards for each unit, two decks of assets, tactical ploys, and strategic ploys, and two transfer sheets. The afore-mentioned terrain are the new Termination Plasma Genatoriums, of which you get two. Quite a neat little set, and many may get this for the GSC upgrade sprue alone, so watch eBay and FB Marketplace for the other units being listed soon.
In books this week we have the brand new Mike Brooks novel, Lelith Hesperax: Queen of Knives in Limited Edition. This is a stunning looking book with red-trimmed pages and all the bells and whistles we've seen before. Probably well worth a read for the sadly-ill treated Dark Eldar hobbyists.