As the Games Workshop staff take their well-earned break, this week's pre-order is a piece of nostalgia - the famously infamous Battle For Macragge.
So why is it infamous? There's a few reasons, but the main two are some of the contents, namely Lieutenant Varras, the Imperial Pilot and the scenery, a crashed "Imperial Lander".
Lieutenant Varras is a miniature many people haven't seen before, and due to his non-standard Imperial attire plus being on of the very few Imperial Pilot minis ever made, he is somewhat of a rarity! On eBay he can go for a bit of a pretty penny.
The "Imperial Lander" is also of interest to many collectors, with pieces of fuselage scattered across five terrain pieces. Like the pilot, but for different reasons, this is also popular on the second hand market from an age when there weren't many Imperial aircraft. 
Now with all that in play, is the set worth it? The Space Marines are early MkVII, push-fit minis, the Genestealers are from the original Space Hulk box, but for the time the Termagants were new.
All up, this set is pretty expensive, almost as much as some of the modern starter sets for far less.
If you're a fan of nostalgia, then this might be awesome, but we're saving our dollareedos for the other nostalgia trip coming up in 2024, Tomb Kings!

Games Workshop have done a pretty good job this year keeping the pre-orders and previews coming right up until Santa visits your mum. Sure the releases are post-New Year, but at least there's something to see and not an endless parade of Squig mugs and Hammers of $igmar toothpicks (honestly GW, you're missing out not making that one!). In fact this week we see a few things previewed a while back, including the brand new Kill Team.
Kill Team: Salvation is interesting for a few reasons - this is the first Kill Team set to not come with a tonne of terrain in the box, plus it resurrects two of the older Warhammer 40K models, from the two oldest factions. That's right, it's the long-awaited update to the Space Marine Scouts and yet another iteration of the Striking Scorpions, but this time in plastic! In fact these Striking scorpions aren't just those glass-cannon Craftworld kids, there are also options to make them into those sexed-up wunderkinds, the Ynnari - going all bare headed and studly. But fear not, Kill Team fans, the terrain not in this box is now available in it's own cardboard prison, with the  treacherous gantries and walkways of Killzone: Bheta-Decima coming to life. The set includes a two-sided game board, nine walkways and nine objective markers. This set is sure to be a hit with Necromunda players too, so this is probably a smart tactical move by Games Workshop.
Age of $igmar's version of Kill Team plus cards (well not really), Warhammer Underworlds goes Orky with a set of Swamp Orcs. Daggok’s Stab-Ladz would also make a nice addition to your Age of $igmar forces, with this particular brand of Orc facing a distinct lack of personality. There's also the Malevolent Masks Rivals Deck for Warhammer Underworlds too, so if that's your poison, drink deep!
Warhammer 40,000 is still slicing up the old Leviathan boxed set, this time with some Tyranids – the awesome Von Ryan’s Leapers, the Winged Tyranid Prime, Psychophage (delayed in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - welcome to the club North America!), Neurogaunts and a Horrors of the Hive set (which pairs a Screamer-Killer and Neurotyrant in one box) are on their way! The Tyranids have been a bit quiet since release, which really doesn't help propel the momentum of the current 40K storyarc.
Horus Heresy has been a collection of tiny tiny men recently, but not we return to some form of reality with this stunning model, the Alpha Legion Saboteur Consul. Faceless and nameless, he is a stealthy master of subterfuge, and a really lovely model.
Who guessed Blood Bowl? You did!! That's right, there's a selection of Made To Order Blood Bowl models available for pre-order this week, including four sets of cheerleaders - the Orc Waaaghs!, the Human Reaverettes, the Dark Elf Night Terrors, and Chaos' Damned Damsels. Also this week, the real heroes of Blood Bowl, a pair of Halfling and Goblin Referees, and a conventionally unattractive, misunderstood but with a heart of gold, the Mutated Minotaur. 
In books this week, it's the paperback of The Lion: Son of the Forest, and Pilgrims of Fire also in paperback.

It's a Christmas miracle!!
After a month, Australia and New Zealand have (almost) caught up with the rest of the world, with the King of the Dead and Heralds (Clear Plastic), Warriors of the Dead (Clear Plastic), and the Horus Heresy MKVI Assault Squad now on pre-order for release on the 13th of January 2024!

It's a great day when Games Workshop bring back something from the past and are faithful to it's original form. Think about Adeptus Titanicus and how they did an amazing job updating those old minis and brining them back in plastic. Well they're at it again and this time it's a classic mini from 2010, and a fan favourite - the Elysian Venator. The Venator was released in 2010, and purged from Forge World three years ago. It was a sad day - but today we have the return of the Venator in the form of the Palatine Enforcer Tauros Venator. Only slightly tweaked and in plastic, this is a very welcome addition to the universe. One can oly hope that we'll see one for Warhammer 40K or maybe a conversion kit to give us the lascannon turret. Also this week we see the new Necromunda: Apocrypha (Hardback). It's interesting to see the "hardback" added as it may denote we see a softcover in the future. This Apocrypha is different in format to the other Apocrypha, which mainly concentrated on fluff and art, where this one has some older rules and campaign material we could use in our games. In a way it would be great to have a proper Apocrypha with some of the material from Confrontation - the precursor to Necromunda - as well, being that Confrontation had a wider scope that was more fleshed out in terms of gangs and fluff.
Speaking of magical things that appear from the past, may we present to you the delayed release of the Thousand Sons Librarian Consul. As per usual with Thousand Sons models, he's a great looking mini, lacking the bare head option of other releases - which may be appropriate as his could have, by this era, turned to dust!
He's not the only red wonder this week, with the delayed release of the Brimstein Firegrass Tufts. A radical colour choice, so one wanders what these are being envisioned for...

The year is winding down, Santa is stocking his sack (wait... that doesn't sound right) and GW have slowed down the 2023 pre-orders so their staff can have holidays. In fact, in the spirit of the season, (Christmas for those who hadn't been paying attention) let's start with some GW Christmas goodness that's AVAILABLE TODAY!! Yes, instead of going on pre-order last week, these products are just turning up this week - like Santa just popping up sliding down the chimney and giving your mum a slap and a tickle. It happens... I saw it once. It was your mum!
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In stores today are these little beauties from Starforged, the Thunder Hammer Keychain, the Chainsword Keychain and three different Purity Seals, in either Space Wolves, Grey Knights, or Imperial Fists. Grey Knights is an interesting choice considering we get neither a Blood Angel or a Dark Angel option. And that's it for the pre-orders for this week, and they are actually in stores this week, so not exactly pre-orders.

Honourable mention to a few products still missing in action for Australia and New Zealand - seems like the King of the Dead and Heralds (Clear Plastic), Warriors of the Dead (Clear Plastic), the Brimstein Firegrass tufts, and the Horus Heresy MKVI Assault Squad, won't be making an appearance this Christmas. Did we make Santa's Naughty List?

​"If I could turn back time, if I could find a way..." Cher had it right with the smash hit from her 1989 album Heart of Stone. Not only did she ask the question, she confused all of us about the use for big guns on battleships. What has that got to do with the pre-orders this week? Well the wheels have fallen off the Logic Wagon, but we're puddling along. It seems the releases not available to the US and UK are also not on the Australian site, but the ones not available to Australia and New Zealand are also not on the Australian site. BUT, fair friend, we have the things from last week available this week, and the things for this week we'll get in 2024. Read on while we cover it all, fear not!.
Hey, I know it's the 60th Anniversary of Dr Who, but this is getting weird!!
As we predicted a little while back, the Flesh-eater Courts are getting a refresh, and the Flesh-eater Courts Army Set is the harbinger of said influx. The entire range minus the amazing new King model are in this set plus the Collectors Edition Battletome.
Robots in Disguise was the catchphrase from 1984, but the Necrons have a whole new spin - they're ancient malevolent warriors disguised as robots... in plain sight! Well here they are in all their glory, with their new 10th Edition Codex and associated goodness. Their new Codex, comes in Spit and Polish Collector’s Edition (sporting green foil pages edges) or Malign Force of Evil Standard Edition. The Necrons also get some lovely new miniatures, with brand new versions of well-known characters Imotekh the Stormlord, ​Orikan the Diviner,  as well as a nifty new Overlord with Translocation Shroud. After some delay, there's two of the best Necron minis to be released since Day Zero, with the Overlord with Tachyon Arrow and Royal Warden, available in the 9th Edition Starter Set but now here to buy separately. Speaking of which, the bulk of the Necron forces from that set are also now available in the Combat Patrol: Necrons. To help you reign supreme over these nefarious shiny evil doers, the Datasheet Cards for the Necrons (with pretty green foil edges) and a themed Necrons Dice Set are also available this week.
Your friend and mine, the toaster-worshipping techno-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus (beep-boop) are also rolling out their 10th Edition Codex, which is available in either Robes Are So This Year Collectors Edition (with red foil page edges) or Mechanoid Radioactive Army Standard Edition. Showing that the Adeptus Mechanicus, once the baby of legendary designer Jes Goodwin, have fallen so far from favoured status, the Adeptus Mechanicus get an absolute stinker of a mini. Fresh from the We Have No More Ideas Factory, is the Sydonian Skratos - comically absurd and ridiculous - this stilt-walker is less sniper and more carnival freak show. However, if you have love for the Priests of Mars, then the new Combat Patrol: Adeptus Mechanicus at least gives you some of the nice Goodwin minis, plus some of the questionable Latham ones. As with the Necrons, the new Adeptus Mechanicus Datasheet Cards are very nice, and come with red foil edges to the cards, plus there's a set of Adeptus Mechanicus Dice.
Da Red Gobbo has competition, and it's the Grotmas Gitz. Arguably a nicer miniature, let's hope these two fight it out to mutually assured destruction and next year we can get back to a White-bearded Dwarf! 
In books this week it's the Vaults of Terra trilogy, available in the very pretty Collectors Edition. Plus White Dwarf is here again - Xmas Edition - with Issue 495.

This week, there are supposed to be a few products that are available in Australia and New Zealand, but not the US and Canada, and vice versa, but that seems to have got a bit confused too, plus the big release for the week is totally missing - 
This week was supposed to see the King of the Dead and Heralds (Clear Plastic) and Warriors of the Dead (Clear Plastic), two great looking new sets made of clear blue plastic giving them the ghostly look they have always needed and wanted. Though technically in Lord of the Rings they were green! Despite GW promises, these have also not turned up on the AUS/NZ site, and won't be available in the US/CAN for a little bit.
The big Horus Heresy release this week is the MKVI Assault Squad, not available in AUS/NZ, but ideally next week. This is a really nice kit - notice the jump packs modelled on the 40K Raptor kit to bring design elements together. Also this week everywhere apart from AUS/NZ are the Brimstein Firegrass tufts. They're kind of cool, but probably limited in usages.